Celebrity Health

Brad Williams says he wouldn't trade his life and take a drug that could make him taller, but he understands why others would, and adds ... he and his wife are considering it for their daughter.

We got the comedian at a Starbucks in L.A. Wednesday and got his take on the controversial new drug, Vosoritide, which has been shown to restore nearly average bone growth rates of children with achondroplasia ... the most common form of dwarfism, which Brad has.

Brad lays out the potentially significant impact of the drug and how it can improve the lives of kids with dwarfism, but on the flip side ... he's well aware giving it to a child creates an ethical conundrum.

He even gives us a personal example demonstrating how difficult this decision might be for little people ... and that sets up his larger point. Brad says no matter what a person thinks about the drug ... it should be left up to those actually affected by dwarfism to make the call.

As for Brad's 9-month-old little girl ... he shared a video a while back showing off one of her special attributes due to her dwarfism.

"Tarzan" star Ron Ely is blaming the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department for his wife and son's deaths ... claiming deputies didn't attempt to save their lives and neglected his wife after she was stabbed and he was shot.

The Ely family deaths occurred in a bizarre and violent manner on October 15, 2019 -- Ron's son, Cameron, stabbed Ron's wife, Valerie, in the family's home. Deputies responded, but in a new lawsuit, Ron claims deputies on scene did not call for medical personnel to help Valerie.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Ron claims he requested emergency services after Valerie suffered stab wounds to her chest and lung. He claims several deputies showed up to the scene around 8:15 PM, but failed to check if Valerie was still alive.

Ron also claims deputies obstructed fire department medical personnel from entering the home to provide treatment. In all, he claims Valerie went without treatment for 30 minutes ... and was pronounced dead at 8:42 PM.

As for Cameron's death ... Ron claims his son was unarmed on their property later that night when deputies found him. According to the suit, Cameron was unarmed and had his hands up when the cops opened fire, hitting Cameron 22 times. Ron claims Cameron also went without medical assistance for at least 13 minutes, and was left to die in the driveway.

As we reported ... cops had said Cameron posed a threat when they found him, and as a result, 4 deputies opened fire. Ron insists Cameron didn't pose any threat.

He's suing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the city of Santa Barbara for wrongful death and unspecified damages.

The NFL is so pissed off over coaches continuing to flout its COVID mask rules ... it's now threatening to pull draft picks from teams if the violations continue.

It's all in a new league memo officials sent to the 32 clubs on Wednesday, which spells out the possible heavy punishments.

In the memo, obtained by multiple media outlets, the league says a forfeiture of picks as well as suspensions are on the table if coaches keep pulling down their masks during games.

Of course, the problem was a HUGE issue for teams in the first two weeks of the season ... and the league handed down some big fines over it all.

Head coaches like Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Vic Fangio, Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan were all docked $100,000 ... while their respective teams were hit with $250k fines as well.

Coaches seemed to clean up their act in Week 3 ... with most of the previous offenders abiding by the rules.

But, cameras still caught Arizona Cardinals head man Kliff Kingsbury, Fangio and a few others once again ditching their masks ... and it's clear the league is tired of seeing it.

The Tennessee Titans have shut down ALL in-person activities immediately ... after 3 players and 5 additional staffers have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Minnesota Vikings -- who lost to the Titans on Sunday -- will also shut down their facilities as a safety precaution ... but have NOT reported any positive tests.

The Titans will reportedly not be allowed back at the team facility until Saturday -- which begs the question ... will they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday without practicing????

The NFL and Players' Association released a statement on the matter, saying, "Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments."

"All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available."

Tennessee also released a statement ... claiming the decision to work remotely was "out of the abundance of caution."

It's bad news for the NFL, which has been able to play 3 regular season weeks without any major outbreaks.

Some of the best basketball players to ever live will be present for Game 1 of the NBA Finals ... but, of course, they won't actually *be* there due to COVID-19.

Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more headline the insane list of NBA legends slated to be virtual fans for the Lakers vs. Heat on Wednesday ... tuning in to the game from the comfort of anywhere other than the Orlando bubble.

The list is full of players who have hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in the past -- including Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Manu Ginobili, Robert Parish and more.

Seriously, there's a LOT of rings in the bunch.

On top of the champs in the crowd, there will be 40 first-time poll workers identified by LeBron James' "More Than A Vote" campaign!!

It won't be as electric as years past ... but heck, at least we have ball!!

Serena Williams is officially OUT of the French Open ... the tennis legend withdrew from the tournament Wednesday, saying she has an Achilles injury that's hurting like hell.

"Struggling to walk," Serena said of the injury. "So that's kind of a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover."

The 39-year-old hurt her lower leg at the U.S. Open in New York earlier this month ... and thought she had given it enough time to heal to be effective in Paris.

But, Williams said during her opening-round victory over Kristie Ahn on Monday, she felt the tendon aching -- and decided to pull out of the event.

"I had to focus on walking straight so I wasn't limping," Serena said. "And, I tried."

The good news ... Serena says she doesn't think the injury will be a long-term thing -- she told reporters she believes 4-to-6 weeks of rest and recovery should do the trick.

"I feel like my body is actually doing really, really well, and I just ran into, for lack of a better word, bad timing and bad luck, really, in New York," Williams said.

"It happened, but my body is actually doing really, really well.”

Mac Davis -- best known as a '70s country music sensation and for writing hits for Elvis Presley -- has died following heart surgery ... TMZ has confirmed.

Davis died Tuesday at a hospital in Nashville ... according to his manager, Jim Morey. Earlier this week, the singer became critically ill after undergoing surgery and sadly was unable to recover. "He was surrounded by the love of his life and wife of 38 years, Lise, and his sons Scott, Noah and Cody," Morey wrote on Facebook.

After news of Mac's health broke, he received an outpouring of love from country stars like Dolly Parton and others asking for prayers and support.

The Texas native got his big break in the late '60s as a songwriter when Elvis recorded his works, "Memories," "Don't Cry Daddy," "In the Ghetto" and "A Little Less Conversation" ... all of which became hits for The King.

Mac also wrote for a handful of other acts -- like Kenny Rogers & the First Edition -- before launching a solo career in the '70s ... kicked off with his Grammy-nominated hit "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me."

Though the song was a success on both the country and pop charts, Mac made a name for himself as a country singer when he was crowned the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year in 1974.

His other hits include "Stop and Smell the Roses," "One Hell of a Woman" and the 1980 novelty song, "It's Hard to be Humble."

On top of his music career, Davis also starred on his own TV variety show from 1974-76 and made his big-screen debut in the 1979 football film, "North Dallas Forty," alongside Nick Nolte.

He also hosted an episode of "The Muppet Show" and starred in "The Sting II" in the '80s, and went to appear in numerous TV and film projects over the next 3 decades.

He's been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mac is survived by his wife, Lise Gerard, and 3 children.

He was 78.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is sparing no details of his horrific bowling accident, but says the gruesome injury's left him more grateful than ever ... for his family and the doctors who saved him.

Jersey's other Boss joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to give his account of the freak bowling accident, telling us he's got a long road to recovery ahead due to severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand.

Word of warning ... if you're enjoying a piece of cake -- or any food -- right now, finish up before watching Buddy's description of the pinsetter machine impaling his hand.

As we reported ... Buddy was bowling with his fam on their at-home alley and tried to fix the malfunctioning pinsetter. Buddy said the "blunt force" he felt as a metal rod repeatedly rammed through his hand was by far the worst pain he's ever felt.

He also revealed it wasn't just his hand that was severely injured 😬 ... and gushed about the amazing job his family did to free him from the evil machine to get him to a hospital.

As for the road to recovery ... the "Cake Boss" told us it's gonna be a long one -- but he said it's giving him a newfound appreciation for the medical pros doing miraculous work to fix his hand.

Sounds like renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson can expect a Christmas card, and probably a cake too!

Mark Cuban is personally helping Delonte West get back on his feet ... with the Dallas Mavericks owner picking up the ex-NBA star at a gas station in Texas.

As we previously reported, the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard has fallen on tough times in recent years ... and was most recently seen holding a sign on the street in Dallas last week.

Sources connected to West's family tell us that Cuban -- who had been trying to reach DW on the phone for days -- finally got in contact with Delonte ... who agreed to meet the Mavs owner on Monday in Dallas.

We're told Cuban took West to a local hotel ... while his family formulates a game plan.

Our sources tell us West's circle of fam and friends have been trying desperately to get Delonte to go to rehab ... and he now seems open to the idea.

We're even told Cuban has offered to help cover Delonte's cost for treatment.

FYI, West played for Cuban's Dallas Mavs from 2011-2012.

As we previously reported, the NBA, the NBA Players Association, Doc Rivers, Jameer Nelson and others have tried to get Delonte help in the past.

We've reached out to Cuban and the Mavs for comment ... so far, no word back.

It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's a flying medic speeding through the air to go save lives!!!

That's the hope of the UK's Great North Air Ambulance Service anyway, which tested what's believed to be the world's first paramedic jet suit over the mountainous terrain of the Lake District ... in collaboration with Gravity Industries.

Check it out -- Gravity founder Richard Browning carries out the test flight, and is able to gloriously reach the "casualty site" -- unreachable by vehicle -- in less than 90 seconds! It would have taken 25-30 minutes on foot.

Obviously, that huge time saver in an emergency situation could be the difference between life and death.

Andy Mawson, director of operations at GNAAS, came up with the idea and described the test flight as "awesome." He says he saw the need for the flying paramedic because there are dozens of patients monthly within the complex geographical region.

Mawson says the jet pack exercise demonstrates huge potential of delivering critical care services quickly and effectively.

He adds ... "If the idea takes off, the flying paramedic will be armed with a medical kit, with strong pain relief for walkers who may have suffered fractures, and a defibrillator for those who may have suffered a heart attack."

A pandemic house party got so rowdy, the wet and wild footage ended up on Pornhub ... and it's chock-full of nudity, twerking and a cucumber.

Here's the deal ... promoter Donny2Real threw a massive bash in Rialto, CA over Labor Day Weekend and things quickly escalated to XXX status, living up to its "Califreaknik" billing.

There were cover charges ranging from $50 to $100, but women who came topless got in free. Hundreds of people flocked to the booze-fueled party, which saw money raining down on scantily-clad dancers.

Some of the women at the party started taking everything off, and cameras were rolling. At some point, a large cucumber entered the fray, with women simulating oral sex on the phallic-like vegetable.

The cucumber ended up being used in the video ... all while a huge crowd watched with great excitement.

Footage of the bash got uploaded to Pornhub ... and now it's blowing up.

The Rialto Police Department tells TMZ ... cops responded to the property due to the large party, and several hundred people were in attendance before police broke it up.

We're told police heard multiple gunshots a couple blocks away from the party while they were dispersing the crowd, and someone was shot multiple times. Rialto PD says the gunshot victim was associated with the party in some way.

The shooter, we're told, has not been arrested, and police are looking to take legal action against the party promoters and folks who were responsible for throwing the bash.

President Trump's former campaign manager got tackled by a cop and cuffed as he was talking to another officer about a call to his house for a suicide attempt ... and the bizarre incident was caught on body cam.

Brad Parscale was hospitalized Sunday following a report of him being armed and threatening suicide at his Florida home. Based on the footage from one of the responding Fort Lauderdale PD officers ... his wife made the call.

Parscale's wife, who's wrapped in a towel, tells the cops her husband was "acting crazy" and "going irate" before going into his office and cocking a handgun. She says she went outside to get away from him, but saw him look out the window ... then she heard what she thought was a gunshot.

The wife appears to be relieved Brad's still alive when the cop gets him on the phone. She tells the officer he has 4-5 firearms in the home as the officer tries to convince him to come outside unarmed.

Hours later, Brad does come out -- shirtless and barefoot -- to let the cops know he was not trying to kill himself. As he approaches the officer he makes it clear he's unarmed and seems to start explaining what set him off with his wife.

Everything seems pretty calm, but then another officer -- reportedly part of the SWAT team -- demands Parscale get on the ground and tackles him before he can really respond.

Parscale protests that he didn't do anything as he's detained and brought to his feet. The FLPD says he was not injured and taken to the Broward Health Medical Center for emergency mental health services.

America's public health concerns and racial strife are colliding in NYC ... where a Black woman's refusal to put on a mask turned into an ugly, super-tense scene on a subway.

The video starts with the woman shoving an older white man away from her. Apparently, he got in her face, demanding she put on a face covering ... which she didn't want to do, and instead went ballistic on him and several other commuters.

She accused the people yelling at her of ganging up on her because she's Black -- and she screamed at them as she did. The shouting and lack of a mask only amplified the intensity of the moment.

By the end of the incident, more and more people on the subway car got upset ... some against her, some defending her and others just pissed the conflict was holding up the train. Someone threatened to call the cops, but we don't know yet if they responded to the scene.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM!!!

Lindsey Vonn just showed off the dental procedure she had to undergo to get new chompers ... and it's gnarly as hell!!!

The Olympic gold medalist put drill to teeth Monday, filming the whole process ... and in the video, you can see it doesn't appear to be the most pleasant experience.

The dentist ground down Vonn's two front teeth into little nubs ... and even Lindsey had to acknowledge it's some "pretty gross content."

Fortunately, the doc was able to build Vonn's teeth back up ... and afterward, the 35-year-old showed the pearly whites were no worse for wear!!

The father who shielded his kids in a shootout might be out of a job, but he's not out of money or help -- he's up hundreds of thousands in donations, plus a lifeline for his children.

A GoFundMe for Anthony Jefferson was started shortly after news spread about his heroic deed last week -- jumping on top of his three kids at a car dealership when bullets started flying -- and the account has already swelled to a whopping $273,891 ... and counting.

The largest donation came in from an anonymous person, who dropped $25k. Lots of other donations have been coming in anonymously as well, in increments of $2k, $1k and then into the hundreds. In all, there's been roughly 8,000 people who've contributed.

That'll certainly help Anthony -- whose wife recently told us he'd been canned from two gigs of his in painting and construction ... all because he was injured from the shooting and was going to be out of commission for a while. As crappy as that is, people are clearly lending a hand to hold him and his family over for the time being.

There's more assistance on the horizon though, if Anthony and co. want it. Dr. Raha Didevar of Big HeArts Interventions tells TMZ ... she'd be willing to offer Anthony's three young children therapy via Zoom pro bono once a week ... for a year or more if they need it.