Celebrity Health

Michael Rapaport understands the need for coronavirus mitigation, but man, is he fed up with different rules applying to different people and businesses without logical explanations.

The actor joined "TMZ Live" Monday on the heels of his epic rant about a flea market on Melrose Ave. being open this weekend while other outdoor establishments are shut down.

Rapaport says it makes no sense, especially when businesses are taking all the COVID precautions they can to safely keep making money -- so he understands people's frustrations boiling over ... even at that bar in Staten Island.

Michael explained the flea market deepened his empathy for people struggling to make a living amid the pandemic, and he was not knocking the market vendors. His issue is restaurants right across the street not being allowed to be open when their employees are struggling just as much.

Don't get it twisted, though, he's still all about wearing masks and taking steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, he just thinks the rules should apply to everyone -- and if they don't, leaders should explain WHY.

Here's LeBron James showing SPEED and SAFETY go hand-in-hand ... rocking a COVID mask in a rare $1 mil Porsche!

The footage was shot by a self-described car enthusiast named Alex -- who busted out his phone when he spotted a black Porsche 918 Spyder convertible burning down the highway!

And, behind the wheel ... in a mask from Henry Masks -- THAT'S LEBRON!!!

The L.A. Lakers superstar gave a little wave and then punched it -- flexing the speed of his rare, hybrid whip.

Okay, let's talk about the car!!!

The Porsche 918 Spyder is a limited edition vehicle that was only produced between 2013 and 2015 -- with a starting price of $845,000!!

Though AutomobileMag.com says the cars have gone way up in value -- recently selling between $1.1 million and $1.7 million.

It's powered by a 5.7-liter V-10 engine AND a 6.8-kWh battery hence the "hybrid" designation.

The speed on this car is legendary ... with MotorTrend reporting it goes from 0-60 is 2.4 seconds!!!

It also hits 0 to 100 in 4.9 seconds!!!

AutomobileMag has described the car this way -- "The 918 Spyder stands as one of the most cutting-edge, tech-forward vehicles the German automaker has ever produced."

The mother of Daisy Coleman -- who was one of the teenage girls featured in "Audrie & Daisy," the Netflix documentary about her rape as a teenager -- has taken her own life just months after Daisy's suicide.

Melinda Coleman was found dead Sunday night ... according to SafeBAE, the sexual assault prevention and recovery organization co-founded by Daisy following her rape case.

The group says it's in "shock and disbelief" over her suicide, adding ... "The bottomless grief of losing her husband, Tristan and Daisy was more than she could face most days."

SafeBAE called Melinda a "gifted veterinarian, devoted mother and wife, and talented body builder," adding ... "More than anything, she loved and believed in her children."

We broke the story ... Daisy took her own life in August, which was discovered after her mom called the police to do a welfare check. Melinda wrote at the time, "She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her!"

Daisy was 14 years old in January 2012 when she was allegedly raped at a Missouri house party after being plied with alcohol. Nobody was ever convicted for it, and the 2016 Netflix doc followed Daisy and her family as they dealt with the trauma of her alleged assault, and the hostile reaction of their community.

"Audrie & Daisy" also focused on the sexual assault of Audrie Pott in September 2012 in California and her subsequent suicide.

Melinda is survived by her 2 sons, Logan and Charlie.

She was 58.

Rudy Giuliani is the latest Trump associate to test positive for coronavirus -- and the news was broken by none other than Donald Trump himself.

The President tweeted Sunday, "@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!"

Unclear when Rudy was tested, or how long he's been positive -- but in any case ... it's another one bites the dust in the Trump world. Everyone from POTUS himself to Kellyanne Conway and many others in Trump's immediate orbit have contracted the virus.

Rudy had dodged getting sick until now -- but he's been on the move a lot these past several weeks, defending Trump's election fraud claims all over the country and going to court a lot (and losing) over election fraud allegations filed by the campaign in multiple jurisdictions.

He was oftentimes seen without a mask on too, FWIW ... including just a month ago when he made an appearance at the Four Seasons (landscaping company) in Philadelphia -- where he gathered reporters for a bizarro-impromptu press conference.

Not only that, but RG had another very public hygiene moment recently -- when he was seen sweating profusely during a news conference, which caused his hair dye to start dripping down the side of his face. And sure enough ... he wasn't masked up then either.

Just earlier this week ... Rudy was in Lansing, MI with a bizarre "star witness" who was supposedly gonna blow the lid off of alleged election fraud in Michigan. There too, he wasn't wearing a mask, and neither was she. He even had the gall to ask another one of his witnesses -- who was masked -- to take remove her covering ... but she didn't.

Safe to say, this was bound to happen.

Most everyone in Trump's world who's tested positive has recovered -- and considering Rudy's one of Trump's right-hand men these days, we're guessing he'll get top-notch treatment and come out the other side.

What a year ...

The pandemic will hit the homeless in this country harder than most, especially as the temperatures drop in the coldest parts of the country for Christmas ... because a lot of shelters are being forced to be more restrictive with their services due to COVID.

TMZ spoke with various homeless shelters in some of the coldest cities in America -- which will be covered in snow and freezing this winter, as the pandemic rages on -- and we heard a lot of the same new policies being rolled out ... no volunteers, and no services for the recently displaced. The former's a bummer, but the latter could be devastating.

• Baltimore Outreach Services: This shelter only serves women and children, and they have a population of homeless that caps off at 40. They're not accepting any volunteers for holiday food giveaways, but are accepting outside donations, food and otherwise. They're also not taking in any new homeless clients needing housing, but have a waitlist.
• Hope Street Shelter, Minneapolis: They serve homeless youths between 18-22 years of age, and while they say they will be taking new clients needing housing this holiday season -- they are also not accepting volunteers due to COVID. They're also keeping their services in-house and exclusively for the homeless population currently staying with them.

• Light of Life Rescue Mission, Pittsburgh: This is one of the rare shelters that will take in and use outside of volunteers for Christmas and other food handout events. They plan to serve around 1,000 for Christmas, and will require volunteers to wear masks and distance. Unfortunately, they're not taking in any new homeless clientele due to COVID.
• Detroit Rescue Mission: They are not accepting any new homeless people to stay in their facility, but are committed to feeding anyone who needs a meal on Christmas. Social distancing will be required, and they hope to feed as many as 50 people.

• St. Herman House, Cleveland: No outside volunteers allowed for Christmas, only in-house staff will work to distribute meals on Christmas day, while maintaining proper distancing. They expect to be able to serve up to 150 meals, all of which will be bagged this year. They're also not taking in any new clients, but will start processing new apps soon.
• Coalition for the Homeless, Washington D.C.: This shelter will not be allowing any new volunteers to help out with Christmas activities, whereas they have in the past.

Michael Rapaport is expressing the same frustration and confusion a lot of Angelenos are feeling after outdoor dining was once again shut down ... this time pointing to a very-open flea market in town that's humming with business while restaurants suffer.

The actor and sports enthusiast posted a video Sunday showing him cruising along in L.A. next to the Melrose Trading Post ... a flea market off of Melrose Ave. and Fairfax. As you can see -- and as Mike vividly points out -- it's open and full of customers.

In Rapaport's eyes, the fact that operations like this can stay open while outdoor dining is being shuttered again just doesn't make sense -- and he goes on a profanity-laced tirade against Mayor Eric Garcetti and Governor Gavin Newsom for calling the shot.

He doesn't quite say it, but MR seems to suggest that the decision to shut down dining -- which is also outdoors and requires mask-wearing -- while letting flea markets and farmers markets such as this one to continue on is ... arbitrary. And, if not that, simply not properly explained by government officials as far as rationale -- something a lot of people have said.

Of course, this is reminiscent of what a restaurant owner in the L.A. area alluded to recently -- comparing her outdoor dining set-up to a movie set that also had tents and tables laid out right next door. In that case, the differences for safety were much more clear -- movie sets have to operate as de facto bubbles with regular testing -- while restaurants don't.

In the flea market/farmers market case ... the differences are a little harder to spot and justify. Unlike a movie or production set, there is no mandatory regular testing of subjects looking to partake in an outdoor market like this -- strangers can just waltz on in, without having to prove anything, so in that regard ... it is similar to the outdoor dining scenario.

The only thing we can think of that make farmers/flea markets different is that they are theoretically supposed to be operating at limited capacity, and mask-wearing is mandatory throughout ... whereas at a restaurant, masks come off once you're seated at your table.

Apologies to Mr. Smith but screw going to Washington ... AOC's going to Twitch to get s**t done for America, and she's now recruiting her colleagues to do the same.

We got Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez out on Capitol Hill and she told us she's actually in the process of signing up her -- shall we say more senior -- colleagues to the game streaming platform so they too can capitalize on the massive audience it provides.

AOC says among some of the colleagues she's signing up is her Netflix doc costar, Representative-elect Cori Bush. There are others too ... and it seems she's making quite the effort to do so ... on the heels of raising $200k during her Twitch debut last month that attracted 435,000 viewers at its peak while playing the popular game "Among Us."

Big numbers for sure, but even more impressive is the money she raised on the platform for 6 orgs in her community that'll use the loot for eviction defenses, food pantries and more ... as the country struggles to deal with the pandemic and the collateral damage it's caused.

As for why she's so adamant about becoming a Twitch vet ... well, she pointed to the Capitol building and essentially said "these folks" are lagging behind when it comes to passing a new COVID relief bill to help struggling Americans.

As a COVID-19 vaccine looms, Uncle Sam wants to make sure you don't throw your money away on a bogus miracle cure -- and, as it turns out, there's a lot already out there.

It's inevitable ... criminals will peddle fake vaccines online and elsewhere. When money can be made and people are desperate, the combination is perfect for crooks.

The Food and Drug Administration has gotten ahead of snake oil salesmen who've been trying to peddle fake coronavirus-related products in recent months -- even going so far as to throw images of these junk items onto Flickr, so you can see them up close.

The FDA also says it's already issued warning letters to the vendors associated with these fraudulent medicines while keeping a watchful eye out for more, adding ... "The FDA is exercising its authority to protect consumers from firms selling unapproved products and making false or misleading claims, including, by pursuing warning letters, seizures, injunctions or criminal prosecutions against products and firms or individuals that violate the law."

As for the items themselves, boy some are ridiculous ... corn and cheese, making ya wonder how anyone could be so stupid as to buy them. Thing is ... people do.

Here's a brief list of some of the goofiest ones that caught our eye, and which the FDA flagged as phony.

-- Virus Bioshield, from a firm called "Rats Army." It's an oil-like substance, with claims it's full of vitamins, antioxidants and helpful minerals, and which "Exhibits antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties," "Suppresses tumor growth," "Increases vaccine effectiveness," "Protects against oxidative damage," among other things.

-- Biomagnetism Magnetic Therapy DIY Kits: FDA says this is a fraudulent product claiming to be able to prevent, treat, mitigate, diagnose or cure COVID-19. Not so!!!

-- StayWell Copper: Literally a little metal sheet that the FDA says is also claiming to be able to rid oneself of the 'rona, but they busted these guys back in May.

-- COVID-19 Cough Syrup: This one might be the silliest of all. It's a honey bear bottle emptied out and filled with some dark liquid gunk, with a crappy label slapped on the cap that reads, "COVID-19." If we must say it ... DO. NOT. BUY. THIS.

Jeremih has beat COVID!!! He's been released from the hospital and is at home recovering ... TMZ has learned.

Jeremih tells TMZ, "First and foremost, I would like to thank God and the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for saving my life. I will be forever grateful."

The R&B singer goes on ... "I would also like to thank my family and friends for all their prayers and well wishes. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. A special thanks to Chance The Rapper, 50 Cent and Diddy for their love and support."

Those prayers from other artists and friends may have been just what the doctor ordered. As we reported, there was a time last month when it looked like Jeremih wouldn't make it. He was on a ventilator in ICU last weekend, when 50, Chance and others asked for prayers on Jeremih's behalf.

50 made it clear a week ago, things were not looking good ... "Pray for my boy Jeremih. He's not doing good. This  COVID s*** is real."

Jeremih says, "I would like to thank all my fans and people around the world who prayed for me. I'm getting stronger everyday, and look forward to spending time with my sons."

Operation Warp Speed is a misnomer, according to a Johns Hopkins doctor ... the frustrated doc says it's more like Operation Turtle Speed.

Professor Marty Makary is angry the FDA hasn't gone the route of Great Britain by approving the COVID vaccine and injecting its citizens.

Dr. Makary says he can't believe the FDA is still reviewing the efficacy and safety of the 2 promising vaccines -- courtesy of Pfizer and Moderna.

He says, "FDA regulators are wasting precious time in greenlighting a COVID vaccine as more than 2,000 Americans are dying each day and the pandemic continues to starve American society."

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday, most Americans who are not in high-risk groups will probably have the vaccine available to them by April. Fauci had said he believed England cut corners in approving the vaccine and that the FDA was the gold standard and would be more thorough. He apologized for his comment the next day, presumably because it undermined confidence in the vaccines.

Fauci's feelings don't sit well with Dr. Makary, who shot back ... the FDA could have approved the vaccine within 24 to 48 hours without cutting any corners. He does not explain why he thinks the FDA process could be accelerated without rolling the dice on safety.

The sad reality is this ... there are now models suggesting more than half a million Americans will be dead from COVID by late April. The country is now in the grip of the virus ... more than 100,000 people are in the hospital and on Friday more than 2,600 died.

Morgan Wallen has a plan to make sure he's not booted from his second crack at 'SNL' ... but his strategy already has some gaping holes of his own doing.

We got the country music star in New York City Friday and our photog asked him how he's planning to stay COVID safe ahead of his big 'SNL' performance.

Morgan tells us he "ain't leaving the damn hotel" ... as he's literally walking out of said hotel.

As you know ... Morgan is getting a second chance at 'SNL' 2 months after the show axed him from an earlier, planned gig. He got the boot after he was seen taking shots in a crowded bar and kissing women during some maskless partying down in Alabama. Y'know, stuff that's NOT COVID safe.

Morgan's thanking the Lord for another shot -- at 'SNL,' not the bar -- and says he'll do things differently this time. As for leaving the hotel, maybe he's going to 30 Rock for rehearsals.

Good on Morgan for wearing a face-covering as he climbs into a waiting SUV with his masked-up team.

The show should be pretty funny, with host Jason Bateman already in fine form.

Not even the toughest dudes in the NFL can escape the wrath of COVID-19 ... with Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett admitting the virus "kicked my butt."

The 24-year-old defensive end spoke out about his experience with the coronavirus with reporters on Friday ... saying he was hoping to be asymptomatic -- but that wasn't the case.

Garrett -- who missed the last 2 games after testing positive -- says he dealt with a fever, aches and lost his sense of smell.

"I was in pain. It wasn't great," Garrett said. "It kicked my butt ... Now I’m back,"

The Defensive Player of the Year hopeful says he expects to be back to 100% in time for the team's crucial matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

"I'm not here to make a cameo appearance or a second-rate arrival. I'm here to do the job that I was doing before. I don't think there will be any drop-off."

Formula 1 Driver Romain Grosjean is getting brutally honest about the fiery crash he survived at the Bahrain Grand Prix over the weekend -- saying he honestly thought he was going to die.

"For me it wasn’t quite 28 seconds, it felt more like a 1 minute 30," Grosjean said.

In fact, Grosjean says there was a moment when he was stuck in his car where he began to accept his fate.

"All my [muscles] relaxes," Grosjean said in a candid interview with Sky Sports ... "[I'm at] peace with myself thinking, 'I'm dead.'"

"I will die. Which part is gonna burn first? Is it the foot? The hands? Is it going to be painful? Very strange feeling."

As we previously reported, Grosjean lost control and slammed into a barrier -- causing his car to explode into a ball of flames.

During the fiery incident, Grosjean told Sky Sports he began to think about his family -- and that's what ultimately motivated him to escape to safety.

"I thought about my kids and I thought, 'No I cannot die today.'"

Grosjean says he finally found the strength to escape the burning car -- and he was whisked away to safety.

After he was rescued, Grosjean says it was important he showed the world he could walk on his own power.

“It was key that there was some footage of me walking towards the ambulance. Even though I’d walked out of the fire, I needed to send another strong message that I was okay."

After the incident, Grosjean made a video from his hospital bed thanking the responders and medical staffers who saved his life.

"For whatever reason, God looked down on me and gave me a second shot at this thing. And I made a promise, I'm going to make the most of this opportunity."

Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst is opening up on his battles with drugs, alcohol and depression ... calling his 2016 attempted suicide "the best and worst thing that's ever happened in my life."

Hurst first started to acknowledge his mental health issues in 2013 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.

The 27-year-old says he relied on drugs and alcohol to cope with panic attacks ... and after being unable to control his pitching due to his hand constantly shaking, ended up pursuing a football career at the University of South Carolina.

"I can't really explain it," Hurst said in a video posted by the Falcons on Thursday. "It's hard to unless you go through it."

"But depression, you feel like nobody's there, despite my family being so close. They're willing to do whatever, but when you're in that head space and you're in that dark spot, you feel alone."

"You feel like nobody's there, nobody cares. So I guess for me, in those years, that's why I turned to drinking."

In January 2016 -- after a night of heavy drinking -- Hurst attempted to take his own life ... and woke up in a hospital the next day.

"It was the best and worst thing that's ever happened in my life," Hurst says. "Because when I made that decision, when I was in that hospital room, kind of reflecting on everything I had done, I made a promise to myself. I was like, I'm not going to do this again."

Hurst immediately gave up drugs and alcohol and became a star for the Gamecocks ... becoming a first-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.

Now, Hurst is using his platform to help those going through similar situations ... creating the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation to raise mental health for young people.

Here they are ... the Arizona 49ers!!

Okay, technically they're still the S.F. 49ers -- but they officially practiced in their new "home" stadium in Arizona on Thursday for the first time since they were forced out of the Bay Area over COVID rules.

Just a few days ago, the 49ers were told they would no longer be allowed to practice or play games at their home facility in Santa Clara after county officials placed restrictions on activities to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.

So, the Niners and NFL reps worked with the Arizona Cardinals to practice and play for the foreseeable future in Glendale at State Farm Stadium ... and so far, it seems the team is OK with the new set up.

The 49ers got in some drills and workouts Thursday ... just a couple days before they'll take on the Buffalo Bills on "Monday Night Football" at the stadium next week.

The Niners will stay in Arizona the following week for their Dec. 13 game against Washington Football Team ... before hitting the road to play the Cowboys in Dallas on Dec. 20.

The team will be back in Arizona for a "road" game against the Cardinals on Dec. 26 -- so, yeah, get ready to call Glendale home for the Niners for quite some time!

The Niners are a longshot to make the postseason -- they're 5-6 -- so a home playoff game in Glendale is unlikely.

Pretty good situation for the 49ers all things considered -- especially with the weather ... it's gonna be 70 and sunny this weekend!

Boosie Badazz is making the most of what is clearly a gruesome situation -- using his leg injuries from last month's shooting in Dallas to promote a new song.

The rapper revealed the brutal aftermath of not only the shooting, but the multiple surgeries he's needed ... including a procedure to remove bullet fragments, and getting screws put into his foot.

As you can see ... it resulted in swelling, discoloration, and required several staples and stitches running from this thigh down past his knee.

The ghastly sight might leave Boosie's fans speechless, but he's using the video to accompany a new single, "Lost for Words," which he dropped Thursday.

Along with footage of his busted-up leg, the music vid shows the rapper recovering in the hospital and later at home with family.

As we reported ... Boosie didn't let the damage to his leg stop him from hosting events a couple weeks afterward -- on Thanksgiving in South Carolina and 2 days later in Alabama to celebrate his birthday.

Of course, Boosie had to roll into the clubs in a wheelchair ... but he appeared to take it all in stride.