Holidaze

Jeff Lowe is pissed off at PETA over a Joe Exotic Halloween costume ... and the animal rights organization is taking some major swipes back as their beef heats up!!!

Here's the deal ... PETA is hawking a "Joe Exotic Tiger Killer Costume" for $159.99 ... but Jeff isn't laughing at the funny costume and says he's owed a slice of the pie.

Jeff's lawyer fired off a cease and desist letter to PETA, obtained by TMZ, claiming he owns the rights to "Joe Exotic" and "Tiger King" and threatening a lawsuit if PETA doesn't pull the costume or come to the bargaining table to work out a licensing deal.

As you know ... Jeff now operates Joe's old zoo, The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma.

PETA fired back with a letter of their own, which we also obtained, calling Jeff's claims "absurd" and claiming that, even if Lowe owns the trademarks, the costume is an obvious parody and doesn't violate any trademark.

The animal rights org takes some jabs at Jeff ... the letter advises, "We suggest Mr. Lowe focus instead on his serious legal problems in Nevada, Oklahoma and elsewhere, including the numerous recent federal Animal Welfare Act violations perpetrated against endangered big cats at his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park."

Nothing like Halloween costume beef in July!!!

Lizzo has a brief message for the guy who allegedly booted her and some friends from a rental property a wee bit early this weekend -- bite me, and preferably where the sun don't shine!!!

The singer was documenting her sun-filled weekend with her friends, which started at one pad they rented ... but then shifted over to another one a few days later after the landlord at the first place apparently kicked them out.

In response, Lizzo kept calm and twerked on.

She posted a vid of herself dancing at the new digs, and had this to say to the guy she claims cut her stay short ... "This is for the man that kicked me out of my 7-day rental 3 days early yesterday." She adds, "This is for mocking the way that I dance and for using Instagram footage of me and my 6 black homegirls to say that we could ‘hurt him’ and threaten to call the police." There's no additional footage that shows what she describes here.

Still, Lizzo says she knows the dude's watching and that he won't stop her shine, adding this for good measure ... "Thanks for kicking us out cus this house is better anyways. Xoxo 🖕🏾"

Unclear where exactly Lizzo was staying -- kinda looks like the L.A. area to us -- but just a few days earlier, she was showing off her and her girls having a good ass time at what appears to be the first spot.

Khloe Kardashian's 4th of July celebration at her baby daddy's house seems to be proof that an age-old adage holds up even today ... time heals all.

The youngest OG Kardashian sister was spotted heading into Tristan Thompson's L.A. crib Saturday, with her older sister, Kourtney, and even her mom, Kris, in tow. No sign of Kim, Kanye, Kylie or Kendall -- but still, quite the Kardashian get-together if you ask us.

While we know Khloe and Tristan have hung out a lot in recent months -- word is they've been quarantining together since the lockdown -- it's interesting to see the fam coming around to Tristan again ... this, of course, after he got caught cheating a couple years back.

Since then, though, it would appear Khloe and him are giving their relationship a second go ... as they've been super tight lately, and Tristan has more than professed his love for Khloe. Remember, they share a daughter together -- young True -- and it looks like they've been doing more than just co-parenting for a while now.

Hundreds of young people in SoCal ran for the hills on the 4th of July ... Beverly Hills that is, where they may get 2 cases of Corona -- and only 1 is the beer.

It's a crazy scene that has been repeated all over the country. Partiers packed in like sardines without face masks. There's a lot of drinking and super-close contact ... ideal for the spread of the virus.

Not that they're listening .... but California is experiencing a huge spike in coronavirus cases.  In the last 2 weeks in L.A. County, 28,130 people tested positive and 391 have died.

It's now as clear as can be ... there are lots of people who just don't care if they get the virus or just believe they are impervious to it. Wrong.

4th of July is proving many Americans don't care coronavirus cases are spiking again, which is in line with the White House's new messaging ...  just live with it.

A handful of water-based venues -- including a water park and two lakeside blowouts -- brought out droves of people this holiday weekend in Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan ... all of which are seeing their own surges in confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses.

That didn't matter to these folks though -- they were ready to get wet and wild for Independence Day, and you can tell by how little mind they're paying to safety precautions.

At the Noah's Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, WI, hardly anybody was 6-feet apart from each other as they packed the wave pool. And, masks were out the window, obviously -- studies say they're ineffective if they get wet, so a lost cause right off the bat here.

Elsewhere in Missouri ... the same bar adjacent to Lake of the Ozarks -- Backwater Jack's -- forged ahead with their planned Fourth of July blowout, which they dubbed No Ducks Given. Between Friday and Saturday, the place once again resembled a sardine can.

And, in Michigan, another lake shindig was well underway Saturday ... Diamond Lake in Cass County was packed to the gills along its shores with partygoers raging the day away.

We've seen this behavior all throughout the spring and early summer -- ever since America was put on high alert and states went on full-blown lockdowns. While the shelter-in-place orders seemed to flatten the curve, there has been an explosion of new cases in the wake of reopening.

And yet ... the bad and dangerous behavior continues, despite what the CDC and other health officials have to say. The question ... what's next? Welp, President Trump's administration seems to have an answer, according to a new report anyway. It's simple ... live life at your own risk. Thing is ... he's been putting people -- his own supporters -- in harm's way by holding reckless rallies with no social distancing and few masks.

NBC News reports that big wigs in Trump's cabinet are ramping up for the new messaging to the American people ... that the virus is here, and we gotta press forward regardless.

If you're an Angeleno, don't be surprised to see a massive display of Trump and Confederate pride blazing down your street any moment now, 'cause one is on the way.

A parade of lifted trucks was spotted Saturday, all departing a Smart and Final parking lot in Santa Monica ... one after another in what seemed like an endless line of diesels. They all had flags flying from their beds too -- Trump 2020 ones, Confederate battle flags and U.S.A. flags too, of course. It's clear ... these folks were making a statement -- a statement of day's past.

Eyewitnesses tell us there were at least 75 trucks packed into the lot, and we're told this seemed planned and staged. Each truck had at least two people, so the number of bodies rolling these puppies out was in the triple digits ... upwards of 300.

The good news is that right out the gate, there wasn't too much of a scene or ruckus ... unless you consider the noisy departure itself to be rowdy. It kinda is, frankly.

Here's why dogs are King of the pet world -- they just mind their business and carry float on ... literally so during the Fourth of July.

Someone filmed their pooch enjoying a nice summer day in the backyard -- perched up on a bed of pool noodles and gliding across the water without a stir or bark to ruin the serene scene. It also comes across a rubber ball, but not even that jacked its chill mood.

Now, we don't know if the owner put the pup onto the noodles, or if it found its way on there itself after a quick dip. We'd like to think the latter, but even if this was staged for the photo-op ... we still stan. The end result is just too good to poo-poo.

Unclear when this was first captured, but it circulated online right in time for the holiday ... and it's probably what a lot of us need to see right now -- namely, something peaceful.

Take a lesson from Chachi here -- yes, we've taken the liberty of naming this awesome canine -- and enjoy the Fourth for what it is. A day to kick back, be free ... and scratch the fleas off too while you're at it.

President Trump's highly touted Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza at Mount Rushmore isn't coming cheap -- it will cost the country well over half a million bucks ... and could cause a spike in coronavirus cases to boot.

The July 3 celebration with be the first at the South Dakota landmark since 2009 due to environmental issues, and Trump's really hyping it up ... while ignoring the COVID-19 related risks of gathering thousands for a fireworks display.

Nevertheless, POTUS and the First Lady Melania will travel to Rushmore Friday to take in the celebration ... which TMZ's learned has a price tag of nearly $600k, if not more.

According to federal procurement docs ... an environmental consulting service called Ero Resources Corporation was paid $138,800 to work on the event. Another consulting company got over $30k for permit review and display inspection, while a protective services business landed nearly $33k to provide security and screening.

But, that's not all ... the docs show nearly $30k spent on National Fire Protection Association code consultation ... and about $3,500 on portable toilets.

Add it all up and that's $234,247, and THEN tack on the $350k paid to a California company called Pyro Spectaculars for the actual fireworks show ... and the total is $584,247.

And, keep in mind ... this doesn't even factor in the scheduled flyover!!!

Also, if you aren't aware ... social distancing won't be enforced at the large gathering -- according to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who worked with Trump to make it happen -- despite the fact COVID cases are on the rise across the U.S.

Gov. Noem says free face masks will be given out to those who want them, but "we won't be social distancing. We're asking them to come, be ready to celebrate, to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we have in this country."

God bless America?

The last day of Pride Month is upon us ... and even though the pandemic tried to rain on the pride parade, celebs still came out in droves of rainbow to show their love.

Jennifer Garner, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Laverne Cox, Sarah Hyland and Billy Porter are just some of the TONS of celebs who draped themselves in rainbow attire to celebrate the occasion.

Check out the pics ... Jennifer hugged a colorful tree, Snooki hosted a crew at her shop in NJ and Laverne may as well have been a walking rainbow flag. Billy Porter wore a shirt with a rainbow on it with the words emblazoned "Gay AF." John Stamos commemorated the month with a new hairdo and one helluva accessory on his lip.

Tory Lanez made a huge difference this Father's Day, helping 100 black men recently out of incarceration celebrate with their families for the first time on the outside.

The rapper and his Dream City Fund launched 100 Black Fathers with Van Jones and Cut50. The initiative is a partnership with Amazon Music, Door Dash and criminal justice reform organization Dream Corps to provide free dinners and gifts for the former inmates and their loved ones.

The 100 fathers were released from incarceration during the pandemic, so the food deliveries were of course "contactless." Their children got their hands on some Amazon gift cards codes, and gave them to their dads, no doubt leading to some hugs and huge smiles.

Tory is pretty passionate about the project ... he wrote an open letter to each of the fathers offering his support and empathy, because it's not every day you're released from prison straight into a pandemic and period of social and civil unrest.

TL wrote, in part ... "You're with your family. You deserve to enjoy today! I’m grateful to be a very small part of it. I know as a Black father raising Black children in this world, things aren’t easy."