Holidaze

TMZ's staff channeled 2017's biggest stories into some kick-ass Halloween costumes -- featuring Cash Me Outside Girl, Beyonce, some "Game of Thrones" stars, Kellyanne Conway and many more.

Competition was tough, but we think costume of the year goes to the 'GoT' crew with Daenerys Targaryen, the Night King and an actual freakin' Iron Throne ... of cardboard.

Honorable mention to the Rugrats and their epic Reptar -- and Harvey's take on "The Handmaid's Tale."

12:05 PM PT -- A rep for the Texans says Clowney insists there "was no hidden meaning behind his Halloween costume. He was not taking a 'shot' at anyone. It was just that – a costume at a Halloween party," according to the Houston Chronicle.

Jadeveon Clowney rocked an ORANGE PRISON JUMPSUIT to the Texans' Halloween party ... seemingly in response to Houston team owner Bob McNair's controversial comments.

JC isn't the first Texan to outwardly show displeasure with BM after his "you can't have the inmates running the prison" comment.

DeAndre Hopkins bolted practice last week and most of the squad -- including Clowney -- took a knee for the anthem before Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

As for the actual party ... it went down last night in H-Town, with everyone from Deshaun Watson, Kareem Jackson, Alfred Blue and Bruce Ellington in attendance.

Wendy Williams fainted in the middle of her show Tuesday morning ... and it happened live on the air.

Wendy was dressed up as the Statue of Liberty for her show, but her Halloween costume got the best of her about 48 minutes into the show. Right in the middle of a sentence ... she stuttered, then got wobbly on her feet before collapsing to the ground.

Wendy's show airs live on the East coast ... so when she passed out, producers quickly cut to black and then a commercial.

When they returned Wendy explained she overheated from her costume. We've learned the fire department responded to the studio. Unclear what her condition is, but she was alright enough to finish the show.

LeBron's a nightmare to opponents on the court ... but he was even more frightening at the Cavs Halloween party, 'cause the King's Pennywise costume is sure to keep you up at night.

The Cavs always go over-the-top for their annual team gathering ... and Monday night was no exception -- from Kyle Korver's Willy Wonka (complete with Oompa Loompas!!) to J.R. Smith and his wife, Jewel, going as the Coneheads.

But it was Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian taking the best couples costume award for their Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen outfits from "Game of Thrones."

Check it out ... the party was lit.

Cardi B rolled up to the Bacardi Halloween bash in New York City Monday night where she performed with a plus one, but it wasn't her fiance, Offset.

Cardi dressed as Cruella De Vil and brought her dalmation friend. We're gonna go ahead and assume the fur is not real dog, though. She gets points for her four-legged prop, but we noticed no red bottoms or bloody shoes ... which seem perfect for Cruella.

Unclear if she was wearing her new shiny 8-carat engagement ring from Offset under those gloves -- but there were plenty of other eye-catchers inside the event.

If Cardi as Cruella doesn't scare you, no evil thing will ...

How do you celebrate Halloween when you're hot, rich and insanely fit??

You suit up (or strip down) with a baller costume -- kinda like women's tennis star Genie Bouchard, whose Bae-watch look gave us prime Pam Anderson flashbacks.

Tons of other sports stars showed out too, including Steph Curry, Danica Patrick, Giancarlo Stanton, and Floyd Mayweather -- who had a trifecta of get-ups for his hallo-weekend parties.

Who wins the costume contest?

We do. Kick back with some candy and enjoy the pics.

Ray J and Princess Love are going all out to crush their neighbors for best trick or treatin' spot on the block because they're giving away 10 lbs. worth of full-size candy bars!

While kids on Ray's block will be weighed down with all sorts of chocolate bars, we also found out what a bunch of other celebs are doing to curry Halloween favor this year:

-- "The Chew" host and chef Michael Symon's dishing his personal fave, full-size Take 5s

-- Rapper Stitches has $500 of assorted candy and each trick-or-treater gets 30 pieces

-- Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli whipped up homemade chocolate truffles

-- Diamond Dallas Page wanted to give out organic candy, but settled on mixed grab bags

The Chief of the University of Nevada, Reno Police Dept. -- where Colin Kaepernick went to school -- is apologizing for an officer who mocked the QB at a Halloween party.

The officer in hot water is Antonio Gutierrez -- who wore a Kaepernick jersey with a "Will stand for food" sign ... while sporting an afro wig and a fake nose in an effort to make fun of the QB.

But the UNR PD ain't laughing ... Chief Adam Garcia issued a statement condemning Gutierrez saying, "For those who have seen the Halloween costume of one of our officers apparently mocking a citizen who has chosen to take advantage of his constitutional right to protest, I offer my sincere apologies."

"Members of our profession are held to a higher standard and denigrating another -- on or off duty -- is insensitive for its lack of respect and lack of understanding on how others may negatively view their actions and may be impacted."

When asked if the officer was punished, we were told, "We have no policy that would dictate any disciplinary action."

FYI, Kaepernick was a standout QB at UNR from 2007 to 2010 -- before being drafted by the 49ers.

Kim Kardashian gave the appearance she's going back on her word to swear off flashy jewelry in public, but it was nothing but a trick ... TMZ has learned.

Kim was wearing a couple of diamond rings over the weekend as part of her Cher costume at George Clooney's and Rande Gerber's Casamigos party. Seemed odd because she promised to tone down the bling after the Paris robbery.

Thing is ... those rings weren't even close to the real McCoy. Our Kardashian sources tell us Kim was, appropriately for Halloween, wearing nothing but costume jewelry.

Word. Kept.

Jay-Z and Beyonce don't mess around when it comes to Halloween, and this year was no different with them dressing up as one of rap's legendary couples for Kelly Rowland's Costume Couture Party.

Jay paid homage to fellow Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G., while Beyonce dressed up as Lil' Kim. Kelly threw the party with Lenny S. and Ciroc Sunday night at new WeHo hot spot Poppy.

Usher, Tyler Perry, Jhene Aiko and Jermaine Dupri's costume game was also on point inside the bash. You gotta see who came in the Eddie Murphy red leather suit.

To impress 'Walking Dead' makeup artist and executive producer Greg Nicotero it takes more than zombie makeup.

We got the genius behind the show's most epic zombies at LAX where he told us to really wow him this Halloween, someone's got to step outside the box, like upcoming makeup artist John Wrightson.

Nicotero gives Wrightson a big plug for masterfully creating a Trump and Putin costume inspired by "Total Recall," which we found on Wrightson's Instagram page and could go down as one of the best costumes of 2017.

Consider it a passing of the torch.

Christopher McDonald was slinging brew like the Germans do during Oktoberfest -- which could help explain his DUI arrest later the same day.

TMZ has obtained video of Chris at an Oktoberfest Saturday around the Lake Arrowhead area, and as you can see ... he was front and center for the festivities, beer in hand and all.

Unclear how much this plays into his bust later that night, but we do know he was arrested for DUI and thrown into jail just hours later. We're told this video was taken around 5 PM ... about 4 hours before he crashed his Porsche and was taken into custody.

As we reported ... Chris allegedly tried playing the celeb card with cops, but they weren't buying what he was selling -- which is apparent in these arrest photos. He was taken to a nearby jail and was set to be released without bail.

If you're reading this, it's too late to not know Gwyneth Paltrow loses her head in the movie "Se7en" ... but it's not too late to get a kick out of her Halloween costume.

Gwyneth posted a photo Sunday of her costume this year -- and it's a straight tribute to her role in the 1995 thriller she starred in alongside then-boyfriend Brad Pitt.

It shows her in a tub with a box around her head ... and her current boyfriend, Brad Falchuk, dressed as Kevin Spacey's character from the film. In case you're 22 years behind in seeing the flick, Spacey sends Brad Gwyneth's head in a box ... BTW, this is a spoiler.

An interesting backdrop here ... "Se7en" was made a few years before Harvey Weinstein allegedly put the moves on Gwyneth, and Brad confronted him about it.

Andy Cohen's stoked about co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve show with his pal, Anderson Cooper, this year, but has severe amnesia about the comedian who had the gig before him.

The 'Watch What Happens Live' host was at LAX when he told us he and Anderson are already prepping for their 4-hour spectacular. He got really quiet though when we asked if he'd talked to Kathy Griffin -- who CNN fired from the NYE show after the Trump beheading photo debacle.

Andy's response was hilarious -- unless you're Kathy. Remember, she called Anderson "spineless" when he publicly called her out over the Trump thing. It seems Andy's holding a grudge.

If you never saw that classic Mariah response to someone asking her about J Lo, just watch ... Andy does a dead-on impression.

Here's a scary thought -- "Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for First Lady Courtney Stodden."

Yes, Melania Trump just got Stodden'd. The wannabe Hollywood starlet slipped into a wig, false eyelashes and a heavy, heavy accent for Halloween. Now, this is gonna hurt a bit ... but truth is, she kinda did a bang-up job.

Some people, like maybe President Trump, might be offended by Stodden's take on Melania's accent -- but c'mon ... Courtney's done worse. Much worse.

All in good fun ... and funny as hell!

Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall went all out to dress as teammate Von Miller for the team Halloween party on Monday night.

He got the cowboy hat. He got the Old Spice. HE GOT THE SEX TAPE!!!

Yep, Marshall spoofed Von's very public 2016 court battle to keep a sex tape he shot in Mexico from going public ... and it was kinda hilarious!

You remember the story ... Von claimed his sex tape partner Elizabeth Ruiz was trying to shake him down for millions ... allegedly threatening to release the tape if he didn't pay up.

The judge eventually blocked Ruiz -- and ordered her to destroy all copies of the video.

But Monday night, Marshall's detailed costume was the hit of the party. By the way, Von was at the party and we're told he LOVED it -- complimenting Marshall all night.

Von dressed up as Col. Sanders. Other players showed up as Mr. T and Zoro. And there were some SMOKIN' HOT ladies wearing barely anything. Good times!

Happy Halloween!!!