Holidaze

2020's been a hell of a year -- mostly in the worst way imaginable -- but folks in L.A. swarmed to the beach to watch the last sunset of the year over the Pacific ... to say "GOOD RIDDANCE!!!"

Unusually large crowds descended on Venice Beach, applauding the sun setting on this miserable year ... one that's ravaged the entire world with COVID and destroyed lives in so many other ways.

Of course, here in the States, the country also went through one of its most contentious and divisive elections of all time ... following a summer of protests and unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed black citizens.

Justin Bieber's first time taking the stage for a live show in 3 years will be seen online all over the world, but will have an odd feel to it ... which perfectly sums up the year for big musical acts.

JB's putting on a New Year's Eve concert Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel, his first concert since his Purpose World Tour wrapped up in September 2017.

Bieber was seen rehearsing Wednesday on the custom stage with scaffolding. Though the show will be virtual, we're told there will be a small crowd in the balconies ... with social distancing and mask protocols in place, of course.

The NYE concert will begin streaming worldwide on the Moment House platform starting at 7:15 PST ... sponsored by T-Mobile. If you haven't heard of it, Moment House was founded in L.A. in 2019 by a team coming from the USC Jimmy Iovine & Dr. Dre Academy for the Arts.

The platform allows artists to create special, ticketed experiences -- AKA "moments" -- for their fans no matter where they are in the world ... which has become a huge deal in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Access to Bieber's concert will cost ya $25 ... except for T-Mobile customers, who can watch for free.

Speaking of money ... this is a way Justin and other musicians can make money during the pandemic, since live concerts are pretty much out of the question for the foreseeable future.

In the year of everything going virtual -- including the ball drop -- what more can you expect?

There's still a concert in Times Square tonight, but Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Machine Gun Kelly won't be performing for drunken revelers ... instead it's all for 2020's biggest heroes.

Like most annual traditions this year, Times Square New Year's Eve is undergoing fundamental changes due to the pandemic. Don't worry, the ball's still gonna drop, but the concert is tailored for frontline workers, essential workers and their families.

For obvious reasons, NYC officials can't have Times Square packed to the gills with screaming partiers. The good news is the heroes of the pandemic are getting VIP perks to see the show live, and Pitbull's planning a special salute to them.

We're told Mr. Worldwide has some special words to share with the workers before he performs his anthem, "I Believe That We Will Win" ... along with other huge hits.

Jonathan Bennett's hosting the celebration, which kicks off at 6 PM ET and runs until midnight, and he says while 2020 really dropped the ball, it's not stopping Times Square from dropping the ball ... COVID-safely, of course.

The "Mean Girls" star's urging folks to enjoy the performances from the comfort of their homes -- the general public won't be allowed in Times Square. Still Jonathan told us why this NYE will still be bring plenty of fun.

Before this excited, little lady was a world-renowned singer and songwriter, she was just bundled up baby posing for a frosty photo north of the border in Canada.

Even though this songstress found her calling as a pop artist spreading a good time everywhere she goes ... from the looks of it she could have had a career as a snowman engineer, complete with a carrot nose and two eyes made out of coal.

If you're still struggling to put your finger on the cute celeb kid pic remember ... it's not Christmas until somebody cries tries to build a snowman.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's romantic holiday trip to Barbados has been anything but boring ... and the new couple just ramped things up with a wild ride on the Caribbean.

Rihanna and A$AP certainly weren't afraid to show a little PDA on their chartered catamaran Monday. The two also hit the water on a jet ski and hopped in an inner tube for some high-speed action.

The couple celebrated Christmas together on Rihanna's home turf, and from what we've seen, the holiday thas been action-packed -- boat trips, dinner dates and plenty of time with friends.

A$AP is Rihanna's first serious relationship since her split from billionaire Hassan Jameel in January. The two dated for nearly 3 years.

Before this holiday vacay, we'd seen A$AP and RiRi strolling the streets of New York City just after it came out they were dating. It's way better seeing them down in Barbados ... less clothing, more smiles!

Baby Archie may only be 17 months old, but that's not stopping him from wishing everyone a Happy New Year ... and naturally, it's to the delight of Mom and Dad.

Archie made a surprise appearance on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first episode of their "Archewell Audio" podcast Tuesday. Meghan first asks Archie if he's having fun, to which Archie replies, "Fun." Then, Dad coaxes him into wishing listeners a "Happy New Year."

It's clear to tell from the audio that both Harry and Meghan are more than excited to hear little Archie speak on the podcast ... Harry can barely contain his own laughter.

The rest of the episode featured some massive stars including Elton John and Tyler Perry ... Stacey Abrams also joined. But, c'mon, Archie upstaged 'em all.

It was just last week when Harry and Meghan were spotted strolling the streets of Beverly Hills. TMZ broke the story ... the couple plunked down $14 million on a Montecito estate back in August.

While most of America is (hopefully) hunkering down and staying safe at home this holiday season there are some big-name stars that are still adventuring out of their homes and flying around the world on extravagant trips to share these scorching hot shots on the 'Gram.

Check out which celebs have booked lavish vacations and left the nest between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2020 for some rest and relaxation ... then took to social media to post these smokin' selfies while the rest of us are sitting around the house.

Gucci Mane should just up and move to the North Pole after this ... 'cause the dude is iced like never before -- literally, he says his wife hooked him up with some legendary bling.

The rapper got the ultimate jewelry set for Christmas -- courtesy of his wife, Keyshia -- who placed a custom order for a Cuban link chain, bracelet ... and a giant pendant with a shoutout to their child together. Gucci claims it's the biggest Cuban link ever made, and word on the street is he's right.

Sources tell us the 3-piece set was done by Pristine Jewelers in NYC -- and there's a total of 540 carats of diamonds, and, get this ... it all weighs a whopping 10 kilos. That's about 22 pounds to us 'Mericans!!!

All this set's missing is a 5 pound nipple ring. Hope Guwop's been working out!

We're told the chain clocks in at 32 inches in length and 2 1/2 inches wide, while the pendant is half the size of a Subway footlong. Speaking of that, it reads "ICE DADDY" ... which we're told was meant to honor Gucci and Keyshia's newborn boy, Ice.

Another reason for that 'Daddy' title? We're told the set is worth $2.5 MILLION!

Beverly Hills' La Scala restaurant is backtracking after word got out about their not-so-secret invites to an NYE shindig -- saying the invitation text was screwed up, and it was only happening IF the state and county gave the green light.

La Scala's IG account posted a new statement addressing the backlash they've received since photos of their invitations were posted online ... and they're apologizing for the misunderstanding, while also telling people who are outraged to kinda shove it.

Here's what the invite SHOULD HAVE said ... "With the dining ban set to expire on Dec. 28th we are hopeful of resuming some sort of table service and we are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve. If this is something you would be interested in, please let us know. If allowed, and if there's enough interest, we'll contact you to secure a reservation."

That's much different from what made it on paper in the end. Remember, the invite played like a '20s-era Prohibition thing ... which included the word "speakeasy," suggesting their plans were on the DL. La Scala says that was a mistake, and the writer was just trying to have some fun. They insist they weren't planning on doing anything illegal.

With their intention cleared up, La Scala also says ... "If you can find fault in that, there is nothing more we can say. No harm was meant." They also say that while they're a famous establishment ... they're also just a local business trying to make ends meet in hard times.

The only problem with La Scala's thinking is they might've been too hopeful things would be getting back to normal anytime soon.

Who needs a regular ole sled when you can cruise down the mountains in one of these sweet rides?!

Celebs have clearly made it a point to pull up in style and have been proudly posting on social media what luxury cars are taking them to new heights.

These motor-powered pics will have you wishing you were at the dealers ... And, you can blame all that daydreaming on stars like Bella Hadid, Paris Hilton, Keyshia Ka'Oir Davis, Larsa Pippen and several others!

Before this cute kid in her holiday dress and matching shoes was gifting the world with her acting skills and eye-popping social media selfies, she was just another excited kid unwrapping present on Christmas morning in Waldorf, Maryland.

If you're struggling to unbox who might be behind this cute kid pic, maybe you should take a look at her lovely films like "Falling Inn Love" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing."

Tear into this selfie of an adorable tot under the tree and test if you can guess which celeb is behind the merry little throwback photo.

Jennifer Aniston has something in common this Xmas with chestnuts -- they're both getting roasted.

Aniston's getting dragged for posting a pic of an engraved, circular wooden ornament with the inscription, "Our first pandemic 2020."

Lots of folks felt Jen was trying to be inappropriately cute over a disease that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans and steadily counting.

Aniston has not responded to the criticism.

It's the first blowback Aniston has gotten since joining Instagram in October, 2019 which shattered records for the fastest growing celeb on the platform.

Aniston scored nearly 5 million followers in just 12 hours after posting a selfie with Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry. Her followers have grown to 36 million.

One of the ritziest, most exclusive celeb joints in L.A. is secretly inviting people to an in-person New Year's Eve party, asking them to keep it on the low ... but to also spread the word.

The restaurant in question La Scala, and it's their Bev Hills location that's doing this "speakeasy" thing. They've apparently been slipping invites in to-go orders for a NYE dine-in event ... and they're being cutesy with it by slugging it as a '20s-era Prohibition blowout.

An invite of theirs was recently posted online, which reads ... "We are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve Dinner. Inside. If this is something you'd be interested in, please let us know as soon as possible."

The message goes on ... "If enough interest we'll contact you back to secure your reservation. Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends." So ... not a secret at all.

La Scala's plans are on the radar of Beverly Hills city officials -- who are issuing a harsh rebuke, but not much else at this point in the way of threats to shut this thing down.

The official rep for the City of Beverly Hills says, "We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses, however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills." Cool ... but is that it???

Time will tell if La Scala is able to move forward with their shindig -- you'd imagine cops would step in and try to stop it -- but at this point ... it could fall into a grey area, like so many of these lockdown measures we've seen defied this year, including around L.A.

BTW, La Scala is one of these legacy restaurants in Hollywood ... it's been around since forever, and some of the most famous faces in history have stopped by for a meal or two. People like Frank Sinatra, Cher, David Geffen, Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Barbara Walters and so many more have visited ... until recently, that is.

Ace Hood -- one of DJ Khaled's former artists -- was given an awesome Christmas gift to celebrate his success since going fully independent ... and it comes courtesy of his wife, who's got the perfect way to explain it.

The Florida-based rapper was greeted with custom commemorative plaques from his wife, Shelah Marie, on Christmas Day ... which she documented from her camera. She had them made special for him, as they account for the millions of streams he's racked up since leaving the grasp of Universal Music Group and all its subsidiaries (including We the Best).

Shelah writes, "When @acehood was last on a major recording label they were excellent about celebrating wins. Ace has so many plaques in the house from that era. Since Ace went independent, he hasn’t received any plaques for his projects. Ace is too damn talented not to have his flowers while he can smell them."

She goes on to explain that the plaques honor his first two independent projects -- 'Trust the Process' and 'Trust the Process II: Undefeated' -- while adding, "because in this house we don’t wait on the validation we want — we give it ourselves. I love you @acehood."

You can tell how much it meant to Ace ... he was damn near tearing up as he unpacked the sweet gift. It's also symbolic of how tough independent artists have it if they're not part of the massive machine that is a major record label. Not only do you not get formally recognized anymore ... but most albums ya might put out afterward get dubbed "mixtapes."

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are joined at the hand ... having a super romantic holiday in Barbados.

RiRi and A$AP took a Catamaran cruise in Rihanna's homeland, partying with friends on Xmas Eve.

It's unclear how long they've been together, but they already started wearing matching outfits -- a cautionary tale for sure -- but they look like they're very much into each other.

As we reported, they've been seen a lot together, especially this month and last, in both Barbados and New York City.

The 2 have history -- A$AP opened for Rihanna during her Diamonds World Tour back in 2013. Rumors of them hooking up started almost immediately after Rihanna broke up with her BF of 3 years, Hassan Jameel.

It took 10 days -- TEN DAYS -- but finally, the United Airlines passenger who hovered over a dying, COVID-infected man for 45 minutes administering CPR has been contacted that he was exposed to the virus.

Tony Aldapa tells TMZ, he got a call late Thursday from the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health ... informing him what we've been telling and showing for a week -- that the passenger he was trying to save had the virus and died shortly after the plane made an emergency landing.

It's a scary case of buck-passing. Despite the fact the COVID-positive man had lost his sense of taste and smell and had trouble breathing -- something his wife blurted out during the in-flight emergency -- United did not notify any of the passengers they might have been exposed.

A United spokesperson told us it wasn't their job to notify passengers. Instead, the airline gave its flight manifest to the CDC, telling us that agency would contact passengers.

Then the CDC told us they were passing the information along to local health officials. Finally, 10 days after exposure ... Tony was notified.

Tony, an EMT, had some COVID-like symptoms but tested negative and is feeling better.