Holidaze

Lee Mendelson -- the man behind over 50 Charlie Brown TV specials -- died on Christmas Day after a long battle with cancer ... according to his family.

The esteemed "Peanuts" producer reportedly passed away at his home in Hillsborough, CA. His son, Jason, says ... "It wasn’t great for us, but to have him pass on Christmas really ties into his history and legacy."

Along with producing the holiday television classic, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965, Lee also wrote the lyrics to “Christmas Time Is Here” ... the song famously featured in the special. The special brought Mendelson the first of his 12 Emmy Awards.

Mendelson earned his 12th Emmy in 2015 for “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown.” He's also won 4 Peabody Awards and was nominated for an Oscar and 2 Grammys.

Lee's relationship with "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz began in the '60s on the heels of Mendelson's acclaimed documentary about Willie Mays. Schultz saw it and agreed to work with Lee on another documentary ... but ended up producing the 'Charlie Brown Christmas' special instead.

The success of that led to 1966’s “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and 1973’s “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” among many others.

Mendelson teamed with "Garfield" creator Jim Davis in the '80s to produce the first animated short featuring the grumpy cat ... and went on to help launch the "Garfield and Friends" series in the early '90s.

Lee produced several documentaries and network specials outside of children's programming, as well. He's survived by his wife, Ploenta, 4 children, a stepson and 8 grandchildren.

Mendelson was 86.

A Santa look-alike pulled a Robin Hood this week by robbing a bank and then making it rain for unsuspecting pedestrians.

David Wayne Oliver sauntered into an Academy Bank in Colorado Springs, allegedly threatened a teller with a weapon and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The 65-year-old faux Santa then walked outside and hurled the loot in the air, screaming "Merry Christmas" all the while, to the amazement of people who happened to walk by. Most of the people who scooped up the money returned it to the bank.

Oliver then casually walked to a nearby Starbucks where he waited for cops to come and hook him up.

Oliver is being held on $10,000 bail.

Rockin' around the Christmas tree will give you a sentimental feeling, but these fine ladies posing by palm trees elicit jolly vibes too ... in a new old-fashioned way.

Make your holidays extra merry and bright this season by checking out these bikini-clad models and actresses from all over, as they set up shop next to a trunk and show theirs off ... along with other lovely features.

Let the sunny scenery and sexy swimsuits warm you up if you're stuck somewhere cold ... or just cozy up next to the fireplace and enjoy.

One of Kourtney Kardashian's Christmas presents barked this year ... so get ready for some serious cuteness overload.

Kourtney introduced her new puppy to the world Thursday ... and she's truly a beaut!!! Hard to tell if she's a golden retriever or a lab ... but cute is cute. There's only one problem ... Kourt doesn't know what to name her. Seriously, she captioned her pics of the pup with her kids, "But what should we name her?"

Here are some suggestions ... Dollar? Billion?! TRILLION?! Fine ... Goldilocks works too.

President Trump has been 86'd from 'Home Alone 2' by Canadian TV ... but the reason the network is giving for the omission is ... well, sketchy.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation removed Trump's cameo in the classic Christmas movie. The CBC claims it cut out the 10-second cameo in order to make room for commercials. We're not buyin' what they're sellin'. Trump has famously disrespected our neighbors to the north ... from the Canadian PM on down.

Hawk-eyed viewers first noticed that the scene -- which shows Trump giving Macaulay Culkin directions in the then-Trump-owned Plaza Hotel -- was nowhere to be seen and they immediately took to social media -- some voicing approval while others were irate. Someone tweeted, "Just watched 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' recorded of @CBC and they edited out the @realDonaldTrump scene. God bless us EVERYONE!"

Others called the move "Orwellian." Either way ... Trump's probably not gonna like the move, especially given what he said Tuesday during a call with overseas troops. The Prez bragged about his cameo saying, "Well, I'm in 'Home Alone 2' and a lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas."

The actor who played the Peloton husband decided to try his hand at art imitating life, because in his real life he gave his girlfriend an Xmas present ... a Peloton bike!!!

Sean Hunter dared to test the social media attack squad that skewered him after acting in an ad where a husband got his wife the exercise bike. As you know, Peloton justified the ad by saying it promoted health, but it pulled the commercial nonetheless.

Sean said, "Here's hoping this goes over better the second time ... Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don't leave me)."

GF Cassidy Baras seemed pleased, but then again so did Sean's pretend wife.

Sean has said he's been coping the best he could with the blowback from the ad, saying, "My 5 seconds of air time created an array of malicious feedback that is all associated with my face."

A North Carolina man got a bonus when he went shopping for Xmas dinner -- $250,000!!!

Michael Rosenbrock went to a grocery store in Mint Hill where he bought all the traditional stuff ... ham, stuffing, the works. Oh, and he picked up what he pretty much always gets when he shops ... a lottery ticket.

When Michael got home, he scratched off the 20X The Cash ticket and it look like he came up goose eggs. Michael said, "I didn't think I won anything at first ... It's a good thing I always enter my tickets into the second-chance drawings or I would have thrown it away."

Lucky he didn't ... the ticket scored him a quarter of a million bucks.

Michael's already claimed the ticket. After taxes, he walked away with $176,876.

As for what he plans to do with the loot, he wants to start a nonprofit, saying, "Clean water, food to eat, a roof over our head. Doing nonprofit work is something I've always wanted to do."

The wait is over ... Kanye West and his Sunday Service choir have finally dropped its "Jesus is Born" gospel album.

Kanye had everyone waiting with anticipation since he teased the album in an interview back in October. The 19-track album hit all major digital streaming platforms today ... just in time for Christmas. Instead of going with a major label to release his album, Ye chose a New Jersey-based Indie distributor, Vydia.

Some of the track titles include "Count Your Blessings," "That's How the Good Lord Works" and "Satan, We're Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down." Kanye, of course, dropped his "Jesus is King" album back in October after many delays. That album featured 11 tracks.

Yeezy had a massive album listening event at The Forum in L.A. when that album dropped. Fans were also treated to a screening of his "Jesus is King" IMAX project.

Martin Scorsese got absolutely owned on Christmas ... by his own daughter, who poked fun at her pops with some simple gift wrapping paper.

The famed director's daughter, Francesca, shared on Twitter the wrapping paper she used for Martin's gift ... and it's hilarious -- Marvel Comics!!! In case you missed it ... earlier this year, Martin created one helluva firestorm when he said Marvel movies aren't cinema.

It was the comment heard around the world ... cause pretty much the entire universe came after Martin for shading Marvel films. Things got so bad ... the "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" director was forced to write an op-ed in the New York Times to explain himself.

The storm has since passed ... that is until Martin's 20-year-old daughter went there and used wrapping paper featuring Hulk and Captain America.

Seamus the pit bull mix has a lot to be thankful for this Christmas ... he got adopted after spending 5 years in a shelter.

The 9-year-old pooch was scooped up at the Fresno Bully Rescue after spending half his life in a cage at the facility.

It's a no-kill rescue shelter that houses 40 dogs. The folks at the shelter have placed a number of other animals in foster homes.

As for Seamus, it's a Godsend. He's had trouble handling the weather of late ... the winter is too cold and the summers are too hot for him. Now he has a home and lots of comfort.

A little about Seamus ... he loves doughnut holes, taking long walks and pilfering toys out of the shelter bin on he way back to his cage.

The Royals have had a tough year no doubt, but at least some of them tried to put on a happy face for Xmas.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte clutched the hand of parents William and Kate as they made their way to church. They joined grandpa Prince Charles as they entered the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Queen's Sandringham estate, about 100 miles from London.

Prince Louis wasn't there ... he's 18 months old and too young for the festivities. Louis hung out with Kate's parents.

Here's Kevin Spacey with another cryptic video on Christmas Eve ... returning as Frank Underwood and reminding everyone out there to "kill them with kindness."

For the second year in a row, Kevin posted a bizarre video the day before Xmas ... once again slipping into his former "House of Cards" character to deliver a strange message.

Kevin says he's had a pretty good year and is happy to have his health back, and says he's made some huge changes in his life.

Spacey says he's going to cast a vote in 2020 "for more good in this world" ... then suggests people should "kill them with kindness" the next time someone does something you don't like, instead of going on the attack.

We've seen this kind of display before from Kevin ... last Christmas Eve, he posted a bizarre vid urging people not to rush to judgment after being accused of groping an 18-year-old male in a Nantucket bar.

As we first reported ... Kevin scored a huge victory this July when prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped their criminal case against him.

Tacko Fall is VERSATILE!!!

Check out the 7'5" Boston Celtics rookie -- a beloved fan-favorite -- taking over the famous Boston Pops Orchestra for their Xmas show ... AND KILLIN' IT!!

The 24-year-old -- born in Senegal -- took the stage at Symphony Hall in a size 48 double extra-long tuxedo ... and temporarily filled in for conductor Keith Lockhart for a rendition of "Sleigh Ride."

HE EVEN BUSTED OUT A SPIN MOVE!!! GIVE THIS GUY A CONTRACT!

Fall absolutely smashed his orchestra debut -- and the crowd went wild for him.

After the show, Fall gave props to Shaquille O'Neal -- who conducted back in 2010 --  telling the Boston Globe he prepared by studying Shaq's performance.

Shout out to Tacko ... one of the nicest guys in pro sports.

Fall was a college sensation back at UCF but didn't get picked in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Celtics signed him to a deal and he did well in the NBA's summer league -- eventually making his NBA debut in October.

Bottom line, the people love Tacko!!

Queen Elizabeth may now be the dictionary definition of the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words," in what seems like a revealing and biting Xmas address to her people.

The Queen always gives a Christmas speech behind a table filled with pics of the royals.  And, there they were -- William, Kate, the kids, Philip .... but wait, something's missing.

There were no pics of Andrew, which you might understand given the stories that have surfaced about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

But then ... there are no pics of Prince Harry, Meghan or baby Archie. It's especially puzzling since this is Archie's first year as a royal or on Earth. As you know, they're spending Xmas in Canada with Meghan's mom, thousands of miles from Buckingham Palace ... and we're guessing that didn't please the Queen.

You can take David Arquette out of the wrestling ring ... but you can't take the wrestler outta David Arquette ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he's BACK for another brawl!!!

It's no secret the actor loves to get his ass beat ... remember when he got in a nasty, bloody beatdown back in 2018?? He went on to continue to get his ass beat repeatedly in 2019.

But, DA ain't afraid to get back to business ... telling us he's got an epic "bar wrestling" fight going down on New Year's Eve to end his year on a high note!!

"I'm ready for some 2020," Arquette says. "I'm sick of this 2019. 2019 was bad. I almost died twice in 2019."

Like we said ... dude REALLY gets his ass kicked.

But, this time around he says he's facing off against Joey Ryan and Colt Cabana ... and his tag team partner is RJ City. So ... maybe this time he'll deliver the beating??

Kylie Jenner's daughter, Stormi Webster, would like to welcome you to her crib for Christmas.

Little Stormi recently got gifted with a major surprise from her grandma, Kris, which was documented on KJ's newest vlog, "My 2019 Christmas Decorations." Check it out ... the kid got a freakin' playhouse, which is just the right size for the almost 2-year-old.

And, by that we mean it's life-size ... and it's got everything inside to make it feel like a real pad, including AC, furniture, a kitchen, a second story and a balcony. A BALCONY!!!

Kris and Kylie give a brief tour of the interior before showing it to Stormi, who seemed pretty excited to go inside. Funny enough, her mom says she used to have something very similar herself when she was Stormi's age, and that memory makes Kris super emotional.

Stormi definitely makes herself at home as she explores the nooks and crannies. And, as Grandma Kris says ... it's her house now -- and you can certainly tell she's claiming it.

Anyway, if you'd be so kind as to leave your Birkin bags and shoes at the door, please. We're sure Stormi would appreciate it.