Holidaze

Andrea Bocelli is hoping his powerful voice can lift spirits around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic -- and he's performing live from hard-hit Italy.

The world-renowned singer is in il Duomo di Milano -- that city's iconic cathedral -- for a concert that will be livestreamed. You can see it here, starting at 10 AM PT.

The Easter event, dubbed "Music for Hope," comes as the country around Bocelli is still reeling from an astounding number of COVID-19 cases. Italy and the United States have each suffered more than 20,000 deaths during the pandemic.

Bocelli will be accompanied by pianist Emanuele Vianelli -- but Bocelli says he's not viewing this is a typical performance. It's clearly more spiritual to him. As Bocelli put it, "It will not be an actual concert, but an occasion to pray together through music.”

He added, "It will be a sacred singing, because as we are taught, ‘those who sing pray twice’. It will be an invitation for everyone to join in the prayer."

Joel Osteen's highly-anticipated virtual Easter Sunday service, featuring some big names chiming in remotely, is underway.

The event's going down from Joel's Lakewood Church in Houston. Joel's preaching from the church with no congregation -- but he'll get some assistance from Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry.

As we first reported ... Mariah reached out to Joel about a special tribute to medical professionals and first responders as they battle in the frontline to battle COVID-19. We're told she's going to sing her song "Hero" via webcam.

Joel asked Tyler to share some inspirational words to help the massive congregation -- nearly 5 million last weekend -- through the pandemic quarantines. Joel told us Tyler recorded a 5-minute clip doing just that.

Kanye West and his Sunday Service Choir were supposed to perform as well, but that fell through on Friday. We were told the problem was social distancing the large number of singers and still capturing their harmonics.

Vanessa Bryant is managing her family's first Easter without Kobe and Gigi like a champ -- in fact, she and her kids are already getting a head start ... with cuteness to spare.

VB posted a super-sweet video Saturday showing her help 3-year-old daughter Bianka and her little sister, 9-month-old Capri, open a giant Easter egg with goodies inside -- sent to them by the florist to the stars, Jeff Leatham. It's adorable ... you see Bianka closing her eyes as she tries to crack it open with a mini hammer, but that shell's thick as hell.

Mom had to step in eventually and help her break a big enough hole to see what was inside. After LOTS of confetti-pulling, the mother-daughter duo found the treat ... chocolate!

BTW, Capri was definitely feeling the festivities ... she was giggling through the whole thing. What she mighta been thinking ... "When's my turn, MOM?!?" Good stuff.

No sign of Natalia here, but ya gotta figure she's around for the holiday too. The Bryants are devout Catholics and Easter's the holiest day of the year for the faithful.

As for the egg-cracking, it's usually a little kid thing to do anyway.

This marks the first Easter the Bryants have celebrated since Kobe and Gianna passed, and it's great to see Vanessa staying true to the fam's tradition. Last year, she was helping Bianka with another egg-tivity as well. Good on her for keeping their spirits up.

Madison Beer opened up about a scandal she says has been dogging her for years -- but she's ready to let it go and own the mistake, for which she won't be shamed over anymore.

The singer penned a powerful note Sunday -- making mention of the fact it's International Women's Day -- and basically said she's done being belittled over old private photos and videos she sent to a significant other in her teens ... which have apparently resurfaced as of late.

She writes, "when i was around 14 and exploring my body & sexuality, i sent very private snapchat's of my body to a boy i really liked at the time. i sent these, at 14, thinking i could trust the boy as we had known each other for years & shared feelings for one and other."

Madison continues, "but of course he shared it with all of his friends." She goes on to describe how the pics and vids have popped up over the years, which she says were discussed among her contemporaries, friends, family members and even music execs.

Welp, Madison says she's finally ready to forgive herself ... and more importantly, to let herself move on and not let the incident have power over her anymore. She writes, "so today, on IWD i am going to free myself of this weight i carry."

Madison ends her wise words with some advice for other young people -- remember she's just 21 -- which entails not letting one's mistakes define you, or keep you in fear.

Newsflash to piss off most guys out there -- Kevin Hart is off the hook for finding the perfect Valentine's Day gift, and same goes for his wife, Eniko.

We got that straight from Eniko herself Thursday in Bev Hills. Now, the fact she was shopping on Rodeo Drive might make ya think she was doing the last minute V-Day thing -- like you probably will be at some point today. Not so!

We asked her if this fictional Hallmark holiday Valentine's was gonna be extra special ... being their first since Kevin's horrific car accident. Eniko nonchalantly said they're "Just hanging out. Nothing extravagant."

She says they're not even doing a fancy dinner out!!! We even pressed her about gifts, and watch her response ... it's gonna be a low-key, no-frills night at Casa de Hart. As for why -- Eniko says they gave plenty a couple months ago.

We also got an update on the Harts' friends Rebecca Broxterman and Jared Black, who were in the car with Kevin during the crash. As we first reported, none of the involved parties are filing lawsuits.

Eniko confirms it -- the near-tragedy's changed nothing between all of them.

Tank says some good old-fashioned bedroom lovin' is more than an acceptable gift from a woman come Valentine's Day -- but there's a catch ... it's gotta have a kick to it.

We got the R&B singer heading to Delilah in WeHo Friday night for Michael B. Jordan's birthday party, and as he was walking by with his wife, Zena Foster, our photo asked if sex counts as a solid V-Day present to reciprocate a man shelling out for his gal.

In other words ... is sex just as thoughtful as flowers, chocolates or any other item a guy might buy his significant other for the holiday? According to Tank, hell to the yes.

Check out his answer ... he says "cookie" is pretty much always the ultimate pay-off for a man -- and sure, he's probably right there. BUT, he says a big gesture from a man's gotta be met with just as much ... um, let's just say vigor and passion on the other side.

Punxsutawney Phil isn't going anywhere, except maybe back in his hole on Groundhog Day to signal 6 more weeks of winter ... so says the congressman representing the city of Punxsutawney.

Rep. Glenn Thompson tells TMZ ... PETA calling for the famous Pennsylvania groundhog to be retired and replaced by an AI robot is crazy and goes against something he strives for -- job creation.

Thompson's half-joking about supporting Phil's right to work like any other resident of Punxsutawney, but he's serious about what the groundhog means to the city and its economy ... and calls PETA's suggestion "crazy" and misguided.

The animal rights organization argues groundhogs -- which are mostly solitary animals -- are subjected to "great stress" during the February 2 tradition and claims an artificially intelligent robot that could actually predict the weather would be better for all parties.

Andrew Kimmel is finally saying "gracias" after his nightmarish trip to Mexico went viral ... telling us he's getting ready to make a movie about his wild 24-hour adventure.

Andrew, a TV and digital producer in Los Angeles, was on "TMZ Live" Monday to download us on his scary excursion to Cabo ... telling us movie offers are rolling in, and one project is already in the works!

When you see Andrew lay out the horrific trip -- which started as a simple one-day, year-end trip from L.A. to Cabo to maintain his American Airlines status -- it's easy to see why Hollywood wants to turn his story into a script. It's got tons of juicy themes like seedy bars, scammers, corrupt cops, bribery, jail, romance, and eventually ... a happy ending!!!

Kylie Jenner started 2020 with a new love interest -- or that's at least what the internet thought -- after the billionaire posted several flirty pics with a new dude.

Kylie brought in the new year by partying it up in WeHo with friends ... but fans were quick to notice one guy made several appearances on her Instagram page and story.

The mystery dude is Zack Bia, a 23-year-old exec and DJ from L.A. who rubs elbows with everyone from Drake to The Weeknd. Bia also dated singer Madison Beer on and off over the years.

Sources connected to the two tell us Zack and Kylie are just friends and have known each other for years. Bia has deep connections at Delilah -- the backdrop for Kylie's 21st -- and other L.A. clubs, so the two have become well acquainted.

As for Travis and Kylie ... things appeared to get a little nasty at the end of 2019. Kylie posted a final "thirst trap" photo for the year, to which Travis seemingly replied "LOL."

However, Travis recently said he'd always love Kylie, the mother of his daughter.

William Shatner pulled a Christmas surprise out of his stocking for some hungry cops stuck working on Xmas ... filling their bellies with a tasty holiday spread.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 'Star Trek' legend paid a visit to his local police station on Christmas day, pulling up with trays of corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and contributing the grub to a potluck for police.

Our sources say William also came bearing other tasty gifts from Brent's Deli -- bagels, lox and cream cheese. All part of a complete breakfast!!!

Captain Kirk kept spreading holiday cheer with the LAPD ... we're told William thanked those on the force for working on Christmas and also left behind a nice holiday card for the station.

All told, our sources say William dropped a few hundred bucks to feed the guys.

Put Shatner on Santa's nice list.

There were 12 presents waiting for Olivia Culpo under the tree this year ...

Well, 13 if you're counting NFL hunk Christian McCaffrey ... who threw on a Santa hat and put on a belated Christmas extravaganza for his gorgeous model girlfriend!!

The super-attractive couple reconnected on Thursday after spending time with their fams for the holidays ... and the Carolina Panthers stud pulled out all the stops with a bunch of gifts.

"It's never too late for Christmas and Santa's here!!!!!!!!!!," Culpo captioned the shot of McCaffrey under the tree while playing with a toy train.

The 23-year-old Pro Bowler kept the yuletide cheer going while rocking out to a rendition of "Feliz Navidad."

It's been one action-packed year for the duo since they started linking up back in May ... and they ended 2019 by celebrating McCaffrey becoming the 3rd player to ever rush AND receive 1,000 yards in one season.

BTW -- Culpo was there to personally congratulate her mans right after the game ... so yeah, the dude is winning on and off the field for sure.

'Tis the season ... and shouts out to the beautiful couple for keeping the Christmas spirit alive for just a bit longer.

International soccer superstar Franck Ribery is ringing in the new year in style ... by rockin' a sick, new Rolex from his wife ... and it's got a price tag of a whoppin' $120k!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the French baller has been talking for a while about getting a nice timepiece ... so his wife, Wahiba, decided to hook her hubby up with the one-of-a-kind Rolly!!

We're told Wahiba hit up Franck's longtime friend, Gabriel the Jeweler, to come up with the fancy Sky Dweller ... which features 35 carats of VVS diamonds.

On top of that, Gabriel hooked it up with Franck's jersey number right below the Rolex crown!!

We're told this is the only watch of its kind ... and is worth a total of $120,000!!!

Mark Wahlberg, Katy Perry and Jimmy Fallon were just some of the celebs who started the New Year on the right foot ... with some fun!!!

Marky Mark and the fam bam hit up Barbados ... where it apparently was blazing hot. Beats the New England winter, for sure. Mark and his son were spotted taking a dip in the warm Caribbean waters. Mark, of course, was shirtless and there were zero signs he put on holiday weight.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom ended up in the ski resort town of Aspen, Colorado ... where they shopped their freezing butts off. Seems they tried to stay on the DL while in the Rockies ... with Katy wearing a fuzzy green beanie and Orlando a cowboy hat.

Fallon, his wife, Nancy, and 2 daughters spent New Year's at the Happiest Place on Earth. They grinned ear-to-ear while hopping on tons of rides. They also went shopping.