Kodak Black Playing Santa From Prison This Xmas ... $$ to Charity, Toys for Kids

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Kodak Black isn't letting a little thing like prison bars stop him from giving back this holiday season -- because the guy's opening up his wallet and shelling out for strangers.

The rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... KB is giving thousands of dollars away this Christmas -- to both charities, religious institutions and individual families. We're told Kodak has authorized his camp to buy an allotment of toys for the Paradise Day Care Center in Broward County, FL ... which will be dished out to kids from 70 different families in need.

The children range in age, from 2 to 7-year-old ... who'll get bikes, dolls and a ton of other stuff on behalf of inmate 18149 at FCC Miami (that's Kodak, BTW). But wait, there's more!!!

Bronny James Could End Up Better Than LeBron ... Says Magic Johnson

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BIG SHOES TO FILL

LeBron James is widely considered the greatest athlete on the planet ... but Bronny could be EVEN BETTER than his daddy ... so says Magic Johnson!!

Yeah, no pressure, kid.

LeBron James Jr. isn't even old enough to drive a car and he's already getting massive attention on the court (he is the son of the biggest NBA star in the world after all)

TMZ Sports spoke with the Laker legend at Mastro's about the prodigy's future and whether he can be the heir to the throne ... and Magic says it's definitely possible.

"I think so," Johnson tells us. "You hope so, anyway. Normally what happens is sometimes with all that skill and talent that LeBron has, it passes to his son."

"I think that he has a chance to be unbelievable and either just as good as his dad or a little better. But, that's big shoes to fill though. LeBron is playing awesome right now. MVP of league right now."

Bronny has been ballin' out in his freshman year at Sierra Canyon ... and had 15 points and the game-winning layup in front of dad as his team beat St. Vincent-St. Mary over the weekend.

Nev Schulman Warns Parents ... Don't Let Santa Catfish Your Kids!!!

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Nev Schulman
SANTA: THE ORIGINAL CATFISH

Nev Schulman may be Jewish but he's all in on Christmas ... and even setting boundaries when it comes to Saint Nick.

We got the "Catfish" host at LAX and it's pretty clear ... even though he's discovered he loves Christmas as an adult, there's a bit of a conflict -- how to tell his daughter about Santa.

Our camera guy, Charlie, reminds the MTV star the whole Santa Claus story is a bit like catfishing ... and Nev totally agrees!!! Check it out ... he says there's an easy way to distinguish Santa Claus from catfishers.

Nev says he's dressing up as Santa but no way in hell is he letting his daughter meet the old dude with the white beard.

Kanye West If Nothing Else, Take This From 2019 A Final Word From Saint Too

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WEST FAMILY SEASONS GREETINGS

Kanye West has a simple message on what people should take away from his journey in 2019 -- but his son has an even louder one that might resonate more.

We got the Kardashian-West family Saturday in NYC, where they left a restaurant and boarded a waiting SUV with two of their kids in tow ... North and Saint, who were feeling chatty after dinner. Saint had a firm message for the paps standing by ... they didn't listen.

As Kim got the kids situated in the car, we asked Ye what it was he wanted folks to know or remember about him and his religious awakening from this past year ... which was pretty much a complete 180 from his rocky 2018 and mostly positive, all things considered.

At the start of this year, Kanye pivoted away from politics and dove head first into music -- and as it turned out, God too. His Sunday Services seemed to be his focal point, which started indoors but quickly went outside ... and, eventually, to Coachella and beyond.

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SUNDAY PERFORMANCE

Meek Mill & REFORM Alliance Team NBA Store Shopping Spree for Kids ... Then, a TB Meet & Greet!!!

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Meek Mill and a few friends teamed up to give back to kids who are sadly impacted by a broken prison system -- giving them major cash to blow ... and a chance to meet a G.O.A.T.

It all went down Saturday morning in NYC, where Meek, 76ers partner Michael Rubin, Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai, Nets player Caris LeVert and DJ Khaled himself all gathered with dozens of children and their families at the NBA Store for the generous holiday giveaway.

Saturday's event was put together by the REFORM Alliance -- the criminal justice org Meek and co. created to get people out from behind bars when they don't belong there.

Check out the clip though ... Michael, Meek and an apparent NBA Store employee explain to the group that each kid and family will get a minimum of $500 to spend on anything they want inside. Some bigger fams were given more to spend. All on the house, of course.

50 Cent My Son's In da Toys 'R' Us And It's All His!!!

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50 Cent just spoiled his son rotten for Christmas ... getting an entire Toys 'R' Us on lock and letting the kid have whatever his heart desired. Jealous much?

The rapper pulled the ultimate parenting move this weekend for his 7-year-old, Sire, by renting out an entire store in New Jersey -- only one of two locations open at the moment -- and closing it off to the public while his boy went around and picked out anything that caught his eye and letting him take it all home as his gift(s) for the holiday.

Basically, a personal shopping spree for a kid ... which became even more of a custom experience with Sire's name and mug incorporated into the presentation. A decal on the ground read 'Sire's Toys R Us' ... not even Charlie Bucket could've dreamt of this.

As for how much all of this cost ... we're told Fitty dropped a pretty penny to give his son the best Christmas ever -- about $100k to have this place to himself and Sire.

Hell, it looks the cash went so far as to pull Geoffrey the Giraffe out of retirement -- who posed with 50 and Sire in a sweet photo-op. You'll recall, Toys 'R' Us temporarily closed up shop last year -- but it's being brought back, slowly but surely, under new ownership.

Nothing beats a comeback quite like this one -- with 50 Freakin' Cent dropping by -- and it just goes to show ... kids love them some in-person Toys 'R' Us fun.

Mark Consuelos Gets Heated ... At Son's Wrestling Match

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LOSIN' HIS COOL

Mark Consuelos is just like all those parents out there getting a little too involved in their kids' sporting events ... because he caused a scene at his son's wrestling match.

Check out this video of the "Riverdale" star getting heated at a wrestling tournament on Long Island ... you see Mark coming out of the crowd and onto the mat, seemingly incensed with his son's opponent.

Mark makes his move after his 16-year-old son, Joaquin, gets his headgear ripped off by his foe. You hear other concerned parents yelling for Consuelos to get off the mat, and another adult has to push him back towards the stands.

Folks who were there tell us  Mark's wife, Kelly Ripa, was also there and kept her cool while her husband rushed to their son's defense.

While the parents were getting riled up, the kids showed some serious sportsmanship ... shaking hands and resuming their match.

We're told Joaquin's opponent won the match and Mark was vocally and visibly upset, leaving the gym for a few hours to cool off before eventually returning to the all-day tournament.

We reached out to Mark ... no word back, so far.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill Grant 'Kids Wish' Sweet Experience ... at 'Rise of Skywalker' Premiere!!!

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Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and the cast of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" gave a couple of kids an out-of-this-world experience ... granting them an AWESOME wish!!!

The Kids Wish Network flew out Addisyn, Ayden and their families to L.A. for the world premiere of one of the most highly-anticipated films in years. The kiddos walked the blue carpet earlier this week and soaked up the adoration of hardcore 'Star Wars' fans.

The best part ... Addisyn and Ayden got to meet the entire cast!!! From Harrison and Mark to Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Billy Dee Williams and director J.J. Abrams.

The little ones sported grins from ear to ear as they walked alongside the cast that also included droids C-3PO and R2-D2. When the meet and greet was over ... the kids headed inside the Dolby Theater where they were one of the few to watch the film before the rest of the world. When the film ended ... the kiddos ALSO hit up the afterparty!!!

Now that's one helluva experience ... and incredible work by the Kids Wish Network, which is an org dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with life-threatening conditions.

Great work all around.

Dwyane Wade Powerful Speech ... On Parenting Gay Son

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Matt Barnes asked Dwyane Wade straight-up what it's like raising a gay son coming from a hyper-masculine NBA background ... and what D-Wade says is powerful stuff.

Dwyane and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been publicly supportive of 12-year-old Zion (Wade's son from a previous relationship) over the past year ... even taking him to a Gay Pride Festival in Miami Beach last April.

So, when Wade appeared on Stephen Jackson and Barnes' "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... Matt asked Dwyane about his approach to parenting a gay son.

That's when Dwyane delivered a powerful message ... saying Zion essentially forced him to learn about accepting people for who they are.

"I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn't on the boy vibe that Zaire [Wade's other son] was on," Wade said.

"And, I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son come home and tell you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"

Wade says that conversation with himself wasn't easy ... the 37-year-old told Barnes and Jackson he grew up "ignorant" and had to lean on his wife to open his eyes.

"I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignorant. I grew up with a similar perspective," Wade says. "And, you meet people along the way that help you take those glasses off and put on some different ones. Look through life through a different lens. That's what my wife has been able to do. So, it's been cool."

Wade has been very vocal in defending his son and his family from critics ... and he tells Barnes and Jackson he feels a duty to be a voice for others who can't speak up the way he can.

"Everybody get used to it, man," Wade says. "This is the new normal. So if anybody different, we looked at as different. You know what I'm saying? The ones that don't understand it. The ones that don't get it. The ones that are stuck in a box. You're different. Not the people that are out here living their lives, man."

As for how his son is handling it all ... Wade said, "You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have."

"You can learn something from your kids."

Mel B No UK Christmas with Daughter ... Judge Sides with Belafonte

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Mel B's ex-husband just got an early Christmas present ... compliments of a judge who's blocking the Spice Girl from taking their daughter to the UK for the holidays.

Stephen Belafonte filed docs asking the court to allow their 8-year-old, Madison, to stay put in L.A. as opposed to traveling with her mom, and court records show the judge signed off on that.

As for why -- Belafonte reportedly claims Madison is afraid Mel B will hurt her. According to Daily Mail, Madison was allegedly "traumatized" during their last mother-daughter trip to England.

It's unclear what allegedly happened between Mel and Madison -- but Belafonte claims Mel asks their daughter for dirt on him.

The L.A. Superior Court judge ruled in Belafonte's favor, reportedly saying he wouldn't put the child in harm's way. Mel B's lawyer says the singer's set to arrive in L.A. soon to pick up Madison and their other daughter to take them back to the UK. Clearly, those plans will have to change.

Her lawyer also claims Belafonte had already approved the Christmas trip, and only recently changed his mind.

As we've reported, the ex-couple settled their heated divorce in 2018, but custody and child support issues have continued.

Blake Shelton Helps 7-Year-Old Kid Find His 'Voice' ... VIP Treatment With Celebs

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Blake Shelton made an amazing wish come true for a 7-year-old fan who suffers from cerebral palsy ... hanging with the kid on "The Voice" and the pics are AWESOME!!!

Blake met Colton Harkness on set at "The Voice" semifinals earlier this month ... and after the show's live taping the kid got to chat with his favorite country star in the judge's chairs, and rub elbows with Gwen Stefani and John Legend!

The good folks at Kids Wish Network -- a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses -- helped facilitate the meeting between Blake and Colton, flying the youngster from Indiana to California and chauffeuring him to set in a stretch limo.

Colton also got hooked up with some 'Voice' swag, and while he was out in Cali he got to take his first trip to Disneyland.

The kid needs a wheelchair to get around, but he's not letting that stop him from dreaming of growing up to be a police officer ... and the Orange County Sheriff's Department even named him an honorary deputy in front of his classmates before he left for L.A. to meet Blake!

Props to everyone involved -- good stuff!!!

J.R. Smith Breaks Silence On Marriage Drama 'We've Been Separated'

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J.R. Smith is finally speaking out about the rumors he's been cheating on his wife -- the NBA star says he's been separated from Shirley "Jewel" Smith for months.

J.R. went to social media Wednesday to announce the state of his marriage after Jewel posted a long Instagram video suggesting she knows all about J.R.'s alleged affair with "The Flash" actress Candice Patton.

In her video, Jewel asked God for prayers -- and mentioned both J.R. and Candice by name.

"My husband, he’s hurting and Candice, she's hurting ... For her to go out here, Father God, and seek a married man, I just pray that you give her grace and mercy through all of this."

During the video, Jewel explains that God spoke to her and compelled her to go public with the situation ... and she posted the clip because it was God's will.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning ... when J.R. finally broke his silence about the situation and seemed to be mocking Jewel's video in the process.

Kylie Jenner & Travis Scott Co-Parenting Xmas With Stormi ... But Still Not 'Official'

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Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are planning to spend Christmas together as a family with Stormi ... but just because they're co-parenting doesn't mean they're back on as a couple.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... Kylie and Travis are celebrating Christmas in Los Angeles as a fam, because both parents want to be there for Stormi when she opens presents on Xmas morning.

Stormi, who will turn 2 in February, is getting old enough to understand the holiday's importance ... and we're told Kylie and Travis want to make it super special for her by being together as a unit.

But, before you get too worked up, we're told Kylie and Travis are still not back on as a couple ... this despite spending plenty of time together during their break up.

The former couple -- whom we've been told recently took a break -- were spotted out at the Agua Caliente Casino Friday in Palm Springs, where video of Kylie and Travis walking around together popped up online ... and sent people right out of their minds. 11/29/19
JUST HANGIN' OUT

As we've reported ... Travis has been cohabiting at Kylie's crib, and she took Stormi to his music festival in Houston a few weeks before the trio reconnected for Thanksgiving.

Our sources say the family's Thanksgiving was super chill and fun, and they're confident the good vibes will be flowing once again on Christmas.

Kylie was also spotted out Tuesday wearing an "Astroworld" shirt -- the name of Travis' album and tour -- so clearly they're on good terms.

We'll see if the holiday spirit leads to another make up.

Hugh Hefner's Son Cooper Enlists in Air Force ... Closes Down Media Co.

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Hugh Hefner's son, Cooper, is forging his own path ... and it's taking him overseas to train with the Air Force.

Cooper, who infamously quit his father's beloved Playboy to start his own media empire, has already joined the Air Force after recently abandoning his plans to launch a digital content platform for millennials ... and this week he left for basic training overseas.

Hef's son says he's stepping back from the Stag and Hefner Media Corporation to move forward with a greater service to our community and country ... this after his March enlistment.

Cooper is one of Hugh's two sons with his second wife, Kimberley Conrad, and the 28-year-old previously took over Playboy back in 2016 when his father's health declined, bringing back nudity to the magazine's spread.

We're guessing Cooper will be a popular figure at basic training, with plenty of stories to share with his new comrades.

Quality Control CEO 'Pee' Lira Galore Is A Liar ... I'm No Abuser

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UPDATE

4:05 PM PT -- Pee just went off on Lira ... claiming no matter how challenging things may get in his work life, he ALWAYS makes time for his kids, saying, "No I’m not perfect but if anyone knows me they know I go hard every day so my children will never have to go through what I’ve been through."

UPDATE

He then ramps things up, addressing her claims of abuse, "THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A 15 MILLION DOLLAR SHAKE DOWN FROM AN ANGRY WOMEN WHO IS DOWN TO HER LAST AND CLEARLY UPSET BECAUSE A FAILED ATTEMPT TO GET HER CHILD SUPPORT SWITCHED."

UPDATE

Pee says the post will be the last time he talks about the situation, adding, "A wise man once told me when you lay down with pigs you get mud all over you... guess he was right."

Quality Control CEO "Pee" Thomas is completely incapable of handling his kids -- which is why he doesn't -- according to Lira Galore ... who's calling his recent fatherhood claims into question.

The custody battle between Pee and his baby mama is getting nastier, and according to new docs ... Galore says he's unfit to take care of their 8-month-old, Khaleesi, because he doesn't take care of ANY of his 5 minor children.

According to the Galore ... Pee also lied about her allowing him unsupervised visitation with their daughter, which he claimed in response to her accusing him of abuse and asking for $15 million for her injuries. She says that is "simply untrue."

Galore alleges Pee always has his "current female friend, girlfriend, or any other women" take care of his kids whenever he has one or more of them in his custody. She claims he just uses his children for photo opportunities on social media ... then hands them off.

Lira says this even happened to her when she was in a relationship with the record exec behind Migos and Cardi B -- she often acted as a "babysitter" to Thomas' other children because she says he was not interested in spending time with them.

There's more -- Galore also doubles down on Pee being abusive toward her, and claims to have evidence he was physically abusive to 2 of his other children's mothers ... and even his own mother.

Galore says Pee lives a dangerous lifestyle that's unsafe for their child. She adds in the docs that his statements about her being physically abusive toward him and abusing drugs are flat-out lies ... and she vehemently denies them.

Originally Published -- 11:49 AM PT 

Chanel Iman & Sterling Shepard Baby No. 2 Is Here!!! 'Our Christmas Gift Came Early'

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The Shepard family is gonna have some more presents under their Christmas tree this year ... 'cause the NY Giants star and his model wife, Chanel Iman, have welcomed their new daughter!!!

The beautiful couple shared the news from their hospital bed on Tuesday ... saying "Our Christmas gift came early" ... officially announcing Cassie Clay Shepard to the world.

It's baby #2 for the Shepards ... they welcomed their first daughter, Cali, in August 2018.

29-year-old Chanel and 26-year-old Sterling met at Victor Cruz's 30th birthday party in 2016. They have been inseparable ever since ... and got married in March 2018.

Of course, the Shepards enjoy their free time away from the kids as well ... remember their epic Turks and Caicos couples vacation with Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley and their ladies earlier this year?

Congrats to the couple ... Santa's gonna be extra busy this year!!!