TMZ Live

Daymond John hates to be the bearer of bad news, but he thinks all signs point to our economic recovery being kinda like watching paint dry -- slow and painful.

The "Shark Tank" star was on "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about the unique economic challenges facing the nation amid the coronavirus crisis. Daymond doesn't mince words, and with record unemployment, he thinks there could be a real estate collapse in our future.

Check out the vid ... Daymond says what makes this economic crisis different than the Great Recession of 2008 is back then we weren't dealing with a virus that's claimed more than 75,000 American lives. He adds, it took a good 4 to 5 years to bounce back from '08.

Babyface is ready to reminisce about some of his greatest hits ... triumphantly returning to IG live to reveal stories from "Waiting to Exhale" especially for Mother's Day.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic film, and the singer and mega-producer is gonna celebrate the hit-filled soundtrack ... which he produced. It was a huge female empowerment film, which is why Babyface is honoring it on Sunday. Shout out to Moms!!!

The 11-time Grammy Award winner joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to talk about his return appearance on Instagram Live. As you know, his Verzuz battle with Teddy Riley damn near broke IG, and Face told us that's when fans started clamoring for an 'Exhale' party.

The Sunday show starts at 8 PM Eastern, and aside from a few special guests from the movie -- Babyface will also drop his first song in 5 years, "When I Get To Heaven," an ode to his late mother.

Babyface has been thinking about life and death recently ... telling us he got super scared during his bout with COVID-19, and even contemplated writing a will.

Dr. Elvis Francois has gone from orthopedic surgeon to chart-topping recording artist during the pandemic, and while he knows which gig is more important ... he'd love to keep doing both.

The singing surgeon -- accompanied by Dr. William Robinson, his musical partner on piano -- has become famous for his inspirational solos covering songs like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Bill Withers' "Lean on Me."

This led to the duo releasing a 4-track EP, titled "Music is Medicine," with a Nashville record label ... and it's made it to Billboard's Emerging Artists chart, and it's topping some of the iTunes charts.

Dr. Elvis told us Thursday on TMZ Live ... it all "feels like a dream" and it's a win-win. Not only are people loving his music, but proceeds from the EP go toward the Center for Disaster Philanthropy's COVID-19 Response Fund.

However, his newfound fame doesn't mean Dr. Elvis is ready to leave the building ... as in, his operating room. The good doc says helping people as a surgeon is still his top priority, and singing's more like his favorite pastime.

Dr. Elvis tells us he plans to keep helping people in both capacities as much as possible, though. Talk about a talented multi-tasker.

BTW -- the doctor duo's cover of "Imagine" has gone over way better than the Gal Gadot-driven celebrity version last month ... which was widely criticized and led to Joe Rogan calling her a "f***ing idiot."

Every good squirrel tale needs a plot twist, so Willamina -- the injured squirrel fostered by a Louisiana woman in quarantine -- is getting hers, and we're hoping it's a happy ending.

The headline here is Willamina is taking a big step toward going wild -- a step that was forced by the state after we posted a story last week about Willa and her foster mom, Emily.

Emily joined us on TMZ Live Friday with a big update ... she's handing over Willa to a licensed rehab and release facility after the state's Wildlife and Fisheries Dept. contacted her and said Willa had to go.

As we told you ... Emily took in the baby squirrel just as Louisiana's state lockdown began last month -- she was just a couple weeks old with a badly infected eye. Emily raised her, fed her and got her proper veterinary care.

Pretty heartwarming story, especially amid a global pandemic.

Problem is ... our post, and Emily's social media, got a lot of eyeballs on them, and that's when the state got involved. You can tell Emily's heartbroken she has to be separated from her furry friend -- they've really bonded over the last 6 weeks.

However, she told us it's gonna be a great move for Willamina, 'cause she's about to get hooked up with another squirrel!!!

As Emily says ... squirrels tend to thrive in pairs, and she's hoping this move puts Willa on a better path to eventually getting released into the wild.

Keisha Lance Bottoms says she's "dumbfounded" by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to reopen the state's economy despite red flags everywhere ... so she's using her voice to try to keep people safe during the pandemic instead.

The Mayor of Atlanta tells us she understands people are going stir-crazy and want to get out, but she believes everyone still needs to be responsible and stay home for now ... otherwise coronavirus problems are only going to get worse.

Bottoms points out the businesses set to reopen this week -- hair & nail salons, barbershops, massage parlors -- practically make it impossible to social distance and pose a huge problem in ATL's black community ... which has already been hit hard by COVID-19.

So, the mayor's encouraging Georgians to listen to reason coming from health experts and hospital workers bearing the brunt of the crisis ... instead of what Gov. Kemp and President Trump are pushing. We know some celeb hair & makeup stylists in Atlanta have her back.

Bottoms knows it's a challenge, though, because she's dealing with it in her own house -- especially with her 18-year-old son. Listen to what Bottoms tells us about how that's playing out ... it's clear who's boss!

Leslie Jordan is fast becoming a social media darling, but it's what he's NOT doing with his sudden IG fame that sets him apart ... especially in Hollywood.

The viral sensation joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked Leslie how he's been able to skyrocket from about 80,000 Insta followers to a whopping 3.5 million in only a matter of weeks.

Leslie says the recipe for success is pretty simple ... he's not looking to monetize his videos, he's just being himself -- a silly, funny, goofy, happy-go-lucky senior citizen. You can tell he's genuine, just listen to him talk about learning new IG terminology.

If you aren't among the millions of folks to recently discover Leslie's page in quarantine, you're missing out on his hilarious videos ... like his back scratch workout, which he breaks down for us in his own special way.

Prior to sheltering in place, Leslie was best known for his work on "Will and Grace" and "American Horror Story" ... but he tells us why he's not watching scripted shows or movies while he's in quarantine.

Timbaland says his virtual rap battle show -- featuring the likes of RZA and Lil Jon -- is catching the eyes of entertainment bigwigs ... but he and Swizz Beatz ain't ready to sell out just yet!!!

The mega-producer joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and gave us the lowdown on "Verzuz" -- the super-popular IG Live program he and Swizz Beatz created.

If you're not one of the millions of people who've tuned in to see T-Pain battle Lil Jon, Mannie Fresh destroyed by Scott Storch or RZA go up against DJ Premier, you're missing out on what Timbaland says is the next big thing in entertainment ... and many of Hollywood's movers and shakers agree.

Timbaland tells us "Verzuz" is already generating a lot of corporate interest -- and he names names -- but he told us, right now, he and Swizz are keeping things natural and fun and do it for the culture.

Translation: We ain't selling. At least not during the nearly nationwide quarantines. Afterward ... well, that's a different story.

Keep in mind, Timbaland and Swizz didn't even promote the series, they just started it -- they originally went head-to-head -- and it grew organically.

We've got no one to blame but ourselves for the COVID-19 pandemic ... according to wildlife expert Jeff Corwin, who says the problem goes way beyond Chinese wet markets.

The famed biologist host put it bluntly Friday on "TMZ Live" when he told us reckless human behavior -- such as over-hunting of species and mass deforestation -- creates prefect conditions for new bugs, like the coronavirus, to cause pandemics.

He adds we've "literally pushed animals to the brink and species on the edge" by destroying their habitats. Jeff says the more contact we and our food sources -- such as livestock -- have with those previously wild areas, the greater the chance for a new virus to jump to humans.

Steven Van Zandt is not sugar-coating what America's future will look like post-coronavirus ... saying he has no idea when it'll be safe to do a concert again.

Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band guitarist told us he doesn't think anybody will ever shake hands again. Little Steven joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and for a guy who's been playing stadiums and arenas for decades ... he's unsure about the future of live music.

His handshake concern is warranted ... even Dr. Tony Fauci's said the custom should be eliminated to stem the spread of viruses. As for future concerts, Steven's not totally down on it ... he just thinks it's gonna be different.

We also talked to him about how he's making sure out-of-school kids in NYC are still connecting with music. His Little Stevie Van Zandt's Rock and Roll Forever Foundation just teamed up with New York Edge to launch a virtual after-school program dubbed Teach Rock.

The foundation offers its music history curriculum for students to learn about music in the 20th century, but with a focus on the contemporary scene. In fact ... kids can even get a lesson taught by Billie Eilish herself.

Big & Rich are sick of seeing people ignore safer-at-home rules, and their new song might be just what Dr. Fauci ordered ... to hammer home the message.

Big Kenny and John Rich joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" and implored folks to refrain from large gatherings and stick to social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The country duo's seen the images of people -- from SoCal to D.C. and NYC -- who just ain't getting with the program, and it inspired the track, "Stay Home."

The country tune's got some funny lyrics about hand washing, toilet paper and parents with kids at home. It's funny and catchy, for sure -- but Big & Rich want fans to take its point very seriously.

They actually had some advice for people who are still making non-essential outings ... behavior they consider plain old selfish and dangerous.

Pete Buttigieg says it's inspiring to see the leadership coming from state and local governments during the pandemic -- something he says the White House is lacking.

Mayor Pete joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and praised the decency, compassion and informed decisions being displayed by governors, and even mayors. He thinks President Trump's been doing the exact opposite.

The former Presidential candidate says it doesn't even feel like we have a President any more -- despite daily virus briefings from POTUS. Pete says it's all about proper messaging ... not so much about Trump's hair.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting a lot of praise for the way he's handled his state's astronomical COVID-19 stats. As a result, many are hoping he can make a late run to become the Democratic nominee -- but Mayor Pete is sticking with Joe Biden, telling us why Obama's VP would make a much better Prez than Trump.

Designer Michael Costello is answering the call to help medical pros protect themselves while treating COVID-19 patients ... by making much-needed masks.

The "Project Runway" darling from season 8 was hard at work Friday in his DTLA factory when he joined us on "TMZ Live." Michael's converted his operation to crank out medical and non-medical grade masks ... instead of haute couture gowns.

MC says his seamstress team is practicing social-distancing while at work ... spacing out their sewing stations. Their mission is to do as much as possible to answer L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti's call for 5 million masks through the new L.A. Protects initiative.

Michael says he'll donate these masks to first-responders, hospitals and other medical facilities in desperate need for the equipment.

Check out the video ... Costello also called on other L.A. fashion designers to join the cause, and showed us some of his team's handiwork. It's admirable, to say the least, considering L.A. is bracing for a massive wave of COVID-19 patients.

Barbara Corcoran knows real estate and knows the market is grinding to a halt, but she also says now's the time to score a steal.

The "Shark Tank" star was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and while she's always on the hunt for real estate, she told us what she's seen in the market -- since widespread quarantines began -- and it's basically slim to none.

That being said, you can count on Barbara to find the silver lining. She told us buyers who are willing to pay special attention to details can find properties discounted by as much as 25%. She's seen it happen in NYC, and says that kinda deal won't be uncommon due to the harsh economic reality facing millions of Americans.

Check out the video ... she says if sellers are willing to list right now during a pandemic, it's likely because they're desperate to unload the property. That adds up to great deals ... if you're able to buy now.

Barbara also tells ya what kinda listing you should be looking for if you're in the market to buy. Pay attention, baby sharks ... if ya wanna swim in the big tank.

Coronavirus ain't alone ... researchers are seeing more and more bugs with the same potential to create pandemics, according to a guy on the front lines of the battle.

Dr. Dennis Carroll is featured in the Netflix docuseries, "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak" -- and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday with a warning about future viruses spilling over from animals to humans.

BTW, Carroll travels all over the world trying to identify those viruses before they reach pandemic or even epidemic levels. He was a senior infectious disease adviser at the CDC and also worked in Prez Obama and George W.'s administrations. So, yeah ... he knows his stuff.

If ya haven't seen 'Pandemic' ... it was shot before this coronavirus outbreak, but all the information in it applies to what the world's going through right now. Carroll told us COVID-19 is NOT a surprise to experts, but he fully expects outbreaks like this will continue.