TV

Dog the Bounty Hunter said his wife Beth Chapman's death came fast, but because she was fighting cancer -- she made plans for the worst ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the Chapman family tell TMZ ... Dog and Beth's children had several discussions with her about her memorial arrangements if she died. The couple have homes in both Hawaii and Colorado, and we're told she laid out details for send-offs in both places -- open to anyone who wants to come.

Obviously, Beth's talks with her family about what to do after her passing were not easy to have, but our sources say they're glad they did it so they can carry out her wishes.

As we reported ... Dog addressed Beth's death to the media outside his Honolulu home Wednesday night, and paid tribute to her with some jokes and a touching final message.

People began leaving flowers next to a painting of Beth and on her car as tribute, but her official Hawaii memorial service will be held Saturday afternoon at Fort DeRussy Beach in Waikiki.

It will include a Hawaiian chant known as an oli, a prayer, and a paddle out with family and friends in her honor. Beth's daughters say she loved Hawaii the most, so they're sending her off in fitting style.

We're told Dog is still finalizing the schedule for Beth's Colorado memorial.

Another member of Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson's family is in bad shape -- her Uncle Billy got in a nasty car wreck and suffered major injuries ... and the other driver died.

Sources close to Alana tell TMZ ... Billy -- the younger brother of her father, Sugar Bear -- was involved in a 2-car accident outside Atlanta on Father's Day. We're told he was struck head-on by a driver traveling on the wrong side of the road, and that person was killed.

Billy broke his leg, both arms, several ribs and his jaw in the crash ... and suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns because his vehicle caught fire after the crash.

We've obtained photos of the grisly scene, showing the car ablaze along a guardrail and the aftermath.

Our sources say Billy's been in the hospital since the accident, and he's already undergone 5 surgeries to repair his injuries and has 2 more to go.

Sadly, we're told the tragedy has stoked animosity among Honey Boo Boo's family members ... especially toward Sugar Bear. Our sources say they feel like he's abandoning his brother, because he's been practically invisible at the hospital other than visiting Billy once the first week he was there.

Meanwhile, we're told Alana's other uncle, Poodle, has been by Uncle Billy's side almost 24/7.

As we've reported ... Honey Boo Boo's also dealing with turmoil in her immediate family, stemming from her mother Mama June's troubling relationship with Geno Doak and her apparent substance abuse.

Alana refuses to move back in with her mom until Geno's gone and, after the incident where he was wasted and crashed into June's house ... that's probably a good idea.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are getting ready to tie the knot again with a nod to her "Game of Thrones" stardom ... by going full red wedding for their rehearsal dinner!!!

Joe and Sophie just arrived at La Mirande in France for their Friday night rehearsal dinner ... and the bride and groom are decked out in a matching bright-red ensemble.

Sophie rose to fame playing Sansa Stark on 'GoT' ... and the couple's dinner garb clearly looks like an homage to her time in the Seven Kingdoms. 

The red wedding theme only extends to Joe and Sophie though ... their star-studded dinner guests showed up wearing all white. Here's hoping their night ends better than the 'GoT' version did!!!

Check it out ... Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Kevin and Danielle Jonas, Ashley Graham and fellow 'GoT' alum Maisie Williams are all looking super fresh. Here's hoping no one spills during the feast!!!

Joe and Sophie already said "I Do" stateside during an early May surprise wedding in Vegas, complete with an Elvis impersonator ... but they're in France now for some formal nuptials. 

Nancy Grace thinks O.J. Simpson's apparent attempt to become a pro fantasy football analyst is disgusting -- because throat-slitting maniacs like him don't deserve a second chance. 

With O.J. posting fantasy football advice on Twitter, the guys on "TMZ Live" asked Grace if she thinks he has a real chance at getting an endorsement deal.

"I think it's absolutely a possibility," Grace said ... "I guarantee people will tune in to see O.J. Simpson out of prurient interest knowing that he beat [Nicole Brown] black and blue. Knowing that he sliced her neck so severely, her head was hanging on by the skin, by the back of her spine."

Nancy, whose new show "Injustice with Nancy Grace" debuts July 13 on Oxygen, added this about O.J. possibly getting on the air -- "Yeah, people will tune in and watch that ... [but] it will not be me!"

For his part, Simpson has been getting killed on social media for his fantasy football post ... with people taking ferocious shots at the ex-NFL star -- and there ain't signs of it slowing down. 

@CenterStageDS -- "Baker Mayfield might be risky, but it wouldn’t be the first time you took a stab at a Brown."

@jamfan40 -- "What about Joe Flacco?  Thought you were a fan of white Broncos?"

Benzino blew up on a couple of cops when they hauled him for an outstanding warrant ... and his escalation to all-out tirade was captured on a police bodycam.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ, Benzino was pissed from the get-go about the incident, because he believes the cop who ran his tags racially profiled him.

When the second officer -- whose body cam vid we're seeing -- arrives and explains police can legally run his tags for any reason, Benzino gets snarky, saying ... "I didn't know that I could just be harassed for any old reason." 

The former 'Love & Hip Hop' star adds ... "Would you all pull a white person over like that?"

We broke the story ... Benzino got busted Saturday outside Atlanta. His outstanding warrant was for failure to appear in court for a no insurance ticket he got in April. 

Benzino's snark turned to outrage ... and then just plain old rage when the cops tell him the warrant is all over a prior traffic stop. That's when he started hurling f-bombs, and getting handcuffed only amped things up.

He ended going absolutely ballistic on the female officer, yelling, "Suck my d**k!" ... and threatening to sue her. Benzino's shouting and cussing -- from the backseat of the police car -- drew the attention of a female onlooker. It's unclear if she has any connection to Benzino.

"Will & Grace" creator Max Mutchnick has a deep, personal connection with Stonewall -- it's the first gay bar he ever dared to fearfully enter, and it now has just come full circle with his own children.

We got Max Thursday afternoon at LAX ...he had just returned from New York, where he took his children to visit the site where the gay rights movement began 50 years ago today ... when a violent clash erupted between patrons and law enforcement.

Max credits the people who stood up for their rights for his own successful journey, which of course includes his transformative TV sitcom. But, with all the progress, there's one person he says is most responsible for "Will and Grace" ... Ellen DeGeneres.

By the way ... Max and Ellen have another connection ... a few years back he sold his spectacular Bev Hills home to Ellen.

Los Angeles native Vanessa Marano was only 13 years old when she landed the role of the spectacled youngster, April Nardini, in the long-running television drama "Gilmore Girls."

Vanessa Marano shared her scenes with stars like Scott Patterson as her paternal plot twist Luke Danes, Sherilyn Fenn as April's pretty (and protective) mom, Anna Nardini ... and of course Lauren Graham as the sassy mom and Luke's love interest, Lorelai Gilmore along with Alexis Bledel as the sweet single child, Rory Gilmore.

Fun fact: Vanessa's sister Laura Marano (23 years old) is also an actress and was one of the original kids on the FOX television show "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?"

Beth Chapman is getting a special sendoff from the TV network where she and her husband became icons.

Honchos at A&E tell TMZ ... the network's regular 4-hour block of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" episodes next Monday morning will conclude with onscreen "In memoriam" tributes to Beth. 

As you know ... Beth and Duane "Dog" Chapman started their rise to fame back in 2004, when A&E first started airing their first reality show. The series had a long run for eight seasons, became nationally syndicated and even spawned a few spin-offs on other networks. 

A&E reps also add, "We are very saddened by the loss of Beth Chapman and our thoughts are with Dog and the entire Chapman family during this difficult time." We're told the network's also planning to schedule a marathon of 'Dog' episodes in coming weeks.

As we've reported ... Beth suffered a choking emergency at her and Dog's home in Hawaii last weekend, and she was placed in a medically-induced coma. Doctors felt placing Beth in a coma gave her the best shot at pulling through, but she was unable to recover and died Wednesday morning. 

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is at the center of perhaps the most puzzling moment of the Democratic debates, because a magic act happened on her chin ... and the question is WHO's the magician??

The Congresswoman from Hawaii was talking foreign policy during the debate -- specifically the possibility of America going to war with Iran. Important stuff, no doubt. However, as Gabbard spoke many viewers focused on her chin and what appeared to be a tiny zit -- nothing that would require Dr. Pimple Popper or anything, but still ... it was there.

Then it happened. Seriously, if you haven't seen it ... YOU MUST. Within a matter of seconds the blemish simply vanished ... AS Tulsi was talking!!! Remember, this is on a close-up camera, ON live television.

Look, we know this has zero impact on real Presidential issues ... but it's also kinda hard to ignore when ya see it happening clear as day on LIVE TV! 

Btw, we also combed through a bunch of photos of Gabbard from last night -- check the gallery -- and the Congresswoman ain't pimpin' ... as in, there's no sign of the mystery zit. Or whatever it is ... was.

We've reached out to NBC, which was responsible for the debate broadcast, and also Rep. Gabbard's campaign office. No word back from either ... but we're guessing the Congresswoman's as baffled as we are.

Seriously, folks. Where's Zapruder when ya need him??  

Beth Chapman was taping alongside Duane "Dog" Chapman almost until her last day, but there's some unfinished work to be done ... and now it's in Dog's hands to decide how their project will end.

Their new show, "Dog's Most Wanted," had been shooting for several months, and they were coming to a close last weekend ... according to production sources. As you know, Beth suffered a choking emergency Saturday at their home in Hawaii and was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Although they were mid-production, we're told cameras were NOT rolling at that time.

Beth -- who was just as involved with the show as Dog -- was still scheduled to shoot for the series' final episodes.

Obviously, production came to a halt with Beth's hospitalization, and her death now means some big decisions have to be made about how to end the season. We're told it's possible producers will use the material they have in the can to put together an ending -- or shooting could resume after Dog and his family have time to cope with their matriarch's passing.

"Dog's Most Wanted" profiled both the family's bounty hunting business and also shed light on Beth's cancer battle. We're told it will ultimately be Dog's decision on whether there's enough raw footage to end the series, and also tell Beth's story.

As we first reported, doctors decided placing Beth in a coma would give her the best shot at surviving -- but she never recovered and died Wednesday morning.

Max Wright, who famously played the father on the 80s hit sitcom "ALF" -- died Wednesday ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell TMZ ... the actor passed away in his home in Hermosa Beach, CA ... just outside Los Angeles. We're told Max had battled cancer for years. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 1995, but had been in remission for a long time.

Max was a veteran TV star whose most popular role was as Willie Tanner on the puppet-led sitcom -- which ran for 4 seasons on NBC. He's also known for acting in shows like "Buffalo Bill," "Cheers," "Misfits of Science," "Dudley" and "Norm."

He also starred in a ton of movies -- "All That Jazz," "Reds," "The Sting II," "Soul Man," "The Shadow" and several others. All in all, Max had more than 60 credits to his name, dating back to 1974.

His wife, Linda Ybarrondo, to whom he was married since 1965, died in 2017 from breast cancer. They had 2 children together.

Max's costar Michu Meszaros -- who played the main character, ALF (Alien Life Form for those not in the know) -- in the early seasons ... passed away in June 2016 at the age of 76.

Max was 75 years old.

RIP

Beth Chapman, who along with her husband, Duane "Dog" Chapman, appeared for years on the iconic show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," is dead.

Beth died Wednesday at a Honolulu hospital, days after being placed in a medically-induced coma. She had battled long and hard against cancer, which ultimately took her life.

The 51-year-old announced in 2017 that she'd been diagnosed with stage II throat cancer, but was cancer free by December of that year. The cancer returned last November -- after which she underwent aggressive chemo and fought valiantly to maintain normalcy in her life ... sometimes going out for the evening with her husband. She said last month on Mother's Day she had stopped chemo.

Dog just tweeted a goodbye to Beth, saying "Today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."

Beth endured at least one health scare over the past few months, having been rushed to the hospital in April for breathing trouble related to her cancer treatments.

Beth became a licensed bail bondsman at age 29 -- the youngest in Colorado history. Her record was broken by her stepdaughter, Lyssa Chapman, who became licensed at age 19.

She met Dog when she was 19 and he was 35 ... when she got in trouble with the law. She was in a grocery store and got distracted by a call from her boss, and she walked out with a lemon and got stopped for shoplifting. Turns out she had an unregistered, unlicensed gun in her pocket -- she had taken it from her then-boyfriend who was drunk at the time -- and Beth's dad called Dog to bail her out.

They married in 2006, one day after Dog's daughter, Barbara Katy, was killed in a car crash in Alaska.

Dog and Beth became international stars after "Dog the Bounty Hunter" debuted in 2003. The show ended its run in 2012. They did another show -- "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt" which ran through 2015. The couple took a break from TV for a bit, and during that time ... Beth ran for president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States and won. They were in the process of filming a new show, "Dog's Most Wanted," which was set to air next year.

It's unclear for now if their new program will make it to broadcast in light of Beth's death. We do know that Beth's health struggles were supposed to be a key storyline and that she was going to be front and center alongside Dog ... just like the old days.

Production started in February -- but no word if the network they were working with, WGN America, completed a full season's worth of episodes or not. Beth herself said the series wouldn't hit the airwaves this year, but a trailer has already been released.

Beth had 11 kids -- the latter 2 she had with Dog. Beth also has 14 grandchildren ... one of whom she had custody of after Dog's daughter died in the crash -- and the boy's father was found to be abusive.

She was 51.

Blac Chyna says she always knew she'd be vindicated in her hairdresser knife case, 'cause the lady was simply thirsty for the spotlight -- but she ain't gonna drink from Chyna's fountain.

BC says Tuesday's decision by the L.A. City Attorney's Office to reject cases against Chyna and her hairdresser -- each claimed to be the victim -- comes as no surprise ... as she maintains she never did anything wrong.

Chyna tells us her former employee -- whose name she refuses to say -- was obviously only looking for her 15 minutes. The proof, she says, is the woman took her bogus claims to media outlets and also her own social media ... BEFORE going to the police, attempting to smear Chyna.

The City Attorney's Office says there was insufficient evidence to prosecute, and Chyna insists that supports her account .. that she did NOT pull a knife or threaten anyone, as claimed by she whose name Chyna won't speak.

Plus, no other witnesses came forward to corroborate the woman's story, and there was never a smoking gun ... or knife.

What is clear is that something WAS thrown in the surveillance vid, and Chyna says it's the hairdresser hurling soda cans.

George Lopez is expanding his restaurant empire ... and holy guacamole it looks like he wants to add his own twist to a Mexican delicacy.

According to new docs obtained by TMZ ... the comedian applied for the trademark "George Lopez's Chingon Kitchen," which he wants to slap on new products including guacamole. He also wants to do the same on a new hot sauce and salsa.

The docs don't lay out exactly how George wants to add his unique mark to those products ... but if his menu is any indication, it's gonna be lit.

George's no stranger to the restaurant biz ... he opened his first joint in 2017 at the famed San Manuel Casino and opened his second branch earlier this year in Phoenix. Surprisingly enough, his Mexican cuisine menu doesn't offer any jabs at his least favorite Prez.

BTW ... for the gabachos out there -- "Chingon" is a term of endearment in Mexico, meaning "f***ing badass." George often calls himself "El Mas Chingon."

Further proof Ty Pennington's one of the nicest guys in the world ... he's giving Jesse Tyler Ferguson his blessing as the new host for the 'Extreme Makeover' reboot.

We got Ty arriving at LAX Tuesday and of course had to ask him about Ferguson becoming the new host as HGTV reboots "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The network plans to air 10 new episodes in early 2020. Ty, of course, hosted the insanely successful show for 9 seasons on ABC.

Check out the clip ... Ty's advice for Jesse can be summed up with just 2 words. But, in all honesty ... Ty says Jesse's about to embark on the best roller coaster of his life. He does have one suggestion though ... it helps if he's got carpentry experience.

Blac Chyna won't be prosecuted for allegedly brandishing a knife and threatening her hairdresser.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells TMZ the cases against Blac Chyna and her hairdresser were both rejected ... due to insufficient evidence.

The L.A. District Attorney had the first look at the case, but determined there wasn't enough there to charge Chyna or the hairdresser with a felony, so they gave the case to the City Attorney ... and now it's officially done.

Our law enforcement sources say the case was weak from the beginning.

TMZ broke the story ... BC and her hairdresser got into a heated exchange last month at Chyna's home in the San Fernando Valley. The hairdresser claimed Blac Chyna went after her with a blade and filed a police report, and BC appeared as a named suspect for assault with a deadly weapon.

Blac Chyna insisted she was actually the victim, not the aggressor ... and claims the hairdresser started hurling soda cans during the argument.