TV

A spin down the famous slide at American Family Field on Wednesday ended up in a trip to the emergency room for Dodgers reporter David Vassegh ... who ended up breaking several bones in his body on the ride at the Brewers' ballpark.

The mishap happened just before L.A. took on Milwaukee at the stadium in Wisconsin.

Vassegh was gunnin' to check an item off his bucket list by finally going down Bernie's Chalet in center field -- but things went terribly wrong for the journalist when he came to a stop on the ride.

Video of Vassegh's slide shows he didn't finish feetfirst -- and ended up crashing into the wall with his arm and back exposed. You can see in the footage, Vassegh was in a world of pain immediately.

Turns out, he ended up breaking his arm and fracturing six ribs in the fall. But, somehow, the dude made it back to the field in a cast to get his job done!!

Dodgers announcers Joe Davis and Nomar Garciaparra laughed their asses off at the blunder -- and, to his credit, Vassegh was a good sport about it all on TV.

The guys that Vassegh covers, meanwhile, were impressed with his toughness ... with catcher Austin Barnes saying after their 2-1 win that they got the dub for the injured reporter.

"We all rallied today for you," the Dodger said.

No word if Vassegh will have to miss any further time from here to properly recover -- but get well soon!

Randy Martin, the so-called "Lone Wolf" reality TV home renovator, has died after a cancer battle.

His death was announced Wednesday on his FB page as well as by his costars from "Texas Flip N Move," the Snow Sisters, who had the same statement. It reads, "We are broken hearted over The Lone Wolf Randy Martin who passed away early this morning. Please pray for his wife and family as they navigate this difficult time. You will be missed."

Donna Snow tells TMZ ... Randy, a longtime friend/associate, died from cancer, and he was at his home when he passed, with his wife, Judy, by his side. We're told Donna visited him recently and he appeared fairly weak and in bad health.

Judy confirms Donna's account, elaborating to us that he had liver cancer and had been diagnosed in May 2022. She notes ... he was beloved by all, even strangers.

RM has been on the show pretty much since the beginning. The series started on the DIY Network in 2014, and he's had appearances on and off since Season 1. The following year, however, Martin was heavily featured as a main cast member ... which continued on through 2017.

It doesn't look like he's been on there much since then ... but he's certainly considered part of the 'TFNM' family. As his nickname indicates, Randy wouldn't hesitate to get things done on his own -- especially when it came to the business of buying and flipping homes.

That's what the show's all about -- with the catch being they can't see the inside of the houses they buy before working on them -- and Randy wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He was quite the personality as well, with quick wit and jokes always on hand.

Randy was 65. He leaves behind a spouse, kids and grandchildren.

Christine Quinn is giving a big thumbs down to returning to "Selling Sunset" ... instead focusing her attention on her other ventures.

Production sources tell TMZ Christine will not be featured in seasons 6 and 7 of the Netflix show, which recently began production. We're told it was a mutual decision between Christine, Netflix and the production company.

Our Christine sources tell us she recently signed with IMG Models, and is already booking modeling and appearance gigs at various fashion events.

Christine is also heavily involved with RealOpen, her brokerage that allows you to buy/sell real estate through crypto currency with her husband Christian.

Christine has definitely had her fair share of drama with "SS" producers and her costars over the last few months, skipping the show's reunion after claiming she tested positive for COVID. TMZ broke the story, Christine was spotted on a commercial shoot just days after allegedly testing positive ... at a time when she should've been in quarantine.

She also bashed the show on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, saying producers manipulate and intimidate the cast to create more drama. She also claimed the show's executive producer told her "to go fall down the stairs" and "kill" herself after she was honest about a scene from the show during an interview.

We got Christine's now former co-star Emma Hernan outside The Oppenheim Group office Wednesday, and while she isn't calling Christine's leave a win, she admits the show's got a bunch of heavy hitters as it is.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are forever enshrined in bronze in the city of Albuquerque -- something conservatives there are up in arms about, claiming the statues glorify meth.

Late last month, Mayor Tim Keller unveiled 2 statues to honor the 'Breaking Bad' stars -- they're now on display at the Albuquerque Convention Center -- after a ceremony where BC and AP were actually on hand to pose with their metal counterparts.

It was a kitschy, fun thing that seemed fairly innocent -- as a shout-out to the actors and show for putting a spotlight on their city and state -- but now, some Republicans in the state are fuming over the honor.

Conservative radio host Eddy Aragon and state representative Rod Montoya say the statues send the wrong message about who should be glorified in the community.

Montoya says "meth dealers" shouldn't be the shining example in Albuquerque, and Aragon adds ... "It’s not the type of recognition we want for the city of Albuquerque, or for our state."

Aragon goes on to gripe about how city officials tore down a controversial statue of Albuquerque's first Spanish governor, Juan de Onate, because he was a conquistador ... but now turn around and throw these two fictional characters as proverbial beacons.

This sort of backlash was actually expected, Mayor Keller warned of this when they were first getting unveiled, saying he understood, but defended having Jesse Pinkman and Walter White statues because of the cautionary tale they represented, and the jobs they gave to NM.

Christian Slater's Florida home didn't last long ... selling way above asking price after just 3 days on the market!

Real estate sources tell TMZ the "Mr. Robot" actor sold his 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom pad in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood for $4.258 million ... which was 10% above the $3.950 million asking price.

The Italian-inspired home comes with all the bells and whistles, with an oversized primary suite with a balcony and a huge rooftop terrace. There's also a detached guest suite with an entertaining area, bedroom and full bathroom.

Of course, the backyard comes complete with a pool for the Florida heat.

Dave Foley sorta bit the hand that feeds a bit this weekend -- taking a shot at the streaming company that's hosting his old sketch show ... claiming Amazon is ruining planet Earth.

The comedian/actor was on hand Sunday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, where the HCA TV Awards were underway and handing out trophies for shows ... both on traditional TV and on streaming. He won for his newest season of 'Kids in the Hall,' which was revived for a 6th season this year on Amazon Prime -- this after the OG show's been off the air for decades.

During his acceptance speech for Best Streaming Variety Sketch Series, DF thanked a bunch of people in very off-the-cuff remarks -- and along the way, remembered to thank Amazon.

Watch ... Foley sarcastically mentions Amazon, saying despite polluting the planet/ruining the environment -- they make some great TV, so yippee! It's kinda funny, but big picture ... it's a little cringeworthy ... especially when you consider Dave literally has a working relationship with them now, as they're financing/producing the new season(s) of his series.

'KITH' originally ran from 1988 to '95 over the course of 5 seasons, which aired in a variety of places ... from HBO to CBC TV and, eventually, CBS. You can now stream the old episodes for free on Amazon Prime ... as well as Pluto and The Roku Chanel.

The Roots’ frontman Black Thought has been wowing audiences for decades with his raw rap style … without having the same solo recognition as his peers.

BT addressed notions he was an “underrated” talent during a recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music to promote his new joint album with Danger Mouse.

According to the Philly rapper, random opinions don’t really affect him, despite hearing the word “underrated” in all of his interviews.

BT says people whose perspectives are valued by him have always rated him properly, so that’s where he places his trust.

Black Thought and Danger Mouse dropped their "Cheat Codes" collaborative album last week with features from A$AP Rocky, Russ, Joey Bada$$ and even a posthumous contribution from MF DOOM.

BT has been releasing albums since the 90s and has been regularly starring on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" with The Roots for many years.

Calling him underrated feels like an overreach at this point.

Eli Manning and Brady Quinn never duked it out on the football field -- but the two are squaring off in a different arena -- debating the best football movies of all time ... and let's just say their picks ain't exactly shocking!

The two former NFL QB's caught up on the second episode of season 2 of "Eli's Places" (premieres Wednesday on ESPN+) ... and went back and forth about football movies they hold near and dear to their hearts.

Quinn said "Any Given Sunday" (starring Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz) is high on his list, but the 1999 classic "Rudy" (featuring Sean Astin and Ned Beatty) would be "way up there" ... as Brady gestured way above his head.

Of course, "Rudy" was based on the true story of the University of Notre Dame walk-on Rudy Ruettiger, an undersized player who wasn't exactly the best athlete, but had incredible heart and work ethic.

Brady starred at Notre Dame ... albeit long after Ruettiger was on the team.

BQ also rattled off two Adam Sandler movies ... "The Waterboy" and "The Longest Yard."

It's hard to argue with any of Quinn's selections ... Rudy is considered by many one of the best few sports films ever made. His other picks, particularly "The Longest Yard," had a bunch of big stars like Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Nelly, Terry Crews, Michael Irvin, Bill Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, and Sandler.

But Eli, the two-time Super Bowl champ for the NY Giants, pushed back against Quinn's list ... saying the 1994 movie "Little Giants," starring Rick Moranis, was his fave.

Quinn didn't seem too impressed with Eli's pick ... saying Moranis gave a better performance in the iconic film, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

FYI, it's not just Eli with his own show ... there's a diverse group of stars including Vince Carter, Abby Wambach, Ronda Rousey and David Ortiz who have their own "Places" show.

Comedian Teddy Ray's death this past week shocked the entertainment industry, and we've learned his cause of death was an apparent drowning.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ they responded to a call Friday morning around 10 AM at a private residence in Rancho Mirage, where a maintenance worker reported finding a man floating in the swimming pool.

Cops arrived and discovered Teddy dead in the pool. RCSO tells us there were no obvious signs of foul play. It's unclear whose pool the comedian drowned in -- the Coroner says he lived in Gardena, CA -- a good 2 1/2 hours away from the desert.

We're told investigators will wait for all results from Teddy's autopsy before determining an official cause of death.

Ray was known for appearances on 'Wild 'n Out,' 'How to Be Broke' and 'Pause with Sam Jay' on HBO ... plus his work on MTV's 'Messyness.' He was an all-around funny guy, and had great timing and delivery with his jokes and gags. TR did both scripted and unscripted work to aplomb -- and tributes were pouring in all weekend upon word of the sad news.

Comedy Central wrote, "Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer. He’ll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community.

Teddy was a comedian of man talents -- improv, skits/sketches and old-fashioned stand-up at a very high level. He'd been in showbiz dating back to 2011. He has 17 credits to his name, scattered across multiple projects.

Teddy was 32.

"Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes is making a plea to get folks to stop drinking and driving after his stunt double was tragically killed in a hit-and-run car crash.

We caught up with Chase at LAX Friday, and he opened up about the devastating loss of 22-year-old Alexander 'AJ' Jennings. Chase tells us he's still processing the tragic loss, adding it's been tough on the entire cast.

TMZ broke the story ... AJ was killed on July 5 in a hit-in-run crash in South Carolina ... where "Outer Banks" was shooting season 3.

While Chase is completely heartbroken, he hopes this will be a HUGE lesson to other folks on the road. He says he's a big believer in people taking responsibility for their own actions ... saying drinking and driving is a downright stupid decision with real consequences.

Denise Dowse, one of the stars of some iconic shows including "Insecure" and "Beverly Hills 90210" has died.

Denise lost her fight with viral meningitis Saturday and died at age 64. She had been in a coma for a week ... this after the disease caused inflammation in the membranes that encased her brain and spinal cord.

Her sister, Tracey said, "It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life."

Denise played Vice Principal Yvonne Teasley for a decade on the OG "90210" ... and that is just one of many credits. She played Dr. Rhonda Pine on "Insecure" from 2017-2020. And there were more iconic shows in which she starred ... "Coach Carter," "Grey's Anatomy" and also appeared on "Good Trouble," "Rocket Power" and "The Guardian."

She was a staple in the 90s, appearing on "The X-Files," "Criminal Minds," "Bones," "House," "Monk," "Law and Order," "Charmed," "The Bernie Mac Show, "Moesha," "Sister, Sister" "Gilmore Girls," "Seinfeld," "ER," "Full House" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Bill Maher made an incredibly strong case Friday night that Hollywood is ruining itself by pigeonholing actors into narrow lanes based on their heritage, sexual orientation, identity, etc.

The "Real Time" host made his case and, frankly, you gotta listen to it because it cuts to the core ... that casting directors now take their cues from the casting cops.

He lays out his case, beginning with John Leguizamo, who was incredulous James Franco was picked to play Fidel Castro, saying "No more appropriation Hollywood ... Boycott! This f'd up."  Bill noted John, a Columbian actor, ain't Venetian but he played one ... nor is he a little French man nor an Italian plumber ... but yeah, he played them too.

As he says, "People become actors so they can spend their lives not being who they are."

He notes Sean Penn snagged an Oscar for playing gay activist Harvey Milk ... that was once considered courageous ... now it's the opposite.

Eddie Redmayne played a transgender woman, but he now calls that a mistake. Bill asks if the logical conclusion to that is transgender people can only play transgender people, yet that's clearly not something they would want.

Ditto straight people playing gay people ... something Tom Hanks says he now regrets. So can gay people play a straight romantic role? The idea is to get rid of the prejudice, not the roles, and for that allies are necessary.

On on the subject of Hanks ... should he have played Forrest Gump, who was mentally challenged?

Kim Kardashian is a billionaire, in case you didn't know, and she's opened up her massive SKKN headquarters to remove any doubt.

Kim is showcasing her massive, 40,000-square-foot office space ... and gotta say ... it's pretty damn awesome.

The bells and whistles are impressive ... a massive kitchen, amphitheater, model glam room and private glam room, and on and on.

Kim didn't cheap out with decorators and designers ... Tommy Clements and Waldo Fernandez did the decor while Michele Lamy and Rick Owens designed the furniture.

Check out the glam room filled with robes, chairs for models and other stuff used for tailoring clothes.

Kim also gave a peek into her photo studio ... pretty cool. As for why she has a "private" glam room, she says it's where she kicks back and watches TV ... not a cord-cutter we guess.

Then there's the luxury shower with a chair inside so Kim's publicist Tracy Romulus can talk business with her while she washes down.

Willie Garson's former L.A. home is now officially off the market, his estate found a buyer nearly a year after his death.

The late "Sex and the City" actor's bungalow in Valley Village sold last week for $1.9 million, a jump from it's original $1.695 million listing price. The home was on the market for a month.

Willie bought the 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home back in 2005 for just over a million dollars. The Spanish-style home features 10,399 square feet of living space and comes with a ton of charm.

The living room has beamed vaulted ceilings, built-in bookshelves and a fireplace. The backyard is very private, and the new homeowners can enjoy a pool and spa.

TMZ broke the story ... Willie -- who was famous for his role in the "Sex and the City" series and various movies -- died last September after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Anne Heche has died from injuries she suffered last Friday after driving her car through a Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ Anne is "brain dead" and under California law that is the definition of death.

The rep adds life support machines are keeping Anne's heart beating for the purpose of preserving her organs for donations, however, the rep made it clear ... Anne has no brain function.

The actress died Friday at an L.A.-area hospital ... she was rushed there in a coma, in critical condition and never regained consciousness. We're told she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury -- complete oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Anne had a long and successful career in Hollywood, getting her start playing Vicky Hudson and Marley Love in the soap, "Another World," winning a Daytime Emmy.

When Anne moved over to the big screen, she landed roles in some huge movies ... including "Donnie Brasco," "Volcano," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Six Days Seven Nights," "Return to Paradise," the "Psycho" remake and "Wag the Dog."

Anne also starred in a number of TV shows, like "Men in Trees," "Hung," "Aftermath" and "The Brave" ... and she also did voice work for the animated TV series "The Legend of Korra."

During the first year of the pandemic, Anne was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."

Anne famously dated Ellen DeGeneres back in the day ... starting in 1997 until their highly-publicized split in August 2000 ... she ended up marrying cameraman Coleman Laffoon, whom she met on Ellen's stand-up comedy tour.

Heche had a child with Laffoon, but their marriage ended in divorce. Her next relationship was with her "Men in Trees" costar, James Tupper, with whom she had her second child. They split in 2018 after 10 years together.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD sources say Anne was under the influence of cocaine and possibly fentanyl on Aug. 5 when she committed at least 2 hit-and-runs before crashing through a home and causing a fire.

Anne sustained significant injuries in the crash, including severe burns and lung damage.

Anne was 53.

RIP

"Succession" star Alan Ruck says not even the genius writers on his show could dream up the s**tstorm of Trump World ... conceding fact is truly stranger than fiction.

We got Ruck -- who plays Connor Roy on the HBO smash hit -- at LAX Thursday and he kinda threw up his hands, essentially saying the weirdness of American politics couldn't be captured in make-believe, because even make-believe requires SOME believability!

"Succession" has been credited with both foreshadowing and recounting real-life events in the worlds of business and politics. Ruck compliments the show's writers for that, letting us know they're simply super tapped into current events.

Ruck jokes "Succession" writers are SO good at foreshadowing, they might be able to write a scene where a former President goes to jail ... and then it happens in real life. That's clearly what Ruck is banking on.

As you know, Trump's Mar-a-Lago home was swarmed by FBI agents earlier this week who were there to execute a search warrant related to confidential documents investigators believe Trump was secretly keeping on the property.