TV

Nick Jonas says he's learning lots of new things from wife Priyanka Chopra ... and he's getting cultured on Indian holidays and traditions.

Nick and Priyanka celebrated Diwali -- India's festival of light -- at their Los Angeles home Thursday ... capping things off with a mini fireworks show by the pool.

NJ says he's sending love and light to all, and adds ... "my beautiful wife has introduced me to so many wonderful Indian holidays and traditions. My heart is so full to be able to share this with our friends and family."

Earlier in the day, Nick and Priyanka rang in Diwali morning with the ceremonial puja ... a ritual offering flowers to an image of a god.

As you can see, Nick and Priyanka were dressed in traditional Indian garb, and they look great.

Priyanka says of the ritual ... "With the blessings of Goddess Mahalakshmi we invite Her grace and abundance into our home."

William Lucking, who starred as one of the staple characters in "Sons of Anarchy" has died at the age of 80.

Lucking, who played biker Piney Winston on the show died last month at home in Las Vegas. An obituary for the actor, written by his wife of 25 years, Sigrid, called Lucking a "giant of a man with the soul of a poet."

It's currently unclear how Lucking died, but "SoA" fans will remember his character, Piney, as the biker club's oldest member and most senior adviser. Piney carried an oxygen tank on the show, and had seemingly slowed down a bit as the series started.

Lucking's career started back in the late '60s, spanning both TV and film ... with roles alongside Faye Dunaway in "Oklahoma Crude" to the original Colonel in NBC's The A-Team in the 1980's.

Lucking leaves behind his wife, two daughters, grandkids and a sister.

His obituary requests fans "toast to his memory and celebrate his legacy."

If Hollywood memorabilia's your thing -- don't miss this chance to bid on relics from 'Anchorman,' 'Friends' and a George Clooney watch ... all in the name of helping vets.

Indeed, the cause is a great one. A nonprofit called Homes for Our Troops is holding its 5th annual Veteran's Day Celebrity Auction starting Nov. 4 and running through the 14th ... and they've got some neat stuff on the table here, which can technically be yours.

Among some of the coolest items ... Jockey briefs as seen on the set of "Anchorman 2," which are autographed by the great Will Ferrell himself. If you're not quite brave enough for that -- there's also something for 'Friends' lovers, especially fans of Rachel Green.

'Friends' autographed clothing from Jennifer Aniston's personal collection are also on the auction block.

There's more than just attire here though for bidding purposes ... other items that HFOT has in its collection this year include a "Suicide Squad" script signed by the cast, a special Snoopy watch from George Clooney's own collection, a guitar with Jon Bon Jovi's John Hancock on it ... and a WHOLE lot more.

All in all, we're talking upwards of 130 personalized items and experiences that can be yours to claim -- and of course, the money's going toward putting our brave men and women who've served and returned injured into specially adapted custom homes.

Nick Lachey says what we're seeing on FOX's new singing show, "Alter Ego," might be really cool onstage, but it could also be the future of entertainment ... period.

We got the 98 Degrees singer -- who's been tapped as one of the celeb judges for 'Ego' -- and asked how he's liking his role on this revolutionary competition series ... where contestants sing live, but appear as digital avatars.

It's such a unique concept, and if you listen to Nick here, you'll see the format has had an impact on him -- especially on the technology side, something he admits he doesn't fully understand ... but can appreciate nonetheless.

There's a funny comparison Nick makes between himself and his fellow judge, Grimes ... who he calls "half-robot" on a whole other level that he just hasn't reached.

Still, NL recognizes the potential for something bigger than just music ... pointing out a lot of real-life influencers already promote themselves as avatars. In other words, he's saying this is a bigger wave that will reach far beyond his show -- and FOX is just surfing it earlier.

Some of L.A.'s biggest stars walked the runway for Gucci -- on Hollywood Blvd., no less -- but even more of them were front and center to watch 'em step in the name of fashion.

A gaggle of A-listers showed up en masse Tuesday to take in the Gucci Love Parade fashion show ... which actually topped some of the industry's top talent (movie and music-wise, that is) to model their getups -- including people like Jared Leto, Macaulay Culkin, Phoebe Bridgers and others.

Based on these photos of them cruising on stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... you might say they were natural fits, and very much so in their element.

There were other hotshots who were on the sidelines watching -- including Salma Hayek, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow and Billie Eilish, among others.

The whole theme for this show, BTW, is the "dream factory" that is Tinseltown ... and the outfits reflect that. Very colorful and pretty dreamy at first glance -- especially when seen on some of the most famous faces around.

Kevin Hart isn't one to embrace controversy for kicks -- which is why a one-on-one between Netflix's CEO and him is all the more interesting ... especially as the Dave Chappelle drama's still swirling.

Check out this photo TMZ obtained of the rock star comedian chopping it up with Ted Sarandos Monday evening in Beverly Hills. They were at the Waldorf Astoria, where eyewitnesses say the duo had dinner and talked extensively for quite some time.

Although you can't see Sarandos' face in the pic ... other entertainment big wigs who were around confirmed it was him.

What they talked about remains a mystery, but the mere fact they had a private little chat like this, especially amid all the Chappelle drama at Netflix, can't be ignored ... as Dave and Kevin are good friends, and anyone cozying up to Ted right now (especially comics) might as well be cosigning what DC had to say and what Netflix decided to do.

Of course, Kev already has a major relationship with the streamer -- a multi-year deal for movies and specials -- so maybe this had absolutely nothing to do with Dave at all ... but something tells us the topic came up.

There's also this ... Kevin himself was embroiled in an LGBTQ-related controversy a few years ago -- one that ended up costing him his Oscars hosting gig, this after he waffled on apologizing for years-old tweets that some considered offensive and anti-gay.

Lindsay Lohan will not be joining the cast of the upcoming "Real Housewives of Dubai" ... even though she's already living in the country, and would provide instant star power and drama.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Lindsay is NOT part of the newly announced season, and she was never even approached about the upcoming project.

Bravo announced Monday the network is taking 'The Real Housewives' franchise to Dubai, the first season in an international location, leading to wild speculation Lindsay would be on the cast because she's already on the ground in the United Arab Emirates.

We're told the cast -- although, not announced yet -- has been selected, and LL ain't on it. Yeah, we know ... she's not actually a housewife, but many of the other "Housewives" lineups are filled with unmarried women.

The real issue, most likely, is keeping the budget low for a new spinoff ... 'cause Lindsay would certainly demand a bigger payday than an unknown.

The project will air on Bravo next year, and the network says it will highlight a group of women navigating relationships, careers and the lavish and uber-wealthy lifestyles in the UAE.

Dubai's known as a billionaire's playground with plenty of opulence, modern architecture and a crazy nightlife scene, which all seem to jibe with LiLo ... but this is one guest list she won't be on.

Lone Star state actor Raini Rodriguez was still a teenager when she locked in the role as the spunky best friend Trish -- who also acts as the musical manager while alongside the up-and-coming artist tackling the entertainment industry -- in the classic Disney sitcom "Austin & Ally."

RR shared the screen with the Disney duo Ross Lynch as the awesome music maker, Austin Moon ... and Laura Marano as the brainy singer, Ally Dawson.

Fun Fact: Raini's brother is Rico Rodriguez ... who is well known for his role as Sofia Vergara's son Manny on "Modern Family.

Carole Baskin is putting her foot down over Netflix's sequel to 'Tiger King' -- insisting the producers and Netflix cut out all footage of her for their latest offering.

The big cat advocate -- who was heavily featured in the OG series last year -- just filed suit against producers of the mega-hit and the streaming giant itself, asking a judge to put the kibosh on footage of her and her Big Cat Rescue in the upcoming "Tiger King 2" project.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, all the new video of her that they're teasing in their trailer completely misrepresents reality ... namely, that she is NOT on board with this new project whatsoever.

Carole explains in her lawsuit that all this footage is just unused stuff that didn't make the cut for 'Tiger King' ... and argues that producers are simply rehashing/repackaging it to make it seem like she's given new interviews or insight.

That's not the case at all, so says Carole ... who claims she never realized she'd be portrayed as a villain in the original 'Tiger King' and thinks the whole series ended up undermining her true mission -- protecting big cats from folks like Joe Exotic.

As you well know by now ... a lot of the show focused on Carole's first husband, Don Lewis, who went missing years ago -- something for which Carole believes the docuseries made her seem responsible.

CB's rationale for suing is that the contract she signed to participate in the first series simply doesn't give producers a right to continue using the footage in the subsequent projects ... including this sequel.

Luis Robert's $1 million Lambo now officially matches his flashy game -- 'cause the MLB player just got the ride covered in a Naruto wrap ... and it's awesome!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Chicago White Sox star is a huge anime fan, so he sought out Alex Vega from The Auto Firm in South Florida to get the ride tricked out.

And, it didn't take long for Vega to deliver a masterpiece ... 'cause he wrapped the thing head-to-toe with images from the cartoon -- and it all actually glows in the dark!

You can see in photos of the whip, the hood has Naruto and Sasuke on it -- and near the headlight is where the ride's wrap lights up at night.

We're told the custom job cost around $10,000 to do ... but don't worry, Robert's wallet can take the hit.

The rising MLB superstar signed a staggering 6-year, $50 MILLION contract with the Sox back in 2020 -- before he had ever even taken an at bat in the Major Leagues.

Bill Maher really got down to basics Friday night ... with a really interesting chit-chat about toxic masculinity ... and there's enough here for you to decide which side you're on.

Atlantic writer, Caitlin Flanagan, squared off against Delaware Senator, Chris Coons, with an assist from BM.

Caitlin railed on what she says is misdirected and dangerous wokeness ... somehow turning "heroic masculinity" into a dirty phrase. She thinks it's critical to teach boys the virtues of men who do heroic things, and she says it's important to distinguish men from women, because the former are simply stronger and better suited to save the day when physical strength is the operative factor.

Coons tries to blow up her theory with 2 examples -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Ann Mikulski, but Flanagan scoffs at that, firing back ... "I'm not going to wait for [Pelosi] to get me out of a burning building ..."

Coons doesn't exactly buy into what Flanagan is saying ... instead he talks about the virtue of respect that he has taught his twin sons. He doesn't really address Flanagan's point ... that boys should be taught the virtues of using their physical strength for good, rather than being taught to be ashamed of it.

Captain Mark Howard, a staple on the opening season of "Below Deck Mediterranean" has died ... TMZ has learned.

Howard died in Florida at some point in the last week, a family friend says his death was sudden and occurred while he was at home. We do not currently know any other circumstances surrounding his death.

Captain Howard appeared on 13 episodes of the show's first season in 2016. He was a respected figure of authority on the show, and always maintained the "customer is always right" attitude, yet was still very hands-on with all of his crew members.

According to his biography on Bravo, he grew up in Michigan, and had almost 30 years of experience on boats. Not only could he captain a boat, Mark had his pilot's license as well.

"Below Deck Mediterranean" is currently on its 6th season and still running. The yachts featured on the show range from $140,000 to $300,000 per week. Captain Sandy Yawn is now one of the faces of the show, with a growing following on social media.

Howard was 65, and leaves behind his wife, Susan.

RIP

A staple in the "Jersey Shore" franchise is officially no more ... the infamous Bamboo Bar is currently being torn down, and so are all the reality show memories that went on inside it.

Demolition crews were at the site of the infamous Seaside Heights joint early Friday tearing down walls and making way for the new condo complex to go up in its place. As you can see, the place looked pretty worn down to start with, so the tear-down isn't taking much effort.

If you don't remember, the bar served as the location to a legendary "J-Shore" brawl featuring The Situation, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, JWoww and Pauly D.

Bamboo Bar shut down a few years ago after filing for bankruptcy.

We've now learned why the 'RHONY' reunion never happened ... and it was all thanks to an ongoing third-party investigation into Eboni K. Williams' allegations of racism against Ramona Singer.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Eboni filed a formal complaint against Ramona in the weeks leading up to the 'RHONY' season 13 reunion, and as an investigation launched and moved forward, Bravo kept pushing back the shoot date.

We're told the probe was tasked with looking into an alleged comment Ramona made that Eboni felt was racially motivated.

As part of the investigation, we're told the cast and production crew sat down for interviews ... and in the end, Ramona was cleared because nothing was found to corroborate Eboni's claims. We're told once the investigation wrapped the network felt it was too late to film a reunion because too much time passed from the end of the season.

One source tells us ... "It was already a low-rated season so there were concerns about who would tune in 3 months later."

For what it's worth, we're told Eboni wasn't the only one to lodge a complaint against Ramona for race issues, a crew member did the same prior to Eboni -- but clearly, the alleged conduct had continued -- and that's why Eboni felt it was important to complain as well.

While we're told Eboni was satisfied with the thorough investigation, she seemed sour over the scrapped reunion ... telling us last week she has unfinished business and implying she's ready to come back for another season and confront the women.

The delays and ultimate cancellation cost the 'RHONY' stars money ... the housewives are paid per episode and we're told the reunion would likely have been 3 episodes, meaning stars like Ramona, Luann and Sonja lost upwards of $100,000.

Mitt Romney transformed into lovable soccer coach Ted Lasso for Halloween ... but the Utah senator might have gotten his fictional characters mixed up in the process, 'cause he used a quote from "Friday Night Lights" to show off his look.

The Republican out of Utah sported some AFC Richmond gear, a nice pair of khakis and a 'stache to resemble Jason Sudeikis' character in the Apple TV show ... posting several shots via Twitter on Thursday.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined in on the fun, too ... playing team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham's role) as Romney hands her his daily delicious biscuit.

Romney shares one of Ted's best Lassoisms ... saying, "Your body is like day-old rice. If it ain't warmed up properly, something real bad could happen."

He also shared some non-Lassoisms ... saying, "If you believe in yourself, and have clear eyes and full hearts -- you can’t lose" ... which is actually a line delivered by coach Eric Taylor in 'FNL.'

Now, there are a few reasonable explanations here -- whoever runs Romney's social team may not have seen "Ted Lasso" yet and didn't do much research before sending out the tweet ... or maybe Romney himself hasn't tuned in and was just taking a shot in the dark.

Not everyone's ready to forgive Morgan Wallen ... the country music superstar is being blocked from the American Music Awards, even though he'll likely win a couple of the trophies.

The award show announced Thursday it's barring Morgan from attending this year's show due to that video showing him using the n-word. Reps for the show said, "As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity."

Here's the thing, though ... AMA nominees are determined purely by Billboard Chart performance, and despite the backlash against him most of the year, Morgan's album has dominated sales. That's why he's still nominated for 2 AMAs -- favorite country album and favorite male country artist.

It's unclear how producers of the award show will handle it in the likely event Morgan wins one or both categories. Remember, the winners are determined purely by fan votes ... and we know Morgan's fans have stood firm behind him all year.

Morgan has issued an apology, and did an interview with GMA back in July saying he'd been working on himself. The AMA reps say they'll "evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows."