Jerry Bishop -- famous for being the announcer on "Judge Judy" -- is dead.
Jerry died Tuesday of heart disease, according to the show, and Judge Judy says she's gonna miss him.
Judy remembered her longtime announcer in a statement, saying ... "Jerry Bishop has been the voice of our program for 24 years. Everybody loved him. He had a golden heart and generous spirit. I adored him and will miss him."
Jerry served as the announcer for "Judge Judy" since its first season way back in 1994, and his career spanned thousands of episodes.
Bishop was also a veteran of Los Angeles radio and his voice was beloved and recognized on the morning drive for three decades from the 1960s through the 70s. Jerry interviewed tons of celebs on radio, including Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood.
Jerry also lent his famous voice to commercials and did some voiceover work, including 15 years as the voice of Disney Channel.
Comedian Grandma Lee -- who cracked the top ten on Season 4 of "America's Got Talent" -- has died ... according to her family.
Lee's son, Kelly, tells TMZ ... she died Friday afternoon at her assisted living facility in Jacksonville, FL, but it was not related to the coronavirus.
Kelly says his stand-up comic mom was doing shows up until November, but after a gig in Tampa, she fell in her hotel room and broke her hip. Sadly, he says she never fully recovered.
According to Grandma's family ... she passed with her 2 sons holding her hands after spending the past few days reading texts from friends and Facebook posts. They say there will be a service celebrating her life once COVID-19 conditiionsallow for it.
Her family adds ... "Heaven just got a whole lot funnier."
Grandma Lee gained popularity in 2009 when she competed on 'AGT' and made it to the finale before being eliminated.
She said at the time that her material is based on truth, adding ... "I go up there and wing it ... but I had to clean it up for the show."
Dimitri Diatchenko -- famous for his role in "Chernobyl Diaries" is dead ... TMZ has learned.
Dimitri was found dead Wednesday at his home in Daytona Beach, FL ... the actor's brother tells TMZ. We're told Dimitri's death was not related to the novel coronavirus, and there are no signs of foul play.
Dimitri's family says they had not heard from him in a few days, so they called police Wednesday for a wellness check, and that's when his body was discovered. The fam believes Dimitri died late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
Our law enforcement sources tell us the coroner's office has Dimitri's body. We're told the cause of death is pending the medical examiner's investigation.
Dimitri's family is blindsided by his passing, because they say he was healthy and in good shape.
Dimitri is best known for playing Uri in "Chernobyl Diaries," and his other acting credits include roles in "Get Smart" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
Andy Cohen's blasting FDA guidelines that are keeping him from donating his plasma -- which could potentially aid in the battle against COVID-19 -- calling them "antiquated and discriminatory" against gay people.
The 'Watch What Happens Live' host closed his show Thursday night by explaining how he wanted to help after he recovered from coronavirus so he signed up to give plasma ... which the FDA has an urgent need for because it's rich in antibodies.
Cohen says he's ineligible as a gay man, though, due to outdated and unfair rules to prevent HIV. Andy points out even the more recently relaxed rules require gay men to abstain from sex for 3 months, regardless of their relationship status ... when there are "no such blanket restrictions" for straight people.
Simply put, Cohen believes it's ignorant to exclude members of the gay community who could help save lives and fight COVID-19 at such a critical time ... especially when all blood is easily screened for HIV, anyway.
So, he's pleading for change, saying ... "This pandemic has forced us to adapt in many ways. We’re quarantining. We’re social distancing. We’re wearing masks. Why can’t we adapt when it comes to this rule?"
10:19 AM PT -- 4/23 -- Tyler is addressing some backlash he's getting on social media ... he says he was practicing social distancing during his workout and wants to make it clear he's taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
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TC just tweeted ... "I'd like to address this TMZ article that has people upset about social distancing. I am just like y'all and am taking this serious. There are loved ones that I miss because I can’t see them just like y'all, and even worse people still getting sick."
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Tyler adds ... "I take these precautions very seriously but you try and keep a bunch of grown folk to comply with all the rules you're trying to set. Not the easiest of tasks. But back to the article, some neighbors were running sprints, one goes to school and plays sports with Ryan. I challenged them to some sprints after our workout and we talked for a bit… from a distance."
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TC says people on the internet are jumping to conclusions and says, "now going to clean my house for all the Facebook moms."
For Tyler Cameron, workouts are essential ... but Hannah Brown is not, and neither is his shirt!!!
The "Bachelorette" hunk-turned-male model stepped out Wednesday for a shirtless workout down in Jupiter, Florida ... and while he's got a workout buddy, she's a mystery blonde and definitely not Hannah.
The shirtless stud is still pretty active even though gyms are closed because of the novel coronavirus ... Tyler's racing around his friendly neighborhood streets, lifting some heavy-looking boxes and playing basketball. Pretty much anything to get a sweat in.
Tyler's rock hard abs are looking on point as usual -- he never misses a chance to flaunt his shredded bod -- and it looks like he's growing out his beard in quarantine. No wonder ladies love him!!!
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As you know ... Tyler continued his on-and-off relationship with Hannah when he picked her up from the airport last month and they played some beach volleyball together, but things have since simmered down.
Check out the gallery ... and see what Hannah's missing out on.
5:01 PM PT -- Maitland tells TMZ ... "The fact that these long time friends have gotten together after so many months to sue me is complete slander and immoral. There are zero contracts and agreements that have any info pertaining to this completely made up story."
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She says the lawsuit is "a joke and warning to all porn stars to be careful who you shoot with on the outside."
Maitland Ward's encounter with an actress is coming back to bite her in the butt ... because she's being sued over the filming of those steamy scenes.
A reality TV and adult entertainment actress, along with a videographer/editor, are suing the former "Boy Meets World" actress turned porn star claiming she screwed them out of more than $270,000 they claim they rightfully earned.
According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actress and videographer claim they started working together in July 2017, and all went fine and dandy. So good, in fact, Maitland allegedly started hooking up with the actress off-screen. But, according to the lawsuit, that relationship went south ... and so did a deal they say they cut with Maitland around September 2018 that was supposed to land them a hefty payday.
In docs, the actress and videographer claim Ward and her lawyer got a hold of the money they were all supposed to split, but instead of getting paid they got strung along with bad checks and broken promises. The actress and videographer are now suing for the money they claim they're owed -- $180K for the actress and $90K for the videographer -- plus other damages.
We've reached out to Maitland, so far no word back.
A co-creator of 'The Walking Dead' claims folks at a video game company are stiffing him on a deal -- and now, he wants a judge to pry the money out of their lifeless corpses.
Famed comic book writer Robert Kirkman's company, RK LLC, just filed suit against Disruptor Beam Inc., which he says developed and released 'Walking Dead: March to War' in 2017 ... after he struck a 2014 deal with the company.
RK says he's owed upwards of $690,000 off that deal, but alleges Disruptor stopped making payments.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kirkman's company says the OG terms they came to with DBI were annual payments of $500k, which would run for four years after the release of the game. It came out in August 2017.
Kirkman and co. claim the video game company made payments -- sometimes late, but they came -- until this month, when the company allegedly told him it was stopping payments "until further notice."
Kirkman claims this left a $190k balance for the rest of this year plus another $500K for next year.
Kirkman's company now wants a judge to step in and force 'em to pay up at least $690K in damages.
Unclear why the video game company allegedly put their payments on hold, but something tells us the coronavirus might have something to do with it. Zombie Apocalypse ... now!
Cutting ties with Carole Baskin didn't necessarily work out for her ex-husband or Joe Exotic -- but a Baskin-Robbins shop is cashing in by doing exactly that.
Peggy Heldstab, owner of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in Junction City, Kansas, tells TMZ ... it was her son's idea to slap the "No Relation to Carole Baskin" sign on her store's marquee sign. She says her son and his wife saw the popular Netflix documentary 'Tiger King' and are huge fans ... hence the suggestion for the sign.
She says her son swore the sign would be especially appreciated right now with the popularity of the doc ... coupled with the thousands of memes, songs and dances that have sprung up, with most of them taking shots at Carole Baskin.
But get this ... Peggy says she had never heard of 'Tiger King,' but took her son's word for it because he insisted the sign would cheer people up. He wasn't lying. The sign's exploded all over social media, and that's translated extremely well for the cash register.
We're told Peggy put up the sign Sunday and that very same day sales doubled compared to the day before. What's more ... the shop drew tons of attention from fans driving by waving and honking in approval of the sign. Her son was right, and business (carry-out/DoorDash only) has been great ever since.
As most small business owners can relate, Peggy says she was worried about her business with stay-at-home orders, and business doesn't get any easier when it's trying to make up for any stalled business during the cold months. And, that's why the Carole Baskin sign couldn't have come at a better time.
As for corporate reaching out to her shop to give her its 2 cents ... Peggy says not a peep. She says she's able to make sign decisions independently. And, in case you're wondering ... Peggy says she's now a few episodes into 'Tiger King.'
Peggy says if Carole Baskin walked into her shop, she'd serve her ice cream. Maybe Peggy hasn't gotten to the end of 'Tiger King' yet. Give her time.
Connecticut-born kid Christy Carlson Romano, was 16 years old when she landed the role of the school-driven middle sister, Ren Stevens -- who is the brains of the family and has to keep her two wacky brothers in check -- in the classic Disney family program, "Even Stevens."
Christy Carlson Romano was cast alongside Nick Spano as the sporty older brother, Donnie Stevens, Steven Anthony Lawrence as the annoying neighbor, Beans ... and of course, Shia LaBeouf as the youngest of the Stevens clan, Louis.
Christy also had two other stand-out roles on Disney ... the voice of Kim on "Kim Possible" and Captain Jenny on "Cadet Kelly."
3:40 PM PT -- More from Gronk via Jay Glazer, "I’m back. I always said when I have that feeling and it feels right, I will be ready to take the field again. And I have that feeling. I’m ready."
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Gronk tells Jay Glazer he has already passed his physical and added, "I'm baaaaackkkkkk!"
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1:22 PM PT -- Rob Gronkowski is officially coming back to the NFL -- reuniting with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay ... and the deal should be done in less than 24 hours.
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Gronk had been coy about a possible comeback, but he's made up his mind -- and will return to the league for the 2020 season.
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The issue -- Gronk is still technically a member of the New England Patriots -- but the team has been in contact with the TB Bucs and worked out a deal to ship the future Hall of Fame tight end to Florida.
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The deal ... the Patriots are sending Gronk and a 7th-rounder to Tampa Bay for a 4th-round pick.
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Jay Glazer has already spoken with Gronk ... who says the deal should be wrapped up by Wednesday ... pending the results of a physical.
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Gronk had been dealing with back injuries -- but recently had been bragging about his recovery ... and proved he's back in playing shape by jumping off the Jumbotron at WrestleMania 36 earlier this month in a high-risk stunt.
Speaking of which, Gronk is the reigning WWE 24/7 Champion -- but we're guessing that won't get in the way of an NFL contract.
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We're guessing it's Tom Brady who pushed for the trade ... the guys have become super-tight friends over their 9 seasons together in NE ... where they won 3 Super Bowls.
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Tampa Bay is quickly becoming the TB Patriots ... all they need now is Julian Edelman.
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Get ready, Tampa!!!
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12:48 PM PT -- IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE HAPPENING!!!
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Gronk has informed the New England Patriots he's interested in making a return to football with the intention of seeking a trade to play with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
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"The #Patriots and #Bucs have had some communication, from what I’m told," Rapoport added.
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Of course, Gronk and TB12 played together for YEARS in New England ... and became one of the greatest QB-receiver duos EVER.
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And, with the Bucs shopping their current starting tight end O.J. Howard ... there would be room for Gronk if a trade went through.
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It would also make sense for Gronk personally ... as we've previously reported, he's owned property in Florida in the past -- and has spent time in the Tampa area recently for his WWE gig.
Just call Rob Gronkowskithe pancake man ... 'cause he's flipping AGAIN on retirement talk -- this time saying he's "not totally done" with football after all!!!
The NFL's greatest-ever tight end has been in a tug-o-war almost since the day he quit the NFL in 2019 ... going back and forth on whether or not he's officially done.
The latest? Gronk told Andy Cohen this week on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that a reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay ain't totally out of the question.
"I'm feeling good right now," the Patriots legend said. "I'm happy where I'm at. You just never know, man. You just never know. You never know. I'm not totally done."
Gronk says the only thing that's holding him back is a passion for the game ... adding, "I like to stay in shape, but I've gotta get that feeling back."
Rob retired in March 2019 ... and has said injuries -- including roughly 20 concussions -- played a big role in him calling it a career at the age of 29.
The rumors of a return haven't stopped, though ... with Gronk playing a big role in the whispers -- flipping publicly between "I'm done" and "You never know" often.
As for those close to him ... TMZ Sports spoke with Gronk's brother, Chris, just a few weeks ago, and he said he'd be surprised to see the tight end come back.
Rachel, Ross, Joey and the other "Friends" are the latest to dive into the All In Challenge -- the stars of the show are giving folks a chance to watch them reunite on camera at long last.
Jennifer Aniston and the rest of her costars made the surprise announcement Tuesday -- notifying their followers of the "The One Where You Meet the Entire Cast of 'Friends'" ... which, of course, might just be the biggest All In Challenge yet -- if you're a fan, that is.
Jen took to Instagram to explain, writing ... "We’re inviting you and five of YOUR friends to join the six of us on Stage 24. Be our personal guests in the audience for the taping of our @HBOMAX reunion, as we reminisce about the show and celebrate all the fun we had 🥳 ... and get the whole Friends VIP experience on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour."
She went on, "Can’t wait to meet and hug you guys when this is all over 🥰 Until then, keep Facetiming, calling, DMing, and texting your friends and family. We gotta stay connected 🙏🏼" Everyone else said something similar, and the official description's almost word for word the same thing. Bottom line ... a VIP "Friends" experience like none other.
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If you're unfamiliar at this point, the All In Challenge is pretty simple -- you purchase "entries" into any given contest (there's a lot now) in increments of $10, $25, $50 or $100 ... with the more you buy, the more the chances you get of getting selected to win. Most contests only allow one purchase of $100 per person, so you can't go crazy and guarantee a win.
All the money goes to a bunch of charities and causes pertaining to helping fend off COVID-19 and feed people in the process -- 76ers partner Michael Rubin got it started ... and the challenge has taken off since then with a bunch of celebs offering one of their own.
As for the "Friends" reunion prize ... it's a perfect combination of TV bliss and advertising for HBO -- which is rolling out its new streaming service, HBO Max, very soon. Great timing!
Sadly, it doesn't sound like this reunion will be an actual episode or anything -- just the cast sitting around reminiscing on the show. So, yeah ... we're still left with this final scene.
Tom Lester -- best known for playing Eb Dawson on the '60s sitcom "Green Acres" -- has died of complications from Parkinson's Disease ... TMZ has learned.
We're told the longtime actor died Monday morning in Nashville at the home of his fiancee and longtime caregiver, Jackie.
After moving to Hollywood from Mississippi in the mid-60s, he began acting in plays and soon landed an audition for the Eb character on "Green Acres." He beat out 400 other actors for the part, as the story goes, because he was the only one who could milk a cow in real life thanks to his farming background.
Along with starring as the young farmhand on the show for all 6 seasons, Lester appeared on its sister series "Petticoat Junction" and also had a few crossover guest spots as Eb on "The Beverly Hillbillies."
After "Green Acres" ... Tom went on to land supporting roles in 2 popular animal movies -- "Benji" in 1974 and "Gordy" way later in 1994. He also had a guest spot on "Knight Rider" in the '80s.
Lester's last acting credit's for a 2014 comedy called "Campin' Buddies."
He was the last surviving regular cast member of "Green Acres."
Netflix's new reality show, ''Too Hot to Handle,'' was serious when they told their participants no pleasure whatsoever, because producers had eyes on them 24/7 ... even in the John.
Contestant Bryce Hirschberg talked to Dax Holt and Adam Glyn on the 'Hollywood Raw' podcast recently, and revealed yes, they were under surveillance at all times to ensure they wouldn't, y'know ... choke any poultry. Even while they were on the sh***er -- producers were watching on CCTV.
That might sound like an invasion of privacy -- we're sure the stars of the show signed up for it though -- but that's the point of the show ... hold back from "releasing" and take home six figures in the amount of $100,000. The twist -- you're surrounded by temptation.
There's a bunch of hot singles who get thrown into "paradise" ... but they have to refrain from sexual or intimate touching of any kind or risk losing out on the prize money.
Of course, you also can't masturbate -- something you could normally get away with in the secrecy of the bathroom. But, that's out the window with cameras rolling.
Hopefully, the prolonged non-enjoying was worth it for Bryce. He says he didn't earn a dime for appearing, but won a meager $7,500!!! You can hear the whole thing here.
Leo, Michael and Ellen DeGeneres are all in the top 10 fan experiences ... meaning they have the most entries, as of Friday afternoon. Michael, the 76ers partner who created the All In Challenge, and his ultimate sports fan experience still has one of the most wanted celeb offerings.
As we told you ... ALL proceeds from the auctions and raffles are going to help feed Americans affected by COVID-19.
APRIL 2020
TMZ.com
Leo's holding that No. 1 spot by raffling off a walk-on role in his next Martin Scorsese-directed film "Killers of the Flower Moon," which costars Robert DeNiro. So, a shot at hanging with Leo and Bobby D is as popular as you'd expect.
Rubin, who also owns the popular Fanatics brand, is offering you tickets to almost ALL of the world's biggest sporting events -- the NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals and the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, to name just a few. He also threw in a $100k Fanatics gift card!!!
Ellen's giving someone a chance to be her next co-host. Here's the rest of the celebs within the top 10 ... although, in no particular order:
- Justin Timberlake (Pebble Beach Golf with Bill Murray) - Drake (Fly Air Drake, OVO & Nike Gear, Nightclub, Concert) - Kevin Hart (Walk-on movie role) - Matthew McConaughey (University of Texas football game) - TikTok stars Charli & Dixie (Shopping, concert and shoot TikTok vids) - Justin Bieber (Private performance at your home) - Gary Vaynerchuk ($25k Wine Library shopping spree, "Trash Talk" podcast)
Of course, that list excludes some awesome auction items, like the ones Tom Brady, Magic Johnson and Peyton Manning are offering -- but those big-ticket items have also helped the All In Challenge already bring in almost $8.5 million!!!
Lori Loughlin just got a signal from the judge in her college admissions criminal case -- that the judge is about to open a can of whup-ass on prosecutors for allegedly coaching a key figure in the case to lie.
The judge just ordered prosecutors to get real over something prosecutors allegedly hid for months, but finally surfaced. TMZ broke the story, Lori claimed in documents that FBI agents were browbeating scammer and ringleader Rick Singer to lie, and when he wouldn't they screamed at him. Singer had told agents the money Lori and others paid were donations, but he claimed that agents -- including one named Liz -- told him he should say the money these parents paid were bribes. When he resisted, he says the started screaming at him.
The judge called the allegations "serious and disturbing," adding, "While government agents are permitted to coach a cooperating witness during the course of an investigation, they are not permitted to suborn the commission of a crime." The crime to which the judge refers is clearly that if Singer swore that which was not true, it would amount to perjury.
The judge is asking for answers from prosecutors. As we reported, Lori says they acted so corruptly, she wants the judge to dismiss the case outright.
Ranjit Chowdhry -- best known in the U.S. for playing Vikram on "The Office" -- has died in India ... according to reports.
The former Bollywood star lived in New York but reportedly traveled back to his home country to receive dental treatment months ago. According to Indian theater actor Dolly Thakore ... he was supposed to return to America, but couldn't due to the shutdown, and recently suffered a ruptured ulcer in his intestine.
Thakore says Ranjit underwent emergency surgery, but died Wednesday at a Mumbai hospital.
Chowdhry made a name for himself in Indian comedies in the late '70s and early '80s before moving to the U.S. for a Hollywood career.
He wrote the screenplay for the 1991 film, "Sam & Me" before becoming a successful character actor in the '90s.
Most notably, Ranjit played the role of Singh on "Cosby" and had a 2-episode arc on "The Office" as a telemarketer who worked with Michael Scott.
His other credits include "Prison Break," the Queen Latifah movie "Last Holiday," and most recently ... a guest spot on "Law & Order: SVU" in 2013.