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Kelly Dodd is unsure why folks on the Internet are so triggered by her photo with Donald Trump's sons ... saying all Americans need to embrace people with different views.

The 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, defending her decision to snap a photo alongside Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and questioning why it's got people in such a huff.

Kelly was in Florida for the wedding of Fox News personality Jesse Watters and Emma DiGiovine.

As you know ... Kelly's getting dragged on social media for rubbing elbows with the President's sons -- and DTJ's GF, Kimberly Guilfoyle, at a wedding in Florida.

Kelly tells us she didn't give much thought to taking a pic with Don Jr. and Eric -- she just thought it would be cool -- and adds she's been blindsided by the backlash.

Look, Kelly's not the first person to get slammed for associating with the Trumps or the GOP these days ... and she thinks the outrage is totally un-American, for a number of reasons.

It's time to start rooting for Nick Kyrgios ... because the Australian tennis star has pledged to donate $200 for every ACE he lands to help wildfire relief efforts in his home country.

"I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires," the 24-year-old announced ... "I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer."

It's a big deal considering Kyrgios smashed 597 aces in 2019 ... so if he matches that total, we're talking around $120k.

At least 17 people (8 in the past week) have been killed in the Australia fires -- which have been burning since October -- with at least 17 more people missing.

More than 1,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed so far and officials are concerned things could get even WORSE in the coming days.

Several Aussie tennis stars have already been inspired by Nick's gesture -- and are following suit with ace-based donations.

Alex de Minaur said, "I like this I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate."

Pope Francis was almost held back in 2019 by an overzealous fan, who grabbed a hold of him and wouldn't let go ... that is, until Francis gave her a swat and a scolding.

The Pontiff was down in Vatican City Tuesday, ready to ring in the new year with a line of adoring fans and worshippers -- many of whom he was happily greeting and shaking hands with along his route. It was all going great, up to the point some woman got handsy.

Check it out ... it's a pretty surreal scene, especially seeing how PF handles it. Kinda feisty!

You see Francis going down the line -- and as he approaches the grabber, she actually ramps up by doing a crucifix blessing on herself in anticipation of making contact. Sure enough, he ends up shaking her hand, but she clamps on to his arm and yanks him back.

It definitely took the Pope by surprise, and not in a good way either. He slaps her hand a couple time and when his handlers finally step in, she releases him. Looks like his Holiness wasn't too pleased either ... walking away with a stern look on his face 😡

Oh, and that wasn't the only incident along the guard rails either. Apparently, some kid fell right in front of the Pope as he was walking along, and Francis was quick to attend to him and give him a pat on the head once he realized he was alright.

Celebs at the upcoming "Golden Globe Awards" won't be getting their thirsts quenched by bottles of Fiji this year ... but it ain't "Fiji Water Girl's" fault.

The artesian water brand is not the official H2O sponsor at the 2020 Golden Globes -- that honor now goes to Icelandic Glacial -- but the reason, we're told, has nothing to do with Fiji's controversy and eventual fallout with its model, Kelleth Cuthbert (real name Kelly Steinbach).

Sources connected to the awards show tell TMZ ... the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had a 2-year deal with Fiji, but it ended last year. We're told it decided to go with Icelandic because not only is the brand environmentally conscious -- though Fiji is too -- but it has also agreed to donate water to a cause picked by the HFPA.

As you'll recall ... Kelleth went viral for photobombing almost every celeb at the 2019 show, by standing in the background smiling while holding a tray of Fiji bottles.

Some folks -- like Jamie Lee Curtis -- were unhappy with the blatant PR stunt and product placement, but the controversy got even worse when Kelleth sued Fiji ... claiming it continued to use her name and likeness for promotion without her permission.

Fiji countersued Kelleth, and as far as we know ... the case is still pending.

Our sources say bottles of Icelandic will be offered to Globes attendees on the red carpet and at every table at the venue just like the last 2 years with Fiji ... but it's unclear if the new H2O company will spark any viral moments.

Kylie Jenner blessed the internet with one more "thirst trap" to close out 2019 -- but one person clearly was not impressed -- her baby daddy, Travis Scott.

Kylie posted a couple shots of her in bed in lingerie with the caption, "just didn't feel right going into 2020 without one last thirst trap." The photo exploded like a watermelon hurled off a 30-story building ...  accumulating more than 10 million likes in just a few hours, with assists from Sofia Richie and Winnie Harlow.

Travis, however, didn't seem to take well to the post ... jumping on his own account an hour later to post an enormous "LOL" on his story.

While the meaning is somewhat unclear  ... Travis rarely posts text on his story ... so not a big leap to call it shade.

As we reported ... Travis and Kylie aren't back together as a couple ... despite spending the last few holidays together as a family with daughter Stormi.

Sharon Stone has proved she can catch a break, so why can't she catch a date?

The "Basic Instinct" actress is in the market for something that's eminently relatable -- companionship.

So, Sharon decided to try her hand at Bumble, but the users weren't buyin' what Sharon was sellin' and reported the account as fake. After all, why would an A-list star hang out on a plebeian dating site? Seriously ... it seemed so implausible to Bumble, Sharon was booted.

Sharon's reaction ... "Hey @bumble, is being me exclusionary? Don't shut me out of the hive."

Luckily, 61-year-old Sharon, who divorced newspaper editor Phil Bronstein back in 2004, was invited back on. A rep for the company tells us, "Sharon Stone is back on Bumble! Our apologies for the confusion as we're so honored that Ms. Stone wants to be a part of the Hive. However, being the icon that she is, we can understand how so many of our users felt it was too good to be true once they noticed her profile photo wasn't verified."

The rep continues, "In light of our mixup, we'd like to extend an invite to Sharon for her to come to Austin and allow us to host her at the hive for a few hours of profile prep and great food!"

A gunman opened fire during a church service in Texas this weekend, but was quickly met with bullets coming from across the room ... and the moment was captured on camera.

The shooting took place Sunday at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, TX, near Fort Worth. It was being live streamed from the church's website, and still images of the gunman starting to shoot and everyone ducking were captured and spread online.

In the screenshot, you see the shooter in one corner of the room holding what appears to be a semi-automatic weapon of some sort, while wearing a dark coat with a hood. As they aim at the crowd, a security guard across the way lifts his own weapon and fires.

The live-stream has since been removed, and the church's site is down at the moment.

According to reports, the gunman was actually sitting inside during the service and stood up with his firearm as communion was being distributed. The exact weapon has reportedly been described as an apparent rifle or a shotgun. Motive remains a mystery for now.

At least three people were shot in the gunfire, including the gunman. It's unclear if there are any fatalities at this point, but the situation was swiftly subdued ... and countless lives were undoubtedly saved. No word yet on who the victims might be.

Sunday's shooting has echoes of the 2017 mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX ... where a gunman killed 26 people after storming the First Baptist Church. On his way out, he was fired upon and chased by nearby bystanders, and died shortly thereafter.

A North Carolina man got a bonus when he went shopping for Xmas dinner -- $250,000!!!

Michael Rosenbrock went to a grocery store in Mint Hill where he bought all the traditional stuff ... ham, stuffing, the works. Oh, and he picked up what he pretty much always gets when he shops ... a lottery ticket.

When Michael got home, he scratched off the 20X The Cash ticket and it look like he came up goose eggs. Michael said, "I didn't think I won anything at first ... It's a good thing I always enter my tickets into the second-chance drawings or I would have thrown it away."

Lucky he didn't ... the ticket scored him a quarter of a million bucks.

Michael's already claimed the ticket. After taxes, he walked away with $176,876.

As for what he plans to do with the loot, he wants to start a nonprofit, saying, "Clean water, food to eat, a roof over our head. Doing nonprofit work is something I've always wanted to do."

Martin Scorsese got absolutely owned on Christmas ... by his own daughter, who poked fun at her pops with some simple gift wrapping paper.

The famed director's daughter, Francesca, shared on Twitter the wrapping paper she used for Martin's gift ... and it's hilarious -- Marvel Comics!!! In case you missed it ... earlier this year, Martin created one helluva firestorm when he said Marvel movies aren't cinema.

It was the comment heard around the world ... cause pretty much the entire universe came after Martin for shading Marvel films. Things got so bad ... the "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" director was forced to write an op-ed in the New York Times to explain himself.

The storm has since passed ... that is until Martin's 20-year-old daughter went there and used wrapping paper featuring Hulk and Captain America.

Seamus the pit bull mix has a lot to be thankful for this Christmas ... he got adopted after spending 5 years in a shelter.

The 9-year-old pooch was scooped up at the Fresno Bully Rescue after spending half his life in a cage at the facility.

It's a no-kill rescue shelter that houses 40 dogs. The folks at the shelter have placed a number of other animals in foster homes.

As for Seamus, it's a Godsend. He's had trouble handling the weather of late ... the winter is too cold and the summers are too hot for him. Now he has a home and lots of comfort.

A little about Seamus ... he loves doughnut holes, taking long walks and pilfering toys out of the shelter bin on he way back to his cage.

James Corden stars in the movie musical "Cats," so it seems only appropriate for him to join the chorus ... that the movie sucks!!!

James was on a BBC radio show and told the hosts he hasn't seen the musical yet, but he heard "it's terrible."

It's hard for him to argue otherwise. "Cats" has been a spectacular flop. It cost $95 million to make, and pulled in just $6.6 million in its opening weekend.

Critics and a lot of Average Joe's have ripped the movie to shreds ... despite some big star power, including Jason Derulo, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.

Here's Kevin Spacey with another cryptic video on Christmas Eve ... returning as Frank Underwood and reminding everyone out there to "kill them with kindness."

For the second year in a row, Kevin posted a bizarre video the day before Xmas ... once again slipping into his former "House of Cards" character to deliver a strange message.

Kevin says he's had a pretty good year and is happy to have his health back, and says he's made some huge changes in his life.

Spacey says he's going to cast a vote in 2020 "for more good in this world" ... then suggests people should "kill them with kindness" the next time someone does something you don't like, instead of going on the attack.

We've seen this kind of display before from Kevin ... last Christmas Eve, he posted a bizarre vid urging people not to rush to judgment after being accused of groping an 18-year-old male in a Nantucket bar.

As we first reported ... Kevin scored a huge victory this July when prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped their criminal case against him.

Santa Claus isn't the only one coming down the chimney this Christmas as one household learned in dramatic fashion ... ya gotta watch out for those night owls too.

This is pretty nuts ... a family in upstate New York wanted to light a fire in their fireplace this past weekend for a holiday party but heard fluttering noises from inside their chimney. They figured it was a bird or an animal, so held off on lighting up for the moment.

By Sunday, we're told the noises had stopped ... so the fam figured whatever was in there had gotten out and scrammed. Naturally, they went ahead and started that fire they wanted to get going the night before.

To their surprise ... things ended with an unexpected visitor dropping in (literally) and almost getting burnt to a crisp. Luckily, no animals were harmed in the making of this story.

A fully-grown screech-owl fell down the chimney and was frantically trying to escape the flames. The people inside obviously noticed and immediately cut off the fire ... and eventually got a hold of the little guy, who might've been a little toasty, but wasn't injured.

We're told the family called animal control, which came through and took possession of the owl and took it to a shelter, where it was given fluids due to dehydration. It'll be released in a few days, and yes ... it should be A-OK for Christmas.

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is 25 this year ... and she's landed just about every A-lister in Hollywood to help her celebrate.

Carey just released a brand new music video for the holiday classic with some of her celeb friends singing along to the tune. Features include Kim Kardashian West, James Corden, Ariana Grande, Floyd Mayweather, Chance The Rapper, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg and Tyler Perry ... just to name a few. In total, there's more than 50 stars in the video.

It's a pretty incredible piece, and shows the power of the tune ... her twins Moroccan and Monroe also make cameos in the project.

Mariah and team launched a massive campaign to get the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 a couple weeks ago ... and last week it hit the top of the chart.

Thank God for reinforced glass ... because it saved one little boy from becoming a hungry tiger's lunch.

Check out the insane video ... the boy and his father were visiting The Dublin Zoo and stopped for a quick photo-op with the big cat. You can see the tiger slowly start to creep -- then stop when the boy turns around -- and lunge into a full sprint when the boy looks away again.

The tiger is stopped by the glass before it can get to the boy, desperately pawing for a piece, before finally giving up and searching for its next meal.

Judi Dench really gave "Cats" the finger ... in fact, she gave the audience 5 of them and a wedding ring to boot, in a major flub/oversight.

If you dared to subject yourself to the 2-hour-long feline flick, you may have noticed a decidedly human feature on Dench ... a human hand with a band of gold.

There have been other flubs in the flick, but this one's pretty hilarious.

Universal reportedly notified thousands of theaters they'd be receiving an updated version of the movie with "some improved visual effects."

Jason Derulo, one of the movie's stars has been VERY open in discussing edits. Derulo says his junk had to be CGI'd out of the film because it was just too big ... and looked weird on his cat body.

Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and James Corden are also in the movie -- which can't be saved on star power alone -- it's currently pulling and 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.