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It's that time of the year again ... where New Yorkers get in the spirit and dress up as old Saint Nick for a massive bar crawl throughout the city -- and 2022 didn't disappoint.

The streets of Manhattan were packed Saturday morning with thousands of people who threw on their best fat man fits and Santa hats ... all just to parade around, sing Christmas carols and drink to their hearts' desire, and some of these photos truly capture the magic.

While a majority of folks opted for the traditional red and white getup ... some got creative and did different iterations of the traditional Claus look -- including some sinister ones.

We're talking, of course, of someone dressed as the Grinch (classic) ... but also, one person donned the Krampus demon -- who's pretty much the antithesis of Santa, and who steals children for being bad. The dark version of Xmas you don't really hear about much. 😅

As for everyone else ... it seems they were having a pretty damn good time.

There's tons of footage of New Yorkers celebrating and getting rowdy, but nothing too crazy it seems. A lot of this appears to be sanctioned by the city, with NYPD officers all over and even shaking hands with the attendees.

Tia Mowry is picking a side when it comes to the new milk and soda trend splitting the internet ... but she just might start a new trend with her own festive twist!

We caught up with the "Sister, Sister" star and cookbook author, and got her thoughts on the beverage craze -- the one where folks are mixing cola with milk to produce a sorta DIY carbonated eggnog.

Tia seems to be all for the odd combo, saying she would most definitely try it. She explained, she already likes to put milk in her coffee, and since Pepsi's also caffeinated ... hey, why not put milk in it too?!?

ICYMI, Lindsay Lohan helped hype this with a new Pepsi commercial ... promoting "Pilk" AKA a mix of Pepsi and milk, for the holiday season.

And, folks have been rushing to social media to either try it or knock it.

Well, Linds has convinced at least one big fan! Tia told us she'd even put her own spin on it ... with Pepsi, milk and a dab of something else that'll really make your holiday party 🔥.

Olive Garden is saying arrivederci to a controversial restaurant manager who allegedly got so fed up with employees calling out for work they demanded proof even if a staffer's dog died.

A message reportedly sent from the disgraced manager to employees and obtained by KCTV read, "Our call-offs are occurring at a staggering rate. From now on, if you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job. We are no longer tolerating ANY EXCUSE for calling off. If you’re sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us."

The manager, who worked at an OG location in Kansas, continued their rant by claiming they'd not taken a single day off in more than 11 years at the franchise.

Allegedly writing, "Do you know in my 11.5 years at Darden how many days I called off? Zero. I came in sick. I got in a wreck literally on my way to work one time, airbags went off and my car was totaled, but you know what, I made it to work, ON TIME.”

The American Girl doll brand is standing its ground after getting a ton of backlash for a book that encourages young girls to explore their identity, and offers info about transitioning.

The company tells TMZ, "We value the views and feedback of our customers and acknowledge the perspectives on this issue. The content in this book, geared for kids 10+, was developed in partnership with medical and adolescent care professionals and consistently emphasizes the importance of having conversations and discussing any feelings with parents or trusted adults."

AG continues, "We are committed to delivering content that leaves our readers feeling informed, confident, and positive about themselves."

The franchise is known for promoting self-esteem among young girls, but it had a lot of folks up in arms for selling its book, "A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image Book". Some social media users accused the company of promoting puberty blockers to children ... and convincing them they're born the wrong way.

One of the specific sections that got a lot of pushback reads, "If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity."

A Deion Sanders mural at Jackson State University was defaced -- but not by the student seen in a viral video circulating online ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep for JSU tells us the mural depicting Coach Prime in a Jackson State hoodie and hat was recently messed with, though it's unclear when it exactly happened -- and the culprit remains unknown.

The school rep says the student seen wiping Deion's mural, which initially went up for football season/Homecoming around October, was trying to clean it up ... and received permission from the university to do so.

We're told it's unclear if police are investigating the mural's initial defacement.

The video of the student wiping the Sanders tribute made rounds on social media this week ... in the aftermath of the coach announcing over the weekend that he was leaving JSU for Colorado.

Elon Musk has reportedly been turning Twitter's office space into sleeping spaces for employees putting in extra time -- and he's pissed the city of S.F. is looking into whether or not the new setup violates any codes.

Twitter's CEO fired back to a report Tuesday that said S.F.'s department of building inspection would be launching an investigation into claims that parts of the company's HQ were retrofitted to include makeshift bedrooms.

Forbes reported mattresses were set up in some Twitter office rooms, with other homey modifications. Recent reports also suggested a handful of employees were spending the night due to the intense nature of the job and long hours under Musk's new regime.

Well, Elon didn't take too kindly to the idea of San Fran cracking down -- responding to a tweet about the news by writing … "So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?" London Breed is S.F.'s mayor.

He also attached an article about a toddler who OD'd after coming across fentanyl on a playground. Luckily, the kid survived.

One thing Elon's tweet didn't address though ... whether or not the employee bedrooms exist.

Popular Streamer IShowSpeed is coming under fire for a gross racist exchange he had with a Chinese fan at The World Cup ... with people urging he do better.

IShowSpeed -- who has 14M subscribers on YouTube and nearly 6M followers on Instagram -- is in Qatar for the massive soccer tournament, and has live streamed a lot of his time in the stands.

The controversial clip shows the streamer call attention to an Asian fan in an Argentina jersey. Speed asks why he's wearing the gear -- seemingly pointing out he doesn't look Argentinian.

From there, he shouts, "Konnichiwa!" -- a formal word for "hello" in Japanese -- several times at the fan. The fan tries to explain he's not Japanese, but Chinese ... and then ISS begins rambling off nonsense with an accent.

Naturally, and rightfully so, Speed's fans have littered the comment section on his social media pages denouncing the exchange. One wrote, "Stop spewing macro-aggressions and racism towards Asian people and use your platform for something positive."

Another said, "You failed Asian Americans and Asians everywhere. We all make mistakes. But grow up. Do better. Be a better example for the youth." While another simply wrote, "ishowracism should be your new name from now on."

The 17-year-old attempted to offer up an explanation as to what he was thinking, but it didn't really help his cause. He says he thought the man was Japanese -- though he doesn't explain why -- and that his adrenaline was pumping during the video.

Kathy Hilton's dry lips wait for no one ... as Mariska Hargitay and the People's Choice Awards audience learned when Kathy applied gloss right onstage, and on camera, making for a totally awkward moment.

The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star had just won Best TV Drama Star of 2022 and was in the middle of delivering remarks ... when KH was caught on camera standing behind Mariska, and felt that was the best time to give her lips some shine.

Kathy was up there because she and her other 'RHOBH' costars were the presenters, but we're guessing she didn't realize she was still visible on TV. Then again, the live audience would still see her. So, yeah ... awkward!

There were other standout moments as well, including Olivia Wilde's appearance for her "Don't Worry Darling" win as the Drama Movie of 2022.

OW accepted the PCA with grace ... totally glossing over the film's behind-the-scenes drama -- she made no mention of the beef at the center of it.

She said, "We made this movie in 2020 when many people were not confident that audiences would ever return to theaters if they ever reopened, yet … crew members showed up every single day during a pandemic to make something that they hoped that you guys would show up for. And you guys did show up. And we are so, so grateful."

Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner accepted the award for Reality Show of 2022 -- thanking audiences for continuing to tune in and allowing them to live their lives on camera and embracing them on a new network, Hulu.

Another highlight ... Shania Twain's Music Icon Award, which was accompanied by a live performance from her. When she accepted, she said, "This is such a privilege and dream really."

Other winners included Lizzo, who won the People's Champion Award, Adam Sandler as the Comedy Movie Star of 2022, as well as Carrie Underwood winning the Country Artist of 2022.

Haley Lu Richardson is well aware the Internet despises her 'White Lotus' character's fashion sense ... which really sucks for her, because she actually made part of that wardrobe!

We got the actress -- who plays Portia on HBO's hit drama -- Monday night outside Jimmy Kimmel's L.A. studio, and she was pretty excited to chat with us about her character's many many haters ... as she was signing autographs, mind you.

Haley plays the suffering assistant to Jennifer Coolidge's character -- and while it looks like a crappy job on the show, she says JC is so freakin' cool IRL ... being her real assistant would be sweet.

As for the hotly-debated Twitter topic of Haley's wardrobe -- she broke some news with us about one particular item that's been ripped to shreds, metaphorically, that is.

Although most people poking fun at Portia's fits are just joking around ... Haley tells us she actually handcrafted the hat everyone seems to love to hate.

So, how's she handling the criticism? Check out the clip, but we'll just say ... actors are real people with real feelings!!!

Art Basel in Miami was filled with tons of memorable and thought-provoking pieces of art -- but very few stacked up to a live breast-milking display that saw bidding reach $200k.

The wild display went down over the weekend during Miami Art Week ... when contemporary artist OONA performed "MILKING THE ARTIST" with Lori Baldwin in front of a huge crowd.

The display began with the 2 artists shouting about fetishizing the female breast before OONA began to squeeze milk out of her breast. We gotta say, it appears they use a prosthetic, but the artist tells us, "They are as real as you want them to be."

After auctioning off the milk to the crowd -- and hitting a $200K bid -- the 2 were forcefully removed from the Art Basel premises.

Art Basel featured a ton of interesting displays from artists ... including a MASSIVE bowl of eggs, a textile portrait of Salt-N-Pepa, and a fully-functioning ATM that publically ranked people based on how much dough was in their bank account.

A woman apparently wasn't taking any crap from a police department in Texas, she was allegedly dropping it off ... in buckets.

46-year-old Mindy Stephens, the wife of an assistant fire chief, is allegedly the stinky delivery woman in question ... according to KAXN, she pulled up in front of the Electra Police Department last month and made the drop-off.

Cops say an officer went out front to investigate, and found 3 5-gallon buckets -- weighing a total of 50 pounds -- filled with what appeared to be feces. He also observed Stephens in a hazmat suit walking towards an SUV with a trailer attached.

The officer reportedly asked her what she was doing ... and she allegedly told the cop she was dropping off the buckets of "human s***," and then drove off. A Lieutenant reportedly reviewed security footage and recognized Stephens' voice as the suspect.

Police say they contacted city officials about the issue, and said they'd call Stephens about picking the buckets up, but she allegedly refused -- telling officials it wasn't her problem.

Stephens was then charged with illegal dumping -- a Class B misdemeanor ... as well as a violation of the Texas health safety code. She was booked last week and was released the following day, after posting her $2K bond.

Believe it or not, this isn't Stephens' first run-in with the law, she reportedly got charged with aggravated assault back in 2020 after allegedly puncturing a man's hand and arm with a set of keys.

Samuel Eto'o, former Cameroon soccer star and current national team president, was involved in a violent altercation outside the World Cup stadium Monday night, where he appeared to kick a man in the face, sending him to the pavement.

The incident was captured on video by a witness ... and appears to show Eto'o, a former Barcelona star, walking away from Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, surrounded by fans who are attempting to take selfies. Everything was going smoothly -- and then it wasn't.

For a reason that isn't yet clear, one of the guys clearly pissed Eto'o off, prompting the soccer exec to start chasing the guy, while SE's people try and hold him back.

Despite a few trying to keep the peace, Eto'o gets loose and appears to deliver a kick to the man's face, sending him crashing to the pavement.

On Tuesday, Samuel apologized on social media for "losing my temper" ... but blamed the fan for antagonizing him.

Eto'o's Cameroon squad was eliminated from the WC last week during the group stage ... but he stuck around, and had just gotten done watching Brazil beat South Korea, 4-1, when the fight occurred.

People have been jumpin' on the Lensa App bandwagon, turning their simple pics into literal works of art ... and these celebrities are getting in on the AI fun, too!

Chance the Rapper, Lilly Singh, Anna Camp and Sam Asghari are just a few of the stars that ran their photos through artificial intelligence ... and got back some seriously cool portraits!!!

Steve Aoki is lookin' pretty holistic in his AI artwork ... stuck in the cosmos with a ring around his head, and some colorful blotches all over his face!

"13 Reasons Why" actress Tommy Dorfman got put in the middle of the woods thanks to Lensa, donning a flower crown while chillin' in the pink fog.

Conflicting reports have come in about what Iran plans to do about its "morality police" -- who are said to be responsible for the death of a woman who wouldn't comply with the hijab law.

Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying that the country's Guidance Patrol would be abolished going forward ... and that their rules on women having to wear hijabs in public would be placed under review -- this per local media.

A state media agency, however, refuted this ... suggesting Montazeri had spoken out of turn, and that any disbandment of the morality police falls under the jurisdiction of the interior ministry -- not the judiciary or parliament. No official word from that department so far.

The news of a potential shift in the nation's strict regulations against women were taking as a huge win after months of protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, who died as a result of injuries she sustained while being detained in September.

There has been massive protests and civil unrest both there in Iran and elsewhere around the world as people rallied together to show solidarity for Iranian women in the wake of Amini's passing.

Elon Musk is above doing autographs at this point in his life -- something the paparazzi learned the hard (and cold) way while trying to catch the dude out in the wild.

The Twitter chief landed at Dulles International Airport Saturday night -- just outside of D.C. proper -- and while he was getting into a waiting Tesla with a security detail in tow ... he was greeted by a swarm of photographers outside who apparently wanted his John Hancock.

You gotta watch this, 'cause it's pretty hilarious ... all the paps are begging EM for him to come over and give them the time of day, explicitly noting -- but sir, it's CHRISTMAS! 😂

Despite their pleas ... Elon tells 'em -- sorry, fellas, no more signings. When he's asked if he means ever again, he confirms. So, yeah ... a little Scrooge-y for sure -- but hey, the guy's super busy these days and his celebrity has increased ten-fold over the past 6 or 7 years.

It's pretty interesting, as Elon normally tends to hold court with paps and shoots the s*** with them, offering off-the-cuff answers on a number of issues -- including crypto, 'SNL,' and his own companies. His MOTS interviews have always been light-hearted and chill, too.

In the span of a year, though ... he's acquired Twitter, and become a lightning rod figure -- and it seems he doesn't wanna be hit with harder questions than he's ever faced before.

Our own photog, who was in the crush, was trying to ask about politics -- but Elon clearly doesn't wanna play ball anymore ... and made a new rule. Makes sense if you think about it ... especially seeing how, on Saturday night, he told a group of Twitter Space listeners that the risk of assassination was a legit threat facing him these days.

When you reach that threshold as an A-lister ... the move is to snub and keep it moving.

Two grown-ass men beat the hell out of each other for nearly two minutes during a wild brawl at a gym earlier this week ... and the insane fight was all captured on video.

The scrap went down at a Fitness Connection facility on Tuesday -- when an apparent disagreement in the weight room turned incredibly violent.

Footage shows a man in a white t-shirt and another guy in an all-red 'fit squared up -- and then traded blows ... all while astonished gymgoers looked on.

The two both socked each other in the face repeatedly ... before the man in the white shirt was staggered by a huge right hand. A woman then attempted to intervene -- but all that did was give the man in the white shirt a chance to get up and continue the melee.

The two eventually locked arms -- and threw knees at each other. Finally, however, after pummeling each other for around 100 seconds, the tilt was broken up.

No word on if police were called ... or if anyone suffered significant injuries.