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Oprah Winfrey was reportedly denied entry into a Maui shelter where wildfire survivors were seeking refuge ... but officials on the island are looking to clear it all up.

ICYMI, there were reports Oprah showed up to War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku last week with a CBS News crew, but was turned away ... and wasn't allowed in, until she told the camera ops to wait outside.

The County of Maui explained Sunday on Facebook ..."To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside."

In other words, Oprah wasn't singled out, she merely got the same treatment as all media showing up at the shelters.

The County went on to say, "Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters."

As we reported, video from inside the shelter on Thursday showed Oprah handing out pillows to the evacuees ... and she also passed around things like toiletries and even cots.

The part-time Maui resident took to Instagram Sunday -- after reports of her being denied entry broke -- sharing her experience with helping those in need on the island. She also says she'll be donating a big amount once the fires are out and rebuilding can begin.

A fighter jet crash landed in Michigan this weekend -- and while the aircraft going down is jarring itself, what's even crazier ... the 2 pilots were able to escape right in the nick of time!

The incident went down Sunday in Ypsilanti near the Willow Run Airport, where the Thunder Over Michigan airshow was being held ... and MiG-23s were doing their thing up in the sky, entertaining people down below.

Toward the end of the event, one of the fighter jets started to clearly lose control as it torpedoed toward the ground ... and it became evident that it was going down.

Smoke was seen emitting from the plane, and even some debris appeared to be falling off as it descended. Soon, it was nosediving ... and it eventually crashed, creating a loud boom and an explosion. Fortunately, the two dudes who were flying the thing ejected themselves.

The moment they were catapulted out was also caught on video ... and it's wild. Reports say the two pilots have since been recovered and are expected to be okay. It's unclear where exactly the jet ended up landing, or if there were any injuries or fatalities as a result.

The Rock and Jason Momoa are speaking up after the devastating wildfires in Maui -- and they're offering ways to help ... as well as some strongly-worded advice to outsiders.

The two Hollywood heavyweights -- both of whom have Hawaiian heritage -- have issued public statements this weekend, reflecting on the destruction left behind in Lahaina ... where the body count is now nearing the 100-person mark, with several still unaccounted for.

Jason has been posting about it all weekend, and he's plugging an organization called the Hawai'i Community Foundation ... specifically, a fund they've created to help the victims of Maui. In addition to the laying out a roadmap to resources, he's got a clear message.

To all tourists considering traveling to Hawai'i, especially Maui, JM is saying ... stay away.

He writes in no uncertain terms, "Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI. Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply. Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need."

Might sound like a no-brainer, but there've been on-the-ground reports of folks/tourists still frolicking in the area and enjoying their vacays, right in the middle of this disaster.

One video, in particular, has been going viral for what appears to be a group of tourists being taken out to sea near Maui by an excursion company ... this as the photog bashes the hell out of them for being insensitive about the deadly situation all around them. That company has since apologized, insisting they were gonna donate the funds from this to charity -- but vowing to halt operations for the time being. Safe to say ... that's a good call.

Now, as for Dwayne Johnson ... he, too, has addressed the crisis and is pointing people to the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Fund as well -- saying any donations and assistance will go a long way in helping restore the community, which is still reeling from the fires.

The Rock writes, "Heartbroken but our faith and mana is strong. First responders, health care teams, hotels, locals businesses, boots on the ground organizations and all our local heroes, stay strong - we love you and appreciate you."

He adds, "All our local families, our ohana, our aiga, stay strong thru this devastating time. Resilience resolve is our DNA. Our ancestors are in our blood. This is who we are. This is what we do. I love you. Stay strong. More to come."

Others celebs are chiming in as well -- including "Moana" star Auliʻi Cravalho -- who's been guiding people to helpful resources too. Of course, people like Jeff Bezos and Oprah are helping in a big way as well ... be it with major cash donations, or other means.

Britney Spears has a new stage to dance on, and a new prop too ... just take a look at her latest IG video, and you'll see what we mean.

The singer threw up a new clip of herself on the 'Gram, and it shows Brit rocking a skimpy bikini and strutting her stuff on a little black platform ... with none other than a stripper pole attached in the middle and shooting upright. Looks like there's a brand too ... "X-Pole."

BS' video has Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" track playing as the main audio -- a pretty good stripper song, no doubt -- and she's up there jerking around from head to toe ... full throttle.

Britney wrote, "Got this pole two days ago and last night was my first time on it." We gotta say, if this is indeed her inaugural pole sesh ... she seems to already have a knack for it.

On its face, this is just more of the same from Britney -- especially these days, where she's dancing around her house and busting out the moves (oftentimes revealing a lot of skin). The difference here, of course, is that she's incorporating some new toys into the routine.

Of course, there's another way to look at this ... and that would be a cringe one.

Remember, Britney's sons -- Jayden and Sean -- hightailed out of Cali recently to move to Hawaii with their dad ... this after publicly bashing their mom and her social media antics.

Drake made a startling confession to his fans in the City of Angels on night #1 of his L.A. stint -- telling them the debut show almost didn't happen ... but that he insisted it did.

The rapper was performing Saturday night at Kia Forum -- the first of 4 shows at this venue, and the first of 6 total that he'll be down here in Los Angeles. While onstage, he talked to the crowd ... and said there was some issues before showtime, which nearly derailed things.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, where he explains what was going down hours before the doors were set to open ... Drake says his team was saying there were some logistical issues they were facing in setting up the stage and the production at large.

Drake says due to this, they were telling him the show was probably going to have to be canceled -- but he put his foot down ... and demanded they find a way to make it happen.

Obviously, they did ... because the show went on as scheduled, albeit a bit late -- but which Drake and 21 Savage made up for by staying later ('til about midnight or so, we're told) to do their complete set. Based on what we can gather ... the concertgoers were appreciative.

It's cool to hear Drake talk about L.A. and what it means to him/why he moved mountains to make the show happen. He says this has been like a second home to him ... and that the city has a special place in his heart. Bottom line ... he didn't wanna let Angelenos down.

And, frankly, it's a huge relief The Forum gig wasn't nixed ... because it could've possibly spelled trouble for the other dates at this venue. Of course, the recent cancelation of his concert in Memphis comes to mind -- where there, too, were production issues that forced him to skip the show. It sounds like a similar situation almost unfolded here as well.

Fact is, Drake's concerts for his 'It's All a Blur' tour are pretty elaborate ... especially with the stage design and all the props he uses -- including a lot of giant/high-tech effects.

Tiffany Gomas, the woman from the viral in-flight freak-out, is apologizing for her epic meltdown ... telling us she let her emotions get the best of her.

Addressing the viral video for the first time on camera, an emotional Tiffany tells TMZ ... there's no excuse for freaking out on a plane full of people and causing everyone to have to deplane and be delayed.

Tiffany also says her rant could have done without the excessive profanity -- she infamously screamed, "That motherf**** back there is not real" -- and she's especially sorry to all the parents onboard who were left to explain the situation to their kids.

While Tiffany says she's laughed at all the memes being spawned from her worst moment, she says it feels invasive to have her lapse in judgment captured on camera and broadcast for the entire world to see.

Drake went braless during his concert in Inglewood Saturday night ... and it's all because of his kid.

Drake performed his first of 4 shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, and fans did what they've been doing recently at all of his concerts ... throwing bras in his direction. Drake at first was dismayed by at least one of the garments at the edge of the stage, kicking it off after dismissing it as a "glue-on."

He then urged the crowd to stop with the bras, revealing his 5-year-old son Adonis was backstage ... he told his fans, "I can't talk about titties tonight in L.A. because my son is at the show for the first time ever."

Drake did take a sweet moment to serenade his son and the crowd ate it up!

A nail-biting tiebreaker at a professional tennis tournament was interrupted thanks to "Cotton Eye Joe!"

The match was as close as it gets at the semifinals of Montreal's National Bank Open ... Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek were trading points, with Pegula ahead 4-3 in the tiebreaker.

As the ball was in play, everyone in the venue heard "If it hadn't been for the Cotton Eye Joe" blaring from the speakers ... the chair ump immediately suspended play.

You hear the announcer kinda shocked, but musically knowledgeable, telling the audience, "Oh wow, 'Cotton Eye Joe' just came on mid-rally."

The point was replayed and in the end, the interruption may have changed the momentum, because Pegula never scored another point and Swiatek won 7-4, taking the second set.

Fear not, Pegula fans ... she won the match in the third set.

A brazen smash-and-grab went down Saturday in the San Fernando Valley, when around 50 folks stormed a Nordstrom store and looted the place nearly dry.

A number of the looters were masked and wearing hoodies, which makes it look premeditated.

People were grabbing everything that wasn't nailed down ... clothes, purses, everything they could carry. It was almost like watching "Supermarket Sweep," except they weren't grabbing cans of soup.

The looters hit a very well-trafficked complex -- the Westfield Topanga Mall, so it was particularly stunning it went down there.

These flash mobs have been hard at work in the L.A. area, most recently at the Yves Saint Laurent store at Glendale's Brand Mall. Looters took around $300k worth of merch.

In both cases looters fled in numerous vehicles.

Vivek Ramaswamy — a 2024 Republican Presidential candidate — is beating Donald Trump in at least one category — rapping!!

The fresh-faced businessman turned politician hit the stage at the Iowa State Fair during a campaign stop Saturday — and he wowed the packed crowd by belting out Eminem’s 2002 hit, “Lose Yourself.”

Check out the video … Vivek just kills it, grabbing the mic and spitting out the lyrics Slim Shady-style as the song played over the sound system. The fans loved it ... and some probably thought Vivek gave Em a little run for his money as a hip hop artist.

Before launching into his performance, Vivek revealed to the audience Em’s tune is his fave on the campaign trail; he always strolls out on stage to it, but this is the first time everyone has gotten a good hard look at Vivek's musical chops and he's pretty kick-ass.

Vivek is also kicking butt in the polls ... some recent assessments put Vivek in third place in his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Jonny Fairplay has gone from one reality TV world to another -- now, the guy's doing wrestling gigs, except you won't see him in WWE ... try a strip club.

The ex-"Survivor" star made a public appearance last week in Johnston City, TN -- where he got hired to show face (and muscle) at a place called Mouse's Ear ...  where exotic dancers are normally onstage, only here ... it was amateur 'Wrestlemania.'

Indeed, you can get a sense of what Jonny and co. were up to in these videos we obtained. He's very much playing the heel in front of the crowd, while the two "wrestlers" opposite of him -- Bam Bam Bundy and Lucky Larson -- are talking trash ... wondering how he's making dough these days post-"Survivor."

JF didn't take that too kindly, as it turns out ... 'cause he ended up hitting both of them in the back with the strip club equivalent of a folding chair -- namely, a freaking TIKI Torch!

It's pretty goofy, and obviously, no one was hurt ... but this is something we might start to see Jonny do more regularly. Funny enough, he actually has dabbled in the wrestling world for years now (even pre-"Survivor") ... and is a huge fan of the sport.

Rachel Zegler has shown what many are calling a deep disdain for the story of 'Snow White' -- morphing one controversy into a new one ... and now, Halle Bailey's getting dragged in.

Here's the deal ... we already know folks have been outraged about the forthcoming Disney reimagining for months now, whether it's because of Zegler's race ... or 'cause they didn't cast many "dwarfs." On all fronts, the live-action remake has been called "woke" by some.

Now, a new anger is taking shape this weekend ... and it all has to do with resurfaced press remarks Zegler made back in September (almost a year ago) while promoting the film, alongside her costar Gal Gadot. No, not the blue carpet Variety interview ... the EW one.

In this Q&A -- which, again, is several months old at this point -- Zegler confesses to having only seen the OG 'Snow White' once as a child ... and not liking it because she thought it was scary. She says she never watched it again -- at least, not until she was cast.

After seeing it anew ... it sounds like Zegler was turned off by what she saw -- the way she's described the cartoon, it comes across as dated and, perhaps, even regressive for women ... that's certainly how Zegler views it anyway, and she's made that clear in fierce terms.

The problem ... it seems her attitude toward the old 'Snow White' -- kinda bashing it -- has turned a lot of people off ... and not just conservatives either! There are a good handful of (seemingly) normal women who are speaking up and rolling their eyes over Zegler's take.

As one user put it ... some of the elements of the 1937 film (not to mention the original German fairy tale) are still appealing to certain women, even today. As you can see above, she laments the "girl boss" trend that some feel is being pushed by Hollywood these days. In short, this woman argues that some ladies still wanna be saved by Prince Charming. 😆

Enter Halle Bailey ... press interviews she was doing last year in the lead-up to 'Little Mermaid' are also being resurfaced right now, and they're being compared to Zegler's clips.

There are a lot of interviews Halle did at the time where she's talked about how much she loved "The Little Mermaid" growing up ... and how much influence Ariel, specifically, had on her as a Disney princess. Basically, Halle was a big fan of the IP and sounded grateful to give her own portrayal -- which, by and large, has been praised ... despite the loud haters.

The point of all this is that a question is now being rhetorically asked of Zegler ... if you hated the movie and the character of 'Snow White,' why sign on for this role at all?

She's recently said she wants nothing to do with all the chatter that's taken shape, but she'll undoubtedly do more press as the movie release date nears -- so we'll what she says then.

Damar Hamlin is back on the football field, in a playing capacity, for the first time since his life-threatening cardiac arrest incident earlier this year ... and he's looking like his old self.

The Bills safety hit the gridiron Saturday for Buffalo during a preseason game, in which he appeared for just a little bit of time ... a couple possessions, but in that time he was able to show off his talent and, more importantly, that he's ready for NFL-caliber play again.

From what we could see, there was no hesitancy in Damar's intensity -- and he certainly wasn't shying away from tackles ... something he's expected to do a lot of as a safety.

Like we said ... DH didn't play for long, but it was a huge milestone to see him back in uniform and in a real game, making his months-long comeback complete. Based on his performance this weekend, it's likely he'll be playing regularly this upcoming season.

As for the team itself, they knew how big of a moment this was ... and suggested as much with a clip they posted, showing Damar taking the field/being embraced by his teammates.

It's been a long road to recovery, but it's one Damar has taken in stride. With the help and encouragement of his loved ones, his teammates and, of course, medical professionals ... he's been slowly getting back into playing shape -- and finally got the all-clear, too.

Considering his heart had to be restarted after taking a hit in a game against Cincinnati -- it's kind of a miracle that he's here today, let alone playing the same game at the same level.

Jason Aldean was able to get a little juice out of his right-leaning song -- and now, another guy's doing the same thing ... but he isn't even close to as famous, which is interesting.

The dude's name is Oliver Anthony, and he's a man-of-the-land living in Farmville, Virginia -- however, he's also a musician ... and a song he just released, "Rich Men North of Richmond,: is catching fire among conservatives all over the country ... in just a 24-hour window, too.

The reason ... the track (and the music video, too, it seems) is resonating with folks in a grassroots kind of way -- seeing how he's performing it out in the woods, and in a very stripped-down environment. Plus, yes ... OA definitely has talent -- a unique sound, indeed.

Now, as for the actual lyrics ... they seem to walk the line between the everyman, working-class American POV and far-right sentiments -- depends on how you look at it, we suppose.

Oliver addresses D.C. politicians -- without explicitly identifying a party -- sucking Americans dry and wanting total control of their lives ... while going on to lament social ills, including seemingly slamming the welfare system. He also appears to reference Jeffrey Epstein. 👀

In the wake of Oliver uploading this to streaming platforms, it looks like it's been spiking in sales -- with some sites showing it's #1 on iTunes ... meaning it's been purchased a crap-ton since it went up, but doesn't necessarily account for streaming numbers. Not yet, anyway.

Several right-wing influencers are praising Oliver's song/his passion, and some politicians are chiming in as well with a big thumbs up -- including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

As for Oliver, he's overwhelmed by the attention -- saying he'll be performing locally for the time being. It remains to be seen if 'RMNOR' will have the same chart success Aldean recently experienced, but based on the groundswell already ... it's certainly possible.

This is a pretty fascinating trend we're seeing -- it appears when right-wingers perceive something (like a song) they think addresses their grievances/perspectives, they lean into it ... and, from the small sample size we've noticed, it can be effective in the marketplace.

A Kansas newspaper was raided by cops after leaked DUI intel made its way to the publisher -- and many are calling it a chilling attempt at censorship over freedom of the press.

The Marion County Record was paid a visit Friday by the local authorities ... who were executing a warrant that had been signed by a judge, giving them the green light to confiscate a ton of items -- including computers, phones, hard drives and other data.

The reason law enforcement stormed the place -- not to mention the home of the publisher, Eric Meyer -- is due to a complaint a restaurateur in town filed ... namely, accusing the Record of identity theft/unlawful use of a computer in putting together a piece about her.

It's a complicated backstory -- but, essentially, this woman (Kari Newell) and the newspaper have apparently had some bad blood of late ... and, in the aftermath of that, the Record says it recently obtained a tip about her past, revealing she'd once gotten a DUI and had driven without a license thereafter. This info could've hindered her business prospects.

While investigating the tip and confirming its veracity, the Record's publisher, Meyer, concluded the info was likely coming from Newell's husband ... whom she was in the middle of divorcing. In other words, questionable motives ... so he decided to pass on it altogether.

However, he did more than just that ... he actually alerted cops to the fact that this information had been leaked to them -- although it's unclear why. In any case, it backfired.

It seems Newell became privy to the fact Meyer and co. had fallen into possession of this information, and believed they'd done so illegally ... something the Marion County Record denies. Nonetheless, she went to the cops and filed a complaint ... which escalated into a full search warrant that Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed.

Did anyone know 21 Savage was such a HUGE Beyoncé fan? Well he is, and so much so the rapper was belting out her hits all night at her concert in Georgia.

21 posted several videos on Instagram showing his love for Bey’s music as she performed to a packed audience at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, part of her wildly popular Renaissance World Tour.

Check out the footage … 21 is having a blast singing along to Bey’s “1+1” and "Dangerously In Love 2" from the crowd — and maybe a little too much fun because he seems a bit out of tune.

But that’s ok — it’s all just barrel of laughs.