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Teresa Giudice is cozying up to a new man after breaking things off with her husband, Joe -- but the question now ... is this just friendly, or signs of a new match?

The 'Real Housewives' star was spotted walking into a breakfast joint Saturday morning in NJ with a hunky guy by her side the whole time. And, by that we literally mean he had her wrapped up close as they made their way in to eat ...  laughing all the way.

The flirtatious touching didn't end there ... Teresa and this fella were seen hugging a couple times during their outing, and she was hanging off his arm as well as they stood outside.

Now, the one thing they didn't do was kiss ... which would've all but confirmed she's moved on from Joe. And, yes, this might've just been friends palling around ... not unheard of.

To us, though, it appears like these two are more than just friends -- and if that's the case, you can't really blame TG. In the wake of splitting up, word has it Joe's already been on a few dates himself in the motherland ... so obviously, it's NBD if Teresa did the same.

One big consideration though ... how would the kids react to a new man in the house??? Time will tell, we suppose.

Lindsie Chrisley is going over the river and through the woods for a special Christmas retreat ... shacking up in a majestic tree house and steering clear of her daddy drama.

Sources close to Lindsie tell TMZ ... she and her husband are renting a luxury tree house tucked away in a South Carolina forest, spending Christmas Eve unplugging from the world and her father, Todd.

As you know ... Lindsie and Todd's relationship is very turbulent, and she's publicly accused her father of trying to extort her with a sex tape.

We're told Lindsie isn't expecting to hear from her father on one of the most important days of the year for most families ... instead, she'll be snuggling up to her hubby, Will, in a tree house that rents for $395 a night.

The whimsical space comes with 2 connecting tree house decks, a fireplace, heated outdoor shower and 40 acres of private wilderness for uninterrupted seclusion. The bedroom is huge, with four rows of windows overlooking beautiful white oaks, red oaks, hickory and dogwood trees.

The place is filled with antiques, and there's a record player to set the mood and campfire perfect for making good ole fashioned s'mores. When they wake up Xmas morning, Lindsie's planning to make a homemade breakfast.

After Lindsie and Will get their fill of forest fun, we're told they'll mosey over to his relative's to open presents with their son, Jackson, and sit down for Christmas dinner.

Pat Sajak's fortunate to be alive after suffering a blocked intestine, but says for a brief drug-induced moment ... his life flashed before his eyes and he thought he was for sure dying.

The "Wheel of Fortune" host turned up on 'GMA' and spoke for the first time about last month's health scare, which he says was intense ... and could have killed him if he didn't go under the knife STAT.

Sajak says one moment he was out for his daily morning walk with his daughter and the next ... he's curled up in the fetal position with "excruciating" pain in his stomach. Within 2 and a half hours, he was having emergency surgery.

The craziest part -- Pat says none of the pain meds he was given were working until all of a sudden one worked REALLY well ... and instead of thinking about pain, he was thinking about his death.

He says it wasn't a morbid thing really, he just felt bad for his wife and daughter and thought about how much their lives would change after he was gone ... but turns out, he was just really high.

Pat clearly didn't lose his sense of humor in surgery.

As we reported ... longtime 'Wheel' hostess, Vanna White, took over Sajak's hosting duties while he was recovering, and he commended her on 'GMA' for being a team player and having fun with it, and doing a great job.

The family of "The Walking Dead" stuntman John Bernecker scored millions in a wrongful death lawsuit but it was significantly short of what they wanted.

A jury on Thursday awarded the estate $8.6 million after 2 days of deliberations ... this according to a report. AMC Networks was found NOT to be negligent, but the show and its production company, Stalwart Films, were found liable. Stalwart was found 40% responsible and the show is 25% responsible.

The jury ruled the victim -- Bernecker -- was 6% liable for his own negligence. There were others found liable as well, but it appears none will have to pay out of pocket. Insurance will cover the judgment.

Sofia Vergara is poised to fill one of the 2 seats that are open on "America's Got Talent" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sofia met with 'AGT' honchos Wednesday for 2 hours. She was 20 minutes late for the meeting, but that didn't dissuade the decision-makers.

Our sources say Sofia had a big audience over at NBC, from Entertainment Prez Paul Telegdy on down. There were also members of Fremantle present, which produces 'AGT.'

As you know ... Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were not invited back for the next installment of 'AGT.'

Our sources say although 'AGT' was top of mind, the honchos wanted to meet with Sofia on a variety of possible projects, including dramas and a possible Spanish language project -- NBC owns Telemundo.

"Modern Family" is in its last season, and we're told NBC wants to get into business with Sofia ... our sources say she's a "global star" who is an extremely versatile entertainer.

As we reported, Union has gone public, claiming 'AGT' has a toxic culture and she was fired after complaining. 'AGT' folks say they routinely rotate judges so nothing was out of the ordinary.

The next 'AGT' airs next month.

'Survivor' will never be the same now that season 39 is over -- at least that's what Kellee Kim hopes her legacy will be in the wake of the Dan Spilo controversy.

It already made one huge change -- for the first time, the show's finale reunion Thursday night was NOT live, and the pre-taped program featured Jeff Probst going one-on-one with Kellee ... who aired her grievances with Jeff, producers and CBS.

She told the host the most difficult part of the season for her was the fact Spilo remained on the show for several weeks AFTER she spoke out about his unwanted touching. She said she felt producers either didn't believe her, or worst ... just ignored her.

As you know, Spilo was eventually removed after a crew member also complained about him. Spilo wasn't included in the finale taping.

Kellee said she didn't want season 39 to be defined by Spilo's actions, but instead she hoped her legacy would be that her speaking led to producers making lasting changes. The show's already announced there will be new guidelines for personal space, and it will have more professionals on-site to allow for confidential reporting of any problems.

Completely overshadowed was the fact 'Survivor' did crown a new champion Wednesday night. Spoiler alert ...

Blake Shelton made an amazing wish come true for a 7-year-old fan who suffers from cerebral palsy ... hanging with the kid on "The Voice" and the pics are AWESOME!!!

Blake met Colton Harkness on set at "The Voice" semifinals earlier this month ... and after the show's live taping the kid got to chat with his favorite country star in the judge's chairs, and rub elbows with Gwen Stefani and John Legend!

The good folks at Kids Wish Network -- a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses -- helped facilitate the meeting between Blake and Colton, flying the youngster from Indiana to California and chauffeuring him to set in a stretch limo.

Colton also got hooked up with some 'Voice' swag, and while he was out in Cali he got to take his first trip to Disneyland.

The kid needs a wheelchair to get around, but he's not letting that stop him from dreaming of growing up to be a police officer ... and the Orange County Sheriff's Department even named him an honorary deputy in front of his classmates before he left for L.A. to meet Blake!

'Survivor' exile Dan Spilo is an amazing man with a good heart ... according to Noura Salman, one of the final 5 remaining tribe members on this controversial season.

Noura was outside the 'Island of the Idols' Season 39 finale party in WeHo Tuesday night when she got asked about Dan's ejection for inappropriate touching. She clearly doesn't feel any ill will toward Spilo -- she loves the guy ... and offers a bit of a defense for him too.

Noura says the issue comes down to people being different about touching -- some openly welcome it and feel comfortable, like her and Dan, while others are the opposite ... like fellow cast member Kellee Kim, and even Noura's own siblings.

She says she doesn't believe Dan meant to be disrespectful to Kellee with his unwanted touching, but suggests he probably didn't do a good job of communicating ... and gives an example from her yoga class of how to do it right.

Another contestant in the final 5, Janet Carbin, also got asked about Dan ... she simply said everything's "cool."

The Hallmark Channel is walking back its decision to pull TV ads featuring a same-sex couple kissing on their wedding day ... saying it messed up and is "truly sorry."

The channel recently removed the ads from Zola, a major online wedding registry and planning site, after receiving complaints from the conservative group, One Million Moms. The backlash included a petition signed by more than 30,000 people criticizing Hallmark.

However, that decision was met with considerably more backlash from the public -- including another petition signed by 70,000 people blasting Hallmark for "shamefully caving to pressure from an anti-LGBTQ group."

Ellen DeGeneres and Pete Buttigieg also weighed in, with the presidential candidate responding to One Million Moms' gripe that the ads weren't "family friendly."

Hallmark listened, and its CEO, Mike Perry, says it will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish their partnership and "reinstate the commercials."

What's interesting ... Perry essentially lays the blame on Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media Family Networks and its CEO, Bill Abbott, which he says made the call to pull the ads featuring 2 brides kissing at the altar.

MTV's "Ridiculousness" star Sterling "Steelo" Brim partied his ass off only to come home to a major party foul ... after thieves allegedly broke into his pad and took off with valuable collectibles.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Steelo returned to his L.A. area pad around 8:30 AM after a night of partying. But, something was amiss ... he noticed stuff missing.

We're told security footage showed at least one person people going in and out of his house. A safe was stolen as were valuable collectibles and figures. All in all ... he told cops around $100k worth of stuff was pilfered.

LAPD is on the case and sources say it appears thieves got into his crib through a side door. It's unclear if the side door was unlocked or if it was jimmied open.

Chelsea Handler's longtime TV sidekick and hypeman, Chuy Bravo, has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Mexican-American actor -- best known for his many appearances on "Chelsea Lately" -- passed away Sunday, according to his family. We're told Chuy was hospitalized Saturday in Mexico City, where he's been visiting family for the past month.

His family members say he came down with a terrible stomach ache Saturday and had to be rushed to an emergency room in town, where he stayed overnight. On Sunday, the family says they were told Chuy had passed away. His exact cause of death is unclear.

Chuy was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at age 15. According to Hollywood lore, he wandered onto the set of 'Three Amigos' and decided to get into entertainment. He says he started taking classes and eventually got cast in "Austin Powers in Goldmember."

Move over, Jay Gatsby ... Seth MacFarlane's here to take the reins this holiday season as the most extra host in party-throwing, with a splash of hot button issues to boot.

The "Family Guy" creator threw an epic Christmas Party Saturday night at his Beverly Hills home, and it was decked out to the max with what appears to be a mishmash of themes -- including time travel, the 1950s, environmentalism and politics. Good mix, right?

Click through the gallery, and you'll see what we're talking about. Seth had elaborate set pieces staged all throughout his pad -- a N.I.C.E. Detention Center, Santa's Space-Time Super Sleigh, a single block of a North Pole glacier from the year 2091, and a lot more.

Like we said, F. Scott Fitzgerald might've blushed at something like this. Speaking of Gats, we're told Leo was at Seth's party. He's big on climate change, so this is right up his alley.

As if all that wasn't class enough, Seth also had a full orchestra performing live throughout the night -- and, of course, the guy got up there himself and crooned a handful of songs. More like 10 or so, actually. Seth's a great singer, and we're told he put his talent to good use. The performance quickly became a family affair too -- his sis, Rachael, sang as well.

Eyewitnesses tell us one other big highlight of the night came when Seth honored a 100-year-old WWII veteran named Sidney Walton, who got a big round of applause.

Kandi Burruss is singing the praises of the woman who helped bring her new baby girl into the world -- and now she's opening up about her firsthand experience with surrogacy.

We got the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star out in Atlanta and asked what advice she'd give anyone thinking about using a surrogate. Of course, Kandi's second child ... a little girl named Blaze Tucker was born on November 22, and she couldn't say enough great things about their surrogate.

Check it out ... Kandi says counseling's a great start. And, not just because it was required, either. When she finally met her surrogate, Shadina Blunt, they built a solid relationship and bonded so much, they went to counseling together.

Kandi says she knows some parents opt to keep it strictly professional with surrogates -- but she explained why she and her husband, Todd Tucker, took a different approach with Shadina.

Rip Torn died after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease ... according to his death certificate.

The Emmy Award-winning veteran actor and comedian died at his Connecticut home in July, and according to the doc -- obtained by TMZ -- the cause of death is listed "due to (or as a consequence of) Alzheimer's dementia." Translation ... there were complications resulting from Alzheimer's that caused his death.

It says he was diagnosed "years" before he passed. Torn was then buried at a cemetery in Poughkeepsie, NY a few days later ... according to the certificate.

Rip was perhaps best known for his role as Artie on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," for which he won an Emmy and was nominated 6 more times. He was also an Oscar nominee in 1984 for "Cross Creek."

Torn's career spanned decades after his film debut in the 1956 film, "Baby Doll," and included memorable roles in the 'Men In Black' films and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" ... along with TV shows like "Will & Grace" and "30 Rock."

He was 88.

No disrespect to New Jersey or its famous shore, but Snooki wants a MUCH better life for her 3 kids, which is why she's swearing off all things 'Jersey Shore' ... for good.

Fresh off announcing she's retiring from the 'JS' game, Snooki touched down at LAX Thursday, and made it clear she has no second thoughts. She told a photog she's looking forward, not back, purely because it's what's best for her family.

When the pap suggested a possible spin-off could be in the works -- Snooki shot that down instantly ... and you gotta see the look on her face when she did it.

Remember, she complained during last season about 'JS' keeping her away from her husband, daughter and 2 sons ... so maybe she'd be down for a show focused on her family.

Not a chance! As Snooks put it, she's not trying to see her kids turn into the kinda "degenerate" she was on TV. Translation: Snooki Nicole's come a loooong way from being that chick who stumbled drunk on beaches, and got brutally knocked out in bars.

As for her costars -- she's not offering them any career advice, especially Ronnie Ortiz-Magro ... who, as we've reported, has a child custody war brewing with Jen Harley.

Come and listen to a story about a man named Lachlan ... a not-so-poor media mogul who bought a house for $150 MILLION!!!

That's right ... the L.A. estate known as Chartwell -- best known for being featured on "The Beverly Hillbillies" -- is off the market, and the mansion's new owner is Rupert Murdoch's son, 48-year-old Lachlan.

The real estate transaction is not only the most expensive in L.A. history but in the history of the entire state of California. And, get this ... it sold for $200 million LESS than the initial asking price.

Chartwell was listed off-market about 2 years ago at an astronomical $350 million but dropped to a slightly more affordable $245 mil when it entered the multiple listing service. The price dipped again to $195 mil this summer, before reportedly being sold to Lachlan for the cool $150 mil.

It's now the second priciest home sale in the U.S. ... trailing only the $238 million NYC penthouse purchased by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin in January.

The exterior was used for the credits of the legendary '60s show ... and it's become a tourist destination ever since, where people peer through the gates to get a look. The estate boasts a 25,000-square-foot main house, a tennis court, a guest house, and of course -- a cement pond ... and another house to go with that.

There are also acres of gardens with tall hedges and trees for privacy.

BTW -- Chartwell is actually located in Bel-Air, not Beverly Hills, and was last owned by late billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, the chairman of Univision. The new owner is cochairman of his family's company, News Corp.