TMZ.com Home

Michael Jordan is coming clean about his epic flu game performance in the 1997 NBA Finals ... saying he didn't actually have the flu -- it was some bad pizza.

Remember, #23 was dealing with "flu-like symptoms" before a crucial Game 5 against the Utah Jazz ... and fought through the pain for a 38-point performance to give the Bulls a 3-2 lead.

But, MJ's trainer, Tim Grover, revealed it was actually food poisoning -- not the flu -- that had Jordan under the weather ... after a late-night order from the only place that was open -- a pizza shop.

When the pie was delivered, Grover says 5 dudes pulled up to Jordan's hotel room ... and the trainer hinted there could have been something fishy going on, saying, "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Glover's instincts were right ... 'cause MJ woke up at 2 AM "throwing up left and right."

"So, it really wasn’t the flu game. It was food poisoning," MJ admitted on ESPN's "The Last Dance."

MJ's mom thought it was best he didn't play ... but as we all know, he didn't listen and went on to put up one of the most iconic performances of his career.

A Siberian Husky walked away with the top prize at this year's Beverly Hills Dog Show -- and with one look at him, it's easy to see why.

The doggo's name is Nick, and he took top honors at the 4th-annual pet competition that aired Sunday night on NBC -- this after being trotted out a handful of times by his owner, Michelle Scott. It marks his 60th dog show win in total, which has gotta make this pup a real G.O.A.T -- even Jordan and Brady can't touch those stats!!!

This year's contest featured celeb judges like Olivia Culpo and Bo Derek, but let's take a look at Nick's competition, 'cause there were lots of pups who could've also taken it. We had Piper the bloodhound, Joan the Chinese Shar-Pei, Luna the Cairn terrier, McConnaughey the English Springer Spaniel (no relation to Matt) and Conrad the Shetland sheepdog.

In the end, though, it was sturdy Nick who came out on top. BTW, not only that, but he also won the Working Group category in a field of 27 breeds. Very impressive!

Also of note .. this was actually shot back in late February (before the nationwide pandemic shutdowns). So, no -- there wasn't quite the proper social distancing happening ... but no harm, no foul.

Besides, cut a Nick a break. He's a really good boy.

Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, says he once WHOOPED his dad on the court in a game of 1-on-1 ... and he's telling TMZ Sports all about the huge accomplishment!!!

Marcus -- MJ's 2nd son -- says he used to play a modified version of 1-on-1 called "Cutthroat" with his dad ... and one day, he actually came away with a WIN!!!

"I had a quick victory," Marcus tells us. "I can't remember the score, but I did win."

So ... how did the G.O.A.T handle it?? Exactly like you'd expect.

"He ran it right back and he obviously won on me and it was over," Marcus says. "We really didn't play too much after that."

Of course, Marcus has a TON of insane stories about growing up with MJ ... and we had to ask him about the craziest memories he had.

The dude didn't disappoint.

"When I was a kid, Jay-Z and Beyonce came to our house. My dad and Jay-Z actually really played 'around the world' in our gym."

The moment was even immortalized in a Hov track, "N***a Please" ... where Jay says "I damn near beat Jordan in around the world."

Somehow ... Marcus has another memory that can even top that ... saying he went to the White House when his dad got the Presidential Medal of Freedom ... and got to chop it up with the First Family!!

"But, being who I am, it's just so natural that you kinda interact with people on day to day so there's not a lot of other people other than them."

Can't relate.

Aaron Sorkin didn't write or direct "The Proposal" ... but he had his hand all over this proposal ... after helping an aspiring screenwriter propose to his GF.

Spoiler alert ... SHE SAID YES!!!

So, here's how it went down ... the famed writer/producer/director was a guest lecturer Thursday at L.A.'s American Film Institute Conservatory -- a prestigious institution once ranked the No. 1 film school in the world.

Before the Harold Lloyd Master Seminar kicked off, John Graney -- a student studying screenwriting at the Institute -- hit up his professor and asked if there would be any way to get Sorkin to help him propose to his GF, Leticia, who's also a student at the Institute and a HUGE Sorkin fan. Side note: who ISN'T a huge Sorkin fan? "A Few Good Men?!" "Moneyball?!?" "The West Wing."

Anywho ... Aaron was game. Sorkin prefaced the proposal by warning Leticia he's dead serious about what's about to go down. You nearly hear more than 150 students in class hold their collective breaths.

Some of John's buddies cheered for him before he pulled out the engagement ring. John and Leticia officially sealed the proposal with a kiss.

See, a few good men still exist.

Joe Giudice is in the market for a fight, and he's willing to take on ANYONE.

That's right, the former 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star has signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman who tells TMZ ... Joe's slated to fight on October 24th in the Bahamas. The opponent has not yet been determined. Any takers?

The match will consist of three 1 minute, 30-second rounds. Back to Joe's opponent ... Damon tells us he's open to anyone. Be careful what you wish for, Joe.

In any event ... Joe's looking like he's ready to knock someone out. Dude looks JACKED. Check him out in this video ... with the picturesque Italy countryside as the backdrop.

As for what Joe would be paid ... we're told it'll all depend on how many people purchase the Pay-per-view. But, one thing's for sure ... training for an upcoming fight will be a nice distraction. As we reported ... Joe's in the middle of his own legal fight over his deportation case.

Keep your head up, Joe. And, your hands too.

YouTube star Trisha Paytas' alleged trespasser is in the running for dumbest criminal ever ... because he left an easy road map for an arrest if authorities want to press charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a fan showed up to Trisha's pad in Los Angeles and tried to profess his love for her. We're told he bounced when cops were called, but not before leaving his name and number with her friend.

Our sources say when the guy first arrived unannounced, he started going up the driveway towards the front door when he was stopped by Trisha's male friend.

We're told Trisha was inside the home while her friend went outside to see what was up, and the trespasser said he was there to confess his love for Paytas.

Our sources say Trisha's friend told the guy to beat it, but he initially refused and that's when cops were called.

We're told police took a trespassing report and the case will be sent to the L.A. City Attorney.

Should be a pretty easy arrest if the City Attorney wants to press charges.

Stay in school kids.

California kid Dylan Cash was only eight years old when he became a soap star after he landed the role of Michael Corinthos (full name Michael Morgan Corinthos III) for a 6-year stretch in the early 2000s on the iconic ABC soap opera, "General Hospital."

Dylan Cash was cast alongside his on-screen adoptive parents including Tamara Braun as the cool-headed maternal figure, Carly Corinthos, and Maurice Benard as the manic mob boss father figure, Michael "Sonny" Corinthos Jr.

Cash ultimately was aging too quickly for the 'GH' character, so Michael was written off the show by putting him into a coma after getting shot in the head.

Geno Silva, the "Scarface" actor who performed one of the greatest hits in a hit movie ... has died from complications related to dementia.

His "Scarface" role, where he played The Skull and forever silenced Tony Montana [for the youngins ... Al Pacino played him). It's one of the most memorable scenes in what may be the greatest movie ever made ... agree to disagree.

Geno did it all ... he starred on Broadway, movies and TV. Some of the TV credits -- "Miami Vice," "Star Trek: Enterprise and Alias," and "Key West."

As for his movie credits ... "Scarface" is definitely the most memorable, but there were many others. Geno was a true working actor.

Geno leaves behind a big family, including his wife, Pamela, daughter Lucia and 2 grandchildren. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the story.

The family asks that any donations be made to The Ass'n for Frontotemporal Dementia.

Geno was 72.

Now, this is what we call American ingenuity -- giant inflatable inner tubes on wheels so people can safely return to bars and properly distance themselves ... hopefully sooner than later.

This spectacle was recently shot at a seafood joint called Fish Tales in Ocean City, MD, and they were demonstrating this nifty new contraption they're planning to use (possibly en masse) once they can go back to dine-in services, with tweaked 'rona guidelines in place.

It's exactly what it looks like here on video -- patrons would come in with these massive apparatuses around them ... and they'd be able to mingle and do their thing without the staff having to hover and enforce social distancing, 'cause these tubes are 6 feet wide.

They're called Bumper Tables, and Fish Tales owner Donna Harman tells us she's already bought up 10 of them, which she plans to roll out once she's allowed to. She says she'll probably let people use these in the parking lot -- it'd be kinda tight inside -- and estimates she can safely fit 40 to 50 of them at a time in that space, so she'll probably buy more.

As for how these even came about ... they're actually a new invention manufactured by a company called Revolution Event, which is run by Erin Cermak. Cermak says she and her partners whipped these babies up from scratch, adding they're all custom-made and in direct response to the pandemic. It's a neat idea, and apparently others think so too -- Cermaks tells us she's getting calls from tons of businesses, including a pro sports league.

Hannah Brown is apologizing to her fans for using the n-word on social media, and then trying to play it off like she didn't say it at all.

The 'Bachelorette' star took to Instagram Sunday and issued a full mea culpa for the viral moment that started making the rounds over the weekend -- which showed her singing a song, in the company of family, and dropping the n-word as she recited lyrics, something she seemed to acknowledge was wholly inappropriate and cringe-worthy in the moment.

Later in the day, Hannah was back on IG Live and noticed people calling her out for it, but she didn't seem ready to cop to it right then and there. She tried playing dumb and being coy about it, with another woman next to her suggesting it might've been her brother.

It definitely wasn't though, and Hannah finally admitted her mistake, writing on IG ... "I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse and I will not justify what I said. I have read your messages and seen the hurt I have caused. I own it all. I am terribly sorry and know that whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better."

A lesson learned ... people are always watching, and are more than willing to speak up when they hear/see something wrong. Especially during quarantine.

A couple of real-life melon heads thought it'd be a great idea to walk into a store wearing these homemade masks to jack some s*** -- luckily, cops might've already cracked the case.

Check out these two bozos out of Louisa, Virginia -- not too far from Washington D.C. -- walking into a gas station convenience store called Sheetz about a week or so ago and making off with some goodies inside -- with watermelon bandit disguises in tow, no less.

The Louisa Police Department was asking for the public's help in identifying the two larceny suspects -- who were caught on surveillance video before hopping in their getaway vehicle. The department wrote ... "On May 6, 2020, at 2135 hours, two subjects arrived at the Sheetz in a LIFTED 2006 Black Toyota Tacoma wearing hollowed-out watermelon rinds with holes cut out for the eyes into the store where they proceeded to commit a larceny."

Looks like their local citizenry recognized the seedless perps, 'cause an arrest was recently made and the cops thanked their community for the assistance.

Unclear what these boys might've taken, but it doesn't sound like weapons were used in the alleged grab and snatch. We're guessing they left their bananas at home for this heist.

A Canadian military jet crashed just after takeoff, and the entire flight was caught on video.

The plane took off in tandem with another jet from Kamloops Airport at 11:30 AM. Both pilots are part of the Snowbirds. They've been flying around Canada for a few weeks for something called Operation Inspiration. The goal is to boost morale for Canadians who have been stuck in isolation due to the coronavirus.

Seconds after takeoff, as both planes gained altitude, one suddenly circled back toward the runway ... presumably, the pilot realized something was seriously wrong.

The distressed plane did a barrel roll and then plunged to the ground. Just before the aircraft hit, the pilot ejected. An eyewitness says he believed 2 people may have been on board.

The plane hit a home, which burst into flames. You see a parachute on the roof of the house.

We don't know if there were fatalities, and if so, how many.

A famous Vegas magician is looking to pick up where Siegfried and Roy left off -- so, naturally, he went to go see the biggest cat man in the game right now ... one Jeff Lowe.

Sources tell TMZ ... Murray SawChuck -- who's got his own residency show at the Tropicana Hotel in Sin City -- recently linked up with Jeff to talk shop and discuss the possibility of obtaining some tigers for a potential new act he wants to introduce on the strip.

Our sources say Murray took note of Roy Horn's tragic passing of late, and saw an opening for another tiger magic show that he might just wanna fill ... and in light of the hit Netflix series, figured he'd get in touch with Jeff to see if there was a deal they could make.

Murray the Magician (as he's known in Vegas) ventured out to Oklahoma City to make it happen, and stopped by Jeff's 'Tiger King' Zoo -- formerly known as Joe Exotic's GW Zoo -- and toured the grounds. Later ... Jeff and Murray, with their ladies in tow, hit the town and ended up at a packed bar called Kong's Tavern, where they got the VIP treatment.

Sounds like things went off without a hitch, but we should say ... our sources say Jeff is still considering the offer and hasn't made any decisions on whether to partner with Murray.

Barack Obama, meet Arnold Schwarzenegger -- he's got a little commencement speech of his own ... and it might be just as good or possibly better advice for the Class of 2020.

The A-list actor and former California Governor delivered an epic address via ATTN to all the grads who couldn't attend their own in-person ceremonies -- and his takeaway message was very clear, and at times ... brutally honest. Have yourself a vision, damn it.

Arnold said that while the pandemic might seem like the biggest obstacle to overcome right now, he assured the grads that more would come throughout their life ... adding that having a clear and attainable goal in mind would undoubtedly help them move past them.

He gave a very personal example that hits home for him -- his 2018 emergency heart surgery that could've killed him, according to AS. He recounts how, at first, he thought he was going to have a simple, non-invasive procedure done to replace a heart valve -- but was fighting for his health back after things went left and they had to open him up.

During the story, Arnold shows off never-before-seen footage of him in the hospital at the time, and the rehab he had to endure to get back to peak condition ... and to get back to the new 'Terminator' set he was supposed to be on starting August 1. Because of his vision, Arnold says he was able to get there -- and suggested grads strive or the same clarity as they go forward, sometimes in pretty blunt terms too. This speech ain't for TV.

It's an 11-minute clip here, but it's very much so worth the full watch. BTW, he also takes a shot at Trump toward the end to highlight that it's not about the diploma in the end.

A group of brave Los Angeles firefighters were hospitalized after they were caught in a massive fireball while fleeing an exploding building ... and it's all on wild video.

The scary moment went down Saturday evening in Downtown L.A., where LAFD crew members were responding to a structure fire at a warehouse-type building near Little Tokyo, which quickly escalated into a dangerous situation that required everyone to get out.

LAFD says smoke started rising way too quickly and the inside was getting hotter by the second. Suddenly ... an explosion rang out and the building was starting to become engulfed in flames. While trying to safely exit, a group of about 7 firefighters had to climb down their firetruck ladder from a window -- and cross the red hot flames in the process.

About 3 to 4 of them were actually set completely ablaze as they were making their way down -- becoming fully engulfed in the fire ball all around them that was raging like crazy. Parts of their helmets melted, and their jackets caught on fire too. Even some of the firetruck's seats began to burn as a result ... according to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott.

The footage of the moment when a handful of them were caught in the blaze is insane to watch -- it was even caught from a couple different angles, including drone footage you can see here. Scott described it as directly walking through a 30-foot blowtorch. Yikes ...

At least eleven firefighters were hospitalized as a result, and 4 of them are in the ICU in critical condition. Fortunately, all of them are expected to survive ... which is truly a miracle.

As for how the fire started, the official cause is still under investigation. However, it's reported that the warehouse in question was a local supplier for those who manufacture butane honey oil ... which is highly flammable. Multiple buildings caught fire, and it took hundreds of firefighters to finally temper the flames into the night.

A Catholic priest got creative in doling out blessings and holy water around Easter time last month -- and his viral method has since gotten a proper meme treatment ... rightly so.

The guy's name is Father Tim Pelc, hails from Detroit. About a month ago, he was standing outside his church and blasting his parishioners with holy water through a mini squirt gun -- all just to bless their Easter food baskets. It's tradition ... and he kept it alive.

BTW, it was done safely -- Father Pelc stood a good distance away from folks puling up to their makeshift drive-thru and shot water into their vehicles, this while wearing a N95 mask, a plastic face shield and disposable gloves. Hallelujah ... responsible social distancing.

Meanwhile, Father Pelc's photos went viral since he started doing this -- and, naturally, the internet had a field day with the images. Some people featured him on fake movie posters, and we gotta say ... they look pretty legit. We'd go see these flicks -- if we could, that is.

Crafty online sleuths turned Pelc into an action hero of sorts -- featuring him on posters for 'Doom,' 'The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly' and others. He slides right in perfectly -- guess that'll happen when you play dress-up and horse around like a little kid with toy guns.