With a little bit of elbow grease and ingenuity, this grandpa has figured out how to help his grandson cope with quarantine boredom ... a homemade, backyard roller coaster!!!
This guy's gotta be a contender for Gramps Of The Year ... building his grandkid a super sweet roller coaster with his own bare hands ... and the ride looks smooth as hell.
Grandpa's not just handy, he's also pretty ingenious ... check out the trashcan securing the end of the coaster, and the custom wooden wheels on the kid's plastic toy car.
The rest of the building materials are pretty simple -- wood and cinder blocks. But, you definitely have to be a master craftsman to pull it off.
Sure, Six Flags, Disney World and pretty much every amusement park is closed due to coronavirus restrictions ... but who needs 'em when you've got a coaster in your own yard!!!
A North Carolina man named Jesushas confessed after vandalizing a local church's historic stained glass window ... this according to cops.
Police arrested Jesus Jose Arellano after he used a foot-long sandstone rock to smash a Tiffany glass window at Grace Moravian Church. The stained glass window, which dates back nearly 100 years to 1925, now has a 2-square-foot hole thanks to Jesus.
Cops say Jesus confessed to his sins when he was arrested the day after the vandalism -- in a nearby cemetery, no less. Jesus was charged with injury to real property.
Jesus had to work pretty hard to vandalize the church ... cops say he used the sandstone to break through 6 inches of Plexiglass before smashing the stained glass window.
Neil Ruth, the church's pastor told WXII the Grace Moravian is a symbol of kindness in its Mount Airy community, and he found it odd Jesus would do such a thing.
Ruth says the congregation is upset by the vandalism, but also concerned about Jesus.
NBA Superstar Russell Westbrook did his part to make sure some of LA's bravest were well fed -- but he didn't just serve up an average-Joe kinda meal -- he hit a Hollywood hotspot.
Westbrook surprised healthcare workers at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Thursday night with Italian dinners from The Nice Guy. We're told Russ and his buddy Milo Frank of The h.wood Group passed out 50 sealed containers of Spaghetti Bolognese -- and in true L.A. style -- there were even gluten-free and vegan options.
Westbrook plays for the Houston Rockets, but is a native to So. Cal so MLK Jr. Hospital makes a lot of sense. The meals were thanks in part to Postmates.
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As for the dinner selection, The Nice Guy plays host to some of Hollywood's biggest stars from The Kardashians and Jenners to Justin Bieber, Drake and even Westbrook's former teammate Kevin Durant.
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Russ joins a growing list of celebs to step up with meals ... Danny Trejo and his Trejo's Tacos restaurant also recently doled out a ton of free food to those on the frontlines.
Denzel Washington did a good deed for someone in need Thursday ... helping a homeless man who was clearly in distress.
Denzel was driving in WeHo at around 1 PM when he saw the man in the street ... in some peril with oncoming traffic.
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Denzel got out of his car, talked to the man and brought him to safety on the sidewalk. Denzel was wearing a protective mask, but the man he was helping was not. Despite the risk, he needed help and DW was the man for the job.
Police arrived and as they talked to the man as Denzel continued to comfort him. The man was detained -- not sure why but possibly to make sure he was okay -- then released. It's not clear, but it seems he didn't know who Denzel was, but we do ... a real nice guy.
NBA Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Sloan -- who was a member of the Utah Jazz organization for more than 30 years -- has died.
Sloan died early Friday due to complications from Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The Jazz released a statement, saying, "Jerry Sloan will always be synonymous with the Utah Jazz. He will forever be a part of the Utah Jazz organization and we join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss. We are so thankful for what he accomplished here in Utah and the decades of dedication, loyalty and tenacity he brought to our franchise."
Sloan was the head coach of the Jazz for 23 years with 1,223 wins, 20 trips to the playoffs and two NBA Finals appearances ... in which Sloan's teams lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Sloan's post-game presser after Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" was recently featured on ESPN's "The Last Dance" ... the coach claimed he didn't even know MJ was sick.
The team statement continues, "Like Stockton and Malone as players, Jerry Sloan epitomized the organization. He will be greatly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Tammy, the entire Sloan family and all who knew and loved him.”
Sloan worked for the Jazz organization for 34 years as either head coach, assistant, scout or senior basketball adviser.
7:20 AM PT -- Authorities say Bryan was cutting off Arbery while Travis and Gregory McMichael were chasing Ahmaud.
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According to new docs, Bryan "did attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority, by attempting to confine ..." adding, Bryan was "utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions during the above time frame, with the intention of confining and detaining Arbery."
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So, the felony is false imprisonment, and if such a felony results in someone's murder, that person can be charged with felony murder.
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5:40 AM PT -- 5/22 -- TMZ has just obtained Roddie's mug shot.
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3:21 PM PT -- Attorneys for Ahmaud's parents -- S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart -- tell TMZ ... the family is relieved Bryan has been taken into custody.
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The legal team says ... "We called for his arrest from the very beginning of this process. His involvement in the murder of Mr. Arbery was obvious to us, to many around the country and after their thorough investigation, it was clear to the GBI as well."
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The lawyers say the family's "thankful for the diligence of the GBI and the way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case."
William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who recorded the video of Ahmaud Arbery's killing, is now the third suspect to be arrested for the young man's murder.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation just announced the arrest, saying Bryan's been hit with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
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The GBI says the charges stem from the February 23 incident that resulted in Arbery's death. Bryan will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.
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As we reported ... Roddie claimed he was simply a witness to the slaying and had zero involvement with what went down between Arbery and the 2 men previously arrested for his murder -- Gregory and Travis McMichael.
Bryan said after his video leaked online that he was fearful for his life and was receiving death threats. The GBI said Bryan and his video were under investigation, and he was initially named in the police report for allegedly trying to block Ahmaud during the chase while he was jogging. Bryan denied any involvement, though.
As we told you ... Arbery's family and legal team strongly believed Bryan was involved in the incident, along with the McMichaels, and wants him to face justice.
Dave East got a lot of support from some onlookers, but it wasn't enough to spring him free after a nasty back and forth with NYPD.
East and a group of friends were in Queens early Friday morning traveling in an SUV. Law enforcement sources say the driver of the SUV turned without signaling, so cops pulled the vehicle over. We're told officers smelled a strong odor of weed as they approached the driver's side.
East -- who was sitting in the backseat -- clearly thought the turn-signal justification for the stop was BS ... so he became agitated, questioning the stop.
That's when a crowd began to form around the SUV. Cops asked for ID, which the driver forked over, but neither East nor the other passenger provided ID.
Cops tell us they found 7 bags of weed in the vehicle. Both East and the other passenger were taken in. East got a summons for disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of marijuana. It's unclear why the driver was not taken in as well.
Dave East's attorney, Stacey Richman, tells TMZ, "I don't perceive that this will result in a criminal conviction, because it does not appear that Dave has been charged with a crime. Under New York law, disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of marijuana are violations -- not crimes."
This is not what Katy Perry meant ... 50 cars filled with folks who seemed to have Independence Day on their minds, blocked traffic on the 5 Freeway Friday night for a fireworks show.
It went down in Norwalk, near downtown L.A. It was clearly choreographed. Unsuspecting drivers had nowhere to turn as explosive sounds filled the night.
Aside from the fact that it's kind of a bonehead move to do this to drivers in the middle of all this craziness, the show was pretty cool.
It went down at around 10 PM and as fast as it started, it was over. They clearly knew if they hung around there would be consequences. It's illegal to set off fireworks in L.A. County with certain exceptions for controlled displays ... and this clearly wasn't one.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. showed up, but a little too late. We're told so far, no suspects.
New York City native Peter Jurasik is best known for his role as the Centauri diplomat with a crazy haircut Londo Mollari -- who serves as the Emperor of the Centauri Republic -- in the '90s space show "Babylon 5."
Peter Jurasik shared the science fiction screen with some awesome actors including Andreas Katsulas as the reptile looking Narn native, G'Kar ... and Mira Furlan as the Mir hottie, Delenn.
Jurasik is also known for his characters Sid The Snitch on the '80s show "Hill Street Blues" and Crom in the 1982 futurist film "Tron."
The auction for Robert Kraft's Super Bowl LI ring is over -- and the final bid was OVER A MILLION BUCKS!!
$1,025,000 to be exact!!
As we previously reported, the New England Patriots owner offered up the ring to help raise money for COVID-19 relief as part of Michael Rubin's All In Challenge.
And, remember, this ring was from the legendary 28-3 Super Bowl comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 ... the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history!
As far as the jewelry itself -- it's one of the biggest championship rings ever created ... weighing 5.1 carats and featuring 10-karat white gold and nearly 300 diamonds.
So far, the winning bidder has not been identified -- but obviously, it's someone with a LOT of money to spend!
In addition to the ring, Kraft says he'll hand-deliver it to the auction's highest bidder in his personal trophy room ... and says if the winner is out of state, he'll send the team jet to pick them up!
That's not all ... RK says the trip will come with a personal tour of the Pats facilities -- and maybe even a few meals with the 78-year-old!!
"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva is reeling from the fatal car crash that killed his friend, YouTube star Corey La Barrie ... according to his attorney, who's confident Daniel will beat a murder charge.
Sources close to Daniel tell TMZ ... Silva had been working hard all day leading up to the deadly crash, and showed up to Corey's birthday party totally sober. We're also told Daniel was only at the party for 2 hours, but was seen drinking White Claw hard seltzer.
We broke the story ... Daniel was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree murder after wrecking a black McLaren sports car earlier this month. Corey, his passenger in the car, died from injuries suffered in the crash. They had just left Corey's 25th birthday party.
Daniel's attorney, Mike Cavalluzzi, tells TMZ ... "This is a horrible tragedy and our hearts go out to Corey's family and friends. We are reviewing all of the evidence and will reserve comment for a later time. For now, it is most important that everyone involved is given time and space to grieve."
Remember ... our law enforcement sources say witnesses claim Silva allegedly tried to flee the scene but was stopped by bystanders. Witnesses also say Daniel was drinking before getting in the driver's seat, but he has NOT been charged with DUI.
We're told Cavalluzzi believes prosecutors will not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Daniel was driving drunk. He says the crash was nothing more than a horrible accident.
Aaron Judge's GF brought up her relationship with the Yankees star during a DUI arrest in February ... straight-up asking officers during the stop, "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"
It's all in new police video obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Judge's longtime GF, Samantha Bracksieck, name-dropping the NYY outfielder several times to arresting officers.
And, spoiler alert ... it didn't go so well for her.
Here's the deal ... the 26-year-old was pulled over at around midnight on Feb. 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after cops say they spotted her driving without her headlights on.
During questioning ... video shows she admitted to an officer she drank two glasses of wine at Mastro's Steakhouse before getting behind the wheel.
When cops suspected her of being too drunk to drive ... they put her through field sobriety tests and administered a breathalyzer. And, after they say she bombed the tests and blew a .12 ... they put the cuffs on her.
That's when Samantha became standoffish toward officers ... telling them, "Do you understand what you're doing right now?"
"I just need to get home," she added. "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"
The officers responded, "We don't."
"This is going to be bad for me," Sam continued. "I'm just saying that right now."
Officers didn't even ask a follow-up and put her in the back of a squad car ... but that's when she pulled the Judge card a few more times to another cop.
"My boyfriend is not in a spot where I should be, like, having this happen," Bracksieck said. "He's like a public figure. So, like, me being arrested for, like, having two glasses of wine is not okay."
Bracksieck continued, "My boyfriend is in the spotlight of New York media in general. And, now here I am handcuffed here in Arizona ... like, that is not good."
The cop clearly didn't care all that much ... and eventually took Bracksieck to the station, where officers say in the police report they tested her breath two more times -- claiming she blew a .169 and .181.
Prosecutors ultimately hit Samantha with five charges over the incident, including extreme DUI -- which is classified as a BAC of .15-.19.
Samantha -- who's due in court for a hearing on the case in June -- is facing jail time and fines if she's convicted.
We've reached out to Bracksieck and the Yankees for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.
Fetty Wap's estranged wife is blowing the lid off what led to their divorce ... alleging the rapper was an alcohol and drug abuser who cheated on and beat her, but Fetty's calling BS.
Leandra Gonzalez filed legal docs claiming Fetty -- government name Willie Maxwell -- beat her face to a pulp less than a month after getting married back on August 3, 2019 in Toronto. She also claims the marriage was severely impacted by his drug and alcohol abuse.
According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Leandra claims they got into an argument that turned physical. She claims Fetty struck her in the face with a closed fist causing her pain, bruising, and a black eye.
Leandra claims the substance abuse was a problem during their short marriage. As for the adultery claims ... Leandra claims Fetty engaged in extra-marital affairs with several women. What's more ... Leandra claims back on New Year's Eve, Fetty traveled to the Bahamas with a woman with whom he'd been having an on-going affair. Leandra also claims about a month before that trip, Fetty got the name of one of his mistresses tattooed on his wrist.
Fetty denies he was ever physically, verbally or emotionally abusive in the marriage. The rapper also denies abusing booze or weed. He also flatly denies ever taking a trip to the Bahamas with another woman or getting a woman's name tattooed on his wrist.
Tyron Woodley says he's not just looking for a win on May 30 -- he wants to make a violent statement to the UFC that he's ready for his title shot.
The former welterweight champ is taking on Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night ... and says he's in a very "violent headspace."
"I'm willing to do some sh**ty stuff to people, put them in compromising positions, hurt them -- like literally hurt them."
"I don't know if I've ever been this focused," Woodley said this week on "The Hollywood Beatdown."
Tyron says he considers his fight with Burns to be a "real war" -- one that Gilbert will wish he never asked for in the first place.
"This is going to be a clear case of someone asking for something they didn't really know what they were asking for."
You gotta watch the clip ... Tyron says he can't wait to fight in an empty arena so the fans at home can hear him "talk sh*t" to Burns while he beats his ass.
"People are gonna feel bad for him."
Burns is on a 5-fight win streak -- including a win over Demian Maia back in March.
Check out more "Hollywood Beatdown" and other cool stuff on the TMZ Sports YouTube channel.
Emile Hirsch is focusing on a new career as a musician, using his time in isolation to make music, and when it's safe ... he even wants to do it live!!!
The "Into The Wild" star was moving and grooving when he talked to us from his makeshift in-home studio ... playing a rough cut of his upcoming release, "Plugged In," and explaining how he's making music from the confines of his own pad.
Emile put a mini boombox on his shoulder and took us through his process -- how the track went from a voice memo recording to a full-blown song. All done at home ... 'cause that's just how music production works in the age of COVID-19.
It's pretty funny, Emile slipped on a pair of shades and danced through his kitchen ... y'know, where he found that dead rat earlier in quarantine!!!
Emile, who released a debut album last year, thinks he'll be good enough to perform live by the time concerts are a thing again ... but in the meantime, he figures he needs some more lessons.
Hey, he's got plenty of time to hone his new craft.
These stars may be stuck at home, but that doesn't mean they can't have fun in the sun!
Whether they are sunbathing like Adriana Lima, floating their worries away like Britney Spears, spending quality time with their family like Sofia Vergara and JoeManganiello, or just passing time by reading like Kaia Gerber, these quarantined celebs know how to take advantage of their time off.
Grab your towels, lather up your suntan lotion, and dive into this gallery of poolside pics to see the stars who are making a splash just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
