Chainsmokers Concert Organizers Say it was COVID Safe ... Claim Video Misleading

The Chainsmokers' drive-in concert in the Hamptons sure looked dangerous, COVID-wise, but sources connected to the charity event say don't believe your eyes ... and insist coronavirus guidelines were in place.

These sources tell TMZ ... videos circulating of the Saturday night concert are misleading, and don't show how the area in front of the stage was fenced off and only allowed 10 people per section.

Concert 7/25/20
PACKED IN
@eyeoftheo / Instagram

Mind you, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo saw the videos from the weekend show, and was livid. He called out the concert for "egregious social distancing violations," and the New York State Department of Health has launched an investigation.

However, the sources connected to the concert say the section right in front of the stage was for family and friends and people who worked the event -- and didn't have car spaces to watch the show.

Obviously, they should still maintain social distancing, but we're told the general public was NOT allowed to rush the stage and pack that area.

On top of that, our sources say organizers of the Southampton even obtained all the proper permits from the city for a public gathering and adhered to all the COVID-19 regulations ... including temperature checks at the door, providing masks, and having security monitor physical distancing among the various parties in the drive-in crowd.

We're also told reports of the concert being shut down for not following the public health rules are untrue. Our sources say the permit only allowed the event to go until 10:30 PM ... so it ended at 10:25 PM.

As we reported ... health commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker says he's "at a loss as to how the Town of Southampton could have issued a permit for such an event, how they believed it was legal and not an obvious public health threat."

Kanye West Growing Campaign Staff Vows ... We're Serious About Running

Kanye West is getting super serious in his bid for the White House ... his campaign is beefing up its staff and bringing in tons of folks with political know-how.

Sources close to Kanye tell TMZ ... Yeezy's hired a crack team of political advisors and people with experience to help him navigate how to get on the ballot in more states.

We're told Kanye's advisors are hiring people to work on the campaign. They're also recruiting volunteers, and they've contracted third-party organizations to assist with spreading campaign awareness and getting boots on the ground across the United States.

Kanye West
YE 2020
Live5News.com

Our sources say the campaign's main objective right now is gathering enough signatures to get Kanye on the ballot in each of the remaining states.

We're told volunteers are canvassing for signatures in West Virginia -- hitting popular spots like restaurants and shopping malls -- and campaign staffers are working in New York ahead of Thursday's deadline to qualify for the ballot.

In West Virginia, the Secretary of State's office tells us Kanye needs 7,144 signatures by Monday to get on the ballot. If Yeezy gets enough signatures, it will trigger a review to verify every person is indeed a registered voter.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye's facing a huge hurdle back in his home state, Illinois, where there are several objections over the validity of signatures gathered to get Ye on that state's ballot.

As we reported ... Yeezy's already submitted paperwork to get on the ballot in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Illinois and Missouri.

Now, Kanye's setting his sights on West Virginia and New York behind a beefed-up campaign staff.

Joe Biden Personal Notes Revealed ... Evidence Senator Harris is VP Pick

Joe Biden seems to have one particular person in mind for his VP running mate ... it's Sen. Kamala Harris, and there are clues from his notes that accidentally became public.

The presumptive Democratic candidate was taking questions from reporters Tuesday, and at one point ... one of the photogs captured a close-up shot of the notes he had on him, which featured a bullet-point list of topics and highlights ... including a whole section on Harris.

In fact, KH was the first item on Biden's notepad -- under her name were a few things he (or his staff) wanted him to address ... first being, "Do Not Hold Grudges." After that, Biden touched on the fact she's campaigned with him and his wife, Jill, she was talented, she'd be a great help to the campaign and he has great respect for her.

There was talk early on that Biden would pick Harris if he got the nom, but lots of people thought that plan was 86'd after the Senator went after the former VP for his civil rights record during the first debate. That said, Harris is one of the few contenders with executive experience -- She was the D.A. in San Fran and CA Attorney General.

But, there's this ... Biden's top campaign adviser who's helping vet candidates, Chris Dodd, didn't like the fact Harris had "no remorse" when confronted about the way she went after JB. Dodd reportedly considered her attack a cheap shot, and apparently wanted Harris to apologize for it or something, but she didn't. Her reported response, a chuckle and "that's politics."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

For her part, Senator Harris posted a very VP-like photo with Biden a few days ago. So maybe this is more straight-forward than we think ... in any case, we'll find out soon enough.

Tiffany Haddish Racism Makes Me Afraid to Have Kids

Tiffany Haddish
I'VE SEEN IT FIRSTHAND
whatsinyourglass.tv

Tiffany Haddish is opening up about the idea of motherhood, but says one thing above all else scares her -- bringing a child into a racist world.

The actress and comedian discussed the topic on NBA star Carmelo Anthony's hit podcast, "What's in Your Glass?," saying everyone's always asking her when she's going to have some babies.

Her answer ... "There's a part of me that would like to do that, and I always make up these excuses like, 'Oh, I need a million dollars in the bank before I do that, I need this, I need that.' But really, it's like, I would hate to give birth to someone that looks like me, knowing that they're gonna be hunted or killed."

Tiffany teared up as she added ... "Why would I put someone through that?"

Carmelo -- who has a teenage son -- said, "It's scary to even think about that" ... and Haddish pointed out that white people don't have that concern.

Tiffany Haddish
SHARING IS CARING
TMZ.com

Tiff attended and spoke at Black Lives Matter protests in L.A. last month, and says the movement's giving her some hope for the future -- but it's clear racism still has her second-guessing motherhood.

Tyga Opening Virtual Chicken Restaurants ... Tyga Bites, Anyone?!?

Tyga
WINGIN' IT
TMZ.com

Tyga wants to throw struggling restaurants and eateries a lifeline ... he's opening a virtual restaurant and his secret chicken recipe and delivery plan could help the joints survive.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" and unveiled his virtual restaurant concept ... Tyga Bites -- baked, boneless and free of antibiotics.

Here's how it works ... Tyga's targeting 500 restaurants and kitchens trying to make enough cash to survive during the pandemic. He and his company will teach the chefs how to make the oven-baked chicken tenders. He's partnering with Grubhub which will deliver the food. So, Tyga won't have a single, brick and mortar restaurant, but he'll cover the country. Kinda genius.

There will be 3 types of chicken and 12 sauces ... and that does the trick. He's marketing it as a healthy, delicious choice -- black garlic, lemon black pepper and peri-peri. He's also serving Tyga Tots (love the name) -- regular and sweet potato -- and chocolate chip cookies. And, there are beverages to wash it all down.

It could be a blueprint for other celebs to start a virtual restaurant and help struggling restaurants.

Rep. Maxine Waters Fears Trump Won't Leave White House if He Loses ... Could Civil War Follow???

Maxine Waters
BE PREPARED
TMZ.com

Rep. Maxine Waters fears what's going on in Portland could be a sign of trouble to come in November ... IF President Trump loses the election, and refuses to give up power.

The Congresswoman, who was on Capitol Hill, was super concerned over AG William Barr's testimony, in which he supported the aggressive federal response to the protests.

Even more ominous than Barr ... Trump refusing to say he'd accept the results of the election, win or lose, and even more ominous ... whether he'd hand over the reigns of power.

Rep. Waters makes it clear ... she's worried her fears could become a reality, especially since neither Trump nor Barr will squarely say the President will accept the election results.

Waters says there's evidence Trump won't go willingly if he loses ... as she puts it, he's a wanna-be dictator whose methods follow a long line of dictators. And, she thinks the federal presence in Portland may be a dry run for things to come in November.

The growing fear ... that the election could not only trigger a constitutional crisis ... it could trigger a civil war.

L.A. County Sheriff's That Wasn't a Tamponccino!!! Investigation Clears Starbucks

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department's investigation has determined a cop's Starbucks drink was NOT tampered with a tampon -- instead it was a cleaning cloth ... which still ain't great.

You remember an off-duty LAPD cop made the accusation last month ... saying a Starbucks employee stuffed down a tampon in the Frapp drink he ordered. The cop claimed he used his police credit union debit card to buy the drink and says he found the feminine hygiene product inside his drink. This all went down at the height of social unrest over police brutality.

In any event ... the Sheriff's Dept. investigated and was unable to prove the store employee acted maliciously. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, "Based on the evidence available at this time, the item in the drink was possibly a cleaning type cloth commonly used by store employees."

NYPD had a similar alleged situation with a Shake Shack order, but again... no ill will was proven there.

Kim Kardashian Returns To L.A. Without Kanye ... After Tense Trip To Wyoming

Kim Kardashian is back in California after what seems to have been a very difficult visit with Kanye West in Wyoming ... and she flew back solo.

Kim landed in L.A. Tuesday morning, and as you can see, she was all by herself as she walked down the stairs of her private jet. Kanye's still at the ranch.

Kim Kardashian 7/28/20
RETURNING SOLO
BACKGRID

We broke the story ... Kim and Kanye reunited Monday in Wyoming for the first time since Yeezy's off-the-rails campaign rally in South Carolina ignited a bitter back and forth that saw Kim desperately trying to get Ye treatment for a serious, bipolar episode.

As we reported ... the couple stopped at a Wendy's drive-thru in Wyoming, and things got super emotional in the car, with Kim breaking down crying.

As for why Kanye didn't fly back with Kim ... we're told he's deep into the final touches of his album.

As you know ... Kanye talked about divorcing Kim, but he apologized Saturday for a comment he made to hurt his wife, and we're guessing it's the abortion talk.

Bottom line ... Kim's back in Cali, and Kanye's home on the range.

'RHONJ' Ramping Up to Shoot Amid COVID ... Teresa Taking Center Stage

The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' are falling in line with the other 'Housewives' -- they're getting back to work, safely, and Teresa Giudice is reassuming her role as top dog ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us the Jersey gals are going to begin shooting for their 11th season very soon, much like 'Real Housewives' in Atlanta and Orange County have recently started to do as well. Bravo halted filming on all the shows in March due to the pandemic.

The Jersey cast and crew will go through the same safety precautions as the other shows -- everyone on set gets daily temp checks, folks are encouraged to socially distance and a lot of scenes will be outdoors.

We've heard the crews will be required to wear masks, but it doesn't sound like the cast members will be forced to do so.

As for season 11 storylines? We're told Teresa will be heavily featured again ... especially her co-parenting with her estranged husband, Joe, who's in Italy after losing an appeal in his deportation case last year. Season 10 covered some of the fallout from that, including the family trip to visit him.

We're told Joe and Teresa's frequent FaceTime calls and phone chats will likely be documented -- they're on good terms right now, and there's no hint of a looming divorce, even though they're technically split up. No word on whether Joe's getting his own camera crew in his motherland, but it seems unlikely when you consider the cost.

FaceTime's way cheaper than a 2 or 3 person camera crew!

Julianne, Eva & Tracee Accepted The Challenge!!! to Push Women Empowerment

Julianne Hough, Eva Longoria and Tracee Ellis Ross are just some of the MANY celebrities who have jumped on the #ChallengeAccepted train.

Unless you've been living under a rock -- or straight-up just don't have Instagram -- you've seen Instagram feeds over the last few days being overtaken by black and white selfies by women. The objective? Females nominating other females to post a B/W selfie in an effort to promote women empowerment. When said female posts her pic, she's accepted the challenge.

Check out the pics ... some of the many stars who have accepted the challenge include Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Debra Messing, Chrissy Metz, Vanessa Bryant, Nicole Scherzinger, Uzo Aduba, Jessica Alba, Ilana Glazer, Mischa Barton, P!nk and Brooke Shields.

BTW ... this trend's nothing news. Back in 2016, there was a similar challenge to spread cancer awareness. And, in case you're wondering ... the 2020 hashtag challenge so far has reportedly seen more than 3 million posts uploaded on Instagram.

It should be noted ... the challenge has seen some pushback by others wondering why -- instead of posting selfies -- not promote books, products or charities that would benefit women's advancement instead.

Esteban on 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' 'Memba Him?!

Florida-born actor Adrian R'Mante is best known for his role as the fumbling Peruvian bellman, Esteban (full name Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez) -- who hangs around the Tipton Hotel and tries to keep the peace between the teens' kooky antics -- in the early 2000s Disney Channel sitcom, "The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody."

Adrian R'Mante was cast alongside some awesome young actors including Brenda Song as the hotel heir, London Tipton, Ashley Tisdale as the candy kid, Maddie Fitzpatrick ... and of course, Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Zack and Cody Martin.

Guess what he looks like now ... and shirtless!

George Floyd Light Hologram Going on Tour ... Through Southern States

George Floyd's memory, and the worldwide movement his murder started, is being honored with a new hologram that will be on full display across several Southern states.

Change.org partnered with the George Floyd Foundation to create this hologram image of George along with his name ... all in glowing yellow light. The image was unveiled Monday night in what some might call the most fitting place possible.

Several of George's family members gathered for the ceremony where the Jefferson Davis statue used to stand in Richmond, Virginia. The hologram was projected right where the President of the Confederacy had been honored before protestors tore down his statue last month.

George Floyd Halogram
IMMORTALIZED IN LIGHT
VPM

On Tuesday night, the hologram will appear again in Richmond -- but this time ... it will be projected where a Robert E. Lee statue used to stand. City officials took that one down.

From there, the George Floyd hologram will be on the move ... making stops at five other sites between North Carolina, Georgia and other states -- pretty much following the same route as the 1961 Freedom Rides during the Civil Rights era.

George's family said they wanted his hologram displayed in places they felt needed to see it most right now.

GLOW Wrestling Sally the Farmer's Daughter Dies ... After Cancer Battle

Ex-pro wrestler Beckie Mullen -- famously known as Sally The Farmer's Daughter from GLOW -- has passed away after a long fight with cancer, TMZ Sports has confirmed with multiple family members.

We spoke with Beckie's daughter, Brittani Rabay, who tells us, "Mom had stage 4 kidney, colon and liver cancer."

Mullen was diagnosed in October and was told she didn't have long to live. She passed away earlier this week at a hospital in Palm Springs, CA.

"She fought as long as she could."

We also spoke with Beckie's mother, Jackie, who tells us her daughter was suffering and she's now confident she's moved on to a better place.

Beckie's mom tells us the wrestler was 55-years-old when she passed.

We've spoken with several former GLOW wrestlers who worked with Beckie and are devastated by the news. Beckie was clearly well-liked amongst her peers.

She first appeared on "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" back in 1986 -- the inaugural season.

There has been renewed interest in GLOW after Netflix launched a scripted series based on the wrestling promotion starring Marc Maron and Alison Brie.

After her wrestling career, Beckie scored some acting roles in Hollywood -- appearing on shows like "Married with Children," "MadTV," "Renegade" and "Pacific Blue."

She was also featured in the 1991 music video for Van Halen's "Poundcake."

MacKenzie Scott Bezos' Ex-Wife Donates $1.7 Billion to Charity!!!

MacKenzie Scott truly is putting her money where her mouth is -- she just announced she's donated nearly 2 BILLION BUCKS to a slew of charities.

MacKenzie, who restored her maiden name after divorcing Jeff Bezos, said Tuesday, "Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror." Referring to her enormous wealth, she acknowledged the privilege and opportunities she had and said she wanted to help organizations that level the playing field for all.

As she put it, "Many will choose to share some of what they have with people whose equal participation is essential to the construction of a better world."

Here's the breakdown of her jaw-dropping gift:

-$586.7 million to racial equity
-$46 million to LGBTQ+ equity
-$133 million to gender equity
-$399.5 million to economic mobility
-$55 million to empathy and bridging divides
-$72 million to functional democracy
-$128.3 million to public health
-$130 million to global development
-$125 million to climate change

MacKenzie -- who last year pledged to give away the majority of her wealth -- wanted to make it crystal clear ... she didn't just blindly shove money to non-profit organizations. She said, "On this list, 91% of the racial equity organizations are run by leaders of color, 100% of the LGBTQ+ equity organizations are run by LGBTQ+ leaders, and 83% of the gender equity organizations are run by women."

As you'd expect, she's getting big props for her donation, although that's not always a given ... as her ex-husband knows. Remember, even though Jeff's thrown his support firmly behind the Black Lives Matter movement, that hasn't stopped others from targeting him ... like when his D.C. home was targeted by angry protesters with a guillotine.

That Bezos divorce came with a lot of zeros, but ya can't say MacKenzie isn't paying it forward!

Tamar Braxton Reality Show Postponed After Apparent Suicide Attempt

Tamar Braxton's upcoming reality show premiere is being pushed back by the network after the apparent suicide attempt that sent her to a hospital.

WE tv tells TMZ it's postponing the debut of her new series, "Get Ya Life!," from July 30 to Sept. 10 because of "the current situation" with Tamar.

The network says its first concern is for Tamar's recovery and well-being and the timing just isn't right to debut the new show.

WE tv added, "At this moment we are joining with her fans and sending strength and healing in the hope that she is getting the support and help she needs at this difficult time."

As we reported ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their Ritz-Carlton hotel room in downtown Los Angeles. EMTs found Tamar unconscious inside her room when they arrived. She was hospitalized and has since improved to stable condition.

Tamar Braxton 911
911 AUDIO

David claimed during the 911 call that Tamar was distraught -- and mixed pills with alcohol -- because she'd been feuding with WE tv over her portrayal in the first episode. However, our sources say it was more David who was upset with the way he came off on the show.

The network has not commented on the alleged beef, but says Tamar is "an incredibly important member" of the We TV family.