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Betty White was a known animal lover who supported a number of organizations throughout her life ... now one of them is stepping up to honor her in one of the best ways possible!

The CEO for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Christine Benninger, tells TMZ ... Betty was a true friend of the org for more than 35 years ... and that's why they'll be naming one of their Golden Retriever puppies after her.

The name of the pooch -- BettyRose. It's is a nod to Betty's character on "Golden Girls."

The doggie will go to a puppy raiser when she's around 6 weeks old. Betty herself became a raiser when she adopted a Golden Retriever named Pontiac. He was her puppy for many years.

We're told there will also be a tribute to Betty in October in San Fran ... where staff and volunteers will share stories about Betty and play a video montage to honor her decades of dedication to the organization.

GDB is the largest guide dog school in North America, and Betty's legacy will continue to live on through the org and little Ms. BettyRose.

Shawn Mendes may be something of a poser, but give the guy a pass!!!

Shawn looked great as he emerged from the ocean blue Friday in Miami. He spent about 2 hours on the sand ... outside the Soho House.  One sunbather tells TMZ Shawn looked "pensive, almost like he was meditating."

Apparently, he went down to the beach with friends, but spent at least some of the time in solitude, although he did jump in the water from time to time.

The question ... are Shawn and Camila Cabello back together? They were out walking their dog together the other day. We say "together" because they got the Golden Retriever, Tarzan, together during quarantine. Now they announced their breakup so it could just be Shawn wants some time with the pooch. But, people are buzzing that this looks like more than just a canine custody arrangement.

Whatever's going on with them ... Shawn's making it clear if he is indeed single, he's in top dating shape!

JoJo Siwa chatted with a 5-year-old cancer patient before surgery ... telling her everything would work out and she would kick cancer's butt.

As you see in the conversation between JoJo and Blakely Bergenfeld ... JoJo's a pro at putting her young fans at ease ... patiently answering the little girl's questions.

Blakely's parents, Jason and Kimberly Bergenfeld, tell TMZ ... the cancer diagnosis was sudden, after the little girl began experiencing headaches and fevers during a recent family ski trip.

We're told Blakely's parents took her to a pediatrician when they got back to L.A., and the doctor noticed her liver was swollen and rushed her to the ER at L.A. Children's Hospital.

Blakely's dad says his daughter underwent a series of tests, and that's when doctors discovered cancer in her kidney. She underwent surgery to remove a giant tumor on her kidney Friday.

We are told the surgery went even better than planned. She had to have her kidney removed because it was close to rupturing and would have been terminal if they had not treated it in time. The doctors also found tumors on her liver and lungs, which were removed. The doctors will know in the next few days exactly what stage and type of cancer she has, but she is stable and past the first step on her road to recovery.

It's been a whirlwind few days ... we're told Blakely had appeared completely healthy before she started feeling ill.

JoJo got involved after learning of Blakely's diagnosis through 'Dance Moms' star Kira Girard and her husband, who are close friends with the Bergenfelds.

Blakely is a huge JoJo fan and was supposed to meet her at the Nickelodeon awards last March before it was canceled due to COVID.

Amy Schneider is on a roll ... she just became the 4th player in "Jeopardy!" history to rake in more than $1 mil in non-tournament play, and she's still in the game!!!

Amy, the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, won her 28th game on the show that aired Friday night, taking her winnings north of $1M ... to be specific, $1,019,001.

She was stoked, saying, "It feels amazing, it feels strange. It's not a sum of money I ever anticipated would be associated with my name."

Amy has now won more loot than any other female contender, and she's now the record-holder for most consecutive wins by a female contestant.

She joins 3 others who broke the million-dollar mark -- Ken Jennings, who pocketed $2,520,700, James Holzhauer, who scored $2,462,216, and Matt Amodio, who won $1,518,601.

Amy's had a tough time recently, after getting robbed a few days ago.  She said, "Hi all! So, first off: I'm fine, But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn't really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything."

It's unclear if the robber/robbers knew she was on a "Jeopardy!" winning streak.

She also fell ill after the robbery. But, things are clearly looking up.

So, as Kim and Pete travel the world, Kanye has hooked up with a new gf, or so it seems. And, Trump was in Biden's crosshairs on Jan 6th. So, we gotta ask ...

Antonio Brown's NFL career is over -- at least, that's what legendary NFL coach Dick Vermeil thinks ... telling TMZ Sports he can't see another team giving him a shot after his wild, shirtless exit from the Buccaneers.

"I can't believe somebody would," Dick tells us. "A man demonstrates what he is by what he does and he answered everybody's evaluation questions when we saw him doing that stuff."

Of course, Vermeil is referring to AB taking his pads and jersey off and heading to the locker room -- in the middle of Sunday's game against the Jets -- after a disagreement with coach Bruce Arians.

"I have never in my 30-something years of coaching from high school, junior college, Division I and the NFL -- I have never seen anything like that," he added.

Vermeil -- who coached the Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs -- gives Tampa Bay credit for trying to help AB get his career back on track by signing him last season ... but says the controversial star was never going to change his ways.

"I think sometimes even though you're trying to do the right thing that you bring your own problems," Vermeil said.

"You create your own problems by bringing people that have been a problem," he continued, "What makes you think that you're gonna change 'em?"

Vermeil says he never would have given AB a shot to begin with ... saying, "I try to stay away with players that had problems because you have enough problems with players who don't have problems."

"To bring somebody in with a profile like he has, you only asking for problems."

The new year is all about self-care and these scrubbing celebrities know the first step to getting a clean start in 2022 is a good fresh cleanse in some classic soap and water!

Soapy stars like Chiara Ferragni, Dua Lipa, Kara Del Toro, and Sofia Resing have taken to the tub … and they are sharing their lavish night in with their fans!

Plenty of other soaking celebs -- such as Alex Rodriguez, Chris Hemsworth, and Kali Uchis -- are only missing a rubber duck to complete their look!

Wade through these fun photos of bathing beauties!

Affion Crockett is remembering late actor Sidney Poitier as a "king" ... and thanking him for kicking open the door and paving the way for Black entertainers.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked how he's remembering Sidney ... and Affion says he wouldn't have a platform today without Poitier changing the landscape of how Hollywood viewed Black men.

Affion says Sidney was more than a trailblazer ... also remembering him as a prolific actor and orator, and marveling at the way he carried himself and represented his craft.

As we reported ... Sidney died at the age of 94, and tons of tributes are pouring in for the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Bella Hadid color you wild! Be on your best model behavior and see if you can bundle up all the sneaky switches!

The celebrity personality was seen bracing herself for the winter cold in this accessorized outfit on the streets of New York City last week ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! So, put your fashion foot forward and see if you have the fierce talent to uncover the differences in these two super similar snaps!

Scottish singer Lulu, who sang the huge, hit, title song for one of Sidney Poitier's most famous movies, is reflecting on his death ... and thanking him for inspiring her.

Lulu tells TMZ ... Sidney was "my friend, my teacher, my inspiration."

She famously sang the theme song for Sidney's 1967 movie, "To Sir, With Love." The film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Original Score written from a motion picture or TV show.

Sidney starred in the film, alongside Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall ... and Lulu!

Lulu also tells us the movie, "rises above the fray and leads by example," ... comparing it to the way Sidney lead his life. She says SP empowered and educated those around him, so they could choose to follow his lead.

Remember ... Sidney is credited with breaking barriers in Hollywood for Black celebrities ... and Lulu clearly was moved by working with him.

'Love & Hip Hop' star Lyrica Anderson is waving the white flag on her marriage to A1 Bentley ... because she just filed for divorce.

Lyrica beelined it to a Los Angeles courthouse Friday to file divorce docs after more than 5 years of marriage.

It's unclear what led to the split ... but they have been very open about marital problems, sharing their issues on reality TV ever since they eloped back in 2016.

Lyrica was previously accused of cheating on A1 with Nicki Minaj's ex, Safaree Samuels ... and the drama was a major storyline on the 2018 season of 'L&HH: Hollywood.'

Lyrica was pregnant at the time of the cheating allegations and A1 and his immediate family demanded she takes a paternity test, which revealed A1 was the father.

LA gave birth to the couple's baby boy in November 2018 ... and as she told us back then, she survived a major health scare shortly after bringing Ocean Zion Bentley into the world.

Aaron Rodgers is going after yet another member of the media ... this time, he eviscerated a Boomer Esiason report that said he was planning to boycott the Super Bowl if the Packers make it.

"Dumbest f***ing story ever," Rodgers said.

Esiason -- a former NFL star who's now an analyst and WFAN radio show host -- went on his morning show Friday and said a trusted source told him Rodgers is planning something diabolical for SB week if Green Bay gets there.

On the show, Esiason had his co-host read a text in which he claims a source said Rodgers will "threaten the NFL by saying he won't play in the big game or next season if they don't eliminate some of the COVID-related rules."

Esiason claims the text went on to say ... "He's told Jordan Love to be ready ... Super Bowl week will be set on fire and send [Roger] Goodell in a frenzy navigating the situation."

Rodgers got word of the report a couple hours after it dropped -- and sent out a tweet with laughing emojis.

"#fakenews," he said. "#boycottfakenews."

Rodgers then played around with Packers' third-string QB Kurt Benkert over the report ... adding, "Were you just mad I only told @jordan3love to be ready and not you?? #grudge #boycottvideogames"

"Anchorman" star David Koechner's recent DUI arrest has his estranged wife worried for the safety of their kids -- and she's asking the court to put buffers in place to protect them.

Leigh Morgan Koechner filed docs Friday in L.A. asking for Koechner's visitation with their children to be suspended and for "safeguards be put in place to ensure (Koechner's) sobriety."

As for what those measures include ... Leigh requests the actor submit to drug testing as well as use a Soberlink device to monitor alcohol consumption.

TMZ broke the story, Koechner was busted for DUI around 3 PM in L.A. on New Year's Eve. Law enforcement sources tell us he had two flat tires when he was pulled over and blew a .13 in the field and .12 back at the station.

Koechner's fighting Leigh's visitation request, stating none of the couple's kids were in the car at the time of the arrest and claiming he's driven the kids -- with Leigh's knowledge -- since the incident. Koechner also says he's working on his sobriety with professional help.

Antonio Brown's bridge-burning clearly didn't end on Sunday with his departure from the Bucs -- 'cause on Friday, he took some major shots at Tom Brady that could signal the end of that relationship too.

The embattled wide receiver joined the "FULL SEND PODCAST" this week ... and it didn't take long for him to begin shading his former Tampa Bay quarterback.

Brown said he was annoyed with Brady over his "prove-it" contract with the Bucs, explaining he thinks the signal-caller should have helped him get paid like Rob Gronkowski.

"If Tom Brady's my boy, why am I playing for an earnest salary?" Brown said. "You my boy, though, right? Gronkowski is his boy, right? How much did he get paid? So, why is AB on a prove-it deal? Who's better than me over there? Let's be real!"

Brown also chided the Full Send guys -- and other members of the media -- for constantly praising Brady ... saying, "Brady can't do s*** by himself."

"But, you guys going to make it seem like he's just this heroic guy," Brown added. "Bro, we all humans. Bro, we're all dependent on somebody else to do the job."

Brown then railed against the QB over his targets in Tampa ... pointing out that Ben Roethlisberger threw him the football far more than Brady ever did.

"Does Tom Brady throw me the ball like Ben Roethlisberger?" Brown said. "Let's be honest."

Brown had claimed over the past few years that he and Brady had a good relationship ... with AB calling the quarterback his friend on numerous different occasions.

The fate of the 3 men responsible for the murder Ahmaud Arbery has been decided, 2 will spend the rest of their lives behind bars and the third has a possibility of parole.

The Brunswick, GA judge just sentenced Travis and Gregory McMichael to life in prison without parole, while William "Roddie" Bryan has the possibility of parole down the road. The judge decided to cut Bryan a slight break as he was unarmed and had showed some remorse for being involved in the incident from the beginning.

Each of the men sat solemn while their sentences were read, faces covered with masks, and neither made any sort of statement to the court.

After the sentence was read, the prosecutor asked the judge to prohibit each of the 3 men from being able to make any money from the case -- whether it be through book deals, interviews or promotional material ... a decision the judge has not yet made.

During the victim impact statements, Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, gave an emotional testimony to the life of her son ... saying raising him was the greatest honor of her life.

Wanda went on to describe her son as a curious, loving and thoughtful child -- she had asked the judge for life without parole for each of the 3 involved.

While all 3 men were convicted of murder and several other charges back in November ... only Travis, the son of Gregory, was convicted of malice murder. Travis is the one who pulled the trigger on his rifle, killing Ahmaud.

Under GA law, each of the men are required to serve 30 years in prison, so for 52-year-old Bryan ... even with the possibility of parole, he could still die behind bars.

Dr. Peter Hotez says the key to getting the COVID pandemic under control is reducing the rise of variants in developing countries ... and his new vaccine could be just what doctors everywhere ordered.

The renowned vaccine expert joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to tell us all about what could be a game-changing breakthrough -- his low-tech, low-cost vaccine, dubbed Corbevax.

Hotez, who's the Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, says the Delta and Omicron variants sprouted from unvaccinated populations in India and Africa ... and he says there will be more coming if people in developing nations don't get the shot. That's where his vaccine comes into play.

Corbevax is NOT an mRNA vaccine, and actually uses an older process he and his team started developing a decade ago. It's already been authorized in India, Bangladesh and Indonesia -- and because it's more affordable, he says they've cranked out more than 300 million doses!!!