Wiz Khalifa Down To Sign Jake Paul To PFL MMA ... 'Hell Yeah!!!'

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WE'LL TAKE JAKE
TMZSports.com

Jake Paul is already getting interest from the MMA community ... 'cause Wiz Khalifa -- who is part-owner of the Professional Fighters League -- tells TMZ Sports he'd love to sign the YouTuber-turned-fighter to the promotion!!

25-year-old Paul has flirted with making the switch from the ring to the cage recently ... in hopes of landing a fight with Jorge Masvidal -- or pretty much any other fighter in the MMA community at this point.

He seems to be serious about the switch ... and has even been spotted working on his kicks at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable gym recently, a place that Wiz has frequented over the years.

So, when we met up with Wiz during Super Bowl week, we had to ask if he thinks Jake is PFL material.

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CAN I KICK IT?

"It would be tight if he fought for PFL," Wiz said. "He's a cool guy. So, wherever he is, he's going to bring a lot of excitement."

Of course, PFL is one of the top MMA promotions in the sport ... so Wiz's co-sign is nothing to scoff at.

When we asked straight-up if he would want PFL to sign Jake, Wiz didn't mince his words.

"Oh, hell yeah."

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Hidden underneath this circular face is an award-winning snowboarder who has been competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics ... and now it's on you to peel back the frazzled face to guess the golden boy in the photos.

This oblong athlete may have missed his opportunity to bring home some heavy metal for his home turf of the USA ... but he's got an impressive collection of Olympics medals, ESPYs and X Games gold to reflect upon whenever he feels like it.

Can you carve through this cool photo and make an educated guess at who is hidden behind this scrambled star?

Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins 'Pam & Tommy' Studio Scene Never Happened!!!

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THAT NEVER HAPPENED
TMZ.com

Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind is setting the record straight about the confrontation between his band and Mötley Crüe in "Pam & Tommy." It never happened, because he's never even met them.

The Hulu series -- about Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee's marriage -- features a scene where the band has their studio time swiped by Third Eye Blind, and shows Tommy Lee barging in to confront them.

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FULLY FICTIONAL
Hulu

Well, TEB's lead singer tells us that's total fiction -- he says he doesn't know any Crüe members, and hadn't even heard their music at that time ... but the intent of the scene was making a point about the industry. This was first reported by Variety.

Stephan says Third Eye and Crüe were on the same record label, and studio time tends to be limited. Sometimes resources go to the less established -- like TEB was compared to Crüe at the time -- and that does ruffle some feathers.

"Pam & Tommy" started streaming earlier this month, but Stephan says he hasn't seen it yet. He found out they were in it from his manager. He also gets into the backlash he has gotten from comments he has made since the series aired.

The show actually comes at a good time for Third Eye Blind. In honor of their 25th anniversary, the band just announced a summer tour ... with some proceeds going toward the restoration of the Palos Verdes Kelp Forest off the SoCal coastline.

Sofia Jirau VS Model with Down's Syndrome Signs New Deal ... Joins L'Oreal Family!!!

The first Victoria's Secret model with Down's syndrome is on a roll, because we've learned she's just signed another huge deal with a major beauty company, and she's especially happy she's becoming an inspiration for others who face similar challenges.

Sofia Jirau just shared the news with us -- she's entered into a partnership with L'Oréal Caribe in Puerto Rico!!!

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CHANGING THE GAME
TMZ.com

Sofia tells us she'll model and promote 4 products for the brand -- makeup, hair, fragrances and skincare. She'll work with both her team and the team over at L'Oreal to work on brand strategy and the best way for her to push the products.

The partnership makes a lot of sense, Sofia says she loves hair, makeup, taking photos ... and the rollout will also happen on her social media pages.

Sofia says, "I feel happy and proud for me and for all the girls around the world that now can dream without limits."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Sofia has certainly had a big week ... Victoria's Secret announced Wednesday that she was their first model with Down's syndrome as part of the more inclusive "The VS Collective."

Congrats!!!

Tara Lipinski Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Gold medal-winning figure skater Tara Lipinski's good looks have been on ice for over two decades!

Here's a 15-year-old version of the Team USA ice skater smiling to the cheering fans in Nagano, Japan moments after scoring the gold medal in the women's long program beating out her teammate Michelle Kwan at the 1998 Winter Olympics XVIII. (left).

TP ... now 39 years old ... shared this selfie on her social media page while covering this year's Winter Olympics alongside her friend, co-anchor and figure skater Johnny Weir (right).

Her beauty is frozen.

The question is ...

Tara Lipinski

Mayday! Helicopter Crashes Near Miami Beach ... 2 Hospitalized, 3 Onboard

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SPLASH LANDING
Miami Beach Police
UPDATE

12:51 PM PT -- The FAA tells TMZ ... "A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near Miami Beach, Fla., under unknown circumstances at approximately 1:20 PM local time today. Three persons were onboard. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates."

A helicopter went down in Miami -- crash landing in the ocean, no less ... and mere feet from swimmers.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon in South Beach, with Miami Beach PD releasing surveillance footage that shows the moment the chopper starts to descend from the sky.

As you can see, it comes into frame out of nowhere ... and then heads straight down into the water incredibly close to the shore. Indeed, it appears there were people out by where the aircraft ended up touching down. Fortunately, it doesn't look like any of them were hit.

People were expectedly shocked from the sight, and it looks like the authorities responded quickly. Jet skis on hand immediately rode out to the site, and eventually ... boats arrived on the scene as well to fish out the passengers and to clear the area.

So far, only two have been hospitalized ... they're said to have actually been in the helicopter, and they were transported in stable condition.

No word on any other injuries so far, or what may have caused this to happen in the first place. It's also unclear what sort of a helicopter this is ... commercial, private or otherwise.

The FAA has been looped in, and an investigation in underway.

Originally Published -- 12:44 PM PT

Omeretta The Great 'Sorry Not Sorry' ... But Outskirts Aren't Atlanta!!!

An up-and-coming rapper from the ATL is drawing a line in the sand over who can and can't claim her turf -- and by default ... kinda ostracizes A LOT of big names that rep her home.

The young MC is Omeretta The Great, and she's got a new single out -- "Sorry Not Sorry" -- that has folks from the Greater Atlanta Metro Area in a full-blown tizzy about who's actually from there, and who's not.

You gotta see what Omeretta considers "Atlanta" -- she kinda turns it into a local geography lesson, getting very specific.

On the NOT ATLANTA list: Forest Park, Lindbergh, Roswell, Gwinnett and Clayton County, Lithonia, Decatur and much of the north and south parts of town (like College Park and East Point, for example).

While she doesn't exactly spell out where her city limits are exactly, it seems like OTG might be relying on zoned districts that officials/cops use to map out Atlanta proper.

If true, then there's a good handful of legendary artists that she's divided into two camps -- those with actual ATL roots, and those without.

Based on what she's saying here, one could surmise that she might think rappers and singers like Ludacris, OutKast, Monica, Young Joc, 2 Chainz and others are NOT from Atlanta. They mostly grew up in the outskirts, to the south of the main city or elsewhere.

By the same token, Omeretta also seems to be saying the Migos aren't from Atlanta, as they hail from Lawrenceville (part of Gwinnett Co.) -- which is less controversial, since that's low-key far from Atlanta itself.

Those who could be safe in Omeretta's eyes ... Future (Kirkwood), Lil Baby (Oakland City), T.I. (Bankhead) and Gucci Mane (East Atlanta). Their stomping grounds seem to be within actual Atlanta borders, as it were.

Now, as you might imagine ... the response from "Atlanta Twitter" is fierce ... with many actually agreeing with Omeretta, and others saying she's being way too territorial for no freakin' reason. Also of note, she went and shot this video at Truist Park -- about 10 miles north of downtown -- which isn't lost on people ... and appears to contradict her point.

None of the icons mentioned above appear to have responded to Omeretta’s in-or-out club headcount just yet ... but wouldn't it be something if they did, and actually made a song about it???

All of these musicians are notably proud of where they come from, and we wouldn't be surprised if one or more of them had something to say about this. 👀

Brian Flores Hired As Steelers Assistant Coach ... Amid NFL Lawsuit

UPDATE

12:26 PM PT -- Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis tell TMZ ... "We congratulate Coach Flores on his new position with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the organization for giving him this great opportunity. While Coach Flores is now focused on his new position, he will continue with his race discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL."

Brian Flores is suing the NFL, but he'll still be getting paychecks from the org. in 2022 ... 'cause the ex-Miami Dolphins head coach has been hired to join the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff.

As we previously reported, Flores is in the middle of a messy legal battle with the NFL ... claiming its hiring process is rooted in racism -- even using texts from Bill Belichick to make his point.

While the 40-year-old's priority is facing off against the league in court in hopes of bringing change, he'll also be setting his focus on the AFC North ... as Flores will be the senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Stellers next season.

Mike Tomlin spoke about the hire ... saying, "I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL."

"Brian's resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team."

Flores was 24-25 in his 3 seasons with the Dolphins ... but many were puzzled with his firing in 2021, as it appeared he was finally hitting his stride in Miami.

Originally Published -- 11:30 AM PT

Kanye West Kris Jenner is Awesome, But ... Corey Gamble is 'Godless'

UPDATE

10:35 AM PT -- A source close to the two of them tells TMZ ... they're still very much together, and for Kanye to call Corey godless is unfair as he's very much, and always has been, a man of God.

Kanye West has set his sights on a new target ... Kris Jenner's BF, and he's gone in hard.

Ye posted a diatribe against Corey Gamble, insinuating he and Kris Jenner broke up, saying ... "God has a plan to remove the Godless Corey needed to never be here anyway." And THAT was just for starters.

He says Corey's a nice person but not a great person ... someone who, as he puts it, "became the tv version of a father figure."

Kanye seems to have beef over Corey muscling in on Kim Kardashian, saying, "He once told my wife he knew what music she should be listening to. So when I seen him a week later I had him removed from my daughter's birthday party."

And, then he blames Gamble for pushing Kim to the left, saying, "He got my wife linked with the liberals in a deep way. That was his Job For some reason I always felt he worked for DuPont or some organization in that pedigree."

And, then he dismissed Gamble, saying, "Now he's off to his next mission. His job is done."

Now the turn ... Ye embraces Kris -- the woman he once called Kris Jong-un -- saying, "It's on purpose I love Kris. This woman is a hero and she's done what she's had to do to protect her family and make sure they prosper even if it meant telling everyone not to listen to me. I respect her grind her hustle and her mind. Kris is one of the best ever to do it."

Just another day ...

Originally Published -- 9:30 AM PT

Bill Maher Rails on LeBron, John Cena ... Over Attitudes Toward Abuses in China

Bill Maher delivered a devastating blow to celebrities, companies and woke American culture for turning a blind eye to the horrendous abuses in China ... mostly to make a buck.

Maher lasered in on freestyle skier Eileen Gu, an American who chose to join Team China for the Beijing games. As he puts it, "She chose to represent a totalitarian police state over America." He also notes she's made $23 million from a ton of endorsements in China.

Bill ticked off some of the horrendous human rights abuses in China, including genocide. He then wondered out loud why Americans -- in particular celebs -- who show outrage for abuses at home are either silent about the abuses in China or say something critical and then apologize.

He recalls NBA GM Daryl Morey who tweeted a few years ago he stands with Hong Kong -- a country whose freedom is being crushed by China. LeBron James fired back that Morey had to be "educated." And, what does Maher think is behind LeBron's jab -- $$$. Maher notes the NBA has a $1.5 billion deal for TV rights in China, then saying of LeBron ... "I got some shoes to sell."

And, then Maher led in hard on John Cena, who once called Taiwan a separate country from China. Point of fact, it is, although it's pretty clear China wants to change that. So, Maher noted 34% of global box office is generated from China, and Cena's a big movie star ... so then Maher played Cena's video, apologizing to the Chinese for saying what he said. BTW, Cena apologized in Chinese. Wait till you hear Bill's joke about small balls.

He goes on and on ... the remake of "Top Gun" has scrubbed the Taiwanese flag from the bomber jackets.

Bottom line ... as Maher puts it ... "We'll give access to our billion-plus consumers as long as you shut up about the whole police state, genocide thing."

Chrissy Teigen Teases Surrogacy Plans ... After Losing Son Jack

It looks like Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are in the process of having another baby, but this time via surrogate.

Chrissy posted a pic of needles and capsules and it appears the backdrop is some sort of medical office. It has the makings of an egg-retrieval procedure.

Her caption was even more revealing ... "Here we go again."

As you know, in September 2020, Chrissy and John lost Jack, who did not survive after being born 20 weeks into her pregnancy because of complications.

Chrissy told her fans last year she and John couldn't have another baby through natural childbirth.

Chrissy and John have 2 kids ... Luna who's 5, and 3-year-old Miles. It looks like they're planning on expanding their brood. We wish them luck.

Kanye West Cops Say Enough Evidence to file Charges in Battery Case

Kanye West could soon find himself charged for allegedly attacking a fan outside an L.A. hotel ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops have nearly completed their investigation into the case, and will soon ship their findings off to the L.A. City Attorney's Office, who will decide on whether to file any criminal charges against Kanye.

We're told between the paparazzi video evidence, and witness statements, cops think there's enough evidence to charge Kanye with a crime. We know cops wanted to interview Ye, but our sources say it never happened ... citing a busy schedule.

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YE LOSES IT
TMZ.com/BACKGRID

As we've told you ... Kanye is under investigation for allegedly punching an autograph seeker near the Soho Warehouse in DTLA ... and video shows the man laid out on the street as Kanye rages at folks who apparently work for him. We were told at the time Kanye broke the guy's nose.

The way it works in L.A. ... the City Attorney has 3 options -- file charges, reject the case, or call the involved parties in for an informal office hearing where they could impose certain conditions for the case to go away ... conditions like attending anger management classes.

Stay tuned ...

NBA All-Star Celeb Game Jack Harlow, MGK, Tiffany Haddish, Quavo Square Off!!!

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game had challenges Friday night ... because there was a major distraction in the crowd -- and her name is Megan Fox.

It must've been super hard for some players to concentrate as Megan cheered on her fiance Machine Gun Kelly, who played on Team Walton in the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

MGK was festooned in bling as he showed off his skills ... btw, he has mad skills on the hardwood.

Team Walton also included Quavo ... himself a pretty awesome player. He was more than happy to mug for a selfie with former WNBA great Lisa Leslie.

The opposing team -- Team Nique -- included the likes of Tiffany Haddish, singer Kane Brown and Jack Harlow!

Good sportsmanship clearly abounded at the event, as Jack Harlow of Team Nique was seen sharing a heartwarming embrace with Quavo of the opposite side.

Matt James of 'Bachelor' fame and a member of Team Walton had a misstep when he was shooting from the foul line and hit teammate Brittney Elena in the chest by mistake. People started trolling Matt on social media, and Brittney then jumped in ... "🤣🤣🤦🏽‍♀️🤣🤣 He said sorry y'all! It was a simple mistake lol."

BTW ... Team Walton killed 65-51!!!

Paris Jackson Takes Stage to Promote New Album ... Death is Part of My Love Songs

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SONGS OF MY LIFE
Coleman-Rayner

Paris Jackson is following in her late dad's footsteps ... dropping an album and revealing how death becomes an inevitability in certain songs of hers.

Michael Jackson's 23-year-old daughter was a surprise guest at the St. Regis Resort in Aspen, where she performed songs from her newly-released album.

A small audience was clearly into the tunes and the stories. Paris talked about being inspired to write about her breakup with an ex-boyfriend -- a breakup on Valentine's Day!!! And, does this sound familiar ... "I hope you like it, I know he won't."

Paris then told the small crowd, "I don't write happy songs. So, when I do try to write a love song it usually ends up being a song about me dying. So, that's what this one is, it's called 'Yellow Bird.'"

Paris ends the set but the audience wants more ... so check out the video where she sings "Margaritaville" as the crowd joins in.

CRUISE SHIP DISASTER Carnival Needs to Pay Up ... After Passengers Left Traumatized Over Jumper

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MOMENTS BEFORE JUMPING
WVUE/Fox 8

Passengers who witnessed a woman jump overboard to her death on a cruise ship have been left traumatized, and they want the cruise line to do some kind of a make-good.

Rhonda Turner, a 28-year-old from Booneville, MS, was enjoying her time on the Carnival Valor with her husband and two children ... before chaos erupted after a woman jumped off the balcony into the ocean.

Rhonda and her family rushed to where a large group of passengers was gathered. Rhonda says the scene was horrifying. She saw the head of the woman who jumped bobbing in the water. The woman was not decapitated, but all Rhonda could see was her head.

The woman jumped Wednesday afternoon after she was subdued by security. She had gotten into an altercation with a man in the hot tub.

Rhonda says the chaos left her and her family reeling, as helicopters hovered over the ship, trying to locate the woman. Her small children were bewildered and upset ... unable to understand the scope of what had happened.

Rhonda says it's time for Carnival to pony up ... at the very least she wants credit for another cruise. She's so traumatized she's considering counseling.

As for the woman who jumped, the Coast Guard has suspended the search, and Carnival's CARE team is providing support for her family.

Stars and Scars You Be the Judge

Kanye West went after LOTS of folks this week, and word on the street is the Super Bowl halftime show may have been the best ever. So, we gotta ask ...

Kanye West Should ...

Kim's Contentious Divorce ...

Better Super Bowl Halftime Show ...

Tom Brady ...

IOC Allowing Russian Skater Kamila Valieva To Compete ...

Royals Not Giving Harry & Meghan's Kids Security ...

Alec Baldwin Sued Over 'Rust' Shooting ...

What If It's Hillary Vs. Trump 2024?

DaBaby Bowling Lane Beatdown ...

Old news is old news!
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