'Selling Sunset' Christine Quinn Misses Reunion After Positive COVID Test

The cast of “Selling Sunset” was without its biggest star for the show’s reunion … Christine Quinn missed out thanks to a positive COVID test.

Christine's rep tells TMZ, "Christine tested positive for COVID on Saturday and out of an abundance of caution, she did not attend the reunion." The reunion taped Sunday at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

If you’re familiar with the show, Quinn’s an essential part of the storyline, and has been labeled the villain time and time again. Cast member Amanza Smith also revealed she had to miss the reunion because of COVID, but she appeared virtually.

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PRETTY IN PAIN
Instagram / @amanzasmith

Christine's rep tells us producers offered Quinn the opportunity to video chat in for the reunion, but she declined as she wasn't feeling well enough to do it.

You gotta imagine Christine's absence will make the reunion much less interesting, as Quinn’s had a feud with several members of the cast.

Elon Musk Twitter's Mine!!! Sale for Company is Final

UPDATE

12:55 PM PT -- Elon put a statement out, saying, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated."

UPDATE

He continues, "I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential - I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."

UPDATE

12:04 PM PT -- The deal is done ... Elon now owns Twitter, buying it for approximately $44 billion -- shareholders will receive $54.20 per share.

Elon Musk pulled a move only Don Corleone himself could finagle -- his big-ticket offer to buy Twitter has reportedly gotten the green light ... with the deal coming in for a landing.

Reuters says Musk's $43 billion bid is poised to be accepted by Twitter's board Monday, and that an official announcement could be expected later in the day. Sounds like he didn't budge on his $54.20-per-share price -- and he's in the process of reeling them in right now.

There is, of course, the possibility that this thing could fall through ... but at the moment, all signs point to be EM becoming the new owner of the bird app -- ushering in a new regime.

As we reported ... there were rumblings of this coming to fruition over the weekend. Twitter and Musk had a sit-down on Sunday, which apparently went long into the wee hours of the morning. Word is ... the company was under major pressure from shareholders to sell.

Some of the stockholders wanted to see if Musk would go up in price ... but in the end, it seems they're ready to accept his original betting chip -- especially now that he's got the dough all secured. Elon ponied up the cash last week with the help of some outside partners.

There's a laundry list of goals Elon apparently wants to achieve with the takeover. Beyond addressing "free speech" problems he sees, EM has reportedly also talked about longer tweets, pivoting away from ads and getting rid of spam bots -- which he sees as a pest.

Elon has also talked about making Twitter's algorithm open source ... meaning we'd be able to see why things trend the way they do, and why exactly we're seeing certain tweets on our timeline versus others. Essentially ... more transparency on how Twitter operates internally.

Of course, him taking the company private might mean this becomes a subscription-based service ... especially if he's serious about putting a stop to advertisements. So, the question is ... are folks willing to pay for Twitter, which has been free up to this point???

Originally Published -- 6:46 AM PT

Bodybuilder Shane Post Shot During Dispute Over Parking Spot ... Incident Caught On Video

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EXTREME MEASURES

Bodybuilder Shane Post was shot in the torso after getting into a dispute with a neighbor over a parking space outside his Dallas, TX townhome last Tuesday ... and the man who allegedly pulled the trigger is now behind bars.

Thankfully, Shane, whose colon, liver, and kidney were damaged, is recuperating in the hospital ... and even had the strength to talk to a local news outlet, Pittsburgh Action News, from his ICU room.

"The bullet is still in me," the bodybuilder said.

Shane, who is in stable condition, is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days at the very least.

The alleged shooter is a man named Nikki Brown. Police say he was still at the scene when they arrived following the shooting ... and was taken into custody. Brown was brought to Ellis County Jail, where he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon. He's since been released on bond.

As for why the shooting allegedly happened ... Shane's wife, Irina Post, says the man became angry when Shane's friend apparently pulled into his assigned parking spot while dropping off her husband.

Irina told the news outlet Mr. Brown -- who she says they've had a couple previous encounters with the neighbor -- came out in his robe with a loaded gun in his pocket.

Perhaps the worst part for the Post family ... Irina was standing outside with her and Shane's 3-month-old baby daughter when her hubby was shot.

Shane has been competing as a bodybuilder for years. He won the 2017 Mr. Pittsburgh competition.

Get well soon!

'Princess Bride' Star Cary Elwes Bitten by Rattlesnake ... Airlifted to Hospital

UPDATE

1:14 PM PT -- Elwes just showed off his snakebite, it got him on the finger. He writes, "Bit not by a ROUS but a rattlesnake. Grateful to the staff of Malibu Urgent Care, LA County Fire Dept. and the staff and medical professionals at UCLA for their great care. Am recovering well thanks to all these wonderful folks."

UPDATE

Cary Elwes got way more than he bargained for when a day of yardwork turned into a helicopter ride to the hospital after a nasty rattlesnake bite.

Sources connected to Cary tell TMZ ... the 'Princess Bride' star was airlifted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Saturday after he was bitten by a rattlesnake near his Malibu home. We're told he was working outside when the accident happened -- it's unclear where he was bitten.

In any case ... our sources say it was serious enough that Cary required immediate medical attention, as we're told people around him felt it was a life-threatening injury.

The good news ... Cary is going to make a full recovery and got the help he needed in time.

Cary was famously injured and hospitalized on the set of 'PB' -- not once, but twice actually ... he was knocked out cold by accident during a fake KO scene and required stitches. He also broke his toe at one point, and was hobbling around through much of the shoot.

So, yes ... the guy is historically a trooper, but not even the toughest of them can handle a poisonous snake bite. Of course, ya gotta imagine Zack Snyder's happy to hear this too.

Cary was recently cast to star in ZS's new 'Rebel Moon' flick -- with a prominent role, no less -- and production started up this past week ... something Cary himself was stoked about.

Originally Published -- 7:57 AM PT

DaBaby Walmart Shooting Vid Surfaces ... Debate on Self-Defense

One of DaBaby's first major legal cases is being discussed anew after a video capturing him fatally shooting someone surfaced online -- sparking a fierce debate about self-defense.

Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday depicting a 2018 confrontation DaBaby was involved in at a Walmart out in his native North Carolina -- before he was super famous -- in which he shot and killed a man.

DB was eventually charged with carrying a concealed weapon for the shooting, but no murder charge.

DaBaby hasn't shied away from this case ... insisting from the jump he was acting in self-defense -- claiming the victim, 19-year-old Jaylin Craig, had pulled a gun ... and he feared for his and his family's life. He was with his GF and baby girl in the store.

RS suggests this video contradicts DaBaby's self-defense narrative, as he appears to be the aggressor in this situation -- at least based on what they posted. He charges at another man (not Craig) and the two get into a scuffle, with Craig monitoring on the outskirts.

Craig appears to reach for and even brandish what was later determined to be a gun on his person -- but RS says his grieving family insists he never would've had to resort to grabbing it if not for DB's aggressive behavior setting this whole thing in motion.

Frankly, it's unclear what exactly set all this off -- DB has claimed Craig and his pals were harassing and threatening him and his brood that night, which is why he went on the attack.

While Rolling Stone appears to be questioning DaBaby's story of protecting himself, others have seen this video and agreed ... he had every right to pull his own gun and fire once Craig pulled his, especially since he wasn't the one directly involved in the fistfight.

Of course, others say this video just proves DaBaby is a bad seed and apparently prone to violence ... something his own history since this incident seems to support, at least in some folks' eyes. As you know, he's been involved in countless physical altercations over the years.

Most recently, he shot somebody whom he claims had wandered onto his property -- and just this weekend, he also appears to have openly swung on one of his own signed artists.

MTV 'MAKING THE BAND' CHOPPER ARRESTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING

Former MTV 'Making The Band' star Chopper has been busted for sex trafficking ... with law enforcement accusing him of being a pimp.

Chopper was arrested earlier this month in Maryland and he's being extradited to Las Vegas to face sex trafficking charges in Sin City.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, an undercover vice detective in Nevada posing as a sex worker says Chopper direct messaged them on Instagram with an apparent offer to make money through prostitution.

The undercover cop says they searched Chopper's IG account and noticed several posts related to prostitution and pimping, including posts where Chopper flaunted wealth and made references to being a pimp ... including one image of him inside a plane with a phone alongside the caption, "Sending em," with a money bag and crown emoji.

In the docs, the undercover cop says they launched an investigation into Chopper after seeing social media evidence of a potential sex trafficking operation.

The undercover says Chopper called them and bragged about frequent travel and having 7 homes across the country, including one in Las Vegas, while also telling the undercover Sin City was not a safe place to do business because law enforcement was cracking down.

What's more, the undercover says they had a phone interview with Chopper and after passing the test, Chopper told them he would make them part of his "team" and "stable."

The undercover says Chopper then became aggressive with them over the phone, ordering them around like he might do to a sex worker, telling them to pack their belongings, get to the airport and meet him in Charlotte, N.C. to join his "stable."

From there, the undercover says they stalled by telling Chopper they were scared to leave home ... with Chopper trying to verbally force them to make the trip, getting angry and demanding a $2,000 fee.

Between the alleged social media posts, direct messages, phone calls and fee demand ... the undercover says there was then enough evidence to arrest and charge Chopper with felony sex trafficking.

We reached out to Chopper's camp ... so far no word back.

Kid Rock Performs At Paulina/DJ Wedding ... 'Joy Of My Life'

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JOY OF MY LIFE
Instagram / @paulinagretzky

Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky had a self-proclaimed "American Bad Ass" at their wedding this weekend ... with none other than Kid Rock taking the stage to perform for the newlyweds.

DJ and the hockey legend's daughter tied the knot at a lavish event at Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee on Saturday ... and Paulina shared a short video of the reception, which featured the controversial singer.

"You are the joy of my life @djohnsonpga," Gretzky said on Instagram. "Thank you @kidrock."

Now, KR has a history of being unapologetically himself on the mic -- dropping homophobic slurs and going after Oprah Winfrey in the past.

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CAMERA SHY
TMZ.com

His performance over the weekend seemed to be free of controversy ... as Rock sang a cover of Chris Stapleton's "Joy of My Life."

The musical act might not be as random as you think -- Rock is tight with DJ and Wayne ... and they've hit the links together over the years.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

DJ and PG got engaged back in 2013 and have two children together ... and they looked absolutely perfect on their big day.

Kim & Pete Power Coupling with D.C. Bigwigs

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson certainly like to spend time together -- case in point ... attending a major event in our nation's capital, in lockstep.

The couple was just two of many celebs on hand Sunday night at the Kennedy Center in D.C., where Jon Stewart was being honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ... the first time in a few years it's been awarded.

As you can see, they were looking on attentively in matching black outfits.

Others A-listers in attendance included ... Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, Dave Chappelle, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Ed Helms and others. Even Bruce Springsteen was there to do a little ditty for JS.

Of course, tons of politicians showed face as well -- such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki and more.

As for Kim and Pete ... like we said, they're two peas in a pod these days when it comes to big events. They were shoulder-to-shoulder during the premiere of the new Kardashians show, and here they are again in another high-profile outing.

Seems like we're gonna be seeing more and more of this the longer they go ... the latest power couple out on the town.

Sharon Osbourne Says Facelift Made her look like 'f***** Cyclops' ... Talks 'Horrendous' Surgery and Therapy

Sharon Osbourne has had a year of ups and downs ... opening up about a 'horrendous' facelift that left her looking like a "f***** Cyclops" and why she went to an unconventional form of therapy.

The former 'The Talk' host talked a lot about her recent plastic surgery in an interview with The Sunday Times ... "I had a full facelift done in October and I looked like one of those f***** mummies that they wrap".

She wasn't done ... "It was horrendous I'm, like, you've got to be f***** joking. One eye was different to the other. I looked like a f***** Cyclops. I'm, like, "All I need is a hunchback."

Sharon says she wasn't the only one who was upset ... her hubby, Ozzy Osbourne, agreed and even offered to pay to fix it, no matter the price.

Now, months after the surgery, she says she's finally growing into her face. But, Sharon has had other things to worry about this past year.

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NEVER EVER AGAIN
TMZ.com

As you know, Sharon left "The Talk" after defending her friend Piers Morgan who attacked Meghan Markle on his show. When we asked her about a possible return to the show, she said ... "I would never go back to that show because CBS sucks big time d**k."

She says the firing took its toll ..., leading her to undergo months of Ketamine therapy -- which employs a drug to induce dissociative anesthesia, sedation, and amnesia.

The Kid Laroi Brings Show to Screeching Halt After Security Tackles Fans

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SAFETY FIRST
TMZ.com

The Kid LAROI is looking out for his fans, stopping his show after some concertgoers clashed onstage with security guards.

The Australian rapper surprised his fans with a secret concert at the Lodge Room in L.A.'s Highland Park neighborhood, but during the performance ... 2 people got a little too amped and got taken down.

The 2 fans jumped onto the stage, and security had to tackle them to the ground. They didn't get tossed out of the building, though ... and The Kid actually stopped the show to check on them.

Once he made sure they were all good, he even found their shades on the stage and returned them, telling the owner they were "clean as f**k."

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NEW NORM'
MEGA

Fan safety has been on a lot of artists' minds lately ... as you'll recall, Billie Eilish paused her concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC back in February, telling the crowd to take a deep breath and step back.

Arcade Fire stopped their big Coachella performance last weekend as someone in the audience had a medical emergency ... the fan was taken out on a stretcher.

These sudden halts are obviously a response to the Astroworld tragedy in November, where 10 people died in the crowd during Travis Scott's performance.

Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Ball Signed By Performers Hits Auction ... Eminem, Dr. Dre & Co.!!!

Forget Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp autographs ... here's one of the coolest pieces of Super Bowl LVI memorabilia you can own -- a ball signed by the Big Game's halftime show performers!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... a pigskin that Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak all signed following their epic show at the event in L.A. has just hit the block at Heritage Auctions.

And, according to experts, it could be a bargain for a potential buyer ... as it's expected to fetch just around $1,500!!

The ball is pretty sweet ... five of the artists that performed just before the Rams won the Lombardi Trophy back in February all put their signatures on it in bold, black ink.

The leather also features the Super Bowl LVI logo and other Wilson markings ... and comes with letters of authenticity.

Bidding is set to close on the auction in mid-May ... leaving plenty of time to scrounge up the cash for the piece of history.

Good luck!!!

LFO Member Brad Fischetti I'll Still Play 'Summer Girls' ... Despite Abercrombie & Fitch Lyrics

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SOMETHING GOOD FROM SOMETHING BAD
TMZ.com

Brad Fischetti, the last living member of LFO, isn't going to stop playing one of the band's hits even though its lyrics refer to now-canceled Abercrombie & Fitch, which was roasted in Netflix's latest doc ... and it's all about honoring his late bandmates.

Brad tells us he'll continue to perform the 1999 hit "Summer Girls" at his concerts ... as you'll recall, the chorus to LFO's song goes, "I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch ... I'd take her if I had one wish."

A&F's shady work behind the scenes has recently been exposed by Netflix's docufilm, "White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch" ... which features former employees revealing a toxic workplace that emphasized thin, white beautiful people as their vision of "All-American."

Brad's goal with anything he does with the band is to honor his lifelong friends and band members Devin Lima and Rich Cronin.

TMZ broke both stories ... the other two members of LFO both passed away from battles with leukemia - Rich Cronin in 2010 and Devin Lima in 2018. Brad, the last remaining member, has done his best to keep their memory alive.

Brad's currently on a tour called "POP 2000 TOUR" along with blasts from the past like O-Town, Ryan Cabrera, and Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC. He sees no reason to cut the song from his lineup because of a brand reference.

Elon Musk Gets Sit-Down w/ Twitter Execs ... Talking Takeover Bid?!?

Elon Musk's offer to buy Twitter might actually be one the company can't refuse -- the man is reportedly meeting with execs this weekend ... to seriously discuss his takeover proposal.

The Wall Street Journal reports that both sides are set to meet Sunday (today) to get into the weeds of his $43 billion bid ... which he put forth publicly, and for which he also just announced he got legit financing in the amount of $46.5 billion to actually make it happen.

Per WSJ, Twitter is receptive to negotiating a deal ... or at the very least, hearing Elon out and considering a final price tag -- even though EM says he won't budge on $54.20-a-share.

There's more on the table, potentially than just dough. WSJ says Twitter honchos are mulling over a number of factors ... including a final valuation of what they think the bird app is worth, the possibility of inviting other bidders ... and maybe even insisting on Elon covering breakup costs if the would-be deal falls apart (aka, sweeteners).

As for why Twitter would even entertain this ... Reuters reports they're under pressure from shareholders who want to get paid out. Elon reportedly met with a select number of bigwig shareholders this past week to make his pitch on why Twitter would be better in his hands.

Among the things he reportedly wants to change (beyond his "free speech" objections) ... allowing for longer tweets, and pivoting away ads. He also reportedly told several of them ... you'll never reach my share price on your own. Twitter's closing price Friday was $48.93.

Reuters says some shareholders have expressed to leadership that not only should they talk to Elon and feel him out -- but, more importantly, see if they can finagle a larger offer.

Time will tell if Elon's willing to spend a bit more to take Twitter private -- but he almost had folks thinking he was ditching this whole endeavor, tweeting "Moving on" Sunday ... later clarifying that he meant teasing Bill Gates regarding climate change.

Twitter has an earnings call Thursday, and is expected to officially weigh in on the bid. Bottom line ... Elon's chances of taking over are looking realer and realer by the day. 👀

Dragon Lady In 'Rush Hour 3' 'Memba Her?!

Japanese actress and singer Youki Kudoh was 36 years old when she was cast as the 'dragon lady' aka Jasmine -- the main antagonist and assassin with many superpowers like convincing, manipulating and seducing Lee before attempting to murder him -- in the 2007 action/comedy film "Rush Hour 3."

Youki shared the big screen with no other than Jackie Chan as Lee, Chris Tucker as Carter, Hiroyuki Sanada as Kenji and Noémie Lenoir as Genevieve.

"Would you like to know a secret cop? Someone's going to die here tonight."

Guess what she looks like now in her early 50's!

NFL's Byron Pringle Arrested For Doing Donuts In Hellcat ... With Young Son In Car

Chicago Bears WR Byron Pringle was arrested Saturday in Florida after state troopers say they busted him doing donuts in his sports car on a suspended license, with a child in the car, TMZ Sports has learned.

And, cops say Pringle was uncooperative ... becoming "verbally confrontational" with them during the stop.

28-year-old Pringle -- an NFL vet out of Kansas State -- was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol in his Orange 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat around 6 PM in Pasco County, FL after an FHP officer says he witnessed the car burning rubber, doing donuts on a public road, according to an incident report we obtained.

FYI, the Hellcat has over 700 HP ... and has a top speed of around 200 MPH. The car starts at over $65K.

Troopers say Byron was the driver of the vehicle. The car had two passengers ... an adult male in the front passenger seat, and a male child in the back seat. We're told the kid was Pringle's.

When police ran Pringle's license, they say it came back suspended.

Byron was taken into custody at 6:15 PM ... when he was taken to the county jail. He was arrested for Reckless Driving and driving on a suspended license.

The Hellcat was towed to a local yard.

Pringle was undrafted out of college ... before signing with the KC Chiefs as a free agent. He won a Super Bowl (LIV) during the 2019 season. Over his 4 years in Kansas City, he caught 67 balls for 4 touchdowns.

In March, Pringle signed a contract reportedly worth $6 million ($4 mil guaranteed) with the Chicago Bears.

Christopher Reeve, Adam West Rumored to Cameo in 'Flash' Flick ... Multiverse Hoppin' Galore

Christopher Reeve and Adam West are coming back to don their respective capes in the 'Flash' movie -- that is, if you believe would-be leaks ... which have the DC internet ablaze.

Rumors have been lying this week about supposed cameos that both Reeve and West -- who, of course, are deceased -- allegedly have in the new WB offering ... which is now slated to come out next summer after a lot of shuffling around lately.

According to lionized movie leakers -- some of whom have solid reps for being in the know on this comic book-flick stuff -- the word is ... CR and AW are going to be featured in a scene where Barry Allen (The Flash) is hopscotching around different superhero universes.

Apparently, you only see them briefly ... and the Flash character doesn't interact with them either, but rather ... sees them in action in their own worlds/timelines.

The rumored cameos are said to be from old archived footage -- so, no, they're not making all new content/dialogue/scenes with these late actors via deep fake CGI ... or so it seems. Oh, and they're not the only DC OGs popping up apparently ... Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman is expected to also cameo in her prime as well -- at least according to these folks.

Different cuts of the film have been screened a handful of times now -- it's in the can at this point -- so take all this with a grain of salt ... Warner could majorly switch things up by 2023.

There's also the question of what this movie and all its implications might mean for the DCEU long-term. Beyond Ezra Miller's controversies, there've been reports Discovery honchos might want to overhaul the entire superhero strategy going forward now that they own it.

With all that in mind ... we wouldn't recommend getting too excited about any of the plotlines, character teases or mixing and matching of universes that might arise from this movie when it does release -- i.e. Michael Keaton's reprisal, or a potential Cavill return, etc.

Sounds like there's no clear vision yet as the new Warner Bros. Discovery gets started here ... so any or all of this could be scrapped or rebooted entirely -- and it may be all for naught.

But on the prospect of seeing West and Reeve back on the big screen in costume ... neat!