Korn's James Shaffer The Temptation to Relapse On Drugs, Alcohol is Real ... Especially on the Road

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THE STRESS IS REAL
TMZ.com

Korn co-founder James Shaffer got real with us Wednesday about addiction, the difficulty of staying sober on the road, and the tragedy that befell Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

We got James at LAX and asked about temptations when a band is touring, and he says it's a constant problem. James, who has been sober for a dozen years, says he still feels the pull of addiction when others around him want to party with drugs and booze.

He says rock stars always have folks offering stuff, and that makes sobriety difficult.

Our photog asks about Taylor Hawkins' recent death, and James says he's still heartbroken over it, and feels enormous sympathy for Taylor's family and Dave Grohl.

James has an interesting take on how his fellow musicians can manage the pull of addiction as well as mental health struggles ... by creating a community within his profession. James says musicians are sensitive people, so getting support from like-minded people is essential for the well-being of his community.

It's a really interesting, moving conversation.

'General Hospital' Kelly Monaco Home Torched in Massive Fire Caused By Cigarette

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"MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!!"

"General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco had some bad luck on Friday the 13th ... her home went up in flames, thanks to a cigarette that ignited the blaze.

Kelly tells TMZ ... she woke up late Friday morning to a fire raging on her front yard, with flames licking her windows. The flames quickly engulfed portions of the house.

Kelly was able to escape ... but the house did not fare well. The blaze caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to her Sherman Oaks home. It won't be livable for quite a while.

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UP IN FLAMES
TMZ.com

Kelly says she turned her security footage over to law enforcement and we're told arson investigators were able to determine the fire was started by someone tossing a lit cigarette butt on the empty lot next to her home. The investigators believe the fire was not started intentionally.

Talk about bad luck on Friday the 13th.

Kelly, who has appeared on soap operas for 22 years and counting, says she's been a part of some pretty wild stories on set ... but none of the scripts compare to living through a massive fire at her home.

She's got a message now that she's come face-to-face with flames ... "Something as little as a cigarette butt can cause casualties and devastation."

True that.

Kourtney & Travis Temporarily Swearing Off Sex, Booze, Java!!!

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KEEPIN' IT CLEAN
Hulu

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker can't keep their hands or their mouths off each other -- we know that by now -- and that makes their latest revelation shocking ... no sex!

The fam's promoting its Hulu series with a clip of the now newly-married couple talking about their plunge into an extreme cleanse -- no caffeine, no booze, no sex. It's called a panchakarma cleanse, and it sounds awful!

They didn't make clear how long the abstinence would last ... typically it's 12, 14, 21 or 28 days.

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WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...
BACKGRID

They love sex, for sure. As for booze, well the night they tried to get hitched in Vegas shows abstinence from the bottle is a real thing!

As we reported, Kourt and Trav tied the knot for real last Sunday. Since the Kardashian show is taped and in the can, we're guessing sex, along with the other stuff, is back on the table.

Flavor Flav I've Got a 3-Year-Old Son!!!

Flavor Flav has a new mouth to feed -- after taking a paternity test, it's been confirmed he has a 3-year-old son, who will now bear Dad's surname.

The boy's name is Jordan and his maternal grandparents, Barry and Parchi, tell TMZ ... their daughter, Kate, used to be Flav's manager for a few years -- a period during which they had a romantic relationship.

At some point, Kate -- who no longer works for Flav -- got pregnant and had Jordan, but for a good while, we're told Flav wasn't sure the kid was his son.

However, since then ... Jordan's grandparents tell us FF submitted DNA which lined up with Jordan's. Sooo, as Maury would put it ... Flav IS the father!!!

We're told child support and a custody arrangement have been established. It also sounds like Flav is spending more QT with Jordan these days -- he's taught him how to play the drums a bit -- and he's talked to Kate about Jordan taking his family name ... Drayton.

They've already filed legal docs to make it official, and there will be a hearing later this year. Jordan is Flav's eighth child, so as he might put it ... yeahhhh little boyyyy!!!

Or just congrats.

Master P Legally Single!!!

Master P has been split from his estranged wife for over a decade, but he's only now been officially declared a single man in the eyes of the law.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Master P and Sonya Miller are officially no longer a couple ... it remains to be seen if their divorce is totally finalized or if they still have some things to work out.

Believe it or not, Sonya first filed for divorce all the way back in 2013, and Master P has previously claimed they settled everything in private in 2016 ... but never submitted it to the court.

Fast forward to December 2021 -- when Master P submitted docs asking a judge to declare him legally single -- which has now happened.

Master P and Sonya got married in 1989 -- the rapper has 9 kids -- including Romeo Miller (Lil Romeo).

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MASTERFUL BIRTHDAY

Master P recently celebrated his 52nd birthday, and spoke with TMZ Hip Hop about the awesome party with friends and family.

Pamela Anderson When I'm Not Starring on Broadway ... I'm a Dog Walker!!!

Yes, Pamela Anderson's a big Broadway star now, but she's still an animal lover at heart -- which is why she's going out of her way to walk someone else's dog during her downtime in NYC.

Pamela's in the middle of an 8-week-run as the lead, Roxie Hart, in "Chicago." A source close to the actress says she wasn't able to take her own dogs with her to the city, but was still taking daily walks in Central Park.

That's when we're told Pamela had the idea to ask her assistant -- who has friends in the city -- if he knew anyone who needed a dog walker.

Pammy lucked out because someone happened to have an Irish Setter, named Dash, in need of a world-famous actress and sex symbol to stroll with him.

When Pamela showed up to get Dash for his walk, his owners were stunned to see it was the "Baywatch" actress ... and now, she's been walking him every day for the last 3 weeks.

Pamela's run on Broadway continues until the first week of June, and she's gotten a ton of fan support and positive buzz. We're told she'll continue to walk Dash until she heads home to her own 4 pups.

Dash, you lucky dog.

Daymond John Offers Financial Help For Family of Slain Buffalo Security Guard

Daymond John is offering financial aid to the family of the security guard killed in the Buffalo shooting ... reaching out after discovering the guy was a big fan of his.

The son of Aaron Salter Jr., the retired police officer who was working security at the supermarket where the tragic shooting happened, tells TMZ ... Daymond recently called him and struck up a conversation, getting emotional and offering to help with funeral expenses and other bills.

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A GIFT FROM THE SHARK
TMZ.com

Daymond told Aaron Salter III he saw some photos online of the guy's dad posing with cardboard cutouts of the "Shark Tank" star ... and it turns out watching "Shark Tank" was a family affair in the Salter house.

Aaron, who is being hailed a hero for likely saving the lives of others in the attack, was also an inventor like Daymond ... and his son says DJ told the family his heart goes out to them and he wants to help in any way possible.

When Aaron's son relayed funeral details, Daymond offered to help cover the cost and told the family someone from his camp would be in touch.

We're told Daymond got emotional as the conversation continued ... Aaron's son could hear the pain in Daymond's voice, and towards the end of their talk Daymond offered to help the family with anything they need in the future, urging them not to hesitate.

Aaron's son says his dad was a huge fan of Daymond's and is looking down now, super proud.

Daymond's offer to the family is in addition to a visit from President Biden ... we're told POTUS spoke individually with 9 family members, shaking hands and expressing condolences.

The family is also crowdfunding to set up a non-profit dedicated to Aaron ... with their GoFundMe reaching over $30,000 and counting.

Khabib Nurmagomedov On Islam Makhachev ... He Can Be A Better Fighter Than Me

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FIGHTERS RESPECT
TMZSports.com

Khabib Nurmagomedov -- arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time -- tells TMZ Sports his friend and protégé, Islam Makhachev, could ultimately be a better fighter!

"Definitely, it's possible. You know, right now it's like this is a legacy fight for Islam. Why I really want him to fight vs. Charles Oliveira, because he had 11 win streak and UFC never make like this fight. 11 win streak vs. 10 win streak. It's supposed to be me versus Tony [Ferguson]. Ok, it never happened. Now we have Islam vs. Charles. Let these guys fight."

"If Islam beat Charles and then he beats new blood like from young generation, we have a lot of young fighters in lightweight division ranking. Beneil [Dariush], Islam beat Charles, Islam beat three more fighters, he can become the greatest lightweight ever. He has this potential. He's only 30 years old, but UFC has to give him chance."

That was the undefeated (29-0) UFC legends' answer when we asked if 30-year-old Makhachev could be the superior mixed martial artist.

Islam is the #4 ranked UFC lightweight ... and has been absolutely unstoppable since his one and only professional loss way back in 2015.

Makhachev has racked up 10 wins in a row ... beating guys like Dan Hooker and Drew Dober along the way.

We said Islam was Khabib's friend ... but that doesn't really do their relationship justice. The men have been close since childhood, and are more like brothers. They also train together at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) in northern California.

Of course, Nurmagomedov's resume is well-known. 33-year-old Khabib, who is no longer fighting, beat everyone from Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier to Conor McGregor and just about every other badass 155-pound fighter on the UFC roster.

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BUSINESS IS BUSINESS
TMZSports.com

There's more.

While Khabib may be retired from fighting, he's anything but retired from working. In fact, his Eagle FC MMA promotion has a huge card Friday night featuring a few MMA legends.

Junior dos Santos is fighting Yorgan De Castro ... and Thiago Silva is fighting Hector Lombard.

"Definitely this is biggest card in Eagle FC history," Khabib told us.

"I'm very excited about this!"

Fabrizio in 'Titanic' 'Memba Him?!

American actor Danny Nucci was 28 years old when he was cast as Fabrizio de Rossi -- the Italian native and Jack Dawson's best friend who journeyed on the Titanic ship -- in the 1997 classic romance film "Titanic."

Nucci shared the big screen with some of the greats including Leonardo DiCaprio as the optimistic and poor American seeking to become rich through his journeys, Jack Dawson and Kate Winslet as the rich socialite who is seeking freedom from an arranged life, Rose DeWitt Bukater.

During the 1990s, Danny acted in two other films where he also was killed off: "Eraser" and "The Rock."

Guess what he looks like today at 53 years old!

Monkeypox First Case Detected In U.S. This Year

Monkeypox is surging around the globe and now the rare virus has found its way inside our borders.

The first case of monkeypox in the United States this year was detected Tuesday when a Massachusetts man tested positive for the virus ... according to health officials.

The man recently traveled to Canada, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the CDC confirmed his positive test result.

The MDPH says the man is hospitalized in good condition and poses no risk to the public, though they say they are working with the CDC on contact tracing.

Monkeypox is extremely rare in the United States, this is only the third confirmed case since 2003, but it is on the rise worldwide ... with 9 recent cases identified in the United Kingdom since May, plus another 5 in Portugal.

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, and it's part of the same family of viruses as chickenpox and smallpox. It's very rare outside Africa, and the CDC says the virus does not occur naturally in the States.

Monkeypox transmits from animals to humans when an infected animal, usually a primate or rodent, bites or scratches a human ... or from preparing wild game or hunting wild animals.

When a person becomes infected, the disease spreads in various ways, including bodily fluids and respiratory droplets in the air during prolonged face-to-face contact.

Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, chills, rash, muscle aches and lesions similar to those caused by smallpox. It can be fatal, especially with young children.

Just another thing to worry about folks. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Billy McFarland Fyre Festival Founder Gets Early Prison Release

Billy McFarland, the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival, has been released from prison early ... but he's not completely free just yet.

Billy was sprung on March 30 and was transferred to community confinement. It's unclear whether he's at home or halfway house, but he is expected to stay through the end of August.

As we've reported, Billy originally got hit with a 6-year sentence back in 2018, but he apparently won't be spending all of it behind bars.

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MAKES COACHELLA LOOK LIKE THE FOUR SEASONS

You'll recall, Billy organized the notorious 2017 music fest in the Bahamas. He ended up pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud over the disastrous failed event.

If ya need a trip down memory lane ... hundreds of folks were left stranded in the Bahamas, after being promised a weekend-long festival with luxury accommodations, celeb performances and fine dining options.

Of course, that's far from what they got ... settling for tents, a broken down stage and food that included a piece of cheese between slices of bread.

Billy's lawyers first asked for him to be released early back in 2020 ... but he's finally getting a shot 2 years later.

Elon Musk I'm Voting Republican Now ... Claims Dems All About Hate

Elon Musk might be on the fence about Twitter, but he knows exactly where he stands politically ... he's going full Republican.

The world's richest man says he's been a longtime supporter of the Democratic party, which he says used to be "the kindness party." But, he adds, "They have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican."

Elon blasted out his political declaration Wednesday on Twitter -- even as he still mulls buying the platform for $44 billion -- which would seemingly muddy the waters surrounding that purchase.

As we've reported, Musk believes Twitter can be a flagship of free speech ... and has already said he thinks the ban of Donald Trump was misguided, and that he'd let him back on Twitter.

Going public with his new GOP-affiliation will certainly raise more than a few eyebrows ... especially at Twitter.

For now, Elon says he's still doing research on Twitter before he pulls the trigger. As for his political flip -- he says he's now expecting the Democrats to launch a "dirty tricks campaign" against him.

Stay tuned.

'BMF' Star Lil Meech Busted for Stealing $250K Richard Mille Watch

'BMF' star Lil Meech allegedly stole a $250,000 Richard Mille watch and got caught ... leading to his arrest for grand theft.

The 22-year-old actor/rapper -- handpicked by 50 Cent to star as his dad, Big Meech, in the Starz ‘BMF’ series -- got booked on two counts of first-degree grand theft and a separate count of organized fraud on March 14.

Cops say the actor walked into Miami's Haimov Jewelers back in February and put a down payment on the Richard Mille using his $80,000 platinum Rolex, but he allegedly failed to pay the remaining $200K balance and never returned the watch.

Cops also accuse him of trying to trade the watch for a different Richard Mille piece at a different store.

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Records show Meech was released on bond the same day he was arrested. Lil Meech hasn’t reacted to charges publicly, but he recently posted an Instagram photoshoot to let fans know he’s unbothered.

Season 2 of 'BMF' is set to begin filming in Atlanta, and 50 hopefully doesn't have to subtract Lil Meech from the equation.

Brewers Vs. Braves Fan Runs Wild On Field ... Jukes Security Guards

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HIGH STAKES HIGH FIVE
Twitter / @Panarinbread72

A tight MLB game on Wednesday got a whole lot more interesting in the later innings ... when a fan ran onto the field, and, for a while, evaded security guards like an NFL running back.

The moment just happened in the Braves vs. Brewers game in Milwaukee.

Video shot by spectators inside the stadium shows a fan made it down to the field, and then began dancing in center field.

The guy shook his booty for quite a while before security eventually realized he was there -- and then, he evaded the guards who were trying to take him down for several seconds.

The man then sprinted from the outfield to the mound, before eventually making it to home plate ... all while juking stadium officials in the process.

Toward the end of his jaunt, the guy tried to get a high-five from a Milwaukee batter, but after the Brewer left the man hanging, security finally corralled the fan and got him off the diamond.

No word if the guy was ultimately arrested ... but he's missing a helluva game -- the Braves and Brewers are currently in extra innings fighting for a win!

Martin Shkreli Released from Prison Early ... To Community Confinement

Martin Shkreli is a free man (sorta) -- the guy's been released from prison ... and relatively early considering the length of his original sentence.

The one-time pharmaceutical exec and hedge fund manager -- who was convicted on securities fraud charges back in 2017 -- was sprung from FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania Wednesday ... and will now be transferred to community confinement through the Bureau of Prisons' NY Residential Reentry Management Office.

He was initially sentenced to 7 years in prison after being found guilty on 3 of 8 federal charges pertaining to his reign at the pharmaceutical company Retrophin.

Shkreli was quick to celebrate -- posting a photo of himself on Facebook with the caption, "Getting out of real prison is easier than getting out of Twitter prison."

He seems to be rocking prison wear -- all-gray sweatsuit -- and may have even gotten a ride by some rando. A dude named Edmund Sullivan posted pics with MS, writing ... "Picked up this guy hitchhiking. Says he's famous." Might be a joke, who knows?

Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, says his client will now be living in a halfway house. Brafman adds his client has completed various programs while behind bars to facilitate his early release from prison. He says Shkreli will make no further comment at this time.

You'll recall, MS actually asked to be released early during the pandemic -- but got shot down at the time. Who knew ... all he had to do was wait a couple years, and wish granted.

Rick Ross Hosting a Huge Car & Bike Show ... Rides & Wheels Galore!!!

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ONE HELL OF A SHOW
TMZ.com

Rick Ross has a parade of hot wheels rolling into the Atlanta area this weekend -- hosting a massive car expo at his own crib ... and hyping it up as a come one, come all extravaganza.

The Boss gave us the scoop Wednesday on "TMZ Live" about the car and bike show going down at his Fayetteville, GA estate Saturday ... where he'll not only be showing off his own luxury/novelty vehicles -- including a tank and firetruck, among dozens of other sweet whips -- but actually scoping out tons of others that'll be on display from different owners as well.

It's essentially going to be the automobile event of the year -- at least from what Renzel is describing to us here -- and indeed ... RR says he might be looking to buy himself.

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If you follow Rick on social media ... you're probably well aware of his eclectic collection, so this type of get-together makes sense for the guy. As he explains to us, this is gonna be a who's who of car aficionados -- with gear heads from all over the world -- but not just that ... there'll even be a chance for some friendly competition and prizes!

Watch how Rick breaks down the contest ... he says he's going to extreme lengths to make sure it's fair and credible -- and even shows off what's up for grabs, besides bragging rights.

Sounds like a darn tooting good time ... can't wait to see it!