'AGT' & 'The Voice' Contestant Nolan Neal Dead At 41
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7:50 AM PT -- Cops say Neal's roommate called them after discovering his body in a bedroom. Officers say on the desk next to Neal's bed was a guitar pick that "appeared to contain a powder residue" and note that Neal allegedly struggled with substance abuse. Investigators are still waiting on the full results from the singer's autopsy.
Nolan Neal, a contestant on both "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice," has died.
Nolan passed away Monday according to the medical examiner ... Nolan's cousin Dylan Seals tells TMZ he was found dead in his apartment in Nashville.
No official cause of death has been determined, but the singer has talked openly about his struggles with substance abuse. During an interview with WBIR in 2020, he admitted that he was still struggling with addiction while he was competing on "The Voice."
Dylan tells us Nolan lived with him for 4 months prior to the pandemic ... when Nolan was clean, jamming out and making music with him.
Nolan was featured on season 15 of "AGT" ... making it all the way to the quarterfinals where he performed an emotional original piece, "Send Me a Butterfly."
During his audition for the show, he sang a song called "Lost," which he said was the first thing he wrote after getting clean. The performance got a standing ovation from the crowd and all 4 judges.
Nolan also blew everyone away on season 10 of "The Voice," getting picked to be on Adam Levine's team, and making it to the knockout round before he was eliminated.
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A Nolan Neal fan page posted Tuesday morning about his death, saying, "I can't believe you're gone from us" ... the caption ends with "Heaven just got a new music director."
Nolan was 41.
RIP
Originally Published -- 6:47 AM PT
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Meghan McCain Slam Harry's U.N. Speech on Democracy ... Roe Decision Not a Threat!!!
Prince Harry lumped the recent Roe v. Wade decision in with other international issues, saying they were all hurting democracy, but Meghan's calling BS -- Meghan McCain, that is.
The Duke of Sussex delivered a speech to the U.N. this week -- in observance of Nelson Mandela Day -- and one of the things he said was the reversal of a federal right to an abortion was among the many things he considers a threat to freedom.
The others ... COVID, the war in Ukraine, disinformation and climate change -- all of which he said were among the top perils facing the world. But, McCain thinks he's misinformed.
In a piece written for Daily Mail, she slams the ex-Royal for what she considers virtue signaling -- especially on the Supreme Court's Roe decision ... which she says isn't a threat to democracy, but more so an exercise in it since it gives the power over that issue back to the states.
McCain, who is undoubtedly conservative, argues Harry is ignorant because he isn't an American citizen -- but likes to play one on TV now that he lives here with his wife Meghan Markle. She cites other times where he's admitted ignorance to the First Amendment.
The whole op-ed goes on to call Harry "woke," rhetorically asking if America isn't good enough for him ... why is he even here? She also cites his and MM's accusation of racism within the Royal family to make her point.
Indeed, it's a Harry-bashing think piece ... and in the end, McCain asks this of the Duke: "Maybe he needs reminding that he is a guest here and not a guest who has been universally embraced by the American public."
She adds ... "So here goes: This is not your home country. In fact, my country went to war against yours so that we'd never have to be subject to a royal lecture ever again."
Tough crowd.
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Ben & Jen Wedding Venue from 20 Years Ago Will Serve as Party Spot for Friends & Family
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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck will soon be surrounded by their closest friends and family to celebrate their marriage at his estate in Georgia ... a plan almost IDENTICAL to how things were supposed to go down 20 years ago.
Sources familiar tell TMZ ... back when the couple got engaged in 2002, they planned on getting married at Ben's 87-acre property outside Savannah, GA. We're told everything was in place leading up to their big day -- including police and security to HOLD the unwelcome at bay before the couple decided to call everything off ... ending the engagement in 2004.
TMZ broke the story, Ben and Jen got married in Vegas early Saturday morning in a tiny chapel ceremony that included their kids ... but they'll throw a massive party at Ben's GA estate by the end of the month.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to Celebrate Marriage with Big Party in Georgia
The property, about an hour's drive from Savannah, features several homes, including a 10,000 square foot main house and a smaller, 6,000 sq. foot home ... so there's plenty of bedrooms for guests.
Jennifer released a statement shortly after we broke the wedding news, saying, "We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient."
Clearly, she feels the sentimental value of the pair getting hitched so many years later ... so you gotta wonder if the party at Ben's is a make-right on plans spoiled 20 years ago.
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CHELSEA HANDLER & JO KOY Splitsville ... After Year of Dating
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6:14 AM PT -- Chelsea just confirmed the split, posting a cute video of the two, one that was supposed to be used to mark their 1-year-anniversary. Chelsea says, "To be loved and adored by Jo Koy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I’ve never been more optimistic for the future."
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She continues, "This is not an ending. It’s another beginning, and it’s a comfort to know that I am still loved and love this man the way the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sun. YOUR PERSON IS COMING."
Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy are pumping the breaks on their romantic relationship after nearly one year of dating … TMZ has learned.
Sources close to the former couple tell us the two decided to mutually part ways nearly a month ago, just before Handler guest hosted 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'
Our sources tell us with Handler gearing up to head out on a comedy tour for the remainder of the year and Koy being in L.A., promoting his upcoming film, “Easter Sunday” their professional schedules recently were not allowing them to spend as much time together as needed for the relationship to work.
We’re told it’s unclear if the two will get back together as a couple, however, their inner circle is hopeful it will happen after their busy schedules calm down.
The couple, who went Instagram official in September 2021, haven’t posted with each other in over a month.
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Speculation the couple was first linked romantically began around June 2021 when Handler posted videos hanging out with Koy on her social media.
Koy was a regular guest on Handler’s late night talk show, Chelsea Lately in which she admitted in October 2021 on her podcast she had feelings for Koy but she “suppressed them.”
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Drake Intruder Arrested At Rapper's Pad ... Claims Drake Is His Pops
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Drake's brand new home apparently already had an unwanted visitor ... cops arrested a man there who claimed the rapper was his dad.
LAPD tells TMZ ... cops were called to the rapper's Beverly Hills-adjacent mansion last Friday after an employee saw someone near the pool house.
Police questioned the 23-year-old ... the man claimed 35-year-old Drake was his dad and he was just waiting for him to come home ... but obviously cops weren't buying it.
The man was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing ... we're told the guy never made it inside the house.
Drake plunked down $75M for the estate a few months back, buying the property from "Take That" singer Robbie Williams.
We're told Drake wasn't home during the incident. As we reported, he's been spending time in Sweden, where he apparently had his own run-in with police.
His team first denied rumors about the alleged marijuana-related run-in, but he recently posted a doc on his IG titled, "Information for Those Suspected of a Crime and Subsequently Detained" ... it sure seems he got this from Swedish authorities.
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Johnny Depp Mystery Redhead Revealed ... Elle Parle Français!!!
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Johnny Depp seemingly had a new female companion in his life, which is true ... but there's nothing romantic about their relationship, TMZ has learned.
Depp, unsurprisingly, made headlines over the weekend when he was spotted in Italy accompanied by the redhead. Johnny was in town for the Umbria Jazz Festival -- where he played with Jeff Beck -- and fans speculated the woman might be Depp's new girlfriend.
However, it's just not the case ... we've spoken to sources who tell us the woman is working on Depp's upcoming movie "Jeanne du Barry" as a French teacher.
Makes a lot of sense to bring your teacher on the road if you're Johnny, and live a lifestyle of constant travel and performance.
The movie will mark Depp's first in 3 years, he's playing Louis XV in the project, which centers around the life of Jeanne Bécu, Louis' mistress when he died.
Bonne chance with the French lessons, Johnny!
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UFC's Michael Chandler Fight W/ Conor McGregor's Biggest Matchup In MMA ... 'It's a Huge Fight!'
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Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is literally the biggest fight you could make in all MMA, so says "Iron" Mike, who tells TMZ Sports that's the fight he -- and the people -- want!!
"If Conor's coming back anytime soon, I think me and Conor would make some fireworks and it's a fight that fans want to see. I think it's the biggest fight we can make in mixed martial arts right now and I try to say that as humble as possible but I think it's a huge fight," Chandler told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weeknights on FS1).
Of course, the 36-year-old #5 ranked UFC lightweight is coming off a devastating knockout of Tony Ferguson ... who starched with a front kick at UFC 274 in May.
Conor, for his part, hasn't fought since July 2021 ... when he gruesomely broke his lower leg during the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
McGregor likely won't fight until the first half of 2023 ... but this isn't a situation where Mike is going to try and bait McGregor, who sustained an incredibly serious injury
"The guy snapped his leg. It wasn't a small injury, it required surgery, maybe multiple surgeries, a titanium rod going in, and all that stuff," Michael says.
He later continued ... "I'm not gonna throw stones at the guy. I mean the guy completely shattered his leg and it was literally just a year ago. Have people come back quicker than he's gonna come back? Yes, probably, but also we don't know the extent of Conor's injury."
And, Chandler believes the sport of MMA is better with, not without, Conor.
"The [UFC] and the lightweight division is better when Conor McGregor is a part of it but that being said, he needs to come back at the right time."
We also talked to Chandler about the just announced 155 lb. title fight featuring Charles Oliveira (#1 ranked) and Islam Makhachev (#4 ranked) at UFC 280 in October.
Mike gave us a winner (he says it'll be Charles -- whom he fought in 2021) ... and he explained why during the interview.
FYI, neither man has lost anytime recently. Islam's last L was in 2015 ... and Charles' was in 2017.
And, get this. Mike has another gig outside of the Octagon. He's the Chief Athletic Officer at Speede ... a fitness company crowdfunding (via Indiegogo) a product that's said to be a revolutionary home gym.
With Michael's help, the company has already received over $236K in funding. The original goal was to raise $15K.
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Guess Who This Buttoned-Up Girl Turned Into!
Before this bright and innovative child turned into a self-made millionaire and a big-time philanthropist, she was just an innocent flower girl with big goals and dreams growing up in New York.
This ex-housewife is known for her beverages and has led the charge in the liquor industry. Some might say she's a modern-day Martha Stewart ... because she expanded her brand, tapping into other industries like clothing and ultimately creating an empire.
Need one more clue? When she's not public speaking and diving into her charity work, you can find her hanging with her daughter and making lots of TikToks.
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Denise Austin This Is 65!! Stuns in Runway Show with Daughter
Zach Wilson is gonna love this.
65-year-old fitness legend Denise Austin showed off her incredible physique while strutting the runway alongside her daughter at Miami Swim Week ... throwing on a bikini and absolutely crushing it!!
The workout video icon walked alongside 29-year-old Katie -- a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie -- over the weekend ... making them the first mother and daughter to rock the runway together at the event.
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Of course, Austin became a household name after making more than 50 fitness tapes over several decades ... and her daughter has followed in her footsteps with her own health-focused app.
Austin spoke about the experience ... saying it was "A ONCE IN A LIFETIME MOMENT!!"
"With my daughter @katieaustin walking in the @si_swimsuit runway show!! Me at 65 in a bikini ... with my little girl!!!!!! Pure joy!!"
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Katie raved about the special opportunity ... adding, "Hugging my mom on the runway was such a cute moment. We passed each other and got to say I love you."
"I really cherished every moment of this past weekend and feel so grateful of the opportunities in my life!!!!"
Guess those fitness vids really work, huh??
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Casino Brawl Video Neither Lil Durk nor Fake Durk Involved ... Just a Wild Fight!!!
Lil Durk says he’s taking a break from social media, but that’s not why the Chicago rapper is trending -- that's all about a wild casino brawl, where some folks think Durk got slept!
The viral footage shows a man with blonde dreadlocks KO’d. There's no doubt the guy goes down, but the ID has definitely been in question.
Well, turns out it’s neither Durk, nor his doppelganger, Perkio who caught the viral haymaker.
The man on the receiving end of the bruising is actually a self-proclaimed Houston venture capitalist by the name of James Lett IV, who, by the looks of things is enjoying his newfound fame -- posting his face to prove the punch left no dents, and bragging about his increased social traffic.
Judging from the OG poster’s timestamp, the fight appears to have gone down over 4th of July weekend inside a Florida casino -- but it got hot online following announcements from both Durk and Perkio.
Durk announced an Instagram and Twitter hiatus Monday just as the video began to trend … which only fueled rumors it was him.
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Durk gave a shout-out to his fallen brothers King Von and D-Thang and also reiterated the same timeout speech to his Twitter legion.
It appears he’s just focusing on making his next hit, and not ducking comments about the fight video.
Meanwhile, Perkio is still making money off of Durk’s name ... including an in-person meet-and-greet today, which should go over smoothly now that fans know he’s not a punching bag.
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Wild Court Case Woman Sues 'Bad Date' for $10K ... Rips into Judge, Too!!!
Sometimes it's best to just swipe left -- a woman is suing a guy over one bad date, and their court appearance plays like the greatest 10-minute soap opera.
Judge Herman Marable Jr. in Flint, Michigan definitely had his work cut out for him when QaShontae Short sued Richard Jordan for intentional infliction of emotional distress ... claiming they had a less-than-perfect date.
Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show she first filed this suit back in 2020 ... and in it, she alleges Richard deliberately and intentionally hurt her when he "did not show and left on [her] mother's birthday and [her] mom had just passed away."
During a recent hearing, Richard doesn't do much talking ... other than explaining this is a waste of the court's time -- he says he's being sued for $10K because of a bad date.
The Zoom conference quickly erupted into a heated argument between QaShontae and Judge Marable, who eventually ripped his face shield off to raise his voice at her ... while she continues to shout over him.
FYI, it looks like she's conducting her business inside an airport, for all to hear.
The judge says a claim like this should be handled in a circuit court instead, and orders it gets moved there -- but QaShontae didn't want any part of that explanation!!!
Bottom line? Looks like she's getting a date, after all ... with another judge.
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Elon Musk Sunning at His Own Risk on Yacht Vacay!!!
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Elon Musk has bigger fish to fry than the Twitter lawsuit right now ... like getting his hands on some SPF during his trip to Mykonos, where he's doing the yacht thing with famous friends.
The richest man in the world also looked to be one of its most fair-skinned as he took a dip in the Aegean Sea. His pal Ari Emanuel, CEO of William Morris Endeavor, was waiting to hose him down with some fresh water when he got back on the deck of their yacht.
Elon looks to be third-wheeling it -- Ari's new wife, Sarah Staudinger, was also lounging on the boat with the guys.
BTW, Musk is kinda hanging himself by his own petard here. You might recall, back in April, he jabbed at Bill Gates by tweeting a photo of BG side-by-side with the emoji of a guy with a big belly.
What's that saying about multi-billionaires in glass houses? Just sayin' ...
One thing's for sure ... if Elon's worried about Twitter suing him for backing out of the $44 billion deal to purchase the platform, he's not showing it.
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Travis Scott Rolling Loud Founder Walks Back Comment ... No Issues with Venue & Travis Performing
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11:40 AM PT -- We just spoke with Tariq, who says he was quick to delete his now-viral comment because it simply was not accurate. Tariq says RL actually DID reach out to Travis to headline Rolling Loud, but it couldn't work in time ... Tariq's comment on Instagram appears to have been made out of frustration from negative posts from festival-goers demanding Travis.
Our Travis sources say the rapper demands a perfect show for his fans, and they couldn't get the production to be on-par in less than a week of preparation.
Kanye West is no longer headlining Rolling Loud Miami, and while many thought Travis Scott would have been the perfect fit to replace Ye, the festival's founder says it wouldn't have been possible after the deaths at Astroworld.
Ye was scheduled to perform as Friday night's headliner, but Rolling Loud announced over the weekend that he would no longer be taking the stage due to circumstances out of RL's control ... Kid Cudi, who has his own beef with Ye, was named as the replacement.
Fans got pissed, demanding Travis Scott should've subbed in ... but RL co-founder Tariq Cherif posted a comment on social media saying, "venue won't allow travis because of astroworld deaths."
What Tariq didn't make clear, why would the venue, Hard Rock Stadium, feel Astroworld was Travis' fault? An RL spokesperson tells us, "All artists are in consideration for the event. But, in this case, each situation had logistical challenges and Travis wasn’t an option for this upcoming week."
We spoke with sources familiar with the festival's planning who tell us there simply wouldn't have been enough time to arrange production logistics - like security and get insurance - to cover Travis' performance. We're told it's just not possible to land someone of Travis' level with such short notice.
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As we've told you, Travis and his team have maintained he didn't know the severity of what was happening in the crowd -- and video of cops calmly watching his performance while chaos was unfolding in the audience seems to support Travis' claim of not knowing how bad things actually were.
The Astroworld music festival resulted in 10 deaths, but the investigation into the failures that led to those deaths continues ... there's also billions of dollars worth of open litigation in connection to the festival.
As for Rolling Loud Miami, Cudi, Future, Lil Durk, Latto, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Curren$y and several others are still scheduled to perform ... so even without Ye and Travis, there's still plenty of talent for fans to get excited about.
Originally Published -- 11:07 AM PT
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Wife of Ex-UCLA Star Cade McNown Nailed in Theft Case 500 Hrs Community Service!!!
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5:48 PM PT -- We spoke with McNown’s attorney, Michael Artan, who tells us his client was entered into a misdemeanor diversion program. She’ll have the next year to complete the community service and theft course — and then will get a clean bill. What's more ... he says the actual charges only alleged theft of 4 purses.
Artan says he was able to successfully argue against several of Holland’s claims.
The wife of ex-UCLA star Cade McNown, Christina McNown, got 500 hours of community service in her theft case, TMZ Sports has learned.
Christina pled no contest to petty theft Monday in L.A. -- roughly seven months after she was charged with four felonies following allegations that she stole designer goods from ex-her boss, philanthropist Sydney Holland.
In addition to the community service, we're told Christina was also ordered to complete a theft course. Court officials say a stay-away order barring her from contact with Holland was also put in place.
We're told Cade was not present in court.
TMZ Sports broke the story, Christina was arrested in December after she allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of purses, clothing and jewelry from Holland.
Christina, who had been working for Holland as an assistant and a stylist for over a decade, was accused of stealing the items over a several-month span in 2021.
"With her plea today, Ms. McNown is being held responsible for her numerous thefts from Ms. Holland, which cost Ms. Holland hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the loss of irreplaceable items with sentimental value," said Holland's attorney, Karen Sosa. "We hope Ms. McNown reflects on her behavior and does not repeat these crimes in the future."
Neither Christina nor Cade -- the former UCLA QB who starred under center for the Bruins from 1995 to 1998 -- has commented publicly on Monday's court proceedings.
Originally Published -- 11:50 AM PT
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Hawaii Waves Huge Swell Takes Out Wedding Party!!!
Seaside parties might not be the wave ... at least not in Hawaii right now, where crazy high tides completely destroyed a wedding reception.
It all went down over the weekend, on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island at the Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua-Kona ... when a couple set out to have a beautiful beachside reception. And, some guests caught the whole thing on camera.
🚨VIDEO: Strong waves on Ali'i Drive Hawaii impact wedding reception pic.twitter.com/IcvQsQ9hDh
— Breaking News (@NewsJunkieBreak) July 18, 2022 @NewsJunkieBreak
As you can see, the waves were so fierce, they wrecked the entire wedding party in a matter of seconds ... toppling the nice set-up of tables and chairs.
According to local news reports, the waves were so big they were going over 2 story buildings!
At first, it appears the guests were unaware of just how big the waves were as they watched on. Eventually, they scramble ... unable to stop the waves from destroying everything.
Luckily though, no one got hurt and they were able to turn things around for the better. The wedding cake even weathered the storm!
The bride told KHON2 news, “We didn’t have our dance floor, but nobody seemed to mind, at the end of the night we were all like dancing in the mud and it was amazing”.
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Jen & Ben Affleck Vegas Wasn't Final Stop ... Wedding Party to Continue in GA
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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck might've gone low-key by exchanging vows in Vegas ... but they're still taking things up to A-list level with a big private party to celebrate their love.
Sources close to the couple tell TMZ there's a massive bash set to take place in the next few weeks at a home Ben owns in the coastal town of Riceboro, Georgia. We're told the party's guest list will, of course, include family members -- but close friends and celeb pals are also expected to fly out to celebrate with the newlyweds.
We're told Jen recently went to the home a few weeks ago with her manager to party plan, and we believe Ben was there as well.
Ben's home, about an hour outside Savannah, comes with plenty of room to have fun -- the property is 87 acres and the main house has 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and 6,000 sq ft of living space. Ben tried selling the home for about $8 million in 2019 before pulling it off the market.
TMZ broke the story ... Ben and Jen tied the knot early Saturday morning in Sin City.
Following the news, Jen posted a series of photos from the ceremony -- which included their kids -- with a note that read, "We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient."
She signed the message, "Jennifer Lynn Affleck."
While Jennifer admitted, they had hoped to be married by an Elvis impersonator -- who was unavailable at the time -- it was still her dream wedding.
Now, they'll get to continue the dream wedding across the country with some of their closest friends and family.