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Romance was in the air between comedian Jo Koy and a mystery brunette, taking a trip outside together for a picnic ... this coming months after the plug was pulled on his relationship with Chelsea Handler.

The 2 had some fun on the lawn in Pacific Palisades toward the end of last month ... layin' close on the blanket outside Alfred Coffee.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the two were locking lips in the shop before stepping outside for the picnic.

Looks like things are going great for Jo -- as we reported, his split from Chelsea came after nearly a year of dating. Sources close to the former couple told us their schedules just weren't giving them enough time to keep the relationship alive.

We got Jo a few days after the news broke ... and he told us it's all good between him and Chelsea -- saying they're still good buds.

Dwight Howard tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about his interest in joining the WWE -- explaining he'd trade the basketball court for the wrestling ring this year if the offer was right.

Howard showed back in July he certainly has the chops to cut it in the squared circle -- delivering an epic promo after crashing a WWE tryout in Nashville.

And, when we got him out at LAX this week, he made it clear that wasn't just a one-off thing ... telling us he really has a desire to eventually go head-to-head with Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and the rest of the WWE's best in the near future.

In fact, Dwight said if the offer to wrestle in the WWE was better than one an NBA team could give him -- he'd have no qualms taking it.

"Whatever opportunity is best," the NBA free agent said.

As for what kind of personality Dwight would have in the org. -- he said he could be both a hero and a villain.

Triple H, meanwhile, seems to be down to give him the shot ... in a recent interview, WWE's CCO said all Dwight would have to do is give him a call and they could get things rolling.

“The ball’s in his court,” Triple H said ... "He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others -- incredibly entertaining."

No one's gonna guarantee you can play guitar like Jimi Hendrix or Elvis Presley, but if nothing else ... ya might be able to decorate your home with the ones they strummed.

The Legends of Rock and Roll auction will go down next month, and some really unique and iconic axes will be up for grabs.

The auction features guitars personally owned or played by some of the biggest rock stars of all time.

Imagine getting your hands on Jimi's Japanese Sunburst electric guitar, which was a gift from his father. It's expected to fetch around $250K!

Kurt Cobain's acoustic guitar comes with an actual estate receipt, while Elvis' 1975 Martin D-28 guitar will also be on the auction block. Bonus for the King's instrument ... it comes with the case too!

The auction will offer some potentially more affordable options too -- guitars from Paul Stanley of KISS, Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and The Cure's Robert Smith.

And, if you're not interested in pretending you're a guitar hero, check out the random memorabilia.

Imagine rocking James Brown's monogrammed dressing room robe and slippers, Rick James' custom-made, and stage-worn, snake jumpsuit ... or Johnny Cash's 14K bracelet and matching ring.

Edward Burns' good looks over the years are hooooot!

Here is a 30-year-old version of the New York native, actor and director looking sexy in a shag haircut and earth-toned suit while at a small theater screening in NYC back in 1998 (left). This was the same year EB was on the silver screen as Private Reiben in the classic movie "Saving Private Ryan."

And 24 years later ... the now 54-year-old dapper dad dressed up in a more slick look and tux for a gathering that raised money for organizations that focus on ending gender-based violence earlier this month in New York City (right).

His beauty is not burning out.

The question is ...

David Dobrik says he shouldn't be held responsible for any injuries suffered by a YouTuber in a social media stunt gone wrong ... claiming the guy knew what he was signing up for.

The influencer just responded to Jeff Wittek's lawsuit against him, with David claiming Jeff knowingly assumed the risks involved with the stunt and can't collect any damages from David just because he got hurt when it went sideways.

TMZ broke the story ... Jeff sued David back in June for more than $10 million, claiming David should have never been behind the controls of the massive excavator used in the stunt, which saw YouTubers being swung around from a rope attached to the excavator shovel.

Jeff says when it was his turn, David started swinging him around too quickly before abruptly slowing down, causing Wittek to slam into the side of the excavator, resulting in broken and fractured bones, plus a torn ligament.

Behind this swooshed-up image is a guy whose comedic talents landed him on "Saturday Night Live" a time or two ... as well as playing a doctor in "30 Rock" ... showing he's not just draped in drama with his 13 Primetime Emmy nominations.

This actor isn't typically a mad man but when he is, you can watch him being a devilishly handsome advertising executive. And, when his pal and co-star Kristen Wiig's car breaks down, you can find him in his Porsche screaming, "You are no longer my number three!"

The Celtics employee with whom Ime Udoka had an affair helped make all his travel arrangements ... and that job sometimes included organizing travel for his fiancee, Nia Long.

Sources connected to the couple and the NBA franchise tell TMZ ... one of the staffer's duties included planning Udoka's team-related travel, and we're told she was also involved in booking travel for Nia to come to Boston or to road games.

Perhaps most upsetting for Nia is that the employee had a hand in Nia's arrangements to move to Boston permanently, according to our sources.

TMZ broke the story ... Nia had just moved east a little over 2 weeks ago with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime.

The Celtics are not releasing the name of the employee, but we're told Nia has been told who she is.

Team President Brad Stevens got choked up Friday during a news conference ... saying the scandal had been particularly upsetting for all their female employees -- due to speculation about who had the affair with Udoka.

As we've reported, the team suspended its head coach for the entire 2022-23 season after what it says was a months-long investigation into his conduct.

Tyler Perry has long been dogged over his signature character, Madea, and stereotypes some feel she upholds -- but he's defending himself ... especially against Spike Lee.

The movie studio mogul sat for an interview with Chris Wallace as part of his new program on HBO Max -- "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" -- which was scrapped from CNN+ ... and repurposed on their main streaming app.

Chris asks Tyler about a criticism that Lee once lobbed against him in describing his Madea movies -- in which he called the character and/or those movies "coonery buffoonery" in '09.

From Spike's POV ... Madea is a caricature of Black people, women in particular, and he thinks it's a cheap, over-the-top impersonation that Tyler has monetized with a lot of success. There are at least 10 movies of his in which the character appears.

While TP was once quoted as saying Spike can "go to hell," he's a bit more nuanced in explaining why he loves the character and the thinking behind her makeup. He says Madea represents women he grew up around, whose stories he wanted to convey in a humorous way ... with truth sprinkled in. In other words, he seems to see it as an homage.

Tyler also invokes Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance to reinforce his point ... noting this convo has been happening way before Spike's salvo.

Now, it should be noted ... this old beef, while still discussed today, seems to be long and buried. Back in 2019, when Tyler opened his movie studio lot in Georgia, Spike was actually among the many famous guests who came to check it out. And TP even named one of the soundstages after him ... telling us at the time that his legacy was bigger than their feud.

Britney Spears says she may never perform again, but that doesn't mean she won't get in the booth anew -- proven with Elton John ... and maybe, soon, with Benny Blanco.

The award-winning record producer -- who's actually worked with Britney before -- spilled the beans about a possible collab while chatting with radio host Kannon of "Open House Party" -- a nationally-syndicated show famous for playing Top 40 pop songs/fan requests.

In this particular sit-down, Benny touches on the fact that he's recently reached out to BS -- about a month ago, he says -- to see if she might be interested in joining forces again.

Diehard Britney fans might recall ... BB actually helped write and produce her '08 hit record, "Circus" with Dr. Luke -- and it had a successful run at the time on the charts, and actually went on to become her second-highest selling digital single ever. So, yeah ... good results.

Anyway ... listen to what Benny has to say about linking up once more -- it sounds like he's holding his cards close to the vest here, but he makes it clear that both he and Britney have spoken about the possibility of doing something again. Whether she took him up on that, we'll just have to wait and see ... but we know she's not averse to crooning post-conservatorship.

Of course, she lent her vocals to a remix of "Tiny Dancer" recently ... and it did well, even though Britney could hardly be heard on it. So hopefully a Benny collab would just be all her ... assuming she's up for it, that is.

BS recently suggested she'd never hit the stage again ... out of spite, apparently. She says she's so traumatized by the conservatorship, that she wants to stick it to her dad and co.

A new horror movie is coming out next week, and the studio found a creative way to let people know about ... sending background actors to live baseball games, front and center.

We're talking about Paramount's latest offering, "Smile," which drops next Friday ... and amid a lot of "Don't Worry Darling" chatter, it seems the mountain execs were trying to find a way to break through the noise and stand out ... and they chose MLB broadcasts to do it.

Several marquee matchups aired on big-time TV stations Friday -- including Dodgers vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. A's and Yankees vs. Sox. In all of them, there was at least one person prominently positioned behind home plate that held a super creepy smile the entire time.

It was perhaps most notable during the Mets game, where a woman in a highlight green shirt (with the word SMILE written across) was standing and smiling awkwardly ... that is, until a security guard told her to park it.

Another guy in green was also spotted at the Dodgers game, sitting in silence and holding a creepy smile for much of the game. Some of them stood up at times, but mostly sat still and just held the pose ... completely committed to the gag.

Another man, this time in blue, was seen at the Yankees game ... and he got up occasionally -- with viewers at home certainly taking notice and noting it was freaking them out.

Unclear if there were more actors at other games, but these are the ones that people paid close attention to. Of course, this is good old-fashioned viral marketing ... and it would appear it worked, 'cause the stunt is getting some media coverage.

"Smile" is going up against Billy Eichner's rom-com, "Bros," next week ... not to mention any spillover from 'DWD' and other recent horror releases like "Barbarian" and "Pearl." Plus, "Avatar" is back in theaters, and it already seems to be doing well -- so tough competition.

Paramount's smiling through it all though, especially at the ballpark!

Tekashi 6ix9ine knows he's on thin ice, legally, here in the States -- but it seems when he's overseas ... he lets it rip, just like he did on this poor guy here in the club.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, that shows the rapper in Soho Garden in Dubai ... where he approaches what appears to be the DJ for the night -- only to start swinging on the dude in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.

The DJ starts to scuffle with 69, that is ... before Tekashi's security swooped in and started separating the two, pulling their boss away -- but by then, even more people started flocking.

It actually looks like Tekashi gets wailed on by a few bystanders on the perimeter, and it also seems he was getting his chain yanked, his hair grabbed and his shirt pulled off toward the end as the fight evolved into an all-out mini brawl.

Now, as for what exactly might've caused this ... well, eyewitnesses tell us T69 was supposedly upset that the DJ wasn't playing any of his jams, and apparently felt the need to confront him about it. We've reached out to Tekashi ... so far, no word back.

There's been more said about the off-set shenanigans on "Don't Worry Darling" than the actual movie -- and it looks like that'll actually help it at the box office ... go figure!

The early numbers are in, and all the whispers have apparently attracted the public's attention ... based on estimations thus far -- 'DWD' is on track to rake in about $21 million this weekend, a huge W for WB, seeing how the movie only cost around $35 mil to make.

On Thursday alone, the movie pulled an impressive $3.1 million in previews (with limited screenings). When it opened wide on Friday, however ... it cashed in another $6.3 mil.

As of now, the movie's made about $9.4M total ... and at this rate, it'll have beat projections -- which had this thing fluctuating in the mid-to-high-10s, considering all the negative publicity surrounding the project ... particularly between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde.

Speaking of FP ... she actually went out of her way to post some behind the scenes shots from her days on set, and her collection make it seem like everything was super chill.

There's a photo of her and Olivia in there as well ... but it should be noted, it's a still frame from a scene in the movie -- as opposed to a true BTS shot, of which she has several with other castmates. At any rate, it seems Florence is trying to put out the fire here too.

She shouted out some crew members from the film -- not Olivia though -- and went on to say, "This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak Covid times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily - thank you."

The timing of her post is interesting, because a bombshell report from Vulture on Friday alleged that all the rumored drama between Florence and Olivia was, in fact, real ... and it did, indeed, have to do with Olivia supposedly being absent a lot, going missing with none other than Harry Styles. Per Vulture, FP and OW got into a "screaming match" on set.

The report says it left Florence fuming ... and she had to go into negotiations with Warner to make sure she'd promote the movie at the absolute bare minimum -- which she has.

That -- coupled with #SpitGate and suggestions that Harry and Olivia have split (which don't seem to be true) -- is the ultimate cherry on this messy sundae. And yet, it's cleaning up!

Never mind the terrible reviews ... and the so-so plot/performances from everyone except Florence. Box office is still king in this town, and Warner probably loves to see it. 😮‍💨

Jake Paul is being sued by Eddie Hearn -- one of the most powerful people in boxing -- after The Problem Child claimed the promoter paid off a judge in two recent, high-profile bouts.

In a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Hearn and his company, Matchroom Boxing, claim their reputation was damaged after 25-year-old Paul "made outrageously false and baseless allegations" during an interview on Sept. 20.

In the talk, Paul claimed Hearn's Matchroom Boxing paid off judge Glenn Feldman in the August Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua fight. Paul claimed that same judge was also paid off by Matchroom in the April Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight.

Taylor won by split decision over Serrano, while Joshua lost by split decision to Usyk.

"Glenn Feldman shows up in Saudi and scores Anthony Joshua to win the fight when everyone who watched the fight said it was not a split decision," Paul said ... before adding, "Clearly, this guy is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing."

Hearn included Paul's video interview as an exhibit in the lawsuit ... filed by attorney Frank Salzano.

Paul, in the interview, also acknowledged that it was "a bold statement and an accusation that I don't take likely, but it's just blatantly obvious. And they're not even trying to hide it."

Hearn -- who's suing Paul for defamation -- called the comments "outlandishly false."

Johnny Depp and his former attorney, Joelle Rich, have actually been a thing for longer than we first thought ... but there are no plans for the two to settle down as an exclusive couple any time soon.

Sources connected to the pair tell us ... Johnny and Joelle were very much an item during his nasty trial with Amber Heard back in the summer. In fact, we're told Joelle left her kids and estranged husband in the UK for 2 months while she was in Virginia supporting Johnny.

What's more, we're told Joelle had no role in Johnny's legal defense here in the U.S. ... so her appearance in court was strictly for pleasure, no business.

One thing our sources are adamant about -- Johnny and Joelle are NOT exclusive. In fact, a source connected to Johnny's new movie tells us he's recently been spotted on set getting cozy with a new woman while filming over in France.

A Michigan radio host was murdered Friday after he and his family were savagely attacked in their home by a guest who then tried to kill himself, this according to local reports.

WWJ 950 overnight anchor Jim Matthews was with his girlfriend and 2 children in their Detroit-area condo around noon when they allegedly invited over a man who lives across the street. Neighbors had seen the man with Matthews' girlfriend in the past.

What happened next was still under investigation ... but Matthew's girlfriend and his 5-year-old daughter made it out of the condo alive and flagged down someone driving by. His girlfriend had been stabbed several times and his daughter was injured as well.

After the driver called 911, Chesterfield Township officers responded to the apartment and had to force their way inside, finding Matthews dead. His 10-year-old boy was discovered bound and beaten inside a closet.

What's more ... police went to the basement where they encountered the suspect -- who was overdosing on heroin after sustaining self-inflicted wounds.

Matthews' girlfriend and son were listed in critical condition at the hospital. His daughter was in stable condition.

The suspect was given Narcan to save his life. He, too, was hospitalized in stable condition.

As for Matthews, WWJ Newsradio 950 issued a statement ... “There have been many tears shed in our newsroom today and Jim will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Authorities did not release a motive and were weighing criminal charges.

Bill Maher has a hot take on people who love America and people who don't ... and he says lots of folks on the right and the left are as anti-American as they come.

As the "Real Time" host plainly puts it ... "You don't love America if you hate what it stands for," and B.M. has receipts.

Bill asks, how Republicans can say they believe in America when they support a president who tried to pull off a coup? How can Republicans who won't accept election results say with a straight face they believe in America?

He's got another great example using Colin Kaepernick ... just watch.

How can Republicans, he asks, say they believe in America when they get downright underhanded to restrict the right to vote?

There's more ... Republicans used to support law and order ... but now, when it comes to the Capitol Police or the FBI, their mantra is "F*** the police!"

And, of course, there's Donald Trump, who mused out loud he wished generals in the United States military were more like Nazi generals.

It gets downright absurd ... Congresswoman Lauren Boebert complained, "I'm tired of this separation of church and state  junk that's not in the Constitution." Well, it is stupid.

But then on the other side, he says lots of liberals seem to see nothing redeemable about the United States of America ... just shame. Congresswoman Cori Bush said, "This land is stolen land and Black people still aren't free." Bill has some choice words for that.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman said, "I believe our current system of capitalism is slavery by another name." Again, Bill has feelings.