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Desperate times call for desperate measures amid the ongoing actors' and writers' strike ... celebs are auctioning off their time to help the union rank and file survive.

A collection of eBay listings have gone live, all from the Union Solidarity Coalition -- a group of actors and writers who "were moved to connect with crew" as the Hollywood shutdown continues with no end in sight.

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Sarah Silverman are both offering up "20 Mins and 20 Questions" for the highest bidder, and Natasha Lyonne is giving a lucky fan the chance to let her help them "Solve the New York Times Sunday Crossword." BTW, it's already crossed $2k.

You can hang out (virtually) with the cast of "Bones" or "New Girl," get a watercolor portrait of your dog from John Lithgow, and have Adam Scott walk your pets! Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are even offering an in-person dinner for L.A. and New York folks.

There's also the chance to get signed memorabilia from flicks like "Star Wars," "Knives Out," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," "Stranger Things," "The Bear," and more.

The cash earned is going to IATSE and Teamster members who aren't able to qualify for health insurance as work remains practically nonexistent for thousands of crew members.

The auctions come at a time when it appears the strike is breaking at the seams -- Drew Barrymore brought her daytime talk show back while the shutdown remains in effect, along with "The Talk," "The View," and "The Jennifer Hudson Show."

Beyoncé is still in the middle of her hugely successful "Renaissance" tour, but that didn't stop her from taking a little break to get some serious privacy to celebrate her birthday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the singer rented out a spot called Mermaid Bay -- a string of 11 villas located within The Brando, a private island resort for the ultra-rich in French Polynesia.

Our sources say Beyoncé and crew arrived at the property September 5, and stayed at least through Friday the 8th ... with adults and kids all in tow.

As for her accommodations, we're told Beyoncé and Jay-Z stayed in the Bay's main residence -- a 4-bedroom villa that goes for around $20K per night -- and the rest of their group stayed among the 10 other villas ... which have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom options.

Of course, Beyoncé's actual birthday was September 4, and she celebrated it with Diana Ross and about 70,000 fans -- so the private island retreat looks like the perfect destination to unwind before taking on her 42nd year.

Pennsylvania prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante kept himself alive and under the radar during his two weeks on the lam by scarfing down fruit and drinking water from creeks -- while hiding his poop to avoid detection.

Cavalcante gave investigators a window into his method of survival for 14 days in the forest after he was nabbed Wednesday by a large contingent of police officers and federal marshals in rural Chester County.

The convicted murderer said he stayed out of sight by primarily moving around at night, burying himself under thick brush and covering his poop with leaves, according to Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshall Robert Clark, who was involved in the manhunt.

Clark appeared on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show Wednesday night, saying Cavalcante had a few close calls with officers, who almost stepped on him while he was under the thickets. In fact, the tactical team was only 7-to-8 yards away from Cavalcante on three occasions.

What's more, Cavalcante hung around the same area for several days, scarfing down watermelons from a farm and drinking water from streams.

In late August, Cavalcante broke out of Chester County Prison, scaling a wall and climbing over razor wire before dashing across a roof and jumping to the ground below to make his escape. A fugitive task force searched high and low for him as Pennsylvania was gripped with fear.

Bill Maher's talk show is coming back to HBO ... he says he can't keep waiting around for the writers' strike to end and wants to get other folks back to earning a paycheck.

The "Real Time with Bill Maher" host announced his program's return Wednesday in a social media post ...  he doesn't say when the show will air but says it will have a different look without writers.

Bill, a writer himself, says he sympathizes with striking writers' "important issues ... and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction" ... but he says after 5 months on strike it's time to bring others back to work.

As he explains ... writers "are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily."

Bill's been outspoken about the strike recently, even calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to step in and help end the stalemate.

Bill says he was hoping the strike would end after Labor Day, but that's since passed and he feels "there still seems to be nothing happening."

He adds ... "I love my writers, I am one of them, but I'm not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much."

Bill says he will honor the "spirit of the strike" by doing away with a written monologue, desk piece, editorial or his popular New Rules segment ... all of which leaned on writers in past seasons.

The HBO star has a message for the audience too ... "The show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bulls*** and predictable partisanship, and that will continue."

It will be interesting to see how writers' guilds react to Bill's plan ... at least one guild effectively labeled Drew Barrymore a scab for bringing her talk show back amid the strike.

The show returns to HBO September 22.

Lisa Ling's not an extraterrestrial believer ... at least when it comes to the notion that the discovery of alien life might be the one thing to band all humans together.

We got Lisa at LAX and our photog asked her about the alleged alien corpses that were recently displayed during a UFO briefing for the Mexican government.

Lisa doesn't buy the idea human beings will unite as one if we are ever faced with irrefutable evidence of extraterrestrial lifeforms, and actually, it sounds like she thinks the opposite would unfold.

Basically, Lisa says our poor track record with animal extinctions on our planet means we will treat aliens like crap too ... and become even more divided.

Lisa's view jibes with what Neil deGrasse Tyson recently told us ... they're both predicting the discovery of alien life would not be some big kumbaya moment for all Earthlings.

While there seems to be mounting evidence we're not alone in the universe, Lisa's more focused on repairing our existing relationships with other terrestrial species we already interact with on the daily.

World Series champion Matt Williams is set to be a single man once again ... TMZ Sports has learned his wife just filed for divorce.

Erika Monroe filed the docs in Los Angeles County on Wednesday ... over 20 years after the couple initially married.

In the documents, Monroe listed "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. The docs show she also asked for spousal support from Williams, who reportedly made around $80 million in his 17-year MLB career.

We've reached out to Monroe's attorney for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

57-year-old Williams -- a five-time All-Star who hit 378 home runs in his career -- married Monroe, a former news anchor, on July 15, 2003. The two went on to cohost pregame shows for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the years after they got hitched.

The couple also had one daughter together ... although she's an adult now, so child support won't be an issue.

Swedish pop singer Robin Miriam Carlsson -- known professionally as Robyn -- was 31 years old when she dropped her popular album "Body Talk" back in 2010 -- with hit songs like "Dancing On My Own" (which has over 300 million listens on Spotify) and "Call Your Girlfriend."

In 1997, Robyn made big waves to the United States after her dance-pop singles "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love" both hit the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Most recently, Charli XCX announced to her Twitter followers her and Robyn have been making music together!

"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh!"

Aaron Rodgers is breaking his silence on his Achilles tear ... saying he's "completely heartbroken" over the injury -- though he added he ain't ready to retire over it all ... at least, not yet.

The quarterback took to his Instagram page Wednesday to reflect on the ailment he suffered in the Jets' win over the Bills on Monday night ... and he got emotional.

He thanked everyone who reached out with well wishes ... while saying he fully intends to get back to everyone soon.

He added, though, that it's all been pretty taxing on him.

"I'm completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions," the 39-year-old said, "but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. 💔"

While Jets head coach Robert Saleh said earlier Wednesday that Rodgers hadn't undergone surgery to fix his leg just yet ... Rodgers wrote in his social media post that he's beginning "the healing process today."

"Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers," he added.

As for his future plans ... Rodgers certainly didn't seem like a guy who's ready to call it a career -- saying, "The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again."

He then praised NY for pulling off the win over Buffalo without him.

"Proud of my guys," he wrote. "1-0 🛩️"

Drew Barrymore's alleged stalker, a man named Chad Michael Busto, got arrested again and this time it sounds like he's turned his attention to another celeb ... Emma Watson.

Busto was busted Friday in New York City, with police saying he stormed into a dressing room at a NYFW show and demanded to see the 'Harry Potter' star.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Busto screamed at models and makeup artists inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard dressing room, repeatedly telling them, "I want to marry Emma Watson. Let me speak to Emma Watson. Let me take a photo with Emma Watson."

It's unclear if Emma was in the dressing room or even at the NYFW show.

The guy ended up getting arrested after management called cops, and he's now been charged with 2 counts of disorderly conduct and 2 counts of trespassing.

Remember, Busto was arrested for popping up at Drew's Hamptons estate last month, with police saying he was going door to door looking for her place.

TMZ broke the story ... last Tuesday, a judge issued a bench warrant for Busto's arrest after cops say he failed to show up to get a GPS ankle monitor ... which was required after his arrest at Drew's place.

Busto first got on Drew's radar when he rushed a NYC stage last month as she was interviewing singer/actress Reneé Rapp.

Andrew Yang says voters are disenchanted about President Joe Biden battling Donald Trump in an election day rematch ... which is why he wants to see the other Democrat candidates get some shine.

The former presidential candidate was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, talking about why he wants Biden to go toe-to-toe in a debate with the 2 Dem challengers -- RFK Jr. and Marianne Williamson.

The way Andrew sees it, another round of 2020's political battle isn't what Americans want, especially with JB and DT both getting up in age. Hence, his push to shake things up.

As we reported, Williamson claims she's getting iced out of network and cable news outlets amid her campaign. For now, she's wisely relying on TikTok to spread word and help her cause.

Andrew says some news organizations are told to not give a spotlight to folks like Williamson or RFK Jr., but he's adamant the fair way to handle things is to give them a platform, too -- especially since they're polling higher than some Republican candidates.

BTW, Andrew left the Democratic party in 2021 and created the Forward Party, a centrist political organization that has been trying to make strides at the local level. His org already declared it won't be putting up a presidential candidate for 2024.

Mexican artist Peso Pluma's putting on a concert in Tijuana, and the Mexican cartel ain't happy about it ... it's leaving death threats for the singer all around the city.

One of them is a banner found Tuesday morning hanging on a bridge, and it reads, "This goes to Peso Pluma, refrain from presenting yourself on October 14, because it will be your last show due to your disrespect and loose tongue."

The last line is hard to make out, but it appears to end with, "You show up and we are going to (break you)." It could be translated several ways, but all of them involve physical harm.

The threatening banner was signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel -- a crime syndicate based in Jalisco, Mexico ... where the 24-year-old singer was actually born. The group is led by "El Mencho," one of the most-wanted drug lords in the world.

BTW, the threat came before Peso took to the stage Tuesday night at the MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey.

Peso has yet to respond to the threat, but a handful of upcoming concerts have been postponed -- the Tijuana concert remains as scheduled, and his next show goes down in Nevada at the end of September.

Alex Trebek's former home in Los Angeles -- where he lived for decades -- is being transformed into a pile of rubble.

The late "Jeopardy!" host's former estate in Studio City is being demolished this week, with bulldozers and excavators taking the structure to the ground.

It's a bittersweet moment ... Alex lived there for almost three decades until his 2020 death, and he took pride in fixing everything around the home himself and once bought out an entire hardware store for DIY renovations.

Alex's former neighbors tell us a wall with a tarp went up around the property last week, construction equipment showed up over the weekend and crews started razing the home.

We're told dozens of construction machines, big trucks and trailers are working on the massive teardown... and we got video and photos of the demolition.

TMZ broke the story .. Alex died in November 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, passing away in this very home.

He really poured blood, sweat and tears into the house for decades -- and even drove a pickup truck, specifically, because he was constantly going to hardware stores for home improvement supplies.

The K-9 that subdued escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante -- to end a 2-week long manhunt  -- had a massive area to search, but one law enforcement expert says the pup is the perfect officer for the job.

Michael Gould used to train K-9's for NY police departments, and he joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to explain the training thsese 4-legged officers go through to locate an escapee -- and he says Cavalcante's capture played out almost perfectly.

Michael says dogs go through a lot of training to learn to pick up on a human scent, and he tells us why Cavalcante waiting out in the woods for an extended period made it possible for the pup to sniff him out.

We also talked with Michael about the potential of a dog subduing a suspect like Cavalcante, and turning to deadly force if its trainer isn't nearby.

While he thinks it's natural for people to resist while being chomped on, a simple voice command from the trainer could call off a dog.

As we reported, Cavalcante, who is a convicted murderer, was arrested Wednesday morning by SWAT teams and a Border Patrol Tactical Unit in Pennsylvania after 14 days of hunting. The K-9 left a minor bite wound on his scalp while he tried to break free.

Joe Burrow is starting fresh after his Bengals got rocked by the Browns ... chopping off his locks to ditch the stench of Sunday's 24-3 loss.

The superstar quarterback -- who became the highest-paid player in the NFL after inking a 5-year, $275 million extension -- debuted the new look during his media availability on Wednesday ... and when asked about his decision to ditch his solid flow, he half-joked it was inspired by the Week 1 matchup against Cleveland.

"When you have a game like that on Sunday," Burrow said with a smile.

A reporter followed up on whether the former #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was being serious or just playing around ... and he admitted it was "a little of both."

The Bengals -- who are expected to be one of the top teams in the AFC this season -- stumbled out the gates in Cleveland ... with Burrow and Co. struggling to get things going on offense.

New York Fashion Week is wrapping up, and designers took some big chances on the runways ... sending models out in all kinds of 'fits and really pushing the envelope.

2023 NYFW has been going on for the past week, and one of the wilder styles we've seen includes a male model with massively oversized boots and a matching sweater, plus furry gloves and shorts and a huge headpiece.

Meanwhile, there are models looking like real-life stuffed animals ... and some designs that look straight out of arts and crafts time at an elementary school.

Mohawks were a big thing too this year ... dominating the runway at the VIN + OMI "OMNIA" Show at 100 Shoreditch ... and screaming for attention.

Skin, skin and more skin ... barely-there bikinis from Pinkmelon Swimwear made a statement ... and one model came out with nothing but pasties over her nipples and vagina and some black boots.

On the other end of the spectrum ... the women wearing Pipenco Lorena were ensconced in fabrics for a fashion show at the Brooklyn Museum.

*NSYNC fans are already itching for a worldwide tour or new album from the group after their reunion at the VMAs ... but it just ain't gonna happen, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... despite the group's iconic reunion Tuesday night, they have no plans to tour, do a residency, album, or any other pop-up reunions.

After the VMAs, we're told bandmates Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick -- along with their management team and close friends -- all went to dinner at Ambra in NYC ... which was a group close to 50 people.

Our sources say they all had some amazing conversations and laughs during the dinner, which had a menu with the band's name on it. We're told everyone was glad to be back under the same roof all these years later.

BTW, we've confirmed the rumors the group is featured on a song for the upcoming movie, "Trolls Band Together" ... which focuses on Justin Timberlake's character reuniting with his 4 brothers who were all part of a boy band in the past -- pretty meta.

So there might not be an album, but at least a new song is coming soon!

Tuesday night's appearance was the first time they've all been at the VMAs together since 2013. As we reported, a source connected to the group told us they wouldn't be performing but would only be presenting an award ... which ended up going to Taylor Swift.