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There's a Hollywood connection to a deeply disturbing crime ... the son of a powerful former Hollywood agent has been booked for murder after a woman's dismembered torso was found in a bag.

LAPD arrested 35-year-old Samuel Haskell Wednesday following the grisly discovery -- the bag containing the female victim's body was in a dumpster in Encino, CA. Haskell's wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents are currently missing. The coroner hasn't identified the victim yet ... but in the meantime, Haskell's being held on $2 million bail.

Haskell's father, Sam Haskell Sr., is currently the President of Magnolia Hill Productions -- the company behind several Dolly Parton specials -- including "Dolly Parton's Magic Mountain Christmas" and "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors."

Haskell Sr. was once a powerful agent at William Morris Agency ... he retired as an agent in 2005, but during his 27-year-career represented the likes of Dolly, Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Romano, George Clooney, Martin Short, Kirstie Alley, Tony Danza, Debbie Allen, Kathie Lee Gifford ... and even King Charles' younger brother, Prince Edward.

As for the criminal investigation into Haskell's son, investigators are currently searching through Junior's Tarzana home where he lived with his wife and her parents Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshen Li.

So far, police say they've found evidence of a crime with blood in the home.

The dismembered torso was reportedly found Wednesday by a homeless person who was sifting through a strip mall dumpster. Haskell Jr. and Mei have 3 kids who are safe in the custody of L.A.'s DCFS.

Shawn Mendes & his potential new boo enjoyed a day at the beach ... strippin' down to their undies for some fun in the sun after she had his arm around him at a WeHo eatery.

The singer and TV personality Charlie Travers hit up Point Dume and El Matador Beach Wednesday out in sunny SoCal -- and it appears their trip to the ocean might've been an unplanned one, seeing as they have no bathing suits on hand.

No worries, 'cause Charlie took off her top and pants, while Shawn got down to his boxer briefs to enjoy the day -- and we're assuming Shawn's strip down helped any ladies nearby enjoy their day, too.

TMZ broke the story, Charlie had her arm around Shawn at a restaurant in West Hollywood on Tuesday ... witnesses told us the pair was pretty touchy-feely, too.

Unclear if her arm around him was a sign to ward off the ladies, or something more mild ... but there's obviously something going on here.

Of course, this potential romance comes after Shawn's relationship with Camila Cabello, which first ended in November 2021.

Priscilla Presley was very nearly a Kardashian ... had her unwavering loyalty to her ex, Elvis Presley -- and lack of cooking skills -- not been an issue for Robert Kardashian.

In light of the new movie based on her romance with the King of Rock & Roll, Priscilla has been doing lots of promo lately ... revealing in a Q&A that she had "never wanted to marry again" after Elvis because no one would match up to him.

And no one had better first-hand knowledge of her devotion to the icon post-split than Robert ... who was head over heels for her when they first met and thought they would marry and have babies together.

However, in the 2017 unauthorized biography, "The Kardashians: An American Drama," the author says Rob frequently felt like a third wheel, because Elvis repeatedly interrupted their romance in bizarre and controlling ways.

In the book, a close pal recalled Robert complaining Elvis called while he was making love to Priscilla ... who then propped the bedside receiver on the pillow between them, forcing Rob to listen to their convo. Awwwkward.

According to the biography, Elvis just didn't want his ex to see other men ... for the sake of their daughter Lisa Marie.

Another blow for Robert was that romancing Priscilla came at the expense of family affairs as his older brother Tom was also interested in her ... and when she chose Rob, his bro grew envious.

But, Rob's bud Joni Migdal said the final straw for their relationship was when Priscilla cooked a meal for Robert, which he hated so much ... he suggested she never make dinner for him again!

His desire to forge a life with Priscilla dissipated soon after, and as we all know, Rob went on to marry Kris Jenner and have their 4 kids ... Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob. Rob and Kris were married from 1978 to 1991.

The holidays are right around the corner, and Kim Kardashian and her SKIMS marketing elves are hard at work, this time with a little assistance from one of the biggest names in sports.

Check out the latest SKIMS campaign to drop Thursday, featuring none other than Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, and his wife Brittany with their adorable kiddos; 2-year-old daughter Sterling and 11-month-old son, Patrick, "Bronze."

The family is helping Kim's brand launch its annual Holiday Shop with items for the whole family ... including the winter-must-have, fleece.

We gotta say, the pics are pretty cute, and the whole family appears to be having a good time -- surrounded by teddy bears and gifts.

As for the campaign itself, Patrick seems pretty pumped, adding, "This is our first campaign as a family, and shooting for SKIMS all together was an awesome moment."

It was Snoop Dogg and his family who did the honors for the SKIMS holiday campaign last year, with 3 generations of the rapper's family appearing in photos ... but the pivot to an athlete makes a lot of sense considering the recent launch of SKIMS Men's line.

King Kong ain't got s*** on Jared Leto ... not after he scaled the tippy-top of the Empire State Building simply to promote his band 30 Seconds to Mars' new tour.

The singer/actor took to the sky above NYC Thursday morning, telling the 'TODAY' hosts he made it to the top of the iconic skyscraper -- something that had always been a goal of his.

He says on his way up, he stopped around the 80th floor where he saw his mom inside, which was a nice surprise ... but when he got to the top of the 102-floor building, he said the views were pretty incredible, especially as the sun started to rise.

The feat wasn't done without a bit of bloodshed, however -- showing hosts Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones his beat-up paws ... but it sounds like it was worth it.

Jared's big climb wasn't just a bucket list check-off -- he's also promoting the upcoming world tour for his band, 30 Seconds to Mars ... which kicks off in March.

Gotta admit, it's a pretty unique way to sell tickets.

The guy's no stranger to daring climbs like this ... he's been scaling buildings and some insane rock formations for a while now, all of which certainly prepared him for his grueling skyscraper milestone.

Logan Paul turned his U.S. Championship belt into a censor bar this week -- the WWE Superstar posted a completely naked shower snap on social media ... with only his new, shiny addition covering his junk!!

The Maverick -- who won his first wrestling title over the weekend after beating Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel -- shared a few snaps of his life as the champ on Thursday ... and let's just say he's been getting some quality time with the hardware.

The 28-year-old clearly wouldn't let his new belt leave his side as he went about his daily routine -- spooning in bed with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, enjoying a rooftop stogie, working out ... and even when he was rinsing off!!

A lot of Logan's followers cracked jokes in the comments ... with one person saying, "Nahhh no one is wearing that belt after the last pic 😂" and another going a bit more blunt by adding, "Bro got his meat all up on da belt."

It's been an insane start for Logan's wrestling career -- the dude has fought big names like Roman Reigns, Seth Freakin' Rollins, Ricochet and The Miz over the past year and a half ... and now, he can finally call himself a champion.

6:20 AM PT -- Wynonna Judd has clearly seen the criticism and worry from her fans, posting a video to address the performance -- she blames the whole thing on nerves, saying she wanted to be at her best for Jelly Roll. Wynonna says she was simply holding on for dear life ... and will be back on the road for another show.

Wynonna Judd clung to Jelly Roll during their performance Wednesday night at the Country Music Awards -- and now her fans are worried something is wrong with her.

The country music legend hit the stage with JR to sing a duet of Jelly's tune, "Need A Favor," at the 2023 CMA Awards in Nashville.

At one point, Wynonna walked over to Jelly and grabbed his arm, giving off the impression she needed help to stay on her feet. It's unclear if Wynonna was experiencing some type of health issue, but she was able to polish off the song and leave the stage on her own.

Still, her fans took to social media and voiced their concerns after watching her seemingly unsteady performance. Remember, Wynonna lost her iconic mother, Naomi, to suicide in 2022, so she's had a rough time lately.

One fan wrote on X, "She could barely walk. She took baby steps."

Another one asked, "Am I the only one concerned for @Wynonna."

A third person observed, "Something is wrong with her. Hope she is ok. Wynonna Judd is holding on to Jelly Roll for dear life #CMAawards."

And a fourth freaked out, "It was seriously bizarre. I wonder what’s going on? She barely moved once she got a death grip on him."

In some good news from the show ... Jelly Roll took home the trophy for "Best New Artist."

Congrats, JR!!

Olivia the Corgi -- known as 1/2 of the famous doggy duo "Hammy & Olivia" -- has died ... this according to her owner, Chris, who broke down in tears telling fans about her recent health emergency.

Chris got extremely emotional in Wednesday's video, telling people Olivia passed peacefully after an emergency -- saying she was unable to empty her kidneys and he and his partner, Sarah, made the tough call to put her down ... adding, "We just didn't want her to suffer."

He rightfully says the family is "crushed" by the sudden death ... adding she was his best friend, and is urging his fellow pet owners to love their furry friends a bit extra today.

Olivia and Hammy rose to viral fame in 2020, gaining traction for their hilarious videos together -- getting decked out and hilarious costumes and even barking in a handful of comedic sketches, too.

Their stardom didn't end online, however ... because the pups -- along with Chris and Sarah, of course -- made it onto shows like "Access Hollywood" and several L.A. local news programs to talk about their recent dog food cookbook, "Barkcuterie."

Olivia was only 8 years old.

RIP

It seemed like we finally had proof of life outside planet Earth when a bizarre-looking creature washed up on the Western shores of Australia ... but now we know what it is, and it's a real shock.

The blob has the appropriate name -- Coffin Ray -- aka a Numbfish.

Get this ... Mr. Ray produces a shock of more than 200 volts  ... it's 20 times more powerful than the device divers use to shock sharks into retreat mode.

One of the folks who had a bad experience with a Coffin Ray compared it to touching an electric fence.

Although Coffin Rays don't seem to like the U.S.A., divers say they've seen a bunch of them in the shallow waters of Australia, where they bury themselves in the sand.

Jenelle Evans' teenage son, Jace, has been keeping his distance from his mom and her husband, David Eason ... and we're told the kid's happier now than he's been in a long time.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... 14-year-old Jace has zero contact with the "Teen Mom" star and David, as he's been living with Jenelle's mom, Barbara, while he remains under custody of Child Protective Services. Sources say Barbara also isn't in contact with Jenelle or David.

TMZ broke the story, David was charged with child abuse in a case involving Jace ... allegedly roughing up the teen and causing "marks on the right arm and left and right side of the neck," according to court docs.

The docs also say Jace's injuries weren't sustained by accident ... and the date of the alleged incident was the same day Jace slipped out his bedroom window and ran away from home.

We're told Jace is glad to be back living with his grandma ... and the place feels like home to him. Jenelle just regained custody of Jace earlier this year, so he's really spent most of his childhood in Barbara's care.

He also recently enrolled in a brand new school after being out for the past few months. You'll recall, he was reported as a runaway after getting in trouble at school back in August.

"Good Burger" and "Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell is now at home and on the road to recovery after his mysterious hospitalization ... something he's calling "genuinely frightening."

Kel broke his silence about the ordeal Wednesday night, saying on Instagram, "Grateful for the flood of prayers and positive vibes" -- adding, "The scare was real, but so was the support."

The 45-year-old goes on to say, "With the grace of God and the skill of the medical team, I'm now on the road to recovery at home, embraced by the love of my family" ... and he's shouting out all the folks who wished him well while spending time at the hospital.

Fans have been sounding off in the comments ... wishing him well, and asking what happened to land him in the ER -- but he's staying silent for the time being.

TMZ broke the story, Kel was admitted into a Los Angeles-area hospital Tuesday night, coming in through the facility's emergency room. We're told he appeared alert when he arrived.

Gal Gadot's screening of a new film about the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel turned into a battleground of sorts ... as protestors clashed outside the Los Angeles theater where it was shown.

About 150 people attended Wednesday night's screening of the extremely graphic 47-minute film titled, "Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre," at the Museum of Tolerance. Media reports indicated Gadot -- who was supposed to host the event -- was MIA.

During the viewing inside, mobs of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators arrived outside, waving flags and shouting at one another.

Witnesses shot cell phone video of the rapidly devolving situation, which soon erupted into violence.

Check out the footage posted to X ... protestors are seen going at it, throwing wild punches and tackling each other to the ground. One woman can be heard screaming, "Free Palestine!"

LAPD officers were dispatched to break up the fights and quell the tension. It's unclear if anyone was injured or arrested, but we've put in a call to the LAPD. So far, no word back.

Earlier this week, news reports surfaced that Gadot was planning to host the L.A. screening -- which was met with backlash.

The gruesome footage in the film was intended to show the truth of what happened that day amid many skeptics.

Kim Kardashian once vowed she'd never get a tattoo, but as they say ... never say never, especially if you can stash that ink away in a super-hidden place on your body.

KK dropped the tat bomb on Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians" while chatting with her hairstylist, Chris Appleton, about his desire to get matching tattoos for his Las Vegas wedding with Lukas Gage ... and Kim didn't seem down to participate.

Chris then points out the tat she has inside her lower lip, prompting her to flash the small infinity symbol to the camera -- as she put it, "Here's something you don't know about me."

Kim says she her friends all got the symbol in 2021 when Kim was hosting 'SNL,' and she actually agreed to get one, too ... as long as it was someplace the public couldn't see!

Kim and Chris even say she finally "put a bumper sticker on a Bentley" -- a reference to something she told Wendy Williams back in 2009 when asked if she'd ever get some artwork on her body.

Obviously, she changed her tune once, so ya gotta wonder if she'd do it again ... on the DL, of course!!!

A husband's going viral for putting a Taylor Swift tip jar in his house, and making his wife pay up for every mention of the pop star OR her boyfriend, Travis Kelce!

Maryland resident Dana Rice shared the clip of her hubby's new "invention," showing him clearly fed up with the Taylor/Travis chatter going on around their home these days ... prompting him to tape a sign with the new house rules on a tall glass.

It says, "Any mention of T. Swift and you owe $0.25" ... adding, "I can't take it anymore." And yes, there's a footnote reminding Dana the Kansas City Chiefs star is included in the deal.

Dana says she became a Swiftie when Taylor launched her "Eras" tour back in March ... and now fellow fans are coming to her defense in the comments -- one jokingly wrote, "25 cents is a small price to pay to spread the gospel."

Dana slips up pretty early, BTW ... saying they both were recently on 'SNL' -- referring to their brief cameos last month on the show's season premiere. As you know, that's when the entire country was goin' nuts over their relationship.

As we reported, the duo was spotted holding hands in NYC before their brief appearances on 'SNL' ... and they also hit up the show's after-party together.

SAG-AFTRA just struck a new tentative deal with Hollywood's major studios -- effectively ending the actors' strike ... this after more than 100 days of picketing.

The guild announced Wednesday they'd come to terms with the AMPTP for a new 3-year contract that'll allow union actors to get back to work ... and let showbiz get back on track after the lengthy stalemate.

SAG said, "In a unanimous vote this afternoon, The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Committee approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP bringing an end to the 118 day strike." They added that the strike would officially end at 12:01 AM on Thursday, November 9.

The terms of the deal have yet to be publicly disclosed, but there's been a lot of reporting on what the sticking points were in this final stretch -- by most accounts, the language surrounding AI protections was what SAG was nitpicking over these past several days.

One report from THR suggested the studios wanted to be able to scan actors for a one-time fee -- including dead actors, BTW -- and be able to use their image/likeness for future projects ... but SAG apparently said that was a nonstarter, demanding more red tape and extra pay for any reuse of the AI scans down the line ... including the actor's permission.

We'll see what they ultimately landed on -- but presumably, it's something that SAG considered fair for their members, for now at least. They'll go back to the table soon enough, and we're sure this whole process will start all over again -- hopefully, less dramatically.

There are rumblings of SAG actors also getting better pay/on-set conditions guaranteed in this new deal. The union's board and members still need to ratify it ... but it sounds like it's over.

It took just seconds for Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan to talk about Taylor Swift during the CMAs on Wednesday ... and, unfortunately for New York fans, the reference led to a hilarious crack about how terrible the Jets have been this year.

The NFL Hall of Famer and the country music star hosted the annual awards show ... and as part of their roles as anchors, the two gave an opener full of jokes.

Of course, that meant there was definitely a mention of Swift and her new relationship with Travis Kelce ... which then turned into a jab at the 4-4 Jets.

"Luke," Manning said into the mic onstage, "you know the difference between Taylor Swift and the New York Jets?"

"Uh, Taylor can sell out a stadium?" Bryan responded ... before Manning cracked, "You nailed it!"

The barb was met with a mix of laughs and groans -- before Manning chuckled, "I had you do that punchline, Luke, so I wouldn't get in trouble."

The duo's opener also included Peyton singing some country music classics ... as well as a quip about Eli Manning getting a face tattoo in honor of Jelly Roll.