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Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Barack Obama's time in The White House was full of challenges ... not the least of which he says was his relationship with the First Lady.

The former Prez opens up about his 8 years in office in an upcoming memoir called "A Promised Land" ... and one of his most interesting anecdotes is about how the Presidency took a toll on Michelle.

Obama says he could sense an "undercurrent of tension in her, subtle but constant," despite her own achievements and growing popularity ... and their roles in America's First Family amplified all of the stress involved.

Barack says ... "It was as if, confined as we were within the walls of the White House, all her previous sources of frustration became more concentrated, more vivid, whether it was my round the clock absorption with work, or the way politics exposed our family to scrutiny and attacks, or the tendency of even friends and family members to treat her role as secondary in importance."

He adds that he became wistful many nights while he was lying next to Michelle thinking about the time before he was Prez "when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return."

A Trump supporter threatened to punch a woman who flipped him the middle finger over Trump flags on his pickup truck -- a frighteningly tense confrontation that shows just how divided America remains.

Their heated exchange went down in Dunedin, FL, and the video starts with the man charging out of his truck like a bull toward the woman. He immediately threatened to knock her phone out of her hand, and begged her to touch him ... presumably, so he'd be justified in knocking her out.

The video is intense as he shouts, "Touch me. I dare you. I'll remove your f**king head." He also hurled homophobic insults at the woman, and she continued to taunt him over Trump losing. She tried to record his license plate, and he tried to back his truck over her.

The insults keep getting worse, and then an older woman with an accent shows up, and the woman recording yells, "Go back to your own country, b*tch."

Well here's a new one -- Kayleigh McEnany punted a question about President-elect Joe Biden getting access to intelligent briefings, saying it's a question for The White House ... even though that's literally HER job!!!

The WH Press Secretary's absurd moment went down Thursday morning on "Fox & Friends," when they asked her if President Trump's considering looping Biden in during the transfer of Presidential power.

McEnany says she hasn't spoken to the Prez about that topic, but ... "that would be a question more for The White House."

Puzzled? Yeah, us too. So, we asked a different White House rep what gives, and got this -- "Kayleigh appeared in her personal capacity as a private citizen. She advises the campaign on a voluntary basis."

Oooookay! Now, Kayleigh's paying gig is still Press Secretary -- for the White House -- so, she essentially said ... that would be a question for ME, but at some other time. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Talk about awkward situations ... Melania Trump's preparing to spread Christmas cheer at the White House while a ticked off President Trump appears to be in full Grinch mode. Good luck!

A rep for the First Lady tells TMZ ... Melania is, indeed, planning on decorating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. again this year for Christmas, as is tradition. Might seem like a no-brainer -- First Ladies have been doing it for decades -- but the difference now is ... we know it's not one of MT's favorite things.

You'll recall, Melania was recorded in 2018 -- by her then-adviser, Stephanie Wolkoff -- trashing the White House decorating tradition. She said, "Who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I need to do it, right?"

At the time, the First Lady was frustrated because the media was focusing on child separations at the border, and she apparently felt like no one would give a Fievel's ass about the decorations.

Well, cut to 2020 and there's a new hot button distraction -- her husband seems convinced they're staying put for another 4 years, despite losing the election to Joe Biden.

That begs the question ... does Melania think this will be her final Christmas bow in the White House? It'll be interesting to see her 2020 theme, as it could give some insight into how she's dealing with all this drama.

In light of all that's happened this year, maybe pass on repeating last year's white Christmas. Just a thought.

There's never been a chance to literally rent out THE 'Bachelor' pad ... until now.

The famous mansion featured on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" has hit Airbnb for a whopping $6,000 per night ... roses and ladies/gentlemen not included. But, you do get a ton of other goodies for that dough.

Villa de la Vina, its official name but more commonly known as "The Mansion," sits on 10 acres within the Santa Monica Mountains of Malibu. The Mediterranean-style pad -- which has been HQ for the reality series since 2007 -- has 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms on 10,000-square-feet. The entire place sleeps 13 guests.

Bach fans will easily recognize the famous archways in the swimming pool ... the same pool where Nick Viall entertained, among other ladies, Alexis, who showed up in a shark suit. Fans who have the dough can also relax in jacuzzis, slay away at a pool table or simply sit back and enjoy the canyon, mountain and vineyard views.

Fun fact ... an actual family lives in the mansion, but vacates twice a year for around 42 days so ABC and co. can do their thing.

If walls could talk, right?

Steve Kornacki's election map coverage did more than inform America, it energized America ... to dress like Steve, and it's paying dividends for the Gap.

The MSNBC "Map Daddy" became an unexpected star during the vote-counting chaos, as he won over viewers with his energy, commitment and his wardrobe ... especially his khakis.

After several media outlets reported they were Gap brand trousers, the company's sales got a huge boost within the first 24 hours.

According to a Gap spokesperson ... the clothing retailer saw a "dramatic increase in online traffic and within a day, we saw around 90% unit sale increase online."

For those who really want the fast track to being more like Steve -- aka the "Chart Throb" -- it was further discovered he wears the "palomino brown" pair ... of which he says he has several. No one's surprised.

Now on the tee ... A BIG-ASS ALLIGATOR!!!!!

A Jurassic Park-like beast interrupted some golfers during an outing in Florida on Wednesday ... and video of the reptile crawling around the course is WILD!!!

Check out some footage that golfers in Naples shot this week ... you can see the gator -- roughly 10 FEET LONG -- was just cruising through tee boxes without a care in the world.

"Holy ...," one golfer said while seeing the animal on the course. "This guy out for a stroll -- oh, my God!"

Gators haven't been shy about making appearances on golf courses over the past year ... remember when two beasts brawled on an 18th hole in South Carolina?

Also, who could forget the gator that stole some dude's ball in Louisiana!!!

Kodak Black's not letting imprisonment stop him from putting food on the table for thousands of folks in Florida this Thanksgiving.

The rapper dropped $15k to provide more than 1,000 frozen turkeys for families in Pompano Beach ... according to his attorney, Bradford Cohen.

We're told Kodak arranged for the birds to be sent to the E. Pat Larkins Community Center on Wednesday, where hundreds of people waited in a long line of cars to get their free food -- including a bag of chips and sodas -- courtesy of the incarcerated rapper.

As you can see ... Kodak's team members were at the community center to safely place the frozen turkeys in recipients' trunks before they drove off. We're told KB's giveaway lasted from 11 AM to 1 PM, and his people were responsible for the huge turnout by putting up flyers in local neighborhoods.

Cohen tells us another community leader who focuses on feeding the needy also helped spread the word for Kodak. We're told the rapper's working with the man on future outreach projects.

Kodak himself will be spending Thanksgiving in his new prison cell at USP Thomson, a high-security prison in Illinois. As we first told you ... he got transferred there last month from the Kentucky prison where he claimed he was being tortured.

Blueface is offering up his home for rent, but you can't exactly live like the rapper does ... because quarantine stripper parties aren't allowed!!!

Here's the deal ... Blueface just put his 3-bedroom mansion in the San Fernando Valley up for rent on Airbnb for a cool $2,500 per night, but there's a catch.

The listing says the host doesn't allow pets, parties or smoking.

Remember ... the rapper caught a ton of heat for hosting a party at his Chatsworth crib early on in quarantine. Video from the bash showed a bunch of women in g-strings and bikini tops getting into an all-out brawl.

Maybe Blueface learned a lesson and started listening to Dr. Fauci ... unlike some people.

Anyways, Blueface's pad looks super modern ... it's decked out with a pool, hot tub, indoor fireplace, grand piano, pool table and a basketball hoop.

Everyone wants to know why UFC star Paul Felder is volunteering to fight a killer like Rafael dos Anjos on just 5 days' notice.

Well, Paul just gave us the answer -- and it's about as gangster as it gets.

"This is the crazy stuff that will either set me up for a major fight and move my career forward or I'll prove that I got balls that are bigger than anybody else's in the division."

No lies detected.

Paul -- who hasn't fought since February -- stepped up to replace Islam Makhachev in the main event on Nov. 14 ... after Islam was forced to withdraw this week due to a staph infection.

Felder says UFC firmed up the fight on Monday night -- giving him less than a week to prep himself for war.

Fortunately, Felder says he's been training like a maniac recently for a triathlon -- which means his cardio is insane at the moment.

So, he weighed the pros and cons of fighting a legend like dos Anjos -- and quickly came to the decision that it's worth the risk.

"If he beats me, he's a former champion! I don't give a sh*t! It's Rafael dos Anjos!"

Felder continued, "I mean, I've got nothing to lose other than some brain cells and some broken bones and things as usual but I will heal up and I'll be fine."

Don't get it twisted, Paul says he wouldn't have taken the fight if he wasn't 100% confident he can win.

"I'm fully capable of beating him, that I will make everyone clear of! I'm not coming in here to get a payday."

Felder says there's a real chance this could be the last fight of his career -- but he's not worried about that. He's just getting himself ready to fight.

Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champ -- with signature victories over stars like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee and "Cowboy" Cerrone.

Before this driving darling was a top executive managing some of the biggest names in music, he was just another car kid steering his way around New York, New York.

This speedy sweetheart began his career when he was hired by So So Def Records. After his successful journey in the industry began, he kept hustling and never looked back in his rearview mirror. Even though he is usually behind the scenes, he is most well-known for discovering one of the biggest pop stars in a YouTube video when he was just 12.

Joe Biden's team is already talking criminal justice reform with civil rights attorney Ben Crump ... who says he's expecting big things in the first 100 days of Biden's administration.

We got Ben Wednesday at Reagan Airport in D.C., where he told us he's been in touch with President-elect Biden's transition team and VP-elect Kamala Harris. He says some of the conversations have been about preventing tragedies -- that became hashtags in 2020 -- like the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The way Crump sees it ... America can and must do better, and it's clear he's counting on Biden's administration to make it happen. He also said it would be really hard to do worse than the current administration.

Interestingly, it sounds like he has some ideas for improving the Dept. of Justice's response to cases where racial bias might be at play.

Author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin just got canned by The New Yorker -- the magazine where he's written for nearly 3 decades -- over his faux pas of a Zoom call.

An internal memo from Conde Nast chief Stan Duncan was sent to staffers this week, letting them know that as a result of their investigation -- Toobin was no longer affiliated with the company.

As for exactly why they fired him -- the email, posted by The Daily Beast, said Conde Nast takes these types of situations seriously, and are committed to maintaining an environment that upholds their standards.

You'll recall, Toobin was suspended by the New Yorker -- not to mention CNN -- for exposing himself on a Zoom call with New Yorker staffers as well as folks from WNYC radio. Toobin called the incident "embarrassingly stupid." He was allegedly masturbating, and insists he thought he was muted and his camera was off.

Toobin confirmed he'd gotten the axe as well, tweeting ... "I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work." Toobin started working for TNY in '93.

The Jumpman has entered the future!!!

The Jordan Brand has officially announced its first ever self-lacing sneaker ... and they look like they'd get Marty McFly's approval.

Dubbed the Air Jordan 11 Adapt, the sneakers are the first of Michael Jordan's iconic signature line to use Nike's electronically-controlled lacing technology ... and will mark the 25th anniversary of the original kicks released in 1995.

Remember, sneakerheads lost their minds when the Swoosh introduced the Nike MAG back in 2016 -- ya know, the "Back to the Future" kicks -- which also featured the Adapt tech.

While the self-lacing tech has showed up on other iconic shoes in recent years, it marks the first time it will appear on an Air Jordan shoe.

Fun fact -- shoe god Tinker Hatfield envisioned a lace-less design when he initially drew up the epic kicks years ago ... and now it's kinda finally happening!!

So, how do these things work?? The kicks are controlled by an app that will help customize the comfort ... as well as the color of the button on the side of the sneaks.

The kicks are set to be released next month ... and rumors say they will come with a $500 price tag.

Rapper Mo3 is dead after being gunned down on a Texas interstate ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Mo3 was shot just before noon Wednesday on I-35 in Dallas and was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Our sources say the fatal shooting went down like this ... the gunman and Mo3 were both traveling northbound on I-35 when the trigger man got out of his car and approached Mo3's. The rapper got out of his car and started running, with the gunman giving chase, firing multiple rounds and hitting Mo3 in the back of the head.

We're told the gunman also shot an innocent bystander who was sitting in his vehicle, and the second gunshot victim was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Dallas-based rapper claimed he'd survived a shooting last year. He was also arrested back in 2017 in connection with a Dallas-Fort Worth nightclub shooting that left one person dead.

Mo3 is most famous for his 2019 collab with Boosie Badazz, "Errybody (Remix)." He released a couple new songs earlier this year and has recorded 3 albums.

He was 28 years old.