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The Trump campaign's "star witness" about alleged voter fraud denies she was boozing before her now-infamous testimony ... which is always a great sign it went well.

Melissa Carone has spoken out about last week's Michigan hearing led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, in which Melissa stole the show with her unfounded claims and unhinged behavior.

At one point, Giuliani even appeared to try to reel her in -- to no avail -- and people speculated she might have been intoxicated.

Carone insists she wasn't though, telling "Inside Edition" she'd go under oath to prove it. She says that's just her personality, and even though she's been widely mocked for it -- including on 'SNL' -- she seems cool with it.

What's not cool is that despite Giuliani being hospitalized for COVID-19 after the public hearing, and Ellis also testing positive, Carone's refusing to quarantine ... even though she sat right next to them without a mask.

This defies a local county order that anyone in direct contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus must quarantine ... but Carone doesn't seem to care.

Russia's vodka industry is taking a major hit -- leaders over there are telling citizens to lay off the sauce when they get the coronavirus vaccine.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova says Russians who receive the Sputnik V vaccine -- which is administered in 2 phases 21 days apart -- must abstain from alcohol for 42 days ... because it's an immunosuppressant.

That's not all -- Russians planning to get the vaccine are also supposed to give up drinking 2 weeks before their first injection. So, that's about 2 months of sobriety for people living in the nation known to be one of the world's leading alcohol consumers.

Anna Popova, head of Russia’s consumer watchdog agency, says beer and liquor are a strain on the body, adding ... "If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, don’t drink alcohol." Smoking cigarettes is also being discouraged.

So far, Russian officials estimate 100,000 have received the Sputnik V vaccine.

Ken Jennings -- the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time -- is being honored at the school he credits for helping him possibly become the trivia champion of all time.

Seoul Foreign School in South Korea has named Jennings its 2020 Alumnus of the Year, and he'll deliver the commencement speech in June to the graduating class of 2021.

The school says this is the highest honor it bestows upon alumni, and it recognizes the recipient's "excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and outstanding service to the community or profession, as well as devotion to SFS."

So, the obvious question ... South Korea??? That's correct. Jennings moved there with his parents at age 7 due to their jobs, and he attended SFS from grades 2-12 until he was 17 ... graduating high school in 1992.

Jennings says ... "It's hard to overstate how my eleven years at SFS shaped me as a person, and continues to loom in my psyche." He adds ... "I couldn't feel more honored by this award, given my fond memories of Seoul Foreign."

Ken's also said many times his time in S. Korea led to his desire to learn as much as possible about America and the world ... and his obsession with "Jeopardy!" He watched almost daily with friends after school on the one channel he got.

The rest, as they say, is history. Jennings won a record 74 games in a row on the game show in 2004, and in early 2020 ... he was crowned 'The Greatest of All Time' in a tournament with the other 2 most successful contestants ever -- Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer.

Of course, one can't mention Jennings without thinking of the late, great Alex Trebek, who died November 8 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Ken was one of his biggest fans and is set to guest host "Jeopardy!" after Alex's final episode airs Xmas Day.

Kim Kardashian could have the new Los Angeles County D.A.'s ear when it comes to how to go about achieving prison reform, because the guy wants a face-to-face with her.

Max Szabo, a rep for George Gascon -- who was just elected as the new D.A. -- tells TMZ ... the County's top prosecutor is interested in meeting with Kim after she shouted him out on social media this week.

Kim wrote ... "Los Angeles County is the largest jail system in the country, and its home to the largest jurisdiction in the state. These changes out of the DA’s office are the change we’ve been waiting for, and I hope they have a ripple effect across the country."

She added, "More people will see the justice they deserve soon. @GeorgeGascon"

Welp, Kim's message was not lost on Gascon ... he reposted her comments on his Instagram story, writing, "Thank you @kimkardashian. We need all hands on deck."

Turns out, Gascon wasn't just blowing smoke ... we're told he's now eager to chat with the Princess of Prison Reform and talk ideas ... because they seem to share a lot of the same values, and he respects the work she's done.

Gascon also wants to talk about the death penalty -- which Gascon is firmly against ... as is Kim, which we've seen through her advocacy in the past. Remember, she helped lobby for a stay of execution for Rodney Reed not too long ago -- and was even with the guy on death row when word came down that his execution was stayed.

Brooklyn born actor Ashley Monique Clark was only 10 years old when she shot to stardom after she landed the role of the adorable older sister Sydney Hughley -- who made trouble for her parents with her younger brother -- in the late '90s family sitcom "The Hughleys."

Ashley Monique Clark shared the screen time on the ABC show with Elise Neal as the mom, Yvonne Williams-Hughley, Dee Jay Daniels as the younger bro, Michael Hughley ... and of course D.L. Hughley as the man of the house, Darryl Hughley.

Ashley went on to be cast in other big-name shows like "Zoey 101" and "The Bernie Mac Show."

Oh, boy, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has pissed off his probation officer cause she's asking the judge to slap him on the wrist for falling way behind on completing his community service hours.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... the "Jersey Shore" star has only completed 18 of the 500 hours of community service he was ordered to complete as part of his tax evasion sentence.

In the docs, the probation officer says she's continually talked to Mike about where to volunteer in his community ... like at Toys for Tots, his church and several food banks, but so far he's only done 18 hours since his release from prison in 2019. In fact, the probation officer says Mike was scheduled to volunteer back in August, but failed to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

Still, the probation officer says she's reminded Mike "at nearly every interaction to find a venue for community service, including service that could be performed from home" but she claims he's made next to no effort. The probation officer told it to the judge ... who's now issuing Mike a written warning.

Sitch was released from prison in September 2019 after 8 months behind bars. He and his wife, Lauren, recently announced they're having a baby boy due in May 2021 ... so, dude's gonna be busy.

Taylor Swift is lending a much-needed hand to a couple of mothers struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic ... just in time for the holidays.

The singer donated $13,000 apiece to 2 moms who have fallen on hard times, and whose stories were featured in a recent article about the millions of Americans who are unemployed, or behind on their rent and utilities.

The women -- Nikki Cornwell from Nashville and Shelbie Selewski from Michigan -- both received a generous donation from Taylor on their GoFundMe pages ... along with a personal note of encouragement.

Taylor wrote to Nikki ... "I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another."

Shelbie's message says ... "I'm sending you this gift after reading about you in the Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that's been put on you. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season."

Both women have suffered both medical and financial hardships this year and say they are in danger of being kicked out of their homes if they don't catch up on bills.

Sadly, there are millions more in the U.S. who are also in dire straits, and without another government stimulus for support ... are feeling helpless.

Ann Marie -- who's been arrested and is facing charges in the shooting of her male friend -- was screaming and pleading for help on the phone before emergency responders arrived.

The R&B singer's obviously overcome with emotions on the 911 call -- obtained by TMZ -- but it doesn't shed much light on what happened in the Atlanta hotel room where the incident took place.

At one point, Marie tells the dispatcher it was an accident and explains she reached for a towel and implies that led to her friend accidentally getting shot. Amid her screaming and crying, she's also heard saying, "I love you" to the shooting victim, 24-year-old Jonathon Wright.

After several minutes, police and emergency workers show up and tend to Wright, and it sounds like they are dealing with a scary situation ... as they're heard trying to keep him awake and alert.

As we reported ... cops say they got a call to the InterContinental in Buckhead on December 1 and came upon the grisly scene. The police report says Marie was frantic in a hotel room while Wright laid on the floor with a bullet entry wound in his forehead with an exit wound in his left temple.

Cops say the singer was emotional, but not crying on the scene. She allegedly told officers a gun had fallen off a table and went off, shooting Wright in the head.

Isaac Wright Jr. -- who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- is now running for Mayor of NYC, and says he'd welcome Kim Kardashian's counsel in overhauling the city's justice system.

Isaac joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and said there's no question about it ... Kim K's platform and her influential power would be a huge boost, not only for his campaign ... but for his goals if he wins next year's election.

His incredible life up to this point is already famous -- wrongfully convicted on drug charges in 1991, Isaac was sentenced to life in prison ... but studied as a paralegal while inside and proved his innocence in 1996. His story is the inspiration for the 50 Cent produced show, "For Life" on ABC.

Kim K and Wright are kinda on the same team already ... fighting for criminal justice reform and prisoner's rights. Isaac helped overturn 20 wrongful convictions, along with his own, just as Kim's successfully helped several inmates get clemency or overturned convictions.

Isaac acknowledges Kim's not only getting it done due to her celebrity -- he says she gets in the trenches ... and says that's the kind of people he wants working with him once he's elected.

One thing the coronavirus pandemic won't dramatically change is President-elect Biden's inauguration ceremony -- although there will be a few COVID safety measures in place ... TMZ has learned.

A rep from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies -- which oversees the swearing-in process -- tells TMZ, the team is still planning to hold the big event in-person ... not virtually.

We're told the JCCIC is going to require masks and social distancing for everyone sitting on the dais with Biden -- which you'd expect -- but the Committee is also considering imposing mandatory testing for anyone who will be in the Prez-elect's immediate vicinity.

The stage construction is in full swing and, at this point, a pivot to a virtual ceremony or one significantly scaled back on head count is not in the works. However, a lot can change between now and January 20, as far as the pandemic's concerned.

We're told the congressional committee is still weighing how to go about ticketing, hoping to make it safe, but also inclusive.

Now, as far as the folks who wanna gather on the National Mall and watch the inauguration -- the District of Columbia has already laid out ground rules. It's requiring masks and distancing ... which most likely will translate to a limited capacity.

Outside of the Inauguration, DC already has pretty strict regulations for out-of-town travelers ... including negative tests, and a 14-day quarantine if you're coming from certain states.

Regarding the parade that usually follows the swearing-in, we're told that falls on the city as well. The D.C. Mayor's Office tells us they are planning for a parade as well the other inauguration traditions.

Olivia Jade's facing the music for her family's involvement in the college admissions scandal, claiming it opened her eyes to her privileged life ... and she's aiming to do better now.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli's youngest daughter got in the hot seat for a "Red Table Talk" with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Jada's mom, Adrienne Banfield-Jones, and the biggest takeaway from the interview ... Olivia was so blind to her white privilege, she didn't even realize what her parents did was wrong ... at first, anyway.

The popular YouTube influencer tells the women she's embarrassed and even calls herself the "poster child for white privilege."

Olivia admits she thought what her parents did to help her get into school was perfectly normal -- something all families like hers did -- and she was confused when they got in trouble.

Though she defends her parents' intentions and insists they're good people ... Olivia says she did realize something was amiss when news of her resume came out. However, she claims she was unaware of the illegal dealings of Rick Singer, who she says she trusted as a professional college counselor.

As for her parents ... it's pretty evident Olivia harbors no ill-will toward them, but says she hasn't been able to talk to them since they began serving their prison sentences ... due to COVID restrictions.

She does believe they deserve a second chance -- same goes for herself -- and to prove they are contrite.

As we first told you ... Olivia's sit-down also included a tense moment where Adrienne confronted her over her family's involvement in the college bribery scandal, asking her if she understood why people like her would be so upset.

Olivia said she did, but added she came on the show to learn more ... and admitted her parents used their means to help her gain an unfair advantage.

As you know ... Lori and Mossimo took plea deals for their roles in the admissions scandal, and are both currently serving short prison sentences.

Olivia's parents helped get her and her older sister, Isabella, accepted into USC by paying Singer $500,000. The scheme also included creating a bogus resume for Olivia making it look like she was a competitive rower aiming for a spot on USC's crew team.

Lori was sentenced to 2 months behind bars after pleading guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Mossimo got 5 months for pleading guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and 1 count of honest services wire and mail fraud.

Diplo is firing right back at a woman accusing him of revenge porn, now seeking a restraining order of his own ... claiming this woman's the one who's posting his nudes everywhere.

The DJ just filed court docs Tuesday asking a judge to sign a TRO to stop an old fling of his, dead in her tracks after he claims she's been posting explicit photos and videos of the two of them having sex ... while also incessantly harassing both him and his family.

In his paperwork ... Diplo claims they met in 2018, and started exchanging dirty photos and videos with each other -- content Diplo says he expected her to keep private. He says they also had sex a few different times.

At some point in 2020, Diplo says his relationship with her soured, and that's when she allegedly started surfacing explicit images of both him, him and her as well as videos of him and other women that he says he sent her ... none of which he signed off on.

Diplo claims she posted some nudes of him on her Instagram account, and then started sending dirty videos and photos directly to past partners of his -- including to his baby mamas. He also alleges she's been stalking and harassing him nonstop -- and wants a judge to put an end to it with an official court order, forcing her to halt her embarrassing leaks.

We should note ... the woman was granted a temporary restraining order against Diplo last month, in which she alleged similar things regarding revenge porn and harassment.

Mass coronavirus vaccination efforts are underway in England, and some guy named William Shakespeare was one of the first to get it ... which has to be some sorta good sign, right?

The 81-year-old man -- yes, that's really his name -- got a shot of the newly approved coronavirus vaccine Tuesday. Bill got the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital Coventry ... which happens to be about 20 miles from Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of the OG Shakespeare.

As amusing as his name is ... ol' Shakespeare will only hold the title of first man to get the COVID-19 vaccine (outside of clinical trials) -- but the first person to get it is actually 90-year-old Margaret Keenan ... who kicked off the country's largest-ever immunization program.

The grandmother received a round of applause Tuesday morning from the nurses and medical staff at the university hospital as she returned to her ward after receiving the shot.

Of course, with the internet being what it is ... clever folks began to ask -- If Keenan was vaccine patient 1A, would that make Shakespeare 2B or not 2B?

As we've reported ... trial results in America are very encouraging as well, and vaccinations are set to begin soon, once the FDA approval process is done.

The final numbers are in and Nipsey Hussle's estate is worth a little over $4 million ... TMZ has learned.

The late rapper's estate filed legal docs documenting the estate's final inventory appraisal ... which puts the estate value at $4,169,088.57. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, a big chunk of Nipsey's net worth comes from his trademark portfolio, shares of companies he owned as well as personal items ... like gold necklaces and Rolexes.

For example ... he owned a 25% share of stock in The Marathon Clothing worth $271k and a 100% interest in All Money In No Money Out Inc. worth just over $2 million. His trademark portfolio -- which includes his name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness on or in products, merchandise or goods -- is worth $913,000.

Chuck Yeager, the pilot known as "the fastest man alive" for being first to break the sound barrier, has died.

Chuck's wife, Victoria, says he passed Monday night after "an incredible life well lived." She says he will be known as "America’s greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever."

According to John Nicoletti, Yeager's friend and ground crew chief, Chuck had several health challenges in recent years and had a fall that led to further complications. Nicoletti says he died at an L.A. hospital, though he lived in Northern Cal.

Yeager broke the sound barrier in October 1947 when he tested the X-1 jet ... though the public didn't know about it until the following year. His incredible feat came after he became a WWII hero as a fighter pilot stationed in England.

During the course of the war, he flew 64 missions and shot down 13 German planes ... and was shot down once himself over France in 1944, but evaded capture.

Yeager returned to America in 1945 and married his first wife, Glennis, for whom he named several of his planes ... including his famous sound-barrier-breaking X-1, Glamorous Glennis.

Yeager's spectacular achievement went down over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California. The X-1 reached Mach 1.06 or 700 mph, making him the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound and earning him the title of "Fastest Man Alive."

Yeager would go on to continue breaking records and performing in airshows, and his legacy was captured in Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff," which became the 1983 hit movie.

Chuck was also a valued adviser for the government and aerospace industry and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Twelve years later, at age 74, he commemorated the 50th anniversary of his historic X-1 flight by flying in an F-15 Eagle.

Yeager was 97.

The L.A. restaurant owner who called it a "slap in the face" her place is shut down -- while a film set operates next door -- might be back in biz soon ... thanks to an outpouring of support.

Employees at the Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill in Sherman Oaks tell TMZ ... awareness of the restaurant's struggle has skyrocketed and led to an influx of donations. ICYMI ... owner Angela Marsden called out Governor Newsom and L.A. Mayor Garcetti for apparent double standards with COVID-19 restrictions.

Pineapple Hill's GoFundMe has currently raised about $150,000, and we're told because of the generosity, there's a strong chance it will be able to reopen for takeout soon ... allowing employees to earn a much-needed paycheck again.

While celebs like Maria Shriver have encouraged people to donate, we're told others like Ricky Schroder, Todd Hoffman (Wheels from "Meatballs") and Maria's son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, have also hit up the restaurant directly, offering to help in any way possible.

As for the restaurant's newfound fame ... employees tell us it's a team effort right now to keep spreading the word about why small businesses need to be allowed to operate outdoors. Some of the workers are even helping Marsden schedule media interviews to do so.

Pineapple Grill tells us it did get some backlash from people who thought they were doing a disservice to the entertainment workers who were being employed on the film set. It wants to clarify it has no problem with that, and it supports all those who were working on the set of NBC's "Good Girls" that day.