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Pfizer says it's sitting on liquid gold -- a warehouse packed with the COVID-19 vaccine -- but it can't get word from the government on where to ship them.

The pharma giant made the shocking revelation in response to allegations it was having issues with production and distribution of its vaccine after successfully shipping the first batch out earlier this week. Nearly 3 million doses have already been sent out, but now Pfizer's pointing a finger at the federal government.

Pfizer says, "We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses."

Bizarre, right?

The news comes as Moderna is on the verge of getting the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization, which would put 2 COVID vaccines on the open market.

Common is making sure folks remember Ahmaud Arbery while helping out those in need ... he's in Georgia giving away free running shoes in Ahmaud's memory.

Here's the deal ... Common's at a local community center in Brunswick -- near where Arbery was killed -- and he's teaming up with Ahmaud's family to hand out shoes to those who need it most.

As you can see, there are stacks of brand new Adidas shoes in boxes, and a long line's forming.

Remember ... Ahmaud's mother, Wanda, says her son was just out for a jog back in February when he was gunned down in broad daylight in the middle of a street. Ahmaud loved to run, hence the sneaker giveaway.

Common's touring the Peach State, where he's helping drum up votes for the upcoming Senate runoff elections ... which will determine control of the Senate, and therefore, shape the potency of President-elect Biden's administration.

We're told Common didn't want to leave Brunswick without sitting down with Ahmaud's mom, and they did have a private meeting.

During the sit-down, Common told Wanda he wants justice for Ahmaud, wants to keep her son's name alive and he's in it for the long haul ... according to Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, 2 of the attorneys repping Ahmaud's family.

The man suing Jerry West and the Clippers for his alleged role in landing Kawhi Leonard says West left him a voicemail message in 2019 acknowledging their relationship and trashing the Lakers in the process.

Johnny Wilkes tells TMZ Sports ... West left the voicemail for him on July 1, 2019, around 2 PM ... "expressing concern that Kawhi would choose the Lakers over the Clippers."

Wilkes says, "In the same message, Jerry thanked me for all my efforts in getting Kawhi to sign with the Clippers."

TMZ Sports has obtained the voicemail -- in which a man who sounds like West says, "Hey there, this is Jerry calling. I really want to thank you a lot for trying to help. I heard this morning that everyone over in the Lakers camp thinks they're gonna get him."

"I just find it hard to believe that he would want to go to that sh*t show where he would not even be ... wouldn't even get his name in the paper and he wouldn't be the face of the franchise that's for sure."

"He might be the best player on the team, but hope things are well and again, I really really appreciate everything you've done."

The man believed to be West is seemingly referring to the fact LeBron James is with the Lakers -- and there's zero shot Kawhi would overtake him as the face of the team.

The man also seems to think Kawhi is a better player than LeBron, Anthony Davis and other members of the Lakers.

FYI, West is an executive board member with the Clippers. He's also considered one of the greatest Lakers players of all time.

The voicemail continues ... "I will keep you apprised of what's going on. But, I do want to get together with you privately and would love to take you to dinner and even Sam if he's around. So I can at least pay my respects to you guys for being so generous and helpful. Take care, talk to you sometime soon. Bye-bye."

We're told the "Sam" in question is Sam Watson -- who Wilkes claims was also involved in the effort to land Kawhi with the Clippers.

As we previously reported, West has DENIED any wrongdoing connected to the signing of Kawhi Leonard -- but when contacted about this specific piece of audio, neither West nor the Clippers would comment.

The Clippers previously issued a statement saying, "The lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes is replete with inaccuracies and the allegations are baseless. The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA in its investigation, which is standard when these types of allegations are made.

"[The Clippers] are providing the NBA with evidence that the allegations are false."

Tom Cruise might want to look in the mirror when it comes to making sure everyone on set is COVID safe -- especially if he sticks with what appears to be his go-to face covering.

The mask Tom's wearing in almost all the pics from various 'Mission: Impossible 7' sets is NOT recommended by the CDC ... and the agency actually warned against wearing any mask with valves like the one TC's rocking.

The mask, from Jupiter Gear, features a carbon filter and breathing valves ... and it retails for $14.99 a pop.

The manufacturer says the mask is meant to mostly be worn during physical activity, with the valves designed to "release hot, humid exhaled breath quickly." In other words, there's still a good chance respiratory droplets are escaping ... and that's dangerous with this airborne coronavirus."

In fact, the CDC spells it out, warning against masks with valves because ... "this type of mask may not prevent you from spreading COVID-19 to others. The hole in the material may allow your respiratory droplets to escape and reach others."

As you know ... Tom blew a gasket over film crew members breaking COVID protocols by standing too close together on set, and promised to fire them if it happens again.

Now, just as ineffective as Tom's mask -- and probably worse -- is what Tom's costar Hayley Atwell was seen doing on set in Rome. She's one of those folks who wear their mask under their nose which is also highly ineffective in stopping moisture droplets.

Keith Richards now has the distinct honor of having a cockroach named after him ... and the little bugger even has a custom guitar just like its namesake.

Here's the deal ... The Rolling Stones guitarist is celebrating his 77th birthday Friday, and the Children's Museum in West Hartford, CT is recognizing him with a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

The joke ... Keith and cockroaches have great survival rates. Where's the lie?

As you can see, there's a shiny new miniature bass guitar inside Keith The Cockroach's enclosure. Super-cute ... the guitar, not the roach. Unless you're into that. Although that lil guy slappin' the bass miiiiight cross over into adorable... just sayin'.

Denver's classic rock radio station, 103.5 The Fox, is adopting Keith the Cockroach ... but the roach is staying put at the museum's wildlife sanctuary, where he's expected to live for a long, long, loooooong time just like the real Keith.

The world can now see Chadwick Boseman's last performance before he died ... and the role is sure to strike a high note, especially if you're into jazz.

The late actor starred in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," which premieres Friday on Netflix. Chadwick plays a trumpeter named Levee in an early 20th-century jazz band.

The movie's based on August Wilson's 1982 play of the same name ... and Denzel Washington is one of the producers.

As you know ... Chadwick died back in August following a 4-year battle with colon cancer. He was only 43 years old.

The deeply emotional response to Chadwick's sudden and recent death is fueling speculation he might receive a posthumous Oscar for his performance in 'Black Bottom.'

The NBA has launched its own investigation into allegations made against the Clippers and Jerry West in a new lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

The allegations are spelled out in a lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes -- who says West promised him $2.5 MILLION for helping the Clippers sign superstar free agent Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

If the allegations are true, it would be a violation of NBA policy -- and West and the Clippers could be subject to league discipline.

For his part, West has DENIED the allegations -- telling TMZ Sports, "I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard.”

In his lawsuit, Wilkes says he has close ties with Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson -- and promised he had information that would give the Clippers an advantage in the battle to land the NBA's top free agent.

Wilkes says he also helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.

Kawhi ultimately signed with the Clippers -- but Wilkes says West never ponied up the $2.5 million fee ... so he filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and more.

Eminem's clapping back at Snoop Dogg in a new song after Snoop left him off his top 10 rappers list ... and he's also giving Rihanna a long-overdue apology.

The Detroit rapper just released a deluxe version of his album, "Music to Be Murdered By - Side B" and he responds to Snoop on his track, "Zeus."

Em raps ... "And as far as squashin' beef, I'm used to people knockin' me. But, just not in my camp. I'm diplomatic, 'cause I'm tryna be. Last thing I need is Snoop doggin' me. Man, dog, you was like a damn God to me. Man, not really. I had dog backwards."

Pretty soft as disses go, but Eminem's rebuttal comes after Snoop left him off his list of top 10 rappers of all time. Back in July, Snoop called Eminem "the great white hope" ... but basically Em owes all his success to Dr. Dre.

Em and Snoop have performed together -- they're both tight with Dre -- but now their beef seems to be heating up. It'll be interesting to see how/if they patch things up.

As for Rihanna ... Eminem said he's sorry for an older track -- not released, but leaked -- where he said he "sided" with Chris Brown.

He raps, also on Zeus, "But, me, long as I re-promise to be honest, and wholeheartedly, apologies, Rihanna. For that song that leaked, I'm sorry, Ri. It wasn't meant to cause you grief. Regardless, it was wrong of me."

Vanessa Bryant is lashing back at her mother -- claiming Sofia Laine only filed a lawsuit against her to "extort a financial windfall from our family."

Laine sued Vanessa earlier this week -- claiming Kobe Bryant had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life ... but after Kobe died in January, Vanessa left her out in the cold.

In her suit, Laine claims she worked as a nanny for Kobe and Vanessa -- and was "forced" to work around the clock for 18 years without proper meal or rest breaks.

Laine claims she was never paid for her work despite taking shifts on holidays and weekends.

She also claims Vanessa ordered her to move out of the home Kobe had allowed her to live in while he was alive.

But, Vanessa says her mom is lying -- saying, "I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny."

"I have always been a stay at home mother and my husband and I were my daughter's full-time care givers."

Vanessa continues, "In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers."

"As of ten years ago, our kids were full time students and athletes and I didn't have another child until 2016."

Vanessa says her mom's claims are "obviously false" -- and insists she repeatedly tried to "work things out with my mother" ... to no avail.

She concludes ... "This lawsuit is frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful. My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy."

We're told Sofia is planning to issue a response to Vanessa's statement soon.

Tom Cruise is flying south for the winter break ... fleeing his now controversial 'Mission: Impossible 7' set after blowing a gasket over COVID-19 rules.

Production's reportedly shut down on 'MI7,' but not due to a breach in COVID protocols -- it's so Tom can start his Christmas break a little earlier than planned. Cruise is hopping on a private jet to Miami to hang with his son, Connor ... according to The Sun.

Of course, the early break likely does have something to do with the film's star and producer blowing his top ... and the audio of his rant leaking.

As you know ... Tom exploded on set after seeing two crew members breaking COVID protocols by getting within 6 feet of each other, and his tirades and threats of mass firings convinced at least 5 folks to call it quits.

Now, Tom's deciding he needs a break too ... and The Sun reports Friday will be the movie's last day of filming this year, as tensions rise on set.

Too Short's promising no hate between E-40 and him for their upcoming Verzuz, and instead of bad blood -- a la Gucci Mane and Jeezy -- they're dropping knowledge.

We got the legendary Bay Area rapper Thursday as he shopped in Bev Hills. He told us he's not coming for his opponent's throat when the battle goes down this weekend ... but he's not taking it easy either.

Too Short admits there won't be any diss tracks about fatally shooting other rapper's friends -- but, watch the video, he explains what he and E-40 have planned and declares there will definitely be a winner.

Verzuz is going down Saturday, but you can tell Short's pretty chill about it and feeling a lot of love for his and E-40's hometown. That's obvious considering he stopped to pick up a new chain at Peter Marco Extraordinary Jewels with his friend and 'RHOC' star Liz Vargas as well as the pair's manager, David Weintraub.

Short says he'll be wearing some bling specifically for the Verzuz, and he says it's going to be auctioned off for charity after the battle.

Tisha Campbell's nasty divorce from Duane Martin is finally a done deal ... she's not getting any support payments but she gets to keep a home and a car.

Tisha and Duane got the judge's final stamp on their divorce Wednesday, and the judgment reveals neither party is getting any child or spousal support from the other.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tisha's keeping a leased property and a leased 2020 BMW. Duane's also walking away with a leased place and some cars, including a 2014 Bentley, BMW scooter, and a Kawasaki motorcycle.

The financial details are interesting ... remember, in an interview earlier this year, Tisha claimed she had $7 to her name after their split.

The exes also hammered out a visitation schedule for their minor son ... they're getting joint legal custody and sharing physical custody, with each parent getting the kid on alternating weeks.

Connie Chung just went scorched earth on some huge names in news ... saying working with Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer was "not unlike what Tonya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan."

Chung was on "The Originals" podcast for L.A. Magazine and dished about her time as an anchor at ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN. She said, "When I got to ABC news, I joined with Both Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer there and I thought, "Oh, this is going to be great. It'll be three women who get along."

Chung says it couldn't have been further from the truth, claiming her fellow anchors big footed her out of the best interviews ... per ABC news execs.

She was famously paired with Dan Rather as co-anchors of the "CBS Evening News," and says teaming up with Rather was right out of "Psycho."

And, there's more. Connie, who's been married to Maury Povich since 1984, frequently appeared on David Letterman's show. There was a lot of chatter they were flirting with each other, although Connie says, "I had this thing for him, and he had a thing for me, and I really think it was inexplicable in that respect." But, then she went on to say, "And yet, I really didn't have a thing for him. Do you know what I mean?" Sorta.

She went on to say Dave's "a dark, unhappy sort of, I don't mean he's unhappy. He is a kvetch ... He's anti-social is what he is."

Chung also had harsh words for Hugh Grant ... she had a cameo in "The Undoing." She says, "He was not very friendly. I had interviewed him right after 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' for his next movie. So when I saw him I said, 'Oh hi. I interviewed you ... do you remember? And he said, 'No."

We reached out to reps for Dan, Diane, Barbara and Dave ... so far, no word back.

Before this brunette beauty was a country girl singing tunes to get you in the mood for the holidays, she was just another cute kid serving some side-eye in Golden, Texas.

This golden gal has been performing her hit music at some of the most famous music festivals and even became the opening act for Harry Styles on his popular tour. Her most recent studio album gained critical acclaim winning 5 Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album and Album of the Year.

You can even get glittery for the holidays with her Christmas special on Amazon. Yeehaw!

Mystikal insisted he wasn’t guilty of rape ... and now it looks like a grand jury agreed with him 'cause TMZ's learned his rape charges have been dismissed.

A spokesperson with the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... a grand jury found there wasn't enough evidence to move forward with the charges and decided to dismiss the charges against Mystikal.

Mystikal's attorney, Joel Peace, tells TMZ ... the charges went away because “new scientific evidence emerged causing the Grand Jury to take a second look at the rape allegations made against [him]."

As we reported .... Mystikal turned himself in back in August 2017 when he was booked for first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping stemming from a 2016 incident involving a woman at a casino where he was performing. He spent 18 months behind bars but, thanks to a new recording deal, he finally posted $3 million bond in February to secure his release from a Louisiana prison.

Prosecutors offered a plea deal before the case ever went to trial but Mystikal rejected the offer. Why? Mystikal's defense teams believed the alleged victim had major credibility issues and were more than ready to battle it out in court.

Phew! That's the operative word after "Shameless" had to deal with a massive COVID-19 outbreak scare following tons of false-positive results on set ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the set went into full panic mode after recent COVID tests revealed 18 positive results. We're told production feared it had a massive outbreak on its hands.

Our sources say there was a lab screw up ... and bottom line, those 18 positive results were not positive at all. This does not appear to be a flaw in the testing method ... we're told it was a lab error.

It's also unclear if production shut down to deal with what was initially thought to be an outbreak ... which our sources say went down in the last week. The show recently shot large scenes with as many as 200 extras.

We're told they had also been shooting on location across various parts of L.A. as well as on the Warner Bros. lot.

When production resumed, the show's executive producer, John Wells, revealed the pandemic would be weaved into the 11th and final season of the hit Showtime series.