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Ariana Grande's spreading the Xmas joy at home and abroad ... by surprising kids who are spending the holiday at children's hospitals in L.A. and the UK.

The singer, along with her fiance, Dalton Gomez, sent gifts from wish lists at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. Over in the UK ... Ariana dished out $135 Amazon gift cards for kids at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Ariana has shown her generosity to families in Manchester following the attack at her concert back in 2017 ... she's visited kids in Manchester hospitals, among other kind gestures.

The staff over at UCLA also got a little something ... they were all treated to pizza!

Kelli Carroll, director of the Chase Child Life program at UCLA, says, "This pandemic may have changed how we do things, but we look for the same result – to alleviate the stresses of hospitalization and bring joy to our kids."  Well, Ariana certainly did her part.

A Columbus cop shot and killed an African-American man in his own garage ... and it all happened in 10 seconds.

Cops were responding to a non-emergency call ... someone reported a guy inside a car, turning the ignition on and off.

When officers arrived, they noticed the garage of 47-year-old Andre Maurice Hill was open. and Hill came out.

You don't hear the first 60 seconds of audio ... the cop's bodycam wasn't turned on. The cops shined their flashlights on Hill, who turned around and held his cellphone high in the air, almost to say he was not armed. They shot Hill, then ordered him to roll over on his stomach. He was unable to do anything but moan because he had been fatally shot. He died a short time later.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther says he was outraged by the shooting and demanded that the officer who shot Hill be fired. The Mayor was not just outraged at the shooting cop. He said he noted the bodycam video shows none of the officers jumped to give Hill any first aid ... no compression on the wound to stop the bleeding, no CPR. Columbus, Ohio police.

The police report does not go into any detail about the shooting other than to say, "Officer discharged his firearm upon confronting Mr. Hill. Mr. Hill did not survive his injuries."

Dr. Anthony Fauci not only got a surprise birthday party for his big 8-0 ... he is also the recipient of his very own day in the nation's capital!!!

Dr. Fauci's wife, Dr. Christine Grady, threw a surprise, zoom birthday party for the good doc, who became an octogenarian on Xmas Eve, and Fauci says it was truly a surprise.

Dr. Grady, a bioethicist who also works for the NIH, got 15 of Fauci's closest family and friends on the call, including their 3 daughters who are scattered around the country. They have always spent the holidays together, but not this year.

Fauci said, "Because I have been telling the country to limit travel, and I don’t want to be one of those health officials who tells the world to do something and then they go out and have a party themselves."

It wasn't an easy feat ... Fauci's security detail had to wrangle him from his work at the National Institutes of Health and get him home by 5:30 Wednesday for the shindig.

Now, Fauci told The Guardian, "[My wife] is a genius at fooling me. I mean, it's very tough to fool me. But she threw surprise birthday parties for my 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays."

Well, maybe he should have figured this one out ahead of time, but in fairness, it's not easy to throw birthday parties these days.

Joe and Jill Biden wished Fauci a happy birthday with the traditional song, which was almost on key! And get this ... as he was leaving work, Fauci was serenaded. The doc was truly touched ... and he decided he couldn't leave without first taking a pic with the crew that sang him "Happy Birthday." He also took the banner with him.

As for the cherry on the top, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed Xmas Eve to be Dr. Fauci Day.

Santa is super busy today traveling here and there, so it's good to know he's being COVID-safe.

Our intrepid team analyzed the NORAD Santa website ... which allows millions of kids to track Saint Nick's progress as he traverses the globe. He's already visited the International Space Station. BTW ... he's traveling at 10,000 mph, less than half the speed of that asteroid headed for Earth.

Well, this year something's a little different -- Santa's all masked up!!!

In case you're wondering, at 9 AM PT Thursday, Santa was in the Maldives, near India. Estimates are Santa has delivered more than 2 billion presents already! Important to note, we don't think Santa has a deal with Amazon, so Bezos won't get any richer.

As we reported, Dr. Anthony Fauci said this past weekend he gave Santa the Pfizer vaccine, so he's Santa safe.

Mountain guitarist and co-founder Leslie West has died.

The band dropped the sad news ... "With a heavy heart, we are saddened to hear about the passing of #Dean Artist and part of the Dean family, Leslie West. [He was] legendary and one of a kind. Rest In Peace."

Leslie went into cardiac arrest at his Florida home and died Monday.

Tributes are pouring in, from the likes of Geezer Butler, Peter Frampton, Tom Morello and Joe Satriani.

West was considered top of the game on guitar ... and he was in awesome company during his heyday ... his contemporaries included Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen.

Leslie was born in '45 in Hackensack, NJ. His first professional band was the Vagrants, which he started ... it was a reasonably successful soul band in the '60s.

In '69, Leslie co-founded Mountain. The group's big break was performing at Woodstock their first year as a band, and it instantly cemented their status.

He's best known for his vocals on the song "Mississippi Queen."

Here's how Leslie described "Mississippi Queen" ... "[it] had just everything you need to make it a winner. You’ve got the cowbell, the riff is pretty damn good, and it sounds incredible. It feels like it wants to jump out of your car radio. To me, it sounds like a big, thick milkshake. It’s rich and chocolatey. Who doesn’t love that?”

Leslie had his health struggles. His leg was amputated in 2011 ... the result of complications from diabetes.

West is survived by his wife, Jenni. He was 75.

How'd you like a replica of the Statue of Liberty for Xmas? Or better still, how'd you like an asteroid twice the size of Lady Liberty for Xmas? Well then, you're just shy 2 million miles from getting your wish.

The asteroid -- SD224 -- is hurtling toward the earth and set to fly past on Christmas Day. It will travel just a few thousand miles faster than a space capsule -- 22,000 mph.  For you speed buffs, that's 30 times faster than the speed of sound.

NASA says this is a giant-ass asteroid ... more than 600 feet long.

Here's what's crazy. The asteroid is considered a near-earth object, yet when it passes it will be 8 times further away from earth than the moon.

BTW ... SD224 is not alone. There are nearly 25,000 near-earth objects in the skies. And, it wouldn't be the first time something hit, check out this massive crater in Arizona.

The odds are certainly in our favor ... NASA says the real threat of an asteroid destroying earth only occurs once in a million years. The question ... where are we on that spectrum?

Neverland Ranch, once the home of Michael Jackson, has sold to one of MJ's former business advisors, and the price tag was 1/5 what was just 5 years ago.

Billionaire Ron Burkle scooped up the 2,700-acre compound north of Santa Barbara in the town of Los Olivos. Burkle worked with Jackson in the decade before the singer's death ... most to stave off creditors who were going after MJ for enormous, unpaid debts.

As you know, Neverland was the site where Jackson allegedly molested young boys.  Jackson went on trial for alleged molestation at the Ranch and was found not guilty. He also settled another allegation of molestation at the Ranch for $20 million.

After Jackson's death, his estate tried unloading the property for $100 million in 2015, but there were no takers. Last year it was re-listed for $31 mil, but still no takers.

MJ purchased the property for $19.5 mil back in 1987 and turned it into a childlike fantasy for himself and his visitors.

The property has 22 structures ... the main one being a 12,000 square-foot mansion. There's also a swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts, and a 50-seat movie theatre.

During its heyday, the property had a railroad track and an amusement park, complete with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. MJ also had a zoo with all sorts of animals -- even an elephant.

Britney Spears' boyfriend, Sam Asghari, contracted COVID, but he believes his insane health and fitness regimen helped him easily beat it.

Sam says he knew early on he was infected and chose to immediately self-isolate from friends and family ... and that included Britney.

Sam says he's fine now, and his lifestyle made all the difference ... "I only had 1 day of common cold symptoms day 2 after testing positive but 24 hours later I was perfectly normal. I continued my workouts and clean nutrition at home as usual. 10 days later I was no longer contagious, and tested negative twice and was cleared by doctors to end quarantine and return to my loved ones."

Sam says, "Living a healthy lifestyle has Helped and shaped my life in many ways," adding, "I spend a lot of time cleansing and thinking about how important our health is in general even outside of Covid, at the end of our lives one of the most important things will be health, I will continue to do my best and inspire you guys to also live a healthy lifestyle."

Don't be fooled, though, because some healthy, young people who contracted the virus have become very sick and some have died.

It looks like these stars took a trip down to Whoville, and are making sure their Christmas won't get stolen this year!

The Grinch might be known as a mean one ... But these stars are getting as cuddly as a cactus with the guy who's as charming as an eel!

Stars like Ben Savage, Kourtney Kardashian, Stephen and Ayesha Curry ... and a bunch more celebs  ... shared photos with the iconic Dr. Seuss character in the past.

Take a look through our gallery of grinch stars to see all the other famous faces that have been posting their festive photos together!

Dr. Dre has just laid out the prenup his wife does not acknowledge ... a prenup that literally put up a financial wall between them at the beginning of their marriage.

According to the prenup, which was filed with the court and obtained by TMZ, all property they acquired from the beginning of the 1996 marriage is separate -- what he acquires is his, and what Nicole Young acquires is hers.

The prenup also says Nicole does not waive her right to spousal support. That means even if the prenup holds up in court, Nicole can get a hefty monthly sum.

As for that monthly sum, Nicole is asking the court for $2 million a month in spousal support. But, in these new legal docs, Dre's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, says Dre has voluntarily paid all of Nicole's expenses since they split. The docs say he pays for the Malibu estate where she's staying, security and when she wants cash, a messenger delivers it. Dre says $2 mil a month is ridiculous. His CPA filed a declaration saying her actual monthly expenses total $293,306.

As for Nicole's lawyers asking for $5 million in attorney's fees, Dre is calling BS, saying he's already voluntarily paid nearly a million dollars in Nicole's lawyer's fees, and he adds the divorce wasn't even filed until June. Nicole's lawyers also have sent Dre's lawyer a letter saying they're owed another $1.5 mil to date ... something Dre says is ridiculous. According to the docs, Dre has paid Nicole's lawyers more than his own lawyers.

As for Nicole's claims of emotional and physical abuse, Dre squarely denies all of them.

Jacob Blake will be surrounded by his family for the holidays, and he'll need their support ... because his recovery from the police shooting remains difficult and painful.

Jacob's uncle, Justin Blake, tells TMZ ... the family is ecstatic to have him home in Illinois so they can celebrate Kwanzaa. For over a month now, Jacob's been recovering there while continuing spinal cord rehab at a nearby facility. It's the same rehab center where he's been since October when he was released from the hospital.

Remember, Jacob's paralyzed from the waist down but through rehab, he's regained some upper body strength. We're told he's still in pain and figuring out how to readjust to life. We're told he's managing as best he can, and having his family's support has been instrumental.

Justin says Jacob's parents are undoubtedly happy he's still with them for the holidays but they worry about the pain he's facing every day.

As we reported ... Jacob's father, Jacob Sr., said it'd be a miracle if his son ever got to walk again after a cop in Kenosha, WI shot him 7 times in the back in August.

Boxing star Devin Haney does NOT like the idea of Jake Paul fighting UFC champ Amanda Nunes ... telling TMZ Sports it's simple -- "Guys should fight guys."

Remember, UFC honcho Dana White previously told us he might let The Lioness whoop Paul's ass after the social media superstar offered Conor McGregor $50 MILLION to take a fight earlier this week.

Nunes -- the current bantamweight and featherweight champ -- responded to White's comments on Twitter ... saying, "I'm in!"

So, when we spoke with the WBC lightweight champ outside Dior in Beverly Hills ... we had to get his take on the potential battle of the sexes ... and Haney's not with it.

"I don't think he should fight a girl," Haney tells us. "I think he's still a man. He gotta fight a man."

Of course, Nunes is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history ... and Paul only has 2 "pro" fights under his belt against inexperienced opponents.

But, that doesn't mean anything to Haney.

"No, it's not fair. Girls should fight girls. Guys should fight guys."

Despite being new to the sport, Haney praises Paul's work ethic in the gym ... saying he's trained with the guy and knows he's taking it seriously.

"That's my boy, so I like that he's doing good ... I've been in the gym with him. He's showing that he's dedicated to the sport."

So ... what do y'all think??

Britney Spears' got a jump on gift giving this year as she got in some quality time with her kids before Christmas Day ... TMZ has learned.

The singer spent a few hours on both Monday and Tuesday with Jayden and Sean ... according to our sources. No word on how their gift exchange went down, but can't imagine the boys left empty-handed. For her part, we're told Brit was thrilled to have the time with them.

We're told Jayden and Sean returned back to their dad Kevin Federline's home afterward -- and they'll be with him for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Last year, it was Britney's turn to have the kiddos to herself on the 24th.

Of course, Kevin has primary custody of both children ... Britney cares for them about 30 percent of the time -- something that's been in place for a while now. While many wondered if her #FreeBritney saga would affect visitation ... we've learned it hasn't, and the boys are seeing their mom as regularly as they always have.

In the meantime ... Britney and her dad, Jamie, are still locked in a court battle over her conservatorship. She's made it clear she wants him to step down and hand over the reins.

Before this pint-sized Santa was gifting the world with his hilarious acting chops and wild wrestling antics he was just an adorable little boy ready for the holiday season growing up in Northern California.

Although the kid in this Saint Nick pic is cute and little ... he grew up to be a massive star ... with a height of 6 feet 5 inches and weighing in at 260 pounds of muscle and charisma.

If you're still struggling to guess who this Christmas kid turned into maybe you should check out some of his epic action films including "Jumanji" and "San Andreas."

Donald Trump is passing out presidential pardons like holiday gifts ... and now Jared Kushner's father is getting in on the action, and this one is really something.

President Trump pardoned Charles Kushner Wednesday night, one of 26 pardons on the day issued by 45.

Charles, the father of Trump's son-in-law and White House advisor, served over a year in prison for tax evasion, witness retaliation and lying to federal election officials.

Jared's father was actually prosecuted back in the early 2000s by Chris Christie, then the US Attorney for New Jersey.

While under investigation, Charles hatched a revenge plot against his brother-in-law, William Schulder, for cooperating with prosecutors in a tax evasion case against him. Charles hired a hooker to have sex with Schulder in a Jersey motel room, where a hidden camera was rolling. The elder Kushner then sent the footage to Schulder's wife, Ester, who is Charles' sister.

The revenge plot backfired ... the Schulders gave the footage to prosecutors, who tracked down the prostitute. She eventually snitched on Charles.

Christie recalled Charles' plot last year, calling it "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he ever prosecuted.

Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is calling out one of the team's minority owners ... flat out claiming the guy's extorting him in hopes Snyder will unload the NFL franchise.

Snyder filed a declaration stating Dwight Schar, part of the team's ownership group, has been threatening to leak information related to the sexual misconduct allegations made by former WFT employees.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Snyder says Schar is well aware an independent investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing -- however, he claims Schar repeatedly leaked info about the case to the Washington Post and other media outlets, attempting to smear him.

As for the extortion allegation, Snyder claims Schar told Snyder's attorney he had a bombshell that would "kill Dan" if it came out ... and added he would release it if Snyder didn't "just sell the team."

According to the docs, Schar also had the investment banker for the WFT minority owners get in the mix. Snyder claims that guy texted him, "You know what I know and what I've never spoken about ... If you want a s**t show, we are on for that too."

As we've reported, Snyder has long suspected someone was leaking damaging stories to various websites in order to discredit him -- but up until now he hadn't publicly, or even in court, named names.

Snyder's declaration puts it all out in the open -- he's in a civil war with members of his team's ownership. A little background ... those minority owners can't get the full value of their investment unless Snyder, the majority owner, agrees to sell. Snyder's certainly insinuating that's Schar's motive.