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The Omicron variant is all over the Big Apple, and a new spike in cases has got everyone spooked -- including the folks over at 'SNL' ... who will go without a live audience tonight.

"Saturday Night Live" honchos made the announcement Saturday, just hours before showtime ... with Paul Rudd slated to step in as host, and Charli XCX as musical guest. There were rumors they may nix the show entirely, but they met somewhere in the middle.

The official 'SNL' IG page posted a new message, which reads ... "Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight's taping of 'Saturday Night Live' and the show will have limited cast and crew."

The statement goes on to say their show continues to follow all government safety protocols, with rigorous testing in place.

The limited cast and crew line is curious in the wake of a report claiming 4 'SNL' members actually caught the 'rona -- which a production source confirms to TMZ. There were also rumblings that 3 others called in sick out of fear, but we're told that's not accurate.

In any case, it's clear they're working without at least a handful of people tonight -- at this point, it's unclear who's out sick ... or if Paul or Charli are expected to show at this point.

PR was featured in a promo they just put up earlier today, so presumably ... he might still be available. Of course, it's a huge deal -- as this is the last show of the year before they go on a little hiatus ... so it'll be interesting to see how they handle the last-minute changes.

We've reached out to a rep for 'SNL' ... so far, no word back.

Matt Reeves really said "come as you are" to Robert Pattinson for his new Batman movie -- and he meant it in every sense of the word ... because Kurt Cobain is on his brain.

The 'Batman' director spilled the beans this week in a new Empire interview about the inspiration behind his version of Bruce Wayne -- with Pattinson playing the billionaire playboy by day, and the Caped Crusader by night.

Lo and behold ... it was the late Nirvana singer that actually inspired RP's look -- which makes a ton of sense. The guy looks pretty grungy, and now we know why.

Reeves says of the process behind figuring out a new take ... "When I write, I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana's 'Something In The Way.'"

He adds, "That's when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we've seen before, there's another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So, I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant's Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor."

That's a pretty sweet tribute to Kurt, no doubt. But, fans are pointing out Pattinson's Wayne appearance is perhaps less punk rock ... and more emo. Or at least it was before this new shot of Bob surfaced, where his hair is a little more messy -- and he gives off Cobain vibes.

Tiger Woods is back to playing pro golf again -- this after his nasty car wreck -- and he's doing alongside none other than his own ... both of whom have some ground to gain.

Round one of the PNC Championship is underway Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes in Orlando, where TW and Charlie Woods joined forces anew to play in a little father-son competition among other golfers and their kids.

As you can imagine, the fanfare was at an all-time high for the Woods family ... as this marks the first time Tiger has played in an actual tourney of any kind since getting crumpled in his automobile accident in February ... which left his legs shattered.

For Tiger's tee-off, everybody's eyes were on him ... and he hit a pretty decent shot to kick things off, with one guy clearly excited behind him -- shouting, "Welcome back, Big Cat!"

From there, Charlie started getting into his groove as well ... looking like a chip off the old block as he teed off himself with a beautiful drive -- which his dad later sunk with a putt.

From the outset, they were looking pretty good as a team ... but at the moment, they're well behind. As it stands, Team Woods is tied for 13th place as they approach the 11th hole. There's 36 holes total that they'll get through between today and tomorrow, and they're just past the midway point for today's round.

Basically, they're playing from behind right now ... but they have a ways to go before the day's out -- and could easily pull ahead, especially if they play as well as they have been thus far. And, as most everyone knows by now, never count Tiger Woods out.

Bigger picture though -- Tiger is looking fantastic out there ... as is his boy.

It's pretty miraculous to see the guy out here after everything he's been through. He addressed that before hitting the links, writing ... "Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

As you well know by now, Tiger's been on a long road of recovery since his February crash ... but steadily, he's been rehabbing and getting back onto golf courses. The only question now is ... will he eventually feel good enough to hop back into a solo PGA tournament???

"Bob's Burgers" is going to be without Jimmy Pesto for a while -- or at least without the guy who's been voicing him for years now ... and it's all because of the Jan. 6 attacks.

Actor Jay Johnston -- who's portrayed Pesto, Bob's fast food archrival, since 2011 -- has reportedly been "banned" from playing the character in recent months ... and won't be participating in the animated series for the foreseeable future ... this per The Daily Beast.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, TDB reports Johnston is persona non grata as it relates to anything "Bob's Burgers" -- and it's apparently because he's believed to have attended the Capitol riots, and is allegedly one of the faces seen in one of the FBI's posts.

We should note ... Johnston has NOT been arrested or charged in connection to the riot at this point, but The Daily Beast cites tweets from people who've worked with JJ in the past, who say they believe it's him in the photo. Some of those people also claim to have knowledge that Jay was actually there that day as well.

In video and photo still posted by the FBI, this person -- who some clearly believe is, in fact, Jay -- can be seen joining the mob outside the capitol steps, filming all the chaos. Eventually, it appears they make it inside the building as well ... and later throws on a face mask. Unclear what, if anything, they may have done once they breached the doors.

Vice President Kamala Harris isn't having any talk about Sen. Joe Manchin being in charge of the U.S. government ... and she clapped back when Charlamagne Tha God, legitimately, raised the issue.

The Veep chatted with Charlamagne Friday for his Comedy Central show, 'Tha God's Honest Truth' ... and it was a mostly congenial interaction. He asked Harris if she felt she gets "crucified" for every move because she's a woman of color -- and she sidestepped a direct response, saying she's focused on her work, not her haters.

But, Charlamagne struck a nerve with his take on the current political standoff between President Biden's administration and Sen. Manchin over the "Build Back Better" bill.

He told the VP ... "You get villainized for silly things like air buds, when [Manchin is] really stopping progress." She played smart politics and refrained from attacking Manchin ... whose vote they desperately need, if the bill's gonna get through in some form.

When he followed up with, "So, who is the President: Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?" ... an aide for Harris jumped in to cut off the interview.

Charlamagne skillfully persisted though, and coaxed a pretty heated response out of her -- "Come on, Charlamagne ... no, no, no, no. It's Joe Biden. And, don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's President. It's Joe Biden. And, I'm Vice President and my name is Kamala Harris."

Mic drop?

Santas of all varieties -- malls, town squares and backyards -- are back to putting smiles (mostly) on kids faces, thanks to the COVID vaccines, but with omicron creeping ... it's still not as jolly a gig.

While last Christmas hit while the pandemic was still raging ... 2021 is our first with the advent of mass vaccination, and several Santa orgs tell us that means they can get back to doing what they do best.

For instance, Santa Jim in central NJ tells us he is fully vaccinated, and when doing private events at homes ... he looks for customers who are willing to be temperature checked and masked. That's the adults, anyway, but for the kids ... it gets a little tricky.

As Santa J pointed out ... most tikes under 5 haven't gotten the shot ... so, it falls on the Santas to try to keep everyone -- including himself -- as safe as possible, and how they choose to do that is as individual as Santa's reindeer.

One Philly Santa, aka Chuck Gill, tells us there are 2 kinds of Santas -- standing or sitting. The standing ones, like himself, mostly do meet and greet photos with kids. Chuck says, at his events, he requires them to be vaxxed and masked -- and while he's aware of other Santas doing the more traditional sit-down thing, he says they're also requiring vaccinations and face masks.

In the Midwest, things are a bit different ... according to Owen Davenport from the Indiana Santa Claus Society. He says he's not wearing a mask, nor does he require it of the kids sitting on his lap. Yeah, he's the sitting kind and, clearly, feels safe.

Owen says he's had 3 shots, and his crew of elves are all vaxxed too -- but he will mask up if a family requests it. Still, unless a family says otherwise ... Santa Owen only takes mask-free photos.

Down in Texas, HireSanta.com CEO Mitch Allen is back to sending out Santas to malls, tree lighting events, parades and more ... but he stresses they do not ask about children's vaccination status because that's a state and county government issue. Plus, he knows most of the really young kids just aren't eligible for a shot.

What they are doing is social distancing ... often putting Santa on his throne while kids sit on a bench about 4-6 feet in front of him. It still allows for a good photo, while keeping everyone safe. Interestingly, his company doesn't require vaccination for Santas -- hey, it's Texas -- but he says they hire both vaxxed and unvaxxed in order to meet demand.

He adds that the omicron variant has meant more calls from customers requesting fully vaxxed Santas for their events. Mitch says the Santa biz has been hard hit by the pandemic -- many choosing to retire, which has slashed his roster by around 10 percent compared to the good ol' days of 2019.

Big Sean finally got his chance to address Kanye West saying signing the guy to a deal was the worst thing he'd ever done -- and let's just say ... he had a lot to get off his chest.

The Detroit rapper was up to bat on the "Drink Champs" podcast, and during the sprawling interview -- Ye's remarks from about a month or so ago were brought up ... which BS did not shy away from in the slightest.

For starters, Sean says he was hurt by Kanye's words ... and took the very public shot personally -- this after thinking it was funny/absurd at first. He explains why, and it basically boils down to his loyalty and dedication to Ye's label G.O.O.D. Music ... and to Ye himself.

Check it out ... dude says he's been available to Kanye on the drop of a dime over their time together, and not just that ... but was apparently also the first one to suggest Kanye run for POTUS. Eventually, he pivots to money ... citing cash he says he's owed from Ye/G.O.O.D.

The amount Sean claims he's due ... around $6 mil or so, although he notes he's not sure if this is even on Kanye's radar. Still, he says that while he thought UMG was the one screwing him at first -- he says he finally learned G.O.O.D. Music was allegedly pocketing extra profits off the success of his many albums ... the most put out by any G.O.O.D. artist, he points out.

Sean also addresses Kanye's gripe about him and John Legend endorsing other candidates while Ye was running for President last year ... but BS denies he ever did so, saying he purposely stayed silent out of respect for Kanye.

There's a lot to unpack in the 3-plus hour-long interview ... but the takeaway here is, Sean was quite angry after hearing Ye trash him so publicly. He says Kanye actually reached out shortly thereafter to reconcile, but Sean says he shot him down.

Jennifer Lopez was the main attraction in Bev Hills Friday ... but not for her singing -- rather, for her shopping.

J Lo hit up Valentino and then Dior on Rodeo Drive, and a throng of shoppers and tourists gawked as she eyed fancy dresses for possible purchases.

She also gave the once over to some glasses and coats.

She definitely wasn't in a talking mood, but still ... fans got an eye-full, even if she was partially hidden by her mask.

Interesting ... whether the 2 families will blend for XMAS, especially after Ben's interview with Howard Stern. There have certainly been combos of the 2 families ... Ben's kids and J Lo's have intermixed, but as for one big celebration with everyone -- no word on that.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben and Jen are looking for a house in L.A., but so far no deal. As they settle in, it'll be interesting to see how everything shakes out with the blended families.

Chrissy Teigen thinks she was being tricked by our photog, who asked if people at her XMAS celebration would be wearing masks, but the fact is ... it's a legit question in the middle of this pandemic, and the irony is -- what she said is the exact right answer.

Chrissy tweeted, "TMZ just asked me if I'd be wearing a mask at my family Christmas and I said no? and now I feel like I've been tricked into a story about how I won't wear a mask this Christmas. just know I am pro mask but don't really wear one inside with my husband and kids I guess?"

There's no trickery ... Chrissy made it clear, she'll only have 8 folks around the table for Christmas dinner, and everyone is vaccinated except Miles, who is only 3. Now it's true ... with the Omicron variant even fully vaccinated people may be spreaders -- especially if they haven't been boosted -- and she wasn't specific about that. Nevertheless, there's no hard-and-fast rule if everyone's vaccinated except a small child -- a lot depends on testing and how careful the others have been.

Fact is -- Chrissy's an influencer, so what she does will register with others, and she made it clear the only ones who were invited are immediate fam and everyone who can get vaccinated did.

Flavor Flav says his life flashed before his eyes last week when a giant boulder nearly crushed him to death on the road -- and his takeaway is ... be grateful for every day.

The Public Enemy gave us the blow-by-blow of the freaky accident from Tuesday when he was driving from Vegas to L.A., and had to cross the treacherous La Tuna Canyon ... which was pouring down rocks and debris on account of the bad weather.

Watch how FF explains the moment a 6-foot boulder graced the front of his car ... it sounds like the thing was just inches away from taking both him and the vehicle down below.

Flav tells us he's just thankful he survived the ordeal, and he's taking stock on the things that are important in life ... explaining folks should treat each day like it's their last, and tell loved ones how they feel while they're still here.

He also has some suggestions on how to avoid this type of wreck in the future for other drivers, and the first thing he wants ... some freakin' signs out there to warn people, but more importantly -- something to catch the rocks from sliding down.

Jake Paul is only 24, but he's suffering from memory loss and slurred speech, and it's largely because of boxing -- and it could get even worse with tonight's fight.

Jake appeared on "In Depth With Graham Besinger," and talked about something boxers rarely discuss when they're still in the game -- how boxing messes up their head.

Jake told Graham, "I notice it in conversations with like, with my girlfriend or friends, like, not remembering something that I should be able to remember that happened a couple days ago."

He went on ... "Sometimes in my speech, where like every hundredth or two hundredth word, I'll mess up or, like, slur, which I didn't do that before."

Jake says his problems actually started with football, but are clearly worsened by boxing. He doesn't even remember how many concussions he's suffered -- somewhere between 20 and 30.

Again, something boxers don't say ... Jake says he's scared about the long-term effects, although he thinks certain psychedelic drugs could help abate the problems.

It's pretty shocking he's saying all this when he's about to square off with former UFC Champ Tyron Woodley Saturday night. He beat Tyron by split decision in the past and the rematch promises to be fierce.

Jake said his doctor was blunt -- stay away from the ring, but that's not gonna happen.

Chris Noth is starting to get the cold shoulder in Hollywood ... he's in the market for a new agent, after his dropped him due to the claims of rape and sexual misconduct.

The "Sex and the City" actor's reps at A3 Artists Agency gave him the ol' heave-ho Friday ... the day after he vehemently denied 2 separate allegations -- one from a woman in 2004, and the other from a woman in 2015.

But, now Noth is facing a 3rd accuser ... a woman, using the pseudonym, Ava, told Daily Beast she was an 18-year-old hostess at an NYC restaurant in 2010 when the actor allegedly sexually assaulted her. She claims he drunkenly groped her and pulled her onto his lap when he had an erection.

Noth's denying that as well ... a rep told People, "The story is a complete fabrication, and the alleged accounts detailed throughout read like a piece of bad fiction. As Chris stated yesterday, he has and would never cross that line."

Sure looks like Cheryl Hines just got Jennifer Garner-ed ... her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is passing the buck on who suggested their holiday party guests should be vaccinated, and the blame's falling at her feet.

The backstory here is RFK Jr. is an established anti-vaxxer -- or at least anti-vaxx mandate -- for children, so some guests were shocked to see invites to his and Cheryl's shindig included a recommendation attendees should be inoculated ... according to Politico.

Kennedy's explanation to Politico was, "I guess I'm not always the boss at my own house."

🤔

Well, he didn't call Cheryl out by name, but  ... the insinuation's pretty clear.

Kennedy also said his guests weren't carded at the door -- it was more of an honor system type thing.

Cardi B is delivering some bad news to fans hoping to get their hands on one of her dolls ... the product won't be released over production delays and concerns about the product's quality.

Here's the deal ... Cardi and Real Women Are -- a fashion doll brand -- joined forces to make a limited edition Cardi B doll, which they started taking pre-orders for in March at $35 a pop, but shipping deadlines were missed and folks started thinking it was all a scam.

The Real Women Are Instagram started to get flooded with unhappy customers wanting to know where their Cardi B-inspired doll was and demanding refunds.

Welp, brace yourself Bardi gang.

The role of Grinch will now be played by a rep for Cardi B, who tells TMZ ... the dolls will not be released as a result of COVID-related manufacturing and shipping delays. We're also told Cardi herself had concerns the dolls wouldn't meet her high-quality standards.

Dorothy Wang is making the jump from one rich reality show to another ... and one coast to another -- she's starring in a new Netflix show that's a spin-off of the popular "Bling Empire."

Production sources tell TMZ ... the spinoff will be set in New York City, but will still focus on Dorothy's lavish lifestyle ... just in a new setting. Big Apple retailers gotta be licking their chops!

We're told filming is starting in early January, and Dorothy will be joined on screen by some of her super-rich friends.

As you know ... the OG "Bling Empire" follows a group of wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American celebs in Los Angeles, including Dorothy's close friend Christine Chiu.

Dorothy has a history with this sort of TV show ... she famously starred on all 4 seasons of E!'s "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills."

Kim Kardashian's one big step closer to getting that "Esq." after her name, and Elon Musk is TIME's Person of the Year -- pissing off a LOT of people in the process. So, we gotta ask ...