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Pauly Shore's still hoping he'll get Richard Simmons' blessing before shooting a feature film about his life ... and he thinks his short film's the key to securing it.

The actor/comedian was at the Hollywood Burbank Airport Wednesday when a photog asked if he had a message for the reclusive fitness guru. In a nutshell, Pauly's pleading with Richard to watch "The Court Jester" on YouTube and keep an open heart while he does it.

PS says he thinks he's got a shot at convincing Richard if he sees the flick -- which premiered at Sundance on Friday night -- but he just doesn't want him to flat-out dismiss it beforehand.

Now, he's not going to turn down constructive criticism ... Pauly says he wants Richard's honest feedback, and he's willing to make changes.

Interestingly, Pauly says he wants Richard on board as a full-time collaborator for the feature-length biopic -- he even envisions them with matching "Richard" director chairs on the set.

Bottom line ... Pauly says he's moving forward with the project -- but there's a whole lotta room for Simmons' touch if he's interested in surfacing ... which we highly doubt.

This saga's been making fans sweat for a couple weeks -- last week, Richard made it clear he was in no way involved with Pauly's project ... and to get his point across he even broke his public silence via Facebook, which he's only done twice in about a decade.

Pauly's clearly not deterred by Richard's condemnation ... he's insisted Richard might just change his mind -- and last week, before the 'Court Jester' premiere, he suggested the 75-year-old icon was softening.

He claims Richard texted him earlier in the day to wish him "good luck" at Sundance.

Elle King will not be taking the stage later this week even though she was scheduled to -- 'cause she pulled the plug on her live gig kinda last minute ... without providing a reason.

The country star was set to rock the house Friday at a venue in Fort Worth, TX called Billy Bob's Texas -- which is basically a concert hall there in town ... and where EK was due to serve as the main talent heading into the weekend.

On Wednesday, however, it was announced by Billy Bob and co. that Elle would not actually be performing ... they said she had to postpone her show, and wouldn't be able to come back until way down the road in September.

TMZ confirmed the news -- and a rep there told us they just got word from Elle's team about this today ... so yes, the entire thing is very sudden. More importantly, we're told Elle's camp did not offer any valid explanation for the postponement.

While nobody has a clear answer on why Elle bailed, a lot of people are already speculating it may have to do with what went down over the weekend ... when Elle went onstage at the Grand Ole Opry and tried covering a Dolly Parton song -- only to botch it terribly.

She was accused of slurring her words, forgetting the lyrics and acting disorderly through the whole performance -- and many thought she might've been under the influence at the time. Elle herself confirmed that in her words ... telling everyone she was "f****** hammered."

Her "tribute" to DP caught a ton of flak ... and now, she's stepping away from the spotlight, it seems. We reached out to Elle's team ourselves and were told she had to postpone for "unforeseen circumstances" ... and they noted they wouldn't be commenting on this further.

Kevin Spacey's getting back into the public eye after his acquittal in London last summer ... and a lot of people are none too happy about it -- which they're making quite clear.

Here's the deal ... the controversial actor's scheduled to appear at Mad Monster Party 2024 in North Carolina next month -- a three-day convention dedicated to all things horror/pop culture. Other stars like Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Taryn Manning, Jason Patric and more are attending the event as well.

Clearly, organizers are jazzed at KS' inclusion ... touting his accolades and selling pro photo-ops for big money -- no selfies allowed at the autograph table. If you want a pic, you'll have to shell out $225.

The photo opportunities are themed too ... Friday, Feb 16 they'll set one up for "The Usual Suspects"-type pic, Saturday's for "Se7en" and Sunday, Feb. 18 will see Kevin take "House of Cards" pics -- basically, Spacey's greatest hits.

Now, it didn't take long for people to voice their outrage ... with a good handful of folks saying in unequivocal terms they find the organizers reprehensible for giving Spacey a platform after all of the allegations leveled against him. Just check their comments.

In essence, a lot of fans don't seem to care Kevin was acquitted last year on a host of charges -- as we previously reported, Spacey was found not guilty of nine total counts based on a host of sexual assault allegations in a London court last year after a lengthy trial.

He's also been sued in New York for a different alleged sexual assault ... a massage therapist is claiming the 64-year-old made unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances toward him during three 90-minute sessions back in 2016.

The two-time Academy Award winner's never been convicted of a crime for any of the allegations brought against him ... and he's denied any and all wrongdoing, FWIW.

It'll be interesting to see how many fans want to take a pic with Spacey next month ... or if any protests will spring up in NC.

Kylie Jenner switched up her look yet again after going public with BF Timothée Chalamet -- revamping her style at Paris Fashion Week ... but being met with haters in her comments.

Check it out yourself ... the 26-year-old reality star stepped out in a strapless cream-colored sheer flowing dress at the Jean Paul Gaultier show Wednesday -- a far departure from her bold, skintight outfits that she's been rocking of late.

As you can see ... Kylie paired the stripped-back ethereal sleepwear-inspired dress with towering heels, minimal makeup ... and old Hollywood-style locks. A very soft 'fit, for sure.

She was certainly feeling herself in the moment, and even posted some clips of herself from the show -- but, unfortunately, a lot of people had less-than-nice things to say about her appearance ... namely, the notion that she looked a bit "old," at least in their eyes.

One person cruelly commented she was "aging in dog years," while another added she looked 47 -- and a third said she'd ruined her face. Like we said, very jerk-y remarks.

Nonetheless, Kylie put in her best effort to keep up appearances in her BF's native France ... probably sensing her Cali style wouldn't cut it in Paris -- a city at the pinnacle of high fashion.

While TC's been by KJ's side at several public events since their romance emerged, she was ridin' solo at the show ... although, there was a familiar face in the mix ... one Jordyn Woods!

Remember, they seem to be on good terms now -- as the duo appeared to bury the hatchet last year after Jordyn's kissing scandal with Tristan Thompson from years earlier. Bottom line here ... KJ appears to have been in good company with a pal in tow.

BTW, Kylie's look here was echoed by lots of other celebs/models who were in the JPG show as well ... lots of different getups, but a similar theme -- simple, yet elegant.

Bella Thorne and Noah Cyrus were among those in attendance at JPG ... plus lots of others. And FWIW, PFW has been a huge draw this year for other stars looking to strut.

Bill Bellamy is laying his thoughts bare on fellow comedian Natasha Leggero flashing her boobs at her recent Improv show ... saying if men can do it, why not women?!

We got the stand-up comic in Beverly Hills Tuesday ... and he says it was pretty boss to see a lady feel free and confident enough to push the envelope in the male-dominated field by stripping down and showing off her body for all to see.

He goes on to point out this business's sexist double standards ... noting that funnyman Bert Kreischer taking his shirt off before Natasha went up was a non-issue -- but when she did the same thing, it caught everyone off guard, and stirred shock/outrage among some.

Bill wants other women to have the same exposure as Natasha in the comedy world  ... cause they give dudes a different life perspective -- and there's enough room onstage for their stories.

As for Natasha, he's giving her an extra round of applause, 'cause he says her cleavage was all-natural -- implying it was a rare feat for someone living in looks-obsessed L.A. In other words, he's complimenting her body ... as have lots of people who got an eyeful.

Anyway, Bill jokes that she should cash in on her new fame on a platform such as OnlyComedians instead of OnlyFans -- a separate haven for people wanting to be both funny and risqué ... just ask Whitney Cummings about that.

Taylor Swift's alleged stalker just had his first day in court -- and prosecutors made a lot of troubling claims about him ... including the allegation he's gone to her pad dozens of times.

David Crowe -- the man who was cuffed and hauled away by cops twice in three days after numerous people said he was lurking around Taylor's NYC home -- was arraigned Wednesday on three separate charges ... including stalking in the 4th-degree and harassment in the 1st and 2nd-degrees.

We're told Crowe did not enter a plea during this court appearance -- but he was cut loose from custody ... with prosecutors requesting supervised release with strict conditions.

A judge granted their request -- so Crowe is technically back on the streets -- but the judge signed off on a protective order prohibiting him from trying to contact Taylor ... and prosecutors ran through some other disturbing details in court.

Law enforcement officials alleged in their complaint that they'd been informed Crowe had been spotted at Taylor's Tribeca home upwards of 30 times in the past 2 months.

Prosecutors claim that on a number of these drop-ins, Crowe asked to speak to Taylor. That's apparently why he's facing the stalking charge ... and why the court wants to keep a close eye on him upon release.

"The Daily Show" is going back to a familiar face to provide some stability ... though it might end up being just another temporary fix.

Jon Stewart -- who originally hosted the show from 1999 to 2015 -- is headed back to Comedy Central to host 'TDS' ... but only on Mondays. From Tuesday-Thursday, fans will see some of their fav correspondents helm the show.

The part-time hosting gig doesn't mean Jon will be kicking back during the rest of the week -- he's also returning as executive producer for every episode from now through 2025 -- so it looks like he'll be sticking around for a bit.

Not only was Stewart host and EP of the show for more than 15 years, but he mentored some of the biggest names in comedy while heading up the program.

Just check out the roster ... Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Olivia Munn, Hasan Minhaj and Josh Gad just to name a few. Talk about one hell of a coaching tree!

It's probably a good time for JS to head back to his old stompin' ground ... 'cause his latest television venture, "The Problem with Jon Stewart" didn't go so well.

Apple TV+ canceled Stewart's show in October after a little over 2 years, and The New York Times reported the comedian butted heads with Apple execs on show topics and guests.

And remember, "The Daily Show" hasn't fared much better ... they've been working with a rotating cast of guest hosts for more than a year since Trevor stepped down from the role -- culminating in a funny/awkward moment at this year's Emmys where former correspondent Roy Wood Jr. basically pled with execs in the crowd to "please hire a host."

Not exactly the permanent solution Roy was looking for, but definitely a step in the right direction.

Taylor Swift apparently had no issues with Jason Kelce freein' the nip in front of her at the Bills game Sunday ... 'cause Travis Kelce said his GF "absolutely loved" him despite the shirtless antics.

The Kelce brothers dedicated nearly half an hour of their "New Heights" podcast on Wednesday to breaking down Jason's wacky behavior on his first trip as a fan to Highmark Stadium ... and it didn't take long for the elder Kelce to explain why he dropped his top in front of the biggest pop star on the planet.

Jason said he wanted to get the full Bills Mafia experience and immerse himself into Buffalo fans' famous "pageantry" ... but he did joke it all almost caused a tiff with his wife, Kylie.

"She was already telling me to be on my best behavior because we were meeting Taylor," Jason said.

Travis' brother, however, then hilariously said, "I was like, 'Kylie, the first day I met you I was blacked-out drunk and fell asleep at the bar. This is part of the charm! This is part of the Jason Kelce charm!' I want to make my best first impression -- this is my best chance."

The good news? Travis said despite Jason spending most of the night near Swift slugging beers without a shirt on ... the "Bad Blood" crooner had no issues with him whatsoever.

"Well," Travis said, "Tay said she absolutely loved you."

Seems most everyone else around Jason did that night, too. You'll recall, after he brought some little girls up to the box to say hi to Swift, fans pleaded with him to join the Bills.

Torrei Hart is advising everyone upset she's touring with Katt Williams -- after he took big swipes at her ex-husband Kevin Hart -- to get over their emotions, she's booked and ready to hit the road!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently caught up with Torrei in Burbank, where she explained she and Katt have a longstanding friendship dating back 20 years ... and he simply picked her to join on his "Dark Matter" Tour because she's "funny as f***!!!"

Katt set off the year with his roasting of Kevin -- and several other Black comics on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast -- but Torrei says her history with Katt is set in stone, and she isn't involved in their "beef."

Self-assurance aside, Torrei says she feels like it's her time to step into her own spotlight outside Kevin's shadow ... she maintains she's a 15-year comedy vet, climbing through the ranks of the chitlin' circuit and deserves this moment!!!

She intentionally named her own tour "No Hart Feelings," so haters can stay mad!!!

Judo champion and Olympian Maricet Espinoa Gonzalez has tragically died after apparently suffering a heart attack ... just days after she reportedly went under the knife.

Gonzalez was a 2x Pan American Judo champion, winning gold in 2013 and 2014. She also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

The Cuban Sports University broke the news, announcing "La Mole" passed away this week.

"With great pain, the university community of Cuban sport receives the news of the passing of the outstanding Cuban judoka Maricet Espinosa González," the university said on Facebook.

"On behalf of our teachers, workers, and students we extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues."

She reportedly had surgery on January 21 ... but it's unclear if the operation played a role in her death.

Maricet competed in some of the biggest tourneys in the world ... and proudly represented her country of Cuba in 2016. She won her first match in Brazil before losing to Phupu Lhamu Khatri.

She also competed against several famous judokas including Telma Monteiro, Gevrise Emane, and Ketleyn Quadros.

Her shocking death comes just a week after another Olympian tragically passed away ... Shawn Barber, a Canadian pole vaulter champ, died from medical complications at just 29.

An Arkansas police officer jumped into action like a superhero and rescued a child from an icy pond ... and it was all caught on video.

Body cam footage from last Saturday shows Jonesboro Police Officer Troy Ellison rushing to aid a young kid who'd fallen through the ice at an apartment complex in the Southern city ... hopping over a wood barrier before crawling slowly across the fractured expanse.

The kid's body's submerged at this point -- arms barely gripping the edge of the rupture made when they fell in ... but Officer Ellison keeps a cool head and repeatedly assures the child they'll be alright while making his way toward the hysterical kiddo.

TE reaches the kid and seems to struggle pulling him up and out of the water at first. Thankfully, firefighters arrive on the scene at that point and toss him a rope from the edge of the pond -- he grabs it, and the group on the side pulls him and the child to safety.

Local outlets report the child was taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries though their identity has not been released to the public.

Chris Young is accused of starting a fight with a Tennessee bureaucrat in a bar -- but now, new video appears to show he didn't do much of anything at all ... or so it seems, anyway.

You'll recall ... the country singer was arrested earlier this week after law enforcement officials alleged he got physical with an agent from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission out in Nashville Monday night -- this after they came in to check IDs and driver's licenses.

The arrest affidavit claims Chris blocked the TABC agents from exiting the bar they were at -- alleging he then put hands on one of them ... and even claiming he struck one of their shoulders. That resulted in some sort of scuffle ... and with Chris being booked.

He's facing charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault on an officer -- but with this new video here ... many are questioning whether Chris did anything whatsoever.

Chris' attorney has been decrying the charges, insisting these clips of the incident -- which are making the rounds online and elsewhere -- make it crystal clear ... he's innocent.

His client has a court date later in February to answer for these charges ... but Chris' lawyer is pushing to have them dropped outright, and based on what's depicted here -- he might have a point. It certainly looks like Chris didn't start any fight ... the other dude did.

K-pop group BabyMonster is back to being a septet -- 'cause Ahyeon has rejoined her fellow members after missing their big debut to focus on her health.

YG Entertainment just announced the big news Wednesday ... saying Ahyeon has "fully recovered" from her personal issues and is currently working on the group's upcoming projects.

He said in a video message ... "From the mini-album onwards, you can look forward to BabyMonster's activities as a perfect seven-member group" ... adding any previous work will be re-recorded to include Ahyeon's vocals.

Yang also said the group's EP will drop April 1 ... and the plan is to release their first full-length project later this year.

As we previously reported, the 16-year-old singer left the ensemble shortly before its first single, "Batter Up," came out in November ... with only Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Rami, Rora and Chiquita taking part in the audio recording and music video.

Despite Ahyeon's absence, the visuals racked up more than 200 million views online.

It's more great news for YG -- in December, it was reported BLACKPINK's Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé agreed to stay with the label for all group-related activities while going elsewhere for solo work.

Fans are also excited ... as Ahyeon was considered to be one of the biggest rising stars in the industry, even drawing comparisons to Jennie due to her wide-ranging skills on the mic.

The Tina Knowles/Janet Jackson beef that fans have been perceiving over the past 24 hours or so is over ... 'cause Beyonce's mom came out and cleared the air on what happened.

Here's the deal ... eagle-eyed fans noticed that Tina had recently liked an IG post that was criticizing the fact that Janet's concerts of late were charging sky-high prices for VIP tickets, which included meet-and-greets, etc. The gripe ... who do you think you are, Queen Bey???

Again, this was some random person's Instagram post -- featuring screengrabs of JJ ticket prices -- and folks saw that Tina was among the people who "liked" this.

Shortly thereafter, a major back-and-forth ensued between Beyhive loyalists and Janet's proverbial rhythm nation ... 'cause everyone thought Tina was cosigning the notion that Janet Jackson ain't no Beyoncé, and her trying to charge similarly was disrespectful.

Welp, Tina poured cold water on all of that ... hopping on IG to clarify what she meant.

As you can see here, she says she didn't mean to shade Janet -- and the whole thing sounds like a case of mistaken heart-button-smashing ... without properly reading.

Tina made sure to note she knows what goes into a killer live production -- and kinda kissed the ring a bit for Ms. Jackson, calling her brood the "first family of music." So yeah, she's showing reverence to Janet ... and clearly holds her in high regard.

TK also hopped on the compliment train once again in her caption, adding she "took Destiny's Child to see Janet when they were 15 years old. They always looked up to her and she opened doors for Beyoncé. Why would I hate on her ?"

Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig have a new champion in their corner trashing the fact they weren't nominated for Oscars -- with none other than Hillary Clinton chirping up.

The ex-Sec. of State -- and one-time presidential candidate -- just tweeted about the hotly-debated nominations heard around the world Tuesday ... and she's in the camp that this was an egregious snub from Academy members ... especially in light of Ryan Gosling's nod.

HC wrote, "Greta & Margot, While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough."

She also threw in her own little fun hashtag to cap off her point, adding ... "#HillaryBarbie."

Hillary is just the latest person to slam the non-nominations -- remember, Ryan himself actually denounced the fact his costar/director didn't receive recognition ... even though he himself got a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

He said, "No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement." Likewise, he also praised America Ferrera's nom.

Speaking of America ... she, too, slammed Margot and Greta's exclusion -- just piling on top of the collective outrage most of the Internet has been expressing over the past 24 hours.

Margot and Greta haven't said anything about it themselves ... but people have their backs.

Fun fact about the Academy's makeup as of last year -- it looks like 33% of voting members are women or female-identifying ... so yes, there does seem to be more guys than gals. Hard to say if that's behind these two not getting selected or not ... but it is interesting.

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes aren't calling quits on their coupling ... walking arm in arm in NYC -- despite very public tension in their relationship, which we all heard first-hand.

The fired 'GMA3' cohosts took to Instagram Tuesday afternoon to calm fans' minds after they dove headfirst into their behind-the-scenes drama during Monday's episode of their "Amy & T.J." podcast ... where we saw them bickering and arguing on their mics.

Through big grins, and even bigger sunglasses, the happy couple started by reassuring their followers they were still going strong -- saying they struggled over whether to release the episode but ultimately decided to drop it because they wanted to give a comprehensive view of their relationship ... the good, the bad and the awkward.

Amy took it a step further in the caption as well ... once again telling fans they weren't broken up while plugging the pod -- no such thing as bad publicity we suppose!

ICYMI ... Robach and Holmes laid all their cards on the table ... diving into how they felt in their personal lives with Holmes noting they hadn't slept in the same bed for several days. The convo spiraled into AR mentioning the pressure of her career, and TH outright questioning his better half's communication skills -- not exactly easy listening for fans.

The couple certainly looked happy in the vid they posted ... but they kinda have to put on brave faces, right? Their relationship created both controversy AND this new opportunity for them -- so you figure trouble in paradise could, perhaps, hurt their bottom line.

Anyway, we suppose we'll take their word for it that they're all good now. Based on this, it looks like T.J. & Amy aren't headed to Splitsville ... at least not at the moment.