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"Live From New York ... It's Saturday Night!"

It's been nearly 50 fabulous years of legendary comedians and actors hitting the Studio 8H stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza -- making their stage presence known and providing laughs to millions around the world -- on the sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live".

As the hit show gears up for its 50th season, we're celebrating stars like Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy and Maya Rudolph ... all of whom got their big break taking on the "SNL" stage, and their careers have since soared into superstardom.

Dating back to the very first episode which premiered on October 11, 1975 ... Host George Carlin emerged on the scene, delivered a stellar monologue and showcased musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

Hayden Panettiere is making her big return to acting and she's here to stump you with some minor changes. Examine the two photos and see if you've got what it takes to track 'em down ... Nothing's a shoe-in with these sneaky switcharoos!

Making a stop by the "Drew Barrymore Show" earlier this week, the 35-year-old mama showed off a fresh new blond 'do while promoting her newest movie "Amber Alert". She dressed perfectly for a fall day in NYC, but some things just aren't buttoning up properly ...

President Joe Biden has been rumored to be interested in buying Olivia Newton-John's California ranch ... however, those who were close to the late star aren't sold on the gossip.

A rep for the late "Grease" actress' family tells TMZ ... this rumor is "not true," even though a report in the Montecito Journal claimed the President and First Lady Jill Biden were eyeing the property as their post-White House pad.

We wouldn't be surprised if the Bidens were taken with the estate, as the sunny abode is located in Santa Ynez ... a lush community outside Santa Barbara, known for its world-class wineries.

Even Big Freedia admitted their bounce lost some of its spring when Lil Wayne was snubbed and denied the headline halftime spot in his hometown New Orleans Super Bowl ... and turns out the entire city is feeling the burn!!!

We interviewed Big Freedia on 'The TMZ Podcast' and word in the 504 streets is that everyone in New Orleans is sad for Wayne -- especially since he attempted to put things into existence months ago ... but ended up gutted when Kendrick Lamar got the nod.

Big Freedia told hosts Charlie Neff and Wyld Young there's still hope ... Kendrick could easily share stage time with Wayne in February and all would be right in the world ... and wards.

Diddy's grand jury is still looking into the allegations against him ... hearing from at least one more sex worker about their alleged relationship with the mogul, and it's possible it could lead to new charges.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the grand jury is absolutely still convened, and this week it heard testimony from a male escort who said he's interacted with Diddy in the past.

We're told the testimony covered Diddy's alleged outreach to the escort and his willingness to participate in a "Freak Off."

A promotional flyer for the Colorado Buffaloes' matchup against the UCF Knights was met with a ton of backlash on Friday ... with football fans wondering why the social media post wasn't kept in drafts in light of Hurricane Helene -- as it featured a star player knee-deep in water.

The Deion Sanders-led program's official X account shared the imagery at 12:30 PM PT ... in an attempt to signify 24 hours 'til kickoff from FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando.

The flyer was intended to be a play on star defensive back Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig's "Shark" nickname ... but considering what surrounding Southeast regions experienced over the past day, many users felt the theming of the promo was insensitive.

Vivica A. Fox says her nephew Jussie Smollett has his career back on track ... claiming fans love the new movie they worked on together -- fully separating art from the artist.

We caught up with the actress at LAX on Friday ... and, we had to ask her about how audiences were receiving her new flick, "The Lost Holliday" -- and, whether opinions about Smollett have contributed to criticism of the movie.

VAF points out "The Lost Holliday" has played in theaters all over the world ... from London to New York to Los Angeles -- and, so far, she says it's only received positive reviews.

Deepak Chopra isn't turning his nose up at artificial intelligence ... rather, he's encouraging others to embrace the technology as the next step in human evolution.

We caught up with the New Age guru on "TMZ Live" Friday, where he defended his use of artificial intelligence, highlighting all the ways his online twin, "Digital Deepak," has helped others.

As Deepak put it ... his digital alter ego is not scanning the internet to splice together random or vague responses to users' questions. Instead, Digital Deepak combs through his vast collection of published works, including books, interviews, Q&As, columns and more to curate an answer that reflects his beliefs.

Joe Rogan thinks a Kamala Harris presidency would spell doom for free speech in America ... he says Harris and Tim Walz would have the feds increasing censorship online.

Joe warned a possible Harris administration would "clamp down more" on online speech, making the bold prediction Thursday on his popular podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" during a conversation about censorship on social media.

The way Joe sees it ... Harris and Walz have said "many wild things" about censorship, free speech and the First Amendment ... especially when it comes to platforms like Facebook and X.

Caitlin Clark just added an exclamation point to her stellar first WNBA season ... the league is naming her its Rookie of the Year!!

According to Shams Charania ... the W will announce the 22-year-old beat out Angel Reese for the honors at some point this postseason.

It, of course, shouldn't come as a huge surprise, as she tore up the league night in and night out -- all while helping guide the Indiana Fever to its first playoff berth since 2016.

Jason Martin is responding to the last 24 hours of post-Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake madness and raging war for the West Coast ... Toronto rapper Top5, Adin Ross, Akademiks -- all challengers are welcomed!!!

On Friday, JM fired off the song "Kill Switch" -- boosted by fellow Cali artists Daz Dillinger and MyGuyMars -- warning everyone that it's "on onsite" and closed the song echoing Kendrick's "Euphoria" commentary about outsiders emulating their culture.

The song comes directly after the threats hurled in a recent livestream hosted by Ak and Adin to welcome Top5 home.

Aaron Carter's baby mama Melanie Martin is hitting back at rumors her son, Prince, doesn't belong to the late singer ... offering up DNA evidence as proof.

Aaron's ex-fiancée tells TMZ ... she and Prince have faced questions and gossip about the little one's paternity for years, especially in the aftermath of the singer's death in 2022.

While she slammed the accusations as "baseless," she said they've escalated to an extreme nature ... noting she and Prince have received "death threats and other forms of harassment" over the years.

George Clooney is saying goodbye to his one-time bachelor pad ... because he just sold his Los Angeles estate, where he used to entertain like crazy.

Our real estate sources tell us ... the actor's 6-bedroom mansion in Studio City's Fryman Canyon is changing hands for $14.5 million.

George owned the home for nearly three decades ... he bought it back in 1995 from Stevie Nicks for $2.2 million ... and hosted many big parties and large gatherings over the years.

Chino XL's family has broken their silence around his sudden death in July ... revealing the veteran rapper died of suicide.

His family is hoping to turn the tragedy into a healing and preventable moment for anyone battling mental illness, and released a statement Friday.

The statement reads ... “With the most profound sadness imaginable, we share the news that our beloved father decided to end his own Life. It’s been the most painful and personal experience of our lives but in honor of Suicide Awareness Month, we decided to share this truth. Dad would hope that this news may help someone else stay alive.”

Jillian Michaels has never sugarcoated her views on Ozempic -- but she's upping the ante, saying folks who care about their health should be seriously ticked off about the way their psychology is being exploited.

We caught up with Jillian Friday ... and she tells TMZ the weight loss drug is a distraction from real issues, pointing to the thousands of chemicals in our food that are poisoning us and making us obese in the first place.

Jillian also breaks down some stats from a recent study, pointing out how loads of people ditched Ozempic after a year -- one big reason being the weight plateau. Funnily enough, James Corden recently hinted at the same thing when he tried Ozempic himself.

Barbara Leigh-Hunt, a legendary actress of the stage and screen, has died ... her family has confirmed.

The British star, who was best known for appearing in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 thriller, "Frenzy," died peacefully in her home in Warwickshire, England on Monday, Sept. 16.

She leaves behind a 7-decade-long acting legacy, which includes one of Hitchcock's most controversial movie scenes.