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'Big Brother' alum Paulie Calafiore's looking to go from the reality TV couch to the gold medal stand ... as a member of the U.S. Men's Bobsled Team.

Paulie -- best known as a houseguest on "Big Brother 18" -- got a call from Team USA coaches back in May after his good friend, Lolo Jones, recommended him for the popular winter sport ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

We're told on Paulie's first call with the coaches, they asked what he knew about bobsledding and he replied ... "I watched 'Cool Runnings' as a kid."

Maybe not the best start, but Lolo also had an unconventional path to the sport coming over as an Olympic hurdler ... so our sources say Paulie's motivated to make it happen.

We're told COVID-19 provided a training challenge for Paulie from the jump, but he whipped together a team consisting of a nutritionist, strength coach and 3 other specialists to prepare the past 5 months.

His everyday training regimen includes 2-3 hours of virtual mobility and flexibility sessions, 2-3 hours of strength training and sprinting sessions, and a strict 5,000 calorie a day diet. He's been training in both Montana where he lives, and South Carolina.

As for Paulie's progress ... our sources say he took a virtual combine to mark his time and weights in September and had incredible stats. He's currently quarantining for 2 weeks at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and after that, he'll hit the bobsled push track for the next phase of training.

If all goes well, Paulie may be on his way to the next Winter Games ... scheduled for February 2022 in Beijing.

As we reported ... Paulie was one of several 'Big Brother' stars who quarantined this summer in anticipation for "Big Brother: All-Stars," but he didn't make the final cast list.

Janelle Pierzina didn't last long on this season of 'Big Brother,' but boy did she cash in -- selling a necklace she wore on the show for a small fortune, before putting that dough to good use.

The "Big Brother All-Stars" contestant wore a gold-plated "Janelle" necklace this season, and while she was the third houseguest voted out ... that necklace is now a sweet silver lining.

Janelle decided to sell it on eBay ... and it went for a whopping $18,300!!!

But, get this, Janelle -- who made the top 3 on "Big Brother 7 All-Stars" in 2006 -- decided to donate the entire proceeds to Give Kids The World Village ... an 84-acre village in Central Florida that offers weeklong vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families.

The trips come at zero cost to the families, thanks to donations like Janelle's.

A bunch of 'Big Brother' houseguests don't like being under the same roof as Ian Terry ... simply because he's autistic.

Ian's been pretty outspoken this season about being on the autism spectrum, but now his fellow houseguests, Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones, Nicole Franzel and Memphis Garrett, were caught on the live feeds yukking it up about Ian. They openly, and cruelly, mocked his self-soothing technique -- rocking back and forth during conversations --- and said it turns them off.

Dani was caught on the live feeds saying she can't even look at Ian sometimes because his constant movement stresses her out ... and Nicole agrees.

Christmas and Memphis join in the bullying and make things worse ... Memphis describes Ian as the "red rum" of the house, a reference to "The Shining."

The group shares a big ole laugh when Memphis claims he might have nightmares of Ian standing over his bed, rocking back and forth.

Unfortunately, this kind of bullying has become par for the course on 'Big Brother' -- which has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

Folks online and BB alum aren't letting these houseguests off the hook, though ... calling them out for their "Mean Girls" like mocking of Ian.

"Big Brother" fans are trying to rig the game by yelling over the show's studio wall to help certain houseguests with outside info ... and now CBS is beefing up security.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... several fans have been posting up the last several weeks a stone's throw away from the 'Big Brother' house, using bullhorns to send messages to try and help certain houseguests advance.

Our sources say the fans watch the show and scour the live feeds, so they're aware of cast members' game plans ... and the whole thing is becoming very disruptive.

We're told CBS security and LAPD were initially tasked with keeping an eye out on the fans, but things weren't getting better so CBS recently brought in a private security firm to help.

Our sources say security got into a foot pursuit with a male fan who attempted to scale a studio fence, but the guy ended up getting away after jumping into a getaway car.

BTW ... we're told the folks trying to send messages to houseguests are mostly in their 40s, with no young fans in sight.

With season 22 still in production, our sources say the LAPD is also becoming more visible in the area and keeping a close eye on the area where the fans keep gathering.

We're told there was also a drone scare and a rumor floating around social media that someone was going to hurl a banner over the fence ... but so far the fans on bullhorns are the biggest nuisance.

'BB' has been down this road before ... we're told in past seasons fans resorted to throwing tennis balls inscribed with messages over the fence and onto the studio lot in hopes of reaching contestants.

Gayle King had some breaking news brought to her for once -- she got told that a bear was roaming around outside of Oprah's house ... and no, she couldn't sneak a peek.

The CBS News anchor is quarantining at O's pad in Santa Barbara, and as such ... she documented the message delivered to her by mogul's own guards who are standing watch at the crib. Long story short ... there was a black bear outside, and they wanted her to stay put.

You gotta watch how Gayle receives the word though -- it's pretty freakin' hilarious. While she seems shocked at hearing there's a fully-grown bear out there, she also sounds equally intrigued.

Unfortunately, the security personnel stands firm ... telling her she really shouldn't venture out to get a look. And, don't worry, Oprah herself was notified as well -- doesn't appear she was home for the bear scare ... a phenomenon we've been seeing a lot more of lately.

Maybe the fact people are cooped up indoors is reason enough for these fuzzy creatures to be a little bit bolder these days. That, or maybe they just got a whiff of some leftover grub.

That usually brings 'em out ... even to the homes of the rich and famous, apparently.

Nick Cannon's firing back at ViacomCBS after it dropped him for making anti-Semitic comments -- and he's now claiming it's the media giant that's being divisive, not him ... and he has a list of demands.

"The Masked Singer" host responded to Viacom's decision Wednesday morning, saying, he's "deeply saddened" the company "misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another" and, instead ... he claims it's trying to "make an example of an outspoken black man."

Cannon vows to not be bullied or silenced, and says Viacom "does not understand or respect the power of the black community."

As we reported, Viacom cut bait with Nick over his comments on his podcast "Cannon's Class" ... where he openly espoused Anti-Jewish, and clearly divisive, rhetoric from Minister Farrakhan. He got a ton of backlash online, and then Viacom dropped the hammer, but Nick alleges the pot's calling the kettle black.

Cannon says ... "I honestly can’t believe that Viacom has such poor council that would allow them to make such a divisive decision in the midst of protests and civil uprising within our current pandemic. Truly an unwise decision."

He goes on to say he hoped his comments could lead to reconciliation and he could "use this moment to show healing and acceptance" ... but claims Viacom has no interest. He also accuses the media giant of banning all advertising that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Nick acknowledges he's had an incredibly successful past with Viacom -- including his Nickelodeon days and the creation of 'Wild 'N Out,' but says the company is "now on the wrong side of history."

He did apologize "if I have furthered the hate speech" ... but also makes it clear he's gonna fight for "full ownership of my billion-dollar 'Wild ‘N Out' brand that I created, and they will continue to misuse and destroy without my leadership! I demand that the hate and back door bullying cease and while we are at it, now that the truth is out, I demand the Apology!"

Judge Judy is stepping away from her longtime television show and calling it quits with CBS -- and TMZ has learned a big reason has to do with a war with the network.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us ... Judy and CBS have been feuding for quite some time, and it largely has to do with the former head honcho of the network, Les Moonves, no longer working there. A new regime has taken over ... and we're told they and Judy just haven't been seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things she and Les were square on.

Specifically, we're told Judy was being shut down left and right on possible new shows she developed ... something we're told was she'd be able to do under her latest contract with them, but hasn't been realized after Moonves was ousted in 2018.

Remember, Judy had just struck a monumental deal with them the previous year -- selling her "Judge Judy" library for a reported $95 million, with an end date of 2020-2021. She was already producing the show "Hot Bench," and was said to be developing other projects as well under CBS, like the court drama "Her Honor" which woulda been based on her life.

It's unclear if that show ever took off -- there've been no new developments on it since 2016 when it was reported to be in the works. Probably just one example of why we're hearing Judy was fed up with CBS and the relationship just fell apart.

As such, she's hanging it up and CBS and will ride out this last season, which marks 25 years on the air. She's already working on another show, "Judy Justice," which will NOT air on CBS.

While Judy's been gracious in public about the split -- including a pleasant appearance on 'Ellen' -- we're told there's no love lost between her and the network. You could probably tell us as much with the statement she issued upon the news breaking.

Judy said, "I am looking forward to a banner 25th anniversary season. CBS has been a fine partner for 20 plus years. They have decided to monetize their 'Judge Judy' library of reruns." Then came the parting shot ... "I wish them good luck with their experiment."

Tony Romo's staying put at CBS ... and the network's rewarding him handsomely by making him the highest-paid NFL analyst in TV HISTORY!!!

The former Dallas Cowboys QB is reportedly set to earn a whopping $17 million per season. The two sides struck a deal Friday ... before ESPN got its chance to lure Romo, who is regarded as the NFL's best analyst, perhaps ever.

The New York Post was first to report the figure. The outlet's also reporting the deal's for "significantly more than five years," which could mean the entire deal may be worth more than $100 MILLION. The Sports Business Journal says CBS Sports confirmed locking Romo to a new deal but would not comment on terms.

Romo, who was in his final year of a 3-year deal, reportedly made $4 million last season. Over at FOX ... its lead NFL analyst, Troy Aikman, reportedly makes around $7.5 million per season. John Madden was previously the highest-paid analyst with a deal that paid him $8 million per year. And if you factor in an adjustment for inflation, that would still only put Madden's number at $14 million per year.

For a little more perspective ... Romo's highest single-season earnings in the NFL came in 2013 when he made $26.5 million, which included his signing bonus. He made over $127 million in 14 seasons with the Cowboys.

Snoop Dogg is issuing a public apology to CBS anchor Gayle King after ripping her for the Kobe Bryant interview ... and he wants to hash things out in private.

Snoop just issued his mea culpa to Gayle, saying the way he came at her with a profanity-laced social media rant was out of line.

As you know ... Snoop went nuclear on Gayle last week, heavily criticizing her for an interview she did with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, which included a question and follow up about Kobe's 2003 sexual assault case.

Now, Snoop admits he was wrong for lashing out at Gayle -- who says she's getting death threats for the Kobe question -- and he says he overreacted because he was rife with emotions and angry at her line of questioning.

Snoop says he was just trying to defend Kobe because Mamba can't defend himself, but he regrets the way he expressed his feelings.

As for why the change of heart ... Snoop says his mom gave him some sage advice. He added ... "2 wrongs don't make it right."

In his initial rant, Snoop called Gayle a "funky dog head bitch" and asked her, "How dare you try to tarnish my motherf***in' home boy's reputation, punk motherf***er? Respect the family and back off, bitch. Before we come get you."

Snoop Dogg says he was NOT threatening CBS anchor Gayle King over her Kobe Bryant interview -- but the record shows he did make a somewhat threatening comment.

The rapper took to IG Saturday to clarify a video he posted a few days ago criticizing Gayle for an interview she did with WNBA player Lisa Leslie. Snoop made what many perceived as threats against her, but now ... he claims he didn't and means her no harm.

Snoop says he's a non-violent person and was raised better than that. He insists he was only speaking on behalf of people who felt disrespected by Gayle's interview and was only going from the heart. Snoop says all he wanted to do was point out she was out of line.

What's interesting is that he claims he never threatened her -- and only told her Kobe's fans were "watching" her -- but his own words seem to contradict him here.

What Snoop said verbatim ... "Funky dog head bitch. How dare you try to tarnish my motherf***in' home boy's reputation, punk motherf***er. Respect the family and back off, bitch. Before we come get you." This came after a tirade against Gayle coming after black men, but not being as enthusiastic to grill people about Harvey Weinstein (in Snoop's eyes).

Maybe he was speaking figuratively, but the fact is ... "come get you" can be seen as a threat, even if it isn't meant seriously. Regardless, the criticism appears to have opened the floodgates for others who've allegedly made death threats against Gayle.

Gayle herself came out and said the clip was taken out of context from a much longer and wide-ranging interview, and that she felt CBS had screwed her by releasing a clip showing just that part where she pressed Lisa about the rape claim against Kobe.

While Gayle feels the clip was unfairly represented, it doesn't take away from the fact she did push Lisa about that topic -- and felt it was, in fact, appropriate to do so in the moment.

Gayle King doesn't seem surprised in the least that R. Kelly's ex-girlfriend is now confessing she lied to the CBS anchor, but more importantly ... she wishes her well in her recovery.

We got the longtime news personality Saturday night in Miami and asked about Azriel Clary recently giving a tell-all interview to The Sun ... in which she completely flips on R. Kelly and says she lied to Gayle back in March of 2019 while characterizing their relationship.

GK says it's not a bombshell to learn about the confession -- sounds like she didn't believe her at the time, even though Azriel was very forceful in denying any misconduct.

Check it out ... Gayle tells us what she wants for Azriel going forward, and it looks like Azriel's well on her way to getting to a good place as she reunites with her fam.

Ariel Winter's 10-year-old niece can't stop, won't stop ... following in her aunt's footsteps, 'cause TMZ's learned she's landed another Hollywood gig that pays her BIG time.

Skylar Gray landed the role of Lila in CBS's new show, "Evil" ... but her contract is anything but that. According to her minor's contract. obtained by TMZ, Skylar had her network test back in March ... which she clearly nailed, because she's getting $17,500 per episode!!!

Remember, she's only TEN years old. Screw lemonade stands, right?

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told Gayle King the app does NOT eavesdrop on private conversations ... but she called BS to his face.

Mosseri told King Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" it's straight-up dumb luck when an ad for something a user had just discussed in a private conversation uncannily shows up on their Instagram feed. Mosseri said IG doesn't look at users' messages or listen to their microphone.

But, check out the clip ... Gayle blasts Mosseri. And, when she asked if the same thing happens to him, Mosseri ... well, check it out -- it's super awkward.

There's paranoia among users that Instagram -- which is owned by Facebook -- spies on users to gather ad-targeting information. The suspicions come just over a year after Facebook suffered a massive blow in consumer confidence following the Cambridge Analytica scandal ... when it was revealed Facebook allowed the third-party service to collect user data without consent.

The man they call the "Serbian Michael Jordan" has essentially been BLOCKED by the International Basketball Federation from playing the BIG3 -- and Ice Cube is FURIOUS!

In fact, Cube is calling officials "chicken sh*t" for standing in the way of the player's American dream.

The man at the center of the controversy is Dusan Bulut -- AKA Mr. Bullutproof -- the top-ranked 3-on-3 basketball player in the world. He's an absolute stud. He's even got his own signature move, the Shammgod Nutmeg.

Bulut is from Serbia -- but he's currently under contract with a team in Abu Dhabi in a league that's overseen by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Despite the fact Bulut WANTS to play in the BIG3 -- and was DRAFTED this year -- FIBA officials told him if he breaks his contract with the Abu Dhabi team, he'll face a 24-month ban from international competition, which would prevent him from competing for Serbia in the 2020 Olympics.

Earlier today, Bulut withdrew from the BIG3 because of the threat -- and Ice Cube ain't happy about it.

"We want him to play, but FIBA is threatening that he won't be able to be eligible for the Olympics," Cube told us ... "I think they're scared."

Cube says the league is considering its legal options -- but notes, "We want to do whatever Bulut wants to do. We want to get him in the BIG3, but we don't want to mess up his chances to be in the Olympics."

He summed it up this way ... "I think FIBA is being chicken sh*t."

Meanwhile, Cube and the BIG3 are pushing forward with the 2019 season, which kicks off June 22 at the Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, live on CBS.