Coronavirus

Peter Dante -- who's been in just about every single Adam Sandler movie -- went OFF on an L.A. hostess who denied him service for not wearing a mask ... and it's all on video.

The actor's meltdown started Monday night when he was trying to get a table at Quarters Korean BBQ in L.A.'s Koreatown but was told he wouldn't be served.

In the video, you see a maskless Peter flipping out at the hostess -- who is standing next to a sign that says "No Mask No Entry" -- calling her "garbage" and "c***" before demanding to talk to her boss.

While he's waiting to talk to the manager, Peter gets in the face of another staffer and again refuses to put on a mask.

Eventually, Peter hits the road without further incident ... but folks who were there say the hostess was almost in tears.

TMZ broke the story ... Peter was arrested back in September after allegedly threatening to kill his neighbor over construction noise.

Peter was also thrown out of an L.A. hotel back in 2013 after allegedly making violent threats and hurling racial slurs.

Novak Djokovic will defend his Australian Open title after all -- the Serbian tennis star just announced he will compete at the Grand Slam event after being granted a medical exemption from the COVID vaccine mandate.

"I've spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I'm heading Down Under with an exemption permission," Djokovic said on Instagram on Tuesday morning.

"Let's go 2022."

Djokovic's status for the tourney in Melbourne had previously been in question, as he was uncertain if he would participate due to concerns over Australia's quarantine rules and the event's vaccine mandate.

But, the Australian Open said Tuesday that officials conducted two reviews of Djokovic's application for a medical exemption and granted it -- paving the way for the star's return to the Aussie courts.

"Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,'' Australian Open officials said.

Added tournament director Craig Tiley, "Fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone."

Novak -- the No. 1-ranked men's tennis player in the world -- is currently tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 grand slam titles ... and has won the last three Australian Open titles.

The Netherlands is in a full lockdown again over COVID, and when people took to the streets in Amsterdam to voice their displeasure ... cops quite literally unleashed the hounds.

A major clash between Dutch riot police and protesters went down Sunday in Amsterdam, where thousands of people were dispersed by force ... and a lot of it at that. Officers, who were decked out with shields, helmets and batons, were given the green light to go town on folks -- as they were all violating local orders against forming large crowds.

It didn't take long before cops used dogs, you see one shot of a German Shepherd clamping down on a guy's arm ... which looks painful as hell.

A reported 30 or so people are said to have been arrested during all the mayhem. And of course, some left with some serious bruises, you see one dude walking away and getting his legs smacked by a cop using a baton.

Big Daddy Weave's Jason "Jay" Weaver is dead after suffering complications from COVID-19.

In a heartfelt message on Instagram his brother and fellow band member, Mike, shared the tragic news ... "I'm sorry to bring this news, but I am excited to celebrate where he is right now. My brother Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago."

Jay was a bass player and vocalist for the Christian band and had a history of health complications. Back in 2016, he was rushed to the hospital and had to get both feet amputated to fight an infection in his body.

In his message, Mike thanked everyone for their prayers and support for his late brother throughout his battles with his health ... "you've seen him walk the uphill battle and you guys helped carry him through so much."

"Even though COVID took his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch him," he said.

Big Daddy Weave started in 1998, dropping their first album in 2001 and touring with big hits in the Christian music scene ever since.

Mike talked about his brother's impact -- "The Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for many years."

He says their family will deal with the heartache "as it comes" but for now, they are turning to their faith to celebrate Jay ... "The prayers of healing can now turn into prayers of thanksgiving now that Jay is in God's presence."

Jay was 42.

A famous Argentinian DJ claims he's been receiving death threats and nasty insults this week ... after he says fans believe he was the reason Lionel Messi came down with COVID-19.

DJ Fer Palacio -- who has over 1 million followers on Instagram -- posted a video message explaining the situation on Sunday ... saying soccer aficionados are blaming him for Messi's positive test after the two were spotted partying together late last week.

"I am a trend on Twitter because Messi tested positive for COVID-19," the DJ said.

"They relate this to me saying that I infected him. They have even called me 'murderer.' I have a lot of very bad private messages."

The 31-year-old, though, implored fans to stop ... saying it's just not possible for him to have given the soccer superstar the virus -- because he doesn't have it.

"Yesterday I got tested because I have to travel to Uruguay," he said showing a picture of a negative COVID test, "and I do not have COVID-19."

Messi, meanwhile, is isolating away from his Paris Saint-Germain team ... after the squad confirmed on Sunday he and three of his other teammates had the virus.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner appears to be in good spirits following the diagnosis ... sharing a few encouraging words at the beginning of the new year.

"I can only give thanks for everything that I had to live in this 2021," Messi said on social media. "Even more so when many people had a really bad time because of the s****y virus that never ends."

The Omicron/Omarion jokes have reached the source -- and the man (not the variant) is here to set the record straight about the difference between himself ... and a new strain of COVID.

The B2K singer/dancer took to TikTok for the start of 2022 with a PSA of sorts -- three of them actually -- for New Year's Rockin' Eve, which are all about how he is NOT the Omicron variant ... despite his name often getting confused for it, and some apparent bad reactions from fans.

Omarion starts his first video by simply saying ... he's Omarion, an artist, and not Omicron ... which means if you run into him on the street, you don't have isolate afterward -- nor do you need a negative test to dance to his music. 😂

His second vid is pretty similar -- but this time, he notes ... yeah, you probably shouldn't touch or get too close to him in general ... but that that rule has nothing to do with him being able to give anyone COVID.

And finally ... Omarion gets (kinda) serious, by reading a letter he says his lawyers wanted him to spell out as a result of "confusion" on the internet. He again says he's Omarion -- the singer and entertainer -- and NOT the variant ... so keep the DMs chill and respectful.

Twitter says it booted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for misinformation -- which may well be true -- but there's another scary topic she polished days before Jan. 6 ... civil war.

The Georgia congresswoman got permanently suspended from the bird app Sunday, with Twitter honchos saying she'd racked up 5 separate strikes regarding their COVID-19 misinformation policy ... the latest violation of which went down on Saturday, per the NYT.

The tweet that apparently pushed her over the edge was about reported deaths from vaccines -- and how, from her POV, they were taken way more seriously pre-COVID compared to now ... which she suggested was part of some big-government plot.

That was enough for Twitter to turn her account dark ... even though she still has her official Congress account. Still, some can't help but notice the timing and the other recent rhetoric she's been espousing of late -- especially with a terrible national anniversary drawing near.

Of course, we mean the day of the Capitol riots ... which happened almost a full 365 days ago starting Thursday -- and something MTG appears to have been inviting anew with tweets like the ones she posted a few days ago -- where she was talking about a national split.

In response to another tweet about Californians and New Yorkers fleeing their respective states during the pandemic and heading to places like Texas -- which the OG tweeter advocated for discriminating against those transplants -- Rep. Greene replied dubiously.

She wrote, "All possible in a National Divorce scenario," going on to bash the people leaving blue states ... while also supporting a moratorium on their voting rights once they move. There's a lot more tweets she's posted over the past year which seem to have stoked the flames of secession and a repeat of Jan. 6 -- but Twitter put its foot down just in time.

Fake vaccine cards are selling like crazy ... and demand has shot up over the past few weeks, smack in the middle of the omicron surge.

First of all, this is terrible, and if it's not a crime ... it should be. The cards are going for around $250 ... $50 a pop more than they were going for back in September, and that means demand is high.

We're told thousands of people are hawking fake vaccine cards ... pretty shocking.

The folks studying the surge of fake cards tell us the price of the bogus cards will continue to rise as Omicron spreads and as people need to prove they've been jabbed ... and the holidays are accounting for increased sales.

The cards were originally sold on the dark web, but sellers have become emboldened as everything gets even more political and they're now selling the cards much more openly ... on various forums and chatrooms.

Jeff Lewis may be rethinking his comments about his holiday party, because a remark he made about COVID may have gotten his daughter rejected from private school.

Jeff said his 5-year-old daughter, Monroe, was just given the thumb's down from a private school, and he insinuated it's because he posted that he had a holiday party at the home of Lea Black. Jeff insisted they took precautions and made sure everyone was vaccinated, but he says in the days that followed, he, along with co-host Megan Weaver, his assistant Shane Douglas, "Shahs of Sunset" star Mercedes Javid Feight, actress Monika Casey and boyfriend Scott Anderson all tested positive for COVID.

And, then Jeff said, "That was an epic party. It was so worth almost dying for."

Jeff said Tuesday on his radio show that he was "exaggerating" when he said the party was "worth almost dying for."

He went on ... "If someone said to me, 'You're going to go to this crazy party, you're going to get wasted, s***faced, you're going to have crazy, drunken sex, whatever. You're going to go, but you're gonna get COVID. It's going to be light symptoms. It's going to be runny nose, achy, you're going to stay home for five days …' — I would still go to that party, yes."

And then he said, "But if someone said, 'Look, you're going to get COVID, and you're going to have these chills for 24 hours, you're not going to get warm, you're going to have a 104-degree fever, you're going to be delusional, whatever …' — no, I'm not going to go to that party. So, that's what I meant."

But still, he made light of his prognosis ... "There were a few days I thought were my last, so I did open up a few nice bottles of wine."

Jeff now says he and Gage Edward, his ex and also the father of Monroe, believe 4 or 5 other private schools may reject their daughter because of the post.

As for the first rejection, Jeff said, "... they got back to us right away. They said, 'We know who you are. We know who Monroe is and... we are not interested in Monroe.' That's what they said."

He blasted the school, saying, "She's a f***ing angel," why would you deny her? She has so much to offer to that school."

Monroe was actually kicked out of the Montessori preschool back in 2019, after parents started complaining that Jeff dragged the school on his radio show.

COVID is derailing the best-laid plans of New Year's Eve ... because some big bands have just pulled the plug.

CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" will air minus the Zac Brown Band, because Zac tested positive.

Sam Hunt and Elle King have also pulled out, citing COVID-19 protocols, organizers told The Tennessean.

As for Zac, he said, "To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville's Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS," adding, "Despite taking precautions, I've tested positive for COVID-19."

Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and countless other country stars are still scheduled to perform and keep the good vibes rolling into 2022!

So, you don't want to get the COVID vaccine because you don't trust the science ... well, here's an incentive -- you get the shot, you get to keep your hair.

Singer Ava Max says she's suffered hair loss after contracting COVID. She posted a vid Wednesday night, saying, "Baby hairs Comin THRU. "Also so so happy my hair is growing back. I lost a lot of hair when I had COVID last year!! :( "

Turns out ... the "My Head & My Heart" singer isn't making this up. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss is a consequence of the virus.

To be specific, the Academy says high fever from various illnesses, including COVID, can result in "noticeable hair loss."

It's actually not technically hair loss -- it's hair shedding. It typically begins 2 to 3 months after the fever subsides. Clumps of hair can come out after showering or brushing, and it can last for as long as 9 months before it stops.

Katy Perry is the queen of hip hops ... because she opened her Vegas residency with her own brew ... and you gotta see how she did it!

Katy was performing Wednesday night at Resorts World when she started yapping with a giant COVID mask about this and that ... and then had a hankering for a beer.

So, the 37-year-old mother of 1 was super resourceful, using the can attached to her dress to lactate a glass of Corona, and the crowd loved it.

At one point during the show, Katy popped out of a neon toilet.

It's interesting that Katy actually made COVID a theme in the concert, as you can see from the video.

She'll be doing 32 shows through March of next year. She'll also receive a Queen's ransom for her efforts ... reportedly $168 mil! It's not unprecedented ... Celine Dion and J Lo also made a fortune during their residencies in Sin City.

Simon Cowell quietly tried to save the life of Il Divo singer Carlos Marin ... by offering him a private jet so he could get treatment for COVID.

Simon's not the person who made this public ... it was Carlos' wife, Geraldine Larrosa, who told a Spanish outlet, "Simon personally phoned the hospital and offered to help with anything."

Geraldine says Simon offered to fly Carlos to Spain for some sort of treatment ... treatment that presumably was not available at Manchester Royal Hospital where he was fighting for his life.

Carlos' case was so severe, he had to be intubated. He died on December 19 at the age of 53.

Joe Rogan is sticking to his guns, canceling an upcoming show in Canada ... and it's all over the country's vaccine mandates.

Joe was scheduled to perform in Vancouver on April 20th -- yes, April 20th -- but British Columbia requires proof of vaccination in various situations and venues. The show, which is sold out, was supposed to go down at the Rogers Arena, and that's one of the venues requiring proof of vaccination.

Joe said on his podcast, "I should probably say this because I haven't yet. My 4/20 show that's sold out in Vancouver, I don't think that's happening." He went on ... "I don't think I can even get into the country. I'm not vaccinated. I'm not gonna get vaccinated. I have antibodies. It doesn't make any sense."

Joe plans on rescheduling the show, though it's unclear when.  It's unlikely the show will go on as long as the mandates are in place.

Aaron Rodgers -- who famously took Ivermectin and a concoction of other drugs to fight COVID -- says he's "100 percent" sure NFL teams are recommending his same med regimen to players to get over the virus.

The Packers superstar made the claim Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... insisting that he knows for a fact teams believe his method of staving off coronavirus can work.

"I do know, behind the scenes," Rodgers said, "this is 100 percent true; there are many teams who are using -- who are recommending a lot of the same treatments that I got for their players."

As we reported, Rodgers said after he contracted coronavirus in November that he used a combination of drugs similar to Joe Rogan to recover from the virus quickly.

Rodgers said the meds included monoclonal antibodies, zinc, vitamin C and D, HCQ -- and the polarizing Ivermectin.

Rodgers reiterated Tuesday he believes it all truly helped him mitigate symptoms ... telling McAfee he thinks there are NFL teams that believe it too.

"If you have Delta like I did," Rodgers said. "There's treatment options that actually help."

Rodgers told McAfee he doesn't understand why the combo of drugs isn't being used more in the general public -- and then he went on to slam virus experts.

"If science can't be questioned, it's not science anymore," Rodgers said. "It's propaganda. That's the truth."

Allen Robinson's fight with COVID-19 was so bad ... the Bears star said he lost 10 pounds -- and is still recovering weeks after contracting the virus.

The wide receiver -- who's missed Chicago's last two games due to COVID -- opened up about his battle with coronavirus on Tuesday ... and he called it all a "beast."

The 28-year-old told reporters he experienced all of the common symptoms associated with COVID -- and added that even though he's getting better, he's still not 100 percent.

"Still kind of fighting through it," Robinson said.

Allen, though, said he's hopeful he can play for the Bears this weekend ... which would be big for the wideout, because he's had a mostly forgettable season so far.