Tara Davis-Woodhall Hopes To Meet LeBron James ... At Paris Olympics

Tara Davis-Woodhall, Hunter Woodhall
i wanna meet lebron
TMZSports.com

Tara Davis-Woodhall is on her way to the 2024 Olympics ... and there's one athlete she really wants to meet -- LeBron James -- telling us she must meet the NBA superstar who changed the world of sports!

TMZ Sports spoke with the track and field athlete this week before she heads to the City of Light for her second Olympics ... where Tara's stoked to compete for the gold medal.

Business aside, she's also hyped to meet some of the other elite athletes from around the world ... especially King James, who's playing in his third Olympics with the U.S. Men's National Basketball team.

'HAWK TUAH' GIRL Saves Hat Company Hawking Her Merch ... Spits Out $10K Loan!!!

Haliey Welch swooped in to rescue the hat company hawking her "Hawk Tuah" merch ... spitting out some cash to keep the biz running.

Jason Poteete, founder of Fathead Threads, in Lewisburg, TN tells TMZ ... Haliey recently loaned his company $10K in a desperate time of need, helping save the company.

While the brand's "Hawk Tuah" hats have been selling like hotcakes since Haliey went viral last month for her NSFW street interview, Jason says the majority of the $190,000 in sales were locked up in a PayPal account.

Diane Warren I Stand with Joe!!!

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I FEEL FOR HIM
TMZ.com

Diane Warren's heart goes out to President Joe Biden ... saying she feels bad Hollywood's turning on him -- but, that doesn't mean she thinks he's going to take the L in November.

We caught up with the songwriter at her close friend Glen Ballard's Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony ... and, since Diane's big into politics, we asked her how she views the recent change in sentiment about Biden among celebs.

DW says she loves Joe, calling him a "kind and good man" ... and, her heart just breaks to see him getting put through the wringer.

Ryan Garcia Parties Shirtless In Hawaii Nightclub

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in the club
TMZSports.com

Ryan Garcia's boxing career is currently on hold, but his ability to party is still clearly going strong ... the star pugilist was spotted out at a nightclub in Hawaii this week, getting down on the dance floor without a shirt on.

The 25-year-old -- who was just recently expelled by the World Boxing Council for using a racial slur on social media -- hit up The District on Thursday night in Honolulu to blow off some steam ... and check out some footage TMZ Sports obtained, you can see he clearly had a good time at the hotspot.

King Ry was seen without a top on in the middle of a dance circle ... before he started shadowboxing to the beats that were blaring over the speaker system.

Dawn Staley Angel Reese is WNBA's ROY ... But Caitlin Clark's Not Far Behind!!!

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ANGEL'S THE ONE ... FOR NOW
TMZSports.com

If the WNBA season ended today, Angel Reese -- NOT Caitlin Clark -- would be named Rookie of the Year ... so says legendary college basketball coach Dawn Staley.

The South Carolina women's hoops honcho didn't mince words when TMZ Sports caught up with her out at LAX ... telling us right now, Reese is more deserving of the honor.

"At this time -- today -- it's Angel," she said. "Without a doubt."

Elton John Portable Urinal Co. Says He's #1!!! Need to Stay Prepared

Elton John's recent pee emergency in a French shoe store might be a troubling sign for the legendary singer ... but, the folks at a portable urinal company say they've got him covered.

Here's the streaming news Elton -- and others, we're sure -- can use ... Jeffrey Luckey is the owner of Biorelief.com, and says his company's got a bunch of options for the 77-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

As we reported, Elton whipped out his "Rocketman" in the middle of the store in Nice, and relieved himself in a bottle.

JL says the company's all about discretion -- something Sir Elton was lacking -- and they make that possible with products he can conceal under any outfit.

Star Eater Geoff Esper Major League Eating Should Act ... After Cheating Scandal

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VERY UNUSUAL
TMZSports.com

The competitive eating world was rocked for the second time in as many months -- this time with an alleged cheating controversy involving Nick Wehry -- with star eater Geoff Esper telling TMZ Sports something needs to be done!

Earlier this week, the NY Post reported Wehry, hubby of the 10-time mustard belt champion Miki Sudo, was accused of adding a plate to his final tally at the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest on the Fourth of July.

At the time, NW denied the allegations, saying he "stole nothing."

Jerry Rice Threatens Reporters On Golf Course ... 'I Will F*** You Up!!!'

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"I WILL F*** YOU UP!!!"
TMZSports.com

UPDATE

4:16 PM PT -- The two journalists -- who work for Starcade Media -- just released a statement on the matter ... insisting they did not mean to rile up Jerry Rice with their Chiefs-related question.

The guys said on their Facebook page they merely wanted to know if Kansas City's 2024 wideout group "had improved enough to continue winning at a high level" ... and nothing more.

Waiting for your permission to load the Facebook Video.

"We meant absolutely no disrespect to Jerry or the 49ers when asking this question," they said. They added that they'd love the opportunity to discuss things further with the Hall of Famer.

Common Choices For Prez Stink ... But We Still Gotta Vote!!!

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GET OUT AND VOTE
TMZ.com

Common has a common view on the 2024 presidential election -- he's not happy with the choices.

We got the rapper in New York City on Thursday and our photog asked about celebs like George Clooney voicing concerns about President Biden's chances of beating Donald Trump.

Common -- who campaigned for fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama back in the day and Biden in 2020 -- admits he's disheartened about the nominees for president but says that's not an excuse to sit out this election cycle.

Matthew Perry Death DEA Zeroes in On Suspects For Fatal Drug Distribution

The feds probing Matthew Perry's death are "confident" they have the goods to take down the people who helped him obtain the ketamine that contributed to his death ... TMZ has learned.

DEA agents launched their Perry death investigation after the L.A. County Medical Examiner determined the "Friends" star died from drowning in his hot tub after taking ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

Our sources tell us ... the feds are aiming to charge the suspects with drug distribution resulting in death or great bodily injury, which carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.

Candace Owens Rips Eminem Over Diss Track ... Marshall's So Lame!!!

Candace Owens is firing back at Eminem after he dissed her on his new album ... telling us his lyrics are super lame and accusing him of pandering to Black people.

Candace joined us on Friday's episode of "The TMZ Podcast" and we asked her about Eminem lashing out at her in a song on his 12th album, "Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)."

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TIME TO PACK IT UP
The TMZ Podcast

In the track "Lucifer," Eminem raps ... "And Candace O, I ain't mad at her / I aint gon' throw the fact bitch forgot she was Black back at her / Laugh at her, like them crackers / She's backin' after / Her back is turnin', a cute MAGA hat with her "White Lives Matter" shirt."

Alec Baldwin Filmed For 'Rust' Doc at Trial ... Not TLC Reality Show

Alec Baldwin's never going to forget his manslaughter trial, because there's a filmmaker capturing his every move as part of a documentary about the "Rust" tragedy.

Ever since Alec touched down in Santa Fe, NM for his criminal trial in the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the "Rust" movie set, he's been shadowed by a woman with a video camera.

While Alec's got an upcoming reality show about his family airing next year on TLC, our sources say the woman behind the camera is NOT part of that project.

President Biden Big $$$ Donors Pull Out on Campaign ... Stick a Fork in Him!!!

Money, or the lack thereof, might talk loudest when it comes to President Biden's reelection bid -- because most of the Democrats' biggest donors are growing impatient with him ... TMZ has learned.

Amid the calls this week for Biden to step aside, one major donor tells us ... virtually all of the folks who've been pouring millions into the Biden-Harris campaign are "Vehement. What are they waiting for???"

We're told frustration is growing as the donors wonder why it's taking party leadership so long to convince Biden he needs to be replaced on the ticket.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Baby Presumed to Be Ryan's by Law!!! She's Trying to Rectify It

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's trying to move on from her estranged husband Ryan Anderson, but her pregnancy and a Louisiana law are complicating that, and prompting her to step on the gas when it comes to divorce.

While she happily announced this week she and ex-fiance Ken Urker are expecting, there's a law in the Bayou State that adds another layer to the story. It says if the mother of a child is married to someone who isn't the biological father when the child was conceived -- or has been divorced for less than 300 days at the time of birth -- then her ex, or estranged husband, is presumed to be the father.

So, in the eyes of Louisiana, Ryan's name would go on the birth certificate as the daddy ... even though Gypsy says Ken is the biological father.

PAT SAJAK Not Unretiring ... Hosting 'Celeb Wheel' Always the Plan

Pat Sajak is NOT coming out of a short-lived retirement to host the upcoming "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" season -- instead, this was always in the cards ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... when ABC announced Wednesday Pat would be hosting the fifth season of 'Celeb Wheel' this fall, there was speculation he was pulling a Tom Brady by quickly backing out of retirement.

That's not exactly the case, because sources with direct knowledge tell us it was always part of Pat's succession plan to do one last season of 'Celebrity Wheel' ... before riding off into the sunset and completely handing over the reigns to Ryan Seacrest.

The Vatican Hidden UFO Secrets?!?

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HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

There's some interesting paintings inside the Vatican ... and it's worth taking a closer look at what's being depicted in the sky.

TMZ Studios has a new series, "Strange & Suspicious," now airing on a dozen FOX stations, where we explore unexplained and downright weird stories, and now we're combing over the artwork inside the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

In several paintings that are centuries old, there are some mysterious shapes in the heavens above ... sparking comparisons to flying saucers.