Famous Food

Bethenny Frankel is commanding an army of her own -- hundreds of people tasked with saving Ukrainians as Russia invades their homeland, and how she does it is a remarkable lesson in efficiency.

The philanthropist and entrepreneur joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to talk more about her Bstrong initiative, which is raising millions and sending aid to the war-torn country. Bethenny had announced her partnership with Global Empowerment Mission, pledging $10 mil in food, medical aid and other supplies.

All of that aid's being boxed up in her South Florida warehouse ... but on top of that, Bstrong continues to raise even more cash -- more than $5 million -- to help fleeing Ukrainians at the Poland border relocate. As for how she's pulling off this extraordinary humanitarian effort -- Bethenny tells us it's all about being "efficient and lean," and knowing where help is most needed.

She adds, for anyone looking to donate their cash to her initiative, your money certainly won't go to waste 'cause her team is on the ground working.

It's no surprise Bethenny's among those leading the charge ... she says she's gotten lots of training in relief efforts for natural disasters, like tropical storms in Texas, the Caribbean and the Australian wildfires. She says her history of putting on big productions, with many moving parts, has helped hone her get-it-done mindset.

A brewery in Ukraine is joining the fight against Russian troops ... switching out their craft beer for Molotov cocktails.

Employees at the Pravda Brewery -- located in Lviv -- chose to create the bombs after word spread Russian tanks will roll into their city near the Polish border ... home to 720,000 residents.

They began producing the cocktails for the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces -- a team made up of reservists who responded to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to defend the country.

“You have to wait for the cloth to be well soaked. When it is, that means the Molotov cocktail is ready,” said one smiling employee as he demonstrated the process.

Military instructors have been teaching residents to use the beers-to-bombs against the heavily armed Russian troops ... after officials in the capital of Kyiv urged locals to “neutralize the occupier” with the homemade firebombs.

“We do this because someone has to. We have the skills, we went through a street revolution in 2014,” says Brewery owner Yuriy Zastavny ... referring to Kyiv’s uprising that defeated a Kremlin-based regime.

One of Pravda’s favorite brews is called “Putin khuylo,” -- which translates to “Putin is a d*** head.”

Jackson Mahomes is getting ripped by a business again -- this time, a snack company claims the Chiefs QB's brother scammed them out of a $250 care package.

Rare Munchiez owner Sam Farha tells TMZ Sports ... Patrick Mahomes' little bro DMed the company on Instagram back in January, saying he loved their product -- rare snacks and sodas from across the world --  and would like a care package.

Farha says he had no problem with that ... as long as Mahomes posted his business and the bundle for his 260,000 followers to see.

Sam says Mahomes agreed -- but after the $250 package was delivered and signed for by the 21-year-old on Feb. 8, he went MIA.

Farha tells us he reached out to Mahomes several times over the next 2-3 weeks after the delivery ... claiming screenshots of the DMs prove he was being ignored.

"It's not like he wasn't seeing our messages," Farha says. "He was opening them every time I sent a message. He looked at all my DMs for 2 weeks straight."

So, Farha decided to enter Mahomes' world by posting a TikTok video this week sharing his side of things ... and that's when Jackson hit him back.

"He still says he never received it after the video went viral," Farha says. "It took a video to go viral, bashing him, for him to actually respond!"

But, Farha tells us he believes Mahomes DID receive that package ... especially with the tracking info and the way he ignored him for weeks until he put him on blast.

So, what now?? Farha doesn't even want Mahomes to give his business a shoutout anymore ... and is throwing shade at him for taking advantage of being the younger brother of an NFL superstar.

"My message for him is to basically stop taking advantage of clout, trying to scam small businesses because that's just not how the world works."

"He's just using his brother's name and fame for himself to get free stuff."

This isn't the first time Jackson was accused of similar behavior -- just 2 months ago, he was ripped by a restaurant in Kansas City for allegedly clout chasing after he made a social media post about their bad service.

The restaurant later apologized to Mahomes after they criticized him -- but it doesn't seem he'll be getting one from Rare Munchiez.

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley were spotted out together in Los Angeles earlier this week ... despite reports the world-famous couple broke off their engagement and called it quits on the relationship.

38-year-old Rodgers and 30-year-old Woodley were seen by a fan -- who posted about the encounter on Twitter -- at Erewhon market on Tuesday.

The couple/former couple sat down for breakfast, sitting outside at a table together, according to E! News. They didn't stay very long.

Seeing Aaron and Shailene together is surprising ... because they reportedly recently broke up after nearly 2 years of dating.

The couple announced they were engaged in February 2021.

At the time of the reported break up, People reported both were busy people and wanted to focus on their careers.

But, then Rodgers posted a mushy Instagram message about Woodley, writing ... "Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you."

Doesn't sound like a couple who's broken up.

The NFL MVP also went on Pat McAfee's show and continued to gush over Shailene ... while never directly saying whether they were still together.

So, they may be engaged ... or they may be broken up.

Patrick Mahomes pulled out all the stops for his big bachelor party dinner -- eating massive, high-quality steaks and drinking 100-year-old booze in Vegas with his closest friends!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Super Bowl champ and his buds -- including some of his NFL teammates -- hit up Carversteak at Resorts World on Thursday ... and feasted a wagyu tomahawk rib chop with his name and Chiefs logo branded on the bone!!

We're told the guys downed Louis XIII cognac to kick off the bash ... which comes with AT LEAST a 4-figure price tag. Sheesh.

Along with the tomahawk, Mahomes and the gang chowed down on wagyu cheesesteak bites, ribeye, seared crab cakes, striploin, mac and cheese and more throughout the night ... before taking things to the Rose Rooftop for some shots of Michael Jordan's Cincoro tequila.

What's really cool?? Resorts World projected a MASSIVE picture of Pat and Brittany Matthews on its 100k-square-foot screen ... congratulating the couple on their upcoming marriage.

We're told Mahomes' Chiefs teammates Travis Kelce, Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Orlando Brown Jr. are in town for the fun ... so it's bound to be a great time.

As for Brittany, she's enjoying her last few days of freedom with her gal pals ... posting up with them before heading out on the town as well.

Priyanka Chopra's finally speaking out about that awkward encounter with Rosie O'Donnell, -- and a subsequent apology -- and it's clear she's offended Rosie couldn't even say her name.

ICYMI ... Rosie posted a video talking about running into Priyanka and Nick Jonas at Nobu in Malibu, where she embarrassingly claimed she knew Priyanka's father, Deepak Chopra. Oops! That ain't her dad.

Rosie then attempted to apologize, but only referred to Priyanka as "the Chopra wife."

Priyanka's response at least starts on the high road, as she says ... "I have never taken myself so seriously to think everyone would know who I am, or my work for that matter."

But, it quickly becomes evident she's peeved -- she continues, "If you wanted to  make a public apology for a very awkward private encounter, I think probably best to take the time to google my name before doing it."

As for Rosie never even saying her name, she says ... "We ALL deserve to be respected for our unique individuality and not be referred to as 'someone' or 'wife' especially in a sincere apology." Burn.

Maybe the best suggestion Priyanka makes to Rosie was to simply "reach out directly" ... instead of doing it on social media. That's a novel idea.

Forget poppin' bottles at the club -- Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric celebrated the biggest night of his career with burgers and milkshakes ... telling TMZ Sports he partied it up at a Steak 'n Shake!!

We spoke with the 23-year-old fresh off Sunday's victory in Florida ... and he told us he went to the famous burger spot with his whole crew to fuel up after the race.

"We took everybody -- including the Harley J. Earl trophy -- and we went to Steak 'n Shake," Cindric told us. "We closed the place down after midnight, and they stayed open for us, and we killed a bunch of burgers and milkshakes."

Cindric opted to keep things simple ... telling us he knew he'd have a busy day ahead of himself the morning after the race -- and who's got time for a hangover?!

The Ohio native says he went back to his hotel room with his dad and called a few friends and family members to include them in the special moment ... and then it was time to call it a day.

Austin's win was a big surprise -- he entered Sunday's race -- the Super Bowl of auto racing -- with 25-1 odds to win it all ... meaning if you wagered $100 on Cindric, you'd win $2,500.

Cindric overcame the odds and said that winning a race of this magnitude at his age (he's the 3rd youngest to win the Daytona 500) was everything he could imagine -- and more.

"It's a dream come true," Cindric said. "It's every racer's dream to just go to the Daytona 500 and compete."

"But to do it with an overtime restart with everything on the line," he continued, "and be able to come across and win the biggest race of the year, it was awesome to get it done."

Big boys gotta eat ... especially when those big boys are massive bears like Hank, who's now broken into at least 28 homes in search of food!!!

The city of South Lake Tahoe, CA has quite the menace roaming their streets -- a chunky guy they've named Hank the Tank. The 500-pound bear's been spotted more than 100 times since July, but human encounters aren't scaring him off ... Hank keeps trying to get his paws on sweet leftovers in home after home.

For reference, an average black bear weighs anywhere from 100-300 lbs ... so, Hank's had quite the hibernation!

Local authorities have tried to “haze” the bear with loud noises, paintballs and Tasers, but nothing's keeping him away.

Peter Tira -- a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife -- told the New York Times, “This is a bear that has lost all fear of people ... It’s a potentially dangerous situation.” Tira says local authorities are trying to trap the bear and possibly euthanize him.

Not everyone is keen on them putting him down, however ... locals point out that while Hank's causing property damage, he's a gentle giant that hasn't harmed any humans.

As one resident put it ... Hank just eats peacefully, and "he doesn’t attack them. He doesn’t growl. He doesn’t make rude faces.”

Well, at least he's polite while breaking and entering.

Bob Saget will be remembered for many incredible things ... but, being Desiigner's personal chef definitely isn't one we saw coming.

You heard that right! Saget plays a money-catching chef in Desiigner's music video, "Bakin" -- and it turns out to be one of the last roles he ever shot.

The video opens with Snoop Dogg suggesting Desiigner, "get Bob on the job" ... and we then see Saget whipping up bacon, catching cash and vibin' to the music alongside pornstar Kendra Sunderland.

The song’s co-writer and producer DJ Whoo Kid said folks on set didn't believe Saget would play the chef ... until he showed up. He told Rolling Stone rappers normally pull up in fancy cars, but Saget rolled up and parked his Lexus on the grass, "looking like a dad.”

Ex-'SNL' star Jay Pharoah is also in the video, and says, “It’s so funny because this video is a testament to what Bob Saget was on stage.”

The "Bakin" music video was actually shot back in December ... just a few weeks before Saget was found dead in his Orlando hotel room. The end of the vid now reads "Rest In Peace Bob Saget" and shows footage from the shoot.

Justin Bieber deserves an attaboy for saving a coffee chain ... with a hole lot of ingenious promotion.

The Biebs partnered with a Canadian coffee chain called Tim Hortons, and boy did they need help. Sales fell 11% in 2020, largely because of the pandemic. It needed some life support ... enter Justin Bieber.

JB and Hortons created a line of doughnut holes with a name mashup -- Timbiebs Timbits. Justin himself was heavily involved in selecting the flavors, and they did not disappoint -- white fudge, sour cream chocolate chip and birthday cake waffle.

Well, talk about a turnaround. A year later the company has seen a rise in sales to the tune of 10.3%, and Company Prez Jose Cil credits his partner for the major uptick, saying "I'm a Belieber!"

BTW ... Tim Hortons' parent company owns Burger King and Popeyes, so if there's a trickle-down effect you can also thank Bieber for your Whopper or Chicken Sandwich.

BTW ... in addition to rising sales, Justin helped bring in younger donut fans. No surprise, with 220 million followers. When Justin says go try my holes, people listen!

There have been a bunch of celeb endorsements of restaurants recently ... Mickey D's recently had deals with BTS, Saweetie, Mariah Carey and J Balvin.

Bieber was genuinely a fan of Tim Hortons ... especially the donut holes, so maybe his endorsement sounded more authentic than most.

Timothée Chalamet is certainly showing off his sweet tooth -- dressed fully as Willy Wonka -- while filming for the upcoming film across the pond.

The actor was spotted at Oxford University Tuesday in full "Wonka" gear and shooting scenes for the movie, it's not the first time we've seen him in the garb, but it's certainly a good close-up look.

Also spotted shooting scenes is actress Calah Lane. Known for her roles in "This Is Us" and Netflix's "Family Reunion", Lane has a background performing in musicals -- starting on stage at 4 years old... safe to say she's cut out for "Wonka!"

The hype around this prequel started buzzing back in October ... when Chalamet posted first looks in his costume -- a post that has now gone viral.

There's a lot of mystery surrounding the production ... other than Chalamet's role and a handful of set photos, not a lot has been said, there hasn't been an official trailer release yet, either.

Dr. Dre has no problem admitting it, he's a little hungover after celebrating his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance -- one of the best ever -- and he says the party is STILL going!!!

The D-R-E joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" and, in his own words, he was still "buzzing" about what he, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar pulled off on Super Sunday.

First off ... that amazing performance. Dre says he went into rehearsals expecting the NFL to heavily censor the songs, but was pleasantly surprised that they only made "minor changes" -- among them, Kendrick's reference to specific L.A. gangs.

Dre says he gets why they called for that to be removed.

As for Eminem taking a knee as an homage to Colin Kaepernick -- Dre says that's something Marshall decided to do on his own, and he never heard the NFL say a peep about it.

After the show, Dre told us they were all feeling the love from roughly 70,000 fans inside SoFi Stadium -- not to mention the millions upon millions watching around the world.

He says he toasted their success with a dinner, and then went to his house to hang with friends ... including Don Cheadle and Mary J. BTW, he broke some big news about her!!!

And, then he gave us the scoop on his own personal celebration that involved a fast-food run. You gotta see this ... Dre says his trainer's gonna be pissed, but hey ... we can all agree the Doc earned himself a large order of fries. Right?

Soho's Little Beach House Malibu is quite literally a celebrity hot spot ... because a fire erupted at the swanky oceanside club.

A portion of the restaurant, which sits next door to the famous Nobu Malibu, burst into flames Friday ... but the blaze was eventually extinguished. Videos posted on the Citizen App showed smoke pouring out of the building.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the cause was a grease fire in the establishment's ventilation system. We're told Soho is being shut down until the Health Department is able to come by and check things out.

It's certainly a bummer for members and not the way anyone wanted to start their Super Bowl weekend in Los Angeles. Unclear if any celebs were there to witness the blaze ... but luckily, there were no injuries.

The fire at Soho in Malibu comes just a few weeks after Kanye West was there.

Celebs are officially out and about to kickoff Super Bowl weekend, flooding the streets of Beverly Hills to get hyped up before the big game ... and scarf down some breakfast, too.

Spago was the spot for Michael Rubin's power brunch Friday ... with a guest list that included Shaq, Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, A-Rod, Lil Baby, Steve Aoki and J Balvin!

Certainly an impressive group of A-listers, but should be expected for one of the biggest weekends of the year in such a celeb-heavy city.

Rihanna wanted to make sure everyone was up to speed on her pregnancy, so she flaunted her baby bump during a night out in Santa Monica.

Rihanna likes what she likes, which is why she hit up her favorite restaurant, Giorgio Baldi, and wow ... check out the outfit. This was clearly intentional ... as she opens her leopard-spotted jacket for all to see!

As you know... Rihanna's pregnant with her first child, with BF A$AP Rocky.

They have been out a lot recently, notably in NYC the day they revealed she's pregnant ... and the pose -- again -- is awesome.

The baby's sex is still a mystery ... well, maybe not to them. Rihanna's dad, Ronald Fenty, says he'd like a baby girl -- mostly because he's already got a couple grandsons.

Eminem is headed to L.A. to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show, but he's not coming empty-handed ... he's bringing grub from his super popular restaurant, Mom's Spaghetti.

The restaurant is killing it in Detroit, and now Los Angelenos and people visiting the City of Angels can sample Em's fare at a pop-up shop in DTLA.

The shop opens Wednesday, Feb 9 and shuts down after game day. For folks who don't want to venture to Downtown L.A., they can order exclusively on Postmates with free delivery for orders over $20. Pickup will also be available from Uncle Paulie's Deli DTLA location.

Eminem opened his 'Mom's Spaghetti' brick-and-mortar restaurant in his hometown back in September. The menu is inspired by the rapper's lyrics in "Lose Yourself" ... Spaghetti with Toasted Garlic Bread, Spaghetti with Beef or Vegan Meatball, and a S'ghetti Sandwich (which is literally a piece of Eminem's childhood).

“It’s not the kind of pasta you’d expect if your grandma came from Italy on a boat … it’s more like the spaghetti you’d know if your mom came from Michigan on a bus,” says Mom’s Spaghetti co-owner Curt Catallo.