Famous Food

Add The Miz to the list of WWE Superstars battling in the Royal Rumble ... 'cause Mr. Money In The Bank tells TMZ Sports he's wrestling, and is ready to kick everyone's ass!!

The Royal Rumble is one of WWE's biggest events of the year ... and is set to go down January 31st at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

WWE has announced Daniel Bryan, Bobby Lashley, A.J. Styles, Randy Orton, and Otis will wrestle in the 30-man match.

But, when The Miz and Asuka Zoom-bombed the "TMZ Sports" TV show (totally catching us off-guard!!) ... The Miz threw his hat in the squared circle.

"I'm gonna give you some breaking news here on TMZ Sports. I, the Miz, the must-see Superstar of all-time, Mr. Money In The Bank, is entering the Royal Rumble this year!"

The 19x WWE champ continued ... "Now, what does that mean? That means I have to basically throw 29 other Superstars over the top row in order to win. Once you win that match, you get to main event WrestleMania. I've main event-ed WrestleMania before and I wanna do it again."

All the wrestling talk ... makes ya hungry.

Good thing Asuka's a spokesperson for Cup Noodles Stir Fry -- who along with The Miz -- introduced Nissin's new Hot Garlic Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken flavors.

Remember, the Raw Women's Champ is so passionate about the product ... she once dressed up like the packaging (see below).

It's a new take on takeout with soupless, microwaveable meals that only takes a few minutes to cook up ... and The Miz says that's ideal for 2 super busy professional wrestlers -- and everyone else who's crazy busy.

"I’m normally a pesto on my pasta type of guy, but today I went with Alfredo sauce."

You heard right ... the sauce is what caused Brooklyn Nets' Jarrett Allen to GO OFF on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

The 6'11" Allen usually comes off the bench behind DeAndre Jordan -- but the 22-year-old center got the starting nod on Tuesday and went FULL beast mode!

Final stat line -- 19 points, 18 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks!

Allen even put Rudy Gobert on a poster TWICE --- with the Nets dominating the Jazz in a 130 to 96 victory.

So, what fueled his amazing performance?? Allen says it was all about the pre-game meal!

"Before the games, I’m normally a pesto on my pasta type of guy, but today, I went with alfredo sauce," Allen said post-game.

"So, I really think that was the thing that turned my game on tonight."

A Nashville musician whose home was decimated by the Nashville blast is starting 2021 off with his cat who was missing for 6 days, and a new guitar to boot, thanks to Brad Paisley.

Buck McCoy was in his downtown Nashville apartment when the blast hit Christmas Day. The place was destroyed, and his beloved cat Molly must have freaked out and escaped.

Authorities who were conducting the investigation at the scene of the blast found the cat roaming the streets Thursday and reunited her with Buck.

Buck was ecstatic, saying, "I know she's just a little orange cutie thing, but she was everything to me ... The last 5 years she's always been there for me."

Buck lost everything in the bombing ... he shot this video immediately after the blast and it shows the devastation inside his apartment. As for why he didn't leave, Buck tells TMZ he heard gunshots -- something others heard as well but authorities say they found no evidence of it -- and then heard something coming from a loudspeaker but he couldn't understand it so he went back to sleep and was awakened by the blast.

Buck got some help from a famous Nashville resident who saw him on TV getting reunited with his feline friend. Brad called Buck and said he was sending him one of his brand new guitars so Buck could get back to work at Legend's Corner, where he plays with his band.

Buck's gonna put the guitar to immediate use when he performs Saturday at Legend's Corner.

Brad also offered Buck unlimited groceries at Brad's place, The Store, which offers food to all the people in town who are struggling.

Buddy Valastro built a hospital this week ... out of cake batter.

The "Cake Boss" wanted to show his appreciation to the doctors who saved his right hand after it was mangled in a bowling accident, so he baked them a cake in the form of the hospital where he was treated.

Buddy posted a pic of his handiwork, with the caption, "Check out the super special cake I made for Dr. Michelle Carlson, the nurses and staff at @hspecialsurgery as a token of my immense appreciation!" adding, "It replicates the main hospital there in #NYC. 🌃 I could never thank them enough for all they have done to help me on this journey to a full recovery ♥️"

As we reported, Buddy was bowling back in September when he tried releasing a bowling pin from the cage mechanism. His right hand got lodged and compressed in the unit, which was lodged in the mechanism for 5 minutes. His sons rushed into a garage and got a saw to cut through the metal rod to free Buddy's hand.

Buddy was rushed to the hospital where doctors removed a rod and treated a ghastly wound. A second surgery was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson, whom he gave a special shout-out when he delivered the cake.

Beverly Hills' La Scala restaurant is backtracking after word got out about their not-so-secret invites to an NYE shindig -- saying the invitation text was screwed up, and it was only happening IF the state and county gave the green light.

La Scala's IG account posted a new statement addressing the backlash they've received since photos of their invitations were posted online ... and they're apologizing for the misunderstanding, while also telling people who are outraged to kinda shove it.

Here's what the invite SHOULD HAVE said ... "With the dining ban set to expire on Dec. 28th we are hopeful of resuming some sort of table service and we are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve. If this is something you would be interested in, please let us know. If allowed, and if there's enough interest, we'll contact you to secure a reservation."

That's much different from what made it on paper in the end. Remember, the invite played like a '20s-era Prohibition thing ... which included the word "speakeasy," suggesting their plans were on the DL. La Scala says that was a mistake, and the writer was just trying to have some fun. They insist they weren't planning on doing anything illegal.

With their intention cleared up, La Scala also says ... "If you can find fault in that, there is nothing more we can say. No harm was meant." They also say that while they're a famous establishment ... they're also just a local business trying to make ends meet in hard times.

The only problem with La Scala's thinking is they might've been too hopeful things would be getting back to normal anytime soon.

One of the ritziest, most exclusive celeb joints in L.A. is secretly inviting people to an in-person New Year's Eve party, asking them to keep it on the low ... but to also spread the word.

The restaurant in question La Scala, and it's their Bev Hills location that's doing this "speakeasy" thing. They've apparently been slipping invites in to-go orders for a NYE dine-in event ... and they're being cutesy with it by slugging it as a '20s-era Prohibition blowout.

An invite of theirs was recently posted online, which reads ... "We are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve Dinner. Inside. If this is something you'd be interested in, please let us know as soon as possible."

The message goes on ... "If enough interest we'll contact you back to secure your reservation. Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends." So ... not a secret at all.

La Scala's plans are on the radar of Beverly Hills city officials -- who are issuing a harsh rebuke, but not much else at this point in the way of threats to shut this thing down.

The official rep for the City of Beverly Hills says, "We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses, however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills." Cool ... but is that it???

Time will tell if La Scala is able to move forward with their shindig -- you'd imagine cops would step in and try to stop it -- but at this point ... it could fall into a grey area, like so many of these lockdown measures we've seen defied this year, including around L.A.

BTW, La Scala is one of these legacy restaurants in Hollywood ... it's been around since forever, and some of the most famous faces in history have stopped by for a meal or two. People like Frank Sinatra, Cher, David Geffen, Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Barbara Walters and so many more have visited ... until recently, that is.

The equivalent of a snack bar -- or perhaps even a food truck -- has surfaced in the ancient city of Pompeii ... and by the looks of it, those Romans sure liked their chicken and duck.

Archaeologists publicly unveiled a discovery Saturday in the ruins of the one-time flourishing Italian city -- which was buried under volcanic ash in an historic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago -- and it amounted to a street food vendor set-up that's incredibly well-preserved.

The technical term for it is "termopolium" -- Latin for hot drinks counter -- but it would appear the Romans served more than just beverages out of this thing ... diggers uncovered traces of really old animal parts in the counter wells you see here ... fish, pork, snails, beef and other protein that were apparently dished out to paying customers once upon a time.

Not just that, but check out the fresco paintings on the front and sides of this bygone eatery -- the Romans depicted chickens, mallards, dogs (supposedly as a warning, they say) and even an angel-looking figure. So yeah, they knew how to advertise their goods/services.

Some other related items that archaeologists found ... a bronze drinking bowl, ceramic jars for soups and stews, wine flasks and amphora (a long jar/vase used for transporting a variety of crops and/or food). It just goes to show once more -- the Romans were pretty damn advanced before things came crumbling down, but most of us already knew that.

Lori Loughlin and Joe Exotic are in for a bittersweet Christmas ... it's their first Xmas in federal prison, but at least they get to feast on fancy fowl.

TMZ's obtained prison menus from across the country, and some of America's most notorious inmates are being served some pretty decent Christmas fare ... with individual Cornish game hens for both Lori and Joe.

Mossimo and guys like Suge Knight, Mark David Chapman and C-Murder are getting more run-of-the-mill birds. Scott Peterson's not so lucky, but he's still filling up on meat, potatoes and dessert. Here's a breakdown of their spreads:

Lori at California's FCI Dublin:

• Cornish game hen with pan gravy, roasted jerk roast beef with horseradish sauce, au-gratin potato or baked potato, herb rice pilaf, dinner roll with honey apple butter, Brussels sprouts with brown butter, pumpkin cheesecake, fresh fruit
• If Lori doesn't want to avoid the bird and the cow, she can choose the no-flesh entrée ... stuffed winter squash and stuffed bell peppers with beans

Exotic at FMC Fort Worth:

• Baked Cornish hen or spinach quiche, cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet peas, pumpkin pie

Mossimo at California's USP Lompoc:

• 1/2 Chicken, 4 oz roast beef, baked mac and cheese, yams, green beans, 2 rolls, pecan pie
• If Mossimo wants to go vegetarian ... there's a 4 oz soy chicken patty and 4 oz soy beef patty

Suge at San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility:

• Turkey, turkey ham, sliced beef, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, green salad and dressing, mixed vegetables, cornbread, chicken patties, American cheese slices, fruit pie
• Knight can enjoy dinner and a superhero movie ... the institution's movie channel is playing a Marvel movie festival during the holidays.

Mark at New York's Wende Correctional Facility:

• Baked chicken breast, seasoned chicken gravy, whipped potatoes, seasoned zucchini with sauce, dinner rolls and margarine, ice cream sundae

C-Murder at Louisiana's Elayn Hunt Correctional Center:

• Roasted turkey, roast beef, rice dressing with gravy, sweet peas, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, roll, sweet potato pie

Scott at California's San Quentin State Prison:

In-N-Out's famous for its burger spread, but there's a new spread at the fast-food joint -- COVID.

At least 80 employees have tested positive for coronavirus at 2 franchise locations in the Centennial State ... Colorado Springs and Aurora. Yep, it's the same Aurora joint that recently made headlines for its 12-hour wait after the grand opening.

Colorado health officials revealed 60 positive cases at the Colorado Springs location ... while the Aurora joint had 20 positive cases. Hold the calculator -- that's 80 cases. And, there are another 25 probable cases that have not been confirmed at the 2 locations.

The restaurants remain open, but all employees who tested positive were sent home to quarantine.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is out of the cast he had on his impaled right hand, and showing it off for the first time ... while also talking about his challenging road to recovery.

TMZ got this exclusive clip of a new TV special documenting Buddy's horrific freak accident. You get to see the TLC reality star getting the plaster removed. The Boss' cake hand was covered in stitches and staples, but the good news is he's starting to get feeling back.

Now, if you're squeamish, watching his son, Buddy Valastro Jr., give an up-close view of the bowling pinsetter that caught his dad's hand ... might be a little rough. Straight out of a horror movie.

Luckily, Buddy's strength in that all-important hand is improving -- which he displayed for us on "TMZ Live" ... complete with a gnarly scar and everything.

As for how he's navigating his cake biz these days, BV says he's had to teach himself how to be ambidextrous -- for virtually every task, really -- but has a ways to go until he's back in tip-top shape. Sounds like he's leaning left now, which has its limitations.

Still, it's pretty miraculous he's come along as well as he has considering the severity of that September accident ... when the pinsetter stabbed right through his hand -- flesh, bone, tendon and all -- which required a bunch of surgeries.

Speaking of that, Buddy tells us he's actually glad he captured a lot of that action on camera -- which will air in that new TV special above -- because he says it helped show exactly what happened, which led him to the right hand doctor almost immediately.

Dave Portnoy's sick and tired of waiting for the government to step up and help small businesses struggling during the pandemic ... so he's injecting his own stimulus package.

The Barstool Sports founder was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and revealed he kicked in $500k of his own money for the Barstool Fund he launched last week to support small businesses impacted by COVID shutdowns. And, with more than 31,000 people also contributing whatever amount they can ... that's created a fund of more than $2 million.

Dave's been vocal against COVID restrictions in NYC forcing restaurants, bars and other small businesses to shut down. Don't get it twisted ... he says it's not about politics and he understands the country is in a terrible situation with no perfect solution.

With that being said ... Dave says the government's not giving these businesses nearly enough for them to survive. For weeks now, the government's been negotiating a new stimulus package that would include $285 billion for a renewed Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses. President Trump's on the verge of signing the package.

Dave's tired of waiting around for Washington to act, hence his relief fund -- which he knows won't be able to save every deserving business, but as he says ... something is better than nothing.

One of the restaurants being funded is New York’s Trattoria L'incontro ... which made headlines after patrons braved freezing weather to dine outside. Dave recently held one of his fan-favorite pizza reviews there too.

You've seen Conor McGregor's dolly-throwing attack on Khabib Nurmagomedov ... but have you seen it in GINGERBREAD FORM?!?!

Thanks to UFC fighter Angela Hill, the infamous moment in MMA history has taken a delicious turn ... and we gotta admit, it's impressive as hell!!!

Remember, Conor and his buddies went crazy at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in April 2018 ... throwing objects at the bus filled with fighters, including Khabib, Michael Chiesa and Rose Namajunas.

Hill and her husband, Adam, decided to pay tribute to the wild moment with their gingerbread house this year ... creating the scene complete with a bus, a dolly-wielding Conor, an angry Dana White, Khabib and Artem Lobov.

The thing is incredible ... and even detailed down to each fighter's face.

"Adam drew all the faces but Conor and the whole thing is made from gingerbread, icing, chocolate for the dolly and candy!," Angela said on Instagram.

As for how long it took to make the masterpiece ... it sounds like a REALLY long time.

"Adam and I spent longer than I’d like to admit making this beautiful #gingerbreadhouse highlighting an important moment in mma history."

21 Savage surprised a bunch of kids and their families when he played secret Santa ... giving them exactly what they wanted from their Christmas wish lists.

The rapper and his Leading By Example Foundation hooked up over 30 kids from the Wade Walker Park Family YMCA in DeKalb County, GA for some much-needed relief and joy.

Lorna Loh, the Executive Director at that YMCA, tells TMZ ... last week the kids were asked to write letters to Santa with their wish lists. Unbeknownst to the kiddos -- and their families -- the YMCA staff went on a shopping spree and bought everything on their lists ... courtesy of 21 Savage and the foundation.

Some of the most popular items requested were LOL surprise dolls, Legos and Hot Wheels. The kids who benefited are in the YMCA's virtual learning program ... many of whom are on financial assistance, so you know this gesture went a long way.

Then, on Monday, parents brought the kids to the YMCA where the surprise was revealed. The kids were stunned, to say the least. Parents also got a surprise ... the foundation provided each of them with 12 lb. turkeys along with the sides and trimmings for a true Christmas feast.

Yes, social distancing was practiced similar to Prince Jackson's shopping spree.

21 Savage was not at the occasion but his presence certainly was felt. He's also no stranger to the YMCA -- last Thanksgiving he was there to serve 300 Thanksgiving meals to needy families.

How does Blueface prepare for a lunch date with singer Coi Leray? He wings it!!! (Ba-dum-tss).

The "Respect My Cryppin'" rapper and "Slide" singer hit up Harold's Chicken in Hollywood last weekend and appeared to be digging each other's company on this lunch date.

We're told no one else was at the chicken joint, made famous in Chi-Town, so the celebs had no interruptions. Good thing, because they appeared to be in a very flirty mood.

No shocker on what they ate ... we're told they chowed down on a plate of chicken. It's Harold's, after all. If these crazy kids end up a couple ... add them to the list of rising power couples. Coi's enjoyed recent success as a singer with huge collaborations that include tracks with rappers Gunna and Fetty Wap.

In fact ... just a few months ago Coi's "Slide" music video featuring Gunna dropped, and so far it's racked up 5 million-plus views.

Anyone interested in frying up a little python?? Well, if you live in Florida, you're in luck.

Turns out python may be the new chicken in the Sunshine State, because the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Dept. of Health may give the green light to make the slithery creature a menu item in restaurants and at home.

The snakes are overtaking the Everglades, creating risks to other wildlife.

The wild card is mercury. Scientists are evaluating whether mercury levels in the snakes are at acceptable levels. Problem is ... the smart money is on mercury levels being too high for human consumption, but scientists aren't sure, so they're testing 6,000 pythons.

We're told they can actually be delicious. Some folks like to turn them into jerky, but they can also be cooked in various other ways.

Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans may be in some hot water with the NFL ... after the QB and 7 of his teammates showed up at the launch of his new restaurant this week.

The 25-year-old superstar was joined by teammates Laremy Tunsil, Duke Johnson, Tytus Howard, Roderick Johnson, Brandin Cooks and Charles Omenihu at the debut of his Lefty's cheesecake franchise in Houston on Tuesday.

Of course, the NFL has a strict COVID-19 policy against 3 or more players congregating outside team sanctioned events or traveling to games ... in hopes of preventing a potential spread.

Do the math -- that's more than 3 players.

Watson was asked whether he followed COVID-19 protocols during the big event ... and he said, "Yes, for sure. I mean, we had the masks."

But, by peeping the pics above, that's doesn't seem to be the case.

Watson continued ... "We did everything that we were supposed to do. 6 feet from different people. It was a restaurant opening. It wasn't really an event. It was a grand opening of my restaurant."

"So, people were coming in to get food and things like that and everyone was excited about it. So, it turned out pretty good, and right now from the messages I got from after, it's still popping."

It could become a big issue for the Texans -- the Raiders were hit with fines after Derek Carr and others failed to follow COVID protocol at Darren Waller's charity event earlier this season.

The NFL has said it's aware of the situation with Watson and the Texans -- but so far, no official comment.