TMZ Live

Vanilla Ice dijo recientemente que una vez fue amigo de Pablo Escobar, pero no sabía que era un importante capo de la droga y su explicación se reduce a que los billetes verdes te ponen en una burbuja.

El rapero —cuyo nombre real es Rob Van Winkle— hizo la revelación en una entrevista a VladTV, diciendo que solía ir de fiesta con el famoso gángster colombiano durante su apogeo en los años 90, pero insiste en que ni siquiera se dio cuenta de lo grande que era Escobar en ese entonces, especialmente a los ojos de los federales de EE.UU.

El rapero dice que recibió a Pablo varias veces en su casa de Florida en aquel momento, y el martes se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" para profundizar sobre qué es exactamente lo que tenían en común como amigos.

Vanilla Ice dice que su amor por lanchas de alta velocidad los unió al principio, e incluso le da crédito al narcotraficante por impulsar esa pequeña industria a causa de la cantidad de dinero que invertía en ella.

En algún punto se enteró de que Pablo no era un buen tipo y que podía estar metido en asuntos turbios... Vanilla dice que se dio cuenta cuando el FBI le interrogó.

Escucha su historia por ti mismo, porque es bastante interesante, como Ice señala, esto fue antes de Google amigos.

Por supuesto, Pablo fue localizado en Colombia en el 93, donde fue asesinado en un tejado mientras era perseguido por las autoridades. Él construyó un imperio ilícito masivo a expensas de una gran cantidad de cuerpos y derramamiento de sangre, mientras esparcía narcóticos en todo el mundo.

Vanilla Ice recently said he once palled around with Pablo Escobar, but didn't know he was a major drug kingpin -- and his explanation boils down to ... greenbacks put ya in a bubble.

The rapper made the revelation in a VladTV interview, saying he used to party with the notorious Colombian gangster during his heyday in the '90s ... but insists he didn't even realize how big a deal Escobar was back then -- especially in the eyes of the feds.

Ice, aka Rob Van Winkle, says he hosted Pablo several times at his Florida home at the time -- and on Tuesday, he joined us on "TMZ Live" to elaborate on what exactly they had in common as buddies.

Watch, he says their shared love of speed boats actually drew them together at first, and he even gives credit to the drug trafficker for fueling innovations in boat racing ... on account of how much money he poured into it at the time, making it kinda mainstream.

As for when/how he came to learn that Pablo wasn't actually a great guy and might've been mixed up in shady business -- well, Ice says it dawned on him when the FBI questioned him.

Listen to his story for yourself, 'cause it's wild. As Ice notes, this was before Google, so lots of people were in the dark about Mr. Escobar's, umm ... activities.

Of course, Pablo was tracked down in Colombia in '93 ... where he was killed on a rooftop while being pursued by the authorities. He'd built a massive illicit empire, but on the backs of a lot of bodies and bloodshed ... while spreading illegal narcotics all over the world.

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino was addicted to pills for a long time during his heyday -- a dark period he's now shining a light on with his new book.

The "Jersey Shore" star's memoir "Reality Check: Making the Best of the Situation -- How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison" drops Tuesday, and dives into just about all of Mike's ups and downs during his TV career -- including his battle with drugs.

As it turns out, The Situation was actually hooked on painkillers for years ... much of which overlapped with his time on the hit MTV reality series, up to and including Season 5.

Mike came on 'TMZ Live' Monday to break down the infamous cement self-KO headbutt he did on camera, saying it was actually tied to him going through withdrawals at the time. Seeing how deep into the belly of the beast he was, MS counts himself lucky to be alive.

He also tells us the MTV team came to him often during filming and asked if he needed help -- but, at one point, his addiction got so bad ... he says they gave him an ultimatum, which is detailed in his new book.

We asked Mike what the lowest point for him was during this saga -- and while you might think his prison stint would be in the ballpark of contenders ... he actually says another time he tried a new drug was when he hit rock bottom. As MS explains ... he once tried heroin.

Draymond Green would be breathing a lot easier today if Shaquille O'Neal were running the NBA ... 'cause the Lakers legend says he'd only suspend DG two games if league punishments were up to him.

O'Neal made the declaration while speaking with Babcock and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Thursday -- less than 24 hours after Green was banned by Adam Silver indefinitely for smacking Jusuf Nurkic in the head during an altercation in the Warriors vs. Suns game.

Shaq says he believes Green had no bad intentions when he flailed his right arm into Nurkic's face -- explaining he's buying the Warriors star's explanation that he was simply trying to sell a call.

"I don't think Draymond said, 'Hey, I'm going to punch this guy just 'cause he's pulling my jersey,'" Shaq said.

The Diesel went on to tell the guys that he believes the play was merely a flop gone wrong.

Of course, Silver and the NBA apparently disagree ... because they've banned Green from suiting up for Golden State for the foreseeable future.

"Botched" star Dr. Terry Dubrow is over the moon about Oprah opening up about using weight-loss medication ... 'cause, in his eyes, it's a move that could save lives.

Dr. Dubrow joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," singing Oprah's praises for admitting she's used meds as part of her weight loss journey ... and telling us the trend of shaming folks for using medication like Ozempic needs to stop.

He says celebs have been hesitant to be as honest as Oprah was ... often attributing their weight loss to working out or hormones, but in the doc's eyes, it's time they felt comfortable to speak candidly.

Dr. Dubrow thinks a really popular celeb, like O, opening up the discussion could start a trend -- or at least a discussion -- that leads to the general public warming to the use of these meds to combat obesity.

As he points out, we wouldn't shame people who take insulin for diabetes ... so doing so for someone who needs it to lose weight is equally ridiculous.

As we reported, Oprah lost 40 lbs this year and told PEOPLE the medicine she was prescribed was a healthier alternative for her -- this after she realized her struggles with weight loss were less about willpower and more about the brain.

Presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn are on the hot seat after telling Congress they have reservations about banning calls for Jewish genocide, and the Executive Director of the MIT Free Speech Alliance seems to agree with them.

Peter Bonilla appeared on "TMZ Live" Friday, and he said Liz Magill, the President of Penn, was wrong to walk back her position and suggest censorship was appropriate when it came to calling for Jewish genocide.

Bonilla says it opens the door to all sorts of censorship. Harvey then posed a hypothetical question ... what if students who were members of the KKK protested with burning crosses and called for the genocide of Black people?  Bonilla said that's a different situation, and they should be banned and/or disciplined.

The question ... what's the difference? Bonilla talks about the fact there's dangerous history with the KKK, but Harvey notes there's also history with Jews.

A trio of manatees, including 2 former mates named Romeo and Juliet -- are finally being relocated after a viral video showed their isolated conditions, and the guy who helped make it happen is glad something's finally happening.

Phil Demers is the head of a whistleblower org called UrgentSeas, and a video he posted last month blew up on the Internet -- it showed the manatees, specifically Romeo, toiling in despair at the Miami Seaquarium.

Romeo's counterpart, Juliet, was being kept separately and also alone in the Seaquarium ... not to mention a third manatee named Clarity. After Demers published his video though, public backlash forced the company's hand.

Sadly, it doesn't sound like Romeo and Juliet are going to be reunited anytime soon ... and they probably won't even be released into the wild, and Demers tells us why. Still, the fact the manatees are going to better facilities with proper care is a 'W' in his book.

He says the fact this is happening is proof public pressure can, in fact, spur positive change and he's glad the manatees will get a new lease on life.

Henry Winkler is applauding legendary producer Norman Lear for making an enormous impact on America's TV landscape, and even bigger ... on American society.

Being a TV icon himself, "The Fonz" joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and admitted it's not easy to find the right words to describe someone like Norman, who accomplished so much in life, with "grace, intelligence, and fun."

Henry shared an anecdote about Norman's 101st birthday party, where someone asked how he felt about reaching that age, and he wittily responded ... "Not as good as I'll be at 102!"

His point being, Norman -- who passed away Tuesday -- was always a forward-thinking guy, who used his art to help Americans see the best and worst in themselves ... tackling topics like homosexuality, racism, the Vietnam War and women's rights -- which had never been done before on TV.

As for Henry ... well, his memoir, "Being Henry: The Fonz ... and Beyond," is approaching one month on the New York Times Bestseller list -- and after 50 years in showbiz, he told us why he's just now discovering his true self.

A woman dished all on her father's shocking deathbed confession ... saying her life changed when she discovered he had been a wanted man for most of his life following an old bank heist.

Ashley Randele came on "TMZ Live" Monday to tell her tale -- saying her father, Tom Randele, came clean with an estimated 6 weeks to live following a lung cancer diagnosis ... suddenly off-loading the decades-long secret as they watched NCIS.

The 71-year-old explained to Ashley and her mom that he had to change his real name ... and they ought to finally know in case it came up after his passing ... because authorities "were probably still looking for him."

Ashley says she pressed him for more info the next day after realizing it wasn't a "terrible dad joke" -- adding it was vital for her to know her dad's real name: Ted Conrad.

Ignoring his pleas not to look into it, Ashley later found herself searching his name online ... yielding various "vault teller robs bank" headlines ... and recent articles stating the 50-year hunt was still active.

The revelation left her stunned ... after all, she had just learned the man she always perceived as an average suburban dad stole $215,000 --- the equivalent of $1.8M today -- while working as a vault teller at the Society National Bank in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, July 11, 1969, as a 20-year-old college dropout.

He fled to Washington, D.C., that night ... and when bank bosses discovered the theft on Monday, the FBI was called, and Conrad became a wanted man.

He ended up in Boston ... assuming a new identity and resuming normalcy despite his picture plastered across headlines.

Whether the heist was worth it or not would have been a question for Ted, AKA, Tom ... as Ashley says, most of the stolen money was blown on ritzy digs and at least one bad investment ... reaching the point of her loaning her parents 10K before they filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

Ashley goes in depth about her story on her podcast, "Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad."

Rachel Goldberg, whose son is one of the unreleased Israeli hostages, thinks Elon Musk's visit to her country was a sincere effort to better understand what she and so many other families are going through.

Rachel Goldberg joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the ongoing release of women and children held by Hamas for more than 7 weeks. Dozens have been returned to Israel in recent days, during a temporary ceasefire that's currently set to end this week.

Her own son, Hersch Goldberg-Polin, has yet to see freedom -- and yet, Rachel has continued to be a front-facing unofficial spokesperson on behalf of all the hostage families ... a painstaking reality she says she struggles with daily.

Rachel says that while Hamas still has her own flesh and blood captive, she recognizes the value of serving as a voice for everyone else -- and thinks it's her duty to continue doing so.

As for Elon -- who's been criticized for using Israel in a cold PR move after he was accused of antisemitism -- Rachel tells us she actually believes his heart's in the right place, and, to her, he came across as earnestly interested in learning/sympathizing.

Rachel was among a few family members of hostages who showed them footage from Oct. 7 ... including the horrifying moment Hersch was snatched up by Hamas after his left arm was blown apart during the attack.

She also talked about the ongoing protests in the U.S. and beyond ... namely, pro-Palestine ones, where people have decried Israel's response in Gaza, and its treatment of innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of the war.

Rachel's response might surprise some ... she says she actually feels for the innocent Palestinians -- and even says Palestine does, in fact, have a right to operate as its own state with dignity and freedom.

La madre y el amigo de George Obregón Jr., el fan de Nardo Wick que se encuentra hospitalizado tras un asqueroso ataque llevado a cabo por el séquito de Nardo, dicen que todo el asunto los ha dejado muy mal y casi sin palabras.

Michelle Obregon, madre de George, hizo una actualización sobre la condición de su hijo de 20 años y dijo a TMZ que actualmente está estable, pero los médicos están haciendo un seguimiento completo de su estado para evaluar si habrá algún daño a largo plazo.

El amigo de George, Connor Villa, que también estuvo en el concierto, nos dice que estaba solo unos metros detrás de su amigo cuando se produjo el ataque.

Dice que el equipo de Nardo les dio una mirada peculiar mientras caminaban con sus teléfonos después de salir del club, esto es, justo antes de que se desatara el asalto "de la nada" cuando George les pidió una instantánea juntos.

Connor añade que se quedó atónito cuando otro miembro de la comitiva siguió pegándole a George después de que lo dejaran noqueado con el primer golpe y sin respuesta.

Connor nos dice que recurrir a la violencia física por algo tan simple como pedir una foto es algo totalmente ridículo y nunca debería haber pasado.

Aunque ahora George se encuentra despierto y hablando, Michelle dice que no ha entrado en demasiados detalles sobre el incidente y no recuerda mucho.

La madre añade que se quedó "sin palabras" cuando vio el clip del ataque y que su principal prioridad ahora es la salud de su hijo. Asegura que ningún padre tiene que recibir la devastadora llamada telefónica que ella experimentó.

The mother and friend of George Obregon Jr., the Nardo Wick fan hospitalized following a disgusting attack carried out by Nardo's entourage, saying the whole thing has left them sick and almost speechless.

Michelle Obregon, George's mom, gave an update on her 20-year-old son's condition -- telling TMZ he's currently stable -- but doctors are fully monitoring him to assess if there'll be any long-term damage.

George's pal Connor Villa, who also attended the concert, tells us he was just a few feet behind his buddy when the vicious attack occurred.

He says Nardo's team gave them a peculiar look as they walked over with their phones up after exiting the club ... before unleashing the assault "out of nowhere" when George asked for a snap together.

Connor adds he was stunned when another member of the entourage continued to strike George after the first swing left him knocked out, leaning against the wall and unresponsive.

Connor tells us resorting to physical violence over a simple request for a picture was utterly ridiculous and should never have happened.

While George is now alert and talking ... Michelle says he hasn't gone into too much detail about the incident and doesn't remember much.

The devastated mother adds she had "no words to say" when watching the clip of the attack ... with her main priority being her son's health -- and ensuring that no other parents have to receive the devastating phone call she experienced.

There's a new Harvard course covering all things Taylor Swift -- and yes, that means her relationships, including her Mr. Right Now, Travis Kelce ... so says the professor who's teaching the class.

One of Harvard's English professors, Stephanie Burt, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the class she'll be heading up next semester called 'Taylor Swift and Her World' -- which she made very clear will put an emphasis on the literary merit behind T-Swift's art.

It's obvious from the video, but Prof. Burt is a self-professed Swiftie, but says that's not the reason she's teaching this course. As she explains to us, Taylor's work/fandom are very much worthy of study.

In fact, because her personal life is so tied into her songwriting, that means who she dates will get some attention in this class. However, Prof. Burt notes they probably won't spend so much time on Trav ... mostly because she hasn't written a song about him just yet.

If history's any indication ... she might have to break up with him first for that to happen. 😅

Anyway, Harvard ain't the only higher-ed institution that's doing this for TayTay, for what it's worth ... the University of Florida is also introducing a Taylor-centric course of their own very soon -- and Arizona State already has one too. Indeed, academia hearts Taylor!

And, if it wasn't obvious already ... there's a ton of interest in this new Harvard course. As Professor Burt tells us, there are already hundreds of people who've signed up for the Spring.

Un nuevo curso de Harvard cubrirá todas las cosas de Taylor Swift y eso incluye sus relaciones, como la que tiene actualmente con su novio, Travis Kelce. Al menos así lo dice la profesora que va a enseñar la clase.

Una de las profesoras de Inglés de Harvard, Stephanie Burt, se unió a nosotros el martes en "TMZ Live" para hablar de la clase que dirigirá el próximo semestre llamada "Taylor Swift y su mundo", la que pondrá énfasis en el mérito literario detrás del arte de Swift.

Es obvio por el video que la profesora Burt es una Swiftie confesa, pero nos dice que esa no es la razón por la que está enseñando este curso. Como nos explica, la obra y el fanatismo hacia Taylor son dignos de estudio.

De hecho, como su vida personal está tan ligada a la composición de sus canciones, eso significa que en la clase se prestará atención a sus amoríos. Pero cree que probablemente no dedicarán mucho tiempo a Travis, ya que Taylor aún no ha escrito una canción sobre él.

Si nos guiamos por la historia, es posible que tenga que terminar con él primero para que eso suceda. 😅

De todos modos, Harvard no es la única institución de educación superior que está haciendo esto por TayTay, por si sirve de algo. La Universidad de Florida también está introduciendo un curso centrado en Taylor muy pronto, y Arizona State ya tiene otro también. De hecho, ¡el mundo académico ama a Taylor!

Y, si no era obvio ya, hay un montón de interés en este nuevo curso de Harvard. Como la profesora Burt nos dice, ya hay cientos de personas inscritas para la primavera.

La misteriosa enfermedad ha afectado a perros en más de una docena de estados y ha provocado graves enfermedades, puede -- solo puede -- vislumbrar una esperanza de contención.

Un golden retriever de 5 años llamado Ike se enfermó cerca de septiembre durante un espectáculo canino. Los dueños llevaron rápidamente a Ike al veterinario, donde le diagnosticaron la enfermedad que tiene a los dueños de perros en pánico -- un complejo de enfermedades respiratorias infecciosas caninas.

Ike fue llevado a un hospital veterinario y puesto en cuarentena. Con esta enfermedad, los perros pueden pasar rápidamente de tener tos a desarrollar una neumonía potencialmente mortal.

Se le administró a Ike un "antibiótico de último recurso" llamado cloramfenicol, que combate las infecciones bacterianas. La familia del perro le contó a ABC7 que, en cuestión de horas, ya no respiraba con dificultad.

La dueña, Becky Oliver, afirmó: "Es un antibiótico de último recurso muy, muy potente, pero es lo que lo salvó. De lo contrario, ya no estaría aquí".

Hasta ahora, las autoridades no han comentado sobre la eficacia del antibiótico.

La enfermedad se ha estado propagando y se ha encontrado en California, Oregón, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, Nevada y en varios estados del noreste.

The mysterious illness that has caused dogs in more than a dozen states to get extremely sick may -- just may -- show promise of containment.

A 5-year-old golden retriever named Ike got sick during a dog road show, and this was way back in September.  The owners rushed Ike to the vet, and he was diagnosed with the disease that has dog owners in a panic -- canine infectious respiratory disease complex.

Ike was taken to a vet hospital and quarantined. Dogs can quickly go from a cough to life-threatening pneumonia with this disease.

The dog was given a "last-resort antibiotic," called chloramphenicol, which fights bacterial infections. The family of the dog told ABC7, within hours his breathing was no longer labored.

The owner, Becky Oliver, said, "It's a very, very strong last-resort antibiotic, but it's what saved him. Otherwise, he would not be here."

So far, officials, officials have not commented on the efficacy of the antibiotic.

The disease has been spreading ... it's been found in California, Oregon, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and in various states around the Northeast.