TV

Aaron Rodgers almost scored the coveted position of "Jeopardy!" host in the aftermath of Alex Trebek's death ... so says the show's former producer and one-time host.

Mike Richards -- who infamously lost the "Jeopardy!" hosting gig after one day due to old controversial comments he'd made -- told People that the NFL star was a frontrunner for the job after impressing as a guest host on the trivia show.

As Mike puts it ... Aaron was the most prepared guest host -- which is saying something since he guest hosted alongside TV pros like Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, Savannah Guthrie, George Stephanopoulos, LeVar Burton, and Robin Roberts, among other notable names.

But, according to MR, Aaron prepped for the show very intensely and was still lovely to everyone on the staff. So, the professional quarterback was seriously considered to replace Alex -- and he was apparently interested, too.

When asked how he would juggle both hosting duties and football, Aaron supposedly told Mike that the "Jeopardy!" team would figure it out.

Alas, the job ultimately went to Mike ... who was eventually replaced by famed "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik after his swift firing. A less surprising contender was Katie Couric, who Mike says brought a different look to the quiz show.

On the issue of his infamous exit from the show ... Mike notes that a lot of half-truths led to his exile from the entertainment industry. For starters, he defends that he did not pick himself for the highly sought-after gig -- a panel selected him for the role in 2021.

M. Emmet Walsh -- who was memorably in "Christmas With the Kranks" and "Blade Runner," among several other films -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor's manager, Sandy Joseph, tells us Walsh passed away at a hospital in Vermont Tuesday as a result of cardiac arrest. No word on what exactly landed him in the hospital, or what sort of ailment he might've been battling.

Walsh was a veteran in Hollywood, and one of the most prolific character actors in the biz -- having racked up a whopping 233 acting credits to his name, with roles dating back to the '60s, playing Jason Randall on an episode of "The Doctors."

Since then, he'd starred in countless well-known films and TV shows spanning decades.

In addition to his work on 'CWTK' -- where he played Tim Allen's cranky neighbor and archenemy, Walt Scheel -- Walsh has acted in flicks like "Ordinary People," "The Jerk," "Fletch," "Blood Simple," "A Time to Kill," "Romeo + Juliet," "Wild Wild West," and many, many more.

His TV work is equally impressive ... Walsh had worked on TV series like "Starsky and Hutch," "Baretta," "The Rockford Files," "The Sandy Duncan Show," "East of Eden," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Twilight Zone," "Unsub," "The Flash," "Home Improvement," "The X-Files," "NYPD Blue," "Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot," "Damages," "Adventure Time" and others.

Walsh is survived by his nieces and nephews. He was 88.

50 Cent's "Power Book II: Ghost" is coming to an end next season, and while one of its stars, Gianni Paolo, says he'll continue working with the G-Unit visionary ... he also says losing his show sucks!!!

Gianni linked with TMZ Hip Hop at LAX, and like his costar Michael Rainey Jr. -- who was disgusted by the cancelation -- he feels the show's tight-knit cast is simply getting a bitter taste of Hollywood's revolving door.

Starz CEO Jeff Hirsch recently explained how budget costs go up after 3rd and 4th seasons, and Gianni confirms to us they did get raises -- but, still, he didn't expect to get canceled after the show set Starz ratings records!

Season 3's opener broke Starz's record for its biggest weekend viewership and Gianni tells us he couldn't believe the network still decided to dump the show.

He thinks getting stingy on production costs isn't the move, and alludes to other Starz shows being made for cheaper ... and looking like it.

Gianni didn't name names, but the latest episode of 'BMF' just got reamed online for featuring a "knockoff Tupac Shakur" in a cameo role.

Regardless, he says 50 and series creator Courtney A. Kemp were nothing but good to him and he's onboard for whatever their next project is.

Kaley Cuoco is mourning a loss in her family ... as she announced the death of her beloved dog, Blue.

The actress shared the sad news Wednesday, saying she was in tears over the loss. As Kaley explained, Blue's loss was even more upsetting because he was the third dog she's had to put down in the last year.

Remember, Kaley announced the passing of King last month -- less than a year after her rescue pup Dump Truck died last May.

While Kaley's clearly heartbroken over Blue, she says she's also particularly sad for her partner, Tom Pelphrey ... who's the dog's original owner.

According to Kaley, it took some time for Blue and her to grow comfortable with one another -- naturally, he favored Tom over her.

However, "After some time Blue finally realized we were a family and we were all sticking together. Something changed. He was amazing. Protective of me and the rest of our pup crew, always on guard. I felt so safe home alone with him and when anyone came to the door I would put Blue on the leash and have him sit right next to me."

Kaley went on to add that Blue was incredibly patient and gentle with their young daughter Matilda, who was born last year.

It's no secret Kaley is an animal lover, having rescued several dogs over the years, and she also owns a few horses.

But, Blue was clearly a family favorite, with Kaley and Tom wearing the pup on Christmas sweaters one year.

Josh Peck quiere pasar desapercibido luego del polémico documental "Quiet on Set". Sobre todo con la terrible historia de abuso de Drake Bell, y sus fans están tomando nota.

La ex estrella infantil publicó un nuevo video en las redes sociales esta semana, esto después de que el explosivo documental sobre Nickelodeon salió al aire, y Josh no parece dispuesto a abordar lo evidente de forma seria, ya que se ha limitado a hacer tontos videos de TikTok.

El clip muestra a Josh haciendo sincronización labial con algún audio tonto, relativamente sin sentido, teniendo en cuenta que sus compañeros están haciendo fuertes revelaciones, y la gente está enojada con su aparente falta de empatía.

Échale un vistazo a su sección de comentarios, así como otros TikToks recientes, y verás exactamente lo que queremos decir. Cientos de personas lo están criticando por permanecer en silencio y actuar como si nada estuviera pasando, pidiéndole que diga algo.

Una persona escribió, "tu silencio es ruidoso hermano". Otro agregó: "*sigh* Josh nos decepcionaste". Y otro gritó: "JUSTICIA PARA DRAKEEEE".

Como hemos dicho, ni Josh ni Drake han pronunciado una palabra sobre el documental, pero teniendo en cuenta sus recientes problemas -incluyendo una ruptura- tal vez no es de extrañar que Josh no esté corriendo para apoyar a su antiguo compañero durante estos difíciles momentos.

Si usted no está familiarizado en el tema, Drake y Josh no han sido cercanos en absoluto últimamente, y su aparente disputa surgió cuando Josh se casó hace varios años -una boda a la que Drake no fue invitado- lo que generó su molestia e incluso se quejó públicamente.

Hubo un montón de idas y vueltas y finalmente Josh dejó claro que él y Drake simplemente no tuvieron contacto después del show... en otras palabras, no son amigos.

Tuvieron una dulce reunión en los VMA 2017, pero incluso después de eso, parecía haber mala sangre, así que es comprensible que Josh esté mirando hacia otro lado.

Sin embargo, muchos sienten que debería hablar de esto a pesar de todo, porque los problemas que se están destacando en "Quiet on Set" son obviamente más grandes que cualquier pelea insignificante que puedan tener.

Josh Peck seems to be taking a head-in-the-sand approach to everything coming out from 'Quiet on Set' -- including Drake Bell's abuse story -- and his fans are taking notice.

The ex-child star posted a new video on social media this week -- this after the explosive doc about Nickelodeon aired -- and JP doesn't seem willing to address the elephant in the room ... 'cause he's just doing silly TikToks without talking about what's on everyone's mind.

The clip features Josh lip-syncing to some goofy audio ... relatively meaningless considering his one-time peers are speaking out, and people are pissed that he's choosing to ignore it.

Check out his comment section in this post -- as well as other recent TikToks of his -- and you'll see exactly what we mean ... hundreds of people are slamming him for remaining silent on the doc and acting like nothing's going on, calling on him to say something.

One person wrote, "your silence is LOUD brother" ... and another added, "*sigh* Josh you disappointed us" ... and yet another digitally shouted, "JUSTICE FOR DRAKEEEE."

Like we said, Josh hasn't uttered one word about the documentary or Drake -- but considering their recently rocky past, including a very clear falling out, perhaps it's not surprising that Josh isn't running to support his old costar during this difficult time.

If you're unfamiliar, Drake and Josh have NOT been close at all of late -- and their apparent feud bubbled up when Josh get married several years ago ... a wedding to which Drake wasn't invited, and which he was very upset about at the time, making gripes quite publicly.

There was a lot of back and forth over this, and in the end -- Josh made clear that him and Drake simply hadn't stayed in touch after their show ... in other words, they're not friends.

They had a sweet reunion at the 2017 VMAs -- but even after that, there seemed to be bad blood ... so on its face, it's somewhat understandable that Josh is looking the other way.

Still, many feel like he should talk about this regardless -- because the issues being spotlighted on 'Quiet on Set' are obviously bigger than any petty beef they might have.

El matrimonio de Kyle Richards y Mauricio Umansky es irreparable, o eso es lo que piensa la familia cercana y sus amigos cuando se trata de ver cualquier esperanza de que la pareja pueda arreglar las cosas, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que la relación de la pareja ha llegado a un punto de no retorno, y si las cosas se arreglaran repentinamente, los más cercanos estarían completamente atónitos.

Nos dicen que algunas personas cercanas a la separada pareja creen que están alargando su difícil relación para las cámaras del reality show, una creencia que ha ganado fuerza con la próxima temporada de "Buying Beverly Hills", el programa de Netflix de Mauricio que promete abordar su ruptura como parte del argumento principal.

Lo que es realmente interesante es que nadie los está criticando por exponer su vida porque siempre han sido astutos e inteligentes en el negocio de Hollywood, por lo que la gente a su alrededor piensa que es un movimiento inteligente el explotar sus luchas personales para obtener un beneficio profesional, siempre y cuando ambos estén de acuerdo con ello.

Nuestras fuentes creen que no tienen ninguna razón real para apresurarse en pedir el divorcio, ya que tienen varias propiedades entre las que se pueden alternar si las cosas se ponen tensas bajo el mismo techo. Al final del día, nos dicen que siempre van a permanecer cerca por su historia juntos, y, obviamente, por el bien de sus hijos.

No hace falta decir, que la separación de la ex pareja ya lleva un tiempo en el ojo público, sobre todo porque han estado hablando mucho de ello, pero sin llegar realmente al corazón de la cuestión, si entienden lo que queremos decir.

Kyle insinuó en IG que hubo un incidente específico que le hizo perder su confianza en él, y tocó crípticamente el mismo tema durante la reunión de "RHOBH" la semana pasada, antes de dejar muy claro que su ruptura "¡no es asunto de nadie!"

Es importante señalar que si bien no han confirmado nuevas relaciones, ambos han estado viviendo vidas tan separadas, que parece que están haciendo esfuerzos activos para seguir adelante.

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky's marriage is beyond repair -- that's what close family and friends are saying about any hopes the estranged couple can still work things out ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the pair's relationship has reached the point of no return, and if they were to suddenly patch things up, those closest to them would be utterly flabbergasted.

We're told some folks close to the estranged couple believe they're dragging out their relationship plight for the sake of reality show cameras -- a belief that gains traction with the upcoming season of Mauricio's Netflix show, "Buying Beverly Hills," which promises to address their split as a main storyline.

What's really interesting is ... no one we've spoken to is knocking them for dragging it out 'cause they've always been savvy hustlers in the Hollywood biz -- so people around them think it's a smart move to exploit their personal struggles for professional gain, as long as they're both okay with it.

Our sources believe they don't have any real reason to rush to file for divorce as they have multiple homes they can bounce between if things get tense under one roof. At the end of the day, we're told they're always gonna remain close 'cause of their history together, and obviously for sake of their kids.

Goes without saying, the former couple's separation has played out for a while now .. especially 'cause they've been talking about it a lot, but not really getting to the heart of the matter, if you catch our drift.

Kyle hinted on IG there was a specific incident that shattered her trust in him, and she cryptically touched on that same thing during the 'RHOBH' reunion last week -- before making it crystal clear their split was "no one's f***ing business!"

It's important to note that while they haven't confirmed new relationships ... they've both been living such separate lives, it seems like they're making active efforts to move forward.

It's hump day here at TMZ, but we're still kicking ass on TV ... especially with these topics.

Starting out on 'TMZ Live,' Charles and Harvey talked about Oprah's new TV special that's all weight loss drugs -- like Ozempic -- which she says she's turned to amid her ongoing challenges with weight ... something O says is now under control due to these miracle drugs.

Next up, we got 'TMZ on TV' ... where the gang continued to discuss Kate-Gate -- namely, the ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton amid the latest sighting.

Finally, we land on 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock and Mojo talked Steph Curry for Prez!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Kim Kardashian might feel like an also-ran these days in comparison to Bianca Censori -- who's the "it" girl right now -- but in terms of who's getting searched more ... it's the OG.

We were curious which of these ladies people were flocking to their computer screens to see more of these days -- figuring it might be BC because of all these wild outfits and style choices she's been flaunting lately with Kanye West -- but as turns out ... we were wrong.

According to some basic Google Trends data ... it would appear Kim K is actually the one who's been searched more on the platform over the past 90 days -- a period in which Bianca's popularity, visibility, and mainstream appeal has unquestionably soared.

Take a look at this chart for yourself to see the results -- it shows that Kim (in red) has had more consistent and more prevalent searches dating back to Dec. 19 ... and while Bianca has had lots of peaks over the past few months, Kim's beating her more often than not.

The data also shows how the searches between these ladies -- with their full name being the key terms in question -- break down across the entire U.S. ... and KK tops BC in all but 1.

Looks like the state of Wyoming has had more "Bianca Censori" Google searches than "Kim Kardashian" in the past 90 days ... which is a bit random. But hey, they like what they like!

Then again ... Kanye did have a whole ass ranch out there, so maybe it's just Ye love.

In any case, there's no question that Kim's more popular than Bianca as far as Google's concerned -- but even for a tool like Semrush (which specializes in keyword research and analysis, and which we have access to) Kim takes the cake there as well ... kinda handily.

We ran their respective first and last names on that as well -- and Semrush crapped out some interesting insights ... namely, over a 12-month period, Kim has a monthly average of 1 million searches for her name ... whereas Bianca clocks in at 673k in the same window.

The Semrush breakdown also notes Kim's name is one of the most challenging keywords to compete for online -- pegged at 100% difficulty, while Bianca sits at 53% currently.

Kim's average searches -- again, just for their first and last names together, as a unit -- are much more flush and level over a 12-month span in terms of trending ability ... and Bianca's searches are more up and down, with very high highs and low lows. So, more scattered.

Point is ... it would appear Kim's years of branding and name recognition are paying off when it comes to what people are looking up online as it pertains to her and Bianca -- which we suppose makes sense, since she's a legacy celeb and has been around for ages now.

Bianca, on the other hand, is fairly new to the Hollywood scene ... so her numbers are pretty impressive considering where she came from -- relative obscurity, that is.

While Kim might still be the Queen of Google and online searches, it would appear -- at least on the face of things -- that Bianca is still the people's champ right now. Room for both!

Dan Schneider está abordando las acusaciones del nuevo documental de Nickelodeon que lo pintan como un monstruo y lo acusan de comportamiento extremadamente inapropiado con algunos miembros del elenco, y él está asumiendo su responsabilidad.

El alguna vez mandamás de Nickelodeon se sentó con el ex actor de "iCarly" BooG!e el martes para entregar una respuesta formal a las afirmaciones que lo acusan de fomentar un ambiente tóxico en el trabajo y en los programas que creó, y que se acaban de abordar en su totalidad en este nuevo documental que se está volviendo viral.

Echa un vistazo, Dan Schneider dice que fue muy difícil para él ver la nueva docuserie y reconocer algunos de sus comportamientos como vergonzosos y lamentables.

Añadió: "Definitivamente, le debo a una disculpa bastante fuerte a algunas personas".

El ex ejecutivo de televisión -que era el showrunner de varios programas de Nickelodeon en su momento- se dio cuenta de cómo sus acciones impactaron a los que trabajaban para él. Dijo que ahora no volvería a hacer algunas de las travesuras que hizo en el set en ese entonces, explicando: "Me avergüenzo de haberlo hecho entonces. Pido disculpas a quienquiera que haya puesto en esa situación".

Dan incluso estuvo de acuerdo en que algunos de los cuestionables chistes de sus programas deberían ser cortados ahora mismo e insistió en que escribió las ocurrencias con los niños en mente y que no había mala intención.

A través de sus representantes, Dan ha negado las afirmaciones de que los programas que supervisó sexualizaron a propósito a sus estrellas infantiles, como Ariana Grande, Amanda Bynes y Jennette McCurdy, entre otros.

Su portavoz declaró el lunes: "Todo lo que sucedía en los programas que Dan dirigía era cuidadosamente escudriñado por docenas de adultos involucrados, y aprobado por la cadena. Si hubiera habido escenas o trajes que fueran inapropiados de alguna manera, habrían sido advertidos y bloqueados por este escrutinio de múltiples capas".

Drake Bell, que habló de ser molestado por su entrenador de diálogo en Nickelodeon Brian Peck en "Quiet on Set", acreditó a Dan como un aliado después de que habló del abuso.

En esta nueva entrevista, Dan habló de Drake y Peck, y se emocionó al hacerlo.

Dijo que estaba devastado cuando se enteró de la conducta de Brian, explicando que no fue quien contrató al entrenador de diálogo para la red, pero que tiene remordimientos de haberlo tenido cerca. Incluso reveló que ayudó a la madre de Drake a escribir su declaración para el juicio de Brian.

Dan Schneider is addressing the allegations in the new Nickelodeon doc that paints him as a monster and wildly inappropriate with some in the cast ... and he's taking accountability.

The one-time Nickelodeon honcho sat down with former "iCarly" actor BooG!e Tuesday to offer up his formal response to toxic workplace claims made against him and the shows he created ... which was just addressed in full on the new documentary that's going viral.

Check it out ... DS says it was very hard for him to watch the new docuseries ... acknowledging some of his past behavior as embarrassing and regretful.

He added ... "I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."

The former TV exec -- who was the showrunner on several Nick shows back in the day -- realized how his actions impacted those who worked for him. He says he'd never do some of the on-set shenanigans he pulled back then today -- explaining ... "I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation."

Dan even agrees some of the questionable jokes written for his shows should be cut right now ... insisting he wrote the quips with children in mind -- and that there was no ill intent.

Through his reps, Dan has denied claims that the shows he oversaw purposefully sexualized its child stars -- like Ariana Grande, Amanda Bynes and Jennette McCurdy, among others.

His spokesperson stated Monday ... "Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny.”

Drake Bell -- who spoke out about being molested by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck in 'Quiet on Set' -- credited Dan as an ally after he spoke out about the abuse.

In the new sit-down, Dan talks about Drake and Peck as well ... getting emotional doing so.

He says he was devastated when he learned of Brian's behavior ... explaining he did not hire the dialogue coach for the network, but has regrets nonetheless on having him around. He even revealed that he helped Drake's mother pen her statement for Brian's sentencing trial.

Travis Kelce está en conversaciones para convertirse en presentador de un programa de juegos en un futuro muy próximo.

La estrella de los Kansas City Chiefs y los representantes de Prime Video están trabajando para llegar a un acuerdo que convertiría al tres veces campeón del Super Bowl en el rostro de un reinicio de "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?", según Variety.

Sin embargo, el medio de comunicación informó el martes que está lejos de ser una conclusión inevitable, ya que hay cierta preocupación por parte de los jefes que Kelce no sea capaz de hacer el trabajo correctamente si continuara su carrera en la NFL.

Jeff Foxworthy fue el presentador de la primera edición del programa en Fox en 2007. John Cena retomó la conducción años más tarde, cuando una nueva versión del programa llegó a Nickelodeon.

El programa era muy popular, ya que ponía a prueba los conocimientos de los adultos sobre información que generalmente se le enseña a los alumnos de primaria.

Variety informó el martes de que la nueva versión de Prime Video contaría con concursantes famosos.

Por supuesto, si Kelce consigue el papel no sería su primera incursión en el mundo de la televisión. Una vez estuvo en un reality show de citas llamado "Catching Kelce". También fue el famoso presentador de "Saturday Night Live" el año pasado. Y no se olvide que aparece en cámara semanalmente con su hermano -Jason- en su pódcast ultra-popular "New Heights".

Si Kelce está preocupado, no lo se le nota en lo absoluto, porque se rumorea que está en las Bahamas con Taylor Swift, y sí, es un poco difícil centrarse en los negocios allí.

Travis Kelce's apparently got his eyes on taking his tight end to a new seat ... he's now reportedly in talks to become a game show host in the very near future.

The Kansas City Chiefs star and Prime Video reps are working to hammer out a deal that would make the three-time Super Bowl champion the face of a "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" reboot, according to Variety.

The outlet reported Tuesday, however, that it's far from a foregone conclusion ... as there's at least some concern on the suits' end that Kelce wouldn't be able to do the gig properly if he continued his NFL career.

Jeff Foxworthy hosted the first iteration of the show on Fox way back in 2007. John Cena then picked up hosting duties years later when a new version of the program landed on Nickelodeon.

The show was a popular one -- as it, in part, tested adults' knowledge of information generally taught to elementary school students.

Variety reported Tuesday the new Prime Video version would feature celebrity contestants.

Of course, if Kelce does score the role ... it'd hardly be his first foray into the television world. He was once the center of a reality dating show called "Catching Kelce." He also famously hosted "Saturday Night Live" last year. And, don't forget, he's on-camera weekly with his brother, Jason, for their ultra-popular 'New Heights' podcast.

If Kelce's sweating the talks, he's not showing it much ... 'cause he's rumored to be down in the Bahamas with Taylor Swift at the moment -- and, yeah, kinda hard to focus on business there.

Oprah Winfrey se está abriendo sobre los extremos a los que ha llegado para bajar de peso durante su vida, revelando que incluso pasaba hambre con tal de bajar unas libras.

La leyenda del talk show habló de sus años haciendo dietas en su nuevo especial de ABC, "Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution", donde compartió que una vez hizo una dieta líquida para perder 67 libras, lo que quedó registrado en un episodio de 1988 en donde salió con un carro lleno de grasa durante su programa de entrevistas.

La revelación que está haciendo en el especial, sin embargo, es que la pérdida de peso duró muy poco. Oprah está admitiendo que comenzó a ganar peso de nuevo casi al día siguiente después de que el programa se convirtiera en objeto del escarnio público.

La pérdida de peso se ha convertido en una parte importante de la marca de Oprah, quien fue embajadora e importante inversora de la marca WeightWatchers.

Todo el mundo se acuerda de su anuncio "Me encanta el pan", ¿verdad?".

A principios de este mes, la presentadora renunció a su cargo en el directorio de WeightWatchers después de casi 10 años, luego de que admitiera que está usando medicamentos para bajar de peso.

Oprah dice que dejó WeightWatchers para evitar un posible conflicto de intereses con este nuevo especial de ABC, ya que ahora la empresa está distribuyendo recetas de medicamentos que ayudan a perder peso.

Oprah Winfrey is opening up about the extreme lengths she's taken to lose weight over the years ... revealing she previously starved herself in order to drop some pounds.

The talk show legend discusses her years of yo-yo dieting in her new ABC special, "Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution," sharing that it took a liquid diet to help her lose 67 pounds -- which she famously marked in 1988 by wheeling out a wagon filled with fat during an episode of her talk show.

The revelation she's making in the special, though, is that celebration of weight loss was extremely short-lived -- Oprah now admits she began gaining the weight back almost the very next day after that show ... becoming the object of public ridicule.

Weight loss has become a major part of Oprah's brand, having previously become a brand ambassador for, and major investor in, WeightWatchers.

Everyone remembers her "I love bread" commercial, right?

Earlier this month, she stepped down from her position on the WW board of directors after nearly 10 years ... following her admission she's now using weight loss drugs.

Oprah says she left WeightWatchers to avoid a conflict of interest while making this new ABC special ... since WW is now doling out weight loss drug prescriptions.