Vacations

There was a horrific cable car accident in Italy Sunday ... and at least 8 people died.

The car -- which connects Italy's Maggiore Lake with a nearby mountain, careened to the ground.

The car takes tourists from the town of Stresa up 1400 meters above sea level to Mottarone Mountain. The ride is supposed to take 20 minutes.

There was a frantic rescue attempt which included 2 helicopter ambulances to take the injured to a local hospital.

The car that plunged to the ground carried 11 people, 2 of which were children. The children survived and were taken to the hospital. So far, authorities have not said what caused the cable car to plunge to the ground. Authorities offered no additional details. We don't know if the entire lift operation was halted, but that's typically what happens after such an accident.

The tragedy has several layers. As the world escapes the grip of the pandemic, people are traveling at a fever pitch, and that's why the mountain was so crowded with tourists ... people who were held up for more than a year ... looking for some enjoyment that turned to tragedy in an instant.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli can officially break out the tequila ... 'cause a federal judge is approving their request to travel to Mexico for a family fiesta.

TMZ broke the story ... Lori and Mossimo had requested permission to travel to San Jose del Cabo to spend time with family from June 16 to June 21. Their argument, in a nutshell, is they've been playing by the rules since their release from prison.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Lori says she's paid her $150k fine as well as her community service requirement. Mossimo also told the judge he's remained in compliance with the terms of his term of supervised release.

Mossimo also said he satisfied his $250k fine and is actively working on completing his community service. It seems playing by the rules has its rewards ... 'cause the judge signed off on their requests. So, ADIOS!!!

Forget Green Bay and all the drama there ... Aaron Rodgers has just temporarily pressed eject on his beef with the Packers -- escaping to Hawaii with his fiancee!!!

The star quarterback and Shailene Woodley were spotted touching down in Oahu on Monday ... all while Rodgers' problems with the Packers continue to rage on.

But, it doesn't seem like the couple took any of that emotional baggage with them ... 'cause the two looked happy as hell hoppin' off the private jet and receiving their fresh leis!

Rodgers was all smiles ... dappin' up people on the tarmac and handing out hugs.

Of course, back in Green Bay -- it's a whole lot more stressful ... 'cause the Packers are trying like hell to get Rodgers to come back and quarterback their team.

Rodgers, though, has remained upset over his contract situation and some of the team's personnel moves ... and has reportedly already decided he doesn't want to play for Pack anymore.

Green Bay officials have insisted they won't let that happen ... declining trade offers and promising to try to meet all of Rodgers' demands by the start of the season in Sept.

In fact, head coach Matt LaFleur just told reporters last week "we want [Rodgers] back in the worst way."

Unclear if that'll happen ... but if it does go down -- we're sure Aaron's going to have the best tan in Wisconsin at this point!

By the way ... Rodgers and Woodley have been inseparable since the two announced their engagement earlier this year -- we've now seen them in Canada, Mexico, Disney World and Hawaii.

Frank Sinatra's former hideaway in the California desert is for sale ... and it's the perfect spot for someone wanting to maintain social distancing even when the pandemic's over.

"Ol' Blue Eyes" built the isolated mountain retreat high above the Palm Desert back in 1970 as an ideal getaway, and the 7.5-acre secluded compound features an abundance of space and luxury.

Dubbed the "Villa Maggio" -- named for the character that earned him an Oscar in "From Here to Eternity" -- the property was a personal residence for Sinatra for many years ... and provided a spot to escape, relax and party with friends and family.

The main house has 5 beds and 5.5 baths, but there's also a 3-bedroom guest house ... and a 1-bed pool house to go with the resort-style pool.

Though it's been recently renovated, Frank's home still has the tiles and wallpaper he chose in many places -- and all restoration's aimed to keep the home as close as possible to the original.

Of course, it's got panoramic mountain and valley views and parking for a few dozen cars -- but the real baller feature is ... the helipad!!! Screw that commuter traffic.

It's almost as if Sinatra had this place in mind when he sang his 1958 hit, "Let's Get Away from It All."

J Lo and Ben Affleck may have crossed the friendzone, because we found out they were hanging out together this past weekend.

Ben and Jen were at the Big Sky Resort in Montana, super close to Yellowstone National Park. They were staying at the same resort and were driving around together ... Ben was driving and J Lo was riding shotgun.

They also flew out of Montana together Sunday from Bozeman, Montana to L.A. When they arrived in L.A. at the Signature Terminal at LAX, they took an SUV together and drove to her house in Bel-Air. All this raises the question, of course ... are they back together?

There's certainly a lot of smoke. The 2 were hanging out together in Los Angeles early last week as well. If you were placing bets, bet on them being reunited as a couple.

Our sources connected to both J Lo and Ben have told us they're just friends ... they've actually been fairly close over the years since their breakup.

They certainly have a lot in common now ... they both recently broke off their relationships.

It was back in 2004 when the two split, and we haven't known either of them to be romantically linked since. Of course, both have gone on to have other serious relationships and raise children as well.

A source close to J Lo told us she keeps her exes close, just look at her relationship with Marc Anthony over the years. The source also told us she's seen Alex Rodriguez since they ended things as well and that the two remain friends. However, it's rare that only J Lo and one of her exes ever hung out without kids in tow, and from what we've learned, Ben and Jennifer were solo in Montana.

Travis Scott touched down in Miami in a brand-spanking-new private jet ... and it's ridiculously big!!!

Travis came back from Nassau, Bahamas where he was celebrating his 29th birthday on a yacht. He goes big by sea and by air!

He apparently got the jet last Xmas, but just looking at it now ... well it's so big it looks like he's flying commercial.

Travis got some goodies for his birthday ... including this humungous Hermes bag!! You can't say he doesn't travel in style.

Now, it's not like it's a competition ... BUT, it looks like Travis' jet might be bigger than Kylie Jenner's, and that's saying something. She reportedly plunked down $72.8 million for her flying machine.

Juelz Santana is staying grounded in New Jersey, a judge just denied his big trip to sunny South Florida -- this after the feds claim the rapper failed a drug test -- but his team believes it's a mistake.

According to new legal docs, the Dipset MC was asking for permission to fly down to Miami this month for work, but when he asked the court for approval, the feds said he wasn't fully following the rules of his supervised release, and a judge put the kibosh on the whole thing.

Remember ... Juelz is on supervised release after serving 19 months in prison as part of a 27-month sentence in his airport drug case. So, he has to get permission to travel outside NJ, and take mandatory drug tests.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Juelz was planning to travel to Miami with 2 convicted felons -- a no-no under supervised release -- and the Assistant U.S. Attorney also says his recent urine sample tested positive for opiates and methadone.

Add it all up, and the judge ended up denying the request.

Lindsey Vonn busts her ass in the gym ... so why not show it off on the beach?!

The Olympic skiing legend posed for a series of bikini pics taken during a recent vacation with some friends ... and she looks incredible.

"You can judge me if you want, but I’ve been working hard in the gym and taking care of me," Vonn said ... "So I’m going to post some bikini pics because I’m proud of myself."

36-year-old Vonn is still a gym-aholic, despite retiring from competitive skiing in 2019.

She's a regular client of celebrity fitness guru Gunnar Peterson -- who commented on the photos ... saying, "Oh Hell yes you are!!! Work work workED!!! Posting mine next!"

In fact, Vonn is such a fitness junkie, she posted a video working out in a beachfront gym from the same trip ... saying, "Working out on vacation. Doesn’t get much better."

Her pal and fellow gym nut Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson called her out for the lack of plates on her squat rack!

Here it is ... Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley in the same place at the same time, for the first time since they got engaged -- which might be what they were celebrating down in Mexico.

The happy couple was on the tarmac Monday in Costa Careyes ... moments before boarding a private jet. The Green Bay Packers QB and "Big Little Lies" star were with a group of friends getting ready for takeoff. It's unclear if they're continuing the vacay somewhere else or heading home.

We know what fans desperately wanna see -- Shailene's engagement ring, so here's the best we can do. Even zooming in, it's hard to tell if she's wearing one on that left hand.

We do know the ring exists, but up to this point, the only time we've seen it was when Shailene was on the 'Tonight Show' in February, talking to Jimmy Fallon about the engagement.

Still, looks like they enjoyed the warmer weather down south after they were together earlier this month in freezing Montreal ... where Shailene was shooting the cop thriller "Misanthrope" and sending Aaron out to walk her dog.

As we reported ... Aaron announced his engagement to Shailene back in February after winning the NFL's MVP award for the 2020 season, and he's since gushed about their relationship and set his sights on having a kid with her.

With summer happening all year-round in the sunshine state, there is no question as to why all these famous faces have headed down south!

Celebs such as Alex Rodriguez, Gabrielle Union-Wade, and Brielle Biermann have had their fair share of time in the 305 and love sharing all their sunny shots!

Several other stars have also made their way to the desirable destination ... Bella Thorne, Rick Ross, Venus Williams, Dwyane Wade, and Chanel West Coast are just a few more celebs that have been spotted spending time by the water this spring!

Scroll through our gallery of stars in Miami to see all the others that have been steaming things up!

Things are looking up between Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez ... at least that's how A-Rod seems to view their relationship, now that they're in the same place.

TMZ has confirmed A-Rod flew to the Dominican Republic, where J Lo has been shooting a movie, and Monday morning he posted video from their luxury digs down there. His caption said, "Happy Monday. New week,. New day. Onward. Upward."

BTW, he also tagged J Lo tag in his post.

Remember, A-Rod told a photog Saturday in Miami he is definitely NOT single. He and Jennifer told TMZ, "We are working through some things."

Sources with direct knowledge told us those issues they're working on do not involve a third person.

Now, we're told A-Rod's been going to the DR every few weeks while Jen's been there shooting -- so this current trip could've been planned all along. Still, the fact he's carried through with it ... is a sign they might work it all out, after all.

With the travel bans and mandatory quarantines in full effect around most places, these celebs have been trying to avoid all that by heading south of the US border for a getaway!

With the limited restrictions, it's been hard for stars to resist a trip. Amelia Gray Hamlin, Kylie Jenner, and Lottie Moss are just a few of the stars that have headed down south to social distance!

Even Senator Ted Cruz tried his hand at a trip down to Cancun before having to return early, after facing backlash for leaving the state of Texas in the middle of an ice storm.

Ted Cruz is already cracking jokes about his infamous trip to Mexico during the deadly winter storm in Texas, and his audience -- in Florida -- is loving it.

The Senator, who'd been on the PR ropes since jetting to Cancun, took a shot -- at himself and his haters -- by opening his speech at CPAC in Orlando with a shout-out to the host city, but added, "It's not as nice as Cancun." Ba dum tss.

Ted tries to let the punchline sink in and waits a few beats before wrapping up the rest of the joke -- which, btw, didn't exactly kill, even with a conservative crowd. It was definitely mixed applause.

As you know ... Cruz jetted off to warm and sunny Cancun while his constituents were without power, some literally freezing to death. He was shamed into flying back the next day.

Ted Cruz thinks those who leaked his wife's texts about their Cancun plans are a bunch of "assholes," but we wonder ... did he stop and look in the mirror before saying this?

The Senator from Texas aired his grievances during an appearance on a political podcast called 'Ruthless.'

Anyway, he was asked right out the gate about the fallout after being caught fleeing his freezing home state to vacay south of the border. Instead of apologizing and copping to the bad decision ... TC was back to playing the blame game -- this time going after the neighbors who were part of the OG group chat.

He says his wife, Heidi, is "pretty pissed" about those text messages she sent to friends and neighbors that leaked to the media. Ted even describes her confronting some of them upon her return ... a little witch-hunting after some fun in the sun.

Then comes his analysis of the whole thing ... in which he describes them as politicized meanies who lack tact -- only his language is much more blunt, of course.

Cruz made a crack about the Zodiac killer -- a running gag he leaned into and which was pretty funny ... or would be, anyway, under different circumstances. He also touched on their dog, Snowflake, whom they abandoned ... even though he insists it was fine, saying it had heat/care at the ready. Interesting, since Heidi had complained the house was an icebox.

There's also an interesting anecdote about Heidi's beach photos.

Ted Cruz is back in the frigid cold, but his family doesn't have a lot of time to fret over the Senator's boneheaded move, because they're clearly enjoying fun in the sun in Cancun.

A bikini-claded Heidi Cruz is soaking up the sun on the beach with their kids ... you know, the ones their dad blamed for the trip.

Cruz's family clearly isn't letting the patriarch's troubles ruin a perfectly good vacay.

As you know, Senator Cruz did a quick turnaround after the s*** hit the fan, although he tried a lame excuse at first, suggesting this was just a quick turnaround to take his daughters south of the border. His suitcase tells the story -- hardly an overnight bag.

As if things couldn't get any worse ... Cruz also left behind Snowflake the family dog in their freezing home. The security guard was taking care of the pooch, but Heidi made it clear to friends in text messages before the family hopped on a plane ... their house was an icebox.

When Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, jetted off to Cancun they grabbed their kids, and even thought to invite neighbors -- but left their little dog home alone in "freezing" conditions.

Poor Snowflake. While the fam's soaking up the rays, the pooch was left to fend for itself ... according to a New York Magazine reporter who snapped this shot of Snowflake all alone in the Houston home Heidi herself said they desperately needed to escape.

There was a security guard in the driveway who reportedly said he was taking care of Snowflake -- but remember, the Cruz house has NO heat, just like millions of other Texans who are riding out the brutal winter storm.

A few of those folks -- Ted and Heidi's neighbors -- actually scored an invite to Cancun ... based on texts she allegedly fired off before they flew the coop. Reform Austin says it obtained the messages in which she asked a couple neighbors, "Anyone can or want to leave for the week?"

Heidi even told them which flights she was taking with Ted and the kids ... and boasted they were getting rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun for $309 per night. She explained they "couldn't stand it anymore" because their house was absolutely freezing -- and the only alternative was for all the neighbors to huddle together at one friend's house ... who did have heat.

In the end, we know what the Senator and his fam opted to do. Interestingly, Heidi's texts make no mention of their daughters going to visit with friends in Cancun ... as their pops, Cancun Cruz, claimed on Thursday.

Of course, once he returned -- in the face of all the backlash -- Cruz admitted he'd made a colossal blunder in taking the trip.