Dog the Bounty Hunter feels blessed to have a new woman he wants to marry, and while shared grief brought them together ... they're working through the pain together.
ICYMI, the reality TV star recently got engaged to Francie Frane, who he tells us is a Colorado rancher who lost her husband to cancer around the time he lost his wife, Beth Chapman, to cancer as well.
It's no secret Dog's had a hard time getting over Beth's passing, but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he said he and Francie talk about Beth -- helping him grieve in a healthier way, and he consoles Francie too.
Just as importantly, he tells us his new wife-to-be helps him "man up" and do his job the way it needs to be done.
As an added bonus ... Dog's family is fully on board with his new relationship, which wasn't so much the case when he proposed to Moon Angell. He told us his super protective daughters love Francie.
Finally, Dog tells us people ask him what Beth would think about his new gal ... and his answer's pretty hilarious. He suggests she might be busy with other things, and who knows ... maybe Baby Bird's with her too.
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are callin' it -- reportedly ending their pursuit to buy the NY Mets after it became clear they were way too far apart on price.
As we previously reported, the power couple was looking for investors to buy the team for somewhere around $1.5 billion.
The current owners, the Wilpon family, were looking for something closer to $2.5 bil.
J-Rod had reportedly teamed up with billionaire investor Wayne Rothbaum to make a run at the team -- but there were 2 major snags in negotiations, according to the NY Post.
First, the price ... Rothbaum was hoping to get the team for a cool $1 BILLION.
How, you ask? The $2.6 billion valuation accounts for the team's stake in the SNY cable network (the primary local broadcaster of Mets games). Rothbaum reportedly has no interest in the network and feels the team is worth significantly less without it.
Plus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on MLB, he thought he could get the team at a "fire sale" price.
The other issue ... Rothbaum reportedly wanted more control over the team than Alex and Jennifer were willing to give up.
Our sources told us Alex feels there's tremendous upside in buying the Mets -- and saw it as a huge business opportunity -- but for now, it just ain't working out.
Of course, it's possible Alex and J Lo could find another billionaire partner and take another stab at buying the team ... but for now, it's back to the dugout.
Babyfaceis ready to reminisce about some of his greatest hits ... triumphantly returning to IG live to reveal stories from "Waiting to Exhale" especially for Mother's Day.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic film, and the singer and mega-producer is gonna celebrate the hit-filled soundtrack ... which he produced. It was a huge female empowerment film, which is why Babyface is honoring it on Sunday. Shout out to Moms!!!
The 11-time Grammy Award winner joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to talk about his return appearance on Instagram Live. As you know, his Verzuz battle with Teddy Riley damn near broke IG, and Face told us that's when fans started clamoring for an 'Exhale' party.
The Sunday show starts at 8 PM Eastern, and aside from a few special guests from the movie -- Babyface will also drop his first song in 5 years, "When I Get To Heaven," an ode to his late mother.
Babyface has been thinking about life and death recently ... telling us he got super scared during his bout with COVID-19, and even contemplated writing a will.
As we reported ... Babyface tested positive last month, and he says the road to recovery was difficult and frightening.
Ben Affleckdoesn't need silly things like house keys or a gate code to get into his home ... as long as he's got his limbs and agility, he'll be just fine.
Ben had to channel his inner 'Batman' -- sorry for the bad memory -- when he arrived home Thursday following a dog walk with GF Ana de Armas, only to find they were locked out... so he scaled the security fence and saved the day.
Check out the gallery ... it's not every day you see a huge celeb breaking into his own home.
Ben shimmied up the gate with relative ease, then hopped down on the other side and stuck the landing like a Russian gymnast. Ta-da!!!
Next thing you know, Ben's opening the door from the inside like a gentleman, and whisking Ana and the pups back inside.
Dr. Phil may be a famous psychologist, but he's also one of the most accomplished jury consultants in America, and he's worried the court system could collapse in the wake of coronavirus, and judges may be dismissing all sorts of cases.
Phil appeared on "TMZ Live" Thursday and he didn't mince words ... the courts are going to be in a major crisis once things start rolling back to normal. For starters, we all have a constitutional right to be judged by a jury of our peers, so how exactly will that work with 12 jurors in a jury box with no room for social distancing?
The figures are daunting. Dr. Phil notes there are upwards of 150,000 jury trials in America every year -- many of them criminal cases -- and if the courts can't figure out how to impanel a jury, lawyers for a lot of these defendants may request they just simply go free.
Phil raises another alarming point ... there are lots of people in jail right now awaiting trial, and a disproportionate number of them are minorities. A lot of inmates don't have the money to bail out, so they sit in breeding grounds for the virus. For some, it's effectively capital punishment.
In case you don't remember ... Phil was Oprah's jury consultant when she was sued by the beef industry and he won that case for her in spectacular fashion. O was so impressed she put him on her show, and as they say, the rest ...
Guy Fieri knows better than anyone that restaurant workers are the lifeblood of that industry, so he immediately sprung into action to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The official Mayor of Flavortown joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and explain how he quickly managed to get $20 million into a relief fund. Guy says he partnered up with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ... and they launched the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
Pretty incredible what he's done in less than 2 months. As Guy told us, he had no problem getting on the phone to some major corporations involved in hospitality and food services.
He says they've already awarded more than 40,000 grants -- worth $500 each -- to workers facing extraordinary hardship due to the pandemic. Anyone who wants to donate to the cause or apply for a one-time grant can go here.
We also asked Guy how the industry can survive under our "new normal" of social distancing. He said it's gonna be tough, but it can be done ... for a certain type of restaurant.
Moments before Ahmaud Arbery was shot, someone called 911, claiming they'd seen the young man running down the street after allegedly looking into a house under construction.
It's unclear who the male caller is, but he said he was watching a black male in a white t-shirt looking into the home. The caller claimed, "He's been caught on camera a bunch before at night. It's kind of an ongoing thing out here."
There had allegedly been a series of break-ins in the Brunswick, GA neighborhood prior to the February 23 shooting. The caller said, "He's running right now. There he goes right now" ... and the 911 dispatcher said she was sending police to the scene.
A second call was made to 911, apparently by Gregory McMichael ... the father of Travis McMichael, the man who confronted Ahmaud with a shotgun. The elder McMichael was out of breath during the call, and told the operator there was a "black male running down the street."
Gregory then yelled, apparently to his son, "Stop that damn it, stop! Travis!!"
It's unclear if the second call was made before or after the fatal shots that took 25-year-old Ahmaud's life.
As we reported, video of the incident shows the McMichaels in a white pickup truck blocking the road down which Ahmaud was running. That's what led to the confrontation and a brief wrestling match between Travis and Ahmaud. Seconds later, at least 2 shots were fired and Ahmaud fell to the ground. He died from the gunshot wounds.
The Arbery family attorney, Lee Merritt, told us a third man was involved in chasing down Ahmaud -- he says the person recording the video was trailing the chase in his own vehicle ... allegedly to block Ahmaud from escaping.
Neither of the McMichaels have been arrested or charged in Ahmaud's death. The release of the video this week has sparked national outrage and demonstrations.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is taking over the case from local police. Merritt told us he wants the Glynn County D.A. to issue arrest warrants immediately ... rather than kicking it up for a grand jury to decide.
6:29 PM PT -- 5/8 -- A law enforcement source tells us the whole incident started after the woman was told by a Walmart employee to put on a face mask. The woman allegedly refused and a verbal spat started ... the officer then got involved after things got heated and took the woman down when she started to resist.
An off-duty Birmingham, AL cop working security at a Walmart is under investigation after body-slamming a customer for allegedly refusing to wear a face mask.
The incident went down Tuesday, and the video starts with the security guard struggling to detain the woman. Moments later eventually he lifted her from under her legs and slammed her to the ground.
A nearby woman, also not wearing a face covering, was pissed and shouted at the security guard for slamming her friend's head on the ground.
The video, posted online, prompted Birmingham PD to launch an investigation into the use of force.
For what it's worth ... Alabama's stay-at-home order only recommends -- not requires -- residents to wear face coverings while out in public. We called the store, who said they do require shoppers to wear face coverings inside.
A Birmingham PD spokesman said, "Our records indicate we have not issued any citations or made arrests as it relates to the shelter in place ordinance or the face covering ordinance. We have made a valiant effort to gain voluntary compliance and we will continue to work cohesively with the community."
"The tournament had to be in Florida after Tom's [breaking and entering] arrest. With the ankle monitor, he couldn't leave the state."
Peyton Manning just ROASTED Tom Bradyover his bungled April visit to Byron Leftwich's house ... and seriously, the clip is the funniest thing you'll see all day!!
Manning, Brady, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsonall joined Ernie Johnson on Thursday to preview their charity golf match set for May 24 in Hobe Sound, Fla. ... and it didn't take long for the zingers to start flying.
Brady hit Manning with a joke about Archie Manning ... saying, "I actually thought I was going to be Tiger's partner. But then Peyton's dad called and switched the teams."
Funny, right!?!
Manning laughed ... and then dropped a HAMMER on the NFL's G.O.A.T. in return -- deciding to bust Brady's balls for accidentally barging into a Tampa resident's home last month!!
"Tiger and I talked to the sheriff in Tampa," Manning said, "[Tom's] going to be allowed to go to Palm Beach to play."
Of course, Brady took the ribbing in stride ... he cracked up over the jokes -- and even wrote on social media after, "Sorry not sorry..."
Can you believe we'll get hours of this on a golf course in less than three weeks?!?!
Lily Allen seems like she's officially off the market ... because it looks like she's engaged to David Harbour, and she's got the rock to prove it.
Lily stoked engagement rumors once again Thursday, posting a sultry snap to her social media and bragging about her physique ... but a closer look reveals what appears to be an engagement ring, and yes it's on THAT finger.
One of Lily's 1.2 million eagle-eyed Instagram followers straight-up asked her in the comments if she's indeed wearing an engagement ring, and Lily's answer was telling ... she replied, "First rule of engagement club...."
So, there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth.
The Grammy-nominated singer and "Stranger Things" star are notoriously private about their relationship ... the couple only officially announced they were an item earlier this year after months of dating.
We reached out to reps for both Lily and David to confirm their engagement ... so far, no word back.
But, Lily's picture and comment kinda speak for themselves.
President Trump's personal valet has tested positive for coronavirus, and even though Trump has tested negative, doctors tell TMZ that doesn't mean he's virus-free ... and if he does have it he could have exposed many others.
The valet -- a member of the US Navy dedicated to working at the White House -- had COVID-19 symptoms Wednesday morning, and his test came back positive for the virus.
Trump was reportedly informed about the situation afterward and not happy about it, and CNN says the news is "hitting the fan" in the President's administration.
According to the White House ... both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence "have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."
Here's the problem ... several doctors, including an ER physician who treats COVID patients in the ICU unit of a major L.A. hospital, say someone exposed to the virus one day may test negative the next day, even if they have the virus. The ER doc says his unit will admit people suspected of having coronavirus, and even if they test negative they will be retested for 7 days.
The reason ... the virus needs time to absorb into the body before a test will reveal the person is positive. However, that person could transmit the virus to others even if they haven't tested positive yet.
As you know ... Trump went to Arizona Tuesday and did NOT wear a mask, so if he were to have the virus he could have infected others.
An ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith -- who went to prison for threatening her and assaulting her neighbor -- has been killed in a shooting ... TMZ has learned.
Mark Hatten died Sunday after an incident with another man in Greeleyville, South Carolina turned deadly. It's currently unclear what led up to the shooting.
Hatten, reportedly known as 'Hollywood' in Greeleyville, did have a Hollywood past with Anna Nicole ... but it didn't end well.
According to the famous late Playmate's testimony in 2002, she began dating Hatten in early 2000 and the 2 had a sexual relationship until June 2000, when he allegedly confronted her with a knife in the bedroom of her home.
She broke up with him, but Smith claimed he continued to stalk and threaten her for nearly 2 years afterward. In March 2002, he showed up at her home and assaulted her neighbor when the man asked Hatten to leave.
He stood trial and was found guilty of making criminal threats against Smith and attacking her neighbor. He was sentenced to nearly 7 years in prison.
NFL star Earl Thomas is lucky to be alive after cops say his wife held a loaded gun less than a foot from his head ... after she allegedly caught him cheating with another woman.
It's all spelled out in court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... detailing a violent April 13 altercation involving the Baltimore Ravens player, Nina Thomas and several other people.
The Austin Police Dept. responded to a home in the Austin, Texas area at 3:41 AM after getting a call about a disturbance.
When cops arrived, they say "we observed that a black female wearing an orange sweater with a knife in her hand, later identified as Nina Thomas, was chasing a shirtless black male, later identified as Earl Thomas, with a pistol in his hand around a vehicle."
Cops drew their weapons and ordered both Nina and Earl to the ground -- and they complied without incident. That's when the investigation began and things got WILD.
Here's Nina's story, according to court docs ...
Nina claims Earl, 30, left their home earlier in the day after an argument over the NFL player's drinking. She claims Earl's brother, Seth Thomas, picked him up.
But, a short time later, she decided to check on his whereabouts by logging into his Snapchat account -- and that's when she says she found video of Earl with another woman.
Nina says she used Earl's Snapchat account to track his location to a nearby Airbnb rental home ... and says she called up two other women to help her confront Earl at the pad. Nina also claims she grabbed Earl's pistol, a 9mm Berreta, in the process with the intention to "scare him."
When the women arrived at the house, they "discovered Earl and Seth naked in bed with other women."
That's when Nina admits she pulled out the gun and put it to Earl's head -- stating "that she took out the magazine thinking that the gun could not fire." But, cops say Nina was "unaware that the gun had a round in the chamber."
Cops say one of the women in the house shot cell phone video of the incident ... which they say shows Nina pointing the gun at Earl's head "from less than a foot away and it can clearly be seen that Nina's finger was on the trigger and the safety is disengaged."
Fortunately for Earl, cops say the Ravens defensive back was able to wrestle the gun away from her.
Cops say the cell phone video also shows Nina striking Earl in the nose before it ends.
Cops also spoke with Earl, who essentially corroborated the story ... adding that Nina repeatedly hit him while he attempted to take the firearm away.
In an interview with Earl's alleged mistress at the scene, she claimed Nina also threatened her and the other woman in the house -- pointing the gun at them and yelling "I got something for all you hoes!"
The woman claims one of Nina's other friends was carrying a knife and swinging it aggressively during the altercation as well.
After speaking with everyone, cops ultimately arrested Nina and both members of her posse. Nina was booked for burglary of a residence with intent to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon -- family violence, and later bonded out.
Earl was NOT arrested.
Court records show Nina was also hit with an emergency protective order ... requiring her to stay 200 yards away from Earl and his alleged mistress.
Earl is one of the best defensive players in the NFL -- he's a 7-time Pro Bowl defensive back who won Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
When contacted by TMZ Sports, Nina's attorney, Jonathan Goins, told us, "I am here to declare that my client unequivocally and categorically denies these allegations and we look forward to our day in court where we can clear her good name."
We also reached out to Earl Thomas for comment before we published the story -- and he released a statement on social media.
"Instead of talking about us, just keep us in y'all prayers," Thomas says. "Stuff like this happens. We try to live the best lives we possibly can. Sometimes it doesn't go as planned."
Okay, so maybe murder hornets aren't THAT dangerous ... or maybe it's praying mantises we should truly be worried about. Either way -- nature is damn scary!!!
Here's video of an apparent Asian giant hornet (aka murder hornet) going head-to-head with a mantis and losing its head ... as the greenish-brown beast quickly strikes, kills and starts chomping away.
The years-old video has resurfaced online on the heels of the alarming news that deadly "murder hornets" have arrived in the U.S. and were first spotted in Washington state this past fall.
As we reported ... these giant Asian hornets are a threat to the bee population, as they tear up entire colonies by decapitating them and feeding the bodies to their young. Oh, and this is what one of them did to a mouse.
They also can kill humans with their venom -- reportedly up to 50 people a year die from their stings -- so it's easy to understand why folks are freaking out about them ... even if the executioner wasp is more dangerous.
Little did we know, we just need to sic praying mantises on their asses.
8:41 AM PT -- The shooting victim has been identified as 21-year-old Sean Reed. The shooting sparked outrage and protests Thursday attended by more than 100 community activists and organizers. Comedian Mike Epps, who is from Indianapolis, also chimed in on the fatal shooting calling on the cops to be punished. He added, "We gotta stop giving them an opportunity to kill us. They’re killing us because [they're] watching us kill us.
6:21 PM PT -- The shooting victim is dead ... according to local news reports. Police reportedly claim they used a stun gun on the man before the fatal shooting.
UPDATE
5:58 PM PT -- According to the police scanner, cops were in pursuit of a vehicle around 6 PM and the car chase lasted for about 10 minutes before officers called it off.
UPDATE
A few minutes later, an officer reported seeing the driver of the vehicle from the pursuit running near the intersection from the video. An officer later said there was a shooting and the subject from the chase was down.
A man running from cops was gunned down by police after bailing from a car ... and the officer-involved shooting was captured on the dude's live stream.
The wild scene unfolded Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis ... and the video picks up with the man behind the wheel of a car, calling out the street he was on ... and pleading for someone to "come get my stupid ass." All of this as he live streamed from a phone.
After bailing from the car, he started running on foot. It sounds like someone yelled, "Stop, stop." Then you clearly hear him respond, "F**k you" ... and then a flurry of gunshots rang out as the man fell to the ground. The phone's camera came to rest pointed up toward the sky ... and continued streaming.
That was followed by tons of police sirens and someone screaming, "Oh my God!"
Indianapolis police confirm there was an officer-involved shooting at the intersection the man yelled out on the video. It's unclear if the man was armed or why he was even on the run. Police say no officers were injured.
Much of the video is shaky and there's no perspective as to what was happening around him, but police say they're investigating what led up to the gunfire.
8:20 AM PT -- Brian's son, Michael, tells TMZ, "I feel we are all put in this world for a reason. The passion for music was my father’s, and I am so happy that his legacy will live on.”
UPDATE
We're told when paramedics first got to Howe, they had a brief conversation with him, but he slipped away soon after.
Brian Anthony Howe, the former lead vocalist for Bad Company, has died ... TMZ has learned.
Howe passed away Wednesday at his home in Florida. One of his relatives told TMZ ... Howe died from cardiac arrest ... possibly on his way to the hospital. He had heart issues ... the singer had a heart attack in 2017.
The 66-year-old singer's career launched when he worked on Ted Nugent's 1984 "Penetrator" album.
Howe replaced Paul Rodgers as the lead vocalist for Bad Company. Howe, who was also a songwriter, handled most of the writing for the album, "Holy Water," back in 1990 ... it made the top 40 and attained platinum status. It was the most successful album for the group, helped along by the hit song, "If You Needed Somebody."
The group's last album for Howe was in 1992 ... "Here Comes Trouble." The album went gold with a top 40 hit, "How About That." Howe left the group in 1994.
Howe went on to have a solo career, but it never reached the level of Bad Company.
Howe was 66.
He is survived by his sister Sandie and her husband, his son Michael and daughters Victoria & Ella, along with 3 grandchildren Kira, Alexandria, and Aurora.
