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American rock singer and songwriter David Cook was 25 years old when he was crowned as the "American Idol" winner of season 7 back in 2008.

Cook's musical talents took him all the way, but his runner-up David Archuleta definitely put up a fight and Syesha Mercado was not too far behind with her exceptional musical chops!

While America had the ultimate say on Cook's big win, judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson did not hold back from putting in their two cents and helping guide the singer to the finish line.

Saved by the bell big comfy chair!!!

Mike Tyson is SUPER fortunate his podcast setup is surrounded by fluffy furniture ... 'cause he was nearly KO'ed after jumping on a skateboard with Tony Hawk, but, fortunately, he landed safely on a chair instead.

Iron Mike just posted footage of the almost-disastrous scene ... showing him playing around with Hawk while filming another episode of "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson."

Hawk appeared to be trying to teach the boxing legend how to skate -- and when the 56-year-old jumped on the board, Tony cheered!

The problem? Tyson couldn't quite dismount properly ... and almost ate it!

Thankfully, after knocking into a wooden chair and a makeshift wall, he parked onto a seat cushion ... and acted like nothing happened.

Of course, Tyson is no stranger to bustin' his ass on boards ... back in 2015, he fell so hard off a hoverboard, he had to be on bed rest for a week.

Tyson poked fun at it all in a caption on the vid, writing, "Lucky that chair was there or it would have been a repeat of the hoverboard scare."

Johnny Depp wants total victory over Amber Heard, and he's just filed an appeal trying to get it ... claiming the jury got it wrong when it ruled in favor of his ex-wife on a single count of defamation.

You'll recall, Johnny was the big winner, by far, when the jury came back in their landmark trial, saying Amber had defamed him and had to cough up $10.35 million dollars -- but it also ruled Amber was defamed, and awarded her $2 mil.

In docs filed Wednesday in the Virginia Court of Appeals, Johnny says the jury had erroneously ruled in favor of Amber ... when it said one of Johnny's attorneys, Adam Waldman, defamed Amber by telling a media outlet she had lied while describing a blowout fight that ended their marriage.

Waldman said, "So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."

In the appeal, Johnny makes the point that his lawyer said that, not him, and he shouldn't be held responsible for Waldman's remarks. He also says Amber's team failed to prove Waldman made those comments with malice ... a requirement to win a defamation claim.

Johnny wants the court to overturn the jury on that single count. Remember, Amber has also filed an appeal of the counts she lost.

So, scoreboard review: Amber's $10.35 mil check to Johnny is on hold and, likewise, his $2 mil check to her is on hold.

The family of Gabby Petito is taking the Moab City Police Department to court, filing a wrongful death suit, claiming officers could've saved her life in the weeks leading up to her death.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, say Moab PD failed to protect Gabby when police investigated the reported domestic violence incident roughly 2 weeks before she was killed by Brian Laundrie.

You'll recall, officers interviewed Gabby and Brian on the side of the road with one officer acknowledging she was crying uncontrollably and had cuts on her face and arm.

Still, Brian told officers Gabby had just been under distress -- and officers simply separated them for the day.

The suit claims police didn't probe hard enough on Brian's side of the story ... and even claims the officers treated Brian as if he were the victim, rather than the perpetrator, of domestic violence.

In the family's eyes -- all signs pointed to Brian, and they say the cops "egregiously misinterpreted" the situation.

Her family also calls out the department for failing to train its cops for situations like this -- characterizing this case as a "vehicle for systemic change and a reckoning about how the police enforce the State's domestic abuse laws." They are seeking $50 million in damages.

The city of Moab tells TMZ ... "We feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and the painful loss they have endured. At the same time, it is clear that Moab City Police Department officers are not responsible for Gabrielle Petito’s eventual murder."

The city says it will defend itself against the suit.

Jay-Z and Jeff Bezos, two of the most successful men in America, are interested in buying the Washington Commanders, in light of owner Dan Snyder's interest in selling the NFL team, sources tell TMZ Sports.

And, we're told a partnership between the men is on the table.

On Wednesday, the team issued a statement announcing Snyder hired a major bank to investigate a possible opportunity to sell the team ... but made it clear he hadn't yet made a final decision.

Still, the move provided hope to droves of Washington football fans ... who after controversy after controversy and endless losing have long wished Snyder would sell.

We're told Jay, worth an estimated $1.3 billion by Forbes, has expressed serious interest in acquiring the team ... valued at $5.6 billion this summer.

Despite the rap legend and businessman's incredible fortune, we're told he'd look for a strategic partner.

Bezos, one of the world's richest people ($114 billion net worth), is also interested in the team.

Bezos has ties to the area ... he owns the Washington Post newspaper.

Amazon also owns Prime Video ... which recently inked a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to broadcast Thursday Night Football.

Jay-Z is in business with the NFL ... signing a partnership deal in 2019 which gave Hov power over the halftime show, as well as social justice initiatives.

He also previously owned an NBA team, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets ... before being forced to sell when he opened his sports and marketing agency, Roc Nation Sports, over a potential conflict of interest.

Byron Allen and Robert Griffin III, amongst many more, have also expressed interest in the team.

There's no shortage of suitors, but topping Bezos and Jay-Z would be a monumental task.

There's apparently a cocaine problem amongst employees working on a new Denzel Washington movie ... two caterers working on set were arrested after cops in Italy say they seized a bunch of coke following a man's death.

Italian paramilitary police say they seized 120 grams of cocaine during a Tuesday afternoon raid at a hotel on the Amalfi coast, near where Denzel and Dakota Fanning are filming "The Equalizer 3."

Cops say the drug bust was in response to the sudden death of the movie production's head of catering, a 55-year-old man who reportedly collapsed leaving a bar and died of a heart attack. Police say they found several bags of cocaine in the man's pockets, leading to suspicion of more drugs on the 'Equalizer' set.

A couple of catering workers from Italy were placed under house arrest on suspicion of drug dealing after cops say they seized cocaine from their hotel room during Tuesday's raid. They were reportedly detained by police away from the movie set.

And, get this ... a different caterer was allegedly in possession of a small amount of cocaine, reportedly for personal use.

Italian police say they also searched for drugs at a local port, which is serving as the main staging area for the movie Antoine Fuqua is directing ... but the sweep didn't turn up any cocaine.

There were two other people shot in the gunfire that killed Takeoff -- and one of those people is Quavo's assistant -- TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Joshua "Wash" Washington is the 23-year-old male who was shot and rushed to a local hospital by someone at the scene in the minutes following the melee ... cops described his injuries as non-life threatening.

Wash has been close with Quavo for years, and describes himself as Quavo's assistant and part of operations management at Huncho Records on his social media profile.

As we reported, there was also a 24-year-old female who was shot ... she was also taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

While the shooter (or shooters) have yet to be publicly named, the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office says Takeoff was shot in both the head and torso early Monday morning.

In video obtained by TMZ from the scene, you can see Quavo in an argument and then start to walk away as shots ring out. There's also video showing one man holding a gun to his side ... police have named that man as a person of interest in Takeoff's death.

Jeff Bezos is going to court because one of his former housekeepers claims he racially discriminated against her, and forced her to work under conditions so bad ... just going to the bathroom was a nightmare.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mercedes Wedaa says Bezos' team allegedly treated her and other Hispanic cleaning staff members much differently compared to the white employees ... claiming his household manager was "aggressive and abusive" to her, while being "respectful and polite" to the white staff.

Wedaa, who began working at Bezos' Seattle mansion back in 2019, claims she would often work 10-14 hour shifts, but was unable to take a break while Bezos and his family were on-property.

She claims she wasn't allowed to enter the home unless actively cleaning ... which is where going to the bathroom became a major issue.

According to the docs, Wedaa and other housekeepers "were forced to climb out of the laundry room window to the outside. Then run along the path to the mechanical room, through the mechanical room and downstairs to a bathroom.”

Wedaa's now seeking damages from Bezos and 2 companies that manage his properties.

Bezos' attorney, Harry Korrell, tells TMZ, "We have investigated the claims, and they lack merit. Ms. Wedaa made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper. She was responsible for her own break and meal times, and there were several bathrooms and breakrooms available to her and other staff."

He continues, "The evidence will show that Ms. Wedaa was terminated for performance reasons. She initially demanded over $9M, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit. Given their backgrounds, the suggestion that Mr. Bezos, Ms. Sanchez, or Northwestern LLC discriminated against Ms. Wedaa based on her race or national origin is absurd."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is unleashing on Kyrie Irving ... saying the Brooklyn Nets star's attempted mea culpa for sharing a link to a movie laden with antisemitic beliefs was a complete disappointment.

The commish addressed the controversy in a statement on Thursday ... and he didn't hold back.

"Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material," Silver -- who is Jewish -- said.

"While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize."

As we previously reported, Kyrie made a $500k donation to "eradicate hate" on Wednesday ... but stopped short of completely denouncing the contents of the "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" project.

"I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles," Irving said in the statement ... but did not clarify what parts he was distancing himself from.

NFL Hall of Famer Ray Guy -- the most legendary punter of all time -- has passed away. He was 73 years old.

Guy became the first pure punter to ever be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft ... going 23rd overall to the Oakland Raiders in 1973 after a stellar career at the University of Southern Mississippi.

He went on to win three Super Bowls with the Raiders in 1977, 1981 and 1984.

Guy's résumé is as good as it gets -- he was a 6-time first-team All-Pro selection, 2-time second-team All-Pro, 7-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL's 75th and 100th Anniversary teams.

Guy was famous for his long-hanging punts ... which allowed the Raiders to run downfield in coverage before opposing teams were able to get off a return.

The Ray Guy Award -- named after the icon -- is presented to the best punter in college football every year.

Guy was enshrined in Canton in 2014 -- the first punter to receive the honor. During his speech, he famously said, "Now the Hall of Fame has a complete team."

Johnny Depp is a wanted man in just about every lane Hollywood has to offer these days, and he's about to make a guest appearance in a huge show -- orchestrated by Rihanna!

No, Depp won't be shredding his guitar with RiRi at the Super Bowl ... but production sources tell us he'll be a featured surprise guest in her Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show.

We're told JD won't be walking the runway, instead, he's going to be a focus of one of the show's "star" moments -- which has included the likes of Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu in the past. Depp -- who will wear items from the men's collection -- will be the first male in Savage X Fenty show history to take the role.

Our sources say Rihanna and her team invited Johnny to be a part of it, and both sides were super excited to make it happen. We're told Johnny has already filmed his part, and it'll be included in the show's premiere on Amazon Prime Video November 9.

As for how Depp will look, we're told the vibe is "cool and chic" and works for all aspects of Johnny's artistry -- music, modeling and acting.

TMZ broke the story -- it was just a couple months ago when JD made his big return to TV after the Amber Heard trial, when he appeared as the Moon Person at the VMAs. One thing's for sure ... he's been welcomed back to A-list status with open arms.

Selena Gomez is opening up even more about her struggles with bipolar disorder ... revealing she had suicidal thoughts and checked into 4 different treatment centers.

She says, "I think when I started hitting my early twenties is when it started to get really dark, when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad.”

In the Rolling Stone interview, Selena also recounts having extreme highs and lows for weeks or months, before understanding her bipolar diagnosis. At times she would have symptoms of mania like feeling the need to buy everyone in her life a car so she could share her "gift" -- but then she'd fall into a deep state of depression and not be able to get out of bed.

And in her darkest moments, she said ... “I thought the world would be better if I wasn’t there." After a 2018 episode, she says she ended up on a ton of meds, which helped her psychosis, but made her feel unlike herself.

She also touched on all the fan-stirred drama, where fans accused Hailey Bieber of stealing her ex, Justin Bieber ... saying it made her feel bad about herself.

In the past, she says this kinda incident could've set her back for months ... but this time it was diffused with kindness.

You'll recall, Selena and Hailey posed with each other last month at an event -- seemingly putting the whole mess behind them.

Selena gives a deeper look into her life in her new doc "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me." It premiered Wednesday night in L.A. ... and stars such as Olivia Rodrigo, Camila Cabello and Billie Eilish were all in attendance.

The documentary is out on Apple TV+ tomorrow.

It looks like Cher has a new man in her life ... she and Amber Rose's ex, Alexander Edwards, seemed to head home together after a fun night out with his buddy, Tyga.

Cher pulled up to Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night, where AE and Tyga were waiting for her inside -- Alexander came out to escort her in, and they grabbed hands as they strolled inside.

They all bounced from Craig's a little after midnight, heading to The Nice Guy for some more fun just a mile away. Tyga got in his own ride, while AE and Cher shared one ... with him kissing her hand in the back seat.

Tyga headed into the restaurant solo ... and while photogs were all on him, he points out the obvious -- "You're gonna miss the real photo!"

Once again, AE and Cher -- and their 40-year age diff -- walk hand-in-hand to the spot ... and when the shindig was over, they left together, presumably heading to her Malibu home. What a night. 😉

The 3 amigos reportedly spent some time together at her place last week, too ... but it's unclear if these meetings are more about business or pleasure.

She was also spotted with Tyga at Paris Fashion Week at the end of September.

Khloe Kardashian is putting her foot down with Tristan Thompson when it comes to footing the bill for their daughter's lavish parties ... something she made clear on True's 4th birthday.

Khloe's approach -- basically, "thanks but no thanks," Tristan -- comes through loud and clear in the latest episode of "The Kardashians." She was throwing a huge birthday bash for their daughter when Kris pulled Khloe aside to let her know Tristan had paid for the whole party behind her back ... and KK wasn't having it.

Khloe immediately shut down the idea, and was adamant she's paying for the entire baby banger by herself.

She told her momager .. "No, he's not taking care of the whole party."

Kris actually defended Tristan, and insisted Khloe should let him pay -- but after going back and forth, Khloe said, "That's nice, but I won't let that happen."

As you know, their relationship has seen a lot of turmoil before they split.

We broke the story ... they had a baby boy via surrogate, but Khloe later found out Tristan had cheated on her again, and had gotten another woman pregnant -- all behind her back.

In recent episodes of the show, she called TT a "liar." They've since been focused on co-parenting and denied rumors about rekindling.

As for the party, he apparently had a game and couldn't attend, but Khloe still wasn't about to let him pay for the whole party.

In her confessional, she said, "I work really hard to do elaborate things for True and I don't need anyone's help."

If you've ever wanted to grab lunch with Paul Rudd, Zoom chat with Jason Sudeikis or go to work with Ben Stiller, here's your shot -- all those things are up for grabs, and all to our support veterans.

A ton of celebs are teaming up with Homes For Our Troops in honor of Veterans Day -- it's an annual online auction raising funds for injured vets, and this year's lineup is amazing.

A-list celebs like Whoopi Goldberg, Bryan Cranston and Jake Gyllenhaal are offering you a chance to link up for an online chat ... or maybe you'd prefer an in-person experience.

You could grab lunch in NYC with Rudd or Jake Tapper, or get a one-hour tennis lesson from Andy Roddick!

If memorabilia is more your thing ... bid on George Clooney's Omega luxury watch in an autographed case, Jennifer Aniston's designer Louis Vuitton bag and/or Kenny Chesney's autographed guitar. There's so much more you can peruse on their site.

The best part of this particular auction is 100% of proceeds go to Homes For Our Troops, which builds and donates custom homes for severely wounded post-9/11 veterans.

This is the 6th year of the Veterans Day Celebrity Auction -- bidding opens today and runs through November 13.

Kanye West could dig himself an even bigger hole if he tries to sell his "White Lives Matter" shirts in America ... because that phrase has already been trademarked -- and guess what? It's owned by 2 black men.

Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, hosts of the radio show Civic Cipher, legally got rights to the phrase last month ... telling CNN it's all about making sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

The trademark covers the right to sell clothing with those words displayed.

The trademark was acquired by an anonymous listener of Ramses and Quinton's racial justice show ... filing it the same day Ye wore his controversial outfit at Paris fashion week.

The listener transferred ownership over to their show a few weeks back.

Ramses and Quinton said it was a tough call to take the trademark ... but added, “Once it was clear that someone stood to gain significant profit from it, because as you’ve seen, even though (Kanye) says some really hurtful, divisive and sometimes crazy things, he has a bit of a zealot following and every time he releases something, it sells out.”