TMZ.com Home

11:34 AM PT -- Michael Avenatti has waded into the Jussie Smollett drama down in Chicago, saying he almost got directly involved when the case was at its peak in February. Avenatti explains -- in a statement he posted and then deleted from Twitter -- that counsel for the Osundairo brothers reached out to him to see if he could potentially help 'em out.

Avenatti says he ultimately declined, but along the way ... he says he reached out to Kim Foxx to give her a heads-up about his possible involvement as a courtesy. He insists there's nothing improper about this, as he claims it's routine.

There's more -- Avenatti goes on to slam R. Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, saying SG is trying to muck up the Kelly case by personally attacking Avenatti over his own legal woes. What's more, Avenatti says Greenberg is "attempting to create a smokescreen to distract away from the mountain of evidence" Avenatti claims the Cook County State Attorney has against the singer to prove he abused underage girls.

Avenatti says the evidence will speak for itself, adding that he hopes Kim Foxx and co. will bring justice to Kelly's alleged victims. He goes further in praising her, saying she and her staff are "extremely professional, unbiased and focused on the delivery of justice."

It's almost a word-for-word counter to Greenberg's claim that Foxx's office is barely functioning in chaos in the ongoing fallout of the since-dismissed Jussie case.

R. Kelly's legal team thinks Kim Foxx calling the singer a "pedophile" before he's even been given a fair trial is a clear look into how her office is run ... totally dysfunctional.

Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells TMZ ... Foxx's texts to a fellow staffer -- in which she implicitly referred to his client as a pedo in comparing his case to Jussie Smollett's -- was outrageous, considering Kelly hasn't been convicted of any such crime.

Greenberg says Foxx is letting her personal biases color the way she characterizes Kelly's case -- which she implied was a way bigger deal than Jussie's in her correspondence that was made public Tuesday.

As we reported ... Foxx called Jussie a "washed up celeb" who'd been slapped with 16 felony counts, while going on to indirectly compare that to R. Kelly only getting charged with 10 counts ... saying there was a discrepancy there as far as priorities go.

Of course, her office ultimately dropped all the charges against Jussie.

Greenberg tells us that the fact that Foxx is even having these types of conversations with her staff in this manner paints a larger picture about the Cook County State Attorney's Office ... he calls it "dysfunctional and chaotic." He also thinks Foxx lacks objectivity.

That said, Greenberg says he isn't calling for Foxx to be removed from the Kelly case just yet. He tells us there's evidence and discovery he wants to get his hands on first before doing anything.

Greenberg adds ... once he and his team get everything they need, they'll make a decision on what to ask as far as Foxx's involvement is concerned.

Tommie Lee's past is coming back to bite her ... because prosecutors say her lengthy rap sheet means she's ineligible to enter a mental health program -- which would have spared from time behind bars.

We broke the story ... the 'Love & Hip Hop' star submitted a petition in her child abuse case to allow her to get treatment for a serious mental illness, which she claimed she was diagnosed with around the same time she was charged with child abuse in Georgia.

Tommie got her answer -- no can do.

According to a new legal doc obtained by TMZ ... the Assistant District Attorney determined Lee's criminal history and background -- along with other evidence, facts and allegations -- "make her an inappropriate candidate for an accountability court."

As we reported ... Tommie was indicted in January on multiple child abuse charges for allegedly assaulting her middle school-aged daughter. She's facing 7 charges, and since she's been shut down for the mental health program -- she could get up to 54 years in prison, if convicted.

Lee was arrested twice before in connection to this case -- once for the alleged assault in October, and again less than 24 hours later for violating a court order to stay away from her kid.

She was also tossed back in jail in March for showing up drunk for a hearing in the case.

As for her mental health issues ... Tommie told our Raquel Harper she's bipolar in a 2016 episode of "Raq Rants."

Nipsey Hussle was in the middle of some big plans to give back to his Crenshaw neighborhood with his own foundation ... and now that baton is being passed to his relatives.

Sources close to Nip's family tell TMZ ... he was in the process of creating a foundation designed to improve the quality of life in his community -- primarily for young people -- and he started laying the groundwork long before his murder.

Nipsey's vision for his foundation looked something like this: Working with schools to rebuild playgrounds, helping improve public parks in Crenshaw and moving forward with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs for students.

Turns out, Nip had already started some of this work. L.A. City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson tells TMZ, the rapper donated shoes to kids at 59th Street Elementary, and also repaved the basketball courts there.

We're told Nipsey had a total of 14 businesses, but his family is making the foundation their top priority. One of the first things they'll be addressing is naming the foundation.

As you know, Nipsey loved giving back to his community ... he opened his Marathon Clothing store at the intersection of Slauson and Crenshaw, seeing an opportunity to invest in his hood and give people jobs.

Plus, he was heavily involved in Destination Crenshaw -- a beautification project to turn a 1.3 mile stretch of Crenshaw Blvd. into an open-air art museum. We're told his family intends to keep contributing to that project.

As we reported ... Nipsey also had a meeting scheduled -- sadly, the day after his murder -- with L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff to help prevent gang violence.

Ivanka Trump's doing her best to blend in with locals in Ethiopia, and that means busting out her best dance moves -- and, so far, the locals seem impressed! Or, maybe they're just being polite.

Ivanka touched down in the East African nation Monday and during a reception, she didn't hesitate to get loose on the floor -- putting her hips, shoulders and arms into it as she danced with one energetic guy -- and, at least, seemed to be having a great time.

President Trump's senior adviser, and daughter, is on a 4-day trip to Africa -- hitting Ivory Coast as well as Ethiopia -- to promote a global women's project for economic development. While the trip got off to a fun start ...you gotta wonder if her father's infamous words will come up at some point.

You'll recall, the Prez once used the term "shithole countries" to describe African nations.

P!nk ain't afraid to get down and dirty ... not when it comes to cleaning her own Hollywood star, and especially when it's for Jimmy Kimmel's cameras.

The pop singer was going to town on her star Tuesday around 7:30 PM in the middle of Hollywood ... as cameras from paps and bystanders rolled. What ya didn't know is some of those cameras were rolling for Kimmel's show. P!nk was filming at Kimmel's studio yesterday, and it appears they took the skits to the streets.

Check out the vid ... you can see P!nk -- who got her star back in February -- down on her knees wiping away with some disinfecting wipes. She also had a roll of paper towels and a scrub.

Some might call it dirty business, but in Hollywood ... it's just show business, baby.

This is Kelsey Grammer's game face -- or more like, Dr. Frasier Crane's -- because this pic seems to prove "Frasier" fans are about to get what they want ... a reboot.

Kelsey was spotted in London looking like a man on a mission while carrying what appears to be a "Frasier" script -- the binder cover has the show title and Kelsey's production company, Gramnet.

Kelsey's been teasing a reboot of arguably the most successful spin-off show in TV history since at least last summer ... but only until recently has he openly discussed new plot lines. He's previously said he wants the original cast to be part of the reboot and added major changes would come to his character.

The show lasted 11 seasons and went off the air 15 years ago ... so a ton has obviously happened. Kelsey also briefly discussed how the reboot would handle the passing of John Mahoney, Frasier's charismatic TV dad who died back in February 2018.

J Alexander, aka Miss J, is ready to throw support behind Mayor Pete Buttigieg, but wants him to know the LGBTQ community expects his in return ... on every level, with no excuses.

The "America's Next Top Model" coach was at the Strand Book Store in NYC Tuesday when he told us his thoughts on the rising star in the Democratic primary field, who happens to be openly gay.

Miss J believes Pete's got what it takes to win votes -- even from anti-gay voters -- but strongly hopes he does it by continuing to be inclusive and do work on behalf of all LGBTQ folks.

J even calls for his people to "band together" for the South Bend, Indiana mayor, because he believes if they get him in the White House ... real differences can be made.

Meanwhile, Mayor Pete got a dose of homophobia Tuesday in Iowa from a couple of protesters, including one chanting "Remember Sodom and Gomorrah!" You'll recall Pete told us he was prepared to handle these sorts of attacks during the campaign, and he did just that.

TIME Magazine just released their annual list of the 100 most influential people -- and the outlet's catching serious backlash for including a guy many have dubbed a villain ... as well as his alleged victim.

Both Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh are among TIME's 100, and lots of folks are taking issue with Justice Kavanaugh's nomination ... courtesy of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who penned Brett's relatively brief entry.

McConnell says when "unhinged partisanship and special interests sought to distract" the Senate from considering Kavanaugh's sterling record as a judge, the country "saw his resilience and commitment to public service."

His actual testimony was a bit more raucous than how Mitch characterizes it here, but either way ... people are NOT happy he's in there with Blasey Ford, who got categorized with the "Icons" of the list. Senator Kamala Harris praised her courage for coming forward with her story of sexual violence, saying she forced the country to reckon with the issue.

There were some other notable entries in the Top 100 list as well, with some stars transcending into the icons category while others were left behind as just "Artists."

Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Spike Lee are all icons now. Meanwhile, Ariana Grande, BTS, The Rock, Emilia Clarke and Glenn Close are nothing more than artists.

An ex-NFL running back is facing murder and child abuse charges in the death of a 5-year-old girl -- after officials say he killed her through rigorous exercise used to punish her.

28-year-old Cierre Wood -- a former star running back at Notre Dame -- appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom Tuesday in the death of his girlfriend's daughter, La'Rayah Davis.

Davis died on April 9 -- and prosecutors say it's because Wood forced her to complete a hellacious workout routine unsuited for a 5-year-old.

Officials say Wood claimed Davis had behavior issues -- he also described her as "chunky" -- so to punish her, Wood would force her to run wind sprints and do sit-ups and wall squats inside their apartment.

Officials say Wood admitted Davis couldn't complete a second round of sit-ups on April 9 -- and flailed backward, smacking the back of her head against the floor.

She then got up and swayed -- and then collapsed. She was pronounced dead a short time later.

Officials say Wood had a slogan for the punishment -- calling it, "Learning through fun."

The girl's mother, Amy Taylor, has also been charged with murder -- and officials say she also abused the child before her death.

Prosecutors say Taylor admits the 5-year-old was complaining of chest pains in the days before her death -- after her mother had sat on her chest and stomach to punish her for misbehaving.

Officials say Taylor also admitted to having "popped" her daughter on the day she died.

During Tuesday's hearing, the judge says photos of Davis' body show severe injuries -- and told the court, "Once you’ve seen them, you can’t ever unsee them."

The case is due back in court soon.

As for Wood, he was a stud running back in college -- rushing for 1,102 yards as a junior in 2011. He was suspended in 2012 for 2 games for violating team rules.

Wood signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2013 but never panned out.

Soulja Boy's home was burglarized a few days after he was thrown in jail for a probation violation ... and the suspects allegedly used his stolen iPhone to brag about the crime on social media.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a caretaker for Soulja Boy's Agoura Hills home called police Monday night to report a burglary. We're told thieves made off with tons of jewelry, cash, a phone and other personal items.

Sources close to Soulja Boy tell us the stolen jewelry is worth over $500,000 -- a mix of chains, earrings and luxury watches ... and the burglars cleaned out the safe in his room, stealing another $100,000 in cash.

We're told the thieves broke into Soulja's home shortly after we first reported the rapper was back in custody after violating his probation.

And, get this ... cops say a group of 5 men went on Soulja's IG Live bragging about the theft, and police believe these are their burglary suspects -- and they gained access to SB's Instagram through his stolen phone.

We're told the men from the video have also been reaching out to Soulja's celebrity friends ... telling them they're his new artists, claiming Soulja wants their music video posted on the celebs' IG accounts and hounding them for features.

And, because Soulja's behind bars, we're told he hasn't heard a single thing about the burglary.

Not many people know what it's like to balance parenthood with global mega-fame -- but Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake do ... and JT says it's brought them closer together.

In fact, Timberlake just wrote about his friendship with Tiger for Time Magazine -- explaining how the two got to spend some time together last year and really bonded by "talking about being fathers."

Tiger has two kids -- 10 and 11 -- and JT has a 4-year-old son.

"We bonded over the fact that we wanted our children to watch us at our best," Timberlake wrote ... noting that his 4-year-old has just "started to realize what I do."

The coolest part of Justin's story -- Timberlake says in 2018 Tiger told him one of his biggest life goals was to win a major in front of his kids.

Fast forward to April 14 in Augusta ... Tiger wins The Masters and his kids are RIGHT THERE to give him a big 'ol hug.

Timberlake says he couldn't have been happier for his friend -- "What a dream come true."

"All the work he did when people weren't watching allowed him to hug his children on that same hallowed ground he hugged his father 22 years ago, amid all the adulation, a Masters champion once again."

Justin and Tiger have known each other for years and have golfed together a bunch of times.

Tiger has gone on the record praising JT's golf game -- saying the guy has a "beautiful swing" ... but needs to work on his short game if he REALLY wants to get to the next level.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't buying what prosecutors are selling when it comes to the video police secretly recorded inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa -- and ultimately it could determine if the video is ever released to the public.

Kraft filed a request for prosecutors to hand over all evidence about the "number of individuals who were recorded on video in the massage rooms while receiving lawful massages or were not charged."

Translation: How many innocents were caught in the crossfire during the 5 days cops continuously recorded video inside all the rooms at the spa?

Well, in docs obtained by TMZ, the prosecutors say Jupiter PD recorded 2 men and 2 women on January 20 and 21 who received "lawful massages."

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors and Jupiter PD are now being sued by one man who says he was recorded in the spa, but did not engage in any sexual activity while there. He believes his civil rights were violated, and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, tells us his client isn't the only one. Tacopina says he's spoken to 17 people who went to the spa on the up and up during the time cops were recording.

Kraft's legal team also seems to think prosecutors are lowballing the number of people recorded getting legit massages. They're now demanding the state reveal how many people were recorded but "were not charged."

Action Bronson's show got way too lit -- by a strobe light -- which damn near blinded him mid-set ... sending him to the hospital.

The Queens, NY rapper was performing at the Algonquin Commons Theatre up in Ottawa, Canada Monday night when he was blasted in the face by the bright flashing lights.

Check it out ... Bronson immediately puts his hand over his eyes and stumbles back while Meyhem Lauren keeps rapping. He eventually walks off the stage, still looking disoriented.

Action returned for another song but told the crowd he was seeing stars and had to get checked out. A concertgoer tells TMZ the rapper left and didn't come back ... and an announcement was made that he had to leave to receive medical attention.

AB posted about the incident, explaining he couldn't finish the show because he was "blinded and disoriented," but doing better now.

He added about the strobe lights ... "Those things need to never be near me again it was almost really bad. Be careful."

His next gig's Saturday at the National Cannabis Festival at RFK Stadium in D.C. ... hopefully the lighting operator takes it easy on Action's eyes.

Zedd and Olivia Culpo are THIS close to setting off the "New Couple Alert" ... 'cause they sure looked like a couple of crazy kids very much into each other after getting all cozy at Coachella!!!

We're told the famous Russian-German DJ and the former Miss Universe were cuddling in the artist area during Ariana Grande's set at Coachella. Check out the vid ... it appears Zedd had his arms around Olivia as Grande performed "God is a woman."

Witnesses tell us they were together for the whole set. His arms were around her as they swayed together. She would lean her head back on his chest ... the universal code for "I'm into you."

And, get this ... Zedd had a performance scheduled a few hours before Ariana's. When he went onstage ... guess who was backstage? Yup ... Olivia and her hot friends. But, here's what else is interesting ... this fling seems to come just days after Olivia was spotted with another star ... NHL's Aaron Varos.

Olivia and the New York Rangers star were on a double date just last week at Soho Hollywood. They were hanging with her best friend Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe. So, ya gotta wonder ... was Olivia's date with Varos a one-off and is Zedd more her jam???

Whatever the case ... one thing that seems certain -- Danny Amendola's in her rear-view mirror.

John Daly tells TMZ Sports he KNOWS Tiger Woods is gonna break Jack Nicklaus' all-time major championships record ... saying, straight-up, it's fate.

"I not only think, I know he will," Daly tells us ... "It's just destiny."

Daly says like the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the Boston Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino ... it's just bound to happen that Tiger passes Jack's 18 majors mark.

Of course, Tiger is only 3 shy of tying that record after his legendary Masters performance this past weekend ... but some are still wondering if Tiger can repeat that feat FOUR more times.

Daly certainly thinks so, saying, "I never thought he was gone ... I still feel like he's going to win Nicklaus' records and I've always believed in him."

As for if Tiger's historic comeback has Daly envisioning a comeback of his own ... John says not right now -- saying his knee is still pretty messed up after recent surgery.

By the way, Daly also tells us he has no issues with Donald Trump giving Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- saying, "Tiger definitely deserves it."

Park Overall is best-known for playing wise-cracking country nurse Laverne Todd -- opposite Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston -- on the NBC "Golden Girls" spinoff "Empty Nest" that spanned the television airways from 1988-1995.

Park Overall went on to play Lori Ann in the southern TV show "Reba."

Overall also made headlines back in 2012 after she entered the Democratic primary against Bob Corker with a focus on women's issues and the environment but was ultimately defeated in August of 2012.