An 18-wheeler hauling toilet paper across the country crashed and went up in flames on a Texas interstate ... and reams of priceless rolls ended up as roadkill.
The crazy scene unfolded on Interstate 20 early Wednesday morning, when the driver of the tractor-trailer lost control of the rig ... flipping the truck on its side and spilling the precious cargo.
The trailer loaded with commercial TP was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
The crash created a huge traffic snarl during rush hour -- people are still apparently out on the roads in Dallas -- as crews worked to clear the smoldering wreckage. FYI ... Texas does not have a mandatory stay-at-home order.
The good news ... both the driver and his pooch were not hurt.
One of the doctors featured on the show, "Pandemic," says he may have found a cure for the coronavirus, and the military is now jumping into action to conduct tests.
Dr. Jacob Glanville, who heads up Distributed Bio, explained his antibody therapy. It's a shot that binds, neutralizes and blocks the virus from infecting human cells.
But, there's more ... Dr. Glanville says people who already have the virus could benefit in just 20 minutes, if it actually works.
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The doc says the antibodies he used were actually developed back in 2002 to stop the spread of SARS. He says his team has evolved the antibodies in the lab and claims "they very vigorously block and stop [COVID19]."
According to Dr. Glanville, the antibodies are now being sent to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Apparently the military will initially do lab tests. No immediate plans to test on humans, but you gotta think ... if it shows promise the trials will be accelerated.
Dr. Drew says the coronavirus pandemic is creating dangerous sink or swim conditions for drug addicts and alcoholics.
The danger doesn't come from the virus itself, instead, Drew tells us it's the quarantines that have people hooked on booze or substances really going through it right now. He says many are relapsing due to a lack of personal communication and a face-to-face support system they may be used to during normal times.
Dr. Drew says that spells trouble for some, especially those just starting out in their journey to sobriety. He worries that the longer this goes on, the longer they're more at risk to do harm to themselves.
On the flip side, there's another type of addict who can emerge. He says some alcoholics and addicts actually thrive in situations like these, where their adrenaline is pumping and the stakes are high.
It's interesting ... a lot of AA meetings have, in fact, moved to digital platforms -- but Drew says it's really up to the individual in how they manage this separation from people. Funny enough, he also has a take on the fact liquor stores and weed shops are still open.
They're considered essential businesses, and whether there's any merit to it or not ... Drew says there's gotta be supplemental help if you're gonna keep an addict's fix within arm's reach.
7:11 AM PT -- Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... Grosso passed away Tuesday at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California. We're told there is no obvious cause of death at the moment. An autopsy is expected to be performed.
Skateboarding legend Jeff Grosso -- one of the biggest skate stars of the '80s -- has died. He was only 51.
Thrasher Magazine's Michael Burnett confirmed the news ... saying on Tuesday, "Today we have the terrible task of saying a heartbreaking goodbye to beloved verticalist, commentator and friend of the mag, Jeff Grosso."
The details surrounding Grosso's death are unclear. We're working on it. He is survived by his 8-year-old son Oliver, who Burnett mentions in his tribute to Jeff.
"Jeff went from number-one amateur to '80s superstar to cautionary tale and back again. His latest role as lovable curmudgeon, host of his own history-packed web series and keeper of skateboarding’s righteousness, unafraid to offend or annoy in his quest to educate, was by far his greatest – second only to being Oliver’s dad."
The "cautionary tale" is a reference to Jeff's struggles with substance abuse. He talked openly about issues with pain pills and heroin. In fact, Jeff OD'd 3 times before 2017.
"He will be sorely, sorely missed. Our hearts go out to his family and many friends. RIP," Burnett said.
Jeff shot to skate stardom in the '80s and went on to host "Vans' Love Letters to Skateboarding."
Jeff was also BELOVED by skate legends like Tony Hawk -- who paid tribute to Grosso.
"Jeff was a true skateboarder at his core, and a great wealth of entertainment, insight and valuable philosophy to a younger generation. I was lucky enough to skate with him over the last four decades and occasionally featured on his Vans’ Love Letters series.”
Hawk continued ... "One of the last times we spoke, we talked about how ridiculous it is that we still get to do this for a living and that anyone even cares what we do or think in terms of skateboarding at our age."
"I believe Jeff is a big reason that anyone truly cares, and skateboarding was lucky to have him as an ambassador and gatekeeper to its history. He was also a great father, which is obvious in his last social media post. Thank you Jeff, words cannot describe how much we will miss you."
Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford have just given up a sweet deal in order to help out a couple that was buying their home ... a couple that desperately wanted to cancel the deal and get their money back ... TMZ has learned.
Rande and Cindy were selling one of the homes they own in Malibu -- not the one they live in, but a nearby property they've had for years. They made a deal with a couple from Europe for $6.5 million ... a really good price.
Thing is ... with the pandemic and travel restrictions to and from Europe, the couple reached out to Rande and Cindy and asked if they could cancel. We're told the famous couple told the buyers they were all in this together, so they canceled the deal and returned the deposit.
It's becoming a big bone of contention surrounding the pandemic ... when can someone cancel a contract due to the virus? This is not an Act of God -- that's limited to natural disasters. If anything applies, it's called force majeure -- an unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. For example, it frees people from their contracts if there are extraordinary events beyond the control of the parties, like war, strikes, riots and the plague.
There are a number of businesses that are not allowing people to exercise the force majeure clause to get out of contracts -- airlines, cruise ships, apartments ... people are having trouble.
Celebrity chef Thomas Keller from French Laundry fame is suing his insurance company to get a declaration from a judge that insurance companies must pay for the losses these businesses are suffering under the force majeure clause ... some insurance companies have resisted, arguing the reason things have tanked is because the government decided on a shutdown, and that was voluntary. Obviously, that misses the point that this is life or death. Plus, the plague has been covered by force majeure in the past, and there's really no difference between that and a deadly virus.
As for Rande and Cindy, they are really doing their part in their hometown. Rande's keeping his Malibu restaurant, Cafe Habana, open for takeout and his employees are getting paid.
Going beyond what's legally required ... that's called chipping in and doing the right thing.
Here's some good news we can all use ... Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her trusted trainer are still pumping iron despite the coronavirus shutting down gyms across much of the country. Go Ruth, go!!!
The Supreme Court Justice's personal trainer, Bryant Johnson, says his client continues to work out twice weekly inside her private gym in the Supreme Court building. As for the 'rona ... Johnson says 87-year-old Ginsburg "ain't having it" in regards to stopping. Johnson hasn't shut down at her request, and he told Law360 she's his only client right now.
They are taking the pandemic seriously, though. Johnson says they're wiping down every machine and piece of equipment they use thoroughly, and are also trying to maintain social distance between themselves as well. Sounds like it works.
Johnson says he doesn't really need to hold the notorious RBG's hand when it comes to the routine, adding that as soon as he lays a certain exercise area out ... she already recognizes it and proceeds without him having to be so close to her to explain much of anything.
Some of the exercises she does ... planks, push-ups and others.
Ruthie's famously known for getting her sweat on. Stephen Colbert documented his attempt to keep up with her recently, and it was pretty hilarious ... she was kinda out of his league and in her own world when it comes to fitness.
On another note ... it sounds like she's still working when it comes to SCOTUS biz too. Law360 notes she calls into conference chats via phone with the other robes these days.
Prince Charles says his health is on the upswing as he battles the coronavirus -- and he's feeling well enough to give the UK his version of "keep calm and carry on."
The heir to the throne made a video address to his royal subjects, saying ... "Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus, luckily with relatively mild symptoms, I now find myself on the other side of the illness but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation."
As we reported ... Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19 last week. His wife, Camilla, tested negative. She, like Charles, is in the high-risk group. Camilla is 72.
The Prince of Wales is now reportedly out of self-isolation after 7 days in Scotland at the royal Balmoral estate. Seven days is the mandate by the UK's National Health Service. In the U.S., the standard quarantine period is 14 days.
Over 1,400 people have died from the virus in the UK and Prince Charles had a message for the families of the victims ... "My wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances."
He added, "Let us try and live with hope and with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come."
Translation: Keep calm and carry on. Churchill would be proud.
This is taking coronavirus fears to the ultimate extreme -- rather than waiting until it's too late, more and more Americans are writing in-memoriam addresses ... for themselves.
As you know, standard funerals aren't happening anymore under "safer-at-home" guidelines -- and online memorial services are now the norm. Keeper, a company that allows people to create memorial pages, tells TMZ ... it's seen a big increase in people using their "Living Memorial" feature.
Might sound like a very morbid DIY, but Keeper's president, Mandy Benoualid, tells us their site lets users create a detailed chronicle of their lives -- complete with timelines, milestones, photos, and memories from loved ones.
She says the "Living Memorial" feature also lets you designate who'll be your "keeper" when you're gone. Overall, she says their site has seen a 300% increase in traffic.
GatheringUS is another online memorial site, and it's also been very busy. CEO Noha Waibsnaider says one of their newest virtual tools is seeing some love -- the video conference memorial/funeral, which is super elaborate, but tech-friendly.
Mourners log into the chat, and they're walked through the service by an MC of sorts, who mutes their mics and then tells them when it's their turn to speak. There's even a "reception" afterward, and they break guests up into "tables" -- separate video chats, basically.
GatheringUS also has memorial pages people can set up, but it sounds like their digital goodbye parties are seeing more action than online funerals.
Call this the biggest assist of the year so far for Marcus Smart ... the NBA player is donating his blood plasma after beating coronavirus to try to help others recover from the disease as well.
Some COVID-19 experts believe by taking the plasma of a person who's beaten the virus and giving it to currently infected people can help them get better.
The science, officials say, is the antibodies in the plasma can help sick people develop similar coronavirus fighters quicker as well.
The problem? Doctors say finding donors has been tough ... and the NBA, according to ESPN, has actually reached out to its teams to try to get its recovered players to participate.
Enter Smart ... whose agent confirmed Tuesday the Boston Celtics star is more than willing to give up his blood plasma for the potential cure.
Smart said on Twitter last week he was cleared by the Mass. Dept. Of Health after being diagnosed with the virus. He claimed he never once felt sick.
Smart is reportedly one of four players who have made the decision to donate after beating coronavirus already.
Pinterest users stuck at home in coronavirus quarantine have one burning question on their minds ... how in the hell are we supposed to clean our bathroom sinks?!?
Seriously ... the good folks over at Pinterest tell us website users are searching for all sorts of things, but there's been a huge spike in searches for sink cleaning tips.
Pinterest says searches for "how to clean a bathroom sink" are up a whopping 3,404% during the coronavirus pandemic. Kinda makes sense though ... folks who have relied on housekeepers, finally have to fend for themselves.
It's almost like Darwinism.
Pinterest tells us they're also seeing spikes in searches for other topics related to self-care and DIY. Check out these search engine doozies:
"Indoor beekeeping" is up 4,087%
"How to grow spinach from scraps" is up 1,043%
"Yeastless bread recipes" are up 4,400%
"Garden obstacle course kids" is up 1,850%
"Good sleep tips" are up 7,580%
"Calm during chaos quotes" are up 6,299%
Oh, and we'll leave you with this ... searches for Chrissy Teigen bread recipes have also surged an incredible 3,790%.
Just because you're stuck at home doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy celebrity eye candy!
Thankfully, Cristiano Ronaldo is the hero we all need ... posting a ripped, shirtless quarantine pic while he's essentially banned from leaving the house.
"Breathe in, breathe out. Stay active," Ronaldo posted on IG ... adding, "StayHomeSaveLives."
To his credit, Ronaldo has been using his platforms to encourage people to be SAFE during the COVID-19 pandemic ... posting numerous times on social media to urge his fans to stay home.
Just 24 hours ago, Ronaldo said, "In this difficult moment for the whole world, let’s be thankful for the things that matter - our health, our family, our loved ones."
"Stay home and let’s help all the health workers out there fighting to save lives."
He's right. He's also ripped. So, whether you like your CR7 informative or just topless and quiet ... Ronaldo's here for you.
The case of 'Tiger King' star Carole Baskin's dead husband has fresh eyes on it now, which is welcome news to his lawyer ... who says he's eager to help authorities uncover the truth.
Joe Fritz was the attorney for Don Lewis, Carole's deceased husband ... who was last seen in August 1997. Joe tells TMZ ... he's ecstatic the Hillsborough County Sheriff in Florida is looking into Don's disappearance ... on the heels of the immensely popular Netflix docuseries. He says the more attention the case gets, the better.
Fritz wasn't just Don's lawyer before he went missing, he was his friend, and says there's much more to the story -- and he wants to share everything he knows with cops.
So far, he says they haven't contacted him, but if they do, "I would bring them in my home in a heartbeat and offer them a beer."
As we reported ... the Sheriff is hoping to capitalize on the Netflix series about tiger breeders and Baskin, by asking the public for leads in her former husband's case.
For those who haven't seen it ... Lewis was declared dead 5 years after he disappeared, and folks like Joe Exotic believe Baskin killed him. She's denied any wrongdoing.
Fritz tells us he couldn't believe it when he saw the case was getting reopened, but he thanks social media and the 'Tiger King' buzz for making it happen.
He adds that he's not looking for closure. Joe says it's no secret what happened to Don -- claiming he's heard the true story of what went down and accepts it -- but he wants the truth to prevail and justice to be served for his friend.
As for the docuseries ... Joe says it did a pretty good job telling the story of the big cat people, but he thinks it could have spent more time focusing on Don’s disappearance and debunking Baskin's Costa Rica story.
He says there's a lot more about Don's multi-million-dollar life insurance policy too ... but he hopes it's all revealed in the new investigation.
Chris Cuomosays his initial coronavirus symptoms are very similar to the flu ... and now he's worried about passing the virus along to his family as they quarantine at home.
The CNN anchor just gave Anderson Cooper the lowdown on his diagnosis ... explaining he first thought he was dealing with flu-like symptoms -- fever, chills, shortness of breath -- until his doctor dropped some knowledge on him.
It is interesting -- maybe even ironic -- Chris mentioned it feeling flu-like. As you know, CNN and others have given President Trump loads of crap, rightfully so, for initially downplaying coronavirus as just another flu, and no reason for Americans to worry.
Sure, the symptoms can be similar, but these are still two vastly different health issues ... and Chris says it makes it a lot easier for the virus to sneak up on ya. Scary stuff.
It's pretty alarming ... Chris says he's terrified his wife and children could become infected because they're all living under the same roof.
Chris is a trooper, so he's still anchoring his CNN show from his basement as long as he feels up to it ... and we gotta say, his work-from-home setup looks pretty sweet. Not a bad basement to be stuck in for a few weeks.
While Chris remains confident he can beat this thing, he explains why everyone needs to feel a sense of urgency right now.
Before this celebrity spawn was showing off her ultimate fashion sense and starring in movie franchises, she was just another brown-eyed girl growing up in Venice, Los Angeles.
Take a closer look ... this darling daughter of two A-list stars made a name for herself when she appeared as a superhero heartthrob in "X-Men: First Class." The multitalented woman has also risen to fame from her success in music and modeling.
While being stuck at home, you can binge her new television show -- which is a remake of a film starring her mom in 2000.
You'd be mad to not figure out who this little lady is!
Thousands of inmates in California prisons will be released early as officials fear overcrowding could spark a deadly outbreak of the coronavirus.
The move comes in the middle of a pandemic as the nation desperately tries to get a handle on how to stem the disease. Fact is ... jails and prisons are breeding grounds for the virus, with conditions that are often filthy and way too many people packed inside.
Officials hope accelerating parole dates for 3,500 inmates serving terms for nonviolent crimes -- and people due to be released within 60 days -- will help slow the spread of COVID-19, not just to inmates, but those who work within California's 35 prisons. And the other reality ... if inmates get infected, get released and then interact with others ... well, you know the rest.
Then there's this ... the state has blocked the transfer of county jail inmates to prison, according to the L.A. Times. That decision alone will keep 3,000 additional people out of the state's prison system. What's more ... nearly 600 inmates will be moved out of dorms -- home to bunks with close proximity and shared sinks/showers -- and moved to other prison facilities.
As we first reported ... jail inmates feared the worst as early as March 6. An inmate getting out of L.A. County Men's Central Jail said he experienced deplorable conditions while locked up for carjacking. Another inmate told us no one from the jail told the inmates anything about coronavirus or how to prevent it. A lot has changed in a matter of weeks.
NBA star Rudy Gobert is back in action just days after getting cleared of his coronavirus diagnosis ... hitting an intense boxing workout to prove he's back on his grind.
Of course, Gobert was first diagnosed with COVID-19 back on March 11 ... which eventually led to the NBA suspending its season.
The All-Star center -- along with teammate Donovan Mitchell -- was given the green light to get back to action (while still self-quarantining) Friday ... and now, the 27-year-old is keeping his body right.
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Gobert posted a video hitting the mitts with a trainer in an empty gym Tuesday ... captioning the clip with a simple message -- "back at it."
It's great to see things getting back to normal (or as normal as it can be) for Gobert ... who recently explained he lost his sense of taste and smell while dealing with the virus.
No word on when the NBA will get back to playing ... but one thing's for sure -- Gobert will be ready.
