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You know KFC means business when it sends a "food ambassador" -- apparently a really hot person who likes food -- to try out a new plant-based fried chicken.

The Colonel's messaging is pretty clear ... eat this and look like model Nicole Williams. We're not vouching for that, but Nicole was looking good at a KFC food truck in Southern California this week for the veggie chicken debut.

All jokes aside ... the new item comes courtesy of a partnership with Beyond Meat that's been about a year or so in the making.

They tried Beyond Fried Chicken in Atlanta in 2019 -- to some reported success -- and then expanded it to Nashville and Charlotte. Now, the faux pollo is coming to SoCal ... with the new menu item becoming available in locations throughout L.A. Orange County and SD.

Anyway, back to Nicole here -- who was decked out in some type of two-piece leotard outfit, complete with a luxury purse and Yeezy Boost 700s to boot. She doesn't exactly fit the typical drive-thru customer mold. Just sayin' ...

Verdict's still out if the new grub is just as finger-licking good as the OG -- nothing's impossible though, we suppose.

Tristan Thompson might've shown his cards on where things stand with Khloe Kardashian -- putting his L.A. mansion on the market.

The NBA star just listed his Encino mansion for a cool $8.5 million -- $2M more than what he paid a year ago after the Jordyn Woods drama -- and it might very well be the sign he and his baby mama are officially back together.

These digs are top-notch, BTW -- kind of the ultimate bachelor pad for the rich and famous type. It's an almost 10,000 square foot farmhouse style home with 7 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms, with all the bells and whistles of luxury you might expect from a home like this.

It comes with a pool, an outdoor kitchen with a bar, a spa, a foyer, a marble fireplace, a separate fire pit, a home movie theater, a twirling staircase, a guest house out back with two bedrooms of its own -- yeah, like we said ... it's got the works as far as nice stuff.

Tristan swooped the place up last summer following a tumultuous breakup with Khloe after she accused him of cheating (again) with Kylie's former BFF. It wasn't too far from her in Calabasas either -- remember, they share a daughter, True, whom they co-parent.

Keep in mind ... they've been spending an awful lot of time together during quarantine -- and they're not hiding the fact they've been hanging out ... especially around True.

Tamar Braxton's family is puzzled by her boyfriend's actions the night of her apparent suicide attempt ... and they're alarmed by his influence over her emotions.

Sources connected to the Braxton family tell TMZ ... Tamar's boyfriend, David Adefeso, had seen the pilot episode and promo late last week for her new reality show, 'Get Ya Life!' ... and he was very unhappy.

We're told David got angry about the show's content, and how he was portrayed in it -- and his reaction, in turn, made Tamar upset.

TMZ broke the story ... when David called 911, he took time to explain Tamar had issues with WeTV that came to a head in the hours leading up to him finding her unresponsive in their Ritz Carlton hotel room.

Our sources say Tamar's relatives find it strange David was discussing details of her alleged network beef while she was desperately in need of medical attention. We're told the family believes it's further proof David was the one who really had issues with the show's editorial choices.

Tamar's family has noticed a change since she started seeing David ... according to our sources, who say Tamar's mood swings tend to align with how David's feeling. They also say he's very involved in her business decisions.

As for David's portrayal in the pilot, someone who's seen the episode tells us David, at times, comes off as demanding and controlling.

In the episode, we're told Tamar decides to go on a spiritual healing journey, which includes no sex for 45 days, something that really upsets David.

It's hard to deny that tension is played up in the promo. During one scene, Tamar and David are arguing behind a locked door and Tamar yells, "David, stop!" before producers barge into the room.

There's rampant animal mistreatment at the 'Tiger King' zoo -- this according to federal authorities -- but Jeff Lowe says the findings are misleading and unfair.

The USDA recently completed an investigation into the GW Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, and faulted the zoo for not providing proper veterinary care for the lions, tigers and bears. Lowe calls BS on the USDA's report, though ... and claims it's out to get him.

Here's some of what inspectors found according to the report -- a 16-week-old lion cub named Nala was lethargic, depressed, and so thin she wouldn't get up from a sitting position even after prompting. The cub was immediately removed from the park and taken to a vet.

Lowe claims Nala was actually rescued from Tim Stark -- who was also featured on the 'Tiger King' series -- and the zoo spent a fortune trying to nurse her and others back to health.

Other examples of neglect -- according to the report -- include 2 geriatric wolves suffering from arthritis. The USDA says the zoo was "not following the instructions of the veterinarian to provide medication and bedding for the wolves."

The inspectors also say there was also a grizzly bear found to be extremely thin and a black bear that appeared to be underweight ... and both bears reportedly exhibited heightened aggression.

But, Jeff claims the report doesn't acknowledge that "many of the animals that we house here are at the end of their lives and suffer from arthritis and do lose some weight toward the end of their days."

He insists the wolves are receiving treatment and the bears are in their proper weight class, and claims they were recently deemed in good shape by local authorities and the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife.

Finally, the USDA claims the charred remains of a 17-year-old tigon, along with a dead tiger, were discovered in a large pile of primarily wood debris in the back of the park. The report says, "There is a foul odor of decomposing flesh and many flies are present on the boards and surrounding areas."

Lowe did not address the dead animals, but maintains the GW Zoo has weekly vet visits and prior to this report ... received 5 clean inspections from the USDA.

He tells us he thinks the 'Tiger King' documentary painted a poor picture of the zoo. Lowe claims all of the incidents listed by the USDA in its June 22 report have since been corrected.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's son is now being sued after he was accused of stabbing his neighbor in June ... with the alleged victim claiming he suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed in the attack.

We broke the story ... back on June 9, cops in San Clemente, Calif. arrested 28-year-old Adam Abdul-Jabbar after they say he attacked his neighbor during an argument.

The neighbor -- ID'ed as 60-year-old Raymond Winsor -- claims in the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the whole incident went down after he urged Abdul-Jabbar to help his elderly grandmother with chores.

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar exploded on him ... claiming in the lawsuit, Abdul-Jabbar told him, "Shut your f'**king mouth or I'm gonna stick this knife through your teeth and cut your throat out."

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar then stabbed him seven times in the head, neck, back and side -- and caused MAJOR damage.

Winsor says he suffered a skull fracture and a subdural hematoma ... and was forced to stay in the hospital for three days after the altercation

Now, Winsor is suing Abdul-Jabbar ... claiming he's suffering from shock, anxiety, worry, sleeplessness, depression and much more -- and he wants Abdul-Jabbar to pay up for his medical expenses plus additional damages.

We've reached out to Abdul-Jabbar's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

However, we're told multiple people connected to the situation have said Winsor has been "needling" Adam for a while -- and the tension had been building for "a long time."

We're also told Adam is the person who called 911 -- and was cooperative with police.

As for the criminal case against Abdul-Jabbar, no formal charges have been filed yet.

We reached out to law enforcement for an update on that process, but no word back yet there either.

Before this scrunchie sweetheart was becoming a triple threat by dancing, singing and acting her way on the screen, she was just another platinum blonde baby growing up in Orem, Utah.

This multitalented little lady is best known for dancing alongside famous faces on a competition reality show made for the stars. Fancy footwork runs in the family because this tiny tot's brother was also on the cast; however, he won the prestigious trophy 6 times while she only scored 2-winning titles.

This musical munchkin eventually sang her way to center stage in huge productions like "Rock of Ages" and "Grease: Live."

Jennifer Lopez said love don't cost a thing, but getting her dune buggies out of the tow yard's another story ... as she quickly learned when her trip to the beach got cut short.

So, here's what happened ... J Lo and her crew were dressed and ready for some fun in the sun Tuesday in the Hamptons but instead of soaking up some rays they all ended up needing a ride to the tow yard after the 3 dune buggies they drove in got towed.

It turns out J Lo, wearing her mask and riding in the lead dune buggy, didn't see the parking lot attendants at the entrance checking permits or she completely ignored them. It turns out ... ya need the proper permits to park at the beach. J Lo, it turns out, didn't have any permits to show.

According to eyewitnesses, cops were called and the dune buggies were towed away. J Lo and her crew barely enjoyed the scenery before they had to call a friend to get picked up -- in A-Rod's blue Bronco, no less -- for a ride to bail out the dune buggies.

This dog is in desperate need of a new owner after the pitiful excuse for a man picked up his pet and slammed it the ground ... which got him arrested, temporarily.

This happened in downtown Vancouver, and luckily, worried bystanders shot this video and sent it to the local SPCA. The dog, a pit bull, was barking while its owner argued with a cyclist. Witnesses say the dog had lunged at the cyclist ... possibly at the behest of the owner.

But, watch ... after the argument ended, the owner picked up the helpless dog -- above his shoulders -- and threw it down on the concrete sidewalk. The dog yelped and was clearly distressed.

You can hear the horrified witnesses, who immediately called police. Officers reportedly arrested the owner, but later released him without charging him. However, an investigation is still ongoing. It's unclear if police have seen this video.

95 NFL players have tested positive for coronavirus since the league began administering tests over the past 4 months ... but that number is expected to grow by the hundreds with increased testing, NFL sources tell TMZ Sports.

The NFL Players Association revealed the 95 positive tests on its website Tuesday -- and an NFLPA official tells us it's a cumulative number from when the league began testing players and staff 4 months ago.

We're told the number does not reflect the number of players who CURRENTLY have COVID.

Several players have tested positive since the pandemic began -- including Von Miller, Ezekiel Elliott and more. Those players are presumably negative by now.

But, the league has ramped up testing recently and our sources say the league is bracing for big numbers since the testing pool will likely consist of more than 2,000 people.

As one source puts it... "With players and staff starting to report and get tested, there’s the expectation that the number of positive tests will be in the hundreds."

The NFLPA also noted all 32 teams have submitted their Infectious Disease Emergency Response plans -- and 8 have already been approved by the NFLPA.

24 plans are still under review.

Teams must have their IDER plans approved before they are allowed to let more than 20 players into a team facility.

The grave of Alonzo Brooks -- who was mysteriously found dead after a 2004 party in Kansas -- has been dug up on the heels of "Unsolved Mysteries" bringing new attention to the cold case.

Alonzo's body was exhumed Tuesday morning in Topeka after the FBI recently reopened the case. The new Netflix series covered Alonzo's disappearance and death -- and his family says tips have been coming in since the new docuseries dropped.

For those who haven't seen it ... 23-year-old Alonzo went to a party in La Cygne, KS in April 2004 with some friends, where he was believed to be one of few black people. Witnesses described the crowd as mostly white, redneck and racist types.

His friend says Alonzo nearly got into a fight with one guy over a girl -- but still stayed at the party, even after his friends left. He never made it back home.

The following day, Brooks' boots and hat were found across the road from the house party property. However, his body wasn't discovered until May 1, 2004 in a nearby creek.

Initial medical reports listed his death as inconclusive due to the advanced decomposition of the body, and authorities were left with little concrete evidence. However, those close to him were certain he did not commit suicide or accidentally drown ... they believed he was murdered.

A hostage situation in Ukraine ended safely when the country's president met one of the gunman's odd demands -- posting a video encouraging folks to watch a Joaquin Phoenix movie.

Here's the deal ... a heavily armed man took 13 people hostage on a bus in western Ukraine, leading to a tense, day-long standoff Tuesday with police.

The gunman told cops he rigged the bus with explosives and was holding the passengers hostage, and gave the government a list of demands. Sounds a lot like the plot of "Speed," right?!?

The hostage-taker, later identified as 44-year-old Russian-born Maksym S. Kryvosh, finally surrendered and freed all 13 people after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy fulfilled one of the demands -- posting a video on his official Facebook account recommending folks watch the 2005 documentary, "Earthlings."

Can ya believe it? The guy didn't even request "The Joker."

The documentary, directed by Shaun Monson and narrated by Joaquin, focuses on human exploitation of animals. Ukrainian officials explained Zelenskyy reached an agreement with the hostage-taker during a 15-minute phone call, with the gunman surrendering once Zelenskyy posted on Facebook.

Once the gunman was detained and the hostages were safe, Zelenskyy deleted the movie suggestion from his Facebook page.

Kanye West has some company in Wyoming following his Twitter meltdown, but it's not his family checking in on him ... it's Dave Chappelle.

The rapper says Dave hopped on a jet to come see him "doing well" on the ranch, and called him a "God send and a true friend." The great, warm, friendly visit did come with one slightly awkward moment.

Kanye got Dave, and a few other friends there, to gather around for a video ... and then put the comedian on the spot to come up with something funny -- y'know, to make everyone laugh.

It was, apparently, pretty early in the day, 'cause Dave said he wasn't in funny mode yet, but watch ... of course they found their way to a punchline.

As we reported ... Kanye went on a wild rant Monday night, firing off several tweets that accused his wife, Kim Kardashian, of trying to have him involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.

He also blasted Kris Jenner for allegedly influencing some of Kim's past career moves -- i.e. posing for Playboy and selling her sex tape -- and compared his life to "Get Out."

Assuming Dave touched down in Wyoming Tuesday morning -- as Kanye inferred -- he went pretty far out of his way to help his buddy. We're told Dave's been doing "invite-only" comedy gigs near his home in Ohio.

Dave flying out couldn't come at a better time for Ye -- as we've told you, many people close to him say he's in the midst of a serious bipolar episode.

No such thing as a bad time to chill with Chappelle, but this is a particularly good time.

Russell Wilson says there's a chance he won't be allowed in the hospital room when Ciara gives birth to the couple's child later this summer ... saying COVID-19 might force him to sit out.

"That's what we don't know," the NFL superstar told fill-in host Joel McHale on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week. "That's kind of the crazy part of it."

Ciara is due to give birth to her and Russ' second child together in just a few weeks ... but Wilson says he still hasn't been given the OK to be in the room with her for the birth.

Unclear where Ciara will deliver the baby ... but the two have property in Southern California -- where coronavirus cases have continued to surge over the past few weeks.

If Wilson ain't allowed in, he says that's kind of an issue for the two ... because he says when Ciara gave birth to their first child together in 2017 -- she used him well in the room to get through it.

"I think she needs me in the hospital room," Wilson told McHale. "Last time she grabbed my hand, she almost broke my hand!"

Wilson added he's "hopeful" to get the green light to be in the room with the "Level Up" singer ... but he seems to understand the pandemic might not make that possible.

A despicable man spewed a racist epithet at someone he felt was blocking his car ... then turned his vitriol toward the guy recording his disgusting behavior.

Check out this video from Brooklyn ... the racist gets out of his car and screams at a person to get out of the middle of the street, then unloads with the n-word.

He then realizes a guy walking by is recording the incident, and he seems surprised and pissed off, and then launches into a homophobic tirade followed by a full-on physical assault. The racist steals the man's phone and slams it on the ground.

The racist dude insists he doesn't care if the video gets posted online -- he even says he'll win fans because of it.

Sadly, that may be the case.