TMZ

Time 2020-06-23 11:04:31

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D.L. Hughley's medical scare and subsequent positive COVID-19 test is triggering a major health inspection for the comedy club where he was performing. A spokesperson for Nashville's Metro Public Health Department tells TMZ ... it's conducting a disease investigation of staff and customers in attendance Friday night at Zanies Comedy Club, where D.L. collapsed. We're told the health department plans to conduct contact tracing ... getting in touch with everyone who was in the club to get them tested -- and ditto for anyone who had close contact with Hughley. We're told everyone will be instructed to self-isolate for 14 days while their health is monitored daily by the disease investigators. On top of that, we're told the Health Dept. has been in touch with Zanies since learning of D.L.'s positive coronavirus test to provide the club with guidance on cleaning and sanitizing. We're told Director of Health Dr. Michael Caldwell has agreed to allow Zanies -- which has been temporarily closed since learning of Hughley's diagnosis -- to reopen Thursday after the venue has been thoroughly cleaned. An employee tells us the club already had a cleaning company come Sunday and wash the place top to bottom. There's another catch too ... Zanies must comply with Public Health Emergency Orders for entertainment venues, including having the performer 15-feet away from the audience. In the video, it didn't look like D.L. had this distance on Friday night. BTW, when the comedy resumes Thursday, Rob Schneider will take the stage for the first of 4 nights in a row. George Floyd's death has not only sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism, it's also fueled donations to charities and organizations ... especially The Bail Project. Joseph Pate -- spokesperson for the national nonprofit, which pays bail for people in need -- tells TMZ ... it has received more than $15 million from nearly 200,000 donors in the weeks since Floyd was killed by Minneapolis PD officers. Other sources close to the organization tell us the support -- financially and otherwise -- has been pouring in from all over the world, including people looking to do volunteer work. Several celebrities have also been chipping in big time. We're told the band, Wallows, held a fundraiser Saturday where they raised nearly $11k for The Bail Project from roughly 900 donations. On top of all this ... Nicki Minaj announced a portion of the proceeds from her "Trollz" collab with 6ix9ine will also be going to the org soon. Lil Baby's splitting money from his track, "The Bigger Picture," to Bail Project and a couple other causes related to the Black Lives Matter movement, as well. The Bail Project has paid $26 million in bail for nearly 11,000 low-income people since 2018, and $11 mil of that has already been recycled to pay new bails. We're told with the recent flooding of donations, the size of its National Revolving Bail Fund now stands at approximately $27 million, which allows it to secure freedom for thousands of people, but more importantly ... work to pass real bail reform. The Arizona church hosting President Trump's next rally overplayed its hand by claiming it's got tech to zap away COVID-19 ... so say the owners of that technology. Tim Bender -- the Chief Strategy Officer of CleanAir EXP, which sold the fancy air purification system to Dream City Church -- tells TMZ, the dudes who said they'd be 'rona-proof come Tuesday went overboard, and flat-out exaggerated about CleanAir's product. He says that while their air purifiers theoretically can't hurt in helping fend off COVID-19 molecules, it actually hasn't quite been specifically tested to combat the disease. What it has gone up against in a lab is 19's ugly cousin, COVID-229E ... which is said to be a surrogate of the big baddie, with a similar protein structure. Bender says in testing, ionized particles churned out via his system "neutralize" COVID-229E. BTW, Bender tells us he would love to get in touch with the CDC to see if his air system can do some good on a larger scale -- but just hasn't been able to get in touch. He says he's hoping when Trump comes to town and hears all the buzz, it might help him make a CDC connect. Sounds interesting, and maybe it will kick COVID-19's ass in testing -- but until then, CleanAir isn't trying to get ahead of itself. Unfortunately, one of its most recent customers, the Dream City Church, already has. The two church leaders have taken down their giddy FB video, but some people who saw it might be thinking they're in the clear from coronavirus -- and CleanAir says they're just not. Not yet, anyway. At least SOME part of Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame ... so says Big Mac himself, who believes his 70th home run ball should be in Cooperstown STAT!! "Bottom line," McGwire said out at LAX this week, "it should have been put in the Hall of Fame." Of course, the ball can't exactly go there at the moment ... Todd McFarlane -- a legendary comic book artist -- famously bought it for over $3 MILLION just a few months after McGwire made history in 1998. And, despite the ball's plummeting value (experts tell TMZ Sports it's worth only around $300K-$400K), McFarlane doesn't seem at all ready to part with it, even for the Hall. As for Mark, he said he's at peace with the ball not being worth millions anymore, adding, "It dropped when Barry [Bonds] broke the record." But, the Cardinals legend did say he wouldn't mind autographing it!! There's more ... McGwire went IN on the MLB's plan to allow a DH in the National League in 2020 -- saying he believes the role should be punted from baseball altogether. "If you can't put on a glove and go out and play defense," McGwire said, "you shouldn't be playing the game!" East Coast actor John Glover (full name John Soursby Glover Jr.) is best known for playing the perfectly coiffed antagonist, Lionel Luther -- who is the father of the follicly challenged Lex Luthor -- on the WB superhero show, "Smallville." John Glover could be spotted on the small screen with a stellar cast of characters including Tom Welling as the man of steel, Clark Kent, Kristin Kreuk as the brunette love interest, Lana Lang ... and of course, Michael Rosenbaum as the bald bad boy, Lex Luthor. Glover's other television credits include "Frasier," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Heroes." Protesters are using all their might to tear down a statue of Andrew Jackson in our nation's capital ... just blocks from the White House. The scene is playing out Monday night in the middle of Lafayette Park, with protesters attaching a chain to the statue of the former president in an attempt to topple the monument. The statue has already been vandalized, with spray painters writing "KILLER" on one side of its base. Other protesters are throwing rolls of toilet paper over the statue, while some have attached ropes to the statue and are trying to pull it down. Jackson, who is on the $20 bill, served as the 7th president of the United States and was responsible for the Trail of Tears, a policy that removed Native Americans from their ancestral lands. He's also one of President Trump's heroes. Nearby, more protesters are surrounding St. John's Episcopal Church, the site of Trump's bizarre photo op earlier this month, when he ordered law enforcement to clear the area with tear gas and helicopters. Law enforcement is on hand in riot gear, and various videos posted on social media show violent clashes with protesters. Steve Bing -- best known for writing "Kangaroo Jack" and investing hugely in the Tom Hanks' film, "The Polar Express" -- has died ... TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the famed writer/producer died by suicide Monday after jumping from the 27th floor of a luxury apartment building in L.A.'s Century City neighborhood. Bing lived in the building, and sources connected to him tell us he'd been depressed about lack of human contact during quarantine. We don't know if that's behind the suicide. Bing -- who founded Shangri-La Entertainment -- reportedly dropped out of Stanford his junior year after inheriting around $600 million from his grandfather, who was a real estate developer. After dropping out, Bing pursued a career in Hollywood ... and his first big-budget hit came as executive producer of the Sylvester Stallone film, "Get Carter," in 2000. He went on to write "Kangaroo Jack" in 2003 ... and later invested nearly $100 million in 'Polar Express.' That was reportedly nearly half the production cost, and it went on to gross nearly $300 million globally at the box office. Bing also produced "Hotel Noir" in 2012. That same year, Bing committed to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's "Giving Pledge" to give away the majority of his wealth over his lifetime. Bing donated to a lot of progressive issues. Bing is survived by his 2 children -- Damian Hurley from his relationship with Elizabeth Hurley and daughter Kira Bonder, who he had with former pro tennis player Lisa Bonder. That's the all-important message one spray painter is sending in this crazy footage from a TikTok user, which was shot Sunday in Sunbury, PA and is now going viral. The person behind the massive sign could use some grammar and spelling lessons, because they're not even close to spelling out what we can only assume is their intended message -- White Lives Matter. Usually, folks who are still confused about the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement resort to stating, "All Lives Matter," but this person is coming in hot with their own slogan, which is either an epic troll job or just a hilarious misspelling. Ya gotta wonder ... did the spray painter do this on purpose?!? If they didn't, when did they realize "white" was badly misspelled?!? Have they realized yet it's spelled wrong?!? Pro tip for those thinking about grabbing some spray paint bottles ... write down what you want to spray with a pad and pen BEFORE going to town. Spray paint doesn't come with erasers. Luke Bryan wouldn't let the pandemic stop him from making an amazing wish come true for a young fan with cerebral palsy ... and her reaction will melt your heart. Luke sent a special, personalized video to Emma Lookatch, brightening her day with a loving message and telling her he's hopeful they can meet in person when the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Emma's a huge Luke Bryan fan, and the good folks over at Kids Wish Network -- a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses -- had arranged for her to meet Luke on the set of "American Idol," a meeting that was dashed by the COVID-19 outbreak. While he couldn't meet Emma in person this time, Luke recorded a special greeting and sent it to her and her parents ... and ya gotta see Emma's reaction as she watches the message on a brand new iPad and Beats by Dre headphones. Luke sounds like he's down to make her original wish come true, but in the meantime ... pretty good consolation prize!!! Lil Yachty got into a scary car wreck in Atlanta after his car and Mother Nature clashed ... which left his sweet ride totaled, but he's gonna be okay. The rapper was driving on Georgia State Route 400 Monday during some nasty rain and spun out, smashing into a barrier along the shoulder. Our sources say there was a lot of standing water on the road, causing the sports car to hydroplane. Seems bad -- and it is -- but fortunately for him ... we're told Yachty was able to walk away relatively unscathed, with only minor injuries to his arm. Emergency crews responded to the scene. It's unclear if Yachty went to a hospital for treatment. As for his whip ... there's no treating it, we're told it's totaled. 4:58 PM PT -- The checkered flag just waved at Talladega -- Wallace was in contention for the majority of the race ... and even led at one point. Wallace personally thanked his fans and gave a strong interview afterwards ... saying whoever is responsible for yesterday's incident cannot take away his smile. Emotional moment at Talladega ... where Bubba Wallace tried to fight back tears as ALL of his fellow drivers rallied behind him at the starting line. The drivers worked together to push Bubba's #43 car to the starting line Monday to show their support for Wallace -- just one day after officials found a noose in his team's garage. The drivers then gathered around Bubba's car before the Geico 500 in Talladega on Monday to show the world they stand with him ... and man, it was powerful stuff. Wallace was flanked by 82-year-old team owner Richard Petty who also showed support for the young driver. After the national anthem, which was also super emotional, drivers lined up to hug Wallace ... who was obviously moved by the show of support. The race is about to begin ... and even though there are a few fans at the Speedway, the energy is off the charts. A prison inmate in Central Florida was allegedly beaten to death by a corrections officer as other guards watched. 51-year-old Christopher Howell died last week while serving a 4-year sentence at the Lake Correctional Institution near Orlando after a 2018 conviction for stealing some phone chargers and threatening people with a knife. According to reports citing inside prison sources, Howell was allegedly beaten Thursday by a guard after he refused an order from within his cell. He was reportedly handcuffed and defenseless while at least 2 other officers stood by and did nothing. Howell was later pronounced dead, but insiders think he died during the beating. The Florida Department of Corrections says it can't release the names of the officers involved due to an investigation, but does say all the guards were put on administrative leave. This latest incident of alleged brutality is causing an uproar -- protests are scheduled for Tuesday to decry Howell's death, with some advocates calling for charges to be filed against the guards who were involved. The FDC's Office of the Inspector General and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are reportedly investigating. Barcelona's Liceu opera is back in business after more than 3 months of silence, but its return concert leaves a lot to be desired ... mostly, a human audience. In a truly bizarre sight, the musicians for Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu opera put on a show for nearly 2,300 nursery plants placed in the seats instead of people. Organizers of Monday's concert say the goal was to raise awareness of how important audiences are in post-lockdown life, and to reflect on the absurdity of human life amid a pandemic. Check and check! As an added bonus -- all the plants will be donated to frontline health workers. The Concert for the Biocene comes one day after the end of Spain’s state of emergency. The country has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, at least in Europe, with more than 28,000 deaths. The Liceu says it hopes the show reaffirms the value of art, music and nature and paves the way for returning to normal activity. Of course, replacing the sound of leaves rustling with actual applause would be another step in the right direction. Mega-producer Mustard just came up with one helluva remix ... not only delivering free meals to those in need, but making sure they're healthy meals. The hitmaker hopped on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about his latest venture ... teaming up with his pal, YG, to buy up 7 L.A.-based Fishbone Seafood restaurants. But, the partnership doesn't end there. The L.A.-native ballers also partnered with Postmates to give back to their community ... delivering $100k worth of free food to L.A. residents and community organizations. Gallery Launch Gallery Meal Deliveries with side of mustard Launch Gallery Gallery Brandon Xay Check out the video and the pics ... Mustard said he wanted to lead by example and give back to his community, never forgetting his roots. The producer says he's not doing this for the praise. Far from it. It's about showing kids that those who make it out have a responsibility to give back. Mustard -- who BTW, earned the stage name because his first name is Dijon (as in Dijon mustard, get it?) -- is also looking much different these days. Dude tells us being locked up in quarantine is what triggered the transformation ... with an assist from one of his camera guys. Mustard says he hates to see pics of himself from back in the day 'cause he doesn't recognize that person. But, gotta say ... it's one helluva transformation. 12:18 PM PT -- The alleged victim, a woman named Christina, says she went to visit her husband in September 2019 for a weekend of “love and laughter,” but was instead met with hostility by California Correctional Institution officers who she claims bullied her, forced her into demeaning situations and ultimately ... sexually violated her. Christina says she’s still in shock over the ordeal, and has been left feeling debilitated, frozen, helpless, baffled and outraged. She insists she was innocent of any wrongdoing, and says she's a victim of abuse of power at the hands of the CCI officers and has been left battered … something she wants no woman to go through. She adds … “I am married to and in love with an incarcerated man. This is not a crime, it does not make me a criminal.” Allred says their lawsuit is being filed against the CCI, along with Adventist Health, the facility that conducted some of Christina’s allegedly unlawful exams. Allred described Christina’s ordeal in graphic detail and described it as “state-sanctioned torture.” She says they are suing for sexual battery, battery, gender violence, sexual harassment, violations of various rights, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and invasion of privacy. Christina’s seeking damages, along with a court order for prisons to stop the practice of body cavity searches of women trying to visits their inmate husbands. A woman claims she was subjected to a "humiliating strip search" and sexual abuse simply because she was trying to visit her husband in prison ... so she's suing. Women's rights attorney Gloria Allred is representing the woman and will be holding a news conference Monday at 11:30 AM PT to announce the lawsuit and reveal details. The alleged victim will also speak about her "shocking and traumatic experience." According to Allred ... her client went to a California prison for a scheduled family visit with her incarcerated husband, but says she had to undergo a strip search upon arrival. Then, the woman claims she was taken to a nearby hospital and subjected to an invasive body cavity search of her genital area. She was allegedly X-rayed and given a CT-scan of her body while in handcuffs, as well. The woman claims she did not consent to any of it. Allred says the invasive search of her client's vagina and other private parts violated her rights, and claims law enforcement didn't even find any contraband on or inside her body. However, the woman says she was still blocked from seeing her husband. NYPD brass reportedly cooked up a story about officers getting poisoned at Shake Shack ... because the trio of cops who complained about a funny taste in their milkshakes never even got sick. The cops in the middle of the "poisoned" milkshake conspiracy were not targeted by rogue, police-hating Shake Shack workers as the NYC Detectives' Endowment Association would have you believe. According to the NY Post ... the 3 officers from the Bronx were on protest duty in Lower Manhattan when they ordered the shakes. Mind you, the cops used a MOBILE APP to order the drinks, which were packaged and awaiting pickup -- so employees wouldn't even have known the shakes were for cops. The worst thing that happened to the cops was reportedly a bad taste in their mouths after gorging on the shakes. So, they tossed 'em and alerted a Shake Shack manager, who said sorry and made good with vouchers for free food and drink, which the officers accepted. Would you accept free food and drink from a burger joint you thought "poisoned" your order on purpose?!? Didn't think so. According to the report, things got hairy when the cops told their sergeant about the shakes, and the sergeant sent the Emergency Service Unit to set up a crime scene at Shake Shake for an evidence search, some 2 hours after the cops' first sip. Meanwhile, the cops were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where they were reportedly examined and sent on their merry way without ever showing the slightest of symptoms. At the same time, a lieutenant from the Bronx fired off an email to the police unions falsely claiming 6 officers "started throwing up after drinking beverages they got from shake shack on 200 Broadway." Detectives were put on the case, but it was apparently pretty easy to solve after reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing 5 employees. The report says video showed the shakes were normally made. No poison or funny business. The reason for the bad taste seems to have been from a commonly used cleaning solution that wasn't thoroughly rinsed off the milkshake machine. But, for some reason, the mounting evidence of a big nothing-burger didn't stop the NYC Detectives' Endowment Association from declaring cops were "intentionally poisoned by one or more workers at the Shake Shack" and fell "ill." And, the evidence, or lack thereof, didn't stop Police Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch from making a show of visiting the cops in the hospital at the same time his union claimed police were "under attack" from a "toxic substance, believed to be bleach." The since-deleted social media messages initially spread like wildfire, causing the burger joint to trend overnight and birthing the #BoycottShakeShack hashtag, which is still being tweeted by accounts. After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees. Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) June 16, 2020 @NYPDDetectives NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison finally tweeted 8 hours after the alleged incident there was "no criminality" and it was all much ado about nothing. Literally nothing. Zip. Nada. With egg on their face, the police unions eventually deleted their tweets and put out statements walking back their claims. The city council has since demanded a probe into alleged "inflammatory" behavior by the police unions, and the NYPD says its still reviewing the incident.

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