Jean Knight 'Mr. Big Stuff' Singer Dead at 80

update

8:23 PM PT -- TMZ has confirmed Jean passed away Wednesday, and we've confirmed the authenticity of the press release circulating on social media ... which we're told comes from her family. Her publicist also tells us Jean died from natural causes.

Her family released a statement, which notes her long storied career which started at JetStream Records and eventually jumped to Stax Records ... and all the tunes she produced in between, ending with her starting her own label (Comstar).

The statement ends ... "Jean Knight's legacy is not just a musical one; it is a testament to the enduring love between an artist, her hometown, and the fans who adored her. As we bid farewell to this iconic soulstress, New Orleans and her global fan base join together in gratitude for the indelible mark she left on the world." The family quests privacy at this time.

Jean Knight -- most famous for her hit 'Mr. Big Stuff' -- has died ... this according to reports.

An unattributed press release purporting to be the soul singer and New Orleans native's obituary is making the rounds online -- and if it's to be believed ... it says JK passed away last Wednesday, although the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear for now.

Knight's 1971 song is easily her biggest claim to fame, but it's a huge contribution to music and pop culture. 'Mr. Big Stuff' not only performed incredibly well on the charts when it came out -- including five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- but it ended up being featured in numerous films and TV shows.

Just a handful of series that used 'MBS' ... 'Family Guy,' 'black-ish,' 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Everwood' and 'The Deuce' -- just to name a few. On the movie front, it got played in Will Ferrell's 'Semi-Pro.' Beyond that ... the track got remixed/sampled a ton over the years.

Some of that notable acts who flipped this gem ... Heavy D & The Boyz, Eazy-E, TLC, Queen Latifah, Everclear, Girl Talk, Beastie Boys and John Legend. 'Mr. Big Stuff' had also been covered a handful of times ... famously by Precious Metal, Lyn Collins and many others.

Jean had recorded lots of other songs throughout her career ... but none ever reached the success of 'Big Stuff.' Some of her other notable singles ... "My Toot Toot," "You Think You're Hot Stuff," "Carry On," "Helping Man," "Do Me," "Jesse Joe (You Got to Go)" ... and more.

She was 80.

RIP

Originally Published -- 6:19 PM PT

Disneyland It's a Small (And Naked) World ... Guest Immediately Booted

PLEASE, REMAIN IN THE VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES
Instagram / @magic.with.maegra

update

4:53 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this wayward guest was immediately removed from Disneyland following the incident. In other words, he's long gone.

A streaker stripped down at Disneyland and started crawling all over the place during the 'It's a Small World' ride ... this while folks were stuck in their boats and staring in shock.

Check out these wild videos that are making the rounds online right now ... apparently, this happened within the past couple hours or so -- although it's a little unclear what exactly precipitated this. In any case, it left guests with their mouths open ... rightly so.

SMALL WORLD STREAKING
Instagram / @iheartdisneyland

From what we can gather from reports/accounts, the attraction was shut down for a bit Sunday -- and, apparently, during that pause ... this fella hopped out of his boat, undressed and started monkeying around near the actual robots and all the elaborate set pieces.

In one video, you can hear somebody yelling at him to stop and get down ... warning him of the danger he was dabbling in. Of course, he didn't listen ... and kept on scurrying about.

At some point, somebody snapped him outside of the ride ... and it looks like he went for the full birthday suit look out in the sunshine.

The jury's out on whether this man has been apprehended yet ... but ya gotta imagine it's only a matter of time. We've reached out to Disneyland for comment, so far no word back.

Shield your eyes, children ... there's naked weirdos roaming, and they're baring it all!

Originally Published -- 4:23 PM PT

Ludacris Rappels Into Falcon's Stadium ... Wild ATL Game Performance

Ludacris performed at the Atlanta Falcons game this weekend -- and it looks like he took a page out of Lady Gaga's playbook to make an entrance ... descending from the heavens.

The rapper was the hired talent Sunday at Mecedes-Benz Stadium ... but weirdly enough, he didn't put on a halftime performance -- but rather, did a quick set after the third quarter ... which definitely took everyone by surprise.

watch out below!!!

The reason ... the dude literally rappelled down onto the stage below from way up toward the top of the facility -- and he did it kinda slowly, partially rapping a song in the air.

Looks like he was doing 'Move Bitch' on his way down ... and he was hyping up the crowd too, who ate it up. Unclear if he did a whole set once he touched down or not (there was a game going on, after all), but he got a little shine regardless.

The whole point of this was to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop in the ATL ... of which Luda has been a huge contributor over the years -- not to mention countless other acts from the area.

A worthy salute to the genre, indeed. 🫡

Kim Kardashian Coming to Netflix w/ Comedy Film ... After Studio Bidding War

Kim Kardashian is jumping from Hulu to Netflix -- at least for movies, anyway -- 'cause she sold a forthcoming comedy she'll star in to the streaming giant ... this after a ton of interest.

Deadline broke the news Sunday ... a new flick called "The Fifth Wheel" just got sold to Netflix after an apparent bidding war to snap up the rights among 5 different studios. In the end, Netflix made the winning offer ... although it's unclear how much they shelled out.

This film isn't written or shot yet ... Kim K and the 2 co-writers who came up with the concept -- Paula Pell and Janine Brito -- simply sold the idea ... and now they'll actually make it. Kim's gonna play the lead ... a "fifth wheel" among an ensemble of female actors.

The rest of the plot deets are being kept under wraps ... but word is, Pell and Brito immediately thought of Kim for this and pitched her. After she came aboard, they started hitting the town as soon as the actors' strike ended and collectively shopped it around.

Deadline says Kim's been present at a lot of the meetings, and her involvement spurred a lot of studios to open their doors and take the movie under consideration. BTW, she's not only gonna act in this thing ... but she'll produce as well, alongside Pell and possibly others.

Pell is a well-known and established TV comedy writer ... as is Brito. Pell's got a lengthier resume, with tons of 'SNL' credits. She also wrote the Amy Poehler/Tina Fey movie "Sisters." Paula also notably EP'd Judd Apatow's 'This Is 40.'

Considering Pell's extensive history with 'SNL' stars ... you can probably expect that same type of mid-2010s humor for this new movie -- just with a little Kim K star power twist.

Of course, the bigger takeaway here is the fact that Kim's diving further into the acting pool. She already had a run on 'AHS' this year ... plus all the other smaller roles she's done in the past. This would be an even greater flex, though ... her straight-up leading a comedy.

We'll see how it turns out ... Deadline says this got picked up by Netflix's "mid-budget" team -- and according to reports, Netflix is aiming to spend between $30-$80 million on those.

The empire grows, still.

Jen & Ben Smooching On Display Couch ... While Furniture Shopping

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck bought a palace of a home earlier this year, but even all these months later ... they still appear to be trying to furnish the place, or so it seems.

The couple went shopping Saturday, hitting up a furniture/interior design store in L.A. ... and plopping down on one of the display couches on the floor to test it out a bit. They were photographed from outside, and it looks like they did a bit more than just sit and chill.

Take a look for yourself ... Jen and Ben were feeling a little romantic, smooching one another as they cozied up on the model sofa -- and chitchatting a bit here and there too.

Unclear if they ended up making a purchase or not -- whether it was the couch or otherwise -- but it looks like they're the type of people who like to see and feel what's gonna be in their house ... as opposed to just blind online catalog shopping, which they could easily do.

Again, J Lo and BA purchased their new estate way back in May -- throwing down $60 million for a huge property in Bev Hills ... which they started moving into right away. Based on pics of that whole process at the time, it seemed they each had a fair amount of stuff.

The pad itself has a lot of space to fill -- so snapping up extra furniture, even now, isn't all that crazy. Their mansion has 12 bedrooms, plus a ton of other rooms for lounging and whatnot. Safe to say, it takes time to deck it out ... especially if they're in-person shoppers.

What's funny ... Jen and Ben are just like the rest of us in this regard. The only difference is that most folks are hitting Ashley -- and they're swinging by an upscale decor showroom, with prices that quickly run up into the 5 figures and beyond.

Happy hunting, you two!

Tom Brady Takes Kids Snorkeling ... Days After Getaway w/ Mom

Tom Brady is on dad time right now -- taking his kids out to sea ... just a few days after their mom, Gisele, flew 'em out to Central America with that jiu-jitsu guy she's always with.

The retired NFL quarterback posted a bunch of photos of him and his little ones Sunday, where they're on a boat and diving into the ocean with snorkeling gear on. He captioned his post, I did Michigan and Massachusetts winters for a long time. Let me have this."

The pics he threw up are super cute ... but he definitely added one thirst trap, which features him facing the camera and completely shirtless. Yeah, the dude's ripped here.

No sign of his eldest son, Jack ... but we can see his other 2 kids -- whom he shares with Gisele -- front and center and ready to dive. There was another little girl in the mix too, but it's unclear who she she is. In any case, if you peep his IG, looks like lobster's for dinner.

Now, what's interesting about this excursion is the fact that Gisele took these same children on a trip just earlier this week. They were photographed down in Costa Rica enjoying a vacation ... with none other than Joaquim Valente tagging along as well.

Gisele and Joaquin have been on a lot of getaways together this year ... and at times, her and Tom's children have joined them. It seems like that's becoming a regular thing now.

Despite the obvious appearance of Gisele and Joaquim being a couple ... she's denied any such thing, saying he's simply a close friend of the family who coaches them all up.

Hard to say if anyone's really buying that ... frankly, nobody tends to jet set with their jiu-jitsu instructor for intimate family outings like this, month in and month out. Whatever though ... right now, it's Tom's time with the kiddos -- and he's making the most out of it.

As you know ... Tom and Gisele are divorced now, so sharing custody is their new norm.

Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Tour Daughter Blue Ivy Upped Dance Moves Due to Folks Hatin' Early On

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Beyoncé's daughter, Blue Ivy, has been a fixture at just about all of her 'Renaissance' tour concerts this year -- and she's upped her onstage game ... all thanks to the haters.

In the wake of her concert film's premiere this weekend, the NYT reviewed the film and quoted Queen Bey as saying ... BI's involvement with the tour was meant to just be a temporary, one-off deal ... but became a regular thing after her kid pushed back.

They add, "Though she finally relented, Beyoncé was dismayed when Blue Ivy read comments on social media that criticized her lackluster moves. But it thrilled her mother that instead of quitting, she decided to put in the work and train even harder for future stops."

This news has caused quite a stir on social media ... half of Twitter is outraged that so many people were brutally criticizing the 11-year-old early on in the tour, but others are using this as proof that Blue Ivy's resilient/talented -- 'cause she's a way better dancer now.

Footage from her May outings in Europe has been making the rounds online ... and yes, you can see a major difference in how she performed then compared to recent shows.

The debate now is whether the harsh assessments of her skills at the time were warranted or not -- some think BI 100% deserved the flak she got, arguing that if she steps into the spotlight (next to her mom, no less) it's fair game. Others think the girl deserved a break.

In any case, Blue Ivy's proven herself more than worthy to share centerstage with her very famous parent. And as she gets older, more scrutiny will come ... them's the breaks, kid.

Jillian Barberie Front Door Almost Broken Down ... Middle-of-the-Night Scare

LATE NIGHT FRIGHT

Jillian Barberie almost experienced a would-be home invasion this weekend when her front door nearly came crashing down in the dead of the night ... and she filmed it all, too.

The former TV host and FOX personality -- who used to work on "Good Day L.A.," among other telecasts -- documented the terrifying aftermath of what she says was a loud bang in the wee hours of Sunday morning ... which left the entryway to her apartment crushed.

Watch ... Jillian jumped on IG Live right after it happened and was spurred by her followers/fans to call the police -- something that apparently didn't occur to her right away.

Later, Jillian explains she was still pretty out of it ... but while this was all unfolding -- she took her audience on quite a ride, showing off how she was barricading the door with what supplies she had ... and even demonstrating how she planned to defend herself.

She didn't have a gun or anything, but pepper spray will do in a pinch, we suppose.

Anyway, she ultimately did call 911 and filmed that encounter too. The officer who showed up had her file a report and told her to talk to maintenance in the AM. The weird thing is, when they examined the door damage ... there was no footprint on the outside, seeing that's what JB (and just about everyone else) suspected it was -- namely, somebody kicking it in.

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Jillian's been posting a ton of updates on her social media pages ... and reveals that a friend came to stay with her until the management team crew came by to make the repairs.

Strangely, there's still no clear explanation for what it could've been. Jillian still thinks this was human-caused -- and believes somebody might've just slammed their whole body into her door and bolted. But an investigation is underway and they're looking for the culprit.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Pretty freaky stuff, obviously -- and what's crazier is that Jillian appears to live in a swanky apartment building out in Ventura ... which is usually considered a pretty decent area.

Just goes to show ... ya always gotta be prepared for the worst. Stay safe, y'all.

Disney Latest Animation Flick 'Wish' Flops Box Office Woes Continue

Another miss from Disney at the box office -- the studio's latest original animated movie bombed with moviegoers over the holiday break ... marking just the latest flop for 'em.

Of course, we're talking about "Wish" ... with Ariana DeBose as the main character and Chris Pine as the big bad and a bunch of other cute side characters. Unfortunately, none of them were enough ... 'cause "Wish" only made $31.7 million through the 5-day "weekend."

Ticket sales were getting counted as early as Wednesday, but come Sunday ... "Wish" had underperformed by a lot. Projections had it pegged at $45-$50 mil over the same 5 days.

It didn't do great internationally either, pulling in just $17.3M overseas ... bringing its total worldwide haul to about $49 million. In layman's terms, the film flopped -- and it ended up coming in third place behind 'Napoleon' (#2) and the 'Hunger Games' prequel (#1, again).

This is not good news for the Mouse House ... which usually dominates the Thanksgiving window. Up until last year -- when their other original animated feature "Strange World" performed abysmally -- Disney had put out hits around this time of the year ... including "Encanto," "Coco" and others, all of which made a crap ton of money right out the gate.

What's strange is that "Wish" actually got good reviews and great audience reception ... so it's unclear what exactly the problem was. It's possible the SAG strike hindered promotion of this movie ... but it also ended well before its release date, so it's a bit of a mystery.

Mind you, this is just the latest fizzle for Disney this year -- others include the last 'Indiana Jones' movie, "The Haunted Mansion," "The Marvels" and others. Rough year, indeed.

Beyoncé Destiny's Child Shows Up for 'Renaissance' Film Premiere

Beyoncé brought out the old and the new Saturday night ... unveiling her new 'Renaissance' flick, and bringing together the group that launched her career.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Bey hosted the debut of her film at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Bev Hills, and Destiny's Child was front and center. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams showed up, along with founding members of the group, LaToya Luckett and LaTavia Robertson.

There was a slew of celebs to watch the film ... Janelle Monáe, Lori Harvey, Lizzo, Gabrielle Union, Halle Bailey, Marsai Martin, Laverne Cox, Niecy Nash-Betts, Tina Knowles, Tyler Perry, Tia Mowry, Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble, Issa Rae, Andra Day and that's just a partial list.

There was a big star MIA from the event ... Taylor Swift. As you know, Bey showed up for Taylor's 'Eras' flick and even had a sushi dinner with Taylor beforehand. Taylor, however, has a good excuse -- she's in Brazil for her concerts.

Thanksgiving Eve Brawl Video Shows Bloody Scene, Bottle Used as Weapon

TURKEY DAY TUSSLE

Video has now surfaced of a brutal brawl the day before Thanksgiving in Saugus, Massachusetts.

Someone used a glass bottle as a weapon during the bloody fight, as patrons duke it out and blood flows freely. Some fighters either ripped off their shirts during the brawl or had them ripped off during the melee.

One man is seen bleeding profusely from his head as 2 other patrons hold him down.

It went down at a family-friendly joint, Kowloon Restaurant. What's a little weird ... there were 6 officers working at the restaurant -- it's unclear why a restaurant needed this kind of police presence. The officers were able to calm things down.

Cops interviewed several people in the fight but no arrests have been made. The PD does say the person who used a bottle as a weapon could be arrested and charged with a felony.

Happy holidays, everybody!

Tiffany Haddish Addresses New DUI in Stand-Up Set With 'Answered Prayers' Joke

SO, ABOUT LAST NIGHT...
TMZ.com

Tiffany Haddish got up in front of a crowd to crack jokes less than a day after getting arrested for DUI -- and when she was asked about it point blank, she leaned on comedy.

As we reported ... TH was scheduled to perform at the Laugh Factory in Long Beach Friday -- this after a set she'd done the previous night in L.A., before getting busted by Beverly Hills cops the following morning -- and TMZ obtained audio from part of that Long Beach show.

earlier in the set ...
TMZ.com

Take a listen to how Tiffany responded when an audience member asked about what happened "last night" ... obviously referring to her getting led away in handcuffs Friday AM.

Tiffany doesn't really cop to anything -- including the alleged DUI -- but she does say her prayers for a man in uniform were certainly answered ... something the crowd ate up. In other words, she rolled with it and made the whole thing into a well-delivered punchline.

Like we told you ... Tiffany left her Long Beach gig in the backseat of an SUV Friday evening, and it looks like she had some friendly company with her. What's interesting is that earlier in the day, she was in jail after getting taken in and booked earlier that same morning.

Tiffany is alleged to have been found asleep at the wheel in Bev Hills -- and cops say they found probable cause to take her in on suspicion of DUI ... and her arrest is on video.

TIFFANY IN CUFFS
TMZ.com

Outside of this set, Tiffany hasn't talked about the DUI arrest publicly.

By the way, if it seems like she came up with that "man in uniform" line pretty quickly, that's because she deployed the same line shortly after her 2022 Georgia DUI ... when she was a guest on the 'Tonight Show.'

Canine Mystery Illness Dog's Life Reportedly Saved by 'Last-Resort' Antibiotic

The mysterious illness that has caused dogs in more than a dozen states to get extremely sick may -- just may -- show promise of containment.

A 5-year-old golden retriever named Ike got sick during a dog road show, and this was way back in September.  The owners rushed Ike to the vet, and he was diagnosed with the disease that has dog owners in a panic -- canine infectious respiratory disease complex.

Ike was taken to a vet hospital and quarantined. Dogs can quickly go from a cough to life-threatening pneumonia with this disease.

The dog was given a "last-resort antibiotic," called chloramphenicol, which fights bacterial infections. The family of the dog told ABC7, within hours his breathing was no longer labored.

The owner, Becky Oliver, said, "It's a very, very strong last-resort antibiotic, but it's what saved him. Otherwise, he would not be here."

So far, officials, officials have not commented on the efficacy of the antibiotic.

PROTECT YOUR PETS
TMZ.com

The disease has been spreading ... it's been found in California, Oregon, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and in various states around the Northeast.

In Oregon alone, there have been reports of more than 200 cases.

Israel-Hamas War Second Prison Swap Video Shows Hostages Waving Goodbye

HAMAS RELEASES HOSTAGES

More hostages were released by Hamas Saturday night, this after the prisoner swap almost fell apart.

A total of 13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals were driven across the border into Israel, after a seemingly endless delay. Hamas accused Israel of breaking terms of the cease-fire deal, and numerous countries, including the U.S., stepped in to revive it

In the video released by Hamas, you see hostages waving goodbye to the people who held them since October 7. It's unclear if they waved out of free will, or not.

This is the second hostage swap since the cease-fire took hold, and more hostages are expected to be released today. So far, no Americans held hostage have been released.

As part of the second swap, 39 Palestinians were also released by Israel.

PALESTINIANS REUNITED WITH FAMILY

In all, 50 hostages are expected to be released, and 150 Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israel as part of the swap.

Hamas took around 240 hostages during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

OnlyFans Model Joshua Hopkins Brawls With Couple At Nobu Bahamas ... Arrested and Jailed

INSANE BRAWL

OnlyFans model and combat veteran Joshua Hopkins spent part of his Bahamas vacation in jail -- dude got arrested for his role in a brawl at Nobu, and the whole fight is on video.

TMZ obtained footage of Joshua brawling with other patrons inside Nobu Bahamas on Paradise Island, and you see him landing punches and kicks ... but there's also a woman shattering a glass over Joshua's head!

The brawl went down right in the middle of Nobu's large dining room, in front of dozens of shocked guests and staff ... some even tried to break up the fight, to no avail.

Joshua tells TMZ he'd gone out to dinner with Jason Luv, a famous exotic dancer and porn star during their guys' trip to the Bahamas.

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JH says as soon as they got to Nobu, people started coming up to Jason asking for photos -- all innocent enough. The trouble started when Jason went to the bathroom and Joshua alone at their table, noticed a couple staring at him.

Joshua says he made eye contact with them, and the woman suddenly stood up and yelled, "Who the f*** do you think you are?!?" He says her husband then stood up and got in his face, putting hands on Joshua ... and then all hell broke loose.

We mentioned the glass being smashed over Joshua's head in the fight video ... well, he says he suffered a cut that required treatment at a hospital.

While Joshua tells us he didn't want to press charges against the couple -- he thinks they were drunk and didn't want to ruin their vacation -- he says they pressed charges against him! So, cops showed up to his door the next day, and arrested him for assault and property damage.

Joshua says he spent 3 days in jail and had to pay an $800 fine because the couple claimed he ruined their clothing and sneakers during the melee.

As for Jason, who got some extra fame recently for banging Adam22's wife Lena The Plug, Joshua says his buddy was not involved in the fight -- he was actually at the front of the restaurant taking pics with fans when the brawl went down.

Joshua sounds like he's ready to move on ... he says he doesn't plan to sue, and it's all in his rearview.

Derek Chauvin Family Slams Prison Officials ... Why'd We Have to Learn About Stabbing From Media?

Derek Chauvin's family is angry they learned from the media their imprisoned son was stabbed and not from prison officials.

Carolyn Pawlenty, the mother of the cop who murdered George Floyd, told Alpha News, "How the hell do these news agencies know and his own mother doesn't even know?" She adds the prison had an emergency contact number -- her number -- but no one called.

She went on ... “I can’t even think what to say. I haven’t been to bed and made a path in my kitchen and living room floor by pacing."

Chauvin’s attorney, Bill Mohrman, says he got involved and tried calling the prison for information but hasn't heard back.

And another Chauvin lawyer, Gregory M. Erickson, slammed prison officials for its radio silence ... “It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek’s assault was allowed to happen.”

Erickson added, “How the family members who are in charge of Derek’s decisions regarding his personal medical care and his emergency contact were not informed after his stabbing further indicates the institution’s poor procedures and lack of institutional control.”

As we reported ... Chauvin was stabbed in the federal prison in Arizona where he is currently serving a nearly 21-year sentence after pleading guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights.

Chauvin is in stable condition after he was assaulted Friday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson. The stabbing was reportedly carried out by another inmate.

Prison doctors performed "life-saving" measures on Chauvin. There have been no updates on his condition.

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