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A poor woman lost her life because both she and her alleged murderer were being scammed by a nefarious third party -- and we talked to some experts who say ... this ain't gonna stop.

Tech expert Lance Ulanoff -- who's covered this field as Editor at TechRadar -- came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss the fatal shooting of Loletha Hall ... who was gunned down late last month in Ohio after 81-year-old William Brock mistook her for someone trying to secure a ransom out of him.

Lance tells us this is an extreme case of these types of stories -- which he says happen all the time, but usually don't rise to this level of violence and tragedy.

Unfortunately, here it did, and he says it's a cautionary tale on the dangers of these bad actors.

Siggy Flicker's stepson has been arrested -- now facing charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot after authorities say his stepmom posted pics of him in the building.

Tyler Campanella -- the former 'Real Housewives' star's stepson -- was taken into custody in New York City Wednesday and booked on five misdemeanor charges, according to NBC News.

The feds claim Campanella's stepmom posted pictures of him from inside the Capitol Building alongside the caption, "I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you.”

Brian Cox nunca ha tenido pelos en la lengua y esta vez le ha tocado a Joaquin Phoenix recibir sus dardos por su interpretación en la película "Napoleón".

La estrella de "Sucesión" lanzó una serie de comentarios en el HistFest de Londres esta semana, en donde criticó la representación de Phoenix de la figura histórica en 2023, como francamente horrible e incluso sugirió que debería haberle hecho más justicia al papel.

Brian dice: "Terrible. Terrible. Una actuación realmente terrible de Joaquin Phoenix. Es realmente espantosa. No sé en qué estaba pensando. Creo que es totalmente culpa suya y no creo que Ridley Scott lo ayudara".

Brian Cox has never been one to mince his words, and Joaquin Phoenix is on the chopping block this time over his performance in the "Napoleon" movie.

The "Succession" star unleashed a rapid-fire tirade at London's HistFest this week ... slamming JP's 2023 portrayal of the historical figure as downright awful -- even suggesting he would've done the role more justice.

Brian says, "Terrible. It's terrible. A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking. I think it’s totally his fault and I don’t think Ridley Scott helps him."

El equipo de Sydney Sweeney no ha perdido el tiempo respondiendo a los ataques contra su aspecto y sus dotes interpretativos por parte de una productora de Hollywood... aunque la propia mujer se retracte.

Un representante de la actriz de "Euphoria" llamó a Carol Baum por sus recientes comentarios que clasifican SS como "no es bonita" y no una buena actriz, diciendo: "Qué triste que una mujer en la posición de compartir su experiencia y conocimientos elige en lugar de atacar a otra mujer".

El representante añade: "Si menospreciar a otra mujer es lo que Carol ha aprendido durante sus décadas en el negocio, y considera apropiado transmitirlo a sus alumnas, entonces es verdaderamente vergonzoso. Despreciar injustamente a una compañera productora dice mucho del carácter de la Sra. Baum".

Sydney Sweeney's camp hasn't wasted time clapping back at the attack on her looks and acting chops by a Hollywood producer ... even though the woman herself is walking it back.

A rep for the "Euphoria" actress called out Carol Baum for her recent remarks that classified SS as "not pretty" and not a good actress, saying, "How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman."

The rep adds, "If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms Baum’s character.”

Caitlin Clark doesn't mind packed arenas, zone defenses or contested shots ... but she admitted Wednesday there is one thing that terrifies her -- "Saturday Night Live" cameras!!

The 22-year-old met with reporters in Indiana for the first time since the Fever picked her in Monday night's WNBA Draft ... and amid questions about her game and her future, someone just had to ask about her hilarious appearance on 'SNL' over the weekend.

Clark revealed that while she looked calm and cool on the outside -- she was anything but that on the inside ... saying, "I was terrified."

"I was so nervous," she said. "My heart was about to explode out of my chest."

Of course, Clark -- as she does so often on the hardwood -- came through in the clutch despite the nerves ... and delivered funny line after funny line in her four-minute cameo with Michael Che and Colin Jost on Weekend Update.

She roasted Che for making fun of women's sports ... and then made him read some jokes about himself that she said on the show that she "wrote."

Clark revealed Wednesday she didn't actually pen them herself -- "I'm not that funny," she quipped  -- but she was pleased nonetheless with how it all turned out.

"It was good," she said. "It was a good platform for women's sports. Everybody loved it."

Sydney Sweeney ain't as hot as we all think ... that's Hollywood producer Carol Baum's take, anyway, and she's teeing off on the actress' looks and acting ability.

Carol ripped into Sydney during a discussion before a screening of her 1988 film, "Dead Ringers" -- and kinda outta nowhere, she took issue with Sydney's recent romantic comedy, "Anyone But You" ... slamming it as unwatchable.

Carol -- whose credits include "Father of the Bride" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- said she'd asked her students at USC to explain the craze surrounding Sydney.

Sydney Sweeney no es tan guapa como todos pensamos, o al menos eso piensa la productora de Hollywood Carol Baum, quien despotricó sobre la apariencia de la actriz y su capacidad de actuación.

Carol arremetió contra Sydney durante una discusión antes de la proyección de su película de 1988, "Dead Ringers", y un poco de la nada tuvo problemas con la reciente comedia romántica de Sydney "Anyone But You", la que calificó de insoportable.

Carol, cuyos créditos incluyen "Father of the Bride" y "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", dijo que le pidió a sus estudiantes de USC que le explicaran la locura en torno a Sydney.

Incluso Zendaya no está segura sobre el futuro de "Euphoria", quien compartió que tiene cero idea de si la temporada 3 se realizará alguna vez.

Durante el estreno de su nueva película "Challengers" el martes en Los Ángeles, Zendaya dejó saber que no tiene nada que decir sobre si la producción de HBO comenzará nuevamente, a pesar de que está acreditada como productora ejecutiva.

Zendaya le dijo a Variety: "Yo no estoy a cargo. Pero, por supuesto, si es lo correcto para los personajes y todo resulta como debería, por supuesto. Pero está más allá de mí".

Even Zendaya is uncertain about the future of "Euphoria" -- sharing she has zero insight into whether season 3 will ever happen.

During Tuesday's Los Angeles premiere for her new movie, "Challengers," Zendaya let it be known ... she has no say on whether production starts up again for the HBO drama, even though she's credited as an executive producer.

Zendaya told Variety, "I am not in charge. But, of course, if it's right for the characters and everything turns out the way it should, of course. But it's beyond me."

Kate Beckinsale has kept the cause for her recent health issues close to the vest ... until now it seems ... although the signal is literally close to the vest.

The actress posted a series of photos and a video, showing her sitting on a bed while wearing a t-shirt that read, "Tummy Troubles Survivor." If we had to guess, Kate must have been experiencing stomach troubles that landed her in the hospital last month.

Throughout March, Kate uploaded several now-deleted pictures from her hospital bed, even one on UK Mother's Day with a tribute to her mother, but no explanation as to why she was in the hospital.

Eyeballs all across the nation continue to flock toward Caitlin Clark ... Monday night's WNBA Draft -- which the former Iowa superstar headlined -- was just revealed to be the most-viewed in the history of the event!

ESPN announced Tuesday that 2.45 million people tuned in to watch the Indiana Fever take Clark with the No. 1 overall pick ... smashing the previous high of 601,000 watchers in 2004. The outlet added that at its peak, the draft's broadcast drew in a total of 3.09 million people.

According to the network, the selection ceremony -- which also featured stars like Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso -- was the most popular program on Monday night amongst people under the age of 35 years old.

The week has only just started but, in case you're behind, here are some TMZ TV hot takes to catch up on.

First up, on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles discuss Courtney Love's biting criticism of Taylor Swift. She even came for Beyoncé, too!!!

Jaleel White says he feels blessed over his child stardom after watching 'Quiet on Set' ... admitting he felt safe and well-protected while filming for his show.

The 'Family Matters' star told "Today" he feels lucky to have felt secure on the ABC sitcom's set, especially now that the harsh realities of the biz are coming to light and learning what former child stars allegedly went through.

JW -- who famously played Steve Urkel -- gave props to his mom for his smooth career early on ... acknowledging she wasn't perfect but crediting her for shielding him from the industry's pitfalls.

Diving into some juicy celeb gossip can definitely spice up a slow Monday ... and we've got you covered with some TMZ Hot Takes.

Kicking things off with "TMZ Live" ... Harvey and Charles break down one of Coachella's biggest moments over the weekend: Will Smith crashing J Balvin's set!!