'Madden' Movie Actor Quits Over Alleged Use of N-Word, Full Nudity ... Studio Disputes Reports

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A supporting actor in the upcoming "Madden" film quit on Friday -- just two weeks into production -- allegedly over the use of the N-word and full frontal nudity ... but sources close to Amazon Studios tell us the allegations are being twisted.

Here's the deal ... TMZ spoke with five members of the cast and crew for the upcoming film starring Nicolas Cage as the NFL legend, and Christian Bale as Raiders owner Al Davis ... and they independently leveled some serious claims about the film's director, David O. Russell.

Crew and cast members told us that on Friday, Russell was working with the unnamed actor on an impromptu monologue when the director allegedly said the N-word ... and that upset the actor, along with others, who allegedly walked off set before they broke for lunch, and subsequently wrapped for the day.

Chris Brown I'm A Free Man ... Judge Springs Him From Jail

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Chris Brown can breathe a sigh of relief because he was just granted bail after his arrest for assault in the United Kingdom, TMZ has confirmed.

The R&B singer did not appear for a hearing in London's Southwark Crown Court Wednesday ... but a judge signed off on releasing him from jail, paving the way for him to begin his world tour in a few weeks.

The judge ordered Chris — who has not yet entered a plea -- to pay 5 million in British pounds as a security fee to the court, which translates to roughly $6.7 million in American dollars. We don't know the details of his bail conditions, but we'll update you once we get word.

'Gigolos' Star I Knew About Diddy ... Not Surprised Costars Tangled Up in Trial

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POWER & CONTROL
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Jimmy Clabots says he and other escorts were well aware of what went on in Diddy's bedroom for a long time ... and he's not surprised some of his ex-costars are now wrapped up in the trial.

Clabots, who appeared on "Gigolos" Seasons 1 and 2 as Jimmy Dior, tells us he was on hold a few times for Diddy, but was never ultimately booked.

He did, however, know other escorts at the agency who were ... and some of the guys told him they did see "chemicals" -- or drug use -- while others did not.

Orioles' Gunnar Henderson I Want To Play In World Baseball Classic!!!

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ONE GAME AT A TIME
TMZSports.com

If Team USA wants Gunnar Henderson in its infield during the 2026 World Baseball Classic -- the Orioles superstar tells TMZ Sports he'd happily accept the invitation.

In fact, the Baltimore shortstop said in a sit-down with us on Tuesday it's actually one of his career goals to suit up for the Red, White and Blue in the prestigious baseball tournament.

"Anytime you have a chance to do that," he said of playing for America in the WBC, "it's pretty special. That's something that I definitely look forward to and hopefully can do one day in the future."

'Cheers' Star George Wendt Dead at 76

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George Wendt, famous for his starring role in the long-running NBC sitcom "Cheers," is dead.

Family sources tell TMZ ... he died early Tuesday morning, passing peacefully in his sleep at his home.

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GEORGE WENDT: THROUGH THE YEARS
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The official cause of death is unclear.

George's family is remembering him as "a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him" ... and they say he will be missed forever.

Bill Belichick's Ex Linda Holliday Confronted Jordon Hudson At Christmas Party ... & Threatened Miss Massachusetts

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Bill Belichick's ex-girlfriend, Linda Holliday, ran into his current one, Jordon Hudson, while the two were at a Christmas party late last year ... and TMZ Sports has learned their meetup was anything but friendly.

The intense encounter went down on Dec. 6 ... at a "Stroll Party" in Massachusetts hosted by Dreamland -- which describes itself as "Nantucket Island's Year-Round Nonprofit Film, Performing Arts & Cultural Center."

Holliday's daughters -- Ashley and Kat Hess, AKA The Hess Twins -- were DJing the bash ... which started at around 7 PM.

Travis Kelce They Don't Call Me Big Yeti For Nothin' ... Back Hair, Don't Care

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Travis Kelce might've forgotten his razor at home before heading to Florida ... 'cause the NFL superstar's offseason workouts are quite the hairy situation.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end got in a sweat sesh with buddies Ross Travis and Kumar Ferguson in Florida on Tuesday ... and as he made his way to a luxurious black car, he elected to pop his top and towel off before getting in the whip.

Kelce -- who was wearing all-black sportswear for the occasion -- appeared exhausted after the workout ... and as he lifted his shirt, he put his back fur on full display.

Irina Shayk ... Nothin' But My Red-Hot Bikini N' Boots!

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"These boots were made for walkin' ... and fashion model Irina Shayk is about to "walk all over you!"

Check it out -- Irina, 39, effortlessly blasted a handful of sexy shots to social media, wearing nothing but a red-hot bikini and black boots!

Leanin' back in her chair, here's a shot of Shayk shakin' things up by doing absolutely .... nothing!!

Do yourself a favor and slide into our gallery to see all the pics!

L.A. Zoo Elephants Billy & Tina Secretly Removed ... Snuck 'Em Out at 1:30 AM!!!

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Cher is gonna be pissed! The beloved L.A. Zoo elephants she went to bat for -- Billy and Tina -- were secreted outta the zoo under the cover of darkness last night ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the L.A. Zoo tell us Billy and Tina were removed around 1:30 AM Tuesday and, presumably, loaded up to be shipped to Tulsa Zoo -- a controversial move that prompted protests, a lawsuit and an angry letter to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass ... which Cher and several other celebs signed.

We're told the elephant exhibit at L.A. Zoo was empty Tuesday morning -- no elephants, no keepers and the electric perimeter fence was off ... clear indications the animals were on their way to Oklahoma.

The Time Singer Morris Day 'Memba Him?!

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American musician and songwriter Morris Day -- and the funky frontman for the Minnesota music consortium, The Time -- was in his mid-20s when he shot to stardom with jams like "Jungle Love" in the '80s.

His charting single "Fishnet" reached number 23 on the Hot 100 chart, and with his popular bops, Day dabbled on the big screen -- playing himself in Prince's 1984 movie "Purple Rain" and "Graffiti Bridge" (1990).

As far as TV acting roles -- he was on NBC's sitcom series "227" with Marla Gibbs and ABC's "New Attitude" with Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Guess what he looks like now!

Ronnie Radke On Brittany Furlan I Talked To Feds About Catfishing Claims ... It Wasn't Me, Tommy Lee!!!

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Ronnie Radke is doubling down on his denial of having anything to do with Tommy Lee splitting with Brittany Furlan ... and he says the FBI got involved after Brittany claimed she got catfished by someone posing as Ronnie online.

We got the Falling In Reverse singer at Beachwood Cafe in Los Angeles on Tuesday and our photog asked him about Brittany claiming the alleged catfish caused major problems in her marriage to Tommy.

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Ronnie tells us he's never talked to Brittany and has tons of love for Tommy ... and he'd heard others may have been catfished by the same impersonator.

emma stone, dave mccary buy our austin estate!!!

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Emma Stone and Dave McCary are looking to move on from their fancy estate in Texas ... because they just put their property in Austin on the market.

The "Poor Things" star and her comedian husband just listed the home for $26.5 million ... even though construction is not yet finished.

The place sits on 1.24 acres and there's a four-bedroom home, a garage with a screening room and entertainment space above, plus a two-bedroom guest house.

Diddy Trial Highlights The Punisher, Obama X Pills, Cassie's Mom ... Feds Hone in on RICO

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Prosecutors seemed to be getting more testimony geared towards the racketeering charge against Diddy in the seventh day of witnesses on the stand ... but there were still some outlandish stories told in court too.

The wildest testimony came courtesy of a male exotic dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" ... he told the jury about his first meetings with Cassie and Diddy and talked about a book he wrote about erectile dysfunction, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

The 'Punisher' had a lot to say about kinky sex ... but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone when it came to the criminal charges ... even though we'll give him his due as a very entertaining character.

Fertility Clinic Bombing Palm Springs Explosion Caught on Camera ... In Saturday's 'Act of Terrorism'

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THE MASSIVE BLAST
TMZ.com

Frightening video shows the bomb going off outside a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic Saturday morning ... sending a fiery plume of smoke into the air.

TMZ obtained video ... nothing seems out of the ordinary on the sunshine-filled day, when all of a sudden a muffled blast goes off, followed by a tall puff of dark smoke aggressively shooting upward.

One person, the suspect, was killed in the explosion outside American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, with 4 injured.

Exotic Male Dancer 'The Punisher' Read Erotic Tales About Cassie, Diddy ... I Had E.D. Half the Time

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Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," included his sexual experiences with Cassie and Diddy in his memoir about erectile dysfunction ... and it's very graphic.

Hayes took the stand Tuesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC and he told the jury he wrote about Diddy and Cassie in his book, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

He testified he did not name Cassie or Diddy in the book, instead referring to them as a married wealthy couple ... and we found the six pages where he talks about their sexual encounters -- and it's vivid, to put it mildly.

Jeff Bezos Hands-On Approach to Lauren's Tan Catching Rays on Super Yacht in South of France

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Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez were photographed this week on his luxury super yacht Koru, currently anchored somewhere off the coast of the South of France.

We're only getting a little bit of a look at the $500-million boat ... but we are seeing a full view of Sanchez's sunbathing routine.

Sanchez is wearing an animal-print bikini, lounging around on deck with a straw sun hat, getting a tan on her backside.