The Thousand Oaks bar where 12 people were killed in a shooting rampage hosted its first public gathering at the site of the tragedy, with hundreds of people showing up Sunday night for a ceremonial tree lighting ... a tribute to the victims.

The Borderline Bar & Grill parking lot was buzzing with activity for the first time since the November mass shooting ... with the community coming together to listen to country music, line dance and remember those they lost by illuminating an oak tree that served as a symbol of healing in the shooting's aftermath.

Borderline Bar owner Brian Hynes says the oak tree -- located on the edge of the bar parking lot -- will be remain lit every night to represent the 12 people who were killed. People gathered at the tree in the days after the shooting, sharing hugs, shedding tears and lending each other support.

Following the ceremonial tree lighting, the crowd stuck around and everyone sang Garth Brooks' country classic, "Friends in Low Places."

You may recall ... the massacre occurred last November during the bar's popular College Country Night, when a retired Marine stormed the venue and killed 12 people before police shot and killed him.

A$AP Rocky says race is not an issue in his arrest or detention, TMZ has learned ... but the reality is, he has to say that.

There's certainly plenty of smoke ... as we reported, G-Eazy -- a white rapper -- was arrested in Sweden for assault and cocaine possession, yet he only spent a day-and-a-half in jail, pled guilty, coughed up $9k and he was on his merry way.

A$AP's been in jail going on 3 weeks and he hasn't even been charged, and when that happens it will only be for aggravated assault ... an assault that was provoked by the alleged victim.

That said, our A$AP sources say he has made it clear to all in contact with him ... he doesn't think he's being held because he's black. That's consistently been his story.

Here's the reality ... if A$AP or his team DARED suggest he's being held because he's a black rapper, there would be hell to pay with the prosecutor and probably the judge as well. We've spoken with Swedish Embassy and other officials, and they're all adamant ... they do not discriminate. If foreigners suggested otherwise in court, our sources say it would be a disaster.

We're told A$AP will be charged and will then face 6 years in prison. The best defense they got is provocation by the alleged victim.

One thing's clear by now ... all the work the State Dept. and President have done trying to lobby Swedish officials hasn't worked ... in fact, it may have been counterproductive because prosecutors may not like what they consider intermeddling, and the Prime Minister is siding with them.

Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in NYC appears to have been visited by some would-be criminals who left their mark ... and now have the venue on edge.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... NYPD took a criminal mischief report over the weekend after the club's staff called cops and reported someone had jacked up their front door, in what the staff believed to be an attempted break-in.

We're told cops were shown photos of the damaged door, which looked like someone chipped away at it with some sort of instrument. However, officers noted the door had since been fixed.

Our sources also tell us that the police reviewed surveillance footage from the club, but found no clear evidence of a crime being committed. They're currently investigating whether this could've been an attempted break-in, and the case has been assigned to a detective.

Now, sources close to the 40/40 Club tell us the venue staff feels strongly this was a failed attempted break-in, based on what they've seen on their own cameras.

We're told the club is in possession of footage that shows two suspicious men hanging out in front of the building Friday afternoon, where one of them appears to come to the door in question ... according to the staff who reviewed it, anyway. The alarm didn't go off.

Our 40/40 sources also say that upon further review of more surveillance video, the staff noticed these two guys had been hanging around the club all week, with suspicious vehicles driving by around the same times as well. We're told the club feels they were staking the place out.

Now, it should be pointed out that the two men of concern are NOT suspects in the probe yet, as police didn't feel there was enough there to list them as such.

Live Nation's provoking the ire of concert lovers everywhere, because it's fessed up to the shady practice of putting tickets directly on resale sites ... before the public even has a chance to buy them at face value.

The touring company's admission comes on the heels of a Billboard report detailing a secretly recorded phone call between a Live Nation honcho and an event promoter for Metallica in February 2017 ... days before the band announced its WorldWired North American stadium tour.

During the call ... the 2 parties agreed to put 88,000 tickets directly on secondary market sites like StubHub, so people never got a chance to buy them on sites like Ticketmaster, which is actually owned by Live Nation.

The company's admitted to facilitating this scalping practice for "about a dozen artists out of the thousands we work with" ... but other than Metallica, the bands remain unknown.

Live Nation says it did it because bands know face value of its concert tickets are often lower than market value ... so the tactic allows them to recapture a cut of that money.

According to the report ... Live Nation used various covert methods to place tickets on resale sites immediately, including having employees transfer thousands of tickets into single accounts to be listed and sold on secondary market sites.

So, the next time a show sells out immediately online ... eyebrows shall be justifiably raised.

UFC champ Jon Jones is denying allegations he slapped a cocktail waitress at an Albuquerque strip club back in April ... and telling fans, "I'm definitely not in any trouble."

According to police, the alleged victim claims 32-year-old Jones not only slapped her inside TD’s Eubank Showclub, but kissed her neck without consent ... and then put her in a chokehold that was so powerful, he lifted her off the ground.

The woman told police Jones continued to put his hands on her until he left the club, according to KRQE in New Mexico.

The woman called police to her home after the incident to report the alleged crime. Jones was later charged with misdemeanor battery and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

A spokesperson for Jones told the media Jon was unaware of the case against him -- and didn't know about the warrant because the paperwork was sent to the wrong address.

Jones later paid a $300 bond and the arrest warrant was rescinded.

"Today, the media told Mr. Jones about a false accusation launched against him and that paperwork had been sent to an incorrect address," a Jones spokesman said Sunday night.

"However, after receiving the documents from the press, Mr. Jones immediately went to pay the small fee, and he, and multiple witnesses, stand ready to factually refute the malicious lies being told about him to the public."

Jones later tweeted about the allegations -- telling one fan, "I’m definitely not in any trouble my friend, don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the Internet."

He told another user, "I know there’s a whole bunch of people hoping for my downfall but there’s even more who are proud of me and love seeing me do well. And screw staying inside, I love this community.. excited to keep climbing, haters going to be mad when I win in December."

Story developing ...

Tom Cruise made a splash at Comic-Con ... is what all these people thought when they saw a guy who was a dead-ringer for the 'Top Gun' star. And, boy, ya can't blame 'em.

This guy was dressed as TC at the comic book convention Sunday in San Diego, where he was decked in classic Maverick garb ... and riding shotgun in hot red Ferrari. With his Aviators on, this impostor was the spitting image of the actor -- and tons of folks bought it.

We got Fake Tom posted up in the whip as a bunch of guys and gals tried talking to him through the passenger window. Check it out ... they truly believe it's ol' Tommy boy.

Our camera guy -- who spots the difference -- tries to get a answer out of FTC about the 'Top Gun' sequel (that he isn't involved in). He just grins at us though ... clearly having a good-ass time pulling a fast one on just about everyone around.

Ya gotta see some of the ladies' reactions here too, BTW -- it's classic freak-out fanfare ... and almost like Tom himself had just walked off a fighter jet fresh from a shoot.

Oh, and take a cue from this poor sap of a boyfriend who didn't properly record his GF talking to Fake Tom ... ALWAYS be up in a fake celeb's grill at ALL times, especially when your girl's hounding them.

That's good coupling 101, guys.

Gypsy Rose is reacting to Joey King's Emmy nomination for her portrayal in "The Act" ... and it doesn't exactly scream let's be BFFs.

Fancy Macelli, a Gypsy Rose family spokesperson, tells TMZ ... Gypsy sincerely congratulates Joey for nailing the role and mastering her look, voice and mannerisms. That being said ... Gypsy has ZERO interest in meeting Joey following the Emmy nom because Gypsy is adamant the story line in Hulu's limited series is inaccurate ... and by meeting with her, it would validate the series' narrative.

What's more ... Gypsy, who was forced to pretend to be disabled for years and wanted to escape her mother's medical abuse, wants to put this ugly episode behind her. Gypsy says she has nothing to gain by meeting with Joey.

As for some of the inaccuracies in "The Act" ... Gypsy claims the repeated sex scenes in the series is not a true depiction of her sex life and it was dramatized to make her seem like a nymphomaniac.

Gypsy also takes issue with how often the series shows Gypsy's mom, Dee Dee, tying her up in bed and holding her hostage. She says it only happened once ... after she tried to escape.

As you might know by now ... Gypsy's then-BF, Nick Godejohn, admitted to murdering Dee Dee in 2015 to help Gypsy escape from Dee Dee's claws. He's currently serving a life sentence while Gypsy is serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

After Joey found out about her Emmy nom, she balled like a baby and called the nomination an honor. She later told an outlet there's so many things she'd like to tell Gypsy ... adding she hopes Gypsy knows she respects her story, "and that all I wanted to do was to right by her. And I hope she can see and understand that."

Well, this is a first ... a rapper was arrested in Georgia for weaponizing banana pudding.

Seriously.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Young Dro was arrested on July 5 for allegedly throwing a plate of banana pudding at his girlfriend during an argument at their Atlanta-area home.

We're told the two had been arguing over money -- but things got heated and the food started flying ... with both sides launching whatever delicious items they could find at each other.

Cops were called to the scene -- and despite the fact his GF made it clear she didn't want to press charges, they arrested Dro anyway.

He's now facing 2 counts of misdemeanor battery/family violence.

He's still in jail too -- according to law enforcement sources -- because he's also being held on a child support contempt order. The legal docs say he owes almost $41k in back child support, and needs to pay $10k to be released from custody.

Our Young Dro sources say the child support case involves another baby mama -- not his current GF who he had the pudding spat with -- and the rapper claims he's all paid up ... so it's a clerical error.

Young Dro's best known for his 2006 track "Shoulder Lean" featuring T.I. ... and had another hit single in 2013 called "FDB."

The two baddest women in combat sports could be on a collision course -- because Dana White says he's open to let Amanda Nunes take on undefeated boxing superstar Claressa Shields!!!

First off, Amanda Nunes is the greatest female UFC fighter of all time -- with devastating victories over everyone from Ronda Rousey to Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm.

Claressa is the top dog in boxing -- she's 9-0 as a pro and a 2-time Olympic gold medalist.

Shields has made it abundantly clear she wants Nunes in a boxing match -- and told TMZ Sports bluntly, "I'd put [her] to sleep."

So, we asked Dana if he'd ever let Amanda follow in Conor McGregor's footsteps and take a super fight in the boxing ring ... and his answer was VERY interesting.

"Amanda Nunes has things that she needs to do here [in the UFC] first, but I'm not opposed to it," White said.

"Maybe Claressa comes over here and fight in MMA."

So, what does Amanda need to do in the Octagon before a possible Shields matchup?

Dana says he's trying to sign Cris Cyborg to take a rematch with Amanda -- but White claims Cyborg won't put pen to paper ... insinuating she's scared of getting beaten up again.

"I think it's pretty obvious why she wouldn't want that fight. It's a bad fight for her."

"I think that [Cyborg] is at the point where she's afraid to lose again. Losing again isn't something she's interested in."

White says Amanda Nunes REALLY wants the fight -- and since she's basically cleared out the women's division, White wants to give her whoever she wants.

This cute little girl could very soon become the First Lady ... if her man plays his cards right in 2020. But, ya probably know her best from her storied career as an actress and activist. This NYC native started her career incredibly young ... playing a minor role on "Sesame Street."

She rose to fame with roles in Edward Burns' "Sidewalks of New York," Spike Lee's "25th Hour," Oliver Stone's "Alexander" and "Sin City." The younger generation might know her better from "Jane the Virgin."

She's also an insanely talented singer ... she's featured in the Outkast track "She Lives in My Lap" and showed off her singing chops in "Rent."

A$AP Rocky's hometown congressman isn't sure if President Trump is genuine in wanting to help free him -- but he says it doesn't matter ... as long as the end goal is achieved.

We got Rep. Adriano Espaillat in NYC Sunday -- where he represents A$AP's home borough of Harlem -- and asked what he made of Trump saying he'd guarantee Rocky's bail if need be.

As we reported ... Trump tweeted out an update on the legal sitch in Sweden -- where A$AP's been jailed for about three weeks now -- and said he spoke the Prime Minister, assuring him the rapper wasn't a flight risk, and that he'd even vouch for his bail.

Rep. Espaillat says Trump being willing to put his own rep on the line for A$AP's bail is somewhat irrelevant, 'cause as he points out ... money's not really the issue here.

Our guy asks if DT's just using this as a re-election tactic to tap into a new demographic of potential voters come 2020, but the congressman won't go there. He tells us he doesn't wanna speculate on potential motives -- but what he is sure about is that those wanting to get A$AP freed will take any help they can get at this point, including from 45.

Hard to tell if POTUS' involvement is going to help A$AP, because the Swedish PM says he made it clear that their judicial system is independent and won't be subject to outside lobbying.

Kamala Harris seems to have Hollywood squarely in her corner as she continues her campaign for POTUS -- and she's got manager-to-the-stars Scooter Braun to thank for it.

The California senator attended a fundraiser that Scooter threw for her on Saturday, which took place at his own home in Los Angeles. Some very famous faces dropped by as well, including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Demi Lovato ... two of whom are Scooter's clients.

It was an RSVP event, and was slugged as a "Fireside Chat" with the presidential hopeful.

Scooter posted his own photos of the event, where it appears he and Kamala were seated in front of a crowd of people in the backyard of his place, with microphones in each person's hand. He captioned his pics, "Such as incredible night of supporting our brilliant friend...candidate for President of the United States of America @KamalaHarris."

He also posted pics of him, Ari and Demi at the shindig, and called them "Fam."

Now, here's where things get interesting -- beyond the celebs just being there, we mean. Scooter's feud with Taylor Swift is coming into the picture, and him hosting Kamala appears to have pissed off a lot of her fans, with tons of Swifties calling Kamala and co. sellouts, and some even vowing not to vote for her come primaries.

As you know ... Scooter now owns the master recordings to Taylor's old catalog of music, which she lashed out at him over last month.

Interestingly enough, Taylor seems to have been pretty down with Senator Harris in the past ... retweeting her here and there. But, she's been an even more vocal supporter of one of Kamala's Democratic rivals ... Cory Booker. Taylor shouted him out when he backed the Equality Act in June.

To make matters even more tangled ... Booker was out in L.A. this weekend as well, and had his own bundle of stars ... like girlfriend Rosario Dawson, Sophia Bush and Tiffany Haddish.

The prankster just got pranked big time ... Jake Paul's fiancee made him believe she was pregnant, and his reaction was veeeerrrrry interesting.

Tana Mongeau -- a YouTube star in her own right, who just got engaged to Jake about a month ago -- pulled a masterclass prank on her soon-to-be hubby, telling him she was preggo ... and letting panic and chaos ensue. Gotta give it to her, she acted her ass off.

In the clip, Tana tells a seemingly unsuspecting Jake that she's gotta tell him something that he'll probably be mad about, which peaks his curiosity.

After a bit of back-and-forth, she finally comes out with it ... saying she's pregnant, and even showing him a bogus pregnancy test that reads positive. Then comes the difficult convo ... what to do about it now???

Check out the clip ... it seems like Jake would've actually been down to keep it, at least that seems to be his initial reaction. Gotta check with mom first though, of course.

What's also interesting is that Tana and Jake are a relatively newish couple -- having only been together for about two months prior to him popping the question in late June. She makes that much clear by what she tells him in this video too ... they haven't talked about a baby much, apparently.

Young viral love, nothing beats it.

'Spider-Man' star Tony Revolori channeled his movie character at Comic-Con, becoming the life of the party by climbing a tree with flash to spare ... and then getting booted right after.

Tony was at Entertainment Weekly's Comic-Con bash Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel rooftop bar, Float, in San Diego -- this following an epic day of Marvel revelations, including casting announcements for "The Eternals," "Blade" and other projects. Big superhero day.

Eyewitnesses tell us he was hanging out with some actors from Amazon's new web series "The Boys" ... when a little game of truth-or-dare got underway.

We're told somebody dared Tony to climb a tree that was nearby, and without hesitation ... he hopped right up there and made his way across some branches. Classic Flash Thompson, right?

In video of the climb, obtained by TMZ, you can see a security guard rush over and tell him to get down. He wasn't very high up, but the guy looked kinda pissy about it.

Tony made his way down as more guards showed up -- and he got quite the ovation from onlookers, who told him the stunt was worth it. Tony seemed to agree.

It appears he was escorted off the property, because we're told Tony wasn't seen at the event afterward. Cops weren't called, so no harm, no foul. Flash left without incident.

Something tells us Peter Parker would be overjoyed about this.