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Lizzo damn near blew the lid off Staples Center when she twerked her butt off.

It all went down Sunday night during a break at the Timberwolves-Lakers game ... while the Laker Girls were performing to the rapper's famous track "Juice," Lizzo got all hyped up ... rapping along before going HAM.

Lizzo -- who was sitting courtside -- was right there on the jumbotron for all to enjoy ... dancing before turning around and putting on a twerk show ... proudly displaying a black thong and fishnet tights. The crowd went absolutely NUTS.

BTW ... during an interview with FOX Sports, Lizzo shoots her shot at T'Wolves star Karl Anthony-Towns. Lizzo loves her some KAT ... like, A LOT.

Not to be outdone ... the Lakers steamrolled past the T'Wolves 142-125 behind Anthony Davis' season-high 50 points.

NBA legend Paul Pierce has been ordered to write a $100,000 check to a security guard he called "racist" at the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib fight ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... a security guard at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas sued Pierce for defamation and other things over an altercation they got into during UFC 229 in Oct. 2018.

Long story short ... Pierce called security guard Christopher Mostello "racist" -- claiming Mostello (who is white) gave him a hard time while trying to get to his seat.

Pierce's "racist" allegation was captured on video and posted by TMZ Sports.

In his suit, Mostello claimed it was Paul who was acting inappropriately that night -- saying Pierce had gotten aggressive and physical with a female security supervisor -- and Mostello was only doing his job.

Mostello claimed his reputation took a serious hit because of the altercation and Pierce's accusations -- and he's been subjected to public embarrassment, harassment and ridicule.

The case went in front of a judge who ordered Pierce to either respond to the lawsuit or face a default judgment ... and since the court never heard from Pierce, the judge ordered him to pay up.

Pierce isn't out of moves yet ... he can ask the court to set aside the judgment but that's usually reserved for someone who didn't have the means to fight in the case in the first place.

Bottom line, it's an uphill battle for Pierce and it would probably cost him more than $100k to go that route anyway.

R. Kelly's former tour manager, Demetrius Smith, will testify on the singer's marriage to Aaliyah in one of his federal trials ... but he doesn't want to see Kelly thrown in prison.

Demetrius claims he purchased a fake ID for Aaliyah back in 1994, when she was only 15, so she would be able to marry Kelly ... but he tells us he doesn't want that to be the reason Kelly gets convicted.

As we first reported ... prosecutors say the fake ID purchase constitutes bribery, and they've added the allegation to the racketeering charge against Kelly in the Eastern District of New York.

The way Demetrius sees it, Aaliyah's parents have known about the allegation for over a decade -- Smith wrote about it in his book and spoke out about it in "Surviving R. Kelly" -- and they made their peace with it and moved on ... so he wants others to do the same.

Demetrius also says he hates to see Aaliyah's name getting dragged into Kelly's case all these years after her tragic death ... and he thinks prosecutors are just trying to lock Kelly up without looking at the bigger picture.

Instead of a prison sentence, Demetrius thinks Kelly needs to get mental help.

Amanda Detmer -- the actress who plays Tracy on "Empire" -- is in hot water after cops say she left the scene of an accident ... and was driving under the influence.

Detmer was arrested for DUI Sunday night in Chico, CA, after allegedly smashing her vehicle into a utility pole and then taking off. Law enforcement tells TMZ ... it responded to a report about the pole and conducted a search of the area, eventually locating a vehicle with severe front-end damage.

Cops say Detmer was driving it, and when they pulled her over they confirmed she was responsible for the collision. Their investigation also determined she was drinking and driving.

She was placed under arrest and is now facing charges of DUI and leaving the scene of a traffic collision.

Gigi and Bella Hadid won't be getting any little siblings ... their dad and his fiancee called it quits in part because they couldn't agree on starting a family together.

Sources close to Mohamed Hadid tell TMZ ... he and Shiva Safai parted ways about a year ago -- even though she didn't confirm it publicly until this week. We're told the 39-year-old absolutely wanted to be a mom, but Mohamed wasn't looking to go down that road again.

As you know ... Mohamed is already a father to 5 beautiful children -- daughters Bella, Gigi, Alana and Marielle, and son Anwar.

Another reason for the breakup, sources close to Shiva tell us, was her reaction to a woman who publicly claimed she had a relationship with Mohamed. We're told it made Shiva reevaluate things, before having a heart-to-heart with him about their future.

It's still unclear who broke up with who, but we're told Mohamed and Shiva both agreed they were on different pages.

The now-exes got engaged way back in 2014, but we're told he came to the realization he didn't want to be married again -- he's already got 2 under his belt.

Our sources say he hopes Shiva can find Mr. Right, get married and have kids.

One last bit of accounting ... the ring. We're told Shiva's engagement rock is a Hadid family heirloom, and she gave it back to Mohamed, and he's passed it on his eldest sister.

The Russians are OUT at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo AND the 2022 World Cup -- at least for now -- because they're HORRIBLE cheaters, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

WADA has voted unanimously to hit Russia with a 4-year ban from all major international sporting events ... including the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Cup.

Here's why ... WADA officials say Russian authorities TAMPERED with a laboratory database in an effort to cover up HUNDREDS of potential doping cases involving Russian athletes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said last month the investigation revealed "flagrant manipulation" of the lab data.

Now, The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has 21 days to appeal the ban -- and Russian officials have strongly suggested they will fight the punishment.

WADA President Sir Craig Reedie is digging in his heels -- saying in a statement, "For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport.

"The blatant breach by the Russian authorities of RUSADA's reinstatement conditions, approved by the ExCo in September 2018, demanded a robust response. That is exactly what has been delivered today."

Steve Harvey had flashbacks of 2015 all over again -- announcing the wrong winner of Miss Universe's costume contest -- but he's blaming the screw-up on the teleprompter.

Prior to Sunday's winner being crowned ... Harvey revealed the winner of 2019's costume contest. Reading from a prompter, Steve announced Philippines as the winner, the audience cheered, but the woman wearing the costume seemed very confused.

The woman then grabbed the mic from Steve, and corrected him, saying she was actually representing Malaysia.

Steve was clearly pissed, and pointed out the prompter he was reading from clearly stated Philippines as the winner, he followed it up with a, "Y'all gonna quit doing this to me."

It was back in 2015 when Steve announced Miss Colombia as Miss Universe when Philippines was the actual champion. He made note of the flub at the beginning of Sunday's show, which was his fifth time hosting the event.

Before this flower girl was a highly successful singer and actress, she won a ton of singing and talent competitions as a teenager before vaulting to national prominence as the youngest winner of "American Idol" at the time, when she was only 17 years old.

After winning 'Idol,' her career took off and she started touring and releasing studio albums. She's also acted on TV, in film and on Broadway.

Her father played in the National Football League for 9 seasons, including 8 years with the New York Giants, and she dated Jason Derulo for 3 years.

Kanye West might've been somewhat absent from his first opera in L.A. -- but he seems ready to make up for that tenfold with a silver bullet solution ... oh, mother of God.

We mean that literally!!! Ye's down at Art Basel in Miami right now, ready to premiere his new opera, dubbed "Mary." You might've heard of her -- she was Jesus's virgin mom ... a big deal in Christianity and elsewhere. Looks like Kanye dedicated a whole production to her.

It also appears he and others involved in the opera are actually going to be on stage and involved in the goings-on of the story ... completely covered in silver, head to toe.

Based on a quote Ye included in his description of the opera, it's a safe bet this is basically gonna portray the Nativity story ... in which Mary miraculously became pregnant and gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, welcoming royal visitors from distant lands for the occasion.

As for what the silver outfits might mean ... it's anyone's guess. Kanye and co. may be playing angels of some sort, or maybe Christmas stars guiding the way? Time will tell ...

You'll recall ... Kanye's 1st opera, Nebuchadnezzar, got mixed reviews when it debuted at the Hollywood Bowl last month. It took forever for the show to actually start, and it ended pretty quickly too. Ye didn't perform either -- he just narrated from behind the curtain.

Rian Johnson is just like the rest of us when it comes to the new 'Star Wars' movie ... he hasn't seen it yet, despite him directing its predecessor in the series.

The filmmaker opened up to us this weekend in NYC about whether he'd gotten any sort of sneak peak ahead of 'The Rise of Skywalker' hitting theaters later this month. As it turns out ... he hasn't! No special treatment for the guy who manned 'The Last Jedi,' it seems.

It's NBD to Rian though -- he tells us he's looking forward to watching it in theaters for the first time like everyone else. Interestingly, he also says he hopes it's the best one ever.

Now, on to a much more serious topic we absolutely needed Rian to weigh in on ... is Baby Yoda actually cuter than those damn puppy-eyed Porgs??? John Boyega sure thought so.

Check out RJ's answer ... he's noncommittal at first on which one is truly more adorable -- almost like a parent who doesn't wanna compare their kids -- but he finally caves and chooses sides. His choice might not surprise you, or anyone who's watched 'Mandalorian.'

Juice WRLD, the talented young rapper and singer whose career was just taking off, is dead after suffering a seizure in Chicago's Midway airport ... TMZ has learned.

Juice's flight from California landed early Sunday morning and, after deplaning ... witnesses tell us he suffered the seizure while walking through the airport. Law enforcement sources say he was bleeding from the mouth when paramedics got on scene.

We're told Juice -- real name Jarad Anthony Higgins -- was still conscious when he was transported by Chicago Fire. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital. The cause of death was determined to be an accidental overdose.

Juice WRLD's major-label career was just starting after he almost climbed to the top of the charts in 2018. His first huge hit came in summer 2018 with "Lucid Dreams" ... which made it to #2.

His song, "All Girls Are the Same," also became a hit when Lil Yachty was featured on the remix.

In fact, it was that song's success that drew the attention of Interscope Records ... which signed him to a multi-million dollar contract. One month after releasing his first studio album, "Goodbye & Good Riddance" ... Juice released the 2-track EP, "Too Soon," as a tribute to Lil Peep and XXXTentacion.

Juice also had a feature on Travis Scott's enormous "AstroWorld" album, singing the hook on the track, "No Bystanders."

Higgins' stage name was reportedly inspired by Tupac Shakur's performance in the 1992 film, "Juice."

Juice WRLD just turned 21 last Monday.

RIP

Brother Nature sure seemed ready to fight -- at least that's how the moments leading up to his dual-threat beatdown appear to have unfolded on surveillance footage.

TMZ got a hold of surveillance video taken at the Miami-based sandwich shop where BN was later pummeled twice over ... once in the parking lot, and again inside the restaurant. In this new footage, you can see Brother Nature initially confronting his two attackers.

As we reported ... Brother Nature was allegedly upset that he couldn't be served at his table, and tried griping about it to the shop's staff. We're told he then got in the face of one of his attackers -- who was supposedly filming him -- and you can see that interaction here.

Brother Nature is asked to leave by someone who works there, but not before some words are exchanged between him and these 2 guys who were also more than willing to brawl.

Fast-forward to the parking lot stomp-out ... which then spilled back into the eatery, where we're told BN stormed back in and allegedly socked somebody. It appears you can see that here in the surveillance video as well ... Brother Nature comes in and rushes the slimmer dude, seemingly trying to hit him, before his buddy scurries over and they team up.

The rest is pretty much history -- Brother Nature got walloped by the two dudes ... and by the time cops showed up, everybody had gone their separate ways.

Rene Auberjonois -- who starred in "Benson," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and several other hit shows over the decades -- has died.

The veteran TV, movie and voice actor passed away Sunday at his L.A.-based home after a battle with metastatic lung cancer, according to his son, Remy, who spoke to the Associated Press.

Auberjonois is perhaps best known as Clayton Endicott III on "Benson" -- the snobbish chief of staff to Governor Eugene X Gatling in the hit '80s sitcom -- which itself was a spinoff of "Soap." He played the role for 6 seasons, acting in 135 episodes through 1986.

In the '90s, he went on to play Odo on 'Deep Space Nine' opposite Avery Brooks -- starring in all 173 episodes. His TV career was even more prolific beyond that though -- Auberjonois had supporting roles in hits like "NET Playhouse," "Rhoda," "Charlie's Angels," "Frasier," "Starsky and Hutch" "The Jeffersons," "L.A. Law," "Matlock," "Boston Legal," "Madam Secretary" and many, many more.

As far as movies are concerned, he might be best remembered as Father John Mulcahy in "M.A.S.H." ... and for voicing Chef Louis in "The Little Mermaid." He acted in plenty of others too -- 'Police Academy 5," "King Kong," "The Patriot," "Eyes of Laura Mars," "Batman Forever," etc.

The guy might've been an even busier voice actor, having lent his talents to animated series like "Jonny Quest," "Pound Puppies," "The Looney Tunes Show," "Scooby-Doo," "Archer," "Justice League" and a bunch of others. In short, he worked a lot ... and had an extensive resume.

Auberjonois is survived by his wife, Judith, his 2 children and three grandchildren. He was 79.

A teenager in Texas got busted for carving his name into his girlfriend's head -- this after he allegedly beat her to a pulp.

The alleged scumbag is 19-year-old Jackub Hildreth, who was arrested and booked in San Antonio this weekend for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ... having allegedly attacked his 22-year-old girlfriend on Thursday at an apartment complex in the area.

The alleged victim spoke with KSAT about the incident ... telling the outlet she thought she was going to die in the moment. According to the arrest affidavit, she reportedly told cops Hildreth held her by the neck and punched her 10 times after an argument escalated.

After that, she claims he used a knife to etch his name across her forehead ... and then fled the scene. We won't ID the woman, but it appears Hildreth has her name tattooed across his own face ... plus other scribblings. Kinda David McCall-esque, if you've seen "Fear."

BTW, the guy has a lengthy rap sheet in Bexar County too -- with warrants for past domestic violence charges and at least one other weapons charge. He's in jail on $75,000 bond.

Megan Thee Stallion is keeping her "Hot Girl Summer" going strong into the winter -- 'cause she says she's unattached ... and ready for a certain type of guy to step up to the plate.

We ran into the MC Saturday in Bev Hills, where she was ready to splurge at Louis Vuitton with a small entourage in tow. Before she went in though, our camera guy asked point-blank ... is it true? Are ya single, Meg??? She doesn't play coy ... confirming with a firm yes.

She'd previously been linked to rapper Moneybagg Yo, but clearly ... they're dunzo.

Then comes a natural follow-up ... what kind of guy can get her under a mistletoe this year. Check it out -- Megan's not too picky, it seems ... she'll take a good heart and a good laugh.

Another pap on the scene tried shooting his shot right then and there, but it doesn't seem like she was too receptive. Hey, at least he tried ... that's all ya can do sometimes.

Anyway, we got Meg on her way out as well and it looks like she went to town on new gear. She got into a waiting sprinter van, and someone of note hopped in right behind her.

New couple alert??? Maybe ... or he might just be another member on the team 🤷🏽‍♂️.

Caroll Spinney -- the guy who manned Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on "Sesame Street" for nearly half a century -- has died.

Spinney passed away Sunday at his Connecticut home after living with Dystonia for a while, according to Sesame Workshop ... the nonprofit org behind the hit children's television show. Dystonia is a movement disorder in which a person's muscles contract uncontrollably.

Incredibly, the longtime puppeteer worked on the show for 49 years ... and retired from 'Sesame' just last year. He had been on the show since its early days in 1969. Besides being the man behind Big Bird, Spinney also handled and voiced Oscar the Grouch.

The legendary Jim Henson brought Spinney on-board, and by most accounts ... he struggled bringing Big Bird to life at first and having him resonate with the audience. Eventually, Spinney said he turned BB into a "big kid" character -- and the rest was history.

He starred in thousands of "Sesame Street" episodes -- more than any other cast member -- and it was certainly no walk in the park controlling the 8-foot bird costume. Spinney said he would have to hold the 5-pound head up with his right hand and work the mouth and eyebrows on that end ... while controlling both arms with just his own left one.

There was a fishing wire that connected both extremities inside the suit, and Spinney would operate both by using just his left side. Oscar, no doubt, was much easier to work.

He's survived by his wife, Debra, and his three children. Spinney was 85.