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Tekashi 6ix9ine's loved ones are going to bat for him, trying to convince the judge he's more than just a great snitch, but also a misunderstood, kindhearted and charitable kid ... worthy a much shorter prison sentence.

The rapper's mother, brother, girlfriend and bodyguard -- along with nearly 30 other people -- submitted letters to Judge Paul Engelmayer asking for leniency in his sentencing next week. In her letter -- obtained by TMZ -- Mama 6ix9ine, Natividad Perez-Hernandez, says her boy is humble and a good person, and not the guy he's portrayed to be in the media.

Natividad describes Tekashi -- sorry, Daniel Hernandez -- a sweet, God-fearing boy, and even says his fave Bible passage is Psalm 121 ("The Lord will keep you from all harm"). She also says he was a very athletic kid, so much so ... a baseball scout wanted to sign him!

Mom added, "Danny" provides for his entire family -- including her, his brother and his daughter. She calls locking him up as an "injustice" because the whole family needs him for financial and emotional support ... especially 6-year-old Saraiyah who "adores him."

Taylor Swift laid into Scooter Braun again -- this time railing on what she calls "toxic male privilege" in the record industry.

Taylor won the Woman of the Decade Award at Billboard's Women in Music event in Hollywood at The Palladium.

Her speech went 15 minutes, and she launched another attack against Braun, who bought Big Machine Records several months ago ... the company that owns Taylor's first 6 album masters.

Taylor repeated her claim that Scooter never contacted her prior to him buying the label, and she said she resented record companies treating a singer's art like a commodity such as a shoe.

She went on to say no one from Scooter's camp has ever contacted her or her team prior to the purchase of Big Machine. As we reported, Braun publicly said a few weeks ago he wanted to sit down with Taylor to resolve things but neither she nor her team ever contacted them.

She went on to say the definition of toxic male privilege is, "Well, he's always been nice to me."

The reaction to Taylor's speech seemed mixed. When she finished speaking about Scooter, she seemed to wait for applause, and it did not come immediately ... and when it did it was less than thunderous.

The New York Giants have cut star CB Janoris Jenkins days after calling a fan the r-word ... and then refusing to apologize.

Jenkins used the word -- often used to mock people with special needs -- to insult a fan on social media who had been critical of Jenkins' recent play.

When pressed about using the word -- which has been condemned by organizations like the Special Olympics -- Jenkins shrugged it off and said it was just "hood" talk.

The Giants weren't satisfied with Jenkins' "apology" ... so the organization made the decision to fire the Pro Bowler on Friday.

“This was an organizational decision,” coach Pat Shurmur said.

“From ownership to management to our football operations, we felt it was in the best interests of the franchise and the player. Obviously, what happened this week, and the refusal to acknowledge the inappropriate and offensive language, was the determining factor.”

Janoris joined the Giants as a free agent in 2016 ... and had the best season of his career -- making the Pro Bowl.

This year's been a struggle ... the Giants are 2-11 and there's been beef between JJ and the coaching staff.

But ... none of that matters now 'cause Jenkins is a goner.

As for the star CB, he doesn't seem too broken up about being cut, tweeting "Best news ever.. Thank you"

50 Cent thinks Oprah is targeting famous black men accused of being sexual predators ... but gives white guys in the same boat a pass.

The rapper took to Instagram to call O out, saying ... "I don’t understand why Oprah is going after black men. No Harvey Weinstein, No Epstein, just Micheal Jackson and Russell Simmons this sh*t is sad."

Fiddy's referring to the media mogul's upcoming #MeToo documentary featuring Drew Dixon, one of the women who's accused Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct, along with her 'After Neverland' interview of Jackson's accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.

50 also roped in Oprah's close friend Gayle King -- who conducted R. Kelly's disastrous TV interview after "Surviving R. Kelly" renewed outrage about his behavior -- adding ... "Gale hit R Kelly with the death blow documentary," and he claims, "These documentary’s are publicly convicting their targets, it makes them guilty till proven innocent."

The rapper then shared a photo showing images of Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein, Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly and Donald Trump ... with "Jail" written on the black men and "Walk" on the white men. He captioned it, "You think Oprah don’t notice how this sh*t is playing out?"

Of course, 50 and Oprah have feuded in the past ... when she criticized lyrics in rap music and he disparaged her audience. They seemingly smoothed things over in a 2012 TV interview, but with Fiddy ... any beef can be renewed.

A pit bull owned by NFL star Trent Williams killed a neighbor's 3-year-old black lab -- and while the neighbor is PISSED -- Williams says it's no big deal.

Linda Flowers says her beloved dog, Sandy, was attacked and dragged through a fence by one of 9 pitbulls at Williams' Missouri City, TX home, ripping its body to shreds in the process.

Flowers tells TMZ Sports ... Sandy was docile and friendly and is clearly the victim in the situation. She believes Williams is running a dangerous pit bull mastiff kennel out of his backyard in a residential community with families and children.

Williams, however, told FOX 5 in D.C. he doesn't understand why the mauling is such a big deal ... saying it's "dogs doing what dogs do."

Williams claims his dogs did nothing wrong -- and it was Sandy who broke into his yard and attacked his dogs first.

We've learned Missouri City PD responded to the scene -- but kicked the case over to animal control, which is currently investigating.

No arrests have been made and no charges filed at this time.

31-year old Williams is a star for the Redskins -- the #4 overall pick in 2010 is a 7-time Pro Bowler and signed a 5-year, $66 million contract in 2015.

Don't count on ANYBODY getting charged for the 70 pounds of weed found in Juice WRLD's private jet and confiscated by the feds ... cause law enforcement sources say it'll be next to impossible to pinpoint who the massive stash belonged to in the first place.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... no one in WRLD's crew has claimed ownership of the multiple vacuum-sealed bags of weed inside luggage from the private jet. There were also no tags on the several suitcases identifying the owner.

Our sources say cops are poring through the suitcases and weed bags for DNA and fingerprints. But, even if there's a hit for prints/DNA, our sources say there's no way to prove individuals ID'd packed the weed and/or own the suitcases.

We're told Chicago PD is currently in possession of the suitcases and weed seized by the FBI during Juice WRLD's bust last weekend. Then there's this ... our federal law enforcement sources tell us they've kicked the case down to local law enforcement because it's, in their words, essentially a "non-case" and it's highly unlikely it will amount to anything.

Two men in Juice's crew -- Chris Long and Henry Dean -- have been the only ones arrested so far following the bust at Chicago's Midway Airport, though Long and Dean were hauled away for possession of handguns.

As we first reported ... it wasn't the first time Juice WRLD's private jet had been searched, though details are still murky on why his private jet was searched at LAX back in November.

And, as we reported ... law enforcement sources refuted claims by WRLD's friends he was racially profiled when they searched his jet at Midway. The rapper was busted in 2018 at LaGuardia Airport after TSA discovered weed and bottles of codeine.

During his Midway Airport bust, Juice allegedly swallowed a bunch of Percocet pills in an attempt to hide them from the feds. He ultimately suffered seizures, which proved fatal.

Gruesome night in the OHL on Thursday ... a goalie was cut so severely by a skate -- blood poured onto the ice and the guy needed emergency surgery to save his life.

It all went down in Canada ... where during the 2nd period of the Niagara IceDogs' game against the London Knights, a player slammed into IceDog goalie Tucker Tynan.

The collision wasn't too violent ... but after a few seconds, it became clear something was VERY wrong -- because blood began to profusely pour out of Tynan's leg.

The 17-year-old was tended to by trainers for roughly 10 minutes on the ice before he was rushed into emergency surgery. The game, meanwhile, was immediately canceled.

The IceDogs announced the surgery was serious ... but thankfully, they said Tynan pulled through and is now "stable and safe" in a local hospital.

The scene after Tynan left the ice was pretty gnarly ... you can see in a picture of the aftermath, a portion of the crease was soaked in blood.

Teammates quickly showed their support for Tynan on social media, with stud forward Jonah De Simone writing, "The boys are here for you Tucks, keep strong."

President Trump's a child with extreme narcissistic tendencies ... so says "Couples Therapy" star Dr. Jenn Mann, who helped us psychoanalyze 45 ... in an attempt to figure out what's behind his brutalization of people on Twitter.

We got the good doc Thursday in L.A. and the TV/radio shrink has her own mental dossier on Trump's antics, and what's really behind them.

For starters Dr. Jenn says Trump is a walking dichotomy ... on the one hand he's like a young child lacking impulse control who gets triggered by just about anything critical of him or his job. On the other hand, he a master at manipulating and besting the media by creating diversions ... and that skill may be Trump's most powerful weapon in 2020.

The latest attack, as you know, is against 16-year-old Person of the Year Greta Thunberg, whom Trump tried to bully, but much to the delight of everyone, Greta clearly knows his game.

Dr. Jenn thinks Trump's playbook may have been set in stone while he was still a child. She says this could well be a case where the Trump family didn't set proper boundaries. Watch the video and see if you buy it.

Rip Torn died after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease ... according to his death certificate.

The Emmy Award-winning veteran actor and comedian died at his Connecticut home in July, and according to the doc -- obtained by TMZ -- the cause of death is listed "due to (or as a consequence of) Alzheimer's dementia." Translation ... there were complications resulting from Alzheimer's that caused his death.

It says he was diagnosed "years" before he passed. Torn was then buried at a cemetery in Poughkeepsie, NY a few days later ... according to the certificate.

Rip was perhaps best known for his role as Artie on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," for which he won an Emmy and was nominated 6 more times. He was also an Oscar nominee in 1984 for "Cross Creek."

Torn's career spanned decades after his film debut in the 1956 film, "Baby Doll," and included memorable roles in the 'Men In Black' films and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" ... along with TV shows like "Will & Grace" and "30 Rock."

He was 88.

This action-seeking thrill master grew up to become quite the actor and musician. It should come as no surprise since he's the second son of a legendary singer/actress. His wife's pretty famous too but let's keep it on this little dude.

He made his big-screen acting debut in "ATL" back in 2006 and he's since starred in "Pride," "According to Greta," "Supremacy" and 'The Hunger Games' part 1 and 2. He's also dabbled in TV ... with roles on The CW's "90210" and ABC's "Wicked City." He released his first single in 2011 and second single a few years later.

Ex-NBA commissioner David Stern suffered a "sudden brain hemorrhage" on Thursday and underwent emergency surgery, the NBA announced.

77-year-old Stern collapsed at the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant in Manhattan while dining on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Stern was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

Stern served as NBA commish from 1984 to 2014. He famously shook LeBron James' hand when he was selected with the #1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

He was the 4th NBA commish and current NBA commish Adam Silver was his protege.

The NBA hired Stern in 1980 as the Executive Vice President after he put in 2 years as the league's general counsel.

Stern famously implemented the NBA's dress code which required players to wear business casual attire to games. It also required players to wear a sport coat and dress shoes while on the bench (if that player wasn't active for the game).

Stern is married to Diane Bock Stern and they have 2 adult sons together, Eric and Andrew.

During his run as commish, Stern helped launch and grow the WNBA.

Niecy Nash is making her split from Jay Tucker official on paper ... she just filed for divorce.

Niecy filed legal docs in L.A. Thursday. As we reported ... they released a joint statement back in October their 8-year marriage was gonna come to an end. They said, at the time, that they realized at this stage of life they're "better friends than partners in marriage."

They added their union was such a gorgeous ride. They added, "We feel fortunate for the love we share -- present tense. Thank you all out there for your support of us as a couple over the last eight years. We are grateful."

As we reported ... Niecy and Jay -- an electrical engineer -- had a lavish wedding in front of 200 friends and family members. TLC televised the nuptials. Even til the end ... seems there's zero bad blood.

No disrespect to New Jersey or its famous shore, but Snooki wants a MUCH better life for her 3 kids, which is why she's swearing off all things 'Jersey Shore' ... for good.

Fresh off announcing she's retiring from the 'JS' game, Snooki touched down at LAX Thursday, and made it clear she has no second thoughts. She told a photog she's looking forward, not back, purely because it's what's best for her family.

When the pap suggested a possible spin-off could be in the works -- Snooki shot that down instantly ... and you gotta see the look on her face when she did it.

Remember, she complained during last season about 'JS' keeping her away from her husband, daughter and 2 sons ... so maybe she'd be down for a show focused on her family.

Not a chance! As Snooks put it, she's not trying to see her kids turn into the kinda "degenerate" she was on TV. Translation: Snooki Nicole's come a loooong way from being that chick who stumbled drunk on beaches, and got brutally knocked out in bars.

As for her costars -- she's not offering them any career advice, especially Ronnie Ortiz-Magro ... who, as we've reported, has a child custody war brewing with Jen Harley.

Come and listen to a story about a man named Lachlan ... a not-so-poor media mogul who bought a house for $150 MILLION!!!

That's right ... the L.A. estate known as Chartwell -- best known for being featured on "The Beverly Hillbillies" -- is off the market, and the mansion's new owner is Rupert Murdoch's son, 48-year-old Lachlan.

The real estate transaction is not only the most expensive in L.A. history but in the history of the entire state of California. And, get this ... it sold for $200 million LESS than the initial asking price.

Chartwell was listed off-market about 2 years ago at an astronomical $350 million but dropped to a slightly more affordable $245 mil when it entered the multiple listing service. The price dipped again to $195 mil this summer, before reportedly being sold to Lachlan for the cool $150 mil.

It's now the second priciest home sale in the U.S. ... trailing only the $238 million NYC penthouse purchased by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin in January.

The exterior was used for the credits of the legendary '60s show ... and it's become a tourist destination ever since, where people peer through the gates to get a look. The estate boasts a 25,000-square-foot main house, a tennis court, a guest house, and of course -- a cement pond ... and another house to go with that.

There are also acres of gardens with tall hedges and trees for privacy.

BTW -- Chartwell is actually located in Bel-Air, not Beverly Hills, and was last owned by late billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, the chairman of Univision. The new owner is cochairman of his family's company, News Corp.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is dropping some heinous, and unproven, accusations against his baby mama -- posting texts he claims demonstrate she can't handle being a mother.

The "Jersey Shore" star is ranting on Instagram ... alleging Jen Harley has abandoned their 20-month-old daughter, Ariana, by dumping her off with friends while she's off "getting drunk with a sugar daddy."

He's offering no evidence of that, and, let's be honest, even if his claim is true -- sounds like he's describing a standard babysitting situation.

Anyway, Ronnie's rant included texts he claims show Jen is ignoring their child while Jen's in another state and he alleges she refuses to return home to care for Ariana.

The texts appear to show friends are reaching out to Ronnie for help, but he replies he can't because legally, he's not allowed to see Ariana. Jen got full custody in the wake of their domestic incident back in October, and he's been ordered to stay away from Jen and their child.

Lira Galore says Quality Control Music CEO "Pee" beat her violently and regularly during the first 8 months of her pregnancy with his child ... and she's asking for at least $15 million for her injuries.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ, Lira describes 5 separate beatdowns she received at the hands of Pee. In one alleged attack, she claims he punched her in the face, threw her to the ground, began choking her and punched her in the head so many times, she developed knots. Galore claims Pee then ripped her ring off her finger, dislocating it.

In the other 4 attacks, she claims he routinely punched and choked her.

Galore says in August 2018 -- after one alleged attack -- he tried to "make things right" by buying her a $50,000 SUV. Just 2 weeks later, Lira alleges Pee broke the driver side window on the same SUV during a violent altercation and then took the vehicle and changed the title out of her name and into his own. She says a week later, he paid her $50k not to call the cops.