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Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino says he's making sure his tax woes are behind him ... by leaving things to the professionals.

The Sitch was at LAX Wednesday night with fellow 'Jersey Shore' star Deena -- who was all masked up to protect from the coronavirus -- when he got asked about his first tax season since getting out of prison.

Mike says everything is going to be up-to-date this time around -- clearly, he's not going to risk landing behind bars again for tax evasion.

Speaking of possibly ending up behind bars ... Mike and Deena also touched on the tumultuous times between their friend, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, and his baby mama, Jen Harley.

They both agree they have Ronnie's back no matter what and are rooting for him, and Mike adds ... "The comeback is greater than the setback."

As we've reported ... Ronnie and Jen are mixed up in a nasty domestic violence case, but he didn't let it keep him down last weekend in Miami, where he was spotted leaving the club at 6 AM with 2 hot chicks.

Future's not about to let his son be put through the legal system with some government-appointed briefcase -- he's getting the best attorneys for the kid and has his back 100%.

Sources close to the Future tell TMZ ... the MC and his baby mama are well aware of their oldest son, Jakobi, getting recently caught up with the law down in Georgia ... but they're already knee-deep in working on his case, including funding his defense.

Jakobi was arrested in a gang bust down in Georgia last month ... where he's reportedly facing charges of criminal gang activity, trespass and the altered ID of a firearm. He was allegedly found in possession of a gun with the serial number scratched out.

The kid's 17 years old, BTW, but could face up to major time behind bars if he's convicted because GA tries 17-year-olds as adults. In the court docs, he reportedly listed himself as indigent and in need of a public defender, but we're told that ain't gonna happen.

Future's definitely got the dough to help his son, and we're told he absolutely intends to by hiring the best lawyers to be there for his own flesh and blood. Dad's covering legal fees.

This young gal with golden locks was born and raised in South Africa, but would kick-start her career in America ... and go on to star in "The Italian Job."

Talk about cultured.

Though she's a mega movie star now, she began as a model and a dancer ... until a knee injury forced her to try something else. So, she moved to L.A. in the mid-'90s and landed a few small acting roles ... before breaking out in a devilish Keanu Reeves film.

Things only went up from there, as she soon became one of Hollywood's most popular leading ladies ... and won an Academy Award for Best Actress at the 2004 Oscars.

Since then, she's continued to star in blockbusters along with more low-key dramedies ... and she just racked up a third Oscar nom for playing a FOX News blonde.

"Miss you so much"

That's Vanessa Bryant posting about Kobe Bryant -- remembering him on social media as a "loving husband" and "The Best Daddy."

Vanessa went to Instagram on Wednesday to post about her husband -- referring to Kobe as "my best friend" and saying she misses all of the funny, sweet little things he would do during their marriage.

"Miss you saying, 'Bonjourno principessa/reina'" Vanessa wrote ... referencing Kobe's ability to speak Italian.

"#mybestfriend #theBestdaddy Miss you so much. #handsome #sweet #funny #silly #lovinghusband ❤️Miss you saying, “Bonjourno principessa/reina."

Vanessa also posted a clip from a recent "Extra" interview in which Kobe was asked to name his best friend -- and he responded, "My wife."

Just a few days ago, Vanessa posted a painting of her daughter Gianna Bryant dressed up in Lakers gear -- and wrote, "Seeing my babygirl smile and happy again with a basketball 🏀 under her arm, wrapped in 💜💛love just warmed my heart."

"Thank you for this. @_vivalareina thank you!! My Gigi.❤️ #Mambacita."

Kobe and Gianna passed away January 26. We're told the Bryant family is working on putting together a public memorial for them but nothing is set in stone yet.

Originally Published -- 9:50 AM PT

Bernie Madoff is too conniving to be let out of prison early and should continue rotting behind bars ... so says Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband.

As you know ... Bernie is begging a judge for mercy in the form of an early prison release, claiming he has terminal kidney failure and saying doctors are only giving him 18 months to live.

But Zsa Zsa's hubby and conservator, Frederic Prinz Von Anhalt, says not so fast!!!

The Prince says Madoff should remain behind bars for at least another 16 months if the 18-month timeline is indeed legit because he feels an early release is too sweet a deal for the 81-year-old Ponzi schemer.

Easy to see why Frederic doesn't have any sympathy for Madoff ... he claims Bernie robbed his wife and his investment firm of about $10 million ... and says Zsa Zsa would want Madoff to rot in hell!!!

Kirk Douglas -- renowned actor and father of Michael Douglas, with a decorated career spanning more than 6 decades -- has died.

Kirk passed Wednesday. Kirk's health had been in decline. In 1996 he suffered a stroke but recovered most of his faculties. Last time we saw him enjoying life was in April 2019 when he was "camping" in his grandson's backyard.

Michael told People, "It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard of us all to aspire to."

Michael ended it this way ... "But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."

Kirk's appeared in a few minor Broadway productions in the '40s but then put his career on hold and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1941. After several years of service, Kirk returned to theater, but his best work came on the big screen.

The famed actor and producer earned critical acclaim for his role in the 1960 classic, "Spartacus." In "Spartacus," Kirk gave onscreen credit to blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Kirk's move started the dissolution of the infamous blacklisting policies that had begun nearly a decade prior.

Kirk was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 1949 for his role as boxer Midge Kelly in "Champion." He also earned 2 Oscar nominations as a producer for "The Bad and the Beautiful" in 1953 and "Lust for Life" in 1957.

He acted alongside John Wayne in 3 films -- "In Harm's Way," "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "The War Wagon." He also shared screen time with one Arnold Schwarzenegger ... in the 1979 film "The Villain" and with Farrah Fawcett in the sci-fi flick, "Saturn 3."

Fun fact ... Kirk once earned a $50k paycheck for saying the only English word at the end of a 1980s Japanese TV commercial: Coffee.

Kirk survived a helicopter crash in 1991. Two other passengers were killed and Kirk was left with a terrible back injury. He also did tons of humanitarian work ... serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. State Department.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 by President Jimmy Carter. France also honored Kirk with the prestigious Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. The Academy Awards also honored him with an honorary Oscar in 1995.

Kirk -- once voted the 36th greatest movie star of all time by Entertainment Weekly -- was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York to Russian parents who came to the states in 1912. Kirk married Diana Dill in 1943 and they had two sons -- Michael and Joel. Kirk and Diana divorced in 1951. He later married Anne Buydens in 1954 after meeting her when she applied for a job as his assistant on the film, "Act of Love." Kirk and Anne had two more sons ... Peter and Eric, who died in 2004.

Kirk's survived by Anne, children Michael, Joel and Peter and seven grandchildren.

He was 103. RIP.

Rob McElhenney's not on board with Robert Pattinson being declared "The Most Handsome Man in the World," because when it comes to good looks ... he believes an American actor's the cream of the crop.

But no, it's not his good buddy, Charlie Day.

The "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star was signing autographs outside Build NYC Wednesday when we told him the news -- Pattinson's #1 over guys like Brad Pitt, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill and George Clooney ... at least according to the "science" of the Golden Ratio of Beauty Phi.

Rob says no way -- it's Brad all day ... and even debates a fan why Cavill's not tops for him.

As for his personal place on the hunk-o-meter (again, this is not very scientific), Mac's pretty modest ... though ranking David Letterman above him makes sense, especially if beards are factored in.

Rob also reveals the strangest thing he's signed for a fan ... it's pretty fitting for his 'Always Sunny' character.

Kim Kardashian is now in a Nordstrom near you -- or at least her SKIMS representatives are, and by that we mean living, breathing mannequins ... sometimes known as models.

The reality TV beauty mogul made a splash Wednesday in NYC, where she rolled out her SKIMS shapewear line in the Midtown Nordstrom store. Her hubby, Kanye West, came to support the launch as well. Kim came armed with a gaggle of models, flaunting a broad range of options and body types.

No one can complain about a lack of diversity -- the human mannequins came in all shapes and sizes ...which is kinda the whole point of Kim's product.

Looks like another Midas touch for the Kardashians ... we're told there was a line out the door for the Nordstrom launch ... with some folks waiting since as early as 2 AM. The first 50 in line got a meet-and-greet with Kim.

Kim didn't just wave and dash, though. She actually stuck around for quite a while and even got behind the register for some purchases, proudly ringing up customers.

Bernie Madoff, of all people, is begging a judge for mercy ... because he says he'll be dead next year, and wants to live out his final days outside his prison walls.

In docs filed Wednesday, Madoff reveals he has terminal kidney failure and the clock's ticking. He says doctors have given him less than 18 months. As if that's not enough, the 81-year-old Ponzi schemer says he's also battling hypertension, cardiovascular disease, hyperparathyroidism and a bladder neck obstruction.

On the less sympathetic side ... Madoff says he's got real bad acid reflux and insomnia.

The man who robbed his victims blind for $65 BILLION says he's confined to a wheelchair, with a back brace in the prison's comfort care unit.

Madoff thinks he deserves a "compassionate release" from the Butner Federal penitentiary in North Carolina because he poses no risk to the public. He also says his 150-year sentence is too severe in light of his terminal illness.

He even says there's a precedent for his release -- namely, the Lockerbie, Scotland bomber ... who killed 270 people aboard Pan Am flight 103. Madoff says Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi was released after 8 years due to suffering terminal prostate cancer.

In the docs, Madoff acknowledges he has no money and, if released, will have to live with an unnamed friend. He says he will live off his Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Yeah, that's right ... you're paying for his care. Ain't that a kick in the pants.

Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill have taken their years-long beef to a whole new level -- or we should probably say a new LOW because they're both leveling disgusting, unproven allegations at each other.

It appears Nicki's fired the first shot ... going off on Meek after seeing that he liked a meme that took a shot at her hubby, Kenneth Petty. Mrs. Petty then posted on IG, calling Meek a clown and alleging he's a woman-beater. She wrote, "U do IT for likes. #TwitterFingers beat women, scared of men."

She made it a double-barrel social media attack by tweeting, "You beat your own sister and taped it. Spit on her & taped it. Kicked me in front [of] your mother and sent her to the hospital. Sucking drake d**k made u feel tough again. Move on."

There's no evidence to support any of those allegations.

It didn't take long for Meek to respond by roping Nicki's convict brother into the mudslinging. As we first reported, Jelani Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child, and just got 25 years to life.

Again, Meek's claims she knew about her bro's crimes and paid for his attorneys ... all unproven.

There's a lot more ... as the war of words continues, but you get the point.

As we've reported ... Nicki and Kenneth ran into Meek at a WeHo store last month. The confrontation nearly came to blows and an epic shouting match ensued.

So, the beef's been simmering since then. It's now on full boil. We've reached out to both camps for comment about the wave of unfounded allegations.

So far, neither side's saying a thing.

The smokin' hot model tackled on the Super Bowl field while trying to go streaking, claims stadium security roughed her up ... and she says she has injuries to prove it!!!

Kelly Green -- aka Kelly Kay -- tells TMZ Sports ... she's still hurting from her stunt gone wrong, and the bruises covering her arms are from security guards. She claims they manhandled her on the field.

Kelly says her adrenaline was pumping after jumping over a railing and trying to strip ... so she didn't notice the effects of the gang tackle until her adrenaline rush subsided.

The treatment allegedly got worse from there. Kelly claims she was held in a freezing-cold cell in the bowels of Hard Rock Stadium for 8 hours wearing nothing but her skimpy bathing suit ... waiting to be processed.

And, all those stories you hear about intense Super Bowl security are dead-on, according to Kelly ... who says FBI and Homeland Security agents even interrogated her.

Here's Nelly railing against a pit boss inside a casino after beefing with other players about how to PROPERLY play poker, and y'know it's serious ... 'cause nuts got involved!!!

We got this video of Nelly trying his luck Saturday morning at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. He had a show there earlier in the night, which we're assuming went way better than this session at a Texas Holdem table.

Folks who were there tell us Nelly confronted another gambler about not knowing how to play the game ... insults started flying, and the pit boss got involved.

In our video, you see Nelly arguing with the pit boss and claiming another gambler told him to "get under my nuts." When the pit boss tells Nelly he didn't hear the alleged insult, Nelly goes nuclear!!!

Yes, it got hot in there ... but eventually cooler heads prevailed, and police did not get involved. The other gamblers cashed out and left the table, but not before Nelly seemingly dropped one final slam, "get off MY nuts!!!"

As Kenny Rogers put it ... know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em and know when to walk away while talking about your genitals.

Something like that.

Shannen Doherty is dying of cancer and has been displaced from her damaged home after the devastating California wildfires -- damage she's fighting State Farm to repair -- and now the insurance company says cancer doesn't justify a total remodel.

Shannen has sued State Farm over the amount the company is willing to pay to make her home right again. State Farm is saying her home didn't suffer fire or structural damage. Nevertheless, State Farm claims in new legal docs it's paid more than $1 million, which includes remediation, professional cleaning and rent for a temporary house for a year.

State Farm says, Shannen "improperly claims she is entitled to have her entire home rebuilt at a cost of $2.7 million because she has breast cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease."

And, get this ... State Farm says, "In fact, the first sentence of [Shannen's] memorandum ... reveals [her] plan at trial to garner sympathy by her contention that State Farm must rebuild her entire house ..."

Shannen revealed she has stage 4 breast cancer and it's terminal.

Jessica Simpson couldn't escape the wrath of animal rights activists incensed over her wearing fur.

The "Open Book" author was leaving Il Mulino restaurant in NYC after midnight when she was accosted by some anti-fur protesters who shouted out "animal abuser," "murderer" and "shame on you" as she hopped in her SUV.

One guy hammered his point home by screaming ... "What type of person would wear fur in 2020?!"

This wasn't Jessica's first run-in of the day with the angry activists. Earlier Tuesday night, her Barnes & Noble book signing event for her new memoir was crashed by a much larger group of anti-fur folks.

They began screaming and holding up their signs as Simpson came out to give a speech, forcing her to take cover for a couple minutes while security booted the protesters.

The good news for Jessica ... her fans stuck around, chanting her name, and she eventually came back out and talked about her book.

BTW ... if any of the animal rights activists look familiar, it's because this isn't their first rodeo. They've crashed events and confronted several other celebs for wearing fur ... like Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen, Lil' Kim and Jennifer Lopez.

We're certain they'll do it again too.

The guy who made the foreign flick that's the talk of the town doesn't care if it wins big on Sunday -- he's tired of all the hubbub ... and just wants to get behind a camera again.

We got director Bong Joon Ho at LAX over a one-month time span, during which his Korean film, "Parasite," has been snowballing in popularity and positioning itself as a legit favorite in the Oscar race ... even for the top prize of Best Picture, which would be a huge deal.

You wouldn't know the importance though by the way Bong talked Tuesday about his chances at the Academy Awards. Dude seems like he's gassed from all the press he's been having to do ... not to mention all the other award shows where he's been killing it.

Just a month ago in January, he was just as humble with us ... saying he's not sure if "Parasite" will be a game-changer in helping foreign films break out with mainstream American audiences, but if it does ... he says it'll be incremental. A bit modest if you ask us.

Fact is ... "Parasite" is actually a fantastic movie, and if it wins BP on Sunday, it would truly open the door for other international projects to crossover and have widespread appeal.

Dog the Bounty Hunter's tumultuous week of family drama was capped off with a birthday dinner filled with emotion ... but interestingly, without ONE key person.

Sources close to the reality TV star tell TMZ ... Duane celebrated his 67th birthday Tuesday with a small group of family and friends at a Denver Benihana. We're told everyone at the table shared stories ... including some about Beth Chapman, which made Dog a little weepy.

The guests included his daughter, Bonnie and her husband, his son, Garry, his advisor and Justin Bihag ... one of his employees who's run into legal trouble lately.

TMZ broke the story ... Justin was arrested for allegedly violating probation. Dog's other daughter, Lyssa, reportedly outed Justin to cops, but she's having some legal trouble of her own now.

It's a messy situation, and it all ties back to Justin's mom, Moon Angell.

In case you haven't heard, Moon is a longtime friend of Dog and Beth who's been accused of starting up a romantic relationship with the guy in the wake of Beth's passing. They've both denied anything physical is going on, insisting their relationship is platonic.

They even went on the 'Dr. Oz Show' and put on a "test" proposal to definitively confirm nothing fishy's going on between them, despite Lyssa's suspicions.

Interestingly enough, Moon was NOT at Dog's birthday dinner -- even though Justin was. We're told Dog loves the kid like one of his own and continues to look out for him.