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She's a Jersey girl who went to school in Maryland and known by friends as Christine Flores ... but you know her by a different name. She's Cuban-American and grew up as a huge Janet Jackson fan. It wasn't long before she signed to Def Jam ... at just 19 years old.

She blew up after just a couple of albums ... working alongside Jay-Z and mega-producer L.A. Reid when her third album came around in 2005. She enjoyed commercial success as a singer but her dream was to be an actress.

She achieved that dream ... earning her first lead in the 2003 flick "Love Don't Cost a Thing."

The Doors snagged a ton of big-time talent, including Miley Cyrus, to help them celebrate a milestone in music -- and it seems they rocked too hard ... 'cause sirens had to respond.

The iconic rock band held a little shindig Saturday night at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, where designer John Varvatos and photog Timothy White co-hosted with Jack Daniels sponsoring. It was all to honor the 50th anniversary of 'Morrison Hotel.'

It's The Doors' 5th album, and it was a game-changer in music -- further cementing the band's legacy in rock. 'Morrison' was also considered a return to form for them.

BTW, this legendary photo that was used for the 'Morrison Hotel' album cover was shot by the great Henry Diltz. Just a fun fact -- he did an entire shoot of the boys back then.

Anyway, it would appear the album left a major impact on some Hollywood's biggest stars, including Dennis Quaid, Jonathan Galecki and Michael Bolton ... all of whom showed up to play a tune in tribute to TD. Some of them even played with The Doors themselves -- especially Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, who jammed with everyone.

All acts were accompanied by the house band, the Tangiers Blues Band. Then came Miley's closeout performance, which we're told was awesome ... but also a bad omen.

It's Oscars night, and the stars have started to arrive looking like a million bucks and then some ... with a wide palette of fashion choices that should please everyone.

Some of the stars who've shown up so far to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles ... Laura Dern, Bong Joon-ho, Harvey Keitel, Mindy Kaling, Regina King, Sigourney Weaver, Mario Lopez, Zazie Beetz, Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, John Cho, Diane Warren, Blac Chyna, Erin Lim, Billy Porter, America Ferrera, Chrissy Metz, Idina Menzel, Kelly Ripa and more.

Spike Lee showed up as well, rocking a purple and gold suit with the number 2-4 emblazoned across his collar to honor Kobe. Spike's a big Knicks fan ... so it's a big deal.

Tyrese is in an upcoming movie with 'Spider-Man' on the brain -- whose producers had to turn Los Angeles into New York City for what were likely just a few pickup shots.

The actor was spotted in DTLA Saturday with a full production crew and an entire set that we're told took up 3 to 4 different blocks. There were buses made to look like NYC public transit, plus NYPD cruisers and other NY-themed vehicles throughout.

You see Tyrese being fitted in a bullet-proof vest next to director Daniel Espinosa as they talk about the scene they're about to shoot. Looks like Ty might be playing a cop.

The set appears to be for the new Jared Leto-led flick, "Morbius," which features JL as a vampire superhero/villain and is set to be released this summer. He was seen on set by onlookers earlier in the day, BTW. So it's almost all but certain ... these were re-shoots.

The movie's coming out in July, and the official status of things on IMDb is post-production.

Now, what's interesting is that the movie's not being produced under the Disney-Marvel umbrella, per se. Sony's running this, but they seem to be keeping it in the known MCU.

The reason we know that ... one of the buses was decorated with a fake movie ad from the Daily Bugle that reads, "Where is Spider-Man?" Also, J.K. Simmons is rumored to have been cast as J. Jonah Jameson -- and he's been in the Tom Holland movies lately.

Joe Biden called a young female voter a "lying, dog-faced pony soldier" -- a line he's used before and has credited to a John Wayne movie ... which may or may not be accurate.

Biden was campaigning in New Hampshire Sunday, and while at a town hall event where he fielded questions from the crowd, one gal got on the mic and asked something pretty profound ... with his poor performance in Iowa, why should Joe be considered a top dog.

It was a great question from a prospective Biden voter, and right away ... Joe jokingly insulted her by suggesting she was lying. Check out the video, Biden asks the girl if she's ever caucused before. She says yes, but he calls her a liar with the alleged John Wayne line.

We should note ... it doesn't seem Biden was being serious. He said it jokingly and it came off as good-natured. BUT, folks were quick to point out ... it sounded somewhat inappropriate.

What's even crazier is that Joe has used this line before, and explained it in an interview as a line ol' JW used in a movie he saw once. Problem is ... nobody can pinpoint that flick.

It might be because the line Joe thinks was in the unnamed Wayne movie is probably actually from a 1952 Tyrone Power film called "Pony Soldier," which uses that phrase throughout. The whole movie's on YouTube, but we couldn't find this exact pony remark, if you will.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are still celebrating their Super Bowl win ... damn near 7 days after beating the 49ers in Miami.

Patty, Travis Kelce and a bunch of the guys from the team were down in Sin City over the weekend -- where they kept the party going in at last two different clubs on the strip. On Friday, the Chiefs players were at JEWEL Nightclub at the ARIA resort and casino.

Looks like they were the center of attention, and were in good company too. Girls were doing shoulder rides and waving around Chiefs signs and flags. Some of the other players who came out ... Damien Williams, Mecole Hardman, Blake Bell, Cam Erving and Austin Reiter.

On Saturday, the boys in red bounced on over to OMNIA Nightclub at Caesars Palace, where a Steve Aoki concert was being held. We got some footage from inside ... looks like the fellas were vibing and feeling themselves.

Snoop Dogg says he was NOT threatening CBS anchor Gayle King over her Kobe Bryant interview -- but the record shows he did make a somewhat threatening comment.

The rapper took to IG Saturday to clarify a video he posted a few days ago criticizing Gayle for an interview she did with WNBA player Lisa Leslie. Snoop made what many perceived as threats against her, but now ... he claims he didn't and means her no harm.

Snoop says he's a non-violent person and was raised better than that. He insists he was only speaking on behalf of people who felt disrespected by Gayle's interview and was only going from the heart. Snoop says all he wanted to do was point out she was out of line.

What's interesting is that he claims he never threatened her -- and only told her Kobe's fans were "watching" her -- but his own words seem to contradict him here.

What Snoop said verbatim ... "Funky dog head bitch. How dare you try to tarnish my motherf***in' home boy's reputation, punk motherf***er. Respect the family and back off, bitch. Before we come get you." This came after a tirade against Gayle coming after black men, but not being as enthusiastic to grill people about Harvey Weinstein (in Snoop's eyes).

Maybe he was speaking figuratively, but the fact is ... "come get you" can be seen as a threat, even if it isn't meant seriously. Regardless, the criticism appears to have opened the floodgates for others who've allegedly made death threats against Gayle.

Gayle herself came out and said the clip was taken out of context from a much longer and wide-ranging interview, and that she felt CBS had screwed her by releasing a clip showing just that part where she pressed Lisa about the rape claim against Kobe.

While Gayle feels the clip was unfairly represented, it doesn't take away from the fact she did push Lisa about that topic -- and felt it was, in fact, appropriate to do so in the moment.

Sam Mendes will be THE big winner at the Academy Awards -- at least that's what an ad that ran for a play he's directing wanted folks to think ... before it was called a mistake.

Here's the deal ... Mendes is signed on to direct a play called "The Lehman Trilogy," which hits Broadway in about a month from now. 'Lehman' already has got its own Instagram page, and on Sunday ... the account ran an ad calling Mendes the winner of Best Picture and Best Director for his "one-shot" war flick, "1917," which has gotten tons of love this award season.

FYI ... the Oscars haven't started yet, and the winners certainly haven't been made public. At least it appears they haven't, anyway.

The ad -- which was active on IG for at least a few hours -- read in part ... "From Sam Mendes, winner of the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his WWI epic '1917,' THE LEHMAN TRILOGY opens on Broadway March 26. Previews begin March 7."

Now, we talked to a spokesman for the 'Lehman' play, and a rep tells us the whole thing was a mistake, and that the ad is being taken down ASAP. We're told nobody at 'Lehman' knows the results, and they're simply hoping for Sam to win big.

Reading between the lines ... it appears somebody on the social team prepped an ad in anticipation of these results, and got ahead of themselves in running it prematurely.

We've reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So far, no word back.

Dog The Bounty Hunter is no longer living under the same roof as Moon Angell ... we've learned she packed up her things and moved outta his home.

Sources close to Dog tell TMZ ... Dog and Moon sat down this week for a deep convo, and he thanked her for everything she's done for him since his wife Beth Chapman's passing. Dog told Moon he's ready to move on, and she saw the writing on the wall -- time for her to move out.

Our sources say Dog and Moon had an understanding that living with him was only temporary. She originally moved in to become his support system -- helping around the house, organizing his life -- after Beth's death left a huge void.

It's not as bad as it sounds ... we're told it was just a natural progression for Moon to leave, they're still on good terms -- despite some family issues with their TV proposal -- and Dog's grateful for everything she did.

As you know ... they revealed on Dr. Oz Moon had replaced Beth's clothes with her own things when she moved in. It was a painful transition for Dog, but he knew it needed to happen.

Now, our sources say Dog is filling the empty closet space with his own things, he's feeling better and is focused on and excited about the future, with the hope of one day returning to TV. We're told he's no longer having suicidal thoughts either.

Moon's gone, but she's not heading for the hills ... we're told she's sticking around in Colorado in case Dog needs her support once again.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason are clearly back together -- despite her whole "never ever ever getting back together" line -- and there's photographic proof.

We got Jenelle and David at Aldean's Saturday night in Nashville at the Kitchen & Rooftop Bar.

They've said they're working on co-parenting, but it's feeling like they're giving the relationship another try ... this after David shot and killed the family dog, Jenelle got a restraining order against him, the kids were taken away, she got fired from "Teen Mom" and on and on.

That's all apparently in their rearview ... Jenelle has dropped the restraining order and they've been out and about together a bunch lately. On Friday, Jenelle and David grabbed some barbecue at Famous Dave's BBQ in Hermitage, TN.

Justin and Hailey Bieber hit up 1OAK in New York City Saturday night, after a solid performance on 'SNL.'

Bieber is back in full force with new music and an upcoming tour, and 'SNL' was the first big stage to showcase his stuff, and he did not disappoint.

The Biebs sang his hit song, "Yummy," and then a little later followed it up with "Intentions," along with Quavo.

Before hitting up 1OAK Justin and Hailey went to STK restaurant in New York for an SNL after-party. They were joined by Quavo, Saweetie, RuPaul along with other 'SNL' cast members.

The show was hysterical. RuPaul killed it, especially with a hilarious skit at a library where he gave his hot take on some children's books. You gotta see it.  You'll laugh out loud.

Evelyn Lozada is not done with "Basketball Wives" despite another castmember accusing her of being a bigot -- we've learned she's in talks to return to the reality show.

Sources close to Evelyn tell TMZ ... VH1 approached her about a comeback for season 9, but she's yet to reach a decision because she's weighing the pros and cons. We're told she's open to rejoining, but there are several factors making her hesitant to sign on the dotted line.

As you know ... Evelyn had major beef last year with Ogom "OG" Chijindu ... it got racial and there was even a lawsuit. EL filed for defamation when OG accused her of calling her castmates some horrible things.

As we reported, Evelyn said in the suit ... she lost tons of endorsement deals due to the racism allegations, and even had to hire security for her and her family.

So, there would be a huge elephant in the 'BBW' room if Evelyn returns.

We're told she's also slow to sign a deal because when she's left the show in the past ... she's had more time to focus on growing her jewelry and skin-care businesses.

Right now, our sources say Evelyn is trying to figure out if the 'Basketball Wives' paycheck is worth all the drama that will inevitably come with it.

Andy Cohen is stunned Pete Buttigieg is a real contender for the Democratic nomination for President, but he couldn't be happier.

We got Andy Saturday leaving Barry Diller's pre-Oscar bash and he seemed genuinely moved by Mayor Pete ... who was written off by many people in traditional media.

Andy made a great point ... the woman who said she just couldn't vote for Pete because he married a man needs a gay friend. He says she needs someone who can show her gay people are just like straight people in most respects ... they're people.

And, the "Watch What Happens Live" host had high praise for the way Buttigieg answered the question of what he'd say to that woman and what he'd do for her if elected Prez.

Sean Kingston was detained Saturday night after cops suspected he might be illegally packing heat, but he wasn't.

It went down at 8:15 PM at Dino's Chicken & Burgers. LAPD tells us ... officers got a call a male was brandishing a gun, and that's all it took to light up the squad cars and look for the perp.

Once they arrived, police ordered at least one man down on the ground and put Sean in cuffs as they led him toward a police car.

In the end, Sean at several others were questioned and released, because no gun was found.

"MARRY HER!!!"

Packers star pass rusher Za'Darius Smith is putting some serious heat on his OWN quarterback, telling TMZ Sports ... Aaron Rodgers needs to marry Danica Patrick ASAP!!!

"Look, 12, I know I'm on TMZ," Smith hilariously told us out at Super Bowl festivities in Miami on Wednesday ... "But, man, most definitely, you should marry that lady!"

Rodgers and Danica have been dating for over two years ... and things are definitely SERIOUS between the two.

They've publicly said "I love yous" ... she's rooted him on at Packers games, despite being a Bears fan ... and the two even just bought a $28 MILLION mansion together in Malibu.

But Rodgers has yet to bend the knee and pop the question ... and Za'Darius tells us his QB needs to change that.

"She's a lovely woman," Smith says. "I've met her."

In fact, Smith says he thinks Rodgers giving Danica a ring could elevate the QB's game ... telling us his own career really took off once he committed to his GF during his Baltimore Ravens days.

"She kept me locked in," Smith said.

There's a special piece of Martin Luther King Jr. memorabilia up for sale ... a handwritten note where he shares his personal definition of love.

It's pretty cool ... one of MLK's admirers asked him the meaning of love, and the civil rights icon scribbled a super-deep quote ... the note is hitting the market through the memorabilia company Moments in Time -- and they're hawking this slice of history for a cool $42,000!!!

Martin's message is from sometime in the mid-1960s... and he says, "Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God."

Powerful stuff, for sure.

Anything written in MLK's handwriting is super rare and valuable ... there's not much out there other than inscribed books ... and he even slapped his John Hancock on the bottom of the parchment.

It's kinda funny ... the note was acquired from a memorabilia dealer in England who apparently didn't have a clue as to what he had in his possession.

See, it pays to know your world history.