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Before this New York City native turned into a Hollywood actress, producer and director ... she was just a city gal living in the Bronx and lit up any room she walked into with her beautiful, bright smile!

You probably watched this cute kid play the role of an attorney who aided in solving crime and scandals. She once told Jimmy Fallon she learned how to dance from a fellow Bronx entertainer back in the '90s ... Jennifer Lopez that is!

Need one more hint? She is known to put out little fires everywhere!

Shawn Mendes is stopping to smell the roses lately -- which seems to be paying dividends, 'cause the dude's looking swole and refreshed as he continues to focus on his mental health.

The singer was out Sunday at a farmers market in L.A., where he stopped off for a little greenery. Looks like he sampled the options -- taking a big whiff of multi-colored flowers, but ultimately choosing what appears to be eucalyptus wrapped up and ready to go.

Unclear who exactly these might be for ... but at any rate, Shawn was happy to flex that he's a plant dad. Emphasis on flex -- indeed, the guy was showing off the fact he's yoked.

SM's been out and about a lot over the past few weeks ... and like we said, it looks like this break from touring that he's on is working out for him. Shawn appears pretty happy these days, focusing on himself and, of course, promo'ing his new movie ... "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile."

The hiatus from performing doesn't mean he's not thinking about music though -- on the contrary, Shawn's still proving he's got a song in his heart. He's been doing some acoustic stuff at home and posting on the Gram for his fans ... and yeah, the dude's still got it.

Ulta Beauty tried promoting inclusivity by posting a clip of a transgender woman discussing femininity -- but the internet doesn't seem to be having it ... now calling for a boycott.

The company promoted a new digital campaign they're running called the "The Beauty Of ..." -- their latest entry being about girlhood, hosted by influencer Dylan Mulvaney -- who's trans -- and gender-fluid celeb hairstylist David Lopez, sitting down podcast-style for the chat.

In the promo clip from Thursday, Dylan is briefly heard discussing things she feels are still accessible to her as a trans woman -- including being able to find love, still being a performer and having a family/being a mother ... all of which she believes she can totally do.

It's part of a longer video that's up on their YouTube page, in which Dylan goes into detail about her recent transition and roots ... apparently growing up in a super conservative family and detailing how she came to find her inner beauty and the guts to show it off publicly.

The problem ... some say Dylan, and Ulta by extension, is appropriating womanhood and simply wearing it as a costume -- which is pissing off a good amount of folks who are up in arms about this and swearing to never buy Ulta products again.

Several people are bashing Ulta and Dylan, saying things like "she's actually a man" and other hurtful remarks -- to which Ulta is asking for dignity and empathy. A line they're repeating in the comments is ... "At Ulta Beauty, we believe that beauty is for everyone—and we kindly request that everyone be treated with respect on our channels."

Ulta is also saying they believe beauty has no boundaries, but it seems some of the comments are, in fact, crossing the line ... because there are several hidden replies.

The perceived drama between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez is all water under a bridge -- something HB confirmed in an interview ... and is now double confirming with a photo.

The two stars cheesed it up Saturday night ... posing together for a photo taken by professional BTS party photog Tyrell Hampton at the Academy Museum Gala in L.A., where the stars were out in force and dressed to the nines amid Oscar season.

Both women looked stunning in their outfits, with Selena walking the red carpet solo in a suit ... and ditto for Hailey, who was in a cropped dress. Justin Bieber wasn't there.

It seems they crossed paths either inside the museum at an after-party, and apparently felt chummy enough for a joint snap. Selena's holding Hailey's leg and they're both leaned in close. Tyrell's caption ... "plot twist" -- obviously referencing Hailey's recent sit-down.

You'll recall ... Hailey dished about the fan-fueled notion that she'd stolen Justin away from Selena, a narrative that's been going on for years now -- which she shot down completely.

She said she respected Justin and Selena's relationship while it was going on, and didn't interfere at all.

Eventually, JB and SG fizzled out and he got with Hailey ... and she even said she thinks he needed closure from his history with Selena to formally move on.

Hailey also said she and Selena were on good terms, and had even spoken since she and Justin got together ... and eventually hitched. As for the toxic fans pitting the two ladies against each other, HB had some choice words for them too.

If her words weren't' convincing enough for folks, the proof is in the polaroid. All is well!

BTW ... we weren't kidding when we said this was a Hollywood who's-who. The heavyweights showed up for this thing -- including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, Emma Stone, Olivia Wilde, Kerry Washington, Jessica Chastain, Keke Palmer, Glenn Close, Tilda Swinton, Rebel Wilson, John Cho, Adrien Brody and more.

Kanye West is talking again, and this time he's saying A LOT ... with very pointed thoughts on George Floyd in particular, which is catching tons of backlash right now.

The guy sat down with N.O.R.E. for a new interview on "Drink Champs" -- and during the 43-minute chat, Ye got a lot off his chest ... including the fact that he's buying what Candace Owens is selling in her new doc 'The Greatest Lie Ever Sold,' which is about BLM.

Namely, Kanye repeats a point Candace makes ... which is that, from her POV, George Floyd actually died as a result of a drug overdose and other preexisting conditions like heart disease -- as opposed to Derek Chauvin pinning him down for upwards of 9 minutes.

It's something Chauvin's defense attorney argued in court as well, despite expert witnesses testifying and refuting that ... which the jury ultimately believed through their verdict. BTW, this new take is ironic -- seeing how Kanye paid to cover George's daughter's college tuition.

At any rate, Ye's getting ripped on Twitter for this ... but it's far from the only controversial thing he talked about on 'DC.' He also went on to name-drop Pete Davidson, Trevor Noah, Diddy, Meek Mill, Jay-Z and his ex, Kim Kardashian ... hurling many, many accusations.

He also references Jews several times, again perpetuating antisemitic tropes that they "run the media" and are out to paint him as an abuser ... something he resents. Ye also called PD a "heroin addict" and decried the recent fireplace tidbit played up on "The Kardashians."

KW went after some of his own peers in the rap game as well ... Puff and Meek, specifically. He called them fake hard, and seemed to suggest one or both of them were a "fed."

Lastly, Kanye suggested that Drake has banged Kris Jenner at one point or another ... seemingly confirming it when he mentioned her current BF's name, Corey Gamble. He also called Drake the greatest rapper ever -- and even said he got his address on Google.

There's so much more -- including his gripes about JP Morgan Chase, MAGA, the Clintons, vaccines, White Lives Matter, etc. The full episode drops on Revolt TV Sunday.

Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired Halloween costumes have already gotten a ton of backlash, but more than anything they're evil and exploit families ... so says one victim's mom, who is urging folks to stay clear of them.

Tony Hughes was a deaf, non-vocal victim among the 17 young men murdered by Dahmer. His mom, Shirley, tells TMZ … it's already super triggering to see a hit Netflix series about the serial killer, much less folks dressing like the killer.

Most big retail stores have opted out of selling JD costumes given all the outrage, but many folks have flocked to online stores, such as eBay, to sell Jeffrey Dahmer costume props ... including blonde wigs, retro-style tops and even the wire-rimmed glasses.

Shirley says it hurts for Netflix and all the online stores to profit off her son's death, while none of the victims' families have seen a dime. She feels all the eBay ads should be taken down ... or at the very least, give the profits to the families.

While folks are able to dress like Dahmer for fun, the pain never goes away for Shirley. She says, if Netflix hadn't streamed the show, none of the families would be re-victimized ... and then there'd be no Dahmer costumes this year.

Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison in 1992 ... he was beaten to death in prison in 1994.

Dennis Peek, the recently-fired Wendy's employee with Down syndrome, isn't fully retiring yet -- he's about to live out one of his lifelong dreams by becoming a police officer.

This is all kinds o' perfect ... turns out Dennis is a huge fan of "The Andy Griffith Show" -- his sister Cona Young Turner tells us her brother especially loves Barney Fife, the hilarious deputy played by Don Knotts.

She says Dennis knows a few of the officers in the nearby town of Mount Holly, NC, and after they saw what happened to him at Wendy's ... the police department decided to put him on the force for a day.

We're told Dennis will be sworn in on Thursday ... they'll give him a uniform and a hat that he gets to keep once his shift is over. He's gonna be busy, riding in a police car, a police boat and he'll check in on a few businesses in the department's golf cart.

ICYMI, Dennis's story went viral when he got fired from his job at the fast food chain last week after devoting 20 years to the company. Cona claimed managers told her Dennis couldn't do his job like a "normal" person.

As we reported, Dennis doesn't know he was terminated ... his family opted to tell him he's simply retiring.

Megan Thee Stallion is gonna take a break ... because she says she's both physically and emotionally spent.

Megan pulled double duty on 'SNL' Saturday night as host and musical guest, but before the show went live she told her fans, "Hotties im really sorry but after SNL I really gotta take a break I'm so tired, physically and emotionally."

You can understand why she's kinda at the end of her rope. TMZ broke the story Friday ... while she was in NYC preparing for the show, her home was burglarized and $300k-$400k in jewelry, cash and electronics were stolen.

And then there's the 2020 incident where she was shot in the foot ... Tory Lanez is now facing trial for the shooting.

And in 2019, her mom, Holly Thomas died from a brain tumor.

During her song, "Anxiety" on 'SNL,' Megan was fighting back tears.

'SNL's cold open Saturday night was a hilarious gag on the January 6th Committee's closing arguments, but one line produced a gasp from the audience -- when 'Donald Trump' asked someone during the insurrection if the rioters made good on their threat to hang Mike Pence.

The casting was fantastic ... from Kenan Thompson who played Chairman Bennie Thompson, who introduced "a team of monotone nerds to do a PowerPoint."

'Liz Cheney' explained she's as tough as she is because she has "Big Dick Cheney energy!"

Then 'Rep. Jamie Raskin' read from the ominous message board with questions the day of the attempted coup, including ... "Is there a shuttle from LaQuinta Inn to coup?" and "Am I at wrong Washington? I see space needle."

Maybe the most hilarious part was video of the Capitol bunker, where 'Nancy Pelosi' and 'Chuck Schumer' were hunkered down. Pelosi -- played remarkably by Chloe Fineman -- was a bad ass, while Schumer was obsessed with getting lunch and sucking up to Pence!

Former President Barack Obama railed on members of his own party over cancel culture, calling out some Dems as "buzzkills."

BO jumped on the "Pod Save America" podcast Friday and laid it out, Bill Maher style ... "My family, my kids, work that gives me satisfaction, having fun," Obama said. "Hell, not being a buzzkill. And sometimes Democrats are."

He went on ... "Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes."

Obama says he knows why cancel culture has gained traction, and clearly thinks it needs to stop if Dems want to win elections ... "I think where we get into trouble sometimes is where we try to suggest that some groups are more – because they historically have been victimized more – that somehow they have a status that’s different than other people and we’re going around scolding folks if they don’t use exactly the right phrase. Or that identity politics becomes the principle lens through which we view our various political challenges."

He also thinks his party and he himself has gotten mired in what he calls "policy gobbledygook." ... "That’s not how people think about these issues. They think about them in terms of the life I’m leading day to day. How does politics, how is it even relevant to the things that I care the most deeply about?"

Obama will be stumping for Democratic candidates in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Emmanuel the Emu -- a viral sensation from earlier this year -- is near death's door after the bird flu has spread throughout his farm ... killing off a lot of the owners' other animals.

Taylor Blake shared the sad news Saturday, saying their business -- Knuckle Bump Farms -- has been hit hard by avian influenza ... this after a pack of wild geese have flown onto their property consistently of late -- leaving behind deadly strains of the flu that has taken its toll.

Blake says they've lost 99% of their domesticated birds -- including all of their ducks, geese and chickens ... not to mentions some of their emus, including Emily, Eliza and Elliot.

Now, it sounds like only Emmanuel and another emu named Rico are left alive -- but TB says Emmanuel is on the mend right now after unexpectedly going down on Wednesday ... apparently a result of catching the bird flu that's running rampant on their farm.

Blake says she's been tending to him around the clock and that Emmanuel is fighting to stay alive. While she's devastated over the loss of their other animals ... she says she's grateful to still have Emmanuel, and believes he'll make a full recovery -- despite some nerve damage.

She explains ... "It seems like I haven’t been able to catch a break these past few months, but I am so incredibly blessed. I have so much gratitude in my heart that Emmanuel is still alive. That he is fighting. That my best friend is making a comeback. I am going to be ok, we are going to be ok!"

Blake says she's working through getting Emmanuel back to 100% with physical therapy, and is asking the public for prayers, as well as help on tips in regards to big bird PT.

Sonny Vacccaro -- the shoe brand industry legend -- tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely fired up for his upcoming biopic ... explaining he loves that Matt Damon is playing him in the movie!!!

"This is the best thing that I could have ever imagined," the 83-year-old said. "And it's bigger because I never imagined it could happen. It's off the charts. It's off the charts."

Damon and Ben Affleck have teamed up to make the movie about Vaccaro's life -- with Affleck set to play famed Nike honcho Phil Knight in the flick.

Producers promise the movie will tell the story of how Vaccaro and Knight relentlessly pursued Michael Jordan to sign a shoe deal with Nike back in the 1980s. Filming officially kicked off this summer.

Further details surrounding the script haven't been made public yet -- and while Vaccaro himself is unsure of the minutia of the movie, he's pumped for it nonetheless.

"I can't explain," Vaccaro said. "I'm 83 years old. It was complete surprise to me. It's an unbelievable honor and I believe in what they're going to do is going to be the truth on the film."

Vaccaro says he and his wife, Pam, were actually invited to the set recently, and they had a blast. He tells us us they got to meet with Damon while there, and told him they share a funny connection with Jason Bourne.

Vaccaro also told us he was blown away when he saw the entire cast -- explaining, "It's like 'Gone With The Wind' or something. I mean, my God, there are no guys that the world's not going to know."

Halloween is right around the corner and these lit-up stars are looking amazeing at the pumpkin patch! While some celebs are hitting the hay with their family's, others are opting for a solo night out on the patch.

Stars like Snooki and Matthew Morrison headed to the pumpkin patch with their festive fams (talk about squash squad goals) ... while James Charles and Tamera Mowry put on a solo act with their plus-one-pumpkins.

Trick-or-treat yourself to our gallery of celebs who are lookin' fine snatching their pumpkins straight off the vine!

A$AP Bari may have moved past his Miami car crash by scooping up a brand new Maybach, but the other guy involved sure hasn’t -- he's now suing the rapper.

A$AP Bari, whose real name is Jabari Shelton, has been hit with a lawsuit over the crash that happened back in July.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... the A$AP Mob co-founder was driving his Mercedes-Benz "carelessly, recklessly, and negligently" when his car collided with another vehicle driven by a guy named Jorge Baez.

As you can see, the car was banged up pretty badly.

Jorge's lawyer, Jared Newman tells TMZ ... the accident left Baez with serious injuries and a bunch of medical bills. He's suing for more than $30K in damages.

As we've reported ... Kanye West gifted Bari a new Mercedes Maybach SUV just days after the wreck.

Jared says, "It was nice of Kanye West to buy A$AP Bari a new Maybach and enable him to move on like nothing happened, but something did happen and A$AP Bari must pay for his negligence."

Jaime Lee Curtis' looks over the years are anything but scary!

Here is a 19-year-old version of the Halloween Queen ready to slay her killer in the classic slasher film "Halloween" back in 1978 (left).

And, 44 years later the actress has put her brave face back on for the newest "Halloween" film, "Halloween Ends" (right).

Curtis has reprised her role as Laurie Strode in "Halloween 2," "Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later," "Halloween: Resurrection," "Halloween (2007)," "Halloween 2 (2009)," "Halloween Kills" and now "Halloween Ends."

Her spooky days may be coming to an end, but she continues to reassure the world she's still got some killer looks!

The question is ...

A suspected serial killer is in custody in Northern California -- and police say they caught the guy while he was looking for his next victim ... this after 6 lives have already been taken.

43-year-old Wesley Brownlee was arrested Saturday morning in Stockton ... where Police Chief Stanley McFadden says he appeared to be scoping out a new person to kill. Stockton PD were surveilling him and stopped Brownlee after he left his house in a car around 2 AM. Upon a search, they say they found him armed with a gun and a mask around his neck.

Chief McFadden says there's no doubt in their minds he was "out hunting" and that they stopped another killing. Brownlee was booked for homicide -- although it's unclear if all of the murders are being pinned on him right off the bat.

Six men have been slain dating back to April 2021 -- all of whom were ambushed, shot and killed. Five took place in the Stockton area up through September, and the final one happened in Oakland more than a year ago. A seventh victim, a woman, was also shot in Stockton last year, but survived. A good handful of the victims are said to be homeless.

No motive has been ascribed ... none of the victims were beaten or robbed, simply shot and killed. Eventually, police declared they had evidence linking the murders -- and announced a manhunt to find the killer ... offering up as high as a $125k reward for help from the public.