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Jason David Frank shows off his mixed martial arts skills in his last movie role ... and we got exclusive video of him kicking ass in what turned out to be the late actor's final gig.

JDF is the star of the upcoming action flick "Legend of The White Dragon" ... playing a fugitive trying to clear his name in the city he once fought to protect.

The late 'Power Rangers' star goes from the White Ranger to the White Dragon. The movie will be released this fall, lining up with what would have been Jason's 50th birthday.

In this preview clip, obtained by TMZ, Jason's character squares off with Mark Dacascos, another famous mixed martial artist known for his work in kung fu movies.

TMZ broke the story ... Jason died by suicide back in November, with a close friend telling us Frank was struggling with mental health issues and battling depression.

Producer Sean Schoenke tells TMZ ... “Despite the tremendous loss, the production team has worked tirelessly to complete the film and ensure that it meets the high standards that Jason set for himself. The result is a powerful and moving tribute to his talent and dedication.”

In addition to acting in 'White Dragon,' Jason was also one of the producers ... and his daughter, Jenna Rae Frank, has a supporting role.

Ruby Rose says she wanted to do a social media blackout before her birthday, but then stayed on social media anyway ... causing confusion and some concern too.

The actress threw up a message on Instagram Sunday -- a day before she turned 37 -- which raised some eyebrows among fans. It read, "Logging off until the 21st. If you have followed me for long enough you know I don't acknowledge tomorrow."

She continued, "I don't celebrate that day. That day has never been a celebration. Some have tried but it was never a celebration at the time, and nor is it now. So please leave it for me this year." Ruby didn't elaborate, which is strange ... 'cause she's celebrated her bday in the past, including in 2019 -- when she celebrated early with cakes and everything.

Her birthday has also been acknowledged publicly, including with a song from an ex.

The weird thing is that Ruby posted on her account come Monday. It was a video about a dog rescue org she's involved in ... there was no acknowledgment of her previous statement.

Again, there's no real context as to what she's alluding to ... but it's got some a bit worried.

Jalen Carter's tumultuous March might have cost himself some serious coin ... because former NFL GM Michael Lombardi tells TMZ Sports he'd now have "a lot of concern" drafting the UGA star if he were still running a team.

Carter was hit with two criminal charges on March 1 over his alleged role in a Jan. 15 car crash -- and then just 14 days later, he showed up to his Pro Day nine pounds heavier ... before struggling during the workout.

While the 21-year-old has since struck a plea deal with prosecutors to put his legal issues behind him ... Lombardi says it all would have him seriously wary of picking the defensive lineman in next month's NFL draft if he were still in charge of a team's war room.

"A lot of concern," the former Cleveland Browns general manager said. "You want this guy to become your team captain. When you pick a player like this in the top 10, you want him to become Richard Seymour. You want him to become a Hall of Fame player. You want to hit."

Of course, Carter had been considered a top-five pick right after the college season concluded -- and maybe even the No. 1 overall selection -- but now, Lombardi's making it clear ... top-10 might be out of the question.

Lombardi says Carter's jump from 314 pounds to 323 pounds in just two weeks is particularly alarming, noting, "If your weight starts to zoom up because you're literally sitting on the couch, that's a problem."

"He's got a lot of questions to answer."

An award signed by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is hitting the open market ... and it's a super rare memento, because the guy never signed autographs and hardly ever left his signature.

Steve scribbled his John Hancock on a 10-year award plaque presented to an Apple employee way back in 2000 ... shortly after Steve had returned to the company.

The award plaque is up for sale over at Moments In Time ... with a $95,000 price tag.

Steve presented the hardware to Apple marketing exec Suzanne Lindbergh, and the letter to her reads ... "This ten-year plaque recognizes those who have contributed a decade of personal achievement to Apple's phenomenal success. Apple honors you not only for your talent, enthusiasm and energy, but also for your ten years of creativity and career commitment. We hope you continue to believe, as we do, that the journey in itself is the best reward."

Jobs used a black felt-tip pen to leave his signature at the bottom of the plaque ... and it's also rare because Apple later transitioned to facsimile signatures on its anniversary awards.

Steve, who died from cancer in 2011, famously refused to sign for autograph hounds ... so there aren't a lot of items out there with his signature.

Before this cutie decked out in floral print turned into a model and socialite, she was just heading off to ballet class in New York City, watching her dad act on the big screen and growing up in Long Island, New York.

When this gorgeous gal isn't in wifey mode or at the pilates studio, you can find her making YouTube vids in her bathroom with other Hollywood hotties like Kendall Jenner and Ashley Graham OR selling the heck out of her makeup line.

Need one more clue? Just ask her 3 famous uncles!

Def Leppard's Rick Allen is breaking his silence after being attacked last week -- and it sounds like he's actually calling on forgiveness for the alleged culprit.

The rock band's longtime drummer issued a statement Sunday, which has some encouraging updates on his condition. He says, "Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren [Monroe] was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space."

According to ABC News, which obtained his remarks, Allen and his family are now shifting their attention toward "healing for everyone involved" ... although he doesn't really elaborate.

There's more ... RA goes on to say, "We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people."

He finishes with ... "To all of the fans, veterans and first responders in our global community, we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times."

Allen never mentions his alleged attacker by name -- 19-year-old Max Hartley, whom police claim was the one who beat Rick down -- but it does seem he's alluding to him ... and, perhaps, there's more to the story.

In any case, it's great to hear he's doing okay. You'll recall ... the incident was described to cops as brutal. Hartley is accused of bum-rushing Rick at a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, allegedly knocking him to the ground and going on to attack a woman who was nearby too ... according to the arrest report. The dude was booked for battery, among other charges.

A new show Chloe Bailey is in -- where she's shown having sex -- has sparked a debate about racism and colorism in Hollywood ... and now, Halle Berry's been roped in.

You might've noticed the latter is trending this weekend, and the reason is because of this discourse that's taken off since Donald Glover's latest TV series, "Swarm," debuted on Friday ... which starts out with a scene depicting Chloe doing the deed in very graphic detail.

Since then, there's been a lot of chatter about her decision to do the sex scene ... some say it's a great move/good for her, and others feel like it falls in line with other choices she's made of late -- like putting out a single with Chris Brown -- that some think are ... not so wise.

As one Twitter user put it ... "Where is a Chloe Bailey’s mentor pls??? She’s been making terrible decisions lately, she should have never done that sex scene in Swarm and I’m not even gonna go into her most recent collab." A lot of other folks reacted similarly.

On Saturday, that convo shifted when someone brought up Halle in comparison. She tweeted, "Halle Berry getting back shots role got her an Oscar right?" The point she was making ... Halle also did risqué stuff in her day -- "Monster's Ball" being the prime example, for which she won an Oscar -- but that, in and of itself, did not diminish her work/accolades.

This user was essentially saying Chloe's sex scene won't define her acting career, and that it's unfair to suggest she'll be derailed 'cause of it. Basically, stop giving her premature flak.

However, another Twitter user responded ... suggesting Halle enjoys the benefit of a lighter skin complexion and even went so far as to claim that she's "white passing." Obviously, she isn't -- Halle looks Black, not white ... which is literally what white-passing means.

Semantics aside, however, this woman's point (as she further explained on her page) is that Halle fits Hollywood's traditional white European beauty standard ... more so than Chloe, or any other dark-skinned Black woman for that matter. Therefore, she believes Halle has had an easier time in showbiz than Chloe might in this specific regard ... aka, baring it all.

In other words, this user feels like colorism is still very much alive and well in the entertainment industry ... and that darker-skinned Black performers will have a tougher go in comparison to any of their lighter-skinned counterparts -- which might be valid.

Of course, there's also the Bailey sisters factor here ... namely, the fact that Chloe's also-famous sibling, Halle Bailey, has a more buttoned-up rep than her older sis, perhaps, does.

Halle (Bailey) is literally starring in "The Little Mermaid" with Disney -- very family-friendly, etc. -- and she generally avoids controversy of her own doing. Chloe, on the other hand, is under a microscope more often ... and tends to get labeled as the wild child of the two.

Bruce Willis turns 68 today -- and his wife, Emma Heming, is opening up about the milestone with brutal honesty ... and a lot of emotion.

Emma took to Instagram to share her thoughts on her husband's birthday, which she says started out with her crying this morning. The reason ... Emma is obviously dealing with Bruce's recent dementia diagnosis -- and she says it takes a toll on her and their family.

She goes on to say that people are always commending her for being so strong in the face of adversity ... but, as she notes, she doesn't have a choice in the matter -- and simply does what she has to do to keep her household and life in order.

Despite having to put on a brave face, Emma says she experiences times of grief and sadness -- especially with having two young children that she and Bruce are raising -- and as she tearfully explains ... it's difficult.

BTW, Emma says these videos she makes -- giving updates on Bruce's condition and how it's affecting their home life, etc. -- are gut-wrenching to her ... but she does them anyway because she knows how many fans BW has ... who are interested in his well-being/journey.

She says the outpouring of love and support she and Bruce have received means the world to her ... and Emma clearly takes it all to heart. We also know Emma is deeply protective of Bruce these days -- she recently told paps (publicly) to back off and to leave him be.

Jimmy Fallon left the Big Apple for St. Patrick's Day and ventured upstate for some small town pub partying ... hitting up a local watering hole, and jamming out with the band!

The 'Tonight Show' host found his way into Iron Smoke Distillery Friday in Fairport, NY -- just outside of Rochester. He actually knows the owner of the bar across the street -- Mulconry's Irish Pub -- and apparently heard the musicians from 1916 rocking out ... feeling intrigued.

We're told Jimmy popped in toward the end of 1916's set and asked if he could play with them before they headed out. Of course, they obliged -- sticking around for a few more songs. As many people know, JF's a bit of a music man himself ... and a natural showman.

That came in handy for the three tunes they performed -- including The Doors' "Gloria," The Georgia Satellites' "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," U2's "Desire" and others. Jimmy took charge on vocals and on lead guitar ... and all the other band members backed him up.

After hitting the stage, we're told Jimmy hung around a bit and took photos with patrons ... capping off a great time had by all. Seems he wanted his holiday to be a little more low-key and homegrown ... and he certainly got that with the Iron Smoke crowd that night.

We'll see if he has more to dish about his night out come Monday ... when he'll be back on late night duty, with his own band on hand. This is just a good reminder -- dude could probably jump in himself at a moment's notice and hold his own.

Kim Kardashian has been a full-blown soccer mom for a while -- but now, she's taking the mini van overseas ... and she's brought the kiddos with her to watch the pros do it live.

The beauty-fashion mogul was in Paris Sunday to take in the PSG match against Rennes at the Parc des Princes stadium -- where it looks like she had box seats and a great view to peep all the action on the pitch below. Ditto for her son, Saint, who was tagging along.

KK was out there in all black, and rocking shades too ... looking quite chic. Saint himself was wearing a PSG jersey -- and the two of them even came down onto the field for pics.

It appears Saint's on this Euro trip with some buddies of his, who are no doubt enjoying the vacay. BTW, Sunday's soccer game wasn't their first -- a few days ago, Kim and the kids were out in London for an Arsenal game as well ... and there, too, they were loving it.

As we've seen over the past few years now, Saint is VERY into soccer. He plays in a local league, and Kim comes to a lot of his games. Kanye's been to some as well ... and, at times, it's been a little awkward/tense -- but the 2 parents have always played nice in public.

Speaking of Ye, he's hanging with him and Kim's daughter, North, this weekend ... who's also in the presence of his new "wife," Bianca Censori. North seems adjusted, everyone's chill.

Ben Affleck is on top of the world lately -- making movies with his best bud, and having his wife star in films he's producing ... which he says is the pinnacle of success and happiness.

The actor-director sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for a chat about his new movie, "Air" which follows the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan to his legendary shoe deal ... and which just debuted at SXSW this weekend to rave reviews and thunderous applause.

The film stars Ben and Matt Damon, and the reunion has truly had a shining effect on BA -- as you can tell in this interview. He talks about how chasing money in showbiz (or any biz, really) isn't the key to fulfillment, as he says he's found out.

Instead, he says he's realized that right now ... he's at his most joyous. That's because he loved coming to work for this "Air" flick -- hanging out with his childhood BFF and collaborating, seeing his kids more often and doing projects he's actually passionate about.

That brings the convo to Ben and Matt's new productions company -- Artists Equity -- which guarantees the ancillary crew members a bigger cut of the pie ... unlike traditional studios.

"Air" is AE's first movie (which is being distributed by Amazon) and they already have another sports biopic in the works ... which will star Jennifer Lopez. Ben addresses the apparent nepotism here in the interview ... and insists he got the best actors for the job, her included.

There's more in the full interview ... like what MJ himself wanted in terms of demands. One of those asks, as Ben shares, was that Viola Davis play his mom -- and she does.

Ed Winter, the Deputy L.A. County Coroner who handled the death cases/investigations into some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Winter passed away at his L.A. area home Friday of natural causes.

Winter was right there in front of the cameras in cases that include Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy, Paul Walker, Tom Petty and Corey Haim.

Perhaps the most notable case involved Michael Jackson's death. Winter had immediate concerns when he saw a shocking number of injection points in Jackson's body. He was at UCLA Medical Center, where Jackson was taken, and immediately after he was pronounced dead he noticed Dr. Conrad Murray had left the facility. Winter said, "He fled."  Murray would have been the one to sign Jackson's death certificate, but Winter ended up doing it.

Winter later said Jackson had enough Propofol in him "to put down a rhinoceros or an elephant."

But Winter knew there was more to the story, and also set his sights on Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist who fueled him almost daily with massive doses of Demerol. He tried to get Klein's medical records and eventually discovered Jackson had 19 aliases to score drugs, and Klein was a principal enabler.

Whitney Houston's death just before Clive Davis's 2012 pre-Grammy party was also a defining moment in his career. Winter had become such a staple on TV, he himself was very recognizable. After Whitney's body was discovered, her family gathered near her hotel room. Someone introduced a member of the family to Winter, and the woman said, "I know who Ed Winter is." The woman was Dionne Warwick.

On Winter's first day on the job, he was assigned to a notorious celebrity case -- the death of Lana Clarkson, at the hands of music icon Phil Spector, who was convicted of murdering her.

Paul Walker's horrific death was another high-profile case Winter managed. He went on TV to explain what happened in the car crash ... "He died instantly," Winter told reporters, despite reports the actor was screaming for help.

Jennifer Lopez is doing a juggling act ... she celebrated the launch of her shoe collection in Bev Hills Saturday, as she and Ben Affleck are scrambling to buy a house before the end of the month because the financial consequences are HUGE.

Lots of stars showed up to support JLo, including Tiffany Haddish, Hailey and Chloe Bailey. and others.

The event was packed, and JLo mingled with them all ... with security, of course.

Ben was actually a no-show... he was at the premiere of his new flick, "AIR" at SXSW.

Donald Trump is certainly not acting like a guy on the verge of being arrested ... He flew to Oklahoma Saturday night and enjoyed himself at a college sporting event.

The former President showed up at the BOK Center in Tulsa for the NCAA Wrestling Tournament -- hours after he announced that he would be arrested Tuesday by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over the Stormy Daniels hush-money case.

Videos showed Trump smiling and waving at the crowd as he walked through the stadium with his entourage. Trump also shook hands with fans and took group photos with them. At one point, he raised his fist in the air -- apparently in defiance of his looming indictment.

Trump was invited to the tournament by Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who was seen standing next to 45 and posing for pictures with him.

By early next week, Trump could be posing for a very different photo -- that of a mugshot. Bragg is reportedly getting ready to indict Trump for allegedly trying to buy Daniels' silence with a $130,000 payment over an alleged affair she claimed they had during the 2016 Presidential election. Trump has denied the affair.

In response to the rumored indictment, Trump blasted Bragg on his social media handle, "Truth Social," labeling the Manhattan DA's Office as "CORRUPT" and "HIGHLY POLITICAL." Trump also called for protests over his possible arrest.

Bragg officially declined to comment, but, according to Politico, he sent an internal memo to employees saying that he would not tolerate efforts to intimidate his office or "threaten the rule of law in New York."

Rick Ross has a home, a BIG one, where his pet buffalo roam ... yet the giant beasts still range onto his neighbor's yard, and she's worried because her young kids play outside.

The neighbor, who lives on a plot of land behind RR's Fayetteville, GA compound, tells TMZ ... the two buffaloes -- aka bison -- have wandered onto her property twice this week. Keep in mind, adult buffalo can tip the scales at around 2,000 lbs.!!!

She's worried they may pose a danger to her small children.

TMZ obtained video showing Rick's behemoth pets running through the neighbor's front yard ... and she says she came home from work to discover the wild scene.

She also snapped photos of the buffaloes grazing on the grass near a paved driveway full of parked cars.

Rick's neighbor says she went to the rapper's place to confront him about the buffaloes grazing on her property ... which turned into a verbal dispute with a member of Rick's team.

Unsatisfied with that interaction, she says her next step is filing a neighbor dispute with the city. She tried calling police, but they told her it's a civil dispute and didn't take a report.

In addition to the potential danger the roaming animals pose to the woman's kids, they also appear to be tearing up her yard. Definitely not as important, but it could still be costly.

Remember, Rick was gifted the bison last March and they are absolutely huge. He also has four horses and a bull. No deer or antelope, though.

Nick Carter is bringing backup to the sexual battery lawsuit against him ... he says he has a dozen witnesses who claim his accuser is full of BS.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Backstreet Boys member says he has 12 people who have testified the alleged victim's version of events can't possibly be true.

TMZ broke the story ... Nick is being sued by a woman named Shannon Ruth, who filed a lawsuit in December claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert way back in 2001 when she was underage.

But, Nick says not so fast ... he claims he has 12 witnesses from the concert -- fans, security personnel and a talent manager -- who say the accuser's story is "factually impossible."

Remember ... Ruth, who says she is autistic and has cerebral palsy, claims she got in line to get Nick's autograph after the show, when he allegedly invited her back to his tour bus, plied her with alcohol and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

But, Nick says his dozen witnesses testified it was impossible for him to interact with the alleged victim after the concert ... they say there was no autograph line and fans had no access to the tour bus staging area.

What's more, Nick says one of Ruth's close friends at the time testified Ruth is lying about being autistic and suffering from cerebral palsy ... and she doesn't even believe Ruth was at the concert.

In the docs, Nick claims another witness testified they were on calls where Ruth's name was brought up as part of a plot to extort Nick ... an alleged money grab he's previously mentioned in his countersuit against Ruth.