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Before this cute cowgirl was showing off her superpower acting chops, she was just another sweet smiling girl growing up in Sacramento, California.

This blonde beauty has been on the big screen for almost two decades ... making her debut in a Disney Channel original movie about racing when she was just 13 years old. Her rise to fame only kept growing with her versatile roles in comedy, action, and even drama -- a talented performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Now, this marvelous star is fighting villains in the Avengers universe.

Now we know why the FBI was so hot on NBA Youngboy's trail in Los Angeles -- it's all over an arrest that went down 6 months ago in Louisiana ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... FBI agents and LAPD busted Youngboy Monday after a brief, but dramatic pursuit ended with cops sending K-9 units to track down the rapper. According to the federal indictment, the feds had unfinished business with Youngboy ... stemming from a drug bust back in September.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors take issue with 2 guns Youngboy allegedly had on him when cops arrested him in Baton Rouge for drugs. The feds claim he had a .45 pistol and a 9mm handgun -- both are major no-nos for him because he has a previous felony on his record, for an aggravated assault.

In addition, the feds say the 9mm was not registered to NBA Youngboy. According to the docs, the weapons in question can all be seized immediately, as well as any others in his possession. Cops provided a dramatic photo (below) of all of the weapons taken during the September bust.

The rapper's been charged with one count of illegal possession of firearms by a felon, and possession of an unregistered weapon. At the time of the September arrest, local law enforcement only hit him with drug charges, and his attorney denied any of the guns found belonged to NBA Youngboy.

George Segal, famous for starring roles in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Look Who's Talking" and most recently, "The Goldbergs," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The veteran actor died Tuesday morning following complications from bypass surgery ... according to his wife, Sonia Segal.

George's breakout role was playing Nick in the 1966 classic, 'Virginia Woolf' and his standout performance alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Segal has a ton of other notable movie credits in the '60s and '70s, including ... "Ship of Fools," "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," "Where's Poppa," "The Hot Rock," "Blume in Love," "A Touch of Class" and "California Split."

In the '80s and '90s, he played Albert, the biological dad of Kirstie Alley's talking baby in the "Look Who's Talking" flicks.

George also starred on TV hits "Just Shoot Me!" and Pops Solomon on "The Goldbergs."

Tributes are already pouring in across Hollywood, with 'Goldbergs' creator Adam Goldberg remembering George as "a kid at heart with a magical spark."

In addition to a long acting career, George also played the banjo ... releasing 3 albums and performing in movies and on TV.

George tied the knot with Sonia back in 1996 for his third marriage. He was previously married to Linda Rogoff and had 2 kids with his other ex-wife, Marion Sobel.

He was 87.

Justin Bieber is back in L.A. after a break in the islands, and one of his first orders of business is telling prisoners about the big man upstairs ... TMZ has learned.

The singer's RV was spotted Tuesday pulling into the California State Prison of L.A. County -- which prompted the question ... what the heck is he doing there, especially on the heels of his Turks and Caicos weekend getaway with the missus???

The answer, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is quite simple -- the Biebs was there to spread the good word.

A rep for the CDCR tells TMZ ... the warden of the state prison signed off on a brief visit for him and his pastor to support faith-based programs. Unclear what JB exactly did -- singing or speaking the gospel -- but we're told COVID protocols were followed to a T, and it all went smoothly.

If Justin was aiming for anonymity ... he definitely chose the wrong ride. That RV of his was a dead giveaway, as he and Hailey have been seen cruising all over the Western U.S. in it.

The family of the Asian grandmother senselessly attacked in San Francisco aren't keeping a penny of the nearly $1 million they've raised online -- a move made at the behest of the victim herself.

Xiao Zhen Xie was one of two older women 39-year-old Steven Jenkins allegedly bum-rushed last week along Market Street. Cops arrested Jenkins on the scene, but not before he got his ass handed to him by Xie ... who reportedly fought back with a piece of wood.

As you can see, Xie was left with black eyes, a swollen face and severe trauma ... according to her family. Thankfully, her grandson, John Chen, says she's doing better now ... but in the immediate aftermath, the family started a GoFundMe that has since raised upwards of $907k, from more than 30,000 donors.

The GFM's stated intent was money for medical expenses, but Chen just announced they're not holding on to any of the cash -- instead, they're pouring it back into the AAPI community. He says Grandma Xie ordered it so.

Chen explained his grandmother insisted they use the money to help combat the racism and hate Asian-Americans are experiencing right now. He says she told him the issue was bigger than her, and she wanted the money to help others.

LaMelo Ball is officially on the mend after undergoing surgery to fix his fractured right wrist on Tuesday ... with the Charlotte Hornets rookie stepping out in NYC with his arm in a sling hours after going under the knife.

The youngest Ball brother flew to the Big Apple to have the procedure performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery ... which will keep him sidelined for at least the next month.

19-year-old Ball was spotted leaving his hotel in NYC Tuesday afternoon in his Puma shirt and shoes ... as well as a pair of $1,100 Chrome Hearts sweatpants.

Of course, Melo went down with the injury on Saturday against the L.A. Clippers ... and the team initially feared he would miss the remainder of the season.

But, there's now hope the Rookie of the Year frontrunner could still return in 2021 ... depending on how quickly he heals up ... and if the Hornets can reach the playoffs (they're currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference).

Ball tweeted shortly after the surgery saying, "extremely blessed" ... which is great news all around.

Bobby Brown Jr.'s drug-related death raised a lot of red flags with the police ... which is exactly why we're told they opened a criminal investigation that's now in the hands of prosecutors.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the LAPD began looking at this as a possible crime pretty much from the outset due to the fact narcotics were involved, not to mention the specific type ... Percocet and coke. Officers quickly caught on to the drugs after talking to people Bobby was around shortly before his body was found.

We're told cops know street drugs like that are often cut with fentanyl -- which is cheap and easily hooks users. Sure enough ... that turned out to be the case for Bobby Jr. A toxicology test did, indeed, find the lethal substance in his blood.

The case is now in the hands of the L.A. County D.A.'s Office to determine if criminal charges should be filed or if the case should be kicked back to cops for additional investigation. We're told no arrests have been made ... yet.

Our sources say investigators interviewed Bobby Jr.'s girlfriend and other witnesses who saw him before his death. We're also told there were no drugs or paraphernalia found at the scene when his body was recovered.

We broke the story ... Bobby was found dead in his home in November. Like we mentioned, an autopsy showed he died from a toxic combination of alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl. His death was listed as accidental.

This is the second child Bobby Brown has lost -- and the second to have drugs found in their system. Bobbi Kristina was pulled off of life support following a bathtub accident in 2015. She, too, had cocaine and alcohol in her system.

Of course, his late wife, Whitney Houston, also died a drug-related death ... she had drowned in a bathtub, and cocaine was listed as a contributing factor.

President Biden is apparently an even bigger believer in dogs than we all previously thought ... he says man's best friend might be able to help cure cancer!!!

The Prez showered dogs with tons of praise Tuesday during a visit to Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital, saying ... "Dogs may help cure cancer. Not a joke."

Biden's statement immediately raised a lot of eyebrows around the country, because even if ya love dogs -- CURING cancer??? Watch the clip, because the President did say something 100% factual ... which is that dogs can smell cancer, and some have been trained to give patients and/or doctors a heads-up.

But, that's really detection, stretching it out to curing cancer ... seems far-fetched. Sorry, Fido.

Biden's remark harkens us back to a time last summer when another POTUS suggested ingesting bleach would be a great way to combat the coronavirus. He's always claimed he was joking, but c'mon ... we all saw the news conference.

Of course, some are defending Biden's statement by pointing out early detection is key to a patient starting treatment ... and therefore, giving them a better shot at remission. We guess one could make that argument.

Deshaun Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, is going scorched earth on the attorney representing the QB's accusers -- claiming Tony Buzbee has "orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere" to unfairly paint Watson as a sexual predator.

In his statement, Hardin stands by his client -- saying matter of factly, "I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

Hardin says his team has already begun to investigate the numerous lawsuits filed against the NFL star, but it's been extremely difficult because Buzbee will not reveal the identities of the women making the claims.

"The tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult."

"Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth‑seeking process can even begin."

Hardin says his own investigation has already uncovered "strong evidence" showing one of the accusers is lying.

Hardin also claims ... in January, "a woman attempted to blackmail Deshaun by demanding $30,000 in exchange for her 'indefinite silence' about what she stated was a consensual encounter."

Additionally, Hardin says his team has received "numerous unsolicited comments in the past week from many licensed massage therapists who have worked with Deshaun in recent years."

"These women describe him as a gentleman and a model client who never engaged in inappropriate conduct. Indeed, before these salacious claims, everyone who associated with Deshaun described him as an outstanding, respectful, and compassionate man."

Hardin had strong words for Buzbee ... saying, "Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 'Jane Doe' lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation."

In other words, Watson is not backing down and judging by the statement, he's digging in his heels to fight this thing out as long as it takes.

D.L. Hughley says folks who are splitting hairs about the Colorado shooter's race are missing the point -- and that point is this ... easy access to guns is the true root of America's mass shooting problem.

The comedian, author and activist gave us his thoughts Tuesday at LAX about the 10 people killed Monday in Boulder when cops say Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa opened fire in a grocery store.

Although the release of Alissa's name had the phrase "He's Muslim" trending Tuesday on Twitter, D.L. says people pushing that narrative are missing the point ... especially because the vast majority of mass shooters in America are white.

Regardless of what race or religion the shooter turned out to be, D.L. says it wouldn't change the bigger issue ... the ease with which folks can purchase weapons like an AR-15 -- which Alissa used -- and also stockpile large amounts of ammunition.

He draws an interesting parallel between hoarding guns and cold medicine -- explaining one of those purchases will get you more stares than the other ... and it ain't the one you might think.

Vanessa Hudgens and MLB player Cole Tucker are getting pretty serious ... 'cause the "High School Musical" star showed up to his spring training game Tuesday to cheer him on!!

The 32-year-old -- who made things Instagram offish with the 24-year-old Pirates utility man last month -- rocked a Pittsburgh jersey and sat just a few rows behind home plate to check out her BF.

Hudgens was there with her pal, GG Magree -- and you can see in the footage they shot out at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL ... they were super into Cole's game!!

The two went crazy when Tucker nearly beat out a broken-bat ground ball to second base ... and then they jammed out to "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" later on.

The bad news? Tucker didn't impress much during the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Twins ... he was 0-for-2 with a walk while serving as his team's designated hitter for the day.

But, hey ... it's spring training after all -- AND the dude gets to go home to Vanessa Hudgens at the end of the day.

Ryan Seacrest says Katy Perry's right about Claudia Conway ... she's not quite ready for the next round of 'American Idol' just yet, but she's got a bright future in Hollywood ... perhaps in reality TV.

We got the 'Idol' host Tuesday in New York City and asked if Kellyanne Conway's teenage daughter got a fair shake on the show. Ryan seems to think so ... and even believes the show might've helped the Conway family image.

The mother/daughter dynamics between Kellyanne and Claudia were put on full display during 'Idol' and were much more positive than what we've seen on Claudia's TikTok.

We asked Ryan -- who helped build the Kardashian empire -- if the family's got what it takes for some solid reality TV ... and he certainly doesn't say no.

As for her idol elimination, Seacrest says Katy hit the nail on the head when she cut Claudia loose ... he says CC has some growing to do as a singer, but she should definitely try out for 'Idol' again. No wonder Katy's a judge.

Toby Flenderson may still suck all these years later, but his house that Michael egged on "The Office" sure doesn't in real life -- if anything, it's ballin' ... and the price tag reflects it.

'Office' fans will recognize this crib instantly -- it's the home that appeared in season 7, for 'Michael's Last Dundies' ... the penultimate installment of Steve Carell's tenure. In the cold open, Mike and Deangelo deliver Dundie noms to the employees, and yolk to Toby's place.

As humble (and perhaps crappy) as Toby's house may have looked in that quick shot ... the actual home is now hitting the market for a whopping $1.098 million -- and a closer look makes ya realize that Mr. Flenderson might've had a great salary at Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

The 3-bed, 2-bath pad isn't actually in PA ... it's in the L.A.'s Sherman Oaks neighborhood ... and from the inside out, it's a real beaut compared to what we saw on the small screen.

The house features a fully loaded upgraded kitchen and a huge backyard. It's also protected with its own gate, so you don't have to worry about other Michael Scotts running up on ya.

When it comes to how the house came to be featured on the show in the first place ... we're told production simply came up, knocked and asked -- and the owners said yes. How 'bout that?!? Oh, and BTW, Toby might've been divorced and lonely ... but the place ain't built for that. Check it out yourself.

Bobby Shmurda's gotta keep his nose clean now that he's out on parole, and though he's already back to living that rap star life ... he can't drink alcohol, hang out at bars or with gangs.

Shmurda's under parole supervision until Feb. 23, 2026, and there are some special conditions that come with it ... like an 8 PM curfew. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, he also has to submit to substance abuse testing and get counseling for aggression and anger.

The easy part for him is that he's gotta seek, obtain and maintain employment. Done, done and done. As we reported, he already had a few performances in Atlanta during NBA All-Star Weekend -- and right after his release from prison, Bobby boarded a private jet with Quavo to hit a studio.

TMZ broke the story ... Shmurda was released last month from New York's Clinton Correctional Facility, getting sprung about 10 months earlier than expected.

A guy claims he found the tail end of some shrimp in his cereal -- something General Mills assures him can't be the case, but he's definitely not buying it.

Writer/Producer Jensen Karp documented what he claims was a gross morning breakfast session Monday, posting pics of various artifacts he says he found inside his new box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He says he found shrimp tails in there ... 2 of 'em to be exact!!!

Jensen started by asking (and officially tagging) CTC's Twitter account why there were apparently crustacean remnants in his just-unsealed box ... which sparked quite a journey of what he describes as excuses and gaslighting.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch, at first, responded by apologizing and asking for more details ... while also offering a new box as a quick remedy. Then, CTC claimed, upon further examination, its quality control team came to the conclusion that they weren't shrimp tails ... but simply large, dried-up sugar clumps!

Jensen -- who's married to "Boy Meets World" star Danielle Fishel, BTW -- didn't seem to accept that answer ... as he posted close-up shots of the alleged shrimp tails. He claims he went digging even further and found more gross stuff ... including a small piece of string and tiny specks of black gunk on some of the cereal.

Some folks on the Internet theorized the stuff might be mouse or rat droppings ... which opens up a whole other can of worms that makes us gag just thinking about.

As for where things ended here ... Jensen says he's heading back to Costco -- where he bought the cereal -- to get some answers. He's also waiting for more from CTC's parent company General Mills.

We, too, have reached out to General Mills ... so far, no word back.

The Belize men's national soccer team was stopped by gunmen in Haiti just minutes after it had arrived in the country for a World Cup qualifier -- and video from the scene is beyond troubling.

The Belize national team officials said in a statement Monday they were making their way from the airport to their hotel 3 days prior to their big soccer match ... when a band of armed insurgents on motorcycles pulled them over at gunpoint.

You can hear the soccer players in the bus describing the demands the insurgents were making -- "They said, 'Pull over or else!'"

The footage shot from inside the team bus shows dozens of men -- some armed with large firearms -- order the driver to pull to the side of the road, despite the team having a 4-man police escort.

Belize officials said cops were forced to "negotiate" with the men in order to leave unharmed -- and, thankfully, they were allowed to move forward with no one getting hurt in the confrontation.

No word on what the team had to give the men in order to leave.

"The situation is one that the team should have never faced," team officials said after the incident, "but we are pleased to report that our Jaguars, although shaken by the terrible experience, are safely at their hotel."

The team added it's "currently in contact with respective authorities from FIFA and Concacaf and are doing everything possible to get them to safer grounds."

"It is unfortunate that our Jaguars faced such a traumatic experience."

Belize is slated to play Haiti in Port-Au-Prince on March 25 -- a key game for Belize as it attempts to qualify for the World Cup (set for 2022 in Qatar) for the first time ever.