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New York based actor Alex Hibbert was only 12 years old when he landed the life-changing role of "Little" Chiron -- who learns valuable life lessons while bonding with Juan the local drug dealer turned father figure -- in the emotional 2016 film "Moonlight" ... which won Best Picture at the 89th Annual Academy Awards.

Hibbert shared the big screen with an incredible cast of actors including Ashton Sanders as the teenage version of Chiron, Trevante Rhodes as the adult version of Chiron ... and of course Mahershala Ali as the paternal, Juan.

Alex Hibbert continues to work in big roles including his character Kevin Williams in "The Chi."

The Academy Awards are being held at a famous L.A. train station this year -- and while that might satisfy COVID needs ... it's also become a dangerous place for the Oscars crew.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man was arrested Sunday morning at Union Station, where the Oscars are set to take place later this evening. We're told the guy tried running past security and breaking into a secured area ... and even pushed past a guard.

Our sources say the dude was detained by security ... and was eventually booked for battery by the LAPD. It might sound like an isolated incident and just a one-off ... but we're hearing that's far from the reality ... there was at least one other violent run-in this week.

We've heard that as crew members were setting up for the big award show over the past several days ... one of those people was actually mugged by somebody in the area. Sources close to the production tell us the guy ended up getting jacked ... and the suspect fled.

It's unclear if that person was caught or not -- but it's just another example of why it might've not have been the greatest idea to host the Oscars at Union Station this year.

Our law enforcement sources tell us this is, indeed, a high-crime area -- Union Station's right in the heart of DTLA -- and sketchy stuff like this goes down often. With more foot traffic than usual ... we're told that could naturally lead to more targets, which is exactly what appears to have happened.

DMX's family and closest friends gathered together to honor the rapper one last time before he is laid to rest in New York ... and the private funeral service was full of emotion.

Sunday marked the second service for the late rapper and this one, at an NYC church, was restricted to those who knew X best. A larger event went down Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn which featured a choir, X's kids all taking the stage and words from his closest celeb friends like Nas, Eve and the original Ruff Ryders.

The church service started around 11:30 AM PT and was broadcast on BET ... as well as here. Right from the jump, the service proved to be incredibly poignant and heartfelt -- especially when some of his children stepped to the podium to remember their father.

One of X's daughters, Sasha, delivered a tearful remembrance ... sobbing throughout. She said she finds it difficult to know that the world will go on without him around, not to mention the fact that X won't be there to see her graduate college ... or walk down the aisle.

Despite this, she said X being at peace was more important than any of that -- and that she finds comfort in the fact that he's no longer in pain and resting easy in heaven. She also said she knew he'd be encouraged that all of his children had gotten together under one roof.

Her speech was very moving ... and drew a big round of applause from the crowd. More of his kids also spoke, and all of their words were touching ... with some comic relief sprinkled in as they reminisced on their dad's life and memories with him.

X's young children were so well-composed and eloquent in their remarks ... it was incredible to watch. One of his sons, Manny, joked about his dad always asking him about how many girlfriends he had ... while also relaying that X wanted his boys to listen to him, but not necessarily follow in his footsteps, as X had traveled a rocky road. Manny said he'd remember that ... and that his dad was right. The crowd responded well.

Some of X's other children -- including his younger daughters -- also spoke, reading poems and delivering parting words, including thanks ... which were brief but poignant. His kids seriously stole the spotlight throughout the beautiful church service.

There were a lot more speakers who stepped to the mic ... including members of the Ruff Ryders, and Swizz Beatz once again -- who was a lot more chill with his remarks this time around. He kind of explained why he was so fierce on Saturday ... and it became clear they were like family, so Swizz going to bat for him like he did is understandable.

Another powerful moment presented itself when two mothers of DMX's children came together at the podium -- his ex-wife, Tashera Simmons, gave a stirring speech about how she met X and their time together. Then, she intro'd DMX's fiancee, Desiree Lindstrom, who delivered a somber account of their loving relationship ... all while crying and sobbing throughout.

The two women embraced ... and it got everyone clapping and cheering. There was no shortage of tears either -- you could hear people choking up in the audience as Desiree wept, ending her remarks with "Forever X."

There was a slight disturbance toward the end of the service -- when a man who said he'd actually toured with X in recent years got up and started going on a bit of a rant ... only to be interrupted by the pastor who was running the show and walked off stage.

That didn't ruin the good vibes, though, and the event ended in a sweet prayer. The whole thing ran somewhere in the ballpark of 4 hours or so ... and it was never a dull moment, full of musical performances in between all the speeches given.

It was just over 2 weeks ago when X died in a New York hospital following complications from a drug overdose. He was on life support for a week before he passed away, and while he was hospitalized friends, family and loved ones gathered to pay their respects.

Kanye West turned out to be quite present throughout DMX's tributes this weekend -- and he'll continue to be ... because he's got a seven-figure gift for the man's family.

Sources close to Kanye tell us the custom DMX T-shirt designed by Balenciaga -- which was commissioned by the Yeezy brand and put up for sale Saturday as X's memorial got underway -- ended up cranking out huge profits quickly ... upwards of a million bucks.

Balenciaga had already said they'd be giving the net profits back to the fam -- but the fact those sales produced a million dollars is staggering. Then again, the shirt was retailing for $200 a pop ... so we suppose it makes sense. The DMX tribute shirt sold out in 24 hours.

There's another way Kanye got involved in Saturday's ceremony -- which Swizz Beatz actually alluded to during the event. Yes, we've heard Kanye and the Yeezy team did, in fact, design the stage where the Sunday Service choir performed, and where guests also spoke.

You might've noticed the elaborate set pieces at play -- the stage looked like an inverted pyramid ... or maybe even two. Our sources say Ye recruited renowned visual artist Akeem Smith to help with the layout ... and it looks like their joint efforts paid off, because it definitely made for quite a spectacle -- one that was worthy of DMX and his loved ones.

There's a strange scene unfolding in Blueface's world -- he's apparently got a bunch of girlfriends living under one roof ... whom he says need to get branded, or get lost.

That's definitely the vibe from a newly surfaced video that the L.A. rapper seems to have posted himself this past week ... which is just now bubbling up on social media. Blueface didn't post this on IG -- he doesn't have one these days -- so it might've gone up on Snap.

At any rate, what was captured here is pretty troubling to watch on its face ... you see Blue walking through bedrooms that are full of bunk beds with women sleeping in them. He's waking them up, announcing that today is the day they're all getting tattoos.

No joke ... dude goes around badgering these ladies, asking where they're gonna get their tattoo ... and some of the women actually show him -- and they seem all in. At one point, you see the artwork being inked in ... and it appears to be a portrait of some sort. You even hear Blueface say during the video ... "Tattoo or go home. Which one is it?"

Unclear if Blue was directing them to get "Blueface" tattoos, per se ... but some people seem to think that's what he was doing.

If that's giving you cult-ish vibes -- you're not alone ... that's the comparison most others are drawing online. Some are even cracking R. Kelly jokes at Blue's expense ... but that might be going too far. It doesn't appear anything illegal is going on here ... at first glance, anyway.

While he might not be breaking the law ... this clip doesn't fare well for his image, as Blueface has already been accused of being misogynistic. You'll recall that crazy stripper fight he hosted at his crib -- which he fully seemed to be egging on at the time.

Matt James might've walked away from Rachael Kirkconnell on national TV after the racism dust-up ... but he seems to have circled back with her in the real world for another go.

The former 'Bachelor' was seen hanging out with his ex Saturday in the City of Angels -- grabbing brew at a bar called JuneShine in Santa Monica, with some friends in tow. Matt was trying to be all incognito for the outing, but it's pretty obvious to us that's him and her.

His bottom-half attire pretty much gives it away ... so does the skateboard. The guy's often seen shredding and wearing short-shorts ... especially those green/blue ones. He even seems to have ran a marathon in NYC with them back in 2019, as you see here.

As for Rachael ... well, she's all about that sunglasses-resting-on-the-head look, and this gal who's with Matt in these photos sure bears a striking resemblance to RK from the side. Pair that with rumors they've reunited in recent weeks ... and there ya go.

There didn't appear to be any PDA between the two for Saturday's get-together ... but they were definitely leaving together. We got a shot of them walking away from the bar, and it's clear they were heading in the same direction, and possibly to the same next destination.

So ... what does this all mean??? Seems Matt has forgiven Rachael and/or gotten over the controversy ... maybe both. If that's the case, it certainly appears to be a full 180 from how he said he felt when he broke it off with her during the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony, when he explained why they couldn't be together.

It all goes back to social media posts and old photos of Rachael -- which many considered racist. She posed for pics with sorority sisters of hers at an antebellum-themed party -- which has racist roots in the South -- and liked racially insensitive pics on IG that featured the Confederate flag and white girls dressed in ponchos and sombreros.

There's also a claim that Rachael used to make fun of a white classmate for dating a Black guy back in high school. She copped to some, but not all, of the resurfaced behavior ... and apologized numerous times, while also telling people they shouldn't defend her actions.

We reached out to Matt's rep ... so far, no word back.

Kamaru Usman was ready to party his face off after practically knocking Jorge Masvidal's face into space during UFC 261 ... and he did that and then some at a post-fight rager.

The Nigerian mixed martial artist swung by Myth Night Club late Saturday night after beating the brakes off Masvidal at the nearby VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL ... and club-goers were definitely ready to embrace the welterweight champ.

Usman was dressed to impress as well ... rocking a clean suit and some shades. He was ready to boogie too -- the guy didn't shy away from the dance floor, or the DJ booth.

We're hearing Usman showed up near closing time ... when DeeJay Capone was still blasting music. After the normies were kicked out -- an after-party proceeded ... which is what you see here in the video of the event we obtained. Looks like a good time was had by all.

The man had every reason to celebrate ... this after knocking out Masvidal cold with a clean, hard punch to the jaw. The KO went down in the second round, about a minute or so in.

Masvidal was actually laughing at Usman seconds before he got his clock cleaned ... and the crowd was absolutely stunned at how it all unfolded.

Is that ... McFly??? It sure looks like it ... because here's a guy that's zooming around some city streets on a God-dang hoverboard ... and no, this isn't a fake-out.

Check out this video that shows a man in a helmet literally flying through the air near ground level along what appears to be an urban area ... complete with stoplights, apartment buildings, restaurants and even cars that are zooming by the opposite way.

It might look like something straight out of 'Back to the Future' ... but it ain't -- this seems to be the real McCoy. How we know that is because someone linked to the company that manufactures this modern marvel of technology.

Hunter Kowald is the hoverboard aircraft developer -- and he touts his aircraft 'The Skysurfer' as the worlds smallest and most powerful hovercraft. The SkySurfer Aircraft has a total flight time of 20 minutes and starts at around $85k.

TLC's got a new reality TV monster in its midst -- a show about sisters who are too close for comfort, including a pair of Australian twins who share the same man ... literally.

The show's called 'Extreme Sisters' -- a new series documenting the lives of 5 sets of sisters from all over the world, but most of them are from here in the U.S. ... with the only 2 foreigners being 35-year-old identical twins Anna and Lucy DeCinque from Perth.

The DeCinque sisters have one boyfriend whom they split between the two of them -- a 40-year-old mechanic named Ben Byrne. They've all been dating each other since 2012.

The sisters from down under are particularly unique -- as they appear to be in the only polygamous relationship out of the 5 sets ... and as tied to the hip as they all seem to be, Anna and Lucy are almost like one person. At least, that's how they present themselves.

They dress the same, finish and repeat each other's sentences ... and as far as their shared BF, they say they're also planning to get impregnated at the exact same time -- while eventually hoping to get married as a throuple as well one day.

A 17-year-old boy with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was punched in the head by a cop, who threatened even more punishment.

The incident went down Wednesday in Vacaville, California. Cops responded to a call of a possible stabbing or assault with either a pipe or a knife and found Preston on his scooter.  Preston was allegedly in a scuffle with a neighbor and picked up the alleged weapon but no one was injured.

In the video, you see the officer toss Preston's scooter to the side and order the teen to sit.  He gets in Preston's face and the boy then gets up and tries to run. The cop grabs him, yanks him to the ground and delivers a punch to the head.

You hear Preston scream, "You punched me in the f***ing head." The officer responds ... "You're gonna get hurt. Don't make me hurt you more. Don't make me hurt you more."

Preston's dad, Adam Wolf, posted this ... "The officer screamed at him to sit down which he did. The officer then moved Aggressively toward my son, threw his scooter and got in his face. My son became fearful, as would any child with Autism. The officer went to touch Preston, at which point Preston moves away.  At this point, Preston was confused and afraid and moves away from the officer even more."

Adam goes on ...  At that point the officer felt it was a good idea to THROW Preston to the ground ... I don't believe that Preston will ever trust a police officer again. I am pro police, but I am not pro ABUSE! This individual and department must be held accountable for their actions. NO child, disability or not, deserves to be treated like this."

Police detained Preston for an hour ... he was cited and released.

Tekashi 6ix9ine performed before a live audience for the first time since his release from prison, but it was abruptly cut short.

Tekashi headlined a concert Friday night at Tier Nightclub in Orlando and, as he performed "GOOBA," he jumped into the crowd from the VIP balcony.

The crowd was lovin' it, but according to a fan who was there, Tekashi got pissed when someone knocked his hat off and others started messing with the chains around his neck. He told everyone to chill out but, according to the fan, one of his chains fell to the ground and his security scooped it up.

The show abruptly ended.

Tekashi's lawyer, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ, Tekashi was happy with the show and 69 did not lose any of his prized jewelry.

What's remarkable ... that Tekashi felt emboldened to hurl himself into the crowd, given the trial where he turned on several gang members and got a plea deal for his cooperation. Lazzaro says 69 isn't worried about a thing and, if anything were to happen, he's confident his security would handle it.

Elon Musk made a startling comment about the impending voyage to Mars, saying, "A bunch of people will probably die."

Elon was deep in conversation with Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize Foundation, when they talked about Musk's dream for humans to set foot on the Red Planet by 2026.  NASA's projection was 2033.

Elon waxed a little poetic, saying, "Going to Mars reads like that advert for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know it is dangerous. It's uncomfortable, and it's a long journey."

And then, he lowered the boom ... "You might not come back alive, but it is a glorious adventure and it will be an amazing experience ... Yeah, honestly, a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning."

Thing is ... he may be truth-telling, despite people not wanting to hear it.

Elon's take is that the upside justifies the downside ... "For the first time in the four and a half billion year history of Earth it has been possible to extend life beyond Earth and make life multi-planetary."

He went on ... "Humanity is the agent of life and we have an obligation to ensure the creatures of Earth continue even if there is a calamity on Earth, whether it is man-made or a natural calamity - if you look at the fossil record there are many mass extinctions. It is about ensuring we pass that threshold where it is self-sustaining if some calamity prevents the ships from going there."

Musk, who was barefoot during the interview, ominously asked, "What comes first - a self-sustaining city on Mars or World War Three?"

Just like most of us over the last year, the White House is leaning on Zoom to conduct meetings and get face time with folks amid the pandemic, but chances are President Biden's Zoomin' is MUCH more expensive than yours.

According to federal docs obtained by TMZ ... the Executive Office of the President has spent a little more than $422,000 on Zoom licensing fees since mid-January, right around the time Biden took office.

That might seem pretty hefty -- especially for those who mostly use Zoom for free or at a low cost to chat with family and friends ... but the licenses needed for the government to use Zoom, at the capacity required for the Prez, really add up.

As you might know ... Biden's been on Zoom a lot lately, including for the current virtual Global Climate Summit with dozens of other world leaders.

POTUS also swore in hundreds of federal appointees and staff via virtual Zoom ceremonies after his inauguration.

A confrontation between police and a black man got heated with an officer's response to the question ... Will they kill him like they killed Ma'Khia Bryant?

The incident went down in Washington D.C. ... as one of the officers responded, "Are you going to stab somebody like her?"

That set the man off, as he fired back, "No, but she called y'all for help!"

It's unclear if the man was stopped by police or if it was just a conversation, but the exchange has drawn heavy criticism. The Metropolitan PD is aware of the incident and is investigating.

As you know by now, Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old from Columbus, OH, was shot and killed by a police officer as she lunged at another girl with a knife. The incident has raised questions, including why police didn't use a non-lethal taser and why the officer fired 4 times.

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman suffered a horrendous injury just seconds into his fight against Uriah Hall, and he was carried out on a stretcher.

The fight had just begun... 17 seconds in, Weidman delivered a leg kick which Hall checked, and you literally see his leg snap. It takes a second for it to register, and Weidman then collapses in pain as he tumbles to the mat.

Hall won by TKO, in front of a packed crowd at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. Weidman was taken out on a stretcher.

After the fight, Hall said, "I've got nothing but respect for Chris Weidman ... He's truly one of the best. It's a crazy story, that he was the first man I fought that defeated me [in 2010], that introduced me to fear. I didn't know what fear was. Then we went different paths. He was the first person to defeat Anderson [in the UFC], and I was the last. It's crazy how we ended up here again."

Former "American Idol" finalist Avalon Young has been through the wringer the past few months, and though she's staying strong and positive ... she needs help.

The singer's been diagnosed with brain cancer, telling TMZ a series of medical issues around Thanksgiving led to the discovery of a large brain tumor ... and a 16-hour surgery in February to remove it.

Avalon says it was gnarly, but she was hopeful after it was done she was getting better. Sadly, she was recently told there's still cancer in her brain, and she needs another surgery to remove what's left of the tumor ... along with undergoing radiation treatment.

Like we said though, Avalon's got a great attitude heading into her next procedure -- which is scheduled for May 27 -- but she desperately needs funds to cover the cost.

That's why she tells us the GoFundMe she set up is so important to her and her family, and hopefully ... this next surgery will get the job done, and she can get back to work.