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Zac Efron is deadly serious about getting the hell outta dodge Hollywood -- he just unloaded his L.A. pad, and for less than listing. That's how badly he wants out!

The 'Down to Earth' star just sold his stunning hillside home in the Los Feliz neighborhood after putting it on the market back in December. As we told you ... Zac decided last year he wanted to bail on L.A. and move to Australia.

Seems like he's sticking with that plan. The 5-bed, 5.5-bath, 5,644-sq.-ft, scenic property sold for $5.3 million ... a bit below his $5.9 mil asking price.

Zac still might have made a nice chunk of change on the sale though -- he bought it in 2013 for nearly $4 million, but he did make some renovations ... including updating the swimming pool and spa with a waterfall.

The 3-story home -- located in the coveted Oaks neighborhood near Hollywood Hills -- features a long gated driveway that opens up to sweeping views of the entire city and the ocean ... visible from every room in the house.

The NY Knicks have determined an idiot fan SPIT on Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young during Wednesday night's game at MSG ... and now the mouthy fan has been banned indefinitely.

It all went down with around 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter of the Knicks vs. Hawks playoff game ... when Young was trying to inbound.

Video footage shows someone sitting behind 50 Cent appear to spit at Young -- leading Young to comment after the game, "Damn ... crazy!"

Young also asked 50 Cent if he was "good" following the incident.

The NY Knicks were disturbed by the footage and launched an investigation to see if the fan had spit at Young intentionally -- and now, they have detrained it was, in fact, on purpose.

"We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young," the team announced Thursday.

"And for that reason, [the fan] is now banned from The Garden indefinitely."

"We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan's behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue."

The team notes cops are now involved saying -- "We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities."

In theory, the fan could be prosecuted if officials decide to pursue a case against him.

So far, the fan has not been publicly identified.

Story developing ...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is playing favorites based on race ... so says a reporter in a new lawsuit claiming she denied his request for an interview simply because he's white.

Thomas Catenacci, a reporter with super conservative news outlet The Daily Caller, is suing the Mayor over her new interview policy ... she says she'll only grant one-on-one interviews from journalists of color.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Catenacci claims he submitted an interview request May 20, followed up by another the next day and a third email 3 days later ... but got radio silence from Lightfoot's office. He claims Lightfoot has granted at least 1 interview request from a self-identified Latino reporter ... but his requests went unanswered.

The Mayor said she's sick and tired of looking at local media in Chicago that is pretty lily-white, so she's taking matters into her own hands and only granting 1-on-1's with people of color.

It's NOT sitting well with Catenacci ... who claims Lightfoot's policy is blatantly discriminatory and a violation of his rights -- specifically, Equal Protection under the law. He also thinks it's a violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press.

Catenacci is asking a judge to order Lightfoot to 86 her new policy.

We've reached out to Lightfoot's office, so far no word back.

Tiger Woods is keeping it 100% real about his rehab for the injuries he suffered in his car crash -- saying it's the most painful experience of his life.

"This has been an entirely different animal,” Woods told Golf Digest ... "I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

As we previously reported, Woods suffered major injuries to his right leg in the Feb. 23 crash -- shattering multiple bones which required several complicated surgeries and a metal stabilizing rod.

After nearly a month in the hospital, Woods was eventually allowed to travel back home to Florida to continue his treatment and rehab.

The big question everyone wants to know about the 45-year-old superstar -- will he ever play golf again ... professional or recreationally??

Woods did not give a straight answer to Golf Digest -- fact is, he probably doesn't know yet ... but said he's currently more focused on learning to walk again.

"My physical therapy has been keeping me busy. I do my routines every day and am focused on my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own. Taking it one step at a time."

Woods also acknowledged the worldwide outpouring of support -- saying it's been "incredible" to get so much love from fans and friends.

"I have had so much support from people both inside and outside of golf which means so much to me and has helped tremendously."

As for the accident, Tiger didn't get into specifics regarding the crash or the police investigation.

Remember, he was driving through Rancho Palos Verdes on his way to an L.A. golf course when he crashed his Genesis GV80 SUV down the side of a hill -- wrecking the car and suffering major injuries.

Investigators determined Tiger was doing driving at speeds between 82 and 87 MPH leading up to the crash -- more than 40 MPH over the 45 MPH speed limit ... and was doing 75 when he collided with a tree.

One of the real singing voices behind the infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli has died at the age of 66 after a battle with COVID-19 ... according to his daughter.

John Davis' daughter, Jasmin, revealed her dad died May 24 with a post that read, “My dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus.” She continued, “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.”

The Milli Vanilli duo the public came to know was made up of members Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The pair won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990 after their wildly successful "Girl You Know It's True" album dropped the year before.

However, after wildly successful year -- including multiple #1 hits and tours -- Fab and Rob and their producer came clean that it was all a front. They didn't actually sing the songs they'd released, and it was really Davis' voice, and a few others, on the records.

Perhaps the most infamous moment for the pair came during a live performance for MTV in 1989 when the track for "Girl You Know It's True" skipped on a loop, leaving the duo on stage embarrassed.

From there, it was all downhill for Morvan and Pilatus ... they eventually gave up their Grammy, and lawsuits and demands for refunds came flooding in from fans.

Davis attempted to form his own group with one of the original ghost singers, but couldn't repeat the group's success.

Russell Westbrook was LIVID after a fan dumped popcorn on his head Wednesday -- calling the person's actions straight-up "bulls***" -- and even LeBron James is pissed over it all now too.

Westbrook was on his way to the locker room after injuring his ankle during the Wizards' playoff loss to the 76ers in Philly ... when a fan poured their bucket all over the NBA star.

You can see in footage of the incident ... Westbrook could not have been more heated as the kernels bounced off his head -- with the D.C. point guard trying HARD to get to the stands to confront the fan.

Russ, though, was eventually calmed down and ushered into the locker room ... but after the game, he said the fan absolutely crossed the line.

"To be blatantly honest, man, this s**t is getting out of hand, especially for me," Westbrook told reporters. "The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f**k they want to do, it's just out of pocket, man. It's out of pocket, seriously."

Russ went on to say if the incident had happened in "any other setting," he insinuated he would've fought the person.

"A guy wouldn't come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head because he knows what would happen," Russ said.

Westbrook then pled with the NBA to "start protecting the players" ... adding, "We'll see what the NBA does."

LeBron James rushed in to defend his pal on Twitter shortly after ... saying he wanted the fan ID'ed and punished ASAP.

"WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!!" LeBron wrote. "There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]. #ProtectOurPlayers"

So far, no punishment from the NBA has been announced yet ... though high-ranking Wells Fargo Center exec Valerie Camillo did call the incident "classless" and "unacceptable" after the game.

It's unclear, meanwhile, if Russ' ankle injury will keep him out of Game 3 ... the series is set to return to Washington on Saturday with the Sixers up 2-0.

Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were sooo close to being the real-life Rachel and Ross ... but alas, the timing just wasn't right.

Jen and David reveal -- during the "Friends: The Reunion" special -- they had mad crushes on each other! David, in particular, said he had a major crush on Jen during the first season.

He said, "At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other -- but it was like a two ships passing [in the night] because one of us was always in a relationship."

David added they never crossed the line because they respected that. Jennifer says she remembers telling David, "'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is ... on national television!' Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop."

No word if Ross revealed his crush with an 18-page letter ... FRONT AND BACK!!!

Matt LeBlanc had a little fun with that real-life storyline ... coughing and blurting "Bulls***" when David suggested he and Jen kept things platonic. But, Matt later laughed and said, "I'm kidding!" Or was he? The world may never know.

Pretty cool moment during the reunion when Lisa Kudrow was joined by Lady Gaga, dressed in a very Phoebe Buffay outfit, for a rendition of "Smelly Cat."

Tawny Kitaen's family and closest friends gathered to remember the late actress one last time, with an intimate celebration of life in the town where she died.

Tawny's brother, Jordan Kitaen, tells TMZ ... her memorial service was held Monday at her ex-husband Chuck Finley's home in Newport Beach, CA. We're told about 100 people attended, including the 2 daughters she had with Chuck.

As you can see, the program for Tawny's memorial service remembered her as a "loving mother, daughter, sister, friend, artist ... and now our angel." The back of the program featured one of her paintings.

There was a musical element too ... we're told her nephew, Leo, played "Let It Be" on the violin and her friend, Victoria Shaw, sang an acapella version of "Never Alone."

TMZ broke the story ... 59-year-old Tawny died May 7 in Newport, not long after her father had passed. Jordan told us the loss of their dad was too much for Tawny to handle.

The man who voiced Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid" got what he always wanted after his passing -- a Broadway tribute.

Samuel E. Wright's daughter Dee tells TMZ ... her father's death has been very emotional for the family, but they're also overjoyed that one of his wishes came true.

As we told you ... Sam was a veteran theater actor who starred in several popular Broadway shows -- including originating the part of Mufasa in "The Lion King." Dee says he always joked with the family, "When I go, I want my name up there!" ... referring to the theater marquees.

Well, on Tuesday after news broke of Wright's death, Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre honored him by doing precisely that.

Sam's daughter adds ... the fam's actually in good spirits, which she says may seem odd ... but it's a testament to his joy and positivity.

Dee also says the outpouring of support they've seen on social media from his fans and actors he worked with has been overwhelming.

Wright's public wake will be held Friday in Walden, NY for fans to come and show their love ... something the family feels is the best gift they can give him.

It's that time again, "Shark Week," and Discovery is rolling it out ... and we got this promo that's absolutely hilarious!!!

The video starts out with a couple old ladies sitting on a park bench while feeding some birds, with one gal trying to tell her friend her favorite thing about summer.

The friend's hard of hearing, naturally, but she gets the picture soon enough ... when a huge shark comes crashing through the lawn!!!

Discovery is bringing back "Shark Week" Sunday, July 11 ... and we're all just as stoked as these old ladies. We're guessing one of them will be watching with closed captioning.

"Shark Week" is airing on Discovery and streaming on Discovery+ ... and you know it's gonna be enjoyable, fun and educational.

Remember ... last year we found out why male sharks have two penises, so we can't wait to see what's in store for this season.

Louie Tobias is about to swap his virtual beach background for the real deal -- several of them -- because he's ready for some serious globetrotting, courtesy of TMZ and Wyndham Rewards!!!

Nearly half a million people entered our "Win the Greatest Vacations in the History of the World" Sweepstakes ... a package that includes at least 4 trips to the most amazing destinations, and Louie's our lucky winner.

He's joining us for Wednesday's "TMZ Live" from his office in Rochester, NY and you can tell he's already in vacation mode. Louie couldn't stop smiling as he told us about some of the trips he's got in mind. Dude is thinking BIG adventures in Tanzania and Dubai ... to name just a few.

It sounds like he's ready to pack his bags for a relaxing tour of at least 2 continents -- after all, his grand prize is valued at $24,120. Turns out that might be the right price to get him on a surfboard down under.

Chad Johnson is taking his celeb fight SO seriously, he's getting in the ring with the Charlo twins to prep for the tilt ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guys are whoopin' his ass!!

The ex-NFL superstar -- who's set to square off with MMA fighter Brian Maxwell on the undercard of the Mayweather-Paul fight on June 6 -- broke it all down for us this week ... explaining he's sparring Jermell and Jermall Charlo to get ready for his match.

And, he says he's taking a beating from the boxing stars every time ... telling us of a recent sparring sesh, "I was f***ing swimming."

"Third round," Johnson added, "I was in the middle of the ocean with no life vest and I was f***ing drowning."

Not familiar with the Charlos? They're 2 of the best boxers in the world ... and have a combined 65 professional wins with only 1 (very controversial) loss.

But, the 43-year-old -- who said he's also training with some of the Charlos' sparring partners -- explained he's hopeful it'll all help when the lights come on against Maxwell in Miami next month.

"I've been training with the Charlo twins so I'm here now and it's funny I just finished sparring one of [their] sparring partners and it was fun," Johnson said. "It was a great experience."

"It was an experience where I was taken advantage of and it's a great thing. Obviously going in the ring with someone that does it at the highest level and learning the mistakes. I like it like that."

Johnson continued, "There was no other way to prepare for something of this magnitude. I had to come here. It's just -- there's no other way."

Johnson wouldn't guarantee a knockout over Maxwell -- even despite the training efforts -- but he did tell us it's going to be a show nonetheless.

Before this brown-eyed boy was singing his heart out on a television series on streaming, he was just another cute kid shying away from the camera in Oceanside, California.

This tiny tot might not have a long career in the entertainment industry just yet, but he is a powerhouse of talent. As the star of a hit musical Disney series, he can act, sing, and dance ... as long as he gets his head in the game. The new adaptation of the 2006 popular film franchise just premiered its second season earlier this month.

Eric Carle, the artist and author who created one of the best-selling children's books of all time, is dead.

The man behind "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" died Sunday, according to his family. Eric's son, Rolf, told the New York Times the famous author died at his summer studio in Northampton, MA, as a result of kidney failure.

Eric illustrated more than 70 children's books during his career, which amazingly didn't start until he was in his late 30s. He's most famous for 'Hungry Caterpillar,' which was published in 1969 and went on to sell a whopping 55 million plus copies.

All told, Carle's publisher, Penguin Random House, says his books have sold more than 170 million copies.

Carle says 'Caterpillar' is meant to be a story of hope for children as they enter kindergarten ... and it's known for its colorful illustrations and a modest 224 words. The book's been translated into more than 70 different languages.

Eric's also known for his illustrations in the 1967 children's book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" He did the drawings for his friend, Bill Martin Jr., who authored the book.

Carle was 91.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka says she's taking a break from speaking to reporters at the French Open ... saying it's time for the media to focus on the mental well-being of athletes.

The 23-year-old, #2-ranked player in the world penned an emotional letter explaining her decision to go silent on Wednesday ... saying, "I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one."

"We're often sat there and asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me."

She added ... "I've watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well. I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they're down and I don't understand the reasoning behind it."

Osaka says the decision is nothing against Roland-Garros or the journalists she's gotten to know over the years ... but it's a stance she's willing to take, even if she's punished.

"However, if the organizations think that they can just keep saying, 'do press or you're gonna be fined,' and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh."

Osaka says if she IS fined for skipping media availability, she hopes the money will go towards a mental health charity.

The French Open kicks off on Sunday.

"School of Rock" star Kevin Clark, who played the drummer, is dead after a motorist hit him while he was cycling around Chicago ... TMZ has learned.

The professional drummer -- best known as Freddy Jones, aka Spazzy McGee -- was riding his bicycle on the Northwest Side of Chicago early Wednesday morning when he was struck by a Hyundai Sonata ... according to police.

Kevin was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead at 2:04 AM CT ... according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.

Kevin's sister says he was riding his bike home at the time of the accident. Police say a 20-year-old woman was driving the car that struck and killed Kevin. She was not arrested, but has been issued citations.

As we first reported ... Kevin caught up with Jack Black back in 2018 for an impromptu 'SoR' reunion during a Tenacious D set in Chicago.

Kevin gave Jack a custom shirt from his own band, Dreadwolf, and JB threw it on immediately.

"School of Rock" was Kevin's only movie credit, and he once told us he only got the 2003 role because he could actually play the drums.

Clark was 32.

RIP