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Britney Spears made a compelling case that the conservators have abused her and upended her life, but we've learned the conservators are going to present a very different story to the judge.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, various people involved in different elements of the conservatorship claim Britney's story doesn't mesh with the facts.

For instance, Britney told the judge last week she was forced to go on her 2018 European tour. She said, "I was on tour in 2018. I was forced to do ... my management said if I don't do this tour, I will have to find an attorney and by contract, their own management could sue me if I didn't follow through with a tour. He handed me a sheet of paper as I got off the stage in Vegas and said I had to sign it. It was very threatening and scary. I couldn't even get my own attorney, so out of fear, I went ahead and did the tour."

Sources connected to the conservatorship tell TMZ, people involved in the tour will tell a very different story at the next court hearing. We're told they will say the following ... when Britney was at the tail end of her Vegas "Piece of Me" residency, she realized "she had nothing on her calendar for almost all of 2018. She then asked Management to find something for her to do so she wouldn't be bored for a year."

The sources claim Management came back to her and suggested a European tour, adding, "She literally begged to do the 2018 European Tour run. She was very excited about it and called repeatedly to ask to have it confirmed. There is a text message exchange between Management and Britney on December 16, 2017, where management provides her with the tour routing. She asks a few questions, and expresses how excited she is to do it."

The sources say once she was on tour, "she simply didn't want to be there so she was trying to find every excuse to leave the tour, at which time she made up the story about being forced to do it."

Britney said she was forced to sign a document committing to do the European tour. Sources connected to the conservatorship say she was asked, not forced to sign, and she did. Furthermore, the sources say the conservatorship changed protocols because Britney would agree to do various things but when it came time to do them "she would lie and deny having agreed to do it. The conservatorship was then forced to put into effect protocols requiring management to get her to sign off on all professional obligations so the conservatorship could show it to her to 'remind her' that she consented to the obligation."

The sources say Management did indeed ask her to sign the document committing to the tour, because that was the protocol the conservatorship had in place, and Britney "willingly signed."

We're told various people in the conservatorship will dispute many of Britney's claims involving getting married, having a baby, being denied the right to see her kids, not knowing she could end the conservatorship ... among other things.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck let it ride Friday ... taking in all the cool stuff at Universal Studios.

The freshly re-minted couple were joined by 2 young girls -- unclear whose kids -- as they meandered around the amusement park.

This wasn't your average day pass to the park ... they had security follow them around. When they got to the Jurassic World ride, park security told the normies in line they would be joined by some "special guests." That they were.

They spotted Ben first, followed by Jen and the 2 girls. They arrived at the ride through a side door and immediately climbed into their own personal car.

Ben and J Lo have been shuffling between coasts for the last few months after their romance re-ignited. They've been anything but secretive about it, showing up at places where celebs are routinely photographed.

It seems they'll settle for the Left Coast. As we reported, J Lo has been checking out schools in L.A. It's unclear if they'll move in together but the relationship seems as intense as when they were engaged back in the day, so that seems like more than a possibility.

NBC is running from its reality show "Ultimate Slip 'N Slide" ... after a bunch of folks on the crew experienced explosive runs themselves.

The network put the show on ice after members of the production staff experienced diarrhea ... apparently from some sort of parasite called Giardia.

The show was being shot in the San Fernando Valley and almost reached the finish line with 1 week of production left, but it was too much. After multiple crew members got sick, production was indefinitely shut down.

Neither of the hosts -- Bobby Moynihan and Ron Funches -- came down with the runs.

An environmental lab tested the water used in the competition, along with restrooms and other facilities, and initially results came back negative, but they got a positive result last month. So, with 7 weeks in the can (sorry) and one week left to go, the door was slammed shut ... this according to PEOPLE.

The show was set to premiere August 8 after the closing ceremony of the Olympic Summer Games.

Tyler Posey has come out as a member of the LGBTQ community, and he says his girlfriend is the one who inspired the realization.

Tyler says he now identifies as a member of the queer community. The "Teen Wolf" star said in an interview with NME, GF Phem, whom he's been dating since February, opened his eyes that he falls 'under the queer umbrella."

Tyler told the publication, NME, "I’ve been with everybody under the sun, and right now I’m in the best relationship that I’ve ever been in with a woman, and she’s queer too," adding, "She’s helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid, I guess. No, not 'I guess' ... I don’t want anyone to take this [interview] and be like: 'Well, he was kind of wishy-washy about it.'"

Sara Haines says "The View" should replace Meghan McCain with someone who shares her views ... i.e. another conservative.

We got "The View" cohost leaving Thursday's taping in NYC just moments after Meghan announced she's leaving the show after 4 seasons. Sara, who BTW has great fashion taste, tells us it's her hope the show adds another panelist who brings diverse opinions.

She says the reason is simple ... despite the name of the show in the singular ... it's best when it represents different views, although Meghan was the lone, conservative wolf.

What's more ... Sara says the so-called bad blood between Meghan and the other cohosts is not why she's bouncing. Simply put ... Sara says the pandemic made Meghan re-assess what matters to her right now ... and it's being in D.C. full time with her baby girl. Production sources tell TMZ ... the arguments that became super personal did take their toll on her.

Kiefer Sutherland might have the urge to reprise his role as Jack Bauer to catch some bad guys ... because cops say thieves jacked his gardener's equipment.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the perps likely didn't know who they were messing with last month when the '24' star was getting some landscaping done on his L.A. area home.

We're told at some point while Sutherland's gardener was doing his job, the suspects made off with his tools and other gear -- a weed whacker and hedge trimmer specifically -- valued at more than $1,500.

Our sources say Kiefer was home at the time and there's surveillance footage of the theft in progress, but no arrests have been made so far. Cops are still investigating.

What a week!!! Bill Cosby was freed, and Britney's conservatorship drama is escalating. So, we gotta ask ...

Don't let these two almost identical images of Conan O'Brien have you feeling confused ... take a really close look at the two photos here because there are a few sneaky switches that have been made to the original pic!

The television show host was seen out at an event in Los Angeles, CA just last week ... and we have made a few changes to this photo of him. Get your glasses out if you need, and try your best to see if you can find the differences between these two super similar snaps!

Ben Simmons may not be getting shipped out of Philly after all, 'cause Sixers head coach Doc Rivers tells TMZ Sports he absolutely LOVES the hooper ... and wants him to stay put.

Of course, there's speculation the 24-year-old could be traded this offseason ... after Philly got booted from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third time in four seasons.

Simmons was heavily criticized for his play throughout the playoffs after going 34% from the charity stripe ... and many believe the guy has to put in some serious work on his shot in the offseason.

On top of that, Simmons was ripped for passing up on a potential game-tying dunk late in Game 7 against the Hawks.

But, Doc is having none of that talk ... giving nothing but high praise for the former #1 overall pick.

"Ben's great," Rivers told us in Beverly Hills this week. "I want him back. He's terrific. He'll be great."

"I think he doesn't need a lot of fixing. He's gonna be great for us. He'll be great."

While Rivers is voicing his support for Simmons, it doesn't mean a trade won't go down ... but it's nice to see the coach stick with his guy.

Kirk Franklin's not down with ranking the greatest gospel artists of all time, because he says there's only one name that matters ... and no, it's not Kanye West!!!

The iconic choir director and gospel singer wasn't throwing any shade at Kanye -- quite the opposite -- but making a bigger point about the genre of Christian music ... telling us anybody can do it because it's for all of God's children.

With that mindset, Kirk says there shouldn't be a Mount Rushmore of gospel music -- notwithstanding he's considered to be a candidate -- because it's all about glorifying the man upstairs.

As for Kanye ... Kirk says he's tight with his "brother" and heaps praise on his musical talent ... calling him one of the greatest artists of all time.

School's out and summer is in full swing with these famous families having some fun in the sun together!

Celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady, Gabrielle Union-Wade, and Ryan Phillippe have headed down to the beach and are making a real splash!

Eva Longoria, Goldie Hawn, Chrissy Teigen, Rob McElhenney, and Serena Williams are just a few more stars to name that have shared these seaside moments on the gram!

Take a look at all the other celebs that have snapped some family beach day pics by scrolling through our gallery ... They've clearly got the right idea!

Kelly Clarkson's getting a head start on her Fourth of July weekend ... filing for her own independence from her estranged husband.

Clarkson's lawyer, disso-queen, Laura Wasser, filed legal docs Friday ... asking the judge to officially grant Clarkson's request for a divorce, leaving other issues like money and child custody for another day.

As we reported, Clarkson's husband, Brandon Blackstock, has challenged their prenup, claiming it is invalid. Millions of dollars are on the line, and a judge has yet to rule on the validity of the prenup.

It seems there won't be an issue over custody and spousal support. The judge awarded Kelly primary physical custody on a temporary basis ... because Brandon moved permanently to Montana, far from the couple's family home in L.A. That order is expected to become permanent.

It also seems there won't be much of a fight over spousal support. The judge already awarded Brandon temporary spousal support and that order is likely to become permanent. Spousal support, however, would end in 2023 (half the length of the marriage).

The couple married in 2014 and have two kids.

The divorce has become nasty, and it is apparent now ... Kelly wants it over quickly.

Come hell or high water took on a whole new meaning when the ocean surface in the Gulf of Mexico caught on fire ... and the video's astonishing.

The crazy scene played out Friday west of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula ... where the state's oil company, Pemex, said a gas leak from an underwater pipeline triggered a blaze that looked more like a scene from Michael Bay's next blockbuster.

You can see there are HUGE, bright orange flames shooting from the surface ... looking like an erupting volcano. The video quickly spread like fire (sorry, not sorry) on social media ... aptly dubbed, "eye of fire."

Fortunately for all involved ... the blaze, which went down 150 yards from a drilling platform, was extinguished. Nitrogen was reportedly used to control the fire. More good news ... Pemex said no injuries.

Rapper SAINt JHN was allegedly confronted Friday by Lil Uzi Vert ... and all hell broke loose when Vert allegedly flashed his gun.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... SAINt JHN was at Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood at high noon when Lil Uzi Vert jumped out of a Cadillac Escalade and confronted JHN. We're told they got into a physical altercation.

But, it got real when, according to people at the scene, Lil Uzi Vert flashed the handle of his gun ... prompting bystanders to run ... fearing a shooting was about to go down.

It doesn't appear Uzi fired his weapon ... both he and SAINt JHN left the scene.

We're told L.A. County Sheriff's are on the scene and looking to speak with Uzi and SAINt.

As for whether SAINt JHN and Lil Uzi Vert have beef ... it's unclear, however, SAINt JHN was spotted back in March with Uzi's former GF, Brittany Byrd.

We reached out to reps for both camps ... and JHN's team was unaware of this. No word back from Uzi's rep.

Trevor Bauer has just been sidelined by Major League Baseball ... he's been placed on paid administrative leave amid an assault allegation.

The Dodgers star traveled with the team to the nation's capital on Wednesday and was scheduled to start Sunday against the Nationals ... but that plan's now scrapped as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred placed Bauer on paid leave for 7 days.

The League can extend the administrative leave provided the MLB players' union signs off. The League's investigating claims by a woman alleging the reigning NL Cy Young winner sexually assaulted her. Bauer denies any wrongdoing.

As we reported ... the woman accused Bauer of choking her to the point of losing consciousness and then having non-consensual anal sex with her, according to docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The woman made extremely disturbing allegations in an 84-page temporary restraining order application filed by the alleged victim's attorney. The woman claimed 2 meetings with Bauer started as consensual sex ... but then turned into a violent attack.

The 21-year-old accuser said she met Bauer through Instagram before meeting him on April 21 face-to-face. She alleges they were in the middle of intercourse when he started aggressively putting his fingers down her throat. She says she asked him to stop ... and he did.

But then, according to the docs, the woman claimed Bauer "wrapped my hair around my neck and choked me." The alleged victim says she lost consciousness.

The woman went on to claim that when she woke up she was faced down on the bed ... and Bauer was having anal sex with her. The accuser said she did not consent to it.

Bauer's reps claim they've shared scores of texts between them with Pasadena PD, which is investigating the accuser's allegations. A hearing's set for July 23.

Bill Cosby needs to keep a class shirt from a Pennsylvania high school he briefly attended in the back of his closet ... so says the graduating class' president, who is super pissed.

Here's the deal ... Cosby busted out a Central High School class of 1997 shirt for a Wednesday press conference in front of his home, after he was set free from prison following an overturned conviction.

The wardrobe choice caught the eye of Dan Taraborrelli, the class president for Central's 1997 class, who tells TMZ ... the class was not happy to see Cosby wearing their shirt and they don't want him wearing it again.

As you can see, the shirt Cosby wore has names from the entire 1997 class listed on the back ... and Dan says the class is being very vocal about wanting no association or affiliation with the comedian.

Dan says only about 150 of these class shirts were made, and he doesn't remember Cosby wearing it in the past. He's puzzled why Cosby put it on for the press conference.

Cosby briefly attended Central High School in Philadelphia and was put in the school's Hall of Fame despite not graduating ... but he was eventually removed from the HOF in 2015 by the school's alumni association, before he was criminally charged.

Dan says he may have given Cosby the shirt way back in 1997, when BC spoke to the graduating class at an awards assembly recognizing student achievements. He says they spoke in the principal's office, and if he did give Cosby the shirt, he regrets it now.