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You punch a horse ... you're outta the Olympics.

That's what happened to a modern pentathlon coach when she put hands on Saint Boy during the jumping competition.

Annika Schleu was having big problems controlling Saint Boy ... who appeared spooked. Her German coach, Kim Raisner, was trying to help Annika, but the horse wasn't cooperating.

The way the competition works ... the riders only have 20 minutes with the horse before the competition ... she apparently had never ridden Saint Boy before, and the horse wasn't having it. In fact, the rider before Annika also had big problems ... Saint Boy wouldn't trot on command and even bucked.

Enter Annika, who was the leader in the competition when she entered the arena in tears, clearly knowing the ride would be super difficult.

That's when Kim allegedly punched Saint Boy ... unclear if the point was to get the horse to obey commands or if it was just frustration. Nevertheless, officials disqualified her from the Games. BTW ... Kim competed in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The race did not go well for Annika ... Saint Boy meandered around the course and refused a couple of jumps.

Annika used her whip to get the horse to comply, to no avail. Saint Boy cleared 4 hurdles but the 5th was a fail, which eventually took Annika from 1st to last.

Bob Odenkirk has found a silver lining in a major medical scare he suffered last week ... he feels like a real-life Jimmy Stewart character from "It's a Wonderful Life."

Bob is on the mend after collapsing on the New Mexico set of "Better Call Saul." It was extremely serious at first, with a very uncertain outcome. But, Bob's rebounded in a big way, and he's clearly moved by the love and concern from family, friends and fans.

He says he's filled with gratitude from the outpouring of concern and support ... “I am doing great. I’ve had my very own “It’s a wonderful life” week of people insisting I make the world slightly better. Wow! Thank you, I love everyone right now but let’s keep expectations reasonable!”

Lots of stars, including his "Breaking Bad" co-star Bryan Cranston, were super concerned after the July 27 heart attack, and Bob couldn't be more grateful for his recovery.

Barry, an owl in the Who's Who of Central Park residents, has tragically died.

The nocturnal creature was struck by a maintenance vehicle early Friday in the Park. It didn't have a chance. It was flying low to the ground, looking for food, when it was struck at around 2:30 AM.

Barry was a fixture in the Park, much to the delight of runners, bird watchers and others who meandered their way around.  Officials issued a sad statement ... "It's with a heavy heart we share that a barred owl, a beloved Central Park resident, passed away early this morning. The barred owl's presence in Central Park brought so much joy, reminding all of us that the Park is a vital greenspace for all New Yorkers, including the wildlife that call it home."

The bird watchers were devastated, issuing their own statement.

"We are saddened to learn that our beloved BARRED OWL died last night in an accidental collision with a @CentralParkNYC maintenance vehicle. We will miss her wondrous and beautiful presence in the park."

There will be a vigil for Barry Monday near the hemlock tree it called home. That would have been Barry's 10-month anniversary in Central Park.

People left messages on the ground in memory of Barry.

Meghan Markle got a birthday gift from her father, a bouquet of roses, but it doesn't seem to be thawing their icy relationship.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ … he sent Meghan flowers for her 40th birthday, along with a personalized card that simply said, "Wishing you a happy birthday and brighter days."

We're told the bouquet featured a dozen red roses with 2 yellow roses in the middle, signifying Meghan and Prince Harry's 2 children.

Thomas says he specifically wanted to incorporate his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in Meghan's birthday flower arrangement ... telling us he wants to be a part of their lives because it seems to him the kids don't have enough family around them in Montecito.

As you know ... Meghan and her father have a testy relationship, and Thomas doesn't get along with Harry either.

Meghan and Harry also have a huge rift with the Royal family, and as we reported, the royals tweeted her happy birthday from their official accounts in what came off like calculated moves meant to keep up appearances.

Thomas says he didn't hear a peep from Meghan after he sent the gift, but he says that's fine and he's just hoping she likes the flowers.

Shock G is being honored with a celebration of life in Oakland ... there's a day-long tribute coming up full of good deeds and good tunes.

Shock G's longtime manager, Atron Gregory, tells TMZ ... Oakland is celebrating the Digital Underground star with a city-wide event August 21, and the day kicks off with the late rapper's family and friends feeding about 2,000 unhoused community members.

We're told the late Shock had a passion for supporting those who have a hard time supporting themselves, and organizers wanted to honor his legacy by giving back.

From there, we're told there will be a motorcade traveling through Oakland en route to City Hall, which will play host to a Shock G tribute featuring live music, performances and speakers.

The celebration will wrap up with an afterparty at The New Parish in Oakland, with several DJs spinning tunes.

TMZ broke the story ... Shock G was found dead in a Tampa hotel room back in April from an accidental overdose.

Since his death, we're told surviving members of Digital Underground -- which was founded in Oakland -- and other musicians close to the group banded together to organize a celebration for Shock in Oakland ... working with Oakland City Council members and non-profits in the city to make it happen.

Jamie Spears broke his silence, saying Britney's personal conservator said she's 'mentally sick.' And, Wheaties now has to decide ... WHO'S ON THE BOX?!? So, we gotta ask ...

For the third time in the last 14 months, Ezekiel Elliott is being sued over an alleged dog biting incident ... and this time, the accuser is looking for more than $1 MILLION in damages.

In the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jennifer Gampper claims she's one of Elliott's neighbors and says on May 20, 2021, she was attacked by one of his dogs near his Frisco, Texas-area home.

Gampper claims that while the company Perfect Synthetic Grass (which she's also suing) was performing landscaping work at the residence ... Elliott's pooch escaped the house and attacked her.

In the suit, Gampper says she suffered severe and permanent injuries ... but doesn't get more specific.

Gampper is asking for monetary relief of over $1,000,000.

As for Elliott, his attorney, Frank Salzano tells us he's concerned about Gampper, but that doesn't mean he's at fault.

"Mr. Elliott and his representatives are aware of the lawsuit filed on July 30th, which stems from a previously reported incident from May 21st of this year.  As Mr. Elliott expressed at that time, he was - and remains concerned - for the party involved."

"However, as in most disputes, there are extenuating circumstances to this matter which will impact the legal proceedings which we are not at liberty to disclose.  As such, we have no further comment at this time."

You'll recall, cops actually investigated the incident ... and said two people were injured in the alleged attack, listing Gampper as one of the "victims" in a report.

Cops added that three of the running back's dogs escaped that day ... and said they ultimately ended up issuing Elliott 3 citations.

As for the dog that allegedly bit Gampper -- Zeke's Rottweiler, Ace -- a court official tells us it had a "dangerous dog hearing" after the incident, and was ultimately required to be removed from the city.

Of course, this is far from the first time Ace and the rest of Elliott's dogs have been accused of being violent.

Remember, back in June 2020, a pool cleaner alleged in a lawsuit that Ace bit her arm and dragged her ... before the 26-year-old's two bulldogs began attacking her legs.

Court records show that case has since been closed. We reached out to the accuser's attorney in that case for further details, but so far, no word back yet.

Elliott was also sued earlier this summer, in June, when a pet resort employee claimed Ace viciously bit him too on March 25, 2021. That case is still playing out in the court system.

Allison Josephs has had it with Hollywood's portrayal of the Orthodox Jewish community, and believes "My Unorthodox Life" is the latest contributor to negative stereotypes she calls downright dangerous.

We got the "Jew in the City" founder outside the Peninsula Hotel in NYC, and she had some stern reactions to the controversial new Netflix series about Julia Haart -- CEO of modeling agency Elite World Group -- who left her Haredi community in 2013.

Josephs has several issues, first and foremost with Julia ... who she accuses of co-opting someone else's story and not being entirely truthful. She also blasts Haart for generalizing her former Jewish community as "fundamentalist" at a time when hate crimes against Jews are on the rise.

Allison goes on to say these recurring negative portrayals of the Orthodox community on TV and film are devastating ... and she's pleading with Hollywood execs to do better.

Before these talented tots were competing at the Olympics, they were just a couple of kids enjoying their childhood!

As the closing ceremony approaches and the summer games wrap up, we're taking you on a trip down memory lane to a time way before these big-time athletes were competing for gold!

From swimmers and gymnasts, to the track and field athletes ... The list of Olympic sports seems endless, but there's always more to add. This year there was the edition of karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.

Test yourself to see just how well you know these Olympic athletes by scrolling through our gallery of Olympic kids!

Caeleb Dressel was winning in 2021 even before the Olympics ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the swimming superstar unloaded his quaint Florida home in June for $250K!!

Property records show Dressel listed the place in the leadup to his run in Tokyo ... and it sold just a couple weeks before he won gold 5 times over.

Unclear if Dressel ever lived in the pad ... but he appeared to land some good cash for it nonetheless.

The Gainesville-area home is unassuming -- particularly for an Olympics mega-star -- it's one story with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

It does sit on a 9,000 square foot lot and is connected to a big park through a back gate ... but seems likely Caeleb's now eyeing something a little bigger after his brilliant summer.

No word yet on the amount of cash Caeleb will rake in from his Olympics performance ... but coupling that money with the $250K from the house sale should be more than enough to get him a cozy mansion somewhere.

A perfect topper to a hell of a last few weeks if we say so ourselves.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Ryan Murphy and Caeleb Dressel have you feeling confused ... take a closer look at both of the photos above and see if you can spot any of the sneaky switches that have been made to the tricky pic!

The Olympic swimmers won gold for team USA earlier this week during the Men's 4 x 100m medley relay final ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic of them! Use your detective skills to see if you can figure out the differences between these two super similar snaps!

Noella Bergener's set to become one of the new stars of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," but her housewife title's already dubious ... because her husband wants a divorce.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Noella's hubby James Bergener, a personal injury attorney known in SoCal as "Sweet James" thanks to his many billboards and other advertisements, filed the divorce paperwork last week in Puerto Rico.

The couple was just married in June 2020 and has a 2-year-old son together, and according to our sources ... Noella was blindsided by the filing. We're also told James is not currently living at the Orange County home they share together.

What's interesting here, aside from the impending divorce of a brand new 'Real Housewives' couple, is the timing ... as it comes on the heels of Bergener being accused of owing nearly $6 million in back taxes.

According to legal docs ... Bergener was hit with a massive federal tax lien for 2018 and 2019 totaling over $4 million, and a separate lien from California for $1.85 million.

Noella addressed the situation on Instagram, saying ... "I was just as shocked and disgusted to find out a week before filming ... and not from my husband. My marriage has been a fight every day since."

She added ... "I am being very open about my journey and looking at every option to settle my husbands debts." She also opted to file docs of her own -- for legal separation in California -- days after Bergener filed, and she's asking for primary custody of their kid and spousal support.

Joel Kinnaman claims a woman with whom he had sex back in 2018 is now claiming it was not consensual, and he wants a restraining order.

The "Suicide Squad" star claims he met Gabriella Magnusson back in 2017, when she was an aspiring model and actress.  He says they had a "brief romantic relationship" the following year and she "is now using harassment, threats of physical violence by herself and others, and threats to disseminate false information to extort money from [him]."

Kinnaman, who has appeared in "The Killing," "Altered Carbon," "RoboCop" and "House of Cards." says their relationship took a turn in December, 2018, when they had sex and she was bothered that he didn't let her stay over and didn't check to make sure she made it home safe.

He says after that encounter, she sent him sexually explicit videos of herself in 2019 and 2020. He says he did not respond and blocked her. Kinnaman says that made her angry and she tried contacting him using other peoples' phones and became increasingly confrontational.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, she threatened to publicize false information -- specifically, that they had sex against her will in December, 2018, unless he gave in to her financial demands.

Kinnaman says he tried resolving things last month when his manager was meeting with Magnusson and her brother, who was carrying a rifle. He says during that conversation, she admitted the sex wasn't against her will but she was upset with the way he treated her. She mentioned the sex was so rushed she kept her shoes on and was then shown the door.

According to the docs, Kinnaman says Magnusson said she was a member of the Crips and threatened members of the gang would hurt him.

She says she knew people like Chris Brown, LeBron James and Lil Wayne, all of whom were angry at him and were available to harm him on her behalf. Kinnaman says she said, "They will f*** your life, Joel ... everyone will come after you in L.A. ... he will f*** your life so you will not be able to film anymore, Joel."

Kinnaman also says at one point her brother pointed a rifle at his manager.

He says her demands included an apartment for 1 year, a work visa, a Wiki page, a verified Instagram, an introduction to a Hollywood agent and other compensation in exchange for staying silent.

Jim Belushi has filed for divorce after more than 23 years of marriage ... and it's the second time he and his wife have called it quits in the past 3 years.

Jim beelined it to Los Angeles County Superior Court Friday and filed divorce docs, according to online records.

As we reported ... Jim's wife Jennifer filed divorce docs of her own back in March 2018, but the couple reconciled more than a year later, with Jim filing for the divorce to be dismissed and a judge signing off.

It's unclear what led to the split this time around ... but during their earlier split, Jennifer cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their separation.

Jim and Jennifer tied the knot way back in May 1998 and they have two adult children together, a daughter named Jamison and a son named Jared.

Jennifer is Jim's 3rd wife ... he was previously married to Marjorie Bransfield from 1990-92 and to Sandra Davenport from 1980-88.

It will be interesting to see if Jim and Jennifer go all the way through with this divorce, considering their history.

Nicki Minaj's husband is taking a plea deal that could seriously lighten his punishment for failing to register as a sex offender in California ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs filed by federal prosecutors ... Kenneth Petty has agreed to plead guilty to one count of failing to register, and in return, the feds say they will seek a sentence at the low end of the guidelines.

The judge will ultimately determine exactly what Petty gets, but in the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the feds note the mandatory minimum sentence is 5 years of supervised release.

If you're wondering why Petty took the deal ... consider that the maximum sentence he could have faced is 10 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release. He still might end up getting some time behind bars depending on how the judge weighs Petty's criminal history.

You'll recall, Petty was charged back in March 2020. He had moved to Cali with Nicki the previous year, and the feds said he never registered with local authorities as a sex offender -- something he was required to do because of a 1995 conviction in NY for first-degree attempted rape.

Barack Obama's 60th birthday may have gotten scaled back from a bash to a small shindig ... but it's still about as star-studded as it gets.

Several celebs still on the guest list have been making their way to the summer garden party at the former president's $12 million Martha's Vineyard mansion to celebrate B.O. turning the big 6-0 ... including a pair of powerhouse couples -- John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, and Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union ... this according to the New York Times.

Don Cheadle's also arrived, and huge names like Jay-Z and Beyonce, Eddie Vedder, George Clooney and Steven Spielberg are all still expected to attend.

So who didn't make the scaled-down guest list? Many of Obama's former administration officials including David Axelrod, and many comedians like David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Larry David ... giving the latter a fantastic idea for a future episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Axelrod's the big surprise ... he engineered Obama's 2008 election victory.

As we reported ... Barack's 60th was scheduled to be a massive event, but the Obamas decided to scuttle the plan over COVID concerns with Delta surging.