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Racquel Palmer went from desperately pleading for Tyler Perry's attention to starring in one of his shows ... but she doesn't recommend her billboard tactics to others.

The actress, famous for putting up a billboard to try and catch Tyler's attention, tells TMZ ... she has now landed a leading role in Tyler Perry's upcoming show, "All The Queen's Men," but they've never talked about the billboard and almost pretended like it never happened.

Remember ... the billboard went up back in 2019 and the stunt helped Racquel land an audition with Tyler.

Tyler kinda scolded her for the stunt, but it sounds like it's all out of sight and out of mind now ... and even though it worked out in the end, Racquel tells us aspiring actors shouldn't try and duplicate her actions.

These days, Racquel says the billboard wasn't as much of a pitch to Tyler as it was a message to her children about perseverance and never giving up on your dreams.

Talib Kweli and DJ Eque have a huge sticking point in their ongoing divorce battle ... and whatever the judge decides will have a significant impact on who gets what.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Talib's big issue is the date of separation. He claims they separated on October 20, 2015, after he moved out of the home they shared.

Problem is ... Kweli says Eque's claiming July 10, 2020 as the date of separation. So, why the big stink over the dates? He thinks she's trying to make it look like the marriage lasted longer to get more money and property from the divorce. They got married in May 2009 and she filed for divorce in February.

Kweli claims after moving to NY he never revisited the marriage. He claims they stopped talking, had no further sexual relations, never exchanged birthday/anniversary cards, sent no gifts, never shared a meal together and he never shared a marital home again.

Kweli says he believed this was a clear indication they were separated. What's more ... he says he moved out because she was aggressive and violent toward him.

He claims her argumentative behavior created an unhealthy and suffocating environment. And, get this ... Kweli says he allowed her to stay at one of his houses in L.A. and supported her financially for 5-plus years ... "exceeding any legal obligation to avoid confrontation."

What's more ... Kweli says he never charged her rent. And, when he sold the house, he says he let her keep the profit -- around $30k -- hoping the money would help her to relocate.

Kweli says instead ... Eque asked for spousal support. He says he agreed to pay her $2k per month, but wants the judge to figure out their actual date of separation before moving forward with the rest of the divorce.

Cops say former Vine star Hayes Grier had an accomplice conspire with him during his alleged beatdown that left a man with brain damage ... and now the guy's been arrested on felony charges.

Luke Foushee, a social media star and influencer like Hayes, was arrested and booked into jail in Mecklenburg County last month in the wake of the alleged vicious beating on a man involving Grier and himself.

According to the arrest warrant, obtained by TMZ, cops believe there's evidence to show Foushee and Grier planned the attack.

Foushee is now out on bail after being booked for conspiracy and assault inflicting serious bodily injury -- both felonies -- and posing for a mugshot on his way in.

TMZ broke the story ... Grier was arrested and charged for allegedly carrying out the savage beatdown on a man and jacking a $1,200 phone. As we reported, the man was left with brain damage, bruised ribs, broken bones and more.

Before this writing runt was launching her own magazine with topical blogs, she was just another studious sweetie taking notes in her journal in Chicago, Illinois.

This blonde baby rose to fame at the very young age of 12 when she began publishing her opinions and ideas about fashion online. Later, she solidified her flourishing writing career by creating and editing her very own website filled with pop culture and feminist essays -- she named the online publication "Rookie."

Now, you can catch this gossiping gal in the popular reboot of a television series streaming on HBO.

Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson was subjected to racist venom during his final at-bat during Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies ... being called the n-word by a fan.

Brinson was at the plate at the top of the 9th with the Rockies ahead of the Marlins by quite a bit, and with one out logged ... he stepped up to take a hack. After taking a second ball, somebody in the stands started unabashedly hurling the slur as loud as they could.

The man's words were picked up by a mic ... and you can clearly hear him saying it over and over again, seemingly in Brinson's direction -- as the guy turned around to look himself.

It's unclear if the fan was found and punished for the reprehensible language ... as neither the Rockies nor Coors Field seem to have addressed the situation just yet. Beat reporters and broadcasters who were watching/covering the game, however, have spoken out.

All of them are calling for the same thing ... for the fan to be ID'd and banned for life for using such language. As the Marlins play-by-play man Paul Severino put it ... "The level of hate that was displayed has no place in this world. Unfortunately, it's still far too prevalent. We need to be better. And soon. Awful." The sentiment was similar among the others, too.

Brinson, for his part, had been playing pretty well this series -- getting 2 hits Sunday and 3 on Saturday ... so he was giving the Rockies problems. Still, for someone to stoop to this ... it's despicable.

One other weird thing ... the MLB App isn't allowing one to watch the Rockies/Marlins game at the moment -- even though it's already over. It might still be getting archived at the moment, but it's also possible the league is scrubbing/censoring today's game in light of what happened.

Jane Withers -- one of the most famous child stars in Hollywood's history -- has died.

The legendary actress passed away Saturday in Burbank, CA ... surrounded by loved ones, this according to her daughter, Kendall Errair, who released a statement about her mother's death. A cause of death wasn't addressed.

She writes, "My mother was such a special lady. She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was." Kendall also added that Jane's short first name was chosen by her mother with the idea and hope that one day, it'd be able to fit up onto a giant marquee.

Well, it certainly did ... and then some. Jane came through on that dream early and often.

JW got her start in showbiz at a very young age -- around 3 or so -- in Atlanta ... where she learned to tap dance, sing and even had her own radio program in which she interviewed celebs who came to town. From there, she was off to Hollywood, where her career took off.

After a number of uncredited roles in the early to mid-'30s, Jane got her big break starring opposite Shirley Temple in 'Bright Eyes' ... in which she played an older, spoiled girl who was pretty mean to little ST. There's a famous doll-taking scene everyone seems to remember.

From there, Jane started to land lead roles for herself ... including in pictures like "Ginger," "Paddy O'Day," "Little Miss Nobody," "This is the Life," "Rascals," "Checkers," "Wild and Wooly," "My Best Gal" and more. She kinda ran the table as far as kid actors went back in those days ... having a helluva run in the '30s. And, she wasn't done yet.

Jane went on to star in a number of films throughout the '40s as well, but she "retired" from acting at the young age of 21 in the 1947 as her child stardom had started to fade. Later in the '50s, she got back to work and had a memorable role opposite James Dean in 'Giant.'

She went on to act on and off in the decades that followed, and even gave voice acting a go in both radio and some Disney flicks. All-in-all, she has 71 acting credits to her name.

Jane is survived by her children. She was 95.

Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco are starring in a new movie together, and it seems they're taking their on-set friendship into the real world ... and the latest stop is a theme park.

The two actors -- who are the starring leads in an upcoming rom-com called "Meet Cute," in which they play a couple -- were spotted Saturday afternoon at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey ... where they were hand in hand as they were about to embark on a ride.

Don't worry ... it's not what you think. They were more comforting each other as buddies rather than anything romantic. Kaley's happily married -- and Pete ... well, he's just Pete.

It's pretty obvious from this video TMZ obtained of them on the Sling Shot that they were simply calming each other's nerves as friends ... and perhaps preparing for some actual scenes for this new flick of theirs -- which is currently in production and filming right now.

It appears Pete and Kaley have hit it off as they prepare to shoot -- they've been goofing off together a lot lately, as seen in Kaley's recent IG Stories where she's filmed them palling around. Talk about getting ready for a role ... that's what we call method acting!!!

Anyway, "Meet Cute" sounds like it'll be a good one. It's about a BF/GF who are somehow able to go back into each other's past to shape their SO into the perfect partner.

Bobby Bowden -- one of the greatest college football coaches ever -- died early Sunday morning at the age of 91 years old.

Bowden -- Florida State University's head coach from 1976 to 2009 -- was one of the most acclaimed football coaches of all-time. He won 2 National Championships ('93 & '99) and 377 games -- 2nd most all-time -- during his 40 years as a college football coach.

Bobby spent 34 seasons as FSU's head coach ... and was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Terry Bowden, Bobby's son, confirmed the news to the AP ... issuing the following statement about the passing of his dad.

"My father passed away peacefully early this morning with all six of his children and my mother here by his side."

"I couldn't have asked for a better personal mentor than my father. He was a wonderful husband and father, who relied on his strong Christian faith to provide the foundation for his life."

Terry continued ... "I also was fortunate to be raised by a football coach who had a reputation for coaching the right way his entire career. He was admired by everyone who played for him or coached against him."

FSU issued a statement on social media, writing ... "Today we lost a legend but you never lose a legacy. Rest In Peace Coach Bowden"

Bowden is known for his HOF coaching career ... but he also played ball back in the day. BB was a part of Alabama's football team as a freshman in 1948 ... before transferring to Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham.

Bobby -- who was born in Birmingham -- was a successful college quarterback.

It was just last month that Terry announced Bobby was battling a terminal illness. He later said that sickness was pancreatic cancer.

Deion Sanders, a 2x All-American under Bowden, reacted to his former coach passing, writing ... "God bless the Bowden Family, Friends & Loved ones. My Prayers are with u. I've lost 1 of the best coaches I've ever had."

Some of the top football coaches in the country also weighed in on Bobby's death ... including Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Dabo Swinney.

On Twitter, Meyer wrote ... "Today, we lost a legend. Bobby was a great friend and mentor to me, and his impact transcended the coaching profession in so many ways. Sending love to Ann and the entire Bowden family. Rest In Peace Coach Bowden."

A public funeral service will be held for coach Saturday on FSU's campus.

Nebraska was under a deluge of downpour over the weekend, especially in Omaha -- where three people nearly drowned in an elevator that was completely full of water.

Local resident Tony Luu captured the terrifying moment on his social media, showing himself and two pals trapped in an elevator from their apartment building ... where they ended up neck-deep in H2O while trying to descend and get a closer look at the madness outside.

Understandable that they'd want to see the wild flooding first-hand -- it was quite a scene all over Omaha, it appears ... with water elevating rapidly in parking structures and elsewhere.

Check it out ... Luu was able to record the moment that the elevator got stuck, and when water started to pour in through the vents. He told local outlets the water quickly reached their stomachs, at which point he and his friends started to get freaked out.

As the water rose to frightening levels -- nearly reaching the ceiling of the tight space -- Luu and his friends hoisted themselves onto the elevator railing to get leverage ... and phoned 911 for help, as well as other friends of theirs -- including the building maintenance man.

Eventually, Luu's other friends from outside were able to pry the doors open from the lobby level ... and Luu says he was literally swimming out as the water came rushing out. Not to make light of this, but it almost sounds like the elevator scene from 'The Shining.' Freaky ...

Anyway, all three of them were fortunately uninjured in the end. Still, though, it could've easily turned into a deadly situation if not for some quick thinking and on-the-spot heroics.

A Black realtor and his clients were treated like first-rate criminals during a house showing in Michigan, when police showed up with the cavalry and guns drawn on a mistaken 911 call.

Eric Brown was giving a tour last week to Roy Thorne and his 15-year-old son, when all of a sudden ... they say they found themselves surrounded by a number of police cruisers outside, with some of the officers pointing their weapons at them and demanding they step out.

All three of them did what the cops asked, and they were all cuffed and briefly detained -- this while the cops asked them questions. Apparently, a concerned neighbor called in to report a break-in ... as it seems there was one that had happened the week prior, with the suspect's car at the time having a similar look to the one Eric was driving on this day.

As a result, the City of Wyoming Police Dept. came swarming in. After sorting out what was what -- with Eric explaining he was a realtor and was just showing off the place -- the police finally realized they were in the wrong ... and released everyone without further incident.

Everyone seemed to be on good terms as things wrapped up -- with the cops apologizing for the inconvenience -- but Eric and co. are still angered over it ... now claiming racial profiling.

J Lo and Ben Affleck weren't joined at the hip last night like they were on their fancy yacht, but they were still attached during a date night on Saturday.

The can't-keep-our-hands-off-each-other couple locked arms as they arrived at Oliveta restaurant in Bev Hills. They showed up at 8:30 PM and left at around 11, so lots to talk about.

They just returned from a super-romantic vacay in the South of France, celebrating her 52nd birthday ... and they were like 2 teenagers with raging hormones!

As we told you, J Lo is house-hunting in L.A. ... what's unclear is if Ben was just along for the ride when she was looking or if he's gonna be a co-owner.  Translation -- they could be shackin' up.

J Lo was also visiting schools in the L.A. area for her 2 kids.

Lot of folks think this is all a prelude to an engagement, but so far, no ring.  Ben did, however, gift his GF a necklace with his name attached. And, there's a teardrop diamond hanging from the bling, and some folks think it's a new-fangled type of engagement ring.

The term "scaled back" is all relative, because Barack Obama's 60th birthday bash was still a bash, with what appeared to be several hundred party revelers on hand to celebrate.

There were tons of celebs who showed ... including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Erykah Badu, Steven Colbert, Bruce Springsteen and more.

The former Prez hit the dance floor under the massive tent ... without a mask. As you know, the CDC, Dr. Fauci and many other experts have urged people to wear masks inside because of the Delta variant, and it's already drawing criticism.

The party looked super fun ... but the plan to keep things under wraps crashed and burned early on, as Erykah Badu and others posted photos and videos of the event.

Napkins of the event were embossed with the numbers, 44x60 ... the 44, obviously, refers to his presidency, and the 60 is obvious.

Partygoers even took shots of the bathroom, with a lint roller, Advil and antiperspirant ... frankly the sign of a good party.

The food and drinks looked pretty amazing ... lots of the food was vegetarian, but there was reportedly an oyster bar which is requisite fare for a Martha's Vineyard soiree.

Obama hit the dance floor for quite some time, dressed casually as he made the rounds.

Alicia Keys and John Legend both sang Happy Birthday to 44.

The party snarled traffic around the island, at when it started winding down at 1 AM Sunday, one officer was overheard calling traffic a "s*** show."

Robert Easter Jr. -- a former boxing champ -- is now a wanted man in Ohio for allegedly punching a woman and knocking her out cold.

According to reports, the ex-IBF lightweight titleholder is being sought by authorities in Toledo after a warrant was issued for his arrest this past weekend -- this after a woman went to police and alleged he'd slugged her in the side of the face with a closed fist.

The alleged attack happened very early Saturday morning -- the woman claims to have been rendered unconscious, and cops say they saw a busted lip and chipped tooth ... enough evidence for them, it seems, to have called for Easter's arrest on a simple assault charge.

It doesn't appear he's in custody quite yet -- and no other details have emerged about the alleged altercation.

Jamie Lynn Spears gave us a peek into her upset over her relationship with her big sister, Britney.

Jamie Lynn posted what sounds like tearful audio ... 3-year-old daughter Ivey is heard saying, "It'll be okay, mom, it has to be okay, mom." Jamie Lynn sounds like she's fighting back tears, as she says, "Thank you, baby."

The audio, recorded Saturday night, underscores the drama in the Spears family. Britney has made it clear ... she believes her mom, dad and sister have all betrayed her over the conservatorship. Britney says they've all profited from it, at her great expense.

Britney posted last month, "Never forget who ignored you when you needed them and who helped you before you even had to ask."

To show the depths of the conflict, Britney added, "How dare the people you love the most say anything at all … did they even put a hand out to even lift me up at the TIME !!!??? How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE … did you put your hand out when I was drowning????"

Markie Post, who became a big star and household name with "Night Court," has died.

Markie passed on Saturday after battling cancer for nearly 4 years.

Post, who also starred in "The Fall Guy" and "Hearts Afire," has an Alex Trebek connection ... she was an associate producer on his show, "Double Dare." She also appeared as the card dealer on "Card Sharks."

"Night Court" was her breakout role, playing public defender Christine Sullivan on the hit show that ran from 1985 to 1992.

She later appeared on "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Cheers" and "The A-Team."

Markie pressed on with her career, even during her cancer battle. She did a Lifetime XMAS movie, "Four Christmases and a Wedding" in between chemo treatments.

Her family said, “But for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world."

Markie is survived by her husband, Michael Ross, and daughters Kate Armstrong, an actress, and Daisy Schoenborn.

Markie was 70.

The owner of the 2-year-old emotional support dog who died while traveling with Hawaiian Airlines believes his pup may have suffered a very painful death ... and he wants authorities to investigate.

The dog, a pit bull named Louis, had a body temperature of 107 degrees and his right paw was bloody with nails worn down to the quick ... according to the necropsy results, obtained by TMZ. For reference, normal body temp for dogs is around 101 or 102.

The owner, Dr. Randall Carpio, says the findings lead him to believe Louis died from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. He also claims the necropsy is missing key details surrounding the death.

He says Hawaiian Airlines ordered the testing while keeping him in the dark about Louis' death.

TMZ broke the story ... Louis died July 21 while traveling from Kona to Honolulu, but Randall says the airline gave him no explanation why.

The dog owner's attorney, Evan Oshan, filed a complaint with the Hawaiian Humane Society, claiming the airline isn't being transparent, and called on the state to investigate. He says the complaint was also sent to the Hawaii Attorney General's office.

In the complaint, obtained by TMZ, Randall says Louis was given a clean bill of health 48 hours before the journey ... and he claims airline agents told him the pup died in the animal holding facility at the Honolulu airport during a layover.

He recently received the dog's ashes and toys, but, obviously, he's looking for more answers.