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The first day of the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs began this morning with some lighthearted comments by the judge ... who mentions Diddy's various nicknames over the years, and nods to the size of the potential jury pool and the length of the questionnaire each individual filled out.

As proceedings got formally underway, Judge Arun Subramanian made a remark comparing the size of the list of prospective jurors that both sides will question on the stand -- and the questionnaire of people and places in the case -- to the famously vast "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of novels.

As you know, there are many challenges on both sides for jury selection, which is expected to take several days.

Diddy will finally face a jury of his peers who will determine his fate for the rest of his life ... but finding the right jury -- for each side -- is gonna be a Herculean task.

The defense will have a much more difficult time, because there's no such thing as an unbiased jury. Good luck finding a prospective juror in New York City -- or anywhere else in this country, for that matter -- that hasn't formed an opinion about this case.

Since the public view is Diddy is guilty, prosecutors have a big edge. As for the defense, the way to go about asking questions regarding bias is NOT simply asking if a prospective juror can have an open mind. The way to do it ... they ask if prospective jurors have ever held a view that was important to them but were able to change their mind, and they need to be specific.

A California high school tennis star was tragically killed over the weekend after an alleged drunk driver struck him while he was out for a walk with a friend. He was only 18.

Manhattan Beach Police say they received a call at 12:46 AM on Sunday ... indicating a crash involving a pedestrian on the 100th block of Sepulveda Boulevard.

According to MBPD, they found the victim lying on the street next to the vehicle and transported him to a local trauma hospital.

Jury selection just kicked off in Diddy's federal trial, and it’s a total madhouse -- with some people getting paid just to stand in line for others to snag spots inside the courthouse.

We caught the chaos at the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday -- some folks told us they had been in line since the night before, saving spots for people who paid them to do the heavy lifting.

One line-holder told us he was getting $32 per hour to hold a place in line, though he admitted the going rate is more like $25 per hour. Any bit of extra income helps with inflation, particularly in Manhattan! Another clip on X showed just how absurd the line was to get into the courthouse for the jury selection ... so paying someone to save a spot makes sense.

Jason Pierre-Paul says his luxury Richard Mille watch was jacked while he was partying in Florida on Saturday.

The two-time Super Bowl champion said in an Instagram post Sunday the heist went down while he was at DAER Nightclub in Hollywood.

JPP claims when he was trying to make his way through a crowd at the venue, he "got a bad feeling" someone might have taken something from him. He later said when one of his friends asked him for the time, he noticed his $400,000 watch was no longer on his wrist.

Justin Bieber was photographed having what appears to be a smoking good time with some buddies in a secluded house, prompting feedback from a few of his fans about his possible marijuana use.

The Grammy-winning musician posted several Instagram pics over the weekend, showing him hanging out in a recording studio in a mountainous region with Aussie singer Eddie Benjamin and another dude.

Bieber's reportedly somewhere in Iceland ... and, in one of the snaps, Bieber is seen kicking back in a chair and taking a hit off what looks like a bong. Another photo captures Bieber standing next to Benjamin, who is puffing on a cigarette, as the other guy sits on a couch. A third photo features Bieber gazing into the camera, while wearing baggy sweats with a pink skull cap.

A couple young MLB fans got a REALLY close view of the action on Sunday -- as a family saw Nolan Arenado land right on top of them after making an insane catch in foul territory!!

The moment went down in the second game of the Cardinals' doubleheader against the New York Mets. During Juan Soto's at-bat in the eighth inning, he popped a ball up along the third base side of the diamond -- and Arenado made a dead sprint to attempt the highlight play.

He was able to make the catch  ... but his momentum carried him right into the netting meant to protect fans -- and he ended up sitting on unsuspecting spectators in the front row.

The fashion elite hit the Pre-Met Gala Dinner -- and the style game was already fire before the main event even kicked off.

It all popped off at Vogue queen Anna Wintour’s pre-Met gala at her NYC home Sunday -- A$AP Rocky rolled in sharp as ever, while Serena Williams served full glam in a bridal-esque gown with a dramatic feathered shrug.

With A$AP in the building, you know Rihanna wasn’t far behind -- rocking an androgynous-chic look with a belted blazer, tailored slacks, and a poppin’ red lip.

President Trump knows how to throw a curveball — and his latest one most people won't see coming because he plans to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison.

In fact, the commander in chief says on Truth Social ... he’s directing the federal Bureau of Prisons to not only reopen Alcatraz but to rebuild the prison in order to “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders” and “serve as a symbol of Law, Order and JUSTICE.”

In his Truth Social post Sunday night, Trump goes on to say, “We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally.”

Kevin Garnett and his girlfriend were involved in a heated argument late last month, and cops were called to the scene ... but both sides are now saying things never got out of hand.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... Garnett's partner, Teare Candelier, dialed 911 just before 2 AM on April 27 to report she and Garnett had been involved in a domestic dispute at their Los Angeles-area residence.

We're told when officers arrived, Garnett had left ... but they nonetheless took a report. They noted Candelier did refuse medical aid after they asked if she needed it.

Kevin Costner's more rolling stone than a 'Yellowstone' ... 'cause he's seemingly flirting with a women at bars -- and, we've got photos that show the whole interaction.

The actor was photographed inside Raspoutine Night Club in Los Angeles Saturday night ... getting close with a lady in the popular spot.

Check out the pics ... Kevin's hanging out around the dancefloor -- vibing to the music while the women around him shake it.

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz's absence from David Beckham's 50th birthday is all due to family tension ... 'cause we've learned they tried to meet up and celebrate David privately -- but, they were rebuffed.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Brooklyn and Nicola flew to London last week -- for the sole purpose of celebrating David.

The two reached out to the fam ahead of the big weekend, we're told ... asking them to get together privately before the birthday festivities -- however, their request didn't go over well with the other family members.

Dylan O'Brien's relationship with his brother isn't as tight as he led some to believe during an interview last week ... 'cause his bro says they haven't spoken in months.

Here's the deal ... the actor recently did an interview with the Gay Times -- during which he said he was super grateful for his "trans, nonbinary sibling" before adding he knows other people who are queer and is grateful for how those relationships "deepen my experience in this world.”

Well, Dylan's brother -- who goes by Julz on Instagram and uses he/they pronouns -- fired off in the Instagram comments of the Times' post about the interview ... revealing he's "actually trans masc," not nonbinary.

American film and television actor Jermaine Hopkins was 18 years old when he played Steel -- the friendly thieving sidekick who is murdered in an alley -- in the crime/thriller film "Juice" back in 1992.

Hopkins shared the big screen with Tupac Shakur as the insecure teen who murders Steel, Bishop, Omar Epps as the chill and aspiring DJ whose poor decisions lead to Bishop's death, Q, and Ernest Dickerson as the friend who wants to take charge and ignore Bishop's requests, Raheem.

Other noteworthy cast mentions include Samuel L. Jackson as Trip and Queen Latifah as Ruffhouse M.C.

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Aaron Rodgers is wearing a new ring out ... no, he didn't win a Super Bowl this past season -- it's actually a simple band on THAT finger.

The veteran quarterback stepped out at the 2025 Barnstable Brown Gala Friday night before the Kentucky Derby ... and, while on the red carpet, eagle-eyed fans noted he was wearing a dark-colored band on his left ring finger.

It's a pretty simple looking ring ... not at all the glitzy diamond and emerald piece of jewelry Aaron received after leading the Green Bay Packers to their fourth Super Bowl championship during the 2010-2011 season.