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Big update in the Hayden Panettiere death investigation ... her boyfriend is talking to the DEA as it looks into the actress' suspected overdose, and TMZ has learned investigators are making progress. 

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell TMZ ... Brian Hickerson -- who was in the Greenville, SC condo when Hayden died -- has spoken with the federal law enforcement agency.

We're also told local and federal investigators believe someone sold Hayden drugs which might have caused her death, and that's the main focus of the investigation ... finding the dealer.

One source tells TMZ the authorities are "zeroing in on a potential drug dealer."

Johnny Bananas is throwing his full support behind CT Tamburello and Phaedra Parks' romance ... and he should know, since he competed alongside them on "The Traitors."

We got Johnny in Hollywood on Wednesday ... and the reality star, who calls CT a brother, told our photog CT and Phaedra weren't in a position to explore their relationship while filming the Peacock show ... but believes they've both since leveled up.

As for whether their romance is real ... Johnny says he's buying it and fully supports the couple. In fact, he joked he'll be "jumping out of the cake" at their wedding ... while acknowledging he may be getting ahead of the game.

Carmelo Anthony wanted no part of the Clippers drama ... laughing off our questions and reminding us he was at Fashion Week, not an NBA press conference.

We got Melo outside the Tommy Hilfiger show in NYC and asked about the NBA scandal involving Kawhi Leonard and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

"You know I ain't getting into that," he told TMZ Sports ... adding, "They gone figure it out, or they already figured it out."

A man who claimed he was robbed and beaten in a home invasion may have been squatting in the Hollywood Hills residence.

According to KTLA, the cops were called around midnight Thursday by a man who alleged five men attacked him after entering the home.

Cops said the suspects were inside the home and had a gun ... but said they were only inside for a few minutes before making off in a Jeep with a safe. They say they may have stolen some other belongings as well.

Tyra Banks wants to see exactly what her former friends Miss J and Jay Manuel said about her to Netflix ... even the parts that didn't air on the documentary about America's Next Top Model ... TMZ has learned.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, the supermodel raises questions about producers' claim that the final doc released on Netflix was the product of "ordinary editorial decisions."

Tyra is suing the producers for defamation and seeking unspecified damages … claiming the producers only used 16 minutes of her 3-hour interview … and manipulated the footage to push a false narrative.

One of the claims Tyra took issue with was that she exploited a contestant's sexual assault on the show.

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard was remembered at a private funeral service in Texas ... with family, close friends, bandmates, and crew members gathering to honor the rock legend ... TMZ has learned.

A memorial flyer for the service, obtained by TMZ, says the funeral was held Tuesday afternoon at Forest Park Southwest. The invitation describes the event as a celebration of Frank's life.

We're told the service was intentionally intimate ... with only family, friends, his ZZ Top bandmates and members of the band's crew in attendance.

Michael Jackson accuser James Safechuck and his mom are about to get grilled under oath ... as his long-running legal battle over his alleged childhood abuse by the King of Pop barrels ahead.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, James is scheduled to sit for a deposition Monday, Sept. 14 ... while his mother, Stephanie Safechuck, is slated to be questioned over two days -- Oct. 15 and 20.

Stephanie could be a key witness given just how close she says the Safechuck family became with Michael.

One of the three people who died at Burning Man this year had been dealing with heart problems before attending the festival ... TMZ has learned.

Armando Ramirez's mom and sister tell TMZ ... he had gone to the emergency room twice for heart-related issues in the weeks leading up to Burning Man and had a doctor's appointment scheduled for November.

His friends noticed he was having difficulty breathing while helping set up a tent after arriving at the festival.

We're told medics resuscitated Armando once before he was airlifted to a hospital, but he died before reaching it. His family suspects he suffered a heart attack, but toxicology results are still pending.

Lauren Boebert went to bat for her son Tyler in court Thursday ... asking a judge to punish him for his identity theft case without derailing his future as a young father.

The Colorado Congresswoman spoke during Tyler's sentencing hearing ... telling the judge she was there "as Tyler's mother" and "as a granny to his son" ... and insisting, "He's not a bad kid, he's not a bad man."

Lauren acknowledged Tyler was given a second chance with a deferred sentence, but failed to stay out of trouble ... later pleading guilty last week in a separate child abuse case.

Jake Paul and his Olympic gold medalist fiancée Jutta Leerdam kept clothing to a minimum in Capri ... just when you thought Italy couldn't get any hotter in August!

The Problem Child and the champion speed skater have been livin' it up on their European vacay on the sun-drenched island in the Mediterranean.

The couple jetted over in Jake's PJ ... and it's clearly been nonstop fun ever since they touched down.

Matt Damon says the possibility A.I. wipes out humanity within the decade is definitely something to lose sleep over ... but he's got a solution that may be easier said than done.

We got the actor at LAX on Thursday, and our photog asked how he's feeling after an A.I. whistleblower claimed the people building A.I. "earnestly believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade."

Matt says people's fears are definitely warranted ... telling us it's "a big thing to worry about.

Cassie's mostly kept to herself since testifying against Diddy during his sex trafficking trial ... but she did make a rare public appearance recently -- showing up to a classy London premiere.

The singer-songwriter attended the "Mobland" showing Thursday -- about a week before the wide release of the show's much-anticipated second season.

Cassie stunned in a low-cut gray dress while posing arm in arm with Alex Fine, who donned an all-black ensemble. The pair flashed small smiles for the camera.

Ne-Yo’s team is firing back at the lawsuit over a canceled concert in Sri Lanka … denying a promoter’s claims that it shelled out $300K and got no show in return. 

A spokesperson for Ne-Yo tells TMZ, “The claims made by Brown Boy Presents are categorically fraudulent and misleading. Brown Boy Presents isn’t owed money by NE-YO—the promoter owes NE-YO answers regarding its misconduct.”

The rep added that the promoter was contractually obligated to pay Ne-Yo in full prior to the performance and cover roundtrip travel for the musician and his team.

B2K singer Raz B and his wife, Mona Li, announced the devastating loss of their baby son Astro Monte Thornton ... just three months after he was born.

Sources close to the family tell TMZ ... Astro died earlier this week, and his death was unexpected and sudden.

The cause of the infant's death is unclear.

A family spokesperson tells us ... "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the unexpected passing of Astro Monte Thornton, beloved son of Mona and De'Mario 'Raz B' Thornton of the R&B supergroup B2K. The family asks for privacy as they navigate this difficult time. They truly appreciate your love and support."

The Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann, doesn't sound like a model inmate ... because he was reportedly caught with drugs and disciplined for smuggling a package into prison.

The convicted murderer allegedly tried to smuggle a package into the Clinton Correctional Facility in July and was later found with drugs ... this according to disciplinary records obtained by The New York Post.

Unclear what was in the alleged package, or what specific drugs he allegedly had ... but he's set to face the music next week ... there's a Sept. 18 hearing scheduled.

A California football mom accused of siphoning over $400,000 from a nonprofit created to support a high school football team has been arrested and charged ... and federal prosecutors say she used the money to pay her mortgage and credit card bills.

56-year-old Aliso Viejo resident Julie Hanway Molina was arrested Thursday at her Orange County home ... according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Molina was reportedly the treasurer for a booster club benefiting the Aliso Niguel High School football team. The feds claim she defrauded the nonprofit out of approximately $411,761.