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"There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates."

That's Vanessa Bryant's key argument as to why the court should REJECT a requested venue change in her wrongful death lawsuit -- claiming Kobe's legacy expands way beyond L.A.

As we previously reported, Island Express Helicopters and the estate for pilot Ara Zobayan had asked the court to move the case from L.A. to Orange County, arguing they couldn't get a fair trial in the city where the Lakers star played NBA ball for 20 years.

Now, Vanessa is firing back ... saying she lawfully selected L.A. as her venue because that's where the January 26th helicopter crash occurred -- and she's digging in her heels to keep it there.

Not only does Vanessa point out the Bryants have lived in Orange County for nearly 20 years and Kobe's "popularity there is just as strong as anywhere else" -- but she also claims it really doesn't matter where you go, Kobe is beloved all over the U.S.

"Defendant fails to acknowledge the extent to which Kobe Bryant’s legacy penetrates American culture," Vanessa's attorney states in new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

"There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates. Public esteem for Kobe Bryant is a fact of American life."

Vanessa is right about Kobe's popularity -- when he passed away back in January, tributes poured in from all over the world ... including Italy and Japan.

A massive Kobe mural even went up in Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina!

As for the venue change, that's now up to a judge to decide.

Be on the lookout for Peter Pan's shadow rummaging through your kids' bedroom at night, because it seems like Tinker Bell is following close behind ... based on what we see here.

Check out this wild video that's almost too good to be real -- it shows what appears to be a fairy-like figure hovering around outside a home at night ... shining bright with yellow light in the dead of night, and whose tiny human legs are depicted quite clearly. Storytime!

No, but seriously ... assuming this isn't altered, ya gotta wonder what the hell this thing is. It sorta looks like Tinker Bell -- except, ya know ... she's only real when you go to Disneyland, or Neverland we suppose. But, based on this -- maybe she's reached the homeland 🤷🏽‍♂️

Watch it a few times and decide for yourself -- is it a giant firefly, or is it a magical little person with wings who can sprinkle dust and make you fly??? Hey, it's 2020, who the hell knows?

There is justice after all, at least in the case of the woman who viciously attacked an elderly woman inside a store ... all over -- you guessed it -- masks.

25-year-old Terri Thomas was arrested in Hackensack, NJ for aggravated assault after video surfaced, allegedly showing her attack the lady at a STAPLES who'd asked her to pull up her mask over mouth.... which sent Thomas into a rage.

The surveillance video shows the assault clear as day -- cops say it depicts Thomas circling back to the woman -- a 54-year-old who recently had a liver transplant. The older woman tries to fend her off with her cane, but it backfired.

The suspect grabbed the woman's cane and tossed her like a rag doll ... leaving the woman on the ground and writhing in pain as the suspect stormed out, mask half hanging off her mug. Cops say the woman suffered a fractured leg and required surgery.

We've been seeing these types of face-offs way too often lately -- people telling others they should follow safety guidelines and wear face coverings, only to be cussed out, accosted, threatened, and in some cases ... outright injured for doing the right thing.

Diddy’s son, King Combs, got smoked in his Ferrari by a Tesla, and though both drivers were okay, the guy in the Tesla got taken away in cuffs.

King was involved in a car accident a little after midnight in Bev Hills, when cops say a man in a Tesla speeding down Sunset Blvd. lost control and smashed into King's red Ferrari.

We're told Diddy's son suffered injuries, but was treated at the scene and didn't need to be taken to the hospital. He's super lucky, because both cars were totaled.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Tesla driver -- who can be seen taking a field sobriety test in the video -- was arrested for DUI.

King is the 22-year-old son of Diddy and Kim Porter, who died tragically in November 2018.

Roger Goodell's latest effort to fight for social justice is being challenged by California prosecutors ... who are demanding the NFL stop running a video about the police shooting of Stephon Clark.

The California District Attorneys Association fired off a letter Tuesday to the NFL Commissioner outlining why it believes the Stephon Clark Legacy video, "though well intentioned," also "performs a disservice instead of a public service by omitting the crucial facts which preceded Mr. Clark's tragic death."

Among the complaints made by the association's president, Vern Pierson, is that the video leaves out the fact the Sacramento County D.A. and California Attorney General came to the conclusion the 2 police officers involved in Stephon's 2018 death broke no laws.

As we reported, the Stephon video is the 5th PSA created by Inspire Change -- a joint initiative between the NFL and Jay-Z's Roc Nation which aims to raise awareness about racial injustice and improve police and community relations.

In the video, Stephon's mother, Se’Quette Clark, walks viewers through the horrific night he was killed, and talks about the need for new laws to prevent more tragic police-involved shootings.

You might recall, officers opened fire on Stephon in his grandmother's backyard, believing he was brandishing a weapon.

Stephon, of course, was holding a cell phone. He was shot 8 times ... with 6 of those bullets striking him in the back. But, another complaint from the association is the NFL's video fails to mention Stephon was fleeing police who suspected him of vandalism.

The association wants Goodell to "produce a video that accurately depicts the conduct of all concerned in an officer involved shooting."

Jeff Foxworthy's saying farewell to his massive Atlanta-area home, along with his furniture, memorabilia and personal items that fans and other folks may enjoy ... redneck or not.

The Blue Collar Comedy Tour star is moving out of his 12,000-sq.-ft mansion in Johns Creek, GA and downsizing to a smaller home ... so he's holding a huge estate sale.

Among Jeff's items up for grabs include autographed memorabilia from various comedy and entertainment projects, TV scripts, sports collectibles, fine furnishings, a Renaissance billiards table and ... 2 white-tailed deer mounts.

Alright, you might be a redneck if you want those hanging on your wall.

There's a whole lot more for sale too, and it's going down now until Saturday. For those around ATL who wanna stop by, just be sure to make an appointment.

The timing of the estate sale is interesting, because Foxworthy's new show -- "What's It Worth?" -- just premiered on A&E.

Detroit rapper 42 Dugg's wearing a new accessory, but there's no celeb jeweler involved this time -- instead, it's cops who've put a GPS monitor on him after he allegedly tried to evade police.

The rapper was busted Monday in Oakland County, Michigan nearly 2 months after cops say he fled from officers in a Detroit suburb ... according to Oakland County's chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton.

Walton tells us cops tried to pull over a 2020 Chevy Tahoe that ran a stop sign back on June 5. We're told the Tahoe initially pulled over but took off when the cop approached the car, and actually managed to make a clean getaway.

Well, not all that clean. We're told the cop ran the plates and discovered it was a Hertz rental ... that was under a local promoter's name. A detective did some digging and found out Dugg is one of the promoter's clients.

Walton tells us the detective ultimately reviewed surveillance video in the area and identified 42 Dugg as the driver. The 25-year-old rapper was finally tracked down and booked for fleeing a police officer -- a third-degree felony.

Dugg eventually posted $20k bond but got a GPS ankle monitor as part of his conditional release. If convicted, the rapper faces up to 5 years in prison, a $1,000 fine and suspension of his license for 1 year. He's due back in court next week.

Dugg is best known for his collabs with Lil Baby ... including "Grace" and "We Paid," which have more than 106 million YouTube views. We've reached out to Dugg, so far, no word back.

Dana White says the UFC is going back to Fight Island THIS YEAR -- and the destination is so popular with fighters -- Abu Dhabi will soon be the fight capital of the world!!

Yes, the UFC honcho tells TMZ Sports Fight Island was definitely NOT a 1-time thing ... 'cause he's already in the process of booking fights for the UFC's return to Yas Island in "September, October."

"Everybody wants to go there now. Octagon girls all wanna go there, everybody wants to go! We're working on fights right now for the next run," White tells us.

"Obviously, a lot of the big international stars will fight over there and s**t, I mean, this next trip over there, I'll probably end up being there for 5 weeks."

Of course, Dana put Fight Island together in mere months ... and it was the location for massive fights like Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal and Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway.

But, even though it was a smash hit -- there's a ton of work and cost associated with the F.I. cards -- and fans wondered if the UFC would ever go back.

Not only are they returning ... Dana says Fight Island will soon be the number 1 destination for combat sporting events across the world.

"I'm telling you right now, Abu Dhabi is gonna become the fight capital of the world! Place is gonna end up being the fight capital of the world. The stuff that we're doing over there, the infrastructure that's already been built, the stuff that we're talking about doing, this place is gonna be a destination."

Before this beauty dressed in blue was stealing the screen in movies and television, she was just another pip-squeak posing for the camera in Los Angeles, California.

This scrunchie sweetheart is best known for her reoccurring starring roles alongside Emma Roberts and Lea Michele in spooky shows that are sure to make you scream. She can also be seen in an epic space story in theaters where she got to act on set with her mom.

This little lady grew up with a famous mother and grandmother, who both passed away in December of 2016.

Paris Jackson is living quarantine life in the single lane now ... she's broken up with her BF, singer Gabriel Glenn.

Sources close to Paris tell TMZ ... she decided it was time for her to go solo. The breakup, we're told, was amicable as neither holds any anger or ill will. Our sources say the relationship just ran its course and it was something that just needed to happen.

As for what Paris will focus her attention on now ... our sources say she's been really invested in her music. She's been so invested, she's been at the studio practically every day. We last saw her out and about last week ... looking happy, mind you.

Paris, as you may know by now, had also been working on a Facebook Watch docuseries dubbed "Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn." The 6-part docu-series debuted on June 30 and its final episode airs tonight. Paris and Gabriel have been dating since November 2018.

Over that time, they were usually out together ... often at L.A. music joints for Gabriel's gigs.

As we reported, she played best roadie GF for his gig at the Viper Room. And, remember ... Gabriel also stood by Paris' side during one of the most turbulent moments in her life.

A Georgia school's reopening may very well be exhibit A on the lack of COVID-19 safety precautions in place for students ... just look at this hallway, which looks like a superspreader's dream.

The photo shows the first day back for kids in Paulding County, where -- with the support of the Georgia Department of Education in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health -- schools are opening up their doors with "guidelines, not mandates" on how to deal with the pandemic ... and judging from the pic it's an absolute failure.

Students are crammed in a narrow hallway, and at least half of them are walking side by side without face coverings.

Georgia's "Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools" lists "prioritizing safety" as its top concern for the reopenings ... but it sure doesn't look like that's being followed.

This school photo is not the only one to raise eyebrows this week in Georgia. Another from Etowah High School in Woodstock shows a large group of seniors bunched together for a color-coordinated clothing pic ... ALL without masks.

The troubling photos come on the heels of coronavirus cases being reported at other recently reopened schools across the country ... which has led to protests over the unsafe nature of doing so.

As everyone knows, kids can infect their parents and grandparents, but also the teachers are at risk when students are in situations that make transmission almost inevitable.

President Trump, of course, has been a vocal proponent of reopening schools ... while ignoring the inherent risks.

Kanye West's uphill battle to become President is getting steeper every day, but he IS ahead of Joe Biden in one way ... he's officially listed Michelle Tidball as his running mate.

Kanye 2020 is having an up-and-down Monday, so far, because his campaign submitted petitions to get on the Arkansas ballot for prez -- but then missed the deadline in nearby Kansas.

The big news, though, is Tidball is named in the Arkansas filing as his Vice President ... more documented proof of their partnership. He also put her name down on his Missouri ballot filing last week. As we reported, she's yet to confirm it herself.

As for the campaign's progress ... a spokesperson for the Arkansas Secretary of State tells TMZ Ye also turned in the required 1,000 signatures to become an independent candidate, with just 15 mins to spare before the noon deadline.

If you've been keeping track, this has pretty much been Kanye's M.O. We're told the state will now go through the process of verifying all the signatures are legit. This has already been an issue in his home state of Illinois.

Although he checked Arkansas off his list Monday, Kanye missed Kansas ... and we're told there's no way he will be listed on the ballot now.

According to a spokesperson for Kansas Secretary of State's office ... he needed 5,000 signatures by noon and didn't turn in anything. We're told the deadline is very strict, so the only way Kanye can get presidential votes in the state now is as a write-in candidate.

For the record, both Arkansas and Kansas are worth 6 electoral votes.

As we reported ... the rapper's been working with a company called Let the Voters Decide to amass enough signatures to get on the ballots in several states, including swing-state Ohio.

Despite this seemingly sporadic focus on getting on state ballots, Kanye claims he's committed to winning the White House ... recently tweeting he could beat Biden.

It's relevant that people close to Kanye, including Kim Kardashian, say he's been coping with a bipolar episode.

Bruce Lee might be dead, but his spirit is very much alive in this little boy from Japan ... who knows one of the legend's insane nunchuck movie routines like the back of his hand.

Meet Ryusei -- a legitimate Kung Fu prodigy who's obsessed with all things Bruce ... including his famous fight scene from "Enter the Dragon," where he's swinging around the chucks like the master martial artist he was. Turns out, Ryusei wasn't too far behind him .... at age 5!!!

The clip you see here was shot a while ago, but it shows the kid with his back turned to the movie playing in the background. As Bruce starts chuckin', so does Ryusei ... who's completely in sync with the routine, damn near perfectly. It's pretty wild to see it play out.

Since then, the kid only appears to have gotten better at his craft -- he's got an IG page ... at age 9 now, he looks like he could be just good as Bruce was in his prime. He may be better by that age, in fact ... Ryusei is already sparring with fully-grown adults and holding his own.

His high-level ability -- and the natural comparisons to Bruce -- is definitely something his parents play up. It looks like they post a ton of side-by-side shots of Ryusei with the late legend, and they even went out to Bruce's gravesite in Seattle to pose for a photo-op.

Tropical Storm Isaias is leaving a deadly trail across the New York City area, knocking out power and uprooting dozens of trees ... one of which crushed a man in his car.

That horrific incident went down Tuesday afternoon in Queens as the storm pounded the city. According to reports ... the man was sitting in his car when an enormous tree violently crashed down on him.

The storm's intense, high winds have taken out trees in neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut as well -- destroying a lot of property. Plenty of videos popping up on social media show trees toppling over on tight city streets.

Let's face it, when big trees go down in congested areas like NYC, there's no margin for error -- there's gonna be damage.

So far, the Queens man is the only fatality in the NY area, but Isaias -- which made landfall yesterday in the Carolinas as a category 1 hurricane -- has killed 3 other people as it marched up the east coast.

President Trump's not the only one threatening the U.S. Post Office these days -- meet this maniac, who screamed, yelled and busted out some martial arts ... until a Good Samaritan got involved.

Check out this wild video of the guy losing it on a fellow customer -- a younger woman -- inside a Northern California Post Office. Both of them were at the counter when an argument erupted, and screamed his face off at her.

She stood her ground, which seemed to piss him off even more -- and that's when he flew into a half-assed karate stance of some sort. That drew laughs from some bystanders, but another stepped in with some words of wisdom.

A man who jumped into the fray told the Chuck Norris wannabe to scram and reminded him he's violating federal law by threatening people in a U.S. Postal Office. That seemed to finally get through to him, and he went outside.

Never a dull moment for the USPS, which Trump has been bashing nonstop -- claiming it's gonna ruin the election by screwing up the handling of mail-in ballots.