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Janet Jackson was so impressed with a UCLA gymnastics star who busted out a floor routine inspired by her music, JANET FACETIMED HER!!

The athlete behind the routine is Margzetta Frazier -- who busted out some of Ms. Jackson's legendary dance moves to songs like "Nasty" and "If" during a competition against BYU earlier this month.

Footage of the routine went viral -- because it's awesome -- and got all the way to Janet, who DEMANDED she talk to Frazier face-to-face (virtually, of course).

The two connected on Friday -- and Jackson gushed about Frazier's routine, talent and raw athleticism.

"I just want too say thank you," Janet said to Margzetta ... "Thank you for sharing your talent. It's so beautiful to see you tumble. Really inspiring."

"It just inspired me to want to do more, and do better and be stronger. I loved it. Absolutely loved it."

Frazier was so touched, she choked back tears and told her idol how much Janet and her music meant to her.

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

The lawyer who killed the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas had his sights set on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor next ... according to Judge Salas.

Roy Den Hollander is believed to have posed as a FedEx delivery worker in July when he ambushed the home of Salas' family, fatally shooting her 20-year-old son and injuring her husband. At the time, Judge Salas was overseeing a case Hollander was arguing.

But Salas just revealed, on "60 Minutes" ... Hollander had more disturbing intentions.

After Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Salas says FBI agents found a locker belonging to him in which he had another gun, more ammo, and a manila folder with a "workup" of Justice Sotomayor ... including "her favorite restaurants, where she worked out, her friends."

The first episode of HBO's new documentary detailing Dylan Farrow's allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen is out -- and the famed director has choice words for it.

He and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, blasted the doc in a joint statement ... calling 'Allen v. Farrow' a "hatchet job" that they believe had no interest in pursuing the facts.

Allen and Previn -- through his sister, Letty Aronson -- say the filmmakers "spent years surreptitiously collaborating with the Farrows and their enablers to put together a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods. Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days 'to respond.' Of course, they declined."

The statement notes Dylan's allegations -- and at the time when she was a child, her mother Mia Farrow's as well -- have been known about and investigated several times for years now ... with no wrongdoing found on the part of Allen, or charges brought against him.

It unequivocally asserts no abuse ever took place, while adding ... "It is sadly unsurprising that the network to air this is HBO -- which has a standing production deal and business relationship with Ronan Farrow. While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts."

The first episode in the 4-part series chronicled how Mia met Woody and got involved with him -- eventually introducing and incorporating him into the lives of her many children (some biological, others adopted). Obviously, it also focused on Dylan -- one of Mia's adopted children -- and what the filmmakers, and others, deemed Woody's fixation with her.

The episode has a major cliffhanger, where it's alleged Mia found nude photos of her adult adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, at Woody's place ... and discovered a love affair between them.

The final scene shows current-day Dylan reflecting to the camera, "Oh, I'm not the only one," implying Allen had taken nude photos of her too.

"Animal House" star Tim Matheson says he's getting threatened with way more than a food fight after tweeting something "ignorant" about the former First Lady.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Matheson told cops someone’s been harassing him online since he took a jab at Melania Trump last month, by saying it was wonderful to have a First Lady who can speak English.

Ironically, it's the kinda thing you'd expect to hear from Melania's husband.

Tim later apologized, but we're told the threats keep escalating -- from the person saying they're going to kick Tim's ass to ... "pay me big bucks or I will kill you."

Our sources say the actor contacted the LAPD after the death threat, filed an extortion report because of the money demands ... and now cops are investigating.

As for Tim's Twitter snafu -- he replied to Melania's farewell message on Twitter to say sorry. He wrote, "Thank you for your work as the First Lady.I apologize to you for a stupid, ignorant,& foul remark that I made."

Ex-NBA star Chris Webber believes there's A LOT of money to be made in the weed business ... and he wants to make sure minorities get a fair shot to get that green.

Webber has teamed up with JW Asset Management to launch a $100 million private equity fund specifically to help minority entrepreneurs succeed in the marijuana industry, which has exploded all over the country.

The issue ... Webber says there are several barriers in place which seem to prevent minorities from getting a piece of the action -- and he's looking to even the playing field.

Webber told the guys on "TMZ Live" ... some states require a $60,000 deposit to apply for a license to open a dispensary which is an extraordinarily high price.

"People need help," Webber says ... "So we’re gonna come in these places and we’re gonna train, we’re gonna make sure we provide jobs, and we’re gonna make sure you have a hub to understand how you can enter the cannabis industry not just as a cultivator or grower, or some star, but also how to make a great living by providing certain services that the industry allow."

Webber broke it down this way in a statement -- "It’s crucial that we diversify the leadership in the cannabis industry and level the playing field for people from our communities."

The return of "The Real Housewives of Miami" will not feature the return of 2 big names from its original run -- Lea Black and Joanna Krupa.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the timing simply doesn't work out for Lea, an OG Miami Housewife, because she spends several months out of the year on the opposite coast at her L.A. home.

As for Joanna -- who starred on seasons 2 and 3 of the show -- we're told she has no interest in coming back ... plus, she no longer calls Miami home. She says as much herself, telling TMZ ... "In 8 years I have grown a lot as a person and my priorities in life have changed especially after having an amazing little girl. I love to work, I have great and long-lasting TV shows in Poland, and continue doing other projects."

She adds this about 'Real Housewives' ... "Women need to uplift and support each other and I would never at this point in my life consider doing a show that would cause me stress and engage in unnecessary drama. I wish everyone luck and huge success that will be part of the reboot." Lea didn't get back to us with official word, but we know she's not participating.

Our sources say over the past couple months, casting producers have reached out to several other former 'RHOM' cast members to gauge their interest in the reboot ... but it's shrouded in mystery who's in and who's out, other than Lea and Joanna.

Rumors are swirling Larsa Pippen may return, and there could be some notable newcomers ... like Phil Collins' ex, Orianne Cevey.

Trick Daddy's taking a plea deal in his Miami bust for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, and now he's finally able to put the case behind him.

The District Attorney's Office tells us Trick cut a deal ... pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and getting credit for time served. In exchange, we're told the DUI charge was dropped.

We broke the story ... police bodycam footage from the rapper's January 2020 arrest showed a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill. Cops also said he also bombed a field sobriety test, and the video shows him slurring his speech while playing the celeb card.

That didn't really help him, however there was only a trace amount of cocaine -- so he got a very low level, third-degree felony. The D.A. tells us he's not on probation, either ... the plea deal closes case.

Before this toothless tot was renovating farm-style homes for television, she was just another picture-perfect kid growing up in Wichita, Kansas.

This smiling sweetheart has made a name for herself -- and her husband -- by starring in a hit HGTV series that revolves around the couple purchasing property, fixing up houses, and redecorating them for their clients. Located in Texas, this popular series that designed these sought-over homes ended in 2018.

Now, this celebrity personality and entrepreneur has a specialty lifestyle and home collection line stocked in Target stores throughout the country.

Malcolm X's surviving family members are demanding his murder case be reopened after claiming they now have a letter that ropes the NYPD and FBI directly into his death.

The late civil rights leader's three daughters spoke out at a news conference this weekend, asking the Manhattan D.A. to re-open the case and take a hard look at new evidence they claim to have ... which alleges a conspiracy at the highest levels.

It's a letter written by a former NYPD officer, Raymond Wood, who often worked undercover ... and who purportedly confessed on his death bed he had been instructed by his bosses to get some of Malcolm's security guards arrested in the days leading up to his assassination.

The letter reportedly claims Wood was told by his bosses to lure a couple guards into committing crimes just days before Malcolm was killed, which then got them taken into custody ... away from the action at the Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965.

Wood says had they not been arrested, they would've been handling door security. It's no coincidence either, per the letter. Wood explicitly says the FBI and NYPD planned for all this, so the people who fatally shot Malcolm could more easily get inside, armed.

In light of this new alleged evidence, Malcolm's family wants the whole investigation reexamined ... echoed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's repping the fam and leading the charge in getting the D.A. to give what he calls "restorative justice."

One note we should mention -- many accounts of the days leading up to Malcolm's murder say he himself had reduced security at speaking engagements, including door checks. While he still had his own personal detail, he wasn't rolling nearly as deep as he had been earlier in the '60s when he was still on good terms with the Nation of Islam.

The letter, as described, doesn't seem to address that -- but in any case, it's alleging bad actors beyond the men who were convicted for the assassination.

Malcolm was gunned down by three men, fatally suffering 21 shots. He was 39.

RIP

Patrick Mahomes and his fiancee, Brittany Matthews, are proud, happy parents of a healthy baby girl ... and the name is awesome!

The Kansas City Chiefs QB and his bride-to-be made the announcement Sunday with matching photos and similar captions. It depicts a close-up shot of mom, dad and baby's hands/fingers all touching ... with Brittany wearing a necklace with the kid's name.

She goes by Sterling Skye Mahomes -- and Brittany shared she was born Saturday, coming in at 6 lbs, 11 oz.

The couple revealed the baby's gender back in October -- using their dogs to help with the announcement. Mahomes proudly called himself a #GirlDad."

Just a couple days ago, Brittany posted photos of a maternity shoot she'd done, with Patrick in tow.

 "Ready to meet you baby girl 💕," Brittany posted .

The couple came out publicly with news they were expecting back in September -- not too long after Pat popped the question to his longtime girlfriend.

COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives -- surpassing half a million Sunday -- more than we lost on the battlefield in three combined wars.

Compare the numbers .... there were 291,000 American deaths in WWII. There were 47,434 American battle deaths during the Vietnam War. There were 33,739 American battle deaths in the Korean War.

Compare those numbers to COVID ... as of this post 502,000 Americans have died, and the numbers keep going up. Despite the vaccines, some doctors and scientists believe there could still be a new, devastating wave of deaths because of highly-transmissible variants.

The good news, of course -- the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace .... lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70% of Americans -- possibly even more -- must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.

As you know ... there's a lot of skepticism over the vaccine for various reasons. Some people think it was rushed, and others -- especially African-Americans who endured shocking abuse in the disgraceful Tuskegee experiment -- just don't trust it or the government when it comes to vaccines.

There has been a slew of stories about the vaccines, suggesting they may not be effective as variants arise ... and lots of people resistant to the vaccines seem to be saying, what's the point?

In any case, we've lost more than half a million Americans to COVID.

The sick George Floyd Valentine's Day gag in L.A. found legs and went on over to Nevada, where a high school student used a twisted line as a Sadie Hawkins dance invite.

This photo was captured recently on a sports field at Foothill High School in Henderson, NV -- not too far outside of Vegas. It depicts what appears to be a female high school student holding up a poster with a request that someone be her date to the Sadie's dance.

The poster features a hand-written message and a crude drawing of Floyd. The writing reads, "If you went to SADIES w/ me it would take my BREATH away! George Floyd."

Yeah ... nothing subtle about that at all.

The Clark County School District says it's investigating the matter, and Foothill also posted this message on its site -- "Foothill and CCSD will not tolerate racially insensitive behaviors that contradict an inclusive community and impact the school culture of our students."

This is in the same vein as a Valentine with George Floyd's photo that was being shared among LAPD officers -- which captioned, "You take my breath away." Someone reported it to higher-ups and it too is now being investigated. LAPD also said it had a zero tolerance for such behavior.

Ted Cruz may have come up with a bright idea on his flight back from Cancun -- if no one else gives him props, he'll do it himself.

Cruz posted pics Saturday of him delivering water to his desperate constituents. You see Cruz carrying a case of H2O ... shaking hands with a fellow Texan.

And, speaking of cases ... this may be one of too little, too late. As you know, while Texans were freezing and dying, the Senator from Texas and his family jetted down to Cancun for some fun in the sun. He blamed his daughters for the trip and even suggested he was merely escorting them down and flying right back. That was a lie, although he did fly back the next day after being almost universally shamed.

What's super interesting ... AOC flew to Texas this week to help the folks and raised millions for relief efforts, and it ain't even her state! BTW, the Congresswoman, who's way more liberal than most of the state, was received warmly and enthusiastically.

So, regarding Ted ... is it true -- better late than never?

"Saturday Night Live's" Michael Che is getting dragged for what some are calling an anti-Semitic joke.

Che was at the anchor desk for "Weekend Update" Saturday night, when he quipped that half the folks in Israel have already gotten the COVID vaccine, adding, "I'm going to guess it's the Jewish half."

True enough ... Israel's faced criticism for not yet inoculating around 100,000 Palestinians who work in Israel. That said, Che did not say the Israeli half was vaccinated ... he said the Jewish half. By saying that, he made it about religion, not the government.

Fact is ... Israel is inoculating Jews, Arabs and Christians. They were slow on the uptake with Palestinians, but they're correcting that.

Twitter went crazy after Che dropped the joke, calling him out, but he has yet to address it.

Kris Jenner is taking a page from her daughters' playbooks ... 'cause she's tapping into the beauty business.

The Kardashians matriarch filed trademark docs to lock up rights to a couple different names for beauty and skincare lines she presumably plans to launch ... including "Kris Jenner Beauty," "Kris Jenner Skin" and "Kris Jenner Skincare."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris is looking to use her name on a wide range of products for hair, skin, nails and eyes, plus cosmetics and fragrances ... pretty much anything folks use to look and smell good.

Kris' daughters have already been down this road ... Kim has a massive beauty empire and makeup made Kylie Jenner a billionaire, while Khloe and Kourtney also have cosmetics lines with Kylie.