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Vanessa Bryant caught wind not everyone had nice things to say about her late husband, Kobe, upon his death ... including Evan Rachel Wood, who labeled him a "rapist."

Kobe's widow is skewering ERW and others for comments they made about Kobe shortly after his passing in Jan. 2020 -- many of whom brought up his 2003 sexual assault case ... arguing his legacy was marred by the allegations, and straight-up calling him guilty.

For the record, the criminal charges he was facing were dropped after the accuser refused to testify. She later sued him over it, and both sides reached a settlement.

Of course, Kobe was never convicted ... and is presumed innocent in the eyes of the law -- which is exactly what Vanessa points out to ERW, in sharp terms more than a year later.

She writes ... "Your false, insensitive, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least? Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn't commit. An accusation doesn't make someone guilty."

VB adds, "YOU DON'T KNOW THE FACTS OF THE CASE." She had a similar message for film producer Abigail Disney, who also called Kobe a rapist not too long after he died.

Abigail still has her 2020 tweet up -- which links to a WaPo op-ed discussing Kobe's criminal case. Evan's Twitter account appears to have been deactivated. She still has an IG account though, where she's been detailing her allegations against Marilyn Manson.

The main CPAC stage where Republicans and other conservatives are gathering this weekend in Florida looks eerily similar to an old Nazi symbol ... something that's causing utter outrage.

Somebody pointed out the design, noting the stage appears to be shaped like an emblem the Nazis proudly flashed during WWII. And no, it's not the swastika that everyone knows ... but it is an offshoot of it, one that's less known but still as hateful.

The symbol is called Odal rune, and it dates back to ancient Germanic languages. Its rough English translation is heritage, inheritance or inherited state. Yeah, pretty Nazi-ish.

This specific symbol ended up being emblazoned on uniforms of Nazi SS soldiers belonging to the 7th Volunteer Mountain Division, which was stationed in occupied Yugoslavia. The infantry formed in 1941, but it's unclear how the rune came to be adopted.

In any case, there's no question its part of Nazi history ... there are even photos of old Nazi soldiers with the rune prominently featured on their getups. As for how it came to be an apparent blueprint of the CPAC stage -- it's anyone's guess, but many feel it's no coincidence.

BTW, this doesn't seem to be a fake photo or a photoshop attempt -- the stage looks similar in design to where Ted Cruz did his best William Wallace/Mel Gibson and screamed "Freedom!" on Friday. Wide shots of Rep. Matt Gaetz's speech also seem to match.

Now, people are up in arms over this -- whether it was intentional or not -- and are demanding answers from the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, where this stage was built. We've reached out to the hotel, but no word back yet.

A plastic surgeon wanted to fight his traffic ticket this week and was ready to make his case to the judge ... in the operating room where he was performing surgery on a patient!!!

It's a crazy video ... Dr. Scott Green appeared virtually before Sacramento Court Commissioner Gary Link. The doc was decked out in surgical scrubs and you see the patient on the operating table ... mid-surgery.

The police officer and the lawyers were all present on zoom as the doctor raised his right hand and swore to tell the truth.

Truth be told ... he acknowledged he was in the middle of the operation, but he was quick to add there was another surgeon who was working on the patient while Dr. Green fought the ticket.

Judge Link seemed freaked out, and said he wasn't comfortable holding the trial ... worrying about the well-being of the person on the operating table.

Rachel Lindsay has disabled her Instagram account because of what's described as a torrent of hate by members of Bachelor Nation.

As you know by now, Rachel's interview with Chris Harrison led to him stepping away from the show after he defended current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell over a photo taken 2 years ago where she attended an antebellum party.

Van Lathan, who co-hosts the 'Higher Learning' podcast with Lindsay, tore into her critics, saying "Y'all have got to get a f***ing life." As he puts it, "Rachel is not responsible for Chris Harrison, a 49-year-old man who can't read the room in these 2021 times."

Don't let these two almost identical images of Regé-Jean Page keep you too distracted from the task at hand! Take a good look around both of the photos above and see if you can spot any switches that have been made to the original pic!

The "Bridgerton" star was seen out and about in New York City just last week ... and we have made a few changes to this sneaky snap! Put your detective skills to see if you can uncover the differences between these two super similar photos!

Lady Gaga's beloved French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav have been returned ... after her dog walker was shot in the chest trying to save the dogs in Hollywood.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ a woman turned the dogs in Friday night to an LAPD station. We're told the dogs were unharmed and have been reunited with Gaga's team.

Our sources say the woman appears to be a good samaritan and claims she found the dogs and brought them in. The LAPD is continuing to investigate, and the shooters are still on the loose.

Sources close to Gaga tell us she cried "tears of joy" when she got the news.

It's currently unclear if and when the woman will be rewarded the $500,000 offered by Gaga for the return of the dogs.

TMZ broke the story ... 2 of Gaga's pups were abducted Wednesday night, when thieves confronted her dog walker on the street and shot him. Lady Gaga, who was in Rome working on a new movie at the time, offered $500,000 for the dogs' return, no questions asked.

Surveillance video from a neighboring home showed the brazen attack ... and you hear one of the thieves cock a gun and tell Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, to "give it up" before a struggle ensues and the gun goes off.

Fischer, who was shot in the chest, was walking 3 of Gaga's French bulldogs when he was attacked ... and one pooch, Asia, was able to run away from the thieves before coming back to the injured dog walker.

Abigail Breslin's dad had died from COVID, and the actress has shared her grief.

The "Zombieland" star posted 78-year-old Michael Breslin passed away Friday, adding, "Hard to write this. Harder than I thought. I'm in shock and devastation ... my sweet, perfect, amazing, heroic, wonderful dada passed away after my family and I said goodbye. It was COVID-19 that cut my sweet daddy’s life too short."

Michael had been suffering from COVID this month and his condition deteriorated ... he was eventually placed on a ventilator and several days ago lost consciousness.

24-year-old Abigail's siblings, Ryan and Spencer, also shared thoughts about their dad.

Michael worked in telecommunications and worked as a computer programmer and a consultant.

He was 78.

A zoom celebration of Black History Month was interrupted by some racists who hurled the n-word for all to hear, but, as host Aldis Hodge said, were too cowardly to show their faces.

"Straight Outta Compton" star Aldis, along with Reginald Johnson and Malyia McNaughton, were on the call when an uninvited guest blurted out, "Aldis Hodge, my n*****. I heard you're like a famous actor, my guy."

Aldis and company kept their cool as they tried to boot the disembodied racist from the room.

Malyia then resumes the conversation, talking about the importance of Black History Month, when another voice chimes in, "When's white history month?"

At that point, the co-hosts decided to address the haters. After another uninvited guest hurls the n-word, Aldis lowers the boom, saying, "If you're brave enough to speak to me in such a callous way, I would love to see your face so we can speak face to face."

Of course, the invitation is not accepted, and Aldis labels the racists "cowards."

Bill Maher took aim at cancel culture, saying it's become McCarthyism in reverse.

Maher ended 'Real Time' Friday night with a blistering attack on cancel culture, using examples like Chris Harrison and Justin Timberlake, but warning it's not just about celebrities anymore ... he says it's coming to a neighborhood near you. Bill grouses he can't keep up anymore with who's on the s*** list.

Maher scoffs at the Chris Harrison and "The Bachelor" -- which he calls the "F*** a Stranger Show." And, he says San Francisco has canceled Abe Lincoln. In case you didn't know, back in the day, Lincoln embraced white supremacy ... despite ending slavery.

Tessica Brown's joy after getting Gorilla Glue removed from her hair ... is giving way to a serious scare -- doctors found lumps in her breasts.

Tessica's manager, Gina Rodriguez, tells TMZ ... Tessica's getting a mommy makeover, which includes a boob lift/implants and some abdominal lipo.

As part of a pre-surgery consultation, Dr. Michael Obeng -- the doc who defeated the Gorilla Glue -- examined her breasts earlier this week, and unfortunately discovered a lump in each of Tessica's breasts.

We're told Tessica subsequently had a mammogram which confirmed the presence of masses. She's already had surgery to remove them, and they're now being tested for cancer.

While it's frightening news ... Tessica sees the silver lining.

Really upsetting week with Tiger and Gaga. So we gotta ask ...

Lady Gaga's stolen pups are part of an alarming trend ... French bulldog thefts are on the rise, but breeders say there are a few things folks can do to keep the dogs safe.

Honchos at Francoeur French Bulldogs, a breeder in California, tell TMZ ... stealing Frenchies has recently become a thing -- it's happening in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix -- and they're advising French bulldog owners not to walk their dogs at night.

TMZ broke the story ... dognappers abducted 2 of Lady Gaga's Frenchies at gunpoint this week in Hollywood, stealing them from her dog walker as he was taking them down the street around 10 PM.

Folks at French Bulldog Puppies Los Angeles say they're telling their celebrity clients to be extra careful with the dogs, because thieves know Frenchies are in demand and expensive. We're told puppies can be worth up to $20,000 and older dogs could still fetch $2,500.

Lucky for Gaga, her dogs were returned unharmed Friday night when a woman dropped them off at a LAPD station. Remember ... Gaga offered a $500,000 reward for her dogs' return, no questions asked.

French Bulldog Puppies has a message ... the most important precaution folks can take is microchipping their Frenchies so they can be identified if they're taken to a vet.

Frenchies are small, in-demand and worth a lot of money, which puts a target on their back ... and the owner of French Bulldogs LA says the problem's compounded by the fact the dogs are so friendly they would hop into a stranger's car with no problem.

Lennox Lewis says he'd seriously consider getting back in the ring with Mike Tyson for a long-awaited rematch ... but only if there was a serious demand.

"If the public wanted it then we would probably talk," the former heavyweight champ tells TMZ Sports.

Lewis famously KO'd Tyson in the 8th round when they clashed in June 2002 -- despite Tyson making some wild threats in the build-up to the fight (remember, Tyson said he wanted to "eat" Lennox's children!?).

But, after Tyson's incredible performance against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020, there's definitely an appetite to see "Iron" Mike get back in the ring.

Question is ... who will be Mike's next opponent?! 55-year-old Lennox?

Lennox hasn't fought professionally since a 2003 victory over Vitali Klitschko -- but he admitted he'd consider squaring up with Tyson ... but only if the situation was perfect.

"I don't know. I don't really have nothing pushing me in the ring right now. People would love to see that fight but I don't know."

Our photog asked if a poll on TMZ Sports would help sway the boxer ... who admitted he's curious how that would go.

So, VOTE if you want to see the rematch!

Grace VanderWaal isn't seeing stars, she's seeing dollar signs ... because we've learned she's getting paid a nice chunk of change for her lead role in "Stargirl."

The 17-year-old singer is off to a pretty strong start financially in her acting career after securing top billing in the Disney+ movie, "Stargirl." According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Grace took home a base salary of $125,000 for the first film, and it looks like she's got a bigger payday on the horizon for the upcoming sequel.

Grace is in line to double her earnings for the second 'Stargirl' movie ... the contract says she'll get paid a cool $250,000 to reprise her role as Stargirl Caraway, and Disney says the sequel is already in development.

We'll do the math for ya ... Grace will earn at least $375,000 just in base pay for both films. And, if there's a third film, she'll rake in $500,000. Yes, it pays well to be a Disney star.

With the travel bans and mandatory quarantines in full effect around most places, these celebs have been trying to avoid all that by heading south of the US border for a getaway!

With the limited restrictions, it's been hard for stars to resist a trip. Amelia Gray Hamlin, Kylie Jenner, and Lottie Moss are just a few of the stars that have headed down south to social distance!

Even Senator Ted Cruz tried his hand at a trip down to Cancun before having to return early, after facing backlash for leaving the state of Texas in the middle of an ice storm.

Tekashi69's got the wrong idea of what bottle service means in a Miami strip club, according to a dancer who claims he smashed her in the head ... after someone called him out for snitching.

Now Alexis Salaberrios is striking back at the rapper with a lawsuit she filed Friday over what she claims was a bloody incident inside Gold Rush Cabaret on February 20. In the suit, she alleges Tekashi threw a "deadly object with intent to commit serious bodily injury."

Her attorney, David M. Tarlow, tells TMZ the object was a champagne bottle, and he's claiming Tekashi threw it because someone called him a rat. Problem is, the bottle missed his intended target, and Alexis alleges she ended up taking it to the dome.

He tells us her alleged injuries required a trip to the ER where she got several staples to close a head wound.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Alexis is also ripping Gold Rush for its lack of security around Tekashi, considering he's known to have a "propensity for violence."

After she was injured, Alexis alleges club staffers ushered 6ix9ine out of the joint, and immediately pressured her not to call police. Tarlow says Alexis ignored them, and did report the incident to cops.

She's suing the club for gross negligence, and Tekashi for aggravated battery -- but he feels the lawsuit's just a money grab.