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The man cops say is responsible for the shooting death of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of Clarence Avant, has been charged with murder ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County District Attorney's office announced the charges of murder, attempted murder and felon with a firearm as well as two counts of residential burglary with person present against Aariel Maynor Monday, less than a week after Avant was killed.

George Gascón, the D.A. says, “Mrs. Avant was a treasured member of our community. Her generosity and good will touched so many lives.”

TMZ broke the story, Maynor allegedly broke into the family home around 2:30 the morning of December 1. He then shot and killed Jackie and opened fire on a security guard. Both Clarence and the guard were uninjured.

As we reported, Maynor was arrested the night of the murder when he was found in a backyard 6 miles from the Avant home in the process of committing another crime. Somehow, Maynor shot himself in the foot with the same weapon it's believed he used to kill Avant.

Maynor's motive is currently unknown, but it's possible the Avants fell victim to a random attack at their Trousdale Estates home.

Clarence, known as the "Godfather of Black Music" is a music legend, with a career and influence spanning decades. He and Jacqueline were regulars at public outings, and after her death, tributes poured in across the entertainment and political world.

Britney Spears’ big birthday bash is far from over -- although the pop star turned 40 last week, she and Sam Asghari are keeping the party going.

Brit and her fiance were enjoying a Monday morning by their hot tub at the resort where they're staying in Cabo San Lucas.

As you can see in the photos, Mexico agrees with Britney! She's relaxing in a red bikini with shades on ... and Sam, with his super-toned bod, is right by her side.

Last week, the pair hopped on a PJ filled with roses and a special birthday cake, to begin the singer's birthday festivities.

Hey, the 4-Oh is a BIG one, worthy of a LONG celebration!!!

Aaron Carter is going back to square one with his baby mama -- trying to patch things up after a dramatic weekend ... which included a call to Child Protective Services.

Aaron tells TMZ ... he's back with fiancée Melanie Martin, and they're trying to work it all out for the sake of their family. He says he feels hurt by her being in contact with his estranged family, but also says everyone deserves a second chance.

You'll recall ... Aaron told us he discovered Melanie had been in touch with his sister, Angel, which he felt was a betrayal and caused them to temporarily split. He also thought she was in cahoots with his fam to try to get him under a conservatorship. He even dropped a new song about his estranged siblings called, "So much to say".

That's all water under the bridge now, it seems, but the reconciliation came with even more tension -- because we're told Aaron's fans called CPS on him after seeing Melanie put their newborn, Prince, in his bed ... which some felt was too rough for a baby.

Aaron tells us CPS came by his Lancaster, CA home to check on the baby and the general living conditions -- but found everything was in order and left without incident.

Jussie Smollett just took the stand in his own defense, talking about his career and his sexual encounters with one of the men he says is responsible for attacking him.

Smollett was called as a witness for the defense Monday, and opened up about his family, the loss of his dad and finding success on "Empire." Jussie claimed to have made $25K-$35K per episode on the first season of the FOX show.

Jussie also got into how he met Abel, saying the two met at a gay club one night and went to a Chicago bathhouse where they did drugs, including cocaine and marijuana. During another visit to the bathhouse, Jussie says they made out and masturbated together.

We had Fox News correspondent Matt Finn on TMZ Live who was inside the courtroom when Jussie took the stand, and gave us a better idea of the actor's mood.

This is the second week of the trial, last week saw testimony from the Osundairo brothers, who Jussie says attacked him. Of course, the Osundairo brothers have maintained Jussie was in on the whole thing, and staged the attack with them for publicity.

Last week, Ola Osundairo fought back against previous claims Jussie had made calling him homophobic. He presented the court with a photo of himself dressed as a Trojan warrior and handing out condoms at a gay pride parade to show he was friendly with the gay community.

In describing the planning of the attack, the brothers testified Smollett originally wanted them to punch him, put a noose around his neck and pour gasoline on him. However, the gasoline was changed to bleach because the brothers felt gasoline could be too dangerous.

Evander Kane just got a judge to order his estranged wife, Anna Kane, to stay the hell away from him ... after he said he's "afraid" of her following her gun video post last week.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Evander says he's fearful Anna might hurt him, his girlfriend, Mara Teigen, and his daughter in the wake of her recent social media activity.

As we previously reported, Anna posted a video of Evander with a gun on Instagram last Wednesday, saying it showed him recklessly pointing it at her in 2020.

In the vid's caption, Anna claimed the firearm was loaded ... and called Evander a "psycho path."

The San Jose Sharks star, though, said in the docs the gun was absolutely not loaded -- adding that he had only had it in his hand because he and Anna were doing a photo shoot with it.

Evander said in the docs he has the pictures of the two with the weapon that prove it was just a photo shoot.

Evander claims the social media post -- as well as other things Anna put on her Instagram last week -- was such a blatant attempt to hurt him, he's straight-up scared of her now.

The judge granted his request for a temporary restraining order, but Evander is now asking for another order that keeps Anna at least 300 yards away from him for the next three years.

A hearing on the matter has been set for Jan. 13, 2022.

‘Gorilla Glue girl’ is back at it again … this time she's swearing off all chemicals -- non-adhesive ones too -- for use in her hair, after a failed attempt at dying her 'do.

TMZ caught up with Tessica Brown Monday at LAX as she explained that she's flown to L.A. to get another hair treatment, this time at LA FUE Hair Clinic. She explained that her hair now frizzes up and falls out “whenever you touch it”, after using chemicals to change the color.

Tessica says she thought it would be safe because her hair had grown “so pretty”... and it had been a year since her tragic incident where she accidentally used Gorilla Glue instead of hairspray and ended up needing surgical repairs on her scalp.

She's back in L.A., desperate to stop her hair from falling out, but we gotta say ... her makeshift home repair looks pretty good.

From now on, she says she will be on a “natural [hair] diet.” When asked if she has a message to girls out there, Tessica simply says ... “it’s not worth it.”

Drake won't be partaking in the upcoming Grammy Awards -- despite being nominated -- because the guy just pulled his submissions ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper has withdrawn his 2 Grammy nominations -- one for Best Rap Album in "Certified Lover Boy" and another for Best Rap Performance in "Way 2 Sexy" -- after having gotten nods about two weeks ago.

A source close to Drake tells us the decision was made by Drake and his management team,  and the Grammys board respected it. Variety was first to report Drake's withdraw.

He's obviously no stranger to the award ceremony -- having racked up multiple wins over the years, including one in 2019 -- but Drake has also publicly noted he isn't a fan of accolades like this ... saying they're virtually meaningless.

He was also one of the first to speak up after The Weeknd was snubbed by the ceremony, saying, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards."

Of course, this move might have more to do with his involvement in Astroworld Fest than his stance on awards -- the guy's been relatively low-key since the tragedy, especially since he's been named in a few of the lawsuits that have surfaced thus far.

The Philadelphia Flyers' season just got a whole lot crappier ... 'cause on the day they fired their head coach amid a losing skid, a police K-9 defecated all over their center-ice logo.

Just hours after the team canned Alain Vigneault, several dogs from the Philadelphia Police Dept. took a trip to Wells Fargo Center ... and you can see in video of their visit, things got messy quickly.

One of the dogs walked all the way out to the red line ... popped a squat and then let its bowels go.

The dog pooped for several seconds -- and then appeared to unleash even more on the logo!!

Of course, we're pretty sure it'll all get cleaned up in time for the Flyers' Monday evening game against the Colorado Avalanche ... but it's yet another reminder of how badly Philly's season has gone so far.

The team is currently in the midst of an 8-game losing streak ... and they've played so poorly recently, there's not a whole lot of optimism in the City Of Brotherly Love at the moment.

Travis Scott doesn't believe he should be tied to litigation when it comes to the tragedy that happened at Astroworld ... which is why he's asking a judge to nix one of the lawsuits against him.

The rapper just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, denying the claims against him by a guy named Jessie Garcia, who's alleging he was in the crowd at the festival. Trav's asking that his suit be dismissed with prejudice ... specifically, as it pertains to TS himself, his company (Jack Enterprises) and his foundation/label (Cactus Jack).

Travis is issuing a "general denial," which is a legal term in civil suits that allows one to submit one blanket response to all the allegations against them.

In other words, Travis is making clear that the deaths and injuries are not his responsibility, and he's asking the judge to toss the suit against him and his entities.

BTW, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is planning to issue a similar response for every civil suit against him -- and trust us, there are many. He might be able to do it in one fell swoop though -- last week, there was a motion filed to combine all 275 cases that have been filed thus far into one "multi-district litigation," which would consolidate many of the suits.

The reason for the ask is because a lot of the claims are eerily similar ... so just for efficiency, they're asking one judge be assigned to the case. The court has yet to rule.

Russell Westbrook isn't letting the Lakers' early-season struggles put a damper on his spirit ... 'cause the SoCal native hit up the Happiest Place on Earth with his wife and kids.

The Lakers -- who last played Friday against the Clippers -- had the weekend off ... providing Russ the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the fam.

Westbrook and his wife, Nina, took their kids to Disneyland in Anaheim on Sunday ... where they enjoyed some rides at the famous theme park. And yes, they had delicious Churros too.

The Lakers star rode the Radiator Spring Racers, where he sat in the front row (photo below). The 33-year-old also hit up the new Web Slingers Spider-Man attraction in the new California Adventures Park's Marvel Land.

The former UCLA product has been all smiles since being traded to his hometown Lakers ... despite a season that has been mired with inconsistency due to injuries and lack of chemistry.

Of course, Russ isn't the first celebrity to grace Disneyland with his presence. A host of A-list stars like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Mario Lopez, Nick Cannon and Trey Songz have visited the park.

Disney was also a favorite of Kobe Bryant over the years ... who LOVED the park.

Anyone have a staple remover??

The iconic Staples Center signage is officially coming down on Monday ... with workers slowly removing the red letters off of the building to make way for Crypto.com Arena.

As we previously reported, the cryptocurrency company bought the naming rights to the venue last month ... which came with a whopping $700 MILLION price tag.

While the name change won't officially happen until Christmas Day, AEG wasted no time kick-starting the rebrand ... which will undoubtedly have some fans upset.

Of course, Staples Center was often referred to as "The House That Kobe Built," as a nod to the late Lakers legend, who played at the venue for the majority of his Hall of Fame career.

No matter what people officially call the arena, Vanessa Bryant made it clear all the history that Kobe made inside will always live on.

Lil Wayne allegedly pulled an assault rifle on one of his own bodyguards during a dispute at his home, and now police are looking into the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the rapper's guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy's Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm.

We're told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that's when Wayne dramatically escalated things.

We've spoken with a source close to Wayne who strongly denies the incident even happened ... and tell us Wayne doesn't even have a gun.

That's not however, what the guard told cops ... our sources say the guard claimed Lil Wayne pulled out an AR-15 ... and that's when the guard booked it out of the house to the gated community's guard shack, where he called police.

We're told cops went to Weezy's place to get his side of the story, but he was already gone. The guard told police the fight started with Wayne accusing him of taking photos and leaking them to the media.

Other law enforcement sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... cops have issues with the guard's story, and they say he did not have any marks on his body or injuries from the alleged physical confrontation.

We're told the guard also does not want to press charges against Wayne -- and while police have doubts about some of the allegations, they will nevertheless investigate.

Tyron Woodley's getting his rematch after all -- Jake Paul just announced Tommy Fury has backed out of their December 18 fight ... with the ex-UFC champ taking his place.

24-year-old Paul just posted a video confirming rumors of Fury pulling out on Monday ... saying he will go head-to-head against Woodley once again in less than 2 weeks' notice.

"When my team woke me up on Friday to tell me Tommy Fumbles was pulling out, I told them I’ll fight anyone on December 18th," Jake said. "Troy, Trey, Trevor, Travis,… I don’t give a f*** who it is."

Naturally, Jake also had some words for Tommy.

"Tommy’s pulling out because of a 'medical condition' called vaginitis," he added. "Unlike the Furys, Tyron actually has some balls, is stepping in, and contractually he is getting an extra $500,000 if he knocks me out."

Of course, Paul and Woodley duked it out in Cleveland on August 29, with the YouTuber getting the split decision win over Tyron.

As we previously reported, Tommy agreed to fight Jake back in October ... after months of trash talk and failed contract negotiations.

Speaking of failed negotiations, Woodley initially lost his shot at the rematch after Paul claimed he took too long to get "I love Jake Paul" tatted on him.

Woodley eventually got the ink a month after the fight ... getting the phrase on his middle finger.

This time around, Jake is guaranteeing a different outcome.

"First time I outboxed him. This time I’m gonna punish him and leave no doubt."

It's a quick turnaround for Woodley ... but the dude's a pro, so we're sure he'll be fine.

President Joe Biden welcomes back the Kennedy Center Honors, post-pandemic, and immediately gets totally roasted by ‘SNL’ star Michael Che ... who said, "There’s no way he is awake right?"

The age-appropriate shot was well-received, though, during a night of jokes, laughter and great music. President Biden slipped into his tux for the Sunday night gala honoring 5 legendary artists for their lifetime achievements -- Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels, famed actor Bette Midler, singer Justino Diaz and folk music legend Joni Mitchell.

This night was particularly special because the Prez and First Lady were in attendance --bringing back the tradition. President Trump had skipped the event since 2016 after honorees threatened to protest if he participated.

In fact, Biden got a standing ovation as he entered the event and praise from attendees such as late-night legend David Letterman, who also took a swipe at Trump, saying ... "It's quite nice once again to see the presidential box being occupied."

Several members of the Toronto Argonauts went into the stands to confront fans on Sunday -- with one player actually throwing a huge haymaker at a man who got in his face.

The wild scene all went down at the end of the Argonauts' playoff loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, when a few Argos players leaped over some railing and got into an altercation with patrons.

According to witnesses, some fans had spilled drinks on the players, causing the initial commotion, and you can see in footage shot by bystanders, things quickly turned violent.

A fan dressed in Hamilton Tiger-Cats gear ran into Toronto defensive back Chris Edwards, who then threw a looping right hand at the man's face in response.

Argonauts wide receiver Dejon Brissett then jumped in to try to break things up, pushing the fan into a wall.

Fortunately for everybody involved, security quickly stepped in ... subduing the fan and allowing the Toronto players to return to their locker room.

Things could have ended much worse for a family's dog had it not been for a pane of glass stopping a hungry mountain lion from making it dinner.

The video, taken by a woman in Colorado, shows her dog named Dash frozen in fear as the mountain lion spots it from outside. The mountain lion seems puzzled by the barrier, trying different ways to get in, even tapping on the glass with its paw.

You can hear the fear in the woman's voice as she records and tries to get Dash away from the door, without any luck. The dog is clearly terrified, not moving.