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American actress Nikki Blonsky was just 18 years old when she was cast as Tracy Turnblad -- the positive and optimistic high school student who does not necessarily fit in with the popular kids -- in the 2007 film 'Hairspray.'

Nikki shared the big screen with John Travolta as a laundry business owner and Tracy's mother, Edna Turnblad, Zac Efron as the talented and cocky lead male dancer, Link Larkin, Amanda Bynes as Tracy's best friend, Penny Lou Pingleton, and Queen Latifah as a radio DJ, Motormouth Maybelle.

A famous walrus in Norway has been killed after the government there thought it was getting a little too close for comfort when it came to human contact.

The Director General at the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries announced Sunday that Freya -- the 1,300 pound walrus in question -- was euthanized after officials deemed its habits of approaching humans and their boats were becoming too dangerous and a risk to the public.

Frank Bakke-Jensen, the honcho, says, "The decision to euthanize the walrus was made based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety."

Freya made a splash this summer after flopping itself into boats near the Oslo Fjord -- where they'd often be docked. In some cases, she partially sank the vessels ... and in others, she was able to catch a little tan in the sun, minding her own business as people looked on.

It might be those same people who are to blame for this, so say Norwegian officials. Their rationale to putting the animal down has been chalked up to the massive crowds that would form around Freya whenever she'd come near -- which is rare for walruses.

Spectators would approach and take selfies, something the government says was towing the line of potential harm -- and which caused officials to warn everyone to stay away.

Dwayne Johnson has comic nerds confused after suggesting it'd be wrong to include his DC character alongside another hero in the same movie ... without getting his own movie first.

The Rock revealed to Vanity Fair he did a little lobbying with WB to make sure 'Black Adam' would be its own standalone film before any potential blending with 'Shazam!' -- a separate character played by Zachary Levi, who Adam actually faces off with in the source material.

VF writes that Black Adam, played by Dwayne, was actually set to be in the first 'Shazam!' movie in 2019, as he was initially written into the script as the big bad opposite Levi.

The Rock says when he saw this, though, upon first being approached for the project ... he expressed his reservations -- recounting, "When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie."

He adds, "Now that was the goal -- so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, 'We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.' It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam." Dwayne made some calls, and got his way.

DJ doesn't elaborate on why he thinks it'd be a disservice ... and that's where the DC fandom is kicking in. In their eyes, it makes complete sense to introduce Black Adam in a 'Shazam!' movie -- even from the get-go -- seeing how BA is literally a known nemesis.

That's not what the 'Shazam!' films have done thus far ... in both the OG/forthcoming sequel, there are other bad guys Shazam is fighting, although Black Adam has been teased. Eventually, they'll cross paths ... but critics think it's strange Dwayne insisted on having his outing to kickstart things. Frankly, a Carly Simon song is coming to mind for some over this.

The argument ... The Rock's ego might be showing by admitting he wanted the character to be bigger than WB had, perhaps, initially intended -- especially if he was going to play him.

In Dwayne's defense ... all he did was chirp up on what he thought would be best, and clearly Warner thought that was the right way to go -- seeing how they actually pivoted and did a whole 'Black Adam' flick like DJ suggested, which is coming out later this fall. And besides, it's all headed for a big mashup anyway down the line ... so who cares?

Kim Kardashian is a single woman again ... and she seems to want everyone to know it.

The reality star took to IG this weekend with what can only be described as good old-fashioned thirst traps -- posting a ton of shots of herself in a gym, with a barely-there outfit that's showing off all her famous curves. The pics were taken by a photog named Indiana.

As you can see ... she's in there posing on/half-using some equipment -- not really trying to get a workout, but definitely looking good, and certainly fit. Her caption reads, "I do my own heavy lifting."

KK also posted a video of this same shoot a day prior -- and in it, she's got Ciara's song "Paint It, Black" overlaying the grainy footage. There, she is also striking poses, only this time with the camera rolling ... filming herself as well. Indeed ... she's just as fine in motion.

It's interesting timing, considering word of her and Pete Davidson splitting up surfaced a week and change ago. They were going strong for 9 months, but in the end ... it seems it wasn't meant to be, with reported conflicting schedules and a big age difference at play.

Unclear who broke it off, exactly, but if we're being honest ... ya gotta imagine it was Kim who ended things ... which, if true, makes this hottie flex all the more intriguing.

If the theory holds up that she dumped Pete, then this wouldn't necessarily be a look-what-you're-missing post (that wouldn't make sense). It could just be a ... here's-what-I'm-working-with post for new potential suitors -- which is kinda what she did when she and Kanye were first entering divorce. Or ... maybe she was just feeling herself. Who knows!!!

Teresa Giudice is doing her honeymoon the right way -- and in her case, that's with her banging bod on full display for all of Greece to see ... with her hubby in tow.

The 'Real Housewives' star is out in Mykonos right now enjoying a little R&R with her new groom, Luis Ruelas -- to whom she got hitched earlier this month in her native New Jersey. They're one hot couple ... and let all of the beach goers know it with a romantic stroll.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which was taken Sunday morning ... you see TG and Luis hand in hand as they cruise along the sandy shore, showing a lot of skin.

As you can see, Teresa's in a hot pink two-piece bikini ... and Luis is bare-chested in red trunks. They're both in great shape, and it shows. It also seems they're just having a blast in general -- as one should on a honeymoon. Eventually, the couple took a dip in the water.

Eyewitnesses tell us that not too many people were bothering them -- it's unclear if anyone even recognized them, but all the better -- and that Teresa and Luis were showing some PDA in each other's company. These shots were taken at Principote Beach, BTW ... super nice.

It's great to see Teresa has found love again and was willing to marry. Her time with Joe Giudice, while eventful, was at times tumultuous and stressful. Now, she looks super happy.

Big Time Rush is in big time trouble -- at least on Twitter -- because users are outraged over the title of an old song, which some label as ableist ... now invoking Beyoncé and Lizzo.

Here's the deal ... the one-time boy band of the 2010s has recently reunited to put out new music -- and one of their fan fave vault songs that they're itching to release is called "PARALYZED," which has been leaked before, but never officially included on an album.

Now, they're saying they're gonna do it for real ... and have been teasing their fans with when and under what circumstances they'll do it.

On Saturday, they tweeted ... "We’re so happy to see that everyone across the globe are now able to enjoy all our music. But the real question. How badly do you want us to release PARALYZED?" They encouraged their followers to get "PARALYZED" trending before they put it out ... but so far, haven't. The track's only on Sound Cloud (in an unofficial capacity).

If you listen to it and read the lyrics ... it's a fairly straightforward, seemingly innocuous song about a girl who's got the boys stunned and frozen, AKA paralyzed, because of how attractive she is. Essentially, they're smitten ... but they're playing up the paralyzed angle.

They even stutter some of the words they're singing, and that's where things turn problematic.

Some argue the song in general is an issue and offensive to paralyzed people -- and it's here where Bey and Liz are getting roped in ... with accusations of racism flying.

Hop into the "Lizzo and Beyonce" trend right now, and you'll see all the discourse going on. Basically, some say that those who were up in arms over the female artists using the word "s***" in their songs and demanded they remove it should be doing the same for BTR.

The argument boils down to ... some in the ableist community and/or their allies are actually just racist -- because they made a big stink when 2 Black women innocently used the term -- which was popular and in regular use pre-2010s, frankly -- but when a bunch of white/white-passing dudes are more on the nose ... there seems to be crickets in terms of indignation.

Not everyone is buying that though -- because, yes, it's very accusatory and makes a lot of conclusions based on ... nothing but perceived reactions on Twitter, which is kind of silly.

The point ... some see a double standard between Lizzo/Beyonce and Big Time Rush -- and are apparently mad that there isn't more of a push to get BTR to change or nix their song entirely. Whether that double standard is actually real or not is in the eye of the beholder.

A deeply disturbing hit-and-run was captured on dashcam in Chicago -- a crime that sent several bodies flying in the air ... and left the victims laid out helplessly on the pavement.

Check out this video that surfaced online Sunday ... depicting what appears to be a relatively small crowd of people arguing/fighting in the street in the very early morning -- when, all of a sudden, a silver sedan comes zooming through the road and literally mows them down.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC, SO WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK.

When the vehicle makes contact with the group ... you can see a few of the people get flung up into the air and land on the ground. One male, wearing blue, was also struck -- but was spared the full impact of the car, and seemed to be moving on his own afterward.

Chicago PD tells TMZ ... this happened on the 7000 block of S. Jeffery Blvd near Jackson Park on the city's South Side. Four men were actually struck -- including the guy in blue -- and three of them were pronounced DOA when transported to the University of Chicago.

The other surviving member was taken to Stroger Hospital, but his condition is unknown. No one is in custody, and cops are looking for the vehicle/driver. There doesn't seem to be much of a description beyond the possible color. No further info is available at this time.

Anne Heche will be taken off life support Sunday, TMZ has learned, because organ recipients have been identified and surgeons are ready to remove and then implant.

Organ donations are considered one of the most sacred forms of medical procedures ... doctors treat the organ donor with reverence and respect, even though they are not aware of the procedure.

We're told Anne will be taken off life support early Sunday afternoon ... after which the procedure will begin.

Sources connected to Anne confirm to TMZ multiple organs will be transplanted, although they choose not to reveal specifics.

Anne was declared brain dead Friday ... which in California means the person has died, despite the fact she remained on life support with a beating heart so her organs would remain strong.

As you know by now, Anne was in a horrific car accident last Friday, when she drove at high speed into a home ... the car burst into flames and she was severely burned.

Denise Dowse, one of the stars of some iconic shows including "Insecure" and "Beverly Hills 90210" has died.

Denise lost her fight with viral meningitis Saturday and died at age 64. She had been in a coma for a week ... this after the disease caused inflammation in the membranes that encased her brain and spinal cord.

Her sister, Tracey said, "It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life."

Denise played Vice Principal Yvonne Teasley for a decade on the OG "90210" ... and that is just one of many credits. She played Dr. Rhonda Pine on "Insecure" from 2017-2020. And there were more iconic shows in which she starred ... "Coach Carter," "Grey's Anatomy" and also appeared on "Good Trouble," "Rocket Power" and "The Guardian."

She was a staple in the 90s, appearing on "The X-Files," "Criminal Minds," "Bones," "House," "Monk," "Law and Order," "Charmed," "The Bernie Mac Show, "Moesha," "Sister, Sister" "Gilmore Girls," "Seinfeld," "ER," "Full House" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor should spend the rest of her days behind bars for killing her boyfriend Christian Obumseli ... at least that's how his family feels.

The Obumseli family attorney, Larry Handfield, tells TMZ ... Christian's family is happy Courtney was recently charged with second-degree murder, because a conviction could result in a life sentence.

We're told the Obumseli family's faith in the justice system was restored when Courtney was arrested this week and charged in Christian's death.

Remember ... Courtney told cops she fatally stabbed Christian with a knife back in April, but she insisted it was self-defense. It ended up taking about 4 months for her to be criminally charged. All along, Christian's family believed she killed him in cold blood.

When the family found out Courtney was finally taken into custody, we're told they were relieved and super emotional ... dissolving into tears.

The day after her arrest, footage surfaced that appeared to show Courtney attacking Christian in an elevator just a few months before the fatal incident.

The family's attorney says he always assured the Obumselis they would get justice, and now they want it served in the form of a life sentence for Courtney.

Courtney's attorney, Frank Prieto, tells TMZ ... "Although the State Attorney, by law, must consider the wishes of the next of kin a criminal case, those wishes often have to give way to more reasonable minds."

Kylie Jenner's glitzy Holmby Hills mansion has been overtaken ... by roses!!!

Kylie showed off her 25th birthday gift from BF and father of her 2 kids -- Travis Scott -- and we're guessing that was just the beginning.

These aren't just a bunch of roses ... the arrangements reek of $$$$$ -- this was a big ticket item, which Travis can clearly afford just off the $1 million of merch he sold last weekend when he performed at the O2 Arena in London.

Kylie went all Jackie Kennedy -- Google it -- showing off her home on TikTok ... gotta say, that corridor that's flooded with roses looks pretty awesome.

The roses were violet and pink ... pretty much perfect.

As you probably know, this is just the latest celebration of Kylie's quarter century on earth. She just got back from an epic yacht party with Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and other members of her brood, including daughter Stormi.

Gotta bring it to an end ... she's getting close to 26!

Carlos Santana looks like a man ready to rock out ... he's smiling and looking good after his scary collapse on stage ... and is continuing his tour.

We got the legendary guitarist at the Four Seasons in Downtown NYC ahead of his Friday show in Connecticut ... and he was moving around perfectly fine, showing no lasting effects from his recent medical episode.

It's pretty funny ... when our photog told him how good he looked, he brushed off the compliment by saying it was "a reflection of your light!"

Remember ... Santana was performing July 5 in Michigan when he went down, sending staffers and stage hands scurrying to his side.

The 75-year-old was rushed to a hospital for treatment, with his team saying he was suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.

The health scare forced Santana to hit pause on his Miraculous Supernatural 2022 Tour, postponing 6 shows, but now he's back on the road.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett put on a united front as they stepped out in public together for the first time since the Oscars slap -- and hubby was leading the charge with a smile.

The couple was spotted leaving Nobu in Malibu Saturday afternoon, with what appeared to be handler trailing them. Will was ahead of Jada -- wearing a casual outfit and a cap -- who was following closely behind ... apparently grabbing a hold of his shirt or pants.

It looks like she might've been grabbing his hand in some of these shots ... but upon closer inspection, you can see she's got him by his clothing and letting him guide her to their car.

Eventually, they got in their vehicle and drove off together ... with WS in the driver's seat. Before that, though, Will actually flashed a peace sign to a spectator who called his name. So, yeah ... it appears he's maintaining a good mood -- this after his recent apology video.

You'll recall ... Will explained his actions that night, saying Jada's eye-roll did not fire him up and spur him to storm the stage -- it sounds like it was just built-up bad blood between the Smiths and Chris Rock that led to it ... plus some internal trauma Will has from his past.

He said he wanted to talk with Chris -- but noted CR hasn't taken him up on that ... and may not in the long run. In the meantime, Will's getting a move on with his life -- as is Jada.

The fact the dude is out and about in daylight -- in L.A., no less -- says a lot about where he is personally ... and that seems to be in a much better place.

Ex-NFL star Prince Amukamara and the Players Choir are ready to be the newest members of NSYNC -- 'cause the footballer-turned-singer says his guys are ready to collab after the pop star approved their rendition of his song on "America's Got Talent!"

If you missed it, the Players Choir -- a group of 11 former NFL athletes including Amukamara, Isaiah McKenzie, and Bryant McKinnie -- performed Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling!" on 'AGT' earlier this week ... and they killed it!

Timberlake was very impressed, sharing the clip of their gig on his Twitter with praising hand emojis ... and, Amukamara says they were hyped about the nod.

"Anytime you do another artist's song, you want to make sure that you make them proud first and foremost," the former Giants cornerback tells us this week.

"Getting that stamp of approval from Justin was huge!"

Does this open doors for a collab with the award-winning singer? If it does, Amukamara tells us the squad is down for it.

"Of course!" Amukamara said, "No one is gonna decline that!"

"It was just even awesome for him to retweet us and show us some love. If that opportunity comes, we're all gonna be jumping up and down for that."

Until then, PC -- who made their debut in 2008 -- will continue to sing on stage with more to come soon.

"Being on stage was awesome," Amukamara said, "and if we get another opportunity which I'm sure we will and we have been."

"Stuff's coming up so it's awesome."

Kodak Black says the Florida cops who arrested him for allegedly trafficking oxycodone are still holding onto his car and thousands of dollars in cash nearly a month later ... and now he's out of patience and wants it all back.

Kodak is asking the court to make the Florida Highway Patrol officers who busted him return a Dodge Durango and $74,960 in cash they seized during the arrest ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, says his client can prove the car and cash belong to Kodak and were not involved in any illegal activity.

For starters, Cohen claims the Durango is registered to Florida-based record label Sniper Gang, and Kodak is a manager of that entity.

Since Kodak has already turned over the prescriptions for the pills found in the vehicle, Cohen claims there is no legal basis for the police to continue to hold the Durango and should return it pronto.

As for the roughly $75K in cash, Kodak's attorney says he carries so much dough around because he's a rapper and it goes with the territory ... claiming Kodak needs large sums of money on him to pay various expenses on tour. Also, he's often paid in cash for his gigs.

Remember ... cops pulled Kodak's car over last month and say the ride reeked of weed, prompting a search that turned up the cash and 31 oxycodone pills ... this according to cops.

Kodak's attorney claims he ended up providing cops with a prescription for the pills ... and insists there's no basis for cops to continue holding the car and cash as evidence.

The court has yet to rule.

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from the sweltering Sunshine State where the eye-popping artist Mayra Veronica treated the Florida crowd to an assortment of string bikinis from a penthouse balcony overlooking Miami Beach.

When Mayra Veronica isn't gracing the East Coast with her gorgeous hot shots ... she likes all things music ... including a song with Sean Paul, being featured on the cover of Billboard magazine, being a character in the "Def Jam: Icon" video game and getting a cameo in Stevie B and Pitbull's music video for "Spring Love!"

Music to your ears ... and eyes!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!