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Kendrick Lamar might find it harder to be humble -- his "DAMN" album just won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

The Pulitzer committee made the unprecedented announcement Monday ... hailing Kendrick's album as "a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life."

Translation: That s**t is dope.

With the win, Kendrick becomes the first non-classical or jazz artist to win a Pulitzer since they started awarding them for music in 1943.

1:00 PM PT -- Sean Hannity just responded on his radio show, "The Sean Hannity Show," denying that Michael Cohen ever represented him. He also tweeted that he "assumed those conversations were confidential."

11:52 AM PT -- Cohen's lawyer just revealed in court FOX News host Sean Hannity is Cohen's previously unnamed client.

Stormy Daniels ripped a page right out of "The Godfather: Part II" as she showed up in court to stare down President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen has a hearing Monday in New York to discuss how he feels federal prosecutors should handle documents seized by the FBI after a raid on his office and residence -- especially docs he claims would violate attorney-client privilege if improperly reviewed.

Trump's guy wants a judge to allow him and his team to review the seized docs first so they can single out paperwork they want protected from scrutiny. Trump's own team also reportedly filed docs asking to be allowed to review any seized evidence relating to the Prez.

Oh, and Cohen's asking to keep a third client of his anonymous -- his other 2, which he says received serious legal services, are Trump and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy ... the latter of whom had Cohen pay a Playboy model $1.6 million after she claimed Broidy knocked her up.

As you might recall ... Cohen admitted to paying Stormy $130k ... which she says was intended to keep her quiet about an alleged affair she claims she had with Trump.

Hey Fergie, you're off the hook ...

Pop star Rachel Platten -- the chick who sang "Fight Song" -- botched the National Anthem in a SPECTACULAR way at an NWSL soccer game over the weekend ... and it's hard to watch.

Platten has performed the song on big stages before -- even singing it at the World Series!

But when she grabbed the mic in Salt Lake City on Saturday before the Chicago Red Stars took on the Utah Royals ... it was amateur hour.

It started bad ... "Oh say can you see, by the STARS early light."

It got worse ... she had to restart twice and even asked for someone to give her the lyrics. The crowd tried to join in and help her along, but the lyric blowing must have been contagious, because they were messing up too!

Ex-WWE superstar Vader is doing so well after his open-heart surgery in March, he's showing off the scar ... and even cracking jokes about it!

Vader -- real name Leon White -- had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure back in 2016 and said doctors told him he only had two years to live.

Well, here we are ... two years later and Vader is still kicking!

"They had me but I KICKED out 2," Vader said on social media over the weekend.

And when posting the photo of his surgery scar, he joked ... "The surgeon confessed he had A few to many that's why the scar is off centerer I OWE THAT MAN MY LIFE THANK U JESUS."

Vader's good friend, Mick Foley, has also weighed in ... saying, "NOW THAT’S A SCAR! Very best wishes for a speedy recovery to @itsvadertime following open heart surgery."

Prosecutors in Meek Mill's case want his original drug conviction to be vacated, which would mean immediate freedom for the rapper -- but, once again, the judge is refusing to bend.

Philly's D.A. Office made a rare move Monday morning in court ... asking Judge Genece Brinkley to toss the 2008 conviction because it says prosecutors back then were fully aware Meek's arresting officer, Reginald Graham, was dirty -- but sat on the info.

If the conviction were tossed, that would mean Meek's probation violation would go out the window, too -- and he would be released from the Pennsylvania prison where he's serving 2-4 years. However, Judge Brinkley did not sign off, and, instead, scheduled a hearing on the matter for June. That means Meek has to sit in prison until then ... at least.

Meek's supporters outside the courthouse erupted in joy at news of the D.A.'s request ... thinking he'd be released.

For whatever reason, Judge Brinkley's standing her ground.

The D.A.'s Office tells TMZ ... its position on Meek's conviction "was taken due to serious issues regarding the credibility of the arresting officer in the case, Officer Reginald Graham. These issues, which only recently became public, have implications for dozens of cases where Graham was the arresting officer." Prosecutors reiterated their belief Meek should be released on bail while his appeals are considered.

Meek's son and mother were also at the protest outside the courthouse, spreading the love for Meek and helping rally the supporters.

PROBLEM: NHL player REALLY wants to give a puck to an adorable little girl fan, but two little boys kept stealing the puck away.

SOLUTION: Well, you're just gonna have to watch ... it's the most adorable thing you're gonna see ALL DAY!

It all went down during warm-ups at Sunday's Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets playoff game in D.C. where right wing Brett Connolly wanted to hook the little one up with a souvenir.

Problem was, there were a couple bigger kids flankin' her ... and they crushed her dreams TWICE when Brett flipped a puck over the glass.

It was basically the saddest thing ever ... until the girl finally got puck #3 and lit up like the Nintendo 64 kid on Christmas (OK, maybe not that intense).

Great news for QBs ... James Harrison says he's finally retiring from football after 15 seasons in the league.

Yeah, you've heard the story before ... because Harrison has retired before -- but this time, Deebo says he meant it.

"I've missed way too much for way too long...and I'm done," the 39-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers legend announced on social media.

He also posted several photos of his kids -- suggesting he's ready to become a full-time dad.

"Many thanks to my family, coaches, the fans, and everyone who played a role in my football life. #2ndAndFinalRetirement #HarrisonFamilyValues #BlessedAndHighlyFavored #GodsPlan."

Harrison was a monster in the NFL -- 5 Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowl rings and he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.

Besides the Steelers, he also played for the Bengals and most recently the New England Patriots.

We didn't hear about any 911 calls Friday in Miami, but it appears either Karrueche Tran or Victor Cruz were in some sort of distress.

Chris Brown's ex and the ex-NFL wide receiver were soaking up the sun as they sucked face pool side at the Setai hotel.

Just a guess, but we're thinking they are saying, "Who the hell needs Coachella?"

Yodeling kid Mason Ramsey just did the unimaginable ... he went from playing the Walmart aisle to performing for thousands -- including Justin Bieber -- at Coachella in less than a month.

Mason crushed his first Coachella as a spectator and a performer Friday afternoon, taking the Sahara stage right before up-and-coming DJ Whethan's set. It was only about 2:45 PM, and that's pretty early for the huge turn-out Mason got since most people don't file into the fest until the desert heat starts dying down.

One person who made it in time ... the Biebs, who, judging by the smile on his face, is clearly a fan.

Mason, who's only 11, didn't skip a note of Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues," and at the end took what could be the cutest bow ever.

One word for you Mason: ENCORE! You got the Biebs fired up!

Donald Trump wants to take a break -- from dealing with Stormy Daniels' lawsuit -- and is asking a judge to help him out ... according to new legal docs.

Trump's legal team claims that the recent raid of his attorney Michael Cohen's home, office and hotel room has thrown a wrench into their ability to defend the Prez against the former porn star.

According to the docs ... Trump wants to basically put the case on ice for 90 days, because Cohen is now a part of an FBI criminal investigation, and anything he says could be incriminating.

However, if Cohen pleads the 5th in his criminal case, it screws Trump over in his case with Daniels ... because Cohen is his key witness.

Trump's side argues this puts Cohen in an impossible position, and the only way to make things fair is for him to deal with one case at a time ... and not Stormy's for now.

Taylor Swift's new version of the Earth, Wind and Fire classic, "September," might be getting slammed by haters, but it's a hit with the group's lead singer, Philip Bailey.

Philip weighed in on Taylor's acoustic, country rendition of their iconic 1978 song, saying he likes her singer-songwriter take on it. He added, "music is free like that," and told Taylor ... "Ain't Got Nothing But Love for Ya #freedominmusic."

Swift released her cover song Friday -- the 13th, we must point out -- and it was immediately slammed for multiple reasons. Not the least of which being the fact she changed the first line from "the 21st night of September" to the 28th!

One of the track's original co-writers, Allee Willis, also gave props to Taylor for her cover. Worth noting ... Willis stands to make some dough if Taylor's version becomes a hit.

In unrelated news, Alec Monopoly is working on a new Mona Lisa.

The YouTube shooter told cops she wasn't planning to hurt anyone hours before she continued her trip to carry out the attack ... according to new police body cam footage.

Nasim Aghdam's seen calmly talking to Mountain View, CA cops in the early morning hours of April 3. She explains why she left her family in San Diego before answering "No" to a series of questions about whether she wants to hurt herself or anyone else.

It's pretty eerie ... the cops are half-joking around with Aghdam by the end of their talk before deciding to let her go. Hours later, she shot and injured 3 people at the YouTube campus before killing herself.

As we reported ... Aghdam's father says he reported her missing in Southern California before her run-in with Mountain View cops, and when they contacted him they said they found her and everything was "under control."

The OKC Thunder commentator who said Russell Westbrook was "out of his cotton-picking mind" is being punished for his terrible choice of words ... the team just announced.

Brian Davis, the play-by-play guy for Fox Sports Oklahoma, has been suspended for Game 1 of the Thunder-Jazz playoff series ... after making the racially insensitive call in OKC's regular-season finale.

Davis maintains he didn't mean to offend anyone -- but says he's cool with the suspension 'cause it was a pretty stupid thing to say.

“It is with great remorse and humility that I accept this suspension for the insensitive words I used during Wednesday’s broadcast. While unintentional, I understand and acknowledge the gravity of the situation."

An American pro boxer literally wore Trump's border wall on his shorts for a fight -- then got the LIVING CRAP BEAT OUTTA HIM by his Mexican opponent!!

Rod Salka was trying to make a political statement Thursday night vs. Francisco Vargas during Golden Boy's ESPN event in Indio, California ... steppin' into the ring with brick-patterned trunks in red, white and blue, with his waistband reading -- "America 1st."

Yeah ... Francisco wasn't having that. "El Bandido" BATTERED the 35-year-old Pennsylvanian over the next 6 rounds -- leaving him bloody and bruised before Salka's corner threw in the towel between rounds.

Guessing POTUS ain't too happy about his wall getting torn down on national TV.

President Trump is, predictably, pissed about former FBI Director James Comey spilling the tea on an alleged "golden showers" convo they had.

Trump ripped into Comey Friday morning, calling him an "untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI." The Prez also said it was his "great honor" to fire Comey.

POTUS is on the attack because passages from Comey's new book, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership," just came out ... and one includes Comey's claim Trump asked him to disprove the so-called Christopher Steele dossier. Specifically the part of it that claims Trump watched hookers urinate on a mattress.

When it rains it pours ... Donald Trump worried there was a small chance his wife, Melania, might believe Russian hookers peed on a hotel bed where Trump was staying ... this according to former FBI director James Comey.

The hook to Comey's new book -- "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership" -- is that Trump was extremely upset over the so called Christopher Steele dossier, in which he claimed Trump watched prostitutes urinate on a hotel mattress "as a way of soiling the bed."

Trump called BS on the dossier, but privately met with Comey during a dinner a week after he was sworn in as President, and started ranting it was untrue. In the book, Comey says Trump wanted him to shoot down the story, because it was bothering him that there was "even a one percent chance ... Melania thought it was true."