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Pedro Pascal says he's aware that this new hit HBO show, "The Last of Us," is getting compared to another 'Us' series ... and his response to that is, take it up with the writers.

We got the TV star Friday in WeHo, where he was signing autographs and itching to leave. Before he did, though, PP chopped it up with us for a bit ... and we asked him why 'LOU' keeps on introducing great characters that we all love, only to kill 'em off immediately?

If that sorta gut-wrenching TV sounds familiar, it's because it is ... AKA, NBC's "This Is Us," which is a real tear-jerker and also tends to write out characters at a moment's notice.

Pedro says he thinks the pain viewers are experiencing by briefly meeting/losing onscreen faves like Bill and Frank (RIP), Tess (also RIP) and most recently, Riley (maybe RIP?) is actually worth it. He doesn't really explain why ... but perhaps he knows, that's just good TV.

When we pressed a bit further, he kinda just shrugged his shoulders and said ... hey, I just do the acting. In other words, the fleeting characters thing isn't his call -- which is honest.

Our photog also touched on another theme that's being brought up again and again throughout this first season ... namely, LGBTQ+ representation. Some of the names mentioned above actually lend themselves to that, and Pedro says ... yeah, it's important.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Crystal Kung Minkoff is gettin' sued ... along with her filmmaker husband and her brother over a car accident they allegedly caused.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Candice Shahandeh-Rad claims she was stopped on the off-ramp of an L.A. freeway last November in her Audi when she was "suddenly and violently" rear-ended, causing her to hit the car in front of her.

The docs say Crystal's brother, Jeffrey Kung, was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.  Candice claims Jeffrey got out of the Mercedes-Benz and "admitted he was distracted" ... although the lawsuit doesn't go into further detail about why or how.

We're told neither Crystal or her hubby Rob Minkoff -- a director of several hit films for Disney -- were in the Benz, but the plaintiff believes they own the car and/or employ her brother as a driver.

Candice says she suffered injuries from the crash, not to mention damage to her car, too. We got pictures of what we're told is the aftermath of the accident, and it shows the smashed front end of the Mercedes.

Erin Brockovich -- the famous paralegal turned activist who helped a massive PG&E scandal in the '90s -- has seen the aftermath in East Palestine ... and according to her, it's grim.

We got Erin at LAX Friday, where she'd just arrived from a visit in Ohio ... meeting and helping folks while surveying the damage and assessing the needs of the community. As she put it to us flatly, the situation is dire there ... and residents are without clear answers.

Based on what EB's seen, she says the area -- including groundwater and residential wells -- is very much contaminated ... despite government agencies and other politicians trying to tell the folks living there otherwise. Erin says there's contradictory information flying all over.

She even describes some symptoms of sickness she says she felt just by being in East Palestine for an extended period of time -- and it sounds very hazardous and dangerous.

So, on the question of next steps ... Erin says a lot of people living in the town have already lawyered up, which is her specialty. Apparently, there are massive class action lawsuits in the works, and it sounds like Norfolk Southern -- the company whose train derailed -- might have to pay out the nose for damages these people are alleging ... assuming they settle.

One of the oldest men living in the U.S. had the celebration of a lifetime, ringing in his big 109th birthday with the help of a belly dancer!!!

Thomas Markoff tells us ... his grandpa Morrie Markoff turned 109 back on January 11 and he celebrated at his downtown L.A. condo.

It's pretty hilarious ... the dancer comes out in a white bedazzled getup and gramps was grinning ear-to-ear.

The dancer really puts on a show ... serenading the birthday boy to a song as he watches from his chair and he even provides some funny commentary.

Thomas says it was especially memorable because his granddad is up there and doesn't get out much.

Morrie isn't the first centenarian to be entertained by the ladies ... a man in Texas celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by a bunch of strippers, courtesy of his daughter ... worth the wait, right?

Andrew Tate is getting dragged after claiming he's grown a "full head of hair" while behind bars ... but his rep says people should focus on him getting justice instead of hair issues.

A rep for Tate tells TMZ ... "The peculiar online fascination with Andrew's hair has proven, as a society, we care less about the potential dangers of false accusations and more about how people look."

You'll recall, Tate's been spending the last few months in a Romanian jail after being accused of rape and running a human trafficking ring ... and his recent tweet at the end of February has been picking up steam.

He wrote about being shocked by his reflection, adding "I barely recognized myself A long beard, a full head of hair" ... but a recent pic of him overseas with thinning hair had people going hard on his claims.

One Twitter troll says he's stretching the truth, while another jokes Andrew might've seen the reflection of his brother Tristan, who's also been arrested, and just got confused.

He's been in his feelings a lot lately online, even tweeting about when he "almost cried" while behind bars.

Could an epic showdown between the Pauls and Furys happen at WrestleMania 39?! The Miz says he's totally for it ... telling TMZ Sports Logan, Jake, Tommy and Tyson are all welcome at the huge event this year.

Miz will be hosting both nights of the WWE's annual spectacle being held at SoFi Stadium in April ... and he says he's leaning into the theme "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" -- telling fans to expect surprises throughout the weekend.

"You never know what's going to happen at WrestleMania," Miz told TMZ Sports. "Especially at SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles. We want to make some splashes. Make some noise."

When we brought up the possibility of seeing Logan tag team with Jake against the Furys on the heels of the younger bros' recent boxing match ... he welcomes the idea.

It would make complete sense -- after all, three of the four guys have history with WWE ... with Jake and Tyson participating in previous events, and Logan already being a Superstar.

Miz told us preparing to host WrestleMania is drastically different than when he's gearing up to fight inside the squared circle ... and called the opportunity a "dream come true."

The tradition of hosting WM isn't new ... Miz will join The Rock, Hulk Hogan (twice), Alexa Bliss, Rob Gronkowski, The New Day, and Titus O'Neil as superstars who've hosted.

Miz -- who's familiar with hosting thanks to his own show "MizTV" -- says he knows there's pressure to keep the crowd involved, but he's looking forward to the challenge.

Ultimately, Miz said his job is to make sure the show is "upbeat" and "fun" ... and encouraged fans to tune in on April 1 and 2 as WWE tries to create "buzz-worthy" moments.

Darrelle Revis is offering up some seriously high praise for Sauce Gardner ... telling TMZ Sports he's such a big fan of the NY Jets' new star -- he actually sees a lot of himself in the corner!!

"He's a 2.0 of myself," the newly named Hall of Famer said. "I love the way he plays."

Revis poured out the compliments -- and plenty more -- just weeks after Gardner wrapped up one of the most impressive rookie seasons in Jets history.

The 22-year-old, who NY took with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, started all 17 games, logged 75 tackles, recorded two interceptions and earned All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Revis told us he was a fan of it all ... and as a guy who had one of the best nicknames in the NFL -- "Revis Island" -- he even gave two thumbs up to Sauce's "Lost In The Sauce" moniker as well!

"It's pretty cool," he said. "I think it's a great branding and marketing tool for him. I think he definitely backs it up."

Drew Sidora will be serving hot tea on her divorce for the upcoming season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... we've learned producers brought cameras out again to capture the fallout from her explosive allegations.

Production sources tell TMZ … 'RHOA' fans will get all the scoop on Drew's contentious divorce from Ralph Pittman, despite the fact group shoots for the upcoming 15th season wrapped back in January.

We're told producers started rolling on new confessional interviews this week, with Drew talking all about what went down leading up to the split.

Our sources say production is also filming new confessionals with the other housewives ... so you gotta imagine they all have strong feelings and reactions to Drew's split.

As of now, fans won't be hearing from Ralph. We're told he hasn't filmed anything -- with Drew or solo -- talking about the split. Interestingly, we're told Drew and Ralph are still living under the same roof ... possibly for the sake of their two children.

TMZ broke the story ... Drew refiled divorce docs in which she accuses Ralph of cheating with multiple women, emotional abuse and screwing with her finances.

You'll recall, the two raced to file for divorce on February 27 ... with Drew beating him to the courthouse by just one hour. Her original filing made no mention of his alleged infidelity or abuse. She amended her divorce petition after learning Ralph had, surprisingly, filed docs of his own.

Believe the hype ... Victor Wembanyama could really redefine what an NBA superstar looks like -- at least, that's according to Rudy Gobert, who tells TMZ Sports the phenom has absolutely no limit on his potential.

Of course, Gobert would know about Wembanyama's game as much as anybody ... the two Frenchmen squared off in a two-on-two contest back in 2020 -- and the teenager more than held his own against the NBA star.

Using his 7-foot-5 frame, Wembanyama sank basket after basket -- at some points rising up over Gobert's 7-foot-1 body to hit jump shots.

When we got Gobert out in Beverly Hills this week ... he explained he's a true believer in all of the buzz surrounding the 19-year-old.

"I think he's going to be very unique," the Minnesota Timberwolves star said. "I don't think there's any ceiling on what he can do. I'm very excited to see how he's going to change the game."

Nearly every draft expert has projected Wembanyama to go No. 1 overall in this year's NBA draft ... and shoe brand industry legend Sonny Vaccaro actually said the guy is so special, he could get an unprecedented sneaker deal that could include "a blank check."

Seems Gobert wouldn't dispute any of that ... telling us, "He has the right mindset. I'm excited to watch him grow."

Jerry O’Connell has always had the wonderment of a kid, so it makes sense the pilot of a Southwest jet let the biggest kid on the aircraft in the cockpit!

The "Crossing Jordan" and "Kangaroo Jack" star hopped on a Southwest flight from Los Angeles to Oakland recently, and he arrived both on time and with a pair of wings.

When the plane touched down the "Pictionary" host was in no rush to leave ... spending time chatting with some passengers/fans and taking photos.

Then he got the ultimate flying experience ... as folks were getting off the plane, Jerry chatted up the flight crew -- and that's when the captain asked Jerry if he'd like to see the cockpit.

Jerry jumped at the offer and hopped in the pilot's seat and, suddenly, he was 12 again!

Actor Bryce Durfee has become a bit of a SoCal Superman ... because we've learned he's been rescuing families that would otherwise be stranded during the recent blizzard.

The "Hacks" and "9-1-1" actor and his wife Amber were just a couple of the many stuck in the Lake Arrowhead area as it got hit with a ton of snow this week. Amber and some of the neighbors tell us Bryce has been spending time saving others in the area.

We're told he's been removing the snow surrounding people's homes with just a shovel -- pretty impressive. He's done four rescue missions so far ... one of which was for a group of kids who got stuck in their house after it was completely buried.

On top of that, Bryce has been clearing the snow from gas lines and roofs to prevent fires and structures from collapsing.

Bryce has even been acting as the community's InstaCart shopper ... getting groceries for those who can't leave their homes. He did a huge run Thursday that fed five families, even getting dog food for his neighbors' pets.

As you know, SoCal was hit pretty hard with flooding and snow, causing quite a bit of destruction. Police and emergency rescue folks weren't able to help Bryce's community for a while because of a lack of access. The National Guard just showed up Thursday.

Paddy Pimblett's beef with Jake Paul is still very much a thing ... and, uh, so much for not kickin' a guy when he's down!

The UFC star recently spoke to TMZ Sports, and let's just say he wasn't impressed with The Problem Child's performance during his 8-round, split decision loss to Tommy Fury last Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

"It seems to me like Tommy Fury was boxing bad against his last few opponents on purpose, know what I mean? Or Jake Paul's just a terrible boxer, even more worse than I thought. I was giving him more credit than I thought he deserved," Pimblett told us.

Of course, one judge scored the fight 75-74 (4 rounds apiece, but Jake had a 10-8 round in the 8th), while the other two had it 76-73 (6 rounds to 2 for Tommy).

"Tommy won anyway and I thought it wasn't a split decision, either. I thought it was a unanimous decision. He won most rounds."

Now, the 28-year-old speaking out against Paul isn't new -- remember, the two stars went back and forth last year after Pimblett suggested his fight against Anderson Silva was fixed.

Jake even offered Paddy $1 million if the UFC fighter could beat him in a 5-round sparring session. That hasn't happened, yet ... so we asked Pimblett if he's still down to do it.

"Yeah, if he wants to," Pimblett said. "I don't give a f***. I'll spar with anyone."

In the meantime, Pimblett's getting into the fitness business, releasing a workout supplement, Paddy “The Baddy” Everything Ultimate Pre-Workout with ABE that's only sold at The Vitamin Shoppe ... and he's stoked.

"It's my lil' boost of coffee in the morning to wake me up and make me get up and actually get out and see the day," Pimblett said.

T.I. says the recent beef between him and Boosie Badazz over a scrapped project is no more ... telling us Boosie knows he messed up by dragging his fellow rapper over snitching claims.

We got T.I. leaving The Cheesecake Factory in Bev Hills Thursday, and he starts our convo by laughing off the drama ... before telling us straight up "someone misspoke" -- that someone being Boosie.

He says Boosie's aware what he said wasn't accurate, and it'll be dealt with behind closed doors ... as Tip puts it, "The way it should've been in the first place."

He also tells us why he isn't focused on getting the music out there -- mainly, this stuff is bigger than a handful of tracks.

As we reported, T.I. clapped back at Boosie last month after he said he ditched their collab project, believing T.I. snitched on his late cousin to avoid a gun charge.

Tip wasn't having any of it -- accusing the rapper of not being truthful and claiming to have docs that proved he never snitched.

If Aaron Rodgers ends up packing his bags and taking his talents to the Jets, former Giants stars Eli Manning and Shaun O'Hara have some simple advice on how he can thrive in New York -- "just win!!"

The two-time Super Bowl MVP and his good buddy/former teammate took a few minutes from their Easter extravaganza with The Children's Place in New Jersey on Friday to chat with Babcock and Lucas on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) about the biggest story of the NFL offseason ... and they both offered a solid perspective on what's going through Aaron's head as he contemplates his future.

"It's hard just because your whole life, you work towards it," Eli tells us. "You're dedicated to the game, you've been doing it the past 25 years since high school, preparing to play this game. To say, 'Alright, I'm not doing it anymore,' it's a really tough decision."

"Usually, in your heart, you just know you're not willing to do the preparation, to do the work, to do the full commitment it takes to play at that level."

Eli -- who retired in 2020 -- says he knew he made the right call when he called it a career ... because when he started watching games as a spectator, the tackles made on the field looked "brutal."

O'Hara added even after players retire, they will continue to think they can still play ... but he says since Rodgers is playing at such a high level, he'd be shocked if he left the game behind right now.

If O'Hara is right, there's a good chance Rodgers could end up with a new home after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers ... and there's rumblings that next team could be the Jets.

Since Manning and O'Hara have a ton of experience playing in the Big Apple, we asked if they had some wise words for the 4-time MVP ... and Eli thinks Rodgers would do just fine, especially after he spent several days on an isolation retreat in Oregon.

"I don't think Aaron needs any advice from us," Eli says. "The guy's been playing at an unbelievable level for so long, MVP. If he wants to come to New York and play if that's an option, he'll think about it."

"He's had his time in the darkness to debate that. And, he honestly can still play at a high level and come to New York with a young team, they have a talented roster there with the Jets."

O'Hara added all Rodgers has to do to keep the fierce New York media off his back is to rack up victories ... and Eli agreed.

"Yeah, everything works out if you win."

Manning and O'Hara were together for a really special reason -- they teamed up with The Children's Place to host more than 300 kids for a day of fun at Superdome Sports in Waldwick to kick off the brand's Spring collection.

There were football drills, giveaways, obstacle courses and Easter egg hunts ... and it was clear everyone had a blast.

Eli even showed he's still got a great arm in some throwing drills ... and gave some pointers to the youngins as well.

Eli also visited the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack earlier on Friday ... meeting with a bunch of amazing kids and handing out Easter baskets and autographs!!

Mac McClung put on a legendary performance during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and now you can cop the actual Puma kicks he wore during the epic performance, 'cause they're hitting the auction block!

The Philadelphia Sixers/Delaware Blue Coats (G-League) guard brought life back to the Dunk Contest last month after winning the competition with some insane dunks.

TMZ Sports has learned the Rise Nitro sneakers he wore -- and the basketball he used -- are now up for grabs at Goldin ... in an auction featuring all game-used memorabilia and apparel.

If winning the kicks and/or ball isn't enough, there's another big bonus. We're told the winner will get a personal FaceTime with the 24-year-old.

Even better, we're told a portion of the proceeds for each item will go to the ALZ Alzheimer's association.

"Mac McClung is a star in the making who deserves to take center stage at our first-ever auction featuring only game-used items,” Goldin founder Ken Goldin said.

“We’re thrilled to be charged with these items from Mac that commemorate one of the most exciting dunk contest performances in history."

"Vanderpump Rules" producers are wasting no time in documenting the split and fallout between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix after he cheated on her with a costar ... already getting the two in front of show cameras.

Our 'VPR' sources say both Tom and Ariana got together at their home Friday morning to talk about the end of their relationship. We're told cameras were rolling through the whole thing, and it was, at times, an emotionally charged situation.

The goal, our sources say, is to work the content into season 10 of 'Vanderpump' -- it's already airing episodes weekly -- but producers think they can get segments edited and pushed out before the end of the season.

TMZ broke the story, Ariana called it quits with Tom after discovering he'd been cheating with their costar, Raquel Leviss.

Interestingly enough, Ariana was out supporting Tom as recently as Wednesday night when he and his band performed and released a new single.