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Eli Roth is on cloud nine with his new horror flick "Dream Eater" ... calling it a dream come true as his twisted sleepwalking nightmare finally stalks its way into theaters this week.

The horror king himself hit up "TMZ Live" Monday ... telling us the movie's plot was so nightmarish, actors flat-out admitted the script was too intense, forcing the directors to roll up their sleeves and play the parts themselves!

Eli went all in on just how groundbreaking "Dream Eater" really is … bragging the whole thing only cost $40k to make -- and saying it’s proof a low-budget, must-see mashup like this could flip Hollywood on its head.

Charlie Kirk's memorial cost taxpayers a pretty penny to keep safe ... 'cause we've learned the United States Secret Service paid an event company millions to secure the perimeter.

We've obtained documents that show the Secret Service paid ARCUS Group, LLC -- a full-service event management and disaster relief aid company -- was paid $2,677,416.19 to protect the perimeter of the ceremony at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

ARCUS has experience with perimeter protection at high-profile events. Their website touts their past perimeter protection jobs which include President Donald Trump's 2021 inauguration ... so, clearly the administration feels confident in the services they provide.

Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist and chimpanzee expert, died earlier this month ... and TMZ has learned the cause.

According to the death certificate ... Goodall's cause of death is listed as cardiopulmonary arrest -- which is just another name for cardiac arrest, an incident where the heart simply stop beating.

Risk of cardiopulmonary arrest goes up as a person gets older ... so, this cause of death isn't totally surprising -- and, it's considered natural.

Carlos Alcaraz just earned another title -- most expensive racket ever sold at auction -- 'cause the tennis superstar's 2023 Wimbledon Finals equipment just went to a new owner for a whopping $173K!!!

Bidding on the incredible piece of memorabilia ended Sunday night ... and the final price surpassed the $157K mark set by Nadal's 2017 French Open Championship racket, which held the record for just a few months.

Prestige Memorabilia -- which listed the piece -- was able to photomatch the racket to 10 dates ... including his match against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon finale.

Umar Nurmagomedov -- Khabib's cousin -- tells TMZ Sports those who tune to UFC 321 next weekend are going to see exactly "how Nurmagomedovs come back" from adversity.

The 29-year-old is slated to fight Mario Bautista on the loaded card ... and while he recorded his first-ever loss the last time he was in an Octagon (vs. Merab Dvalishvili in January), he's still as confident as ever.

In fact, he told us fans will see exactly how those with his famous last name return from setbacks once he steps foot in Abu Dhabi for the big Oct. 25 tilt.

Doug Martin -- a former running back who last played in the NFL in 2018 -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ Martin passed away Saturday morning ... though they did not share any further details.

Martin was a standout RB at Boise State for four years before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Angela White -- formerly known as Blac Chyna -- and Rob Kardashian seem on the way to reconciliation ... 'cause while she wont say the pair are dating again, it seems they're a lot more than co-parents.

The model and rapper dished on her baby daddy at the Los Angeles Women's Expo on Saturday ... revealing she'd like a couple more kids -- and, she'd rather have them with Rob than Tyga, the father of her other child.

When asked if this means she and Rob are "back on," Angela says it's not so straight forward ... the two are "healing" and "going with the flow" -- and, she says if it's in God's will then it will be.

Gerald Huston -- the man who was allegedly roughed up by Papoose during a prank-gone-wrong last month -- tells TMZ Sports he's now considering filing a lawsuit against the rapper and his girlfriend, Claressa Shields.

The comedian told us this week that just after Shields brought the incident to light on social media -- he's been in talks with attorneys to see if he has a case.

Huston tells us the story's been twisted so much, he thinks he might have a defamation claim ... in addition to a potential assault one.

Maycee Barber is gearing up for her UFC return after suffering a medical emergency minutes before making the walk to the Octagon back in May ... and she tells TMZ Sports she's "doing great" and is excited to get back to fighting.

Barber chopped it up with us after it was announced she will be squaring off against the ninth-ranked contender in the UFC's women's flyweight division, Karine Silva, at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 ... and her excitement for her comeback was noticeable.

"I feel good, I'm excited," Barber told us. "It's been definitely a process of mental battles, and then also the physical battle of recovering and just being back to training, and there's a lot to go through."

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy found himself in a bit of a controversy after he said Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed were not on his Mt. Rushmore of streamers ... but Banks tells TMZ Sports there's no one else more deserving in his mind.

We caught up with the co-founder of FaZe -- who left the org in September -- out in Los Angeles this week ... and got his thoughts on the talk surrounding the streaming service honcho's take.

Banks explained he wanted FULL context before addressing Clancy ... saying, "We live in, like, a clipping culture."

"Very narrative driven, like, I don't know, like, I need to see the whole conversation."

Post Malone's former driver says the rapper made him a star of his music video ... then never paid him for it -- and, now he's suing Posty and others for millions.

Larry Deuel -- a teacher and limousine driver -- is suing Malone ... alleging that back in 2020 he and his collaborator Tyla Yaweh reached out to Deuel's employer to drive them to Malone's ranch for the "Tommy Lee" music video shoot.

Once at the ranch, Deuel claims Post and Tyla asked him to take part in the video ... and he alleges they told him he'd be "taken care of" if he did.

Rachael Ray's getting a taste of the spotlight again ... appearing at a burger event after an absence from public life amid serious health rumors last year.

The celebrity chef and author looked her usual happy, healthy self while hosting the Blue Moon Burger Bash 2.0 -- an annual event held during the New York City Wine & Food Festival -- Friday night.

We've obtained video from the event ... which shows Ray talking up Brooklyn Beckham -- calling him a great partner since he co-hosted the event with her.

Aaron Phypers was all smiles after he bonded out of jail Friday night -- with his attractive bail bondswoman by his side -- and we've got a pic to prove it!

Check it out -- the estranged husband of Denise Richards is grinning as he poses with the beaming bondsman. He's well-dressed ... rocking dark jeans with a light blue button-down tucked in, plus a black suit jacket.

It's likely what he wore to court earlier that day -- we broke the news ... he was booked into the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station Friday following a bitter courtroom clash with Denise.

"Baby, I'm Jealous" of everyone who went out to Los Angeles' hot club Deliliah Friday night ... 'cause they got a surprise performance from Bebe Rexha!

Check out our footage -- Bebe exudes confidence as she grabs a mic and belts out a variety of songs, including her 2015 hit "Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy ... and even sang Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money"!

The bubblegum pink-haired beauty also performed "No Scrubs" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" ... all in front of several celebrity guests including Kylie Jenner, Anastasia Karanikolaou, Gabriette, Bazzi, Victoria Villarreal and Suede Brooks.

Kim Kardashian isn't about to let anyone ripoff her underwear company ... SKIMS is making a move to take down a bunch of online pirates who are allegedly plundering her booty, financially speaking.

SKIMS filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court, claiming the vendors have been taking the SKIMS logo and slapping it on "counterfeit" products ... intending to dupe innocent consumers who are hoping to score the real Kardashian deal when they shop online.

According to the suit, these fake goods are for sale all over your fave e-commerce sites ... like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Alibaba, and others -- so, beware if you're out there trying to score the "Ultimate Bush" ... Kim's new fur-lined thongs. The holidays are coming up fast!.

NLE Choppa and Jonathan Majors recently had an awkward moment on Kirk Franklin's podcast, which was supposed to be a safe space for religious expression ... but the "Shotta Flow" rap star suspects the clash is courtesy of his past shooting towards Meagan Good!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up Choppa at LAX this week and breaks down his unceremonious encounter on "Den Of Kings," where Majors instructed the 22-year-old to re-read his Bible after he questioned the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

NLE is still questioning the theological theory, but tells us he feels John came into the sit-down -- which also featured KevOnStage -- with his own animosity, in defense of his woman.