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Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are huge fans of Mischa Barton ... 'cause they say it's basically divine intervention she's joining them on the reboot of "The Hills."

We got Heidi and Spencer shopping Thursday at Couture Kids on Robertson and asked them about their newest cast member ... and Spencer says he's been praying for Mischa's presence for a loooong time.

It's interesting ... Heidi and Spencer say they never crossed paths with Mischa on the Hollywood party circuit. So, they can't wait to get started working with her on "The Hills: New Beginnings."

As for Mischa ... we got her Wednesday at Craig's in WeHo and she looked thrilled to be crossing over into reality TV.

For those bashing Mischa's career path, save it -- Spencer ain't havin' it!

Just be ready for lots of references to her time starring on "The O.C."

The last time we heard from Mischa, she was being sued for crashing a U-Haul into a building ... so this seems like a better use of her time.

"Dude, You Crashed My Car" would be a great sequel to "Dude, Where's My Car?" ... and it would probably be based on the hijinks of Brandon Gomes from "Siesta Key" ... whose car was WRECKED after letting his buddy behind the wheel.

The violent crash went down Thursday night in Sarasota, Florida ... after former 'Siesta' costar Carson Wall ran a red light in a 2007 Cadillac ... triggering a 3-car crash. According to a police report ... the Cadi belongs to Brandon, but Carson was the one behind the wheel.

Carson told cops the light was yellow when he entered the intersection, but drivers in the 2 other vehicles -- a 2017 Audi and 2008 Toyota truck -- all said they squarely had the green.

The impact was so violent it ricocheted the Cadi into the Toyota, which caused the Cadi to crash into a signal pole before striking a wall.

Cops say Carson -- who injured his left arm -- was at fault. He was cited for failure to stop at a red signal. "Dude, Where's My Uber?" as part 3?

There's nothing good going on with Jenelle Evans and her exes.

Nathan Griffith -- Jenelle's 2nd baby daddy -- says the "Teen Mom 2" star is purposely keeping their son away from him ... and it's driving Dad crazy.

Nathan just wants to spend time with their 4-year-old son, Kaiser, but he claims Jenelle is using phony excuses to stop Nathan from seeing his boy.

He says Jenelle has been giving him the runaround ever since she was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in a child abuse investigation -- which was triggered by Nathan going to police.

Nathan says he doesn't even know where Kaiser is on any given day, 'cause Jenelle doesn't keep him informed ... and he's just about had it with her antics.

Talk about baby mama drama.

As for Jenelle's other ex ... Courtland Keith Rogers was busted over the weekend in North Carolina and accused of assaulting a woman.

12:45 PM PT -- The arrest warrant issued for Courtland Rogers breaks down a disturbing alleged narrative. The court magistrate says they found probable cause to believe that Rogers had brutally attacked a woman named Lindsey Frazier on Sunday by allegedly slapping her, dragging her by the hair and pulling her hair out. The magistrate also says Frazier credibly alleged Rogers had threatened her and her family's lives ... and threw her phone against a wall to prevent her from calling 911.

The ex-husband of "Teen Mom 2" star Jenelle Evans got busted again in North Carolina -- this time he's accused of assaulting a woman.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Courtland Keith Rogers was arrested Sunday in Leland, NC and booked into the Brunswick County Jail for one count of misdemeanor assault on a woman. We're told there was an open warrant for Rogers' arrest, and Leland PD executed it.

It's unclear when the alleged assault happened. We've got calls in to law enforcement.

It's been a tough year for Jenelle's ex -- he was arrested earlier this year on drug-related charges -- delivering substances, and possession with intent to sell and distribute. He had to drop $15k to bond out after that bust.

This assault arrest will cost him a lot more -- bail's been set at $100k.

Sources close to Cardi tell TMZ the video was shot 3 years ago, when Cardi was an Instagram comedian and not a rapper. The sources say what she said is no different than material delivered by other Hispanic comedians, like George Lopez.

Cardi B joked that cleaning your vagina and butt with a towel is a Puerto Rican bath, a Haitian shower or a Mexican spa day.

Cardi shot a skit for "Wild 'N Out" star Rip Micheals ... who has a new show called "Off the Rip."

The skit is called Ho Bath. She gives advice to women who have been with a guy who leaves and then another guy is coming over soon, so there isn't time to shower. Instead, she says the trick is to grab a towel and rub it on the vaginal area and butt.

She does various sketches about "Ho Etiquette" ... about hygiene and relationships. Her character's name in the skits is "Vanilla Mouse Cupcake." VMC gives dating advice to women.

It's interesting ... Azealia Banks went nuts on "Wild 'N Out" after DC Young Fly joked the show got Azealia because Cardi wasn't available. Azealia felt it was "anti-black" ... making an assumption the premise of the joke is that Cardi B is light-skinned and Azealia is dark-skinned.

It appears the show will air on MTV.

Lauren Conrad, star of the "The Hills," didn't turn down MTV's reboot because she hated her costars ... she's just way too busy making a fortune.

Sources close to Lauren tell us ... LC is swamped with business ventures and just doesn't have time to shoot "The Hills: New Beginnings," which premiers in 2019.

It makes sense why LC can't be bothered with a reboot. Been there, done that.

Lauren's already got several revenue streams -- multiple clothing lines and her own stores -- and her business portfolio is WAY stronger than any of her former costars.

She's DEFINITELY got more going on than Justin "Bobby" Brescia.

We broke the story ... Justin bashed Lauren and Kristin Cavallari as "s****y people" in discussing the new cast for the reboot.

Everyone who watched "The Hills" knows ... LC had tons of confrontations.

But, LC's blowing off Justin's comments ... we're told her decision to pass on the show doesn't have anything to do with beef or lingering problems with Justin or anyone else.

The ex-boyfriend of "Floribama shore" star Kortni Gilson blew off a judge who ordered him to stay clear of her and started sending her creepy messages ... and that just landed him in jail.

Logan Fairbanks has had a hard time letting go ... and that's a ridiculous understatement. He threatened to cut Gilson into pieces and even showed up at a bar she was at with a knife ... this according to the police report.

Gilson already had a restraining order on him, so she could have had police lock him up right then and there, but for some reason she didn't.

Gilson breathed a sigh of relief in April when Fairbanks went radio silent on her, but the silence was broken in June when he reappeared. He started sending her text messages, including ...

"I still love you it's never gonna change, bye for now baby momma." He went on to text he didn't care if he went jail.

That was enough because Gilson gladly obliged, called the cops and informed them he had violated the restraining order. Problem was ... cops couldn't find him.

Fast forward to Wednesday ... police located Fairbanks and arrested him for aggravated stalking, stalking and violating the restraining order.

Now we know what incited Azealia Banks into a fit of racial rage last month ... DC Young Fly's joke on "Wild 'N Out" that Azealia was a poor substitute for Cardi B.

TMZ has obtained a clip from the show, during a game called "So Petty." DC cracked that Azealia was booked because Nick Cannon and co. couldn't land Cardi.

Azealia didn't find it funny at all, calling the punchline "anti-black." The intimation ... that Cardi B was a light-skinned woman and therefore more beautiful than the darker-skinned Azealia.

So, now we know why Azealia went HAM on social media last month, saying, "Some little scrawny black Atlanta twink was prepared for me. They planned this - hit me on short notice, told me I didn’t have to participate in the coon ass freestyle battles, (not my style) and I was to sing my song and go home."

Nick was clearly annoyed by Azealia's comment, saying essentially she opened herself up to attack by resorting to racial insults.

Kylie Jenner did NOT want to come face-to-face with Nicki Minaj at the VMAs, 'cause she completely changed course on the red carpet to avoid her.

Nicki was making her entrance at Radio City Music Hall Monday night, and Kylie was walking in her direction from the other end ... when she stopped in her tracks upon seeing Nicki. It's pretty clear she didn't want a confrontation -- 'cause she doubled back fast.

Can't blame her. Nicki put Kylie and her baby, Stormi, on blast this weekend ... blaming them for unscrupulously boosting Travis Scott's album sales by promoting his merch. She later went on to call Travis a "hoe n**** of the week" on her Apple Music radio show.

VMA producers had already accommodated Travis and Kylie by seating them far away from Nicki after placing them right behind her at first in a seating arrangement.

Looks like you can't avoid running into your problems sometimes -- but you can always run away from them. Kylie definitely didn't want that smoke.

Justin "Bobby" Brescia is thrilled to be working with a smaller cast on "The Hills" reboot ... 'cause he says Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari killed the good vibes on the original MTV series.

We got Justin in NYC Monday leaving the Four Seasons Hotel ... and he suggested LC and Kristin were difficult to work with -- so he's glad the 2 aren't joining him on the reboot, "The Hills: New Beginnings."

Justin tells us ... there were "s****y people" involved in the original show, which ran for 6 seasons from 2006-10 ... and says the new cast is way better.

The new show features Audrina Patridge, Heidi Pratt, Whitney Port, Spencer Pratt, Stephanie Pratt, Jason Wahler, Frankie Delgado and Justin.

LC and Kristin aren't coming back for different reasons. LC is focusing on her family and business ventures. Kristin is under contract with E! for her own reality show.

Justin says the condensed cast is happy and they all have positive vibes.

Madonna tried (and failed) to adequately pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at the VMAs this week -- and while many of Aretha's fans are pissed ... the woman's own kin isn't.

We spoke with one of Aretha's nephews, Tim Franklin, who says the family was not upset over Madonna's awkward VMAs speech about how Aretha led her to who she is today. It was long-winded and rambling ... but more importantly, all about herself and not Aretha.

Tim tells us not only are the Franklins not mad, but they believe Aretha herself would not have been upset either. While they didn't catch Madonna's misfire, their point is this ... Aretha's far bigger than any kind of tribute, and her fans shouldn't be so sensitive. She wouldn't have been, according to Tim.

Madge herself addressed the controversy Tuesday, saying her "tribute" was never meant to be a full-blown thing or production. She says she was instructed to share a personal anecdote about Aretha, and that's exactly what she did. Considering the tight restraints of a televised award show, Madonna says ... "I could never do her justice in this context or environment."

As we reported ... Aretha died last Thursday from advanced pancreatic cancer. Tributes of all forms have been coming in from across the country since she passed.

Cardi B didn't perform at the VMAs, but she DID drop some bars at an afterparty ... and it was all new music. Cardi was feeling herself as she rapped on stage at Tao NYC ... throwing some major shade at Nicki Minaj in the process.

With baby daddy Offset hugging on her, Cardi B busted out some new lyrics ... 'I know how to do it / Get a bag, don't I / I know how to get a b**** mad' ... pretty clear she's referencing Nicki.

The shots didn't stop there.

In another new track, Cardi B raps ... 'I'm the queen of talking sh*t / yeah I'm backing it up / yeah, back, back, backing it up' ... that's another clear swipe at Nicki and her new album, 'Queen.'

Cardi then celebrated winning 3 awards by making a pit stop at McDonalds for a delicious treat.

Cardi pretty clearly shaded Nicki Minaj when she called herself "empress" during her speech. Nicki not only thinks of herself as the queen ... as we showed you, she actually thinks she's Harriet Tubman, something that has outraged non-fans and, frankly, even some of her diehard fans. Between Travis Scott, Kylie and now Cardi, Nicki had no place to safely turn in the venue.

Cardi B just showed up to the VMAs -- her first public event since giving birth last month -- and the rapper looks incredible.

CB arrived to Radio City Music Hall Monday evening in NYC rockin' a beautiful purple gown and a sweet new pixie cut. Oh, and her post-baby body is absolutely on point.

Believe it or not, Cardi just popped out baby Kulture a little over a month ago ... and it's clear she's snapped right back.

We broke the story ... Cardi will be opening the televised show in just a few minutes -- not with a musical performance, but with either a monologue or skit of some sort.

Nicki Minaj isn't just comparing herself to Harriet Tubman -- she's now saying she IS Harriet Tubman ... just new and improved.

We got the "QUEEN" MC leaving her hotel Monday night on her way to the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, where our camera guy asked about a new controversy swarming around Nick from a tweet she put out earlier in the day ... conjuring Harriet's name, and drawing comparisons.

Some Twitter fans were furious Nicki insinuated she was in the same league as Harriet, although Nicki never explicitly compared herself to the civil rights icon. Until now, that is. Our photog has her on camera saying it straight-up ... "I am the new Harriet Tubman."

We press her to make sure she knew what she's saying, and the implications of her remarks -- which are certainly shocking. She pushes right back, insisting she is the next Harriet Tubman. You do you, Nick?

BTW ... we also got Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner heading to the VMAs, and asked if they were gonna try to squash the beef Nicki started on Sunday. They were mum on all that ... but we're guessing that whole mess will sort itself out in the stands.

We got 50 Cent out after the VMA's and asked him what he thought about the Harriet Tubman reference and he was ... guarded.

The 2018 VMAs were out of this world, and you can tell by just how damn happy everyone was behind the scenes.

Radio City Music Hall was lit up with A-listers Monday night during MTV's signature award show, and based on what we're seeing here ... it was kinda the Cardi B/Ariana Grande/Jennifer Lopez show heading inside. They definitely took up a lot of the spotlight.

Cardi was radiating in her purple gown just over a month after giving birth, and AG was showing plenty of PDA with her fiance, Pete Davidson. As for J Lo ... well, she was just being J Lo with A-Rod. 'Nuff said.

Safaree says he isn't worried about potentially running into his ex, Nicki Minaj, on the red carpet at the VMAs ... but he does have some advice for her.

We got the 'Love & Hip Hop' star Monday as he was heading to Radio City Music Hall in NYC to attend the MTV awards show when he took some clear shots at Nicki on the heels of their online beef ... not to mention all her other Twitter squabbles this week.

As we reported ... Safaree claimed Nicki once tried to stab him with a knife in 2014 -- she called him a liar. Nicki also called out Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner over the weekend for working together to push his album sales past hers on the charts.

Safaree's got some thoughts on that too ... pick your battles, Nick. And grow with the times.

Our guy also asks if he beefed up security to avoid any nasty run-ins with Nicki on the red carpet -- like MTV brass is already doing to accommodate the feuding exes -- but he insists he's only rolling deep as a result of his robbery earlier this year.

Aerosmith will be the closing act for the 2018 VMAs this week -- and it might very well give us a glimpse of what's to come in Vegas.

Sources close to the band tell us Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and co. are taking the stage Monday night at Radio City Music Hall in NYC to close out MTV's award show. We're told they're going to be performing their smash hit "Walk This Way."

We got the band out in NYC Monday ... and each member seemed to drop hints at a possible collab for their performance.

Considering the size of the venue, it'll be the perfect warm-up for Aerosmith ... the band's got a Vegas residency coming up. As we reported ... the band announced they'll be hitting the strip next Spring and putting on 18 shows at the MGM Grand Park Theater ... which seats 5,200 people.

RCMH seats more people -- a skosh over 6,000 -- but is significantly smaller in square footage. All in all ... we're guessing it'll be good practice for the Boys from Boston on a smaller stage than what they're normally used to. Might as well get it in early and often.

Also noteworthy ... Aerosmith had a pretty epic opening performance at the VMAs in 1999, where they also played "Walk This Way" ... but had some help from Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C.