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Rabid fans of "Love is Blind" practically BEGGED the star, Mark Cuevas, to dump his ruthless fiancee on the show ... but he couldn't let her go and his reason kinda makes sense.

BTW ... SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

We got Mark out Thursday in Atlanta and asked him what pretty much every fan of the hit Netflix series has been asking since Jessica Batten dumped him at the altar: why didn't HE dump her way before that after she put him through hell?!?!

Mark tells us the connection he made with Jessica was pretty deep, beyond what fans even saw on the show. The idea of losing that connection, he said, is what made it so hard to kick her to the curb. Heck, he even gave her one of his grandmother's bracelets. Don't worry, he got it back.

For the uninitiated ... the show features singles who get to know each other by talking through a wall inside a pod. If they make a connection, they can only meet face-to-face if they agree to get engaged and they immediately begin planning the wedding.

Mark and Jessica got off to a strong start but Messica -- as fans dubbed her -- became the villain when she two-timed Mark and started talking to Matt Barnett, who hinted he'd propose to Jessica ... but backed out.

Eventually, Mark proposed to Jessica, but the wheels quickly fell off ... capped by Jessica's drunken confession about the other guy, and her jilting Mark.

But, watch the vid, Mark tells us why he'll always have love for Jessica -- but he plays it pretty coy when we ask if he's dating anyone else these days.

NFL star Maurkice Pouncey was one of Aaron Hernandez's closest friends -- and tells TMZ Sports the Netflix documentary about the troubled NFL star is "all bulls**t."

The documentary -- "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" -- has made headlines for several claims about Aaron ... from gay sexual relationships to prison fights to alleged gun violence.

Both Maurkice and his NFL star brother Mike Pouncey were super close with Aaron for years -- and even visited him in prison -- and it's clear they don't believe ANY of the claims from the documentary.

When asked specifically about the gay claims, Maurkice echoed the comments from Aaron's fiancee ... who said they NEVER knew about that side of Aaron but would have loved him the same if it was true.

"What I know there ain't no truth to it," Pouncey says ... "We know nothing about that."

There's more in the clip ... including Pouncey's feelings about Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.

Remember, it was Pouncey who first attacked Garrett after Myles swung a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph during a game back in November.

Pouncey was suspended for 2 games and fined for going after Garrett -- while Myles was suspended indefinitely.

Taylor Swift's army of fans have great timing -- putting on an incredible display of support for her just as she was going public about battling an eating disorder.

We got Taylor and an absolute WALL of Swiftees Thursday night in Park City, UT ... where her "Miss Americana" documentary premiered. We're used to seeing her fans show out in force, but you gotta see this ... 'cause they outdid themselves for the Sundance Film Festival event -- and Taylor took selfies with scores of them.

T-Swift was smiling and clearly overjoyed -- moments before going into the theater, where fans got to see her open up for the first time about starving herself while she was on the road. In the Netflix documentary, she says seeing herself in paparazzi photos "where I looked like my tummy was too big, or someone said that I looked pregnant" triggered her to stop eating.

She says the lack of eating started to affect her live performances -- but adds she now understands she's gotta have food to have the energy to get through her shows.

As we reported, Taylor's actually pulling back on live shows this year -- doing fewer huge stadium dates -- partly so she can spend more time with her mother ... who's battling cancer and a brain tumor.

Gwyneth Paltrow is sliding right into promo mode for her new show about female wellness and empowerment, and as you can see -- she's highlighting vaginas. It's kinda her thing now.

GP was beaming Tuesday night in L.A. for a screening of her Netflix series, "The Goop Lab" ... which goes behind the scenes of her Goop biz, selling products tailored to make ladies feel good. Especially where it counts.

So, Gwyn striking a pose in front of a flower display that's a dead ringer for a vagina ... is no mistake. After all, this is the same woman hawking a candle that, allegedly, releases her own personal ... scent.

The whole idea of her biz is women shouldn't be afraid to take care of themselves in all respects -- especially when it comes to their sex lives. Clearly, she isn't scared of expressing her philosophy in creative ways.

Netflix's doc about a Texas cheerleading program lacks professional shots of THE big competition, and that's the studio's own damn fault ... so says the gatekeeper to the event.

Varsity Spirit -- which is briefly featured in the docuseries -- tells TMZ ... they did, in fact, shoot down Netflix's request to film the competition with their own cameras, but offered a compromise they insist Netflix wasn't interested in ... event footage from Varsity itself.

ICYMI, the streaming giant's new docuseries, "Cheer," is all the rave ... but at one point -- SPOILERS AHEAD!!! -- producers switched to iPhones to capture the Daytona cheer tournament that their subjects, Navarro College's cheer team, work toward through 6 episodes.

The reason (per Netflix) ... Varsity denied them access to film on the grounds. No official reason was offered, despite Varsity somewhat alluding to it.

They spelled it out for us, however, and basically say they don't allow outside production teams to film during the proceedings, mostly to avoid unnecessary distractions for the athletes. As for why Netflix and co. allegedly turned down Varsity's own footage ... unclear.

There is good news though for fans of the breakout series -- there seem to be signs of future installments. Varsity tells us they've been in talks with Netflix since this little headbutt -- and apparently, the two behemoths have already discussed working together again.

The real-life stars of Netflix's "Cheer" documentary want to put their newfound fame to good use ... and they've got ideas for potential movie adaptions and pitches for music videos!!!

We got the cheer squad from Navarro Community College in Texas after they touched down at LAX and asked how they're feeling about going Hollywood.

Coach Monica Aldama is hoping their story finds its way into a movie script ... and she wants Sandra Bullock to play her on the big screen!!!

As you know ... everyone is raving about the super fun doc, and the cheerleaders are getting shoutouts from all types of celebs and athletes.

Jerry Harris tells us his favorite famous fan, and his answer might surprise you ... sorry, JJ Watt, being the best defensive player in the NFL just ain't cutting it for Jerry.

Speaking of sports stars ... these cheerleaders say people better recognize -- they are definitely athletes.

A music video makes perfect sense for the cheer squad ... and while Lexi Brumback wants to collab with someone from the EDM world, her peers are pulling for Drake.

Aaron Hernandez killed himself largely because he was suffering from CTE -- and NOT because he was agonizing over his sexuality ... so says his famous attorney.

Jose Baez -- who repped Aaron and helped him beat a double murder case -- tells TMZ ... the new documentary about his client implies Aaron was in the closet, and might have even taken his life because of that alleged secret.

That's just not the case, though, according to Baez ... who says Aaron's death was triggered by advanced CTE -- a brain disease the tight end had developed since his youth. Baez insists Aaron's sexual orientation played ZERO part in his fate.

You'll recall ... Baez was intent on getting Aaron's brain studied at Boston University, and even accused the Worcester Medical Examiner of holding onto it illegally. He also downplayed rumors his client had a love affair with a fellow inmate.

Congressman Tim Ryan is firing back at haters who say Barack and Michelle Obama got lucky with their first Oscar nomination ... he says Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady went through the same process before folks finally woke up to their greatness.

We got the Ohio Rep. on Capitol Hill Wednesday and our guy asked if the Obama's were more lucky than good in getting their first film nominated for an Oscar.

The Obama's production company is behind "American Factory," a Netflix documentary that takes a deep dive into post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant and hires 2,000 blue-collar Americans.

Adam Sandler got downright serious as he told us about bombing on stage in his early days.

Adam was at the National Board Review Gala Wednesday night in NYC and revealed what fueled his drive to be a successful stand-up comedian ... despite crashing and burning on the Sunset Strip.

The Grammy-nominated comedian says when he was a kid trying to make it, there was a 50-50 chance the friends he'd invite to come watch him would leave saying "Adam sucks."

The struggle was real ... he says it happened for 3 solid years. Adam ultimately found his footing ... and it was comedian Dennis Miller who discovered Adam in WeHo at the Comedy Club. Dennis, BTW, is the one who recommended Adam to 'SNL' honcho Lorne Michaels ... and the rest was history.

Adam also talked about Eddie Murphy's comeback to stand-up comedy ... saying he's confident it's only a matter of time until Eddie makes his triumphant return to stand-up.

Laura Dern's "Marriage Story" character isn't anything like the real-life divorce attorney she's supposedly based on ... so says the woman herself, who's kinda salty about the portrayal.

We ran into Disso Queen Laura Wasser Tuesday night at Craig's in WeHo and asked how she felt about the movie ... which many have speculated is not-so-loosely based on director Noah Baumbach's 2013 divorce from then-wife Jennifer Jason Leigh, who used Wasser.

Check it out ... Laura says there's not much similarity between herself and Dern's feisty Nora Fanshaw, who reps ScarJo in the movie and comes off as deceptively aggressive. Spoiler alert ... she ends up winning on behalf of her client, but the way she gets there sorta sucks.

LW has a funnier way of putting it -- she's a bit blunter in describing how LD was depicted, and she says it couldn't be further from the truth in how she handles her biz.

Luka Magnotta's mom is convinced her son didn't act alone when he killed kittens on camera ... she says the mysterious "Manny" was involved, and evidence is being ignored!!!

The convicted murderer's mother, Anna Yourkin, tells TMZ ... she firmly believes the third hand lurking in Luka's infamous cat-killing video belongs to none other than Emanuel "Manny" Lopez ... a position Luka has strongly maintained.

Anna says Canadian cops and Interpol are ignoring one crucial piece of evidence from Netflix's explosive docu-series on Luka, "Don't F**k With Cats" -- the third hand in the frame when Luka allows a python to devour a kitty.

Luka claims Manny forced him to kill the feline, but the Netflix doc insinuates Manny is a fictional person based on a character in "Basic Instinct." When you watch the video, the third hand does NOT move. No one knows who it belongs to, but Luka's mom says it's gotta be Manny's.

Anna also claims Luka emailed her a photo of Manny BEFORE the cat-killing video, and told her not to open it unless something happened to him. Problem is, Anna claims Interpol seized her email and the alleged Manny photo.

Tiffany Haddish warned the crowd a couple of times and then greatness ensued when she started rapping!!!

Tiffany had one helluva busy Sunday night ... which ended in spectacular fashion at Netflix's Golden Globes after-party in Bev Hills. Tiffany muscled her way over to the DJ's booth, grabbed the mic and hyped the crowd up before rapping to City Girls' banger, "Act Up."

Ya gotta see the crowd under a massive tent on a lot adjacent to the Beverly Hilton Hotel. They went nuts!!!

It was a pretty eventful night for Tiffany. The comedian, who wore an elegant pink dress, displayed a Star of David necklace honoring her Black Jewish roots on her father's side, which she discovered after taking a genealogy test.

This is it, folks. If you want to want binge-watch "Friends" you better do it today, because the series is off the market for months when the clock strikes 12.

When the ball drops in Times Square, one of the most famous sitcoms in history will be 86'd from the Netflix menu. The reason ... Warner Media owns the 90's series, so it wants to put all 236 episodes on its new streaming service, HBO Max. Thing is ... the service won't launch until May.

Now, if you really just can't wait ... you can buy each episode for $1.99. All 10 seasons will set you back $200.

Here's Kevin Spacey with another cryptic video on Christmas Eve ... returning as Frank Underwood and reminding everyone out there to "kill them with kindness."

For the second year in a row, Kevin posted a bizarre video the day before Xmas ... once again slipping into his former "House of Cards" character to deliver a strange message.

Kevin says he's had a pretty good year and is happy to have his health back, and says he's made some huge changes in his life.

Spacey says he's going to cast a vote in 2020 "for more good in this world" ... then suggests people should "kill them with kindness" the next time someone does something you don't like, instead of going on the attack.

We've seen this kind of display before from Kevin ... last Christmas Eve, he posted a bizarre vid urging people not to rush to judgment after being accused of groping an 18-year-old male in a Nantucket bar.

As we first reported ... Kevin scored a huge victory this July when prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped their criminal case against him.

Tiffany Haddish is celebrating 3 things at once, and they all center around her Jewish heritage ... something she's leaning into as she hits the big 4-0.

The comedian and actress turned 40 on Tuesday and decided to ring it in by throwing a 'Black Mitzvah.' What the hell is that? Well, it's not only the title of her new Netflix stand-up special -- which dropped Tuesday -- but it also looks like a kick-ass freakin' party.

Tiff's bday bash/bat mitzvah went down at the SLS Hotel in Bev Hills, where friends like Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Nealon and Sinbad -- to name just a few -- helped her celebrate.

If you hadn't heard, Tiffany learned she was part Jewish a bit late in life -- age 27, apparently -- with her father revealing he was an Eritrean Jew. That spurred her to learn more about the culture, and now she's dedicated her comedy special to it.

She's also been studying Hebrew, so she seems to be taking it seriously. Funny enough, Tiff used to work at bar and bat mitzvahs -- she says she was an "energy producer" at events. You can see that's a perfect gig for her.

Kevin Pollak says Martin Scorsese's new mobster flick, "The Irishman," was as good as it gets for the genre -- but there was a little issue according to him ... the stars were too damn old.

We got the veteran actor right on the heels of the new flick landing on Netflix and asked for his thoughts on it ... considering he starred in Marty's "Casino" and tons of other crime movies. Turns out, he loved 'Irishman' ... with one caveat, and it's hard to tell if he's joking.

Kevin says at one point ... the film played more like a trio of old coots who lost their keys instead of menacing mobsters in their prime. He does some hilarious impressions too, to drive home his point. Pretty spot-on with his versions of Pacino, Pesci and De Niro. Well, the first 2 ... he kinda phoned it in for Bobby D.

If you haven't seen it yet, the movie captures one hit man's journey from start to end, so the actors' appearances do change a lot.

Of course, the gimmick with the film is the digital de-aging technology the 3 stars were put through -- especially De Niro.