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12:11 PM -- Felicity's also gone up before a judge and said she understood the seriousness of the charges. She had already surrendered her passport. So with that, she's also done. That was fast.

12:01 PM -- Lori and Mossimo have just appeared before a judge and both have surrendered their passports. The actress reportedly said hi to the prosecuting team, smiled and shook their hands. Lori and Mossimo are now done with their part of Wednesday's hearing.

11:03 AM PT -- Lori Loughlin just showed up to the Boston courthouse, and was quick to get inside. She avoided answering any questions from reporters, but was also met by some fans cheering, waving, and carrying Lori cutouts with them.

Lori gave a quick wave before marching into court.

Felicity Huffman has just arrived to face a judge for her involvement in the massive college bribery scandal.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress appeared in a federal courthouse in Boston Wednesday where she -- along with other parents including Lori Loughlin -- will reportedly know more about the conditions of their release.

As we first reported ... Lori and Felicity could cut plea bargains but prosecutors wanna see the parents do time behind bars. As one official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Lori and Felicity face up to 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

As we reported ... Felicity and Lori -- recorded on wiretapped calls discussing the scheme with ringleader William Rick Singer -- are accused of paying bribes to help get their kids into elite schools.

Felicity and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly paid $15k to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter, Sophia Grace, who was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students. The feds say the proctor corrected her answers. She scored 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Lori and her hubby, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying a whopping $500k to have their 2 daughters -- Isabella and Olivia -- designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... even though they were never actually on any crew team. Mossimo allegedly sent Singer pics of the girls on rowing machines to make it look like they were indeed athletes.

On the morning the indictment was announced, 7 FBI agents showed up to Felicity's home with guns drawn and arrested her. The feds also showed up to Lori's home but she was in Vancouver. Mossimo was nabbed and later released. Lori surrendered the next day.

47 others were also caught up in the massive college bribery scandal the feds dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The parents are accused of paying off Rick Singer ... the alleged ringleader who created a fake nonprofit, charitable foundation that served as a front to launder the payments.

The feds also said Singer -- who pled guilty to racketeering charges -- allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible"donations" ... to his nonprofit.

According to court records, the actresses and others allegedly paid as much as $6.5M to get their kids into various schools ... including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC. In all, the feds uncovered about $25M in bribes.

Lori -- out on $1 million bond -- was mum when paps got her out the other day leaving a yoga session. The fallout from the scandal was immediate. Loughlin's girls withdrew from USC and Loughlin lost gigs with "Fuller House" and Hallmark.

NeNe Leakes is celebrating an important milestone in her husband's battle with cancer ... he's made it through 6 months of chemo!!!

The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star just shared a video update on Gregg's health, and he's looking good. NeNe's bae was banging a gong in a hospital to mark his milestone. He also got a well-deserved round of applause and tons of hugs.

Gregg was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer last May, and in October he started his chemo treatments. NeNe says it has been a long emotional ride for her entire family, and she says she's so happy for her man and the strength he's showing.

Gregg's diagnosis has been a storyline throughout the current season of 'RHOA' ... and NeNe is thanking all their family, friends, fans, doctors and nurses for the support, prayers and gifts ... including some recipes.

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman could cut plea bargains if they want 'em -- but they wouldn't be getting off easy ... because prosecutors want prison time, TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ, any plea would come with a recommendation by prosecutors that the actresses serve some time behind bars. The official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Prosecutors will not have the final word if the cases are plea bargained. The U.S. Attorney would make a recommendation to the judge, but the judge has the final word.

Lori and Felicity each face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Our sources say it is "likely" plea bargain discussions will begin, but we're told no plea deal has been made.

Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into USC by falsely claiming they would participate in the crew team.

Felicity is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test.

50 people have been charged in the alleged scams, and we're told more indictments are expected.

"Cheaters" is crowdfunding for its upcoming season ... and there are some career-changing perks for anyone willing to invest in the reality TV show.

We've learned the hidden-camera show is getting creative in order to fund its 19th season ... and it's looking to raise $1 million from fans and investors to help produce 40 to 60 episodes -- with directors and producers credits up for grabs.

Here's how far your dollars will stretch:

$100 -- signed photo of late host Clark Gable III

$250 -- "Cheaters" t-shirt and signed photo

$500 -- 2 t-shirts and signed photo

$1,000 -- Production Assistant credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$2,500 -- Head of Security credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$5,000 -- Ride along, Director credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$10,000 -- Ride along for 2, Producer credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$25,000 -- Ride along for 4, Executive Producer credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

"Cheaters" is still looking for a host to replace Clark, who died earlier this year in Texas ... but that's about the only gig on set that's not up for sale.

The sweet perks aren't the only return on investment ... after episodes air, we're told investors will be paid back up to twice the amount of their original investment over a few years.

Could there be a scenario where the New York Giants DON'T draft a replacement for Eli Manning in the first round later this month??

Sure seems that way ... 'cause Ohio State superstar pass rusher Nick Bosa tells TMZ Sports he just met with NY about possibly being their pick -- and he says the visit went well!!!

Of course, the G-Men have a ton of holes to fill in the April 25 draft -- they just traded away Odell Beckham AND Olivier Vernon -- but Eli ain't gettin' any younger and most figure they'll snag a QB with their selection.

But, Bosa sure seemed fired up about their meeting when we got him out in NYC ... signing autographs and looking right at home with the New Yorkers.

So, sorry Dwayne Haskins??

By the way, Nick wasn't just in New York for his big meeting with Big Blue ... he was celebrating the premiere of "Game of Thrones" -- where his NFL brother, Joey Bosa, actually got a role in the final season!!!!

Nick Cannon is looking for the next castmate to join his 'Wild 'N Out' crew, and that special someone could be you ... if ya got what it takes!!!

Honchos at MTV tell TMZ ... Nick's ready to start touring the country searching for the show's next star, and he's looking for funny people who can freestyle rap, rhyme, crack jokes and light up the room.

Sound like you??? Well, all ya gotta do is send Nick a video, photo and a reason why you'll be perfect for season 14. The submission deadline is April 17, and you must be at least 18 years old to apply.

MTV tells us casting producers will be inviting select candidates to audition in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta in front of Nick.

9:50 AM PT -- A source connected to J Lo tells us 'WoD' was floating around NBC years ago -- it was the network's concept and they brought it to Jennifer.

Jennifer Lopez pulled a sneaky 1-2 step to get her hit TV show, "World of Dance," on the air ... at least according to a guy who claims she stole the idea -- but his story's got some holes.

Alvin Gray-El is suing J Lo claiming 'WoD' is a total rip from an idea he first pitched to renowned choreographer Debbie Allen. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Alvin claims he faxed Debbie a copy of his idea back in 2009. His reality show was supposed to be entitled, "Let's Start the Dance."

Alvin, however, says he never heard back from Debbie, whom he's also suing.

The following year, according to docs, Alvin registered his show idea with the U.S. Copyright Office -- but was told about 7 years later ... there was already a similar show being produced by J Lo and NBC.

Alvin claims he fired off a letter to NBC telling them the show J Lo's producing is his original pitch from years ago he made to Debbie. But, he says he got zero response.

BTW, Debbie has nothing to do with J Lo's show. Assuming she actually got Alvin's fax all those years ago, Alvin's lawsuit never explains how his idea jumped from Debbie to Jennifer.

In any event, he's now suing both of them for $6.5 million in damages. We've reached out to J Lo's camp and Debbie's ... so far no word back.

It's officially open season on Jussie Smollett ... and Tracy Morgan is picking up where Chris Rock left off -- ripping the "Empire" star for a barely believable story about the alleged racist attack.

Tracy opened a fresh can of Jussie jokes ... saying he knew it was BS all along because "racist people don't be jumping nobody in a polar vortex." As he put it during his "Tonight Show" appearance ... there's no need to freeze your ass off when you can be racist in the spring!!!

He's also got beef with Smollett's Subway sandwich ... watch for his punchline.

The bust-on-Jussie train started rolling down the tracks Saturday night at the NAACP Image Awards, where Rock unloaded with the simple line ... "What a waste of light skin!!! You know what I could do with that light skin? I'd be f**king running Hollywood!"

Smollett walked on the 16 felony counts, but it's obvious comedians ain't gonna be as kind as Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Grant Gustin -- the guy who plays "The Flash" on the hit CW series -- wasn't so quick on his feet when he needed to find a way to relax while on a flight to Canada ... 'cause his plan went up in smoke.

We're told Grant was aboard Compass Airlines Flight 6006 Sunday night from LAX to Vancouver, sitting in first class. When the plane -- carrying 68 passengers -- leveled off, Grant headed straight to the bathroom and allegedly put his vaping pen to serious work.

Witnesses tell us the smoke coming outta the bathroom was so intense, it set off a smoke alarm after seeping into the cockpit ... where the captain and co-pilot were forced to wear oxygen masks.

Our sources say Grant -- who has also appeared on "Glee" and "Supergirl" -- copped to vaping. According to witnesses, he wanted to relax during the flight. We're told the flight attendants confiscated his vape without incident.

We're told the plane was NOT diverted ... and after landing in Vancouver, Grant was kept on the plane where he was met by Canadian authorities. As you probably know ... vaping on a flight is a huge no-no, but luckily for Grant, he was let off with a warning.

A rep with Compass Airlines tells TMZ ... flight 6006, "experienced a smoke indicator from the forward lavatory while in flight. A vaping pen was confiscated from a cooperative passenger. The flight landed safely in Vancouver, without delay."

We reached out to Grant's rep, who had no comment.

Dr. Phil's upper lip is as bald as the top of his head now -- he's kissed his iconic mustache goodbye ... or at least it looks like he has.

The good doc's showed off his apparently clean-shaven mug on Twitter, posting before-and-after pics that are sure to drive his fans wild. While the new look seems totally legit at first glance ... we gotta take April 1 into account.

Tom Brady already used the social media platform to stage a fake retirement announcement.

Of course, if Phil is just yanking our chains with another April Fools' joke, he's really going ALL in with shaving cream, razors, a bib and some makeup magic ... but hey, maybe he's just doing a little spring cleaning.

Worth noting -- he didn't post any video of the slaying of his mustache, which makes us suspect.

If you're already missing Dr. Phil's old look, chill ... it'll grow back ... if it's even really gone.

In the meantime, enjoy the baby face.

Jussie Smollett getting off scot-free is bad news for R. Kelly, because prosecutors might be itching for a big win ... so worries the singer's lawyer.

Steven Greenberg tells TMZ ... the outcome of Jussie's criminal case in Cook County -- in which all 16 felony charges against him were dropped by the State's Attorney -- might be damaging for Kelly ... especially when it comes to a possible plea bargain.

He says, "I think it makes it more difficult for a friendly disposition because they’re going to be extremely reluctant to admit they brought these cases with scant evidence or that there are any other problems."

Greenberg adds State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her team may now view Kelly's case as a chance to redeem themselves after taking such intense heat from the City of Chicago and for that matter the nation for their decision to cut the actor loose.

It's worth noting -- Foxx seemed much more committed to prosecuting Kelly than Smollett. Remember, she held a news conference in early January before charges were filed, urging victims to come forward. By contrast, Foxx recused herself from Jussie's case after she'd admitted to communicating with Smollett's family.

Greenberg concedes there's no way Foxx will recuse herself in the R. Kelly case because there were no equivalent communications ... at least as far as the lawyer knows.

Kelly's facing more serious charges than Smollett -- he's been hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. All are class 2 felonies which carry a max sentence of 3 to 7 years in prison for each offense.

Chris Rock defied producers Saturday night at the 50th NAACP Image Awards -- because he had to -- and ripped Jussie Smollett.

Jussie was a no show, despite being nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a drama series for his work on "Empire." He had flown to L.A. and we're told he planned to attend but ultimately decided to bail.

Rock opened with this ... "They said no Jussie Smollett jokes ... I know. What a waste of light skin. You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be outta here! I'd be f*cking running Hollywood!"

But, there was more ... "What the hell was he thinking? You're 'Jessie' from now on, you don't get the 'u' no more. That 'u' was respect, you ain't getting no respect from me."

The crowd loved it, especially Trevor Noah, who laughed hysterically.

Jussie did have some support. When "Black-ish" won Outstanding Comedy Series, Yara Shahidi told the crowd, "I stand with Jussie."

Jay Glazer gets hit a lot at his MMA gym -- whether it's UFC stars or big name actors, dude gets beat up all the freakin' time ... but who hits the HARDEST??

Star-Lord!!!!

That's right ... Chris Pratt's got the power that'll knock anybody out, so says the Unbreakable Gym owner ... who tells TMZ Sports Pratt straight-up hits harder than the Natural.

"It sucks getting hit by Chris Pratt more than it sucks getting hit by Randy Couture."

UMMM ... HAVE YOU SEEN RANDY COUTURE FIGHT?!?

FYI -- Couture is one bad dude ... he's got a 19-11 record and has 7 knockouts under his belt. Oh, and was a 3-time UFC heavyweight champion!!!

So ... does this mean CP will ditch Hollywood for the Octagon?? Not so fast ...

"He's too busy being happily engaged and pretty."

BONUS -- we also got an update on that tooth Demi Lovato knocked out of Glazer's grill a couple weeks ago ... and super glue really does fix everything!! (We sure hope he's kidding).

Rita Ora is totally down for a night on the town with hunky Russian 'Bachelor' Alex Sparrow, but there's a huge problem ... her manager is standing in the way.

Alex -- a textbook thirst trap who also won the Russian version of 'X Factor' -- says on the "Hidden Truth Show with Jim Breslo" he met Rita a couple of months ago at the American Music Awards, where he asked her out. According to Alex, Rita said yes, but he's still waiting for their big date.

The holdup ... Alex didn't ask for Rita's digits -- he wanted to be respectful, so he got her manager's number instead, and now there's been nothing but radio silence.

Alex is shooting his shot once again ... he's hoping Rita's management team catches wind and hits him up to facilitate the date.

It's easy to see why Rita would go out with Alex ... on top of his dashing good looks, he's a star in Russia, with 3.7 million Instagram followers and millions of views on his YouTube music vids.

The prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case threw shade at the Mayor of Chicago and the Police Superintendent as she bizarrely tried to explain her decision to cut the actor loose from the justice system.

Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx wrote an op-ed piece in the Chicago Tribune, in which she says the case against Smollett was not a slam dunk. Foxx is clearly pointing the finger at Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who came out strongly in a news conference after Smollett was charged, saying the evidence was clear -- Smollett paid the Osundairo brothers to stage an "attack."

Foxx says, "For a variety of reasons, including public statements made about the evidence in this case, my office believed the likelihood of securing a conviction was not certain." She doesn't explain how those public statements would affect the case.

Foxx goes on to diminish the alleged crimes, saying Smollett was charged with a low-level felony, "The least serious category, which also covers things like falsely pulling a fire alarm in school and 'draft card mutilation.'" So, Foxx is comparing filing a false police report and falsely alleging a hate crime is like pulling a fire alarm.

She says, "These felonies are routinely resolved, particularly in cases involving suspects with no prior criminal record, long before a case ever nears a courtroom and often without either jail time or monetary penalties." What she's not telling you ... the way these cases are typically resolved is with a plea bargain ... and not outright dismissal. Remember, Jussie did no formal community service.

She then goes after Mayor Emanuel and Superintendent Johnson, saying, "Any law-enforcement leader or elected official not grandstanding or clouded by political expediency understands the purpose of sentencing guidelines." NOTE: Smollett was not sentenced. He was let go.

Luke Perry's getting a proper sendoff from Hollywood ... with a celebration of his extraordinary life.

TMZ's obtained the invitation that's been sent to those who worked with Luke during his Hollywood career ... a list boasting hundreds of names. We're told the invitation's gone out to those who worked with him on "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Riverdale" and various other projects.

Our sources say the invite's not limited to stars and execs who run Tinseltown. We're told crew members -- from camera guys and makeup artists to hairstylists and wardrobe folks -- are included on the guest list. The private event is set for April 13 at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

As we first reported ... Luke's ashes were spread around the place he most cherished ... the Tennessee farm where he lived on and off over the last 20-plus years. TMZ broke the story ... Luke died suddenly this month after suffering a massive stroke.

His death sent shock waves across the world. Luke was an adoring father and was revered just as much in Hollywood, which is why it wants to unite one last time in his honor.