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Joaquin Phoenix is back running through the streets of Gotham as the Clown Prince himself -- but despite the action being filmed on the ground ... some are scoffing from above.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, where the actor can be seen on the set of 'Joker 2,' which was filming on location Saturday in DTLA ... and where JP was doing a few takes where he's being chased by some bad guys, who happen to be dressed in Joker gear.

It's pretty interesting ... you see Joaquin here (as Arthur Fleck) in a business suit, sans makeup, and a couple of goons going after him as they weave in and out of traffic. One of the dudes on his tail is actually dressed in his 'Joker' outfit from the first movie.

There's some good action captured on camera here, but the photog doesn't seem to be that big a fan of Joaquin or 'Joker' in general ... 'cause he talks a lot of crap throughout.

At one point, you can see director Todd Phillips walking through the scene again with Joaquin (who's in regular clothes, masked up) -- and there, too, the camera man has snarky commentary to offer. It doesn't seem like Todd and co. cared that people were watching ... they were busy trying to get the shots, and it looks like they they were preoccupied.

Couple takeaways ... it seems like the sequel to the 2019 hit is actually going to take place, in part, outside of an asylum -- which is where we last saw Joaquin's Joker. Also, no sign of Lady Gaga anywhere on Saturday's set, but she's in this as well (as Harley Quinn).

Armie Hammer got thrown under the bus at the Spirit Awards this weekend -- courtesy of the show's host, Hasan Minhaj ... who roped in AH's old costar, Timothee Chalamet, too.

The comedian was firing from all cylinders Saturday to open the show -- one meant to honor indie filmmaking, which was streaming on YT -- by taking shots at A LOT of people ... including Armie, whom he didn't mention by name, but did allude to by reputation.

He brought up Timmy's flick from last year, 'Bones and All,' where the dude plays a cannibal who falls in love with another cannibal ... an easy layup to tie in the Armie scandal.

Hasan said Hollywood's gotta stop making movies where TC falls in love with flesh eaters ... 'cause it's getting old. Of course, he's referring to 'Call Me By Your Name,' where Tim/Armie play lovers. The joke didn't land all that well, it seems, as many in the audience audibly groaned. It doesn't appear as if Timothee himself was actually in attendance either.

Hasan didn't harp on it beyond that ... but it served as a reminder that the whole Armie saga still lingers, even now, and has left a bad taste in people's mouth throughout the biz.

You'll recall ... Armie was swept up in a criminal investigation for alleged rape for quite a while now, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere. He's denied raping anyone, but did admit he was emotionally abusive to women he'd been with ... touching on all his leaked DMs where he described horrific fantasies and leaned in on cannibalistic fetishes.

Since then, he's said that was just BDSM stuff he was into, and not meant to be taken literally ... and while some have called all the cannibal cracks at his expense "kink-shaming" -- it doesn't sound like H'wood is easing up on making him the butt of their jokes.

Jeffree Star is following up on his controversial remarks about people using they/them pronouns -- telling us he has no beef with nonbinary people, but he is accusing them of going overboard with labels.

We got the makeup guru Thursday at LAX, where he stood by the comments that got a lot of folks heated. He's fully aware of the brewing controversy, but insists it had to be said ... and, even further, he says he's the perfect messenger.

For those unaware, Jeffree recently got candid about people who use the gender-neutral pronouns they/them ... calling it "stupid" and some "bulls***" made up when Americans got bored during the pandemic.

While some saw it as a brutal, hate-filled statement ... Jeffree thinks people missed his point altogether. He tells us he recognizes nonbinary people are out there, and respects anyone's labels, but doesn't think he should be put on blast for speaking his mind.

Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial hit a delay Thursday morning when the judge dismissed one of the jurors -- but she refused to leave court without some very valuable belongings.

Judge Clifton Newman announced one of the jurors had discussed her opinion about trial evidence with 3 people -- presumably not other jurors -- and therefore, she's being replaced with an alternate.

The jurors' dismissal also came with an inflationary sign of the times, as she demanded her belongings from the jury room before departing. Those items included her purse, a bottle ... and a dozen eggs!!!

The price of those eggs runs somewhere south of $4, on average, these days in South Carolina ... so ya get it.

Even the judge quipped, "We've had a lot of interesting things. But now a dozen eggs."

The social media war between A.J. Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster ain't over yet -- the two NFL stars just revisited their heated post-Super Bowl beef ... with the Philadelphia Eagles receiver unloading on the Kansas City Chiefs champ for mocking his team on social media again.

It's been more than two weeks since JuJu dropped his first troll jab on the NFC champs ... when Brown got pissed over a Valentine's Day shot at his teammate, cornerback James Bradberry.

But JuJu wasn't done dancing on the Eagles' grave ... 'cause he participated in a skit shading Brown and other Philly players this week -- and his own mom even acted in the vid.

Once Brown got wind of the clip, he made his reaction crystal clear ... and he's sending some serious warning shots toward JuJu.

"You really need somebody else to play with," Brown tweeted at JuJu. "Don't let that ring get you beat tf up. Because I'm with all the dumb shii. I'm not gone speak on it no more.."

Turns out Brown ended up speaking on it again 15 minutes later ... reposting a DM he sent to JuJu's inbox.

"I don't play them kids games, if you wanna see me , I'm with it," he said. "You better go to Cabo and enjoy your ring and stop f***ing with me. Leave me off all your TikTok shii p****."

A newly-elected Congressman went viral for a full-blown presentation he gave on the House floor, praising Beyoncé -- and we got to the bottom of what was behind it all.

Our photog ran into Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) on Capitol Hill Wednesday ... this after his impassioned speech just hours earlier, where he talked about the end of Black History Month and the start of Women's History Month ... using Queen Bey as the bridge between the two.

Rep. Garcia explained himself perfectly well in his ode to the iconic performer -- rightly noting Beyoncé is, well, awesome, but he elaborated a bit more with us ... breaking down why exactly he felt she was the perfect person to honor.

Watch ... he says Beyoncé achieved that rare feat of being both an entertainer and an activist, which puts her in a different category of celebrity. He also says it's exactly because of this she's worthy enough to be called out in a very good way.

Taylor Lewan is clearing the air ... admitting he asked the Titans to drop off his football equipment/belongings at his home, telling everyone to "stop overreacting."

On Tuesday, the former star left tackle posted a photo of two trash bags (and a pair of shoulder pads) on his porch, along with the comment, "Shout out to the Titans dropping my stuff off today. They even let me keep the shoulder pads."

Most fans interpreted the message as sarcastic, assuming Lewan was shading his former team for just dropping his crap off outside.

But, Lewan -- who was recently cut by Tennessee -- says that's not the case ... he actually asked the team to drop everything off outside.

"Yeah it's in trash bags, who cares," Taylor said. "What does it need to be in a horse-drawn chariot, a gold chariot that they ride up in and say, 'Hey, thanks for the last nine years.'"

The 31-year-old spent nine seasons with the franchise ... but despite being cut, the 3x Pro Bowler says he has nothing but love for the org. and their relationship is fine.

"Let's stop overreacting."

When you gotta go, ya gotta go ... and that's exactly what one adorable pooch did while performing during the halftime performance at a college basketball game!!

The whole bathroom break was caught on camera by one of the hoop fans in the stands -- showing the cute canine doing tricks with a frisbee for the Virginia Tech-Louisville game on Tuesday.

But the show eventually started to stink -- literally -- when the dog walked up to its trainer near the baseline to do another move ... when out of nowhere, it pops a squat and lets it all out!!

The trainer quickly reacted and grabbed the dog, but the doo doo still remained ... and the crowd's reaction was priceless.

To add to the crappy night, the Cardinals lost again, making it their third consecutive loss. They currently hold a 4-26 record under new head coach Kenny Payne.

FYI, this ain't the first time a dog has dropped a deuce at a sporting event ... Klay Thompson's dog did it at Dodger Stadium in 2016, and a Philadelphia Police Department K-9 handled its business right on the Flyers' center-ice logo in 2021.

Mike Perry says Jake Paul's trainer was livid he posted a fake "script" purporting to break down what'd happen during each round of Paul vs. Fury ... telling TMZ Sports he received an angry message in his DMs.

Once Perry shared the document titled "Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Script - Revision #4 - Final" with his hundreds of thousands of followers, it went viral. The script indicated Jake would beat Tommy Fury by TKO in the 8th round of their fight.

Obviously, that's not what happened (Fury beat Paul via split decision). Still, the script played into the conspiracy theorists' narrative that Jake's fights aren't real, and that clearly ticked off his team. The timing didn't help, either. It was released just hours before the fight and caused a headache for all involved.

"It was an Instagram post I think my buddy sent me," Perry said, explaining how he wound up with the script.

"I tweeted it and it's probably my best tweet of all time, probably. It got a lot of attention. People talked a lot of trash on me for it. Whatever."

But, Mike says it wasn't just Jake's fans that were angry, but also people close to the Problem Child.

"Jake's coach wrote me and was upset about his reputation," Perry says, explaining how Paul's coach made the case they always treated the former UFC star with respect.

But, Mike doesn't see the situation the same way.

"Ya know I was thinking, well, Jake never cared about my reputation when he posted a video of what I said to him at practice, trying to coach him up and be a part of the team, and give him that work. And he put that [training footage] out there," Perry countered, referencing Jake's decision to post training footage where Paul got the best of Perry while sparring.

We asked Mike how he responded to Jake's trainer BJ Flores -- whom Perry implies was the coach who sent the message.

"I didn't really respond to his coach's messages. I didn't respond to it. I just kind of looked past it. It's part of the game."

FYI, Flores is Jake's head coach and was a respected boxer in his own right. In fact, BJ fought for a cruiserweight world title in 2016.

Despite the drama, MP says ... "I like BJ Flores," but clearly he has no regrets about posting the script.

"The script was hilarious, it was funny, I guess just a joke."

We also talked to Mike about his thoughts on the actual fight (he says he wasn't very impressed with either boxer), and whether he has any interest in fighting Jake and/or Tommy.

"I could beat either one of those guys. Maybe they're not ready for me, and someone of my experience," while making it clear he's open if fans want to see either bout.

The Montana hunter who killed and skinned a husky -- apparently thinking it was a wolf -- is getting off easy after copping a plea.

Amber Rose Barnes just pled no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty ... and the judge gave her a 6-month deferred sentence, meaning the whole case will go away if she meets a few requirements.

Part of her checklist to get this wiped from her record -- Barnes will have to take an online hunter safety class, and she's not allowed to use her hunting rifles for half a year.

As it turns out, that's not much of a punishment when you consider hunting season doesn't come until the fall ... so, it's not like she's missing out.

Remember, Barnes was hit with the animal cruelty charge back in October after the horrific September incident. At the time, she bragged on social media she'd taken down a wild wolf ... but it was just a domesticated husky that was out in the woods.

Not only did she shoot and kill it, but Barnes also took the dog's hide as a trophy ... which she also posted on social media, drawing the ire of the public. Barnes insisted the animal was acting aggressively when she encountered it and claimed self-defense.

A massive brawl broke out at an Oklahoma high school basketball game, where players, spectators, and even cheerleaders were goin' at it -- and the insane melee was caught on video!

The fight happened after Star Spencer H.S. girl's team lost to Tulsa Central High at Regionals last Friday in Morris, Oklahoma.

What started the fight is unknown, but someone sitting in the bleachers had their camera rollin' when it began ... showing two female players on the ground pulling each other's hair while several people tried to stop them.

However, their efforts were futile, and actually started a larger altercation ... as people started pushing, shoving, and fighting. Players. Fans. Cheerleaders. Everyone.

In fact, you can see a man viciously throw a player during the brawl.

Morris Police Department officers were able to break up the fight, according to KFOR, and no one was injured or arrested.

Oklahoma Public School's spokesperson tells us they're investigating the incident and "students involved have been disciplined according to our Student Code of Conduct."

"This was an unfortunate incident and does not reflect the values or sportsmanship that OKCPS expects of our students and fans," the spokesperson said. "OKCPS officials worked with Tulsa Public Schools and the OSSAA to investigate the incident."

Several adults have also been banned from Tulsa Public Schools athletic events for the rest of the year.

Despite the incident, the Central Lady Braves played the following day against Millwood and won ... making them the Regional Consolation Champs.

No rock, but Ben Affleck was recently caught between a couple of REALLY hard places ... doing his best to get his fancy car out and on its way in a hilariously relatable video.

Ben and his Mercedes-Benz were subject to a super tight squeeze Monday in Brentwood, CA ... crammed between 2 other parked cars along a curb. You can see him smoking a cig with his Dunkin' on the top of the car before working on his escape.

We've all been there, and you gotta admit it's pretty infuriating ... and, as Ben goes back and forth in this spot, he hits the car up front a few times before pulling away -- whoops.

As we reported, this isn't the actor's first bout of trouble behind the wheel ... he and Jen were pulling into a Starbucks in West. L.A. last year as a sign got stuck in his back rim. Luckily, a couple of paps jumped in to save the day.

Ben's son, Samuel also go into a fender bender last year -- hopping into the driver's seat of a Lambo and accidentally reversing it into a white BMW.

More alligators have been removed from the Florida retirement community where an elderly was attacked and killed ... with additional searches underway.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rep tells TMZ ... two additional gators have been yanked from water at Spanish Lakes Fairways in Fort Pierce since last week's deadly incident ... and not just that, but we're told they'll probably be killed.

The FFWCC rep notes there've been a total of 5 gator complaints that a licensed nuisance alligator trapper (NAT) is currently working at the community.

The way they gauge which ones they'll go after and which ones they'll leave be is based on the public safety risk these animals might pose ... and, for now, only three of them have been taken out.

Remember, we'd been told by a neighbor at Spanish Lakes that ALL of the gators were being fished out of the surrounding lakes and ponds there ... and it certainly sounds like they're on the hunt for more.

Not only is "The Last of Us" drawing big TV ratings and buzz, it's now getting praise from menstrual cup companies for promoting the product and boosting sales.

No big spoiler's here, but if you missed last week's episode ... you didn't see the main character, Ellie, getting gifted a menstrual cup. At first, Ellie, who was born in a post-apocalyptical world seems a bit confused, but then she gets excited once she realizes what it is ... saying "gross" with a smile on her face.

While the scene was quick, fans hopped online to celebrate the significance of bringing women's health to the forefront and showing off a reusable alternative to tampons and pads.

A rep for The Flex Co., which makes menstrual cups, tells TMZ they saw a 400% increase in sales in the 2 days after the episode aired on HBO, a testament to media's "unparalleled power to destigmatize periods."

Over at Cora Life, another menstrual cup producer, a rep says they're thrilled to see a sustainable menstrual care product make it on such a high-profile show ... and they've also seen a slight uptick in orders.

Worth noting, 'Last of Us' didn't depict a specific brand, but obviously, it's prompted consumers to research them.

Lena Cup is also getting more hits -- a rep says the market was "energized" by the HBO shoutout, and they're all hoping the scene normalizes gifting menstrual cups.

Jamie Lee Curtis is among the many celebs lately who've caught flak for being a "nepo baby" -- but she said to hell with that after her big win ... one selected by actors for actors.

The legendary star got picked for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the SAG Awards Sunday ... which clearly took her by surprise, but which she handled with gusto and grace in her acceptance speech, coming straight from the heart and chock-full of emotion.

Check out the moment from start to finish, because it was something else. Jamie plants a kiss on her "Everything Everywhere All at Once" costar, Michelle Yeoh, and trotted onstage to a huge standing O.

Her speech itself was also pretty memorable ... with JLC invoking her parents' immigrant heritage and their rise in the Hollywood ranks as actors themselves -- which eventually led her to say, "I know you look at me and think 'Nepo baby,' and I totally get it!"

But she finished with a heartfelt sentiment, adding ... "But I'm 64 years old and this is just amazing." In other words, she's happy to be working as an actor and loves the job -- regardless of how she got there ... that seems to be her takeaway message here.

Say what you want about advantages, but Jamie is totally deserving in her own right. Yes, she's a Nepo Baby ... and no, we don't care. If it means more Jamie Lee -- so be it!

Bryan Kohberger -- the alleged quadruple Idaho murderer -- could die by bullet if he's convicted ... that is, assuming a local lawmaker there can get a new bill passed into law.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican state congressman, introduced legislation last week in Idaho's House -- calling on firing squads to be reinstated as a means of execution ... but only on the condition that lethal injection chemicals are unattainable in a timely manner. In other words, if you can't shoot 'em up ... shoot 'em. That's literally the essence of the bill.

Indeed, the language spells it out clear as day -- lethal injection should be the #1 option if it's on the table, but if it's determined by Idaho's DOC that the drugs needed to put someone to death intravenously aren't within reach in a matter of 5 days after a death sentence is issued ... there should be no delay in opting for a firing squad to do the job.

Apparently, the reason this is being floated at all is because it's actually quite difficult to get a hold of the lethal injection cocktail -- in Idaho, anyway. Skaug says there've been too many people sitting on death row avoiding their due justice 'cause there's no viable way to off them under the current parameters/available resources. His solution ... do it old school.

Skaug's bill says the director of the IDOC can figure out the logistics behind how to deploy a firing squad, what kind of weapons to use and whatnot -- but he's saying they oughta be brought back. BTW, fun fact ... firing squads were technically legal in Idaho until 2009, although they weren't used there in the state in recent history. Other states have though.

The last guy to die by firing squad in the U.S. was Ronnie Lee Gardner back in 2010 out in Utah. Utah also used them in 1977, for murderer Gary Gilmore. It's rare, but it happens sometimes.

Now, as for whether this bill actually has a chance at passing ... well, we'll see. It still needs a public hearing in the Ways and Means committee before even being considered to be sent to the full House for a vote. Only then will we know if other lawmakers are into the idea.