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Jason Miller -- crew member on Alec Baldwin's "Rust" -- is still recovering from a gnarly spider bite he got on set ... but says he's made some great progress in his recovery.

Jason tells TMZ ... he's still dealing with severe pain. As we reported, he was bitten by a venomous brown recluse spider while in NM shooting the film. The bite sent Jason to the hospital, where doctors talked about amputation -- luckily that wasn't necessary.

Jason tells us he's taking huge steps towards recovery ... but there are still challenges. He can't lay down without his shoulder getting inflamed, making it hard to sleep at night.

He also has a problem with range of motion ... unable to raise his arm above his head or reach behind his back, making it pretty difficult to do everyday tasks.

A GoFundMe was created shortly after he was hospitalized -- currently sitting at $14,600. Jason says the money has been a huge weight off his back ... putting $3K towards renting a new home and the rest going to savings ... since it's uncertain when he'll work again.

Jason was able to get worker's comp from the insurance company associated with "Rust" ... something we previously reported was a point of contention.

Doctors' desperate, but futile, attempt to save a little Ukrainian girl hit by Russian bombing ... is prompting an angry, defiant and graphic message to Vladimir Putin.

This image of the 6-year-old girl being rushed out of an ambulance shows the start of a fight to save her life in the port city of Mariupol. Russians are advancing on the city, and on Sunday they shelled it heavily ... and she was taken to a hospital in very bad shape.

Her father was also bloodied and wounded, but furiously hoped doctors could save his daughter. One hospital staffer reportedly yelled, “Take her out! Take her out! We can make it!” ... as they wheeled her gurney into the hospital.

The medical team pumped her chest, gave her oxygen and even used defibrillators ... but they were unable to resuscitate the child. An AP photographer was in the ER documenting the efforts of nurses and doctors -- and, as several staffers wept, the doctor turned to the photog and said, "Show this to Putin. The eyes of this child, and crying doctors.”

Mama June's ex, Geno Doak, seems to be turning his life around, and taking a lot of weight off his shoulders, literally ... cause he's lost around 70 pounds!!!

Geno tells TMZ ... when he and June split up last August he was around 285 lbs. Fast forward 6 months, and he's down to a much slimmer 215 lbs., and he's crediting his time in rehab for the healthy turnaround.

Geno says the treatment facility he's in has helped him stay on track with getting fit. He tells us the folks there prepare his meals, which also keeps him on a better eating schedule.

As far as eating out and snacking at night, Geno says that's a thing of the past. He says he now eats a lot healthier, cutting out foods like pasta and bread. Instead, he's eating a lot more tuna and chicken.

He's also trying to work out more, but says eating better was the biggest reason for his amazing results.

As we first told you ... Geno checked into rehab last September, after he tried to take his own life by chasing 90 blood pressure pills with lots of booze. After the incident, Mama June actually recommended a rehab center in South Carolina.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers has cut a deal in his DUI case ... and he's going to get the same treatment as an average Joe -- no jail time, as long as he keeps his nose clean.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the actor copped a plea deal and was sentenced to 1-year summary probation. He'll pay a $500 fine and must complete an alcohol ed and counseling program.

TMZ broke the story ... Jonathan was arrested for misdemeanor DUI back in November 2020, after cops said he crashed his car in Malibu.

JRM was eventually hit with 3 charges — 2 DUI-related charges and 1 for reckless driving. As part of the deal, he ended up pleading no contest to the reckless driving charge, and the other two charges were dropped.

Jonathan's struggled with substance abuse problems over the years, going to rehab several times.

Start celebrating, Trojans fans -- JuJu Smith-Schuster says USC will definitely win a national championship with Lincoln Riley as head coach ... and it could happen as soon as next season!!

JuJu was super stoked to talk about his college team's new hire during Super Bowl week ... going as far as predicting USC will win its first national title since 2004 now that Riley is at the helm.

"Soon, man," he tells TMZ Sports. "This year and whatever God has planned. I think we just gotta keep pushing. I think it's a great move. We have a great coaching staff, so it helps us out a lot."

JuJu played 3 seasons for USC before being drafted by the Steelers in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL draft ... so of course, he's biased when it comes to the Trojans.

However, many would agree JuJu is right in saying the acquisition of Riley gives USC a serious chance to compete for a CFB championship ... bias or no bias.

The Trojans landed Riley after the ex-Oklahoma play-caller chose to take his talents from Norman to Los Angeles ... making him the 30th head coach in the program's history.

Riley said at the time of the move he was heavily recruited by USC ... and when he met with the university in person, he could tell the school and their football program was a perfect fit for him.

Speaking of USC, JuJu says it's time for his old school to allow another former Trojan legend, Reggie Bush, back on campus -- after the star running back was banned for his reported involvement in an NCAA scandal.

"I think it's time to bring back everybody back on campus with all the greats," Smith-Schuster said. "Especially Reggie Bush."

Before this happy little kid was bringing smiles to faces with her music and quirky television characters, she was just another southern sweetie with a bright future growing up on a ranch in Oklahoma.

While this star shared a throwback in a sepia tone shot ... you might have better luck guessing who is in the old school shot if you knew she was known for her ravishing red hair!

If you are still having a hard time tracking down the cute kid maybe try listening to some of her number 1 hits including "Rumor Has It," "You Lie" and "Walk On."

Ukraine got a mention during the SAG Awards this weekend -- but it was somewhat brief and fleeting ... as Hollywood seemed determined to keep things light for the show.

The crisis was quickly addressed Sunday during the opening few minutes, with presenter Leslie Odom Jr. saying they were all hoping for peace in Ukraine, before the categories got underway.

LOJ was part of the first group to come up and talk on stage -- he was up there with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs ... none of whom talked Ukraine in the initial moments.

Eventually, after playing a quick montage of standout acting moments from the past year ... the camera panned back to Odom Jr., who said what he said -- which amounted to a few seconds of screen time.

Many suspect Ukraine would be a big topic of the night ... but so far, as the ceremony gets rolling, it doesn't seem too many of the hosts and winners are going out of their way to talk about it much.

A U.S. congressman has the internet dumbfounded by a cryptic tweet aimed at young folks -- and while some try to figure out what he means ... it's music to others peoples' ears.

Representative Clay Higgins -- who reps Louisiana's 3rd congressional district -- fired off a bizarre message Sunday ... seemingly pissed off at liberals -- but his insult kinda fell flat, because no one really knows what the hell he's even saying.

Higgins wrote, "You millennial leftists who never lived one day under nuclear threat can now reflect upon your woke sky. You made quite a non-binary fuss to save the world from intercontinental ballistic tweets."

There's a lot to unpack here ... millennial leftists ... woke sky ... non-binary fuss ... intercontinental ballistic tweets??? Indeed, there's a lot of good standout imagery here -- and as a result, it's got many thinking these are great band names and/or album titles.

Others imagined this as something a comic book character might say in a panel ... just 'cause it's so dang flowery and ominous. And even more yet thought it was poetic!

Even Dictionary.com got in on the fun ... directly responding to Rep. Higgins by asking the obvious -- whatcha mean, man??? They wrote, "We’re not entirely sure what this tweet is supposed to mean, and we’re literally the dictionary."

As for what CH is actually getting at ... it appears to be related to Ukraine -- and without reading too much into it ... he seems to be parroting far-right talking points that have bubbled up during this whole fiasco -- namely, about how this is all about culture wars.

Yes, even in this dire time ... it would seem some simply can't let go of that mindset -- and even crazier, just as many, in some cases, are even embracing and cozying up to Russia right now, sympathizing with their cause!

Every so often, Amerie's hit single '1 Thing' crops up online -- and like clockwork, a fierce debate gets fired up ... inevitably bringing Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez into the convo.

Here's the deal ... the 2005 track -- featured on Amerie's 2nd album, 'Touch' -- resurfaces on Twitter every few months, like it's doing now, with many arguing her mainstream success was cut short ... and not just that, but that she was allegedly done dirty by the industry.

The reason folks feel like that ... her fans say this unique sound featured on the song, which is often referred to as "go-go" and was quite popular at the time, is one that ended up also getting used by stars like Bey and J Lo, among other female R&B singers back then.

With tracks of theirs like "Crazy In Love" and "Get Right," respectively, employing similar break beats and drum patterns -- some have even gone so far as to claim that B and J (Lo) actually hijacked Amerie's whole aesthetic ... and, thus, robbed her of her thunder.

Of course, a proper timeline of events is necessary here to put things in context ... as is an explanation of who the heck Rich Harrison is, because he's at the center of all of this -- and the main reason for the comparisons being made in the first place.

Harrison was a producer in the 2000s who was working a lot with Columbia Records -- who had all these ladies under their roster in the early to mid-2000s. Fact is, he was making "go-go" beats for just about all them, and others in the game too ... including Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland and even Mary J. Blige. Everybody was dipping their toe into the RH pool here.

As for who did what first -- between Bey, J and Amerie, that is -- it would appear Beyonce was, in fact, the first of the 3 to trot out Harrison's sound with 'CIL' ('03), even though KR might've arguably had it first with '02's "Can't Nobody" -- and perhaps others used it even before then. Amerie and J Lo, meanwhile, came out with their songs, "1 Thing" and "Get Right," around the same time in 2005 ... with JL getting a slightly earlier release in January.

And spoiler alert ... ALL of these songs were produced by Harrison, so of course they sound alike!

So that settles that, or so it seems. However, there's one other element here that's also getting some attention as it relates to Amerie and J Lo, specifically ... namely, old stories/rumors that Jen was allegedly getting prioritized over labelmates/contemporaries.

This has been a recurring theme in J Lo's music career -- Fat Joe even touched on it not too long ago -- but the alleged tale goes ... '1 Thing' was supposedly being shopped to J Lo BTS, and the Columbia label heads actually wanted it to go to her instead of Amerie.

Upon learning this, they say Amerie went ahead and leaked '1 Thing' to radio stations on her own, and because it became so popular ... Columbia had to back down and let it be.

The Russian national soccer team will be allowed to take the pitch ahead of some World Cup qualifying games -- because FIFA's letting them proceed ... despite some sanctions.

The international governing body for the game announced Sunday they would let Russia's players play against some neighboring countries in soon-to-come matches -- like against Poland, for example -- stopping short of an all-out ban ... which many were calling for.

Instead of kicking them out of the competition entirely, FIFA says they are, instead, not going to allow the Russian flag to be displayed, and won't play the Russian anthem either. They're also going to force the team to go by a new moniker -- the Football Union of Russia ... and no fans are allowed either.

Perhaps the biggest restriction FIFA is laying down in response to Putin's invasion ... not allowing any matches to be played in Russia itself, insisting on neutral territories.

Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden were set to dive into a 4-team playoff round -- with games scheduled to be played in Russia itself -- and have since said they wouldn't square off against Russia at all ... no matter where the games were situated.

Seeing how Poland was supposed to play Russia first in this tournament -- they responded to FIFA's announcement shortly thereafter, reportedly calling it "totally unacceptable" and again reaffirming their commitment to not playing against Russia no matter what.

The Ukraine crisis is still very much underway, and yet ... some are already opining about who could play Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a movie -- and Jeremy Renner seems to be it.

Twitter users are up in arms again over this one ... perhaps for good reason. Essentially, this is a debate about whether talking about a would-be biopic is appropriate when the situation is unfolding live -- let alone musing about which actor could star as Ukraine's president.

Of course, some Tweeters couldn't help themselves ... firing off takes about how Hollywood is already cooking up a flick behind the scenes, and how Renner may well be the top choice to portray VZ.

The reason ... well, they look high-key alike -- almost dead ringers, if we're being honest. Same type of facial structure and everything ... and they're especially similar in appearance when wearing fatigues and whatnot.

But even if they are doppelgangers of one another, the other question is ... what difference does it make??? A good majority of folks online argue -- *now* is NOT the time to be discussing a possible film about Zelenskyy or Ukraine, because it's a serious situation.

Indeed, people are dying and/or fleeing for their lives ... so it does seem like a bad time to be making light of things -- and publicly spit-balling about a possible biopic down the road certainly feels like that ... namely, it's too freakin' soon to even bring up as a topic.

Interestingly, those who are batting this type of thinking down are attributing it to a uniquely American mindset -- suggesting that U.S. citizens often seem to be more interested in entertainment than real-life lives that are actually at risk.

We'll leave that philosophical ball for the Twittersphere to kick around -- but here's one thing that can't be denied ... Renner and Zelenskyy do bear a striking resemblance, and yes ... Renner is a fantastic actor, proven time and again in his pre-Marvel days.

And yes ... there may even be a studio out there that has a script in mind -- that's certainly not outside the realm of possibility, as Tinseltown never sleeps on the next big thing, and Zelenskyy's life story alone is totally worthy of the movie treatment (objectively).

Still, it sounds like what's got people pissed off is, obviously, the timing of such discussions -- but also, the callousness and lack of thoughtfulness in cavalier posts like these.

Renner, meanwhile, is minding his own business out in the woods of Lake Tahoe ... so ya gotta figure he might be upset to hear how he's getting roped into this nonsense.

As millions of people attempt to leave Ukraine and seek refuge in neighboring countries, a disturbing trend has surfaced ... namely, Africans, allegedly, being discriminated against.

Several videos and accounts have emerged over the past 24 hours or so from Africans and other POC, who claim they are not being allowed to board certain trains and other modes of transportation to flee Ukraine -- and they think it's because of the color of their skin.

This mostly appears to be happening at the Ukrainian-Polish border in the northwest region, where many allege that border agents and local police are literally letting white Ukrainians hop on in ... while refusing access -- or at the very least, limiting access -- to Black people.

Multiple clips appear to show scores of African migrants and/or expatriates being left behind at train stations -- and not just that, but actually being pushed back as they try to enter.

One clip shows a group of Africans who appear to have weapons drawn on them, and they shout that they're unarmed students ... tensions escalating quickly. It's unclear who exactly may be deciding who's able to book it out of there first and how -- but the feeling among those on standby (in some cases for days, it seems) is that they're a second-rate class.

As you can imagine, this is creating resentment and frustration -- especially for those who see this from afar and can't help but wonder ... how can racism persist in a time of war???

It's a fair question ... especially if what looks to be happening here is, in fact, going down as described. There isn't much context in a lot of the videos beyond what's being claimed by the person on camera and/or the person posting it. Still ... it looks damning on the face of things.

Many users -- African-American and otherwise -- are sounding off online ... noting that even when Black people show solidarity against a nation in crisis -- those on the ground still might have to go above and beyond for a shred of dignity or mere safety, while others are being afforded exactly that without a blink of the eye. That's the consensus, anyway.

As we've told you ... Russia continues to invade Ukraine, and the military there is trying its best to defend itself -- while Western allies keep putting the financial squeeze on Putin and his people.

Elon Musk has vowed to become a real-life action hero, saving the world -- or at least part of it -- by thwarting any attempt by the Russian Government to send the International Space Station hurtling toward earth.

Musk is reacting to a Russian space official who menacingly suggested the ISS could lose its trajectory and careen toward the U.S. or Europe if the Russians sabotage the craft. The official suggested sanctions could trigger the move. Russia controls the engines on the ISS, and it can direct the trajectory accordingly.

Musk's Twitter response ... a SpaceX logo.

Someone on Twitter inquired if E.M. was suggesting SpaceX would prevent the ISS from plummeting to earth. His response -- "Yes."

Musk acknowledged another tweet with the ISS, but one thing was missing -- any evidence of Russia. Instead, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft was front and center.  Elon responded, "Good thread."

The ISS could do lots of damage for sure ... it weighs in at 500 tons.

As for how serious the threat, the Russian official said, "The ISS does not fly over Russia, therefore all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?"

NASA says nothing's changing with respect to ISS operations. What's unclear ... can Russia do what it's threatening?

Don't count Musk out ... NASA has increasingly relied on SpaceX for space exploration.

'SNL' broke from tradition Saturday night ... there were no laughs in the cold open -- instead, there was a moving tribute to Ukraine.

The show opened with Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong somberly introducing the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York. The choir sang a mournful song called "Prayer for Ukraine."

The Chorus has a deep connection to both Ukraine and the U.S. ... Ukrainian immigrants back in the 1940's created the Chorus to preserve their Ukrainian heritage and celebrate music ... something deeply important in Ukrainian culture.

A table filled with candles was center stage, spelling the name of the capital -- Kyiv.

'SNL' has broken from tradition with serious cold opens only a few times in the past -- notably, after 9/11 Paul Simon sang "The Boxer" as first responders and then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani stood by.

The Ukrainian people have mounted a heroic resistance to Russian aggression ... people from all walks of life, including beauty queens.

Anastasiia Lenna, aka former Miss Grand Ukraine, is now a member of Ukraine's fighting force to block Russia from taking over her country.

Lenna has influence, for sure ... with more than 115,000 Instagram followers. She's also a bad ass, writing, "Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!"

She paid homage to the person who has become a worldwide hero -- President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to him as "a true and strong leader."

She's been posting pics of her in military issue ... sporting the guns she's more than willing to use to protect her homeland.

Lenna has been blasting out pleas for donations to allow her military to fight off the Russians.

Another Memphis rapper has been shot and killed ... just in the last few months.

Snootie Wild succumbed to his injuries after being shot Friday in Houston. His death was announced Saturday night on his Instagram page ... "Gone in body, but your NAME & LEGACY will live forever! #TeamYayo4Life."

Wild was shot in the neck ... discovered laying in a ditch, beside an SUV. A Houston cop told the ABC Houston station, "It looks like he backed in there accidentally. Then the other vehicle pulled up, and folks got out of the car," adding "They were talking for a little bit, and then all of a sudden, gunfire went off. Only one shot, actually."

He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

You'll recall, Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis outside a bakery in a clear ambush. Three people have been arrested, but Gotti was not implicated.