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Britney Spears thinks there's something not quite right about how Brittany Murphy died a sudden death, and she has good reason to wonder ... because there's a direct connection between them.

The singer just posted about the late actress, saying she finds it "curious" Brittany died at just 32, and doesn't seem to buy the official explanation. Britney admits she's a bit late to the discussion -- she references a People cover story from last October.

As you know ... Brittany was found unresponsive back in 2009 in her Hollywood Hills home, and the coroner ultimately determined she died of drug intoxication and untreated pneumonia.

What's interesting is the fact Murphy bought that house from Spears, who lived there back when she was dating Justin Timberlake.

Even eerier ... Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, also died in that house 5 months later, and also from drug intoxication and pneumonia.

Along with the People story, there was also an HBO documentary last year about Murphy's death -- which has clearly piqued Britney's interest.

Spears didn't mention her connection to Murphy in her IG post -- but both Britney and Brittany didn't like staying in the house.

Monjack once said Murphy considered the home "unlucky" ... while Spears reportedly thought the place had bad spirits.

The Murphy family sold the mansion in 2011, and in 2013 it was razed and an all-new home was built.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is on board with encouraging the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he admits America's leaders need to be very careful about how and where they say that.

The Republican congressman joined us Friday on "TMZ live," and we got his reaction to Sen. Lindsey Graham's controversial comments ... calling for Russians to kill Putin. He actually agrees with Graham about taking out Putin, but says he doesn't think the U.S. has to be the one to do it.

Kinzinger says the whole point of seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs is to push them toward taking out Putin.

Sen. Graham came under fire Friday after publicly pushing the notion of assassination.

However, Kinzinger did acknowledge words matter, and the last thing we want to do is stir up folks in Russia to rally against the U.S.

As far as other folks within the Republican party going after Graham for his comments, Rep. Kinzinger says he respects them too and adds ... it's good for politicians in the same party to have a mind of their own.

"Euphoria" star Angus Cloud says his show doesn't glorify substance abuse, and insists drugs are not something to take lightly.

We got Angus Thursday leaving the Revolve Social Club in L.A., and he talked about all things "Euphoria" -- mainly, if the hit HBO dramedy is sending the wrong message to young viewers about drugs.

He thinks the claims against the series are BS ... adding drugs aren't fun and games.

Fans of the show know Angus' character, Fezco, plays an important role ... originally supplying drugs to Zendaya's Rue Bennett before cutting her off.

As we reported ... anti-drug organization D.A.R.E. recently called out the series for glamorizing drug abuse, with a rep telling TMZ the show dangerously portrays severe addictions as common in high schools.

"Euphoria" producers say all they're trying to do is accurately depict the downfalls of addiction.

Angus also addressed whether the show paints an accurate picture of modern high school culture. Watch, he gives us a very honest answer.

YFN Lucci is desperate to get out of jail as he awaits trial in his murder case ... because he thinks he might literally die behind bars if he stays locked up.

According to new legal docs, the rapper claims a fellow inmate at the Fulton County Jail stabbed him last month ... and he also says he's been told there's a bounty on his head among inmates.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, YFN Lucci claims he was stabbed from behind while on a video call with someone on the outside ... and he says the other inmate used a homemade shank to stab him.

Since the alleged stabbing back on Feb. 9, YFN Lucci claims he's been told there's a price on his head ... and he fears his life is in jeopardy if he remains in custody.

As a result, YFN Lucci is asking the judge to grant him bond so he can get the hell outta jail ... and he says he would be down with 24-hour home confinement and wear a monitoring device if he gets out.

Remember ... Lucci is in jail right now because prosecutors said he violated the previous bond conditions in his murder case by going to a strip club and a recording studio.

So, it will be interesting to see if he gets another shot.

We reached out to YFN Lucci's lawyer and the jail ... so far no word back.

Senator Lindsey Graham has said out loud what lots of people have been wishing, but the reality is ... calling for the assassination of a foreign leader is a dangerous, even reckless game.

Graham appeared on Fox News Thursday and called for someone in Russia to "step up to the plate" ... "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country and the world a great service."

Graham was direct, asking, "Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?"

Graham then doubled down in a tweet ... “Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate."

Putin has become a despised war criminal who is randomly killing innocent civilians, flirting with nuclear reactor disaster and destroying a country. He's also become extremely unstable and paranoid.

The problem -- several problems -- what Russia and the world could end up with could be even worse. Maybe more to the point ... it's dangerous for American leaders to call for the assassination of a head of state. It's hard to maintain moral high ground when we call for the violent overthrow of another government. We should've learned that from the Bay of Pigs.

Graham's remarks drew fire from both parties. Rep Ilhan Omar tweeted, "I really wish our members of Congress would cool it and regulate their remarks as the administration works to avoid WWlll."

Gene Simmons says Kanye West needs to man up and back off Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson ... and he thinks a bitch slap might just be the wake-up call Kanye needs.

We got the KISS rocker Thursday at Kings Road Cafe and gauged his opinion on Kanye's repeated online attacks aimed at his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, and Ye's behavior since the divorce.

Gene says Kanye needs to get a hobby other than obsessing over Kim and Pete ... and he suggests a slap to the face to set Kanye straight.

What's more, Gene finds it pretty childish for Kanye to be waltzing around in Miami with a new girl who just so happens to look like Kim ... and he's got a message for Chaney Jones too.

While Gene is siding with Kim and Pete here, he does acknowledge the fact something might be off with Kanye ... and points out Ye has admitted as much in the past.

Antonio Brown might want to reconsider the dark black mask he's been wearing around lately ... because it might have just cost him some paint on his pricey Ferrari.

The NFL star was leaving Craig's in Los Angeles on Thursday night ... when he decided to drive away in his fancy sports car in a mask that could not have been easy to see through.

Turns out, the choice of headwear was a pretty poor decision ... because you can see in video of his exit, after he flipped off photogs, he struggled to steer the Ferrari, and ended up driving it straight into a curb.

Footage shows the bottom of Brown's car nicked the cement -- and it was so apparent, one bystander actually yelled at the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer to stop going forward.

"Your car!" a woman can be heard screaming. "Sweetheart!"

Brown eventually got the Ferrari going the right way -- but check out the clip, it's clear he was having trouble moving the ride around while in his mask.

As for a potential bill for the ride's bumper -- it certainly won't be cheap if it is indeed damaged -- the Ferrari 488 he was cruising around in can cost over $330,000!!!

"Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn narrowly escaped violent intruders early Friday ... and what saved them is some sturdy glass.

Christine, her husband, Christian Richards, and their son were sound asleep when they were awakened by some noise outside the house.

They apparently didn't see anything when they peered outside, but when they checked their security footage they were horrified to see 2 armed people trying to break in through a window.

What saved them from a home invasion robbery -- triple-pane glass that just wouldn't crack.

They called 911 and cops got there in minutes, but the robbers escaped.

Christine lives in the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip. That area, along with others in the L.A. area, have been hit hard by crime over the last year.

Christine says the window the robbers were trying to break was 4 feet from her bedroom. She says it was the most horrifying moment of her life.

Cardi B's legal victory over a blogger who defamed her isn't stopping the woman from trashing Cardi ... so now, the rapper wants a judge to gag her forever.

Cardi filed docs Thursday night in federal court, demanding a permanent injunction against Tasha K, who Cardi defeated in a defamation trial back in January. The jury awarded Cardi about $4 million ... but in the docs she says that's done nothing to stop Tasha from spreading the very lies that landed her in court.

As we've reported, Tasha's falsely claimed Cardi committed adultery, has STIs and was a prostitute.

According to the docs, Tasha bragged back in August ... "Even if they did sue, bitch I ain't got but a dollar to my name bitch, what are you going to get? And there's always bankruptcy bitch." Tasha even said, "I'm going to pull a 50 Cent on that bitch" ... referring to Fiddy's bankruptcy filing back in 2015.

Cardi also accuses Tasha of fraudulently moving assets to make it more difficult to collect the millions -- a move she's allegedly boasted about on her YouTube vlog, saying "Let me tell you how this was a blessing though. Cause can't nobody else sue me, and even if they do, I ain't got no money. We've got estate lawyers, we've got every mother f***ing thing. I ain't got s*** in my name bitch."

In fact, Tasha even testified during the trial she wouldn't stop repeating defamatory lies unless the court forces her to do so.

Aaaand that's exactly what Cardi's asking for now -- an injunction to stop Tasha from saying any defamatory statements now, and in the future, and to force her to delete all past videos or posts containing those lies.

Ukraine is on the edge of a nuclear meltdown after Russian forces attacked the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe ... sending flames into the night sky, and raising fears of another Chernobyl.

Ukrainian officials insist the Zaporizhzhia plant outside the city of Enerhodar is stable ... for now. They say reactor No. 1 was damaged, but personnel have been able to keep it operating safely. Radiation levels in the area are not at dangerous levels.

But, President Zelensky is making it crystal clear his country barely avoided total disaster. During a speech Friday he called the attack on the nuclear plant "a terror of a new level."

He also addressed citizens of Russia ... reminding them their countries were united in 1986 when the Chernobyl plant melted down in the world's biggest nuclear disaster.

Zelensky is urging Russians to demand an end to the war, because he accurately points out ... if a nuclear plant goes up in Ukraine ... the radiation won't stop at the border.

Sherri Papini made national headlines 5 years ago when she was reportedly kidnapped ... well now there's been an arrest -- no, the kidnappers weren't busted ... Sherri was.

The California mom was arrested Thursday night for staging her own disappearance. On top of that, she was charged with fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in victim's assistance funds.

Papini was reported missing in early November 2016 and was later found on Thanksgiving day about 150 miles away from her home. She told law enforcement that she was abducted and held at gunpoint by 2 Hispanic women. She worked with an FBI artist who came up with a sketch of the alleged kidnappers.

Well ... according to the Justice Department's criminal complaint ... the DOJ says she lied about the whole thing and was actually staying with her ex-boyfriend when she claimed she was kidnapped.

On top of that, she allegedly harmed herself to make it look authentic.

In 2020, she doubled down on her story when she was interviewed by the feds ... although she was told that there was evidence to show that her story was a big fat lie.

Papini ended up racking up $30K in victim assistance from the California Victim's Compensation Board from 2017 to 2021 ... which included payments for therapy.

If convicted, she faces a maximum of a quarter-century behind bars.

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer died by suicide, officials in California announced on Thursday.

In a statement released by the County of Santa Clara, officials said "Meyer's death was determined to be self-inflicted." They added no signs of foul play were found.

"The Medical Examiner-Coroner extends sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Katie Meyer," the officials said in a statement.

As we reported, Meyer was tragically found dead on Stanford's campus this week at just 22 years old.

She was the Cardinal's starting goalkeeper and a team captain ... and reps for the university called her "a bright shining light for so many."

Her death rocked her family and friends, Stanford's school and the sports world in general.

"There are no words," Katie's sister, Samantha Meyer, said in a social media post earlier this week. "Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family."

Katie joined the Cardinal in 2018 ... and helped the team win a national championship in 2019. A GoFundMe set up in her honor has already raised nearly $150,000.

Grace Franklin -- 16-year-old granddaughter of Aretha Franklin -- is opening up after not making it past the auditions on "American Idol" ... a TV moment that's shocked the country.

Grace -- joined by her dad and Aretha's son, Kecalf -- tells TMZ ... in the moment of being rejected from going to Hollywood, she was pretty disappointed ... but it was the words of judge Lionel Richie that made her realize there's a silver lining to all of this.

Judge Lionel mentioned he didn't want her to stumble too early in her career -- something she's noticed happens to some younger singers. She took his words to heart, coming from a place of love and concern.

Grace says, "I'm a good artist, I know that, but I do know I need to work on some things."

Kecalf couldn't be prouder of his daughter, telling us she's bold for stepping out of her comfort zone and chasing her dreams.

However, Grace says auditioning for 'Idol' in the future isn't likely ... telling us she'd rather try to release some music while working on her voice.

Run, don't walk -- except those holding sharp objects -- to the iconic Florida house from "Edward Scissorhands" which is back on the market!

Current owner Joey Klops tells TMZ ... the house, which is 20 minutes outside of Tampa, went up for sale Wednesday for $699,900 -- a big change from when he and his wife bought it back in September 2020 for only $230K.

The 3 bed, 2 bath home is instantly recognizable to any die-hard fan ... after his purchase, Joey says he craftily restored the home to its movie quality, highlighting the whimsical Victorian looks that made it so iconic.

As we reported, the property -- home to the Boggs family in the film -- was transformed into a museum a year after being purchased ... with tons of memorabilia from the film on display.

Joey and his family aren't taking the relics and art with them when they leave -- giving the goodies to the buyer! He says the homeowner will be able to "live in a true wonderland" with all the treasures left behind.

How does the man with a $195 million contract treat himself for his birthday?! By copping a Richard Mille watch worth $500k!

TMZ Sports has learned the Boston Celtics star wanted to celebrate the big 2-4 with a big new watch -- so he hit up celeb jeweler Eric Da Jeweler.

It's not just any watch, BTW ... it's a Richard Mille, which are famously known for their unique designs, cases and quality material.

Tatum copped the all-white RM055 Bubba Watson watch that has skeletonized movement and a grade 5 titanium case band and back bezel.

When it comes to the price -- we're told it cost JT $500k!

That may seem like a lot but the 6-foot-8 hooper already made over $57 million since the Celtics drafted him in 2017.

Eric tells us he made the special delivery to JT out in Boston the night before his big day -- giving Tatum some time to enjoy his gift ahead of the Grizzlies-Celtics game.

Tatum's 4-year-old son, Deuce, also delivered a dope gift -- by making him a bday video of all his favorite childhood spots in his hometown of St. Louis.

Before the brunette little doll with a rainbow-striped shirt was bringing some colorful commentary to her roles on a long list of reality shows, she was just another happy girl smiling for her school photos while growing up in East Greenbush, New York.

While this bright-eyed gal with blunt bangs is most known for work on MTV ... she's also a mom with an attitude that was sure to make a lasting impression even while on family vacations.