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One of Ukraine's prominent politicians says western nations can do more than send military support ... they can financially stick it to the children of Russia's oligarchs in order to put pressure on Vladimir Putin.

Inna Sovsun is hunkered down near Kyiv, and joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" ... as the Russian army attempts to fortify positions, apparently digging in for a much longer war than Putin anticipated.

As devastating as the war has been for her country, Inna tells us citizens -- male and female -- remain focused on defending their homeland ... even though they're painfully aware Russia might resort to using chemical weapons and ultrasonic missiles.

While no one expects Putin to stand down ... she hopes people around him will realize the price of war is too high, and that's where the U.S. and other western nations can help.

Sovsun says tough personal sanctions against Russia's political elites -- aka Putin's oligarch buddies -- are a start, but shutting down their children will also hit them where it hurts. She points out that the oligarchs' kids are still allowed into the U.S. and some are still studying in Great Britain.

Inna told us, "I want them to go back to mother Russia and suffer for the consequences of what their parents did."

Choreographer and former "Celebrity Big Brother" contestant Todrick Hall may not be a homeowner after all ... cause TMZ has learned, the dude's just been hit with a lawsuit for thousands in unpaid rent.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Hall is being sued by Avi Lavian who claims Todrick failed to pay $60k in back rent, for his Sherman Oaks home. The suit claims, Hall is supposed to pay $30k per month in rent but is now around 60 days behind.

Oddly enough, the 36-year-old singer raved about buying the lush home and gave an elaborate tour on YouTube. He said ... "I have been wanting to buy a home for a very very long time, and this is a dream come true."

Check out the video of Todrick showing off his pad and all the cool amenities ... including an outdoor pool, a movie theater, an enormous walk-in closet and a bedframe decked in Louis Vuitton -- just to name a few.

You might recall Todrick from the reality show, "Celebrity Big Brother." He first gained national attention, after appearing on the 9th season of "American Idol" … he's done quite a few gigs since then, including appearing on "RuPaul's Drag Race" as a choreographer and judge, and working with huge stars like Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

Now, it looks like the homeowner life may not have really been a reality for the reality star.

Emily Bridges -- a British transgender cyclist -- was set to race in a women's event this weekend ... but that has changed after the Union Cycliste Internationale disqualified her on Wednesday.

According to British Cycling, the 21-year-old was eligible for the April 2 race due to the British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy.

But, the UCI informed them since she's registered as a male cyclist -- who started hormone therapy last year -- she could not compete.

"We acknowledge the decision of the UCI with regards to Emily's participation, however, we fully recognise her disappointment with today’s decision," British Cycling said in a statement.

"We believe all participants within our sport deserve more clarity and understanding around participation in elite competitions and we will continue to work with the UCI on both Emily's case and the wider situation with regards to this issue."

Bridges -- who set a national junior men's record over 25 miles in 2018 -- is an example of the ongoing battle between transgender athletes and some people in sports who believe the athletes have an unfair advantage.

"We also understand that in elite sports the concept of fairness is essential," British Cycling said.

"For this reason, British Cycling is today calling for a coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes."

Several states in the U.S have banned transgender female athletes from girls' teams. In fact, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis denounced transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for winning an NCAA championship.

Will Smith was NEVER asked to leave the Oscars after he slapped Chris Rock. In fact, the opposite is true -- he was told by the producer of the show he could stay ... this according to sources with direct knowledge who were present.

As you know by now, the Academy said Wednesday they had asked Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap but he refused. Three sources who were at the ceremony and witnessed various conversations tell TMZ ... yes, after the slap Academy officials were backstage with Will's reps and there were heated conversations about what had gone down.

We're told there was a split among the officials ... some did want him booted, but others did not. There were various discussions during several commercial breaks, but they never reached a consensus.

We're told Will was aware there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. During one of the commercial breaks, we're told Oscars producer Will Packer walked up to Will and said, "We do not want you to leave" ... this according to our sources.

Will Packer walked up to Will Smith just after 8 PM, around 35 minutes after the slap. That's when he told Will he could stay, according to our sources. Will won the Best Actor Award around 5 minutes later.

Chris Rock kicked off his comedy tour in Boston to thunderous applause, but he said he's still processing what went down at the Oscars so he'll talk about the slap later, but he did tease the crowd.

Chris played to a hyper-enthusiastic, sold-out crowd at the Wilbur Theater in Boston, and joked, "How was your weekend?" The crowd loved it.

He then said, "I don't have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened," adding, "So, at some point, I'll talk about that s***.  And it will be serious and funny."

So he didn't say whether he accepted Will Smith's apology, although as we reported, our sources say he has not talked to Smith and has not addressed Smith's Instagram mea culpa. Based on what we know, he's not accepting the apology, at least not now.

Chris walked out in a white suit to a huge ovation, and almost seemed surprised, exclaiming, "Whoa, okay!" The applause didn't subside, and Rock implored the crowd, "Yo, let me do the show!"

After Chris' brief opening comments, an audience member screamed, "F*** Will Smith!"

He then said, "I'm going to tell some jokes. It's nice to just be out." And then he launched into his act.

Get this ... the base price for tickets was $50, but after the slap, the price on the street approached as high as $8,000!

As we reported, the President and CEO of the Academy had told Will to leave the Dolby Theatre after the slap, but he refused, and the 2 honchos were, as one source put it, "apoplectic." They were screaming backstage at Will's rep ... it was an insane scene, we're told.

Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes are being sued by their drummer, Steve Gorman, over unpaid royalties ... according to legal documents.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, claim the accounting wasn't up to snuff when the band was cranking out albums ... allegedly resulting in Gorman missing out on royalties from their past albums. Gorman says he doesn't know exactly how much he's owed.

Gorman joined the reassembled group in 2005 after a 4-year hiatus, touring periodically with the band. The docs claim they recorded and released 3 albums in the mid-to-late 2000s during their time together and Gorman claims he was shorted for his work in the reunion era, either.

Gorman is suing Robinson and the band for back royalties.

The Black Crowes were signed by Def American Recordings in 1989, and dropped their first album, "Shake Your Money Maker" the next year. They released 5 more records before lead singer Chris Robinson announced his solo career in the summer of 2001.

We've reached out to reps for Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes ... so far, no word back.

Charles Barkley better keep his head on a swivel -- Shaquille O'Neal says he'll follow Will Smith's lead and slap the hell outta his TNT co-host ... dropping the playful threat in a hilarious freestyle rap.

The Big Aristotle made the comment at his surprise belated birthday party at Steak Market in Atlanta on Wednesday ... when the crowd of about 250 people asked him to get up to the DJ booth and give them a set.

The NBA legend ended up grabbing the mic and spitting off the dome for about 10 minutes instead ... name-dropping his "Inside the NBA" friends and referencing the infamous Oscars moment in the process.

"Tomorrow I'm on TNT, with f***ing Kenny, with f***ing Chuck, I might Will Smith his ass I don't give a f***," Shaq raps.

Unlike the real interaction, everyone loved the reference ... cheering and laughing after Shaq dropped the line.

Now, Shaq and Chuck have had a playful rivalry for years ... with both Hall of Famers going back and forth at every possible opportunity.

O'Neal was letting the insults fly on more than just Barkley, though -- he even brought up LeBron James while dissing a dude's hairline ... which was a crowd favorite as well.

The whole bash looked fun as hell -- it was sponsored by D'usse, so you know the adult beverages were flowing.

Celebs like Bobby Valentino and 2 Chainz were also in attendance ... as well as a tiger.

As for Shaq's birthday, it was March 6 ... but hey, better late than never!!

Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars -- we know that -- but despite his refusal to leave the Dolby Theater after he slapped Chris Rock, forcibly removing him was never an option ... TMZ learned.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... the cops who were inside the venue were never consulted about removing Smith ... something we're told that would have been done if the Academy wanted him out one way or the other.

As we reported, Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson were "furious" at Will, and there was plenty of yelling backstage with Will's reps after the slap. As one source described it, the Academy honchos were "apoplectic."

Our sources say it didn't take long at all for the officials to make it clear they wanted Will out of the auditorium. The exact words used to his reps were unclear, but as we've reported, Will refused to exit.

The Academy could have buttonholed the Best Actor presenters and told them in advance ... if Will won, simply say he's not invited on stage and then quickly say "We'll be right back" and then they would go to commercial. That didn't happen, and we're told the reasoning was  the Academy officials felt it would make a bad situation even worse.

And, our LAPD sources say the officers on hand not only asked Chris Rock immediately after the incident if he wanted to file a police report, but we're told they followed up a second time and contacted Chris' rep and asked again ... both time cops were told Chris did not want to file.

Paul Walker's sunglasses from his fatal car crash are changing hands ... and Zak Bagans wants to get them back to the late actor's family.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... earlier this year he bought the infamous pair of Maui Jim sunglasses recovered from Paul's crash site, but he doesn't feel comfortable displaying them at his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.

Instead, Zak tells us he'd like to return the shades, worn by Paul at the time of the crash, to the Walker family for free ... and he's planning to reach out to the family directly.

You'll recall ... Paul died in a fiery car crash back in November 2013 and there was a ton of outrage when the sunglasses went up for auction in 2014 for $15,000. A man who was at the crash site allegedly found them in the bushes once the wreckage was cleared.

The man who found the glasses says shortly after the crash he tried getting in touch with Paul's family but never heard back. He then put the sunglasses up for auction, but after lots of backlash ... they never sold. The owner of the auction reached out to Zak earlier this year and Zak bought them from him.

If for some reason the Walkers don't want the sunglasses, Zak says he would seek the family's permission to display them in a new memorial exhibit at his museum.

Zak's already displaying different artifacts connected to dead celebs ... including a piece of the James Dean death car, Sharon Tate's wedding dress and a Patrick Swayze tooth ... but he says he would create a special display just for Paul, if it gets to that point.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul certainly know how to discuss sensitive topics ... injecting a little humor and a lot of salesmanship into the Will Smith/Chris Rock brouhaha.

We got the "Breaking Bad" stars Wednesday at Chateau Marmont in WeHo ... and they were quick to say lots of stuff can be settled over a bottle ... a bottle of Mezcal.

Yeah, and here's where the salesmanship comes in ... Mezcal is Aaron and Bryan's label. For the uninitiated, it's kind of like tequila, but as Aaron says, it's not tequila.

As for their feelings about the slap, the apology and the fallout, Aaron and Bryan trod lightly, which is what some other celebs are doing as well ... however a number of celebs have come out swinging, railing at Will for ruining the Oscars.

David and Victoria Beckham's London mansion was burglarized late last month while the couple and their 10-year-old daughter were still inside the home ... but, thankfully, everyone is safe.

Cops confirmed to TMZ Sports that in the early morning hours of March 1, officers responded to the Beckhams' Kensington home for a report of a burglary that was believed to have taken place between 8:30 PM and 11:30 PM on Feb. 28.

Police tell us "a number of items were reported stolen" ... and, according to The Sun, that included expensive "designer and electric goods."

The Sun reported the break-in was discovered by David's 17-year-old son, Cruz, after he had returned home late in the evening from hanging out with friends.

Cruz reportedly saw broken glass and a ransacked room -- and then helped search the house for the culprit with his father. The alleged thief, though, was believed to have already escaped.

According to The Sun, security video showed the suspect climbing over the Beckhams' gate, then climbing up the couple's home, before breaking into a spare bedroom's window.

The Sun reports that while David, Victoria and the rest of the Beckhams were uninjured in the incident ... the couple is "shaken up" over it all.

Rep. Ilhan Omar says Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't care about the oath he took when he was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and if he's not held accountable ... our Democracy is at stake.

We got the U.S. Congresswoman from Minnesota on Capitol Hill, and she doubled down on her call to impeach Thomas following revelations his wife was involved, at the highest levels, in encouraging and promoting Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign.

Ilhan says the fact Thomas didn't recuse himself from a Supreme Court vote on releasing Trump's Jan. 6 documents -- which could have implicated his wife -- shows he lacks interest in upholding his oath. Thomas was the only "no" vote in the 8-1 decision.

Rep. Omar says SCOTUS justices are expected to recuse themselves when they know people involved in a case, and she believes Thomas fell short of that standard ... so, he's gotta pay the piper.

The way the Congresswoman sees it, the consequences for Thomas should be impeachment proceedings ... or at least an investigation. She says doing neither would weaken our Democracy.

Waka Flocka says his estranged wife Tammy Rivera can do no wrong in his eyes, and it's all love between them ... despite calling it quits, after 8 years of marriage.

The "No Hands" rapper sat down with Raq on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast ... and opened up, for the first time publicly, about the split from Tammy.

Waka says the former "Love & Hip Hop" star is still his best friend, and while he knows folks always suspect there's some kinda beef or nasty incident behind a breakup -- he insists it just ain't so in their case.

As for why they are going their separate ways ... Waka says they've simply grown apart.

Raq asked if there's any chance they work things out, and he didn't want to get into that -- read that anyway ya want -- however, he did say there's nothing Tammy could ever do to make him hate her.

He added, his biggest blessing is their daughter Charlie -- who Tammy had in a previous relationship. Waka says Charlie helped him appreciate life and made him feel like a role model.

Based on Charlie alone, he will always have love for Tammy.

ICYMI, Tammy recently opened up on social media about their split, posting ... "I've been filming for the new show ... it's been pretty good this season ... even though me and Waka not together, we still have this show."

TikTok star Icy Wyatt has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another person with a firearm ... according to court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, officers say the 23-year-old was driving erratically Monday night in Sunrise, FL ...  when he stopped his car in the middle of the road. That's when cops say 2 people in another car asked him to move, which apparently set Wyatt off.

Cops say he followed them to a nearby Chick-Fil-A parking lot, where both parties got out of their cars and began to argue. Wyatt allegedly then went into his glove box, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

According to the report, one of the alleged victims turned back to get in the car, prompting Wyatt to strike them in the back of the head with the gun ... and Wyatt then peeled out of the parking lot. Cops say they were able to get his tag information and locate him.

When they caught up with Wyatt and arrested him, cops say he resisted and ended up kicking one of the officers in the thigh ... and then kicked the cage bars in the cop car while calling the officer a "c***" and a "bitch."

He was booked Monday night for 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on an officer and one count of resisting arrest.

Antonio Brown badly wants to play in the NFL again, but the former Tampa Bay Bucs star wide receiver says he'll only have surgery to repair his busted ankle if an NFL team commits to signing him.

AB joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), and dished on everything from a possible reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa, to the status of his injured ankle, and what message he'd send to NFL Front Offices.

33-year-old Brown -- the President of Kanye West's Donda Sports -- sees himself playing in the league, but tells us the idea of reuniting with his once good friend, TB12, and the Bucs org. is almost certainly NOT going to happen.

"I don't think that's a possibility," Brown said. "How things were handled. How I was handled in regards to the injury. [They] just weren't able to use me for my value. My true value."

"But I was grateful for the opportunity and the position that I was in and I made the most out of it."

It's worth noting, we spoke to AB before Bruce Arians stepped down as Bucs head coach.

Antonio is still adamant he never "quit on the job." You'll recall Brown infamously left the field during the Bucs game against the New York Jets ... leading many to believe the star WR was done playing professional football.

"For them [Tampa Bay Bucs] to try to manipulate the narrative or act like I walked away from my job is far from the truth."

Of course, AB says the beef with Arians all goes back to the coach trying to force the All-Pro receiver to play on a badly injured ankle. So, we asked Antonio, who previously said he was getting the ankle operated on, whether he had yet gone under the knife.

"I need to get my ankle fixed, but I just want to make sure I got an obligation or a commitment from a team," Brown told us, adding ... "It's a lot for a guy to go do surgery without an idea of where you gonna work, or who you going to work for."

Despite making 7 Pro Bowls, Antonio says he would not be content if he never played another down in the NFL.

"I'm a player first," AB said. "I couldn't even be in this position without being a football player. So I never want to take that for granted. I would love to continue my career. I got a lot of game left in me."

In fact, Brown says he sees other wide receivers (rightfully) being taken care of with huge contracts (see Davante Adams' new $141-million deal) ... and he can't help but wonder why he hasn't signed a big-money deal.

"I still feel like I can put up big numbers, and I see what these guys are getting paid. I just wonder why my value isn't being upheld as the same."

But, don't take that as shade ... 'cause AB says they deserve it.

"I'm happy for those guys. I'm really grateful for those guys who pioneered the game. They take it further, and made their prices go up. So I'm grateful for those guys to get what they deserve," Antonio says.

"My situation is never about anyone else. It's just all about getting what I deserve because I know what I am and what I stand for, and you can't play with me, the numbers are the numbers."

In closing, Brown sent a message to prospective teams who might be on the fence when it comes to signing him.

Before this turtleneck tyke turned into one of the funniest parody actors, he was just a little guy with 10 siblings running around New York City.

This cute kid's comedic abilities led him to attend LaGuardia High School in New York City, and then he was off to the big screen at age 19. His big break came when he was cast alongside big stars like Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey and Jennifer Lopez. Soon after, he landed his very own sitcom in the mid-'90s.

In the early to mid-2000s, he starred in some of the most iconic parody films.