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Tragic news ... James Madison University softball star Lauren Bernett -- who was just named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week on Monday -- has died, the school announced.

She was just 20 years old.

In a statement announcing the sad news Tuesday morning, JMU officials did not reveal a cause of death ... but said the tragedy was "devastating."

"Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes," officials said ... "We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be a Duke. We will miss her dearly."

Bernett, a sophomore, was a star catcher for the Dukes ... and had just had arguably her best week ever on the diamond for JMU.

In a game against College of Charleston on April 16, she recorded three hits and seven RBIs -- a JMU record. Just days later, in a series against Drexel on April 23, she logged hits in seven of her nine at-bats.

On Monday, the CAA handed her its Player of the Week award for her performances.

Bernett -- who was batting .336 this season with nine home runs -- was also a key contributor to the James Madison squad that made a deep run in the 2021 Women's College World Series.

"We love you, Lauren," the JMU softball team said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The team has canceled its Wednesday doubleheader against Longwood in wake of Bernett's death.

Viola Davis has heard all the criticism leveled at her over her portrayal of Michelle Obama -- as it pertains to her lip choices, that is -- and her response is ... screw the haters.

The Oscar-winning actress came out swinging against her critics in a new interview with the BBC, which asked her about the jokes and ridicule she was enduring a couple weeks ago amid the premiere of her new Showtime series, 'The First Lady.'

VD says these amateur commentators serve absolutely no purpose other than to be cruel, noting she found the score of comments to be "incredibly hurtful."

Viola acknowledges that critique is an occupational hazard of the job, and even seems to cop to the fact that her MO acting might not even be her best work ... but she insists she had to take big swings, and stands by what she did on camera.

Still, it's clear folks got to Viola and their mocking left her sour -- because she says this ... "Critics absolutely serve no purpose. And, I'm not saying that to be nasty either."

She adds, "They always feel like they're telling you something that you don't know. Somehow that you're living a life that you're surrounded by people who lie to you and 'I'm going to be the person that leans in and tells you the truth'. So, it gives them an opportunity to be cruel."

Viola also says it was damn near impossible to do Michelle justice, as some might've felt she was either doing too much or not enough to get it right. In this case, it's the former.

One other thing ... Viola says she has no idea what the real former First Lady thinks of how she did, noting she isn't in any personal contact with Mrs. Obama. Viola had previously said she did a lot of research and wanted to do MO proud ... so she clearly did her best.

As we reported, folks made a big deal about her pursed lips ... arguing it was overexaggerated/distracting. 'The First Lady' hasn't fared well with professional critics either.

Joe Exotic is taking cues from Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart -- he's got a new fiancé behind bars ... and their love is as deep as Edward's was for Bella.

The 'Tiger King' star details his latest relationship in an eye-opening letter sent from his federal prison in Butner, NC, in which he announces he's a groom-to-be with a man named John Graham -- somebody he was in the pokey with last year and apparently fell head over heels for.

In the correspondence, obtained by TMZ from Joe's attorney Autumn Blackledge, JE says he met John after he was released from solitary, when they were housed in the same unit. It wasn't long before they started seeing each other, he explains, and eventually ... somebody popped the question in August.

As for what John's all about ... well, Joe says he's the polar opposite of his soon-to-be-ex-hubby Dillon Passage -- whom he calls "selfish, younger ... and wanting to be famous."

John, meanwhile, is an old soul -- about 400 years, it seems -- who actually practices witchcraft ... this according to Joe. He describes John as someone who isn't seeking the limelight and who loves Joe for him ... the type of love Joe's never experienced, he says.

Sounds like John's a free man now ... but even so, Joe says they talk constantly -- up to 3 times a day -- and exchange mail nonstop. He says their bond is like the one depicted in 'Twilight' ... adding he still has one of John's shirts so he can smell him in the interim.

As we reported ... Dillon's signaled he's ready to finalize his divorce with Joe, with some conditions -- which Joe here calls "extortion," while noting he too wants to be done with it so he can hurry up and marry John.

Of course, he says he's still trying to have his case heard on appeal ... and believes his latest team of attorneys is going to achieve that with "new evidence" Joe says has been obtained in his favor.

Terrifying scene at a youth baseball game in South Carolina on Monday night ... a flurry of gunshots erupted near the diamond -- sending kids running in fear.

The incident -- which happened at around 8:44 p.m. at a local park in North Charleston -- was captured on video sent to ABC News 4 from a viewer ... showing as kids were playing in a game, dozens of gunshots rang out from a nearby parking lot.

According to the North Charleston Police Department, witnesses said the gunfire happened shortly after a large group of teenagers got into a fistfight in the area. Cops say the teens opened fire on each other following the physical altercation, but fled the area before officers arrived.

Police say three cars were hit by bullets during the incident ... but somehow, no one was injured.

As for the baseball game, you can see in video, coaches and players were horrified by it all -- with kids hitting the ground in an attempt to avoid any stray bullets.

A spokesperson for the NCPD said Tuesday morning the gunfire had nothing to do with the game ... adding that the mayor of North Charleston was "appalled by what he heard and saw."

The spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is underway ... explaining, "We will leave no stone unturned in bringing these suspects to justice."

Cops also said they're looking into ways they can make parks and playgrounds in the area safer -- and are providing resources to the kids who were affected by the terrifying incident.

President Biden is letting a lot of drug offenders out of prison who've earned lengthy sentences -- with his theme apparently being ... the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

JB just released a new clemency list, and it includes dozens of names who've been locked up for years now for crimes ranging from possession of drugs to conspiracy or intent to distribute narcotics -- including cocaine and meth -- and he's giving them a huge break.

A majority of these folks are due to be set free immediately ... or by 2023. He's commuting tons of sentences -- some of which were as long as 20-30 years, and in some cases life -- leaving most to be served out in home confinement, via supervised release or both.

All in all, there are 75 inmates he's cutting loose from the federal prison system ... and like we said, their crimes all seem to be in the drug realm ... from minor to relatively major offenses.

In addition to these commutations, Biden is also pardoning three people -- including a couple more drug offenders who've since been released from prison and gone on to become upstanding citizens.

The third pardon is a bit more noteworthy ... Biden is honoring Abraham Bolden Sr., a former U.S. Secret Service agent who was imprisoned after he was charged and convicted with attempting to sell a copy from a SS file in the '60s.

Bolden -- who was the first Black man to serve on a presidential detail back then -- got a raw deal, according to the DOJ. Key witnesses who were part of his initial trial apparently copped to lying at prosecutors' request ... and Bolden was also denied a new trial.

Madonna appears to be hanging on for dear life to her youth ... dropping a series of raunchy photos for all to see/remember.

The pop star posted a bunch of photos on Instagram Monday ...  posing in fishnet tights with her legs spread open while grabbing her crotch.

This is just the latest from the Queen of pop ... From the looks of it, she's desperately trying to get her groove back.

ICYMI, the 63-year-old singer recently shared a bizarre vid on TikTok ... intensely staring at the camera and slowly blowing a kiss.

A few days ago, she posted a vid at a Burberry event ... gettin' low and showing off her dance moves, alongside singer Erykah Badu.

Of course, this all comes as she's busy working on a biopic on her life ... so maybe her look back has made her nostalgic for days past.

Thomas Markle frets he could be the only one in his family to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration in June ... and he has a theory ... calling Prince Harry an "idiot" for being controlled by his daughter.

Thomas told Dan Wootton on GB News Tuesday he'll be making the trek to London in June...  while he'd like to reconnect with his daughter Meghan and meet Harry and their children for the first time, he's convinced they won't be making the trip -- especially after they learn he'll be front and center.

As you know, 77-year-old Thomas didn't go to Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018 as he was recovering from heart surgery ... while their relationship has been strained since, he's hoping he'll get the chance to mend the rift with the Royals.

He says, "I'm going to show my respect for the Queen and I'm going to make sure that the Queen understands that my entire family respects the Queen and the Royals."

He also wants to thank Prince Charles for walking his daughter down the aisle when he wasn't able to. He sees some similarities between him and Charles -- both have been ghosted by their kids.

Thomas goes on to say he has very little respect for Prince Harry, calling him an idiot that follows his daughter around like a little kid.

Former President Donald Trump once claimed the Prince was whipped by Thomas' daughter ... he admits that's one of the only times he'll agree with Trump.

Ne-Yo and his wife, Crystal Renay, are as serious as they can be about giving their marriage another go -- TMZ's learned, they just walked down the aisle again, and they did it up big!!!

Witnesses tell TMZ ... Ne-Yo and the former reality star got re-hitched Sunday night on a rooftop at Resorts World in Vegas, exchanging vows and throwing a lavish reception for all their guests.

They had all the bells and whistles, too -- the room was filled with more than 10,000 roses, and we're told it took 3 days to set up. The enormous cake was about 8 feet tall with 4 different flavors!

The guest list included close family and friends like 'RHOA's Nene Leakes, Tammy Rivera from "Love & Hip Hop" and Melody Holt from "Love & Marriage: Huntsville."

And, the night wouldn't be complete without a performance from the singer ... of course, he sang some of his hits and danced along with his renewed bride.

The couple originally tied the knot back in February 2016. The "Sexy Love" singer filed for divorce in March 2020, but quickly withdrew it.

Since then they've been working things out, and Ne-Yo ended up popping the question, for the second time, on New Year's Eve 2020. He's credited the pandemic for saving their marriage.

All that back and forth looks to be a thing of the past for Crystal and her man.

Benzino doesn't appear to have been able to lure 50 Cent into a boxing ring, so he's settling for the next best opponent ... and, apparently, that's Aaron Carter.

Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing tells TMZ ... the former pop star is lacing up his gloves again this summer to fight the "Love & Hip Hop" star in the main event. We're told both contracts have been signed ... and they're slugging it out on June 11.

The match is set to go down at the Charles Dodge Center in Pembroke Pines, FL -- and Feldman says BitCoin Rodney is promoting it. Aaron is stepping up for 50 Cent ... whom DF and co. weren't able to book.

Despite the bad blood between Benzino and Fitty -- including the recent back and forth claims of outing attempts and alleged federal snitching -- it doesn't appear 50 was interested in settling their beef with hands ... dude's been mum on their public challenge.

Aaron, however, is coming back for seconds -- you'll recall ... he got pummeled by Lamar Odom last year, where he was greatly outsized. Benzino's also bigger than him, but it sounds like Aaron doesn't care ... and wants his shot to redeem himself.

No word on how much either of these guys is making for going 3 rounds, but ya gotta figure it's a sizable amount for them ... especially if Aaron's coming back after that ass-whoopin'.

Not that "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" fans would know it, but Bambi Richardson says things are actually pretty cordial between Momma Dee and her for one reason -- R-E-S-P-E-C-T for her husband's mother.

Bambi chopped it up with Raquel Harper on the 'It's Tricky' podcast, opening up about her strained relationship with Lil Scrappy's mom, Momma Dee ... and admitting things aren't always the way they seem on TV.

ICYMI, fans raised an eyebrow when Momma Dee posted a photo at Shay Johnson's baby shower. Shay is Lil Scrappy's ex-gf, so some folks felt Momma Dee attending was "disrespectful" to Scrap's current wife.

In true Momma Dee fashion ... she fired back and, in the process, took some shots at Bambi.

She wrote, "I'm down for who down for me I've never heard bam even give a f*** about what I ate. Send me flowers for my birthday. Give me a greeting card I supposed to leave Shea alone because she's insecure she's f****** insecure and she's dragging my son and my son and I are not even speaking because of her insecurity's I'm done."

That sounds salty AF, but Bambi claims she's never had a problem with Momma Dee having a friendship with Shay. On the contrary, she says there's no issue with Shay and doesn't even know her.

As for why MD went so hard ... Bambi strongly hints her mother-in-law is simply creating drama to make 'L&HH' juicier. In fact, she tells Raq that when the cameras aren't rolling she and Dee are so cool.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the woman in charge of maintaining and supplying weapons on the set of "Rust" was clearly feeling some level of responsibility for what happened, as evidenced by newly released police bodycam.

In the footage, taken on the set of "Rust" just minutes after the shooting, you see a somber Gutierrez tell cops she was the film's armorer, followed by, "Or at least I was" before telling another officer, "Welcome to the worst day of my life."

A female cop accompanies Gutierrez to the restroom, she mutters, "I can't believe Alec Baldwin was holding the gun. That's so f****d."

The camera continues to record as Gutierrez asks the cops if she can be taken to a squad car away from her coworkers, as she seems to be embarrassed, before saying, "I just want to get the f*** out of here and never show my face in this industry again."

Gutierrez, who was trained as an armorer by her dad, Thell Reed, tells the officer, "I'm the only female armorer in the game and I just f****d up my whole entire career." She later refers to herself as a "f*****g failure."

The footage is among hours released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff on Monday, including body cam taken of Alec Baldwin concerned for Halyna Hutchins. As we reported, Hutchins died from a gunshot wound sustained when what was supposed to be a prop gun fired a real bullet.

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will make history Saturday night when they headline the first-ever female main event at Madison Square Garden ... but the fight's a lot more than the answer to a future trivia question -- Taylor tells us this fight could be remembered like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I.

... which also went down at the "world's most famous arena."

TMZ Sports talked to the 35-year-old undefeated champ (20-0, 6 KO's) ahead of her April 30th DAZN scrap with 33-year-old Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KO's) -- a fight that's hyped up women's boxing -- so we asked Katie if there would be a carry-over effect which would elevate the sport for years to come.

"I think so. I think the fight on Saturday night is going to absolutely be awe-inspiring for people. I feel like where our matchups are stylistically we match up very very well. I feel and it's going to make for a phenomenal fight and I think this fight is going to be talked about for years and years to come."

Taylor continued ... "I've even talked about every time you say 'Madison Square Garden' you think of the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. These kinds of fighters -- fights that we still talk about to this day. So I feel like the fight between myself and Amanda will be talked about for years and years to come as well. And absolutely think there will be follow-through, carry on with regards to the payday as well."

Sure, Ali-Frazier is one of the greatest rivalries -- not just in boxing, but sports in general -- so comparing any fight to the March 1971 matchup will be viewed as blasphemous.

But, that's not what Katie's saying. Her point is the fight -- pitting arguably the two greatest female boxers against one another -- is going to be incredible, and could change women's boxing in an array of ways ... including fan interest and pay.

Bottom line for Taylor ... "Biggest fight of my career and a moment in history and this is really stuff of dreams."

Before this young man in his navy polo shirt turned into a show creator and a successful actor, he was just a private schoolboy attending Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

This smiling kid is best known for his role in the FX comedy series "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" and if you're a fan of "Mythic Quest" ... well then you definitely should know who this cute kid is!

Need one more hint ... He ended up marrying one of his 'Sunny' co-stars in 2008, and the pair now have two sons together.

Trevor Bauer is now suing the San Diego woman who accused him of sexual assault ... with the MLB star claiming she made up allegations against him in order to ruin his baseball career and extract money from him.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in California on Monday. The docs show Bauer is suing both Lindsey Hill and one of her attorneys, Fred Thiagarajah, over what he claims are fabricated sexual assault allegations.

Bauer, as he's done repeatedly since Hill initially accused him in 2021, completely denied having non-consensual sex with the woman.

Bauer also, once again, denied ever choking Hill without her consent. He also denied ever punching or scratching her.

Bauer did acknowledge that the two had sex on two occasions -- one in April 2021 and one in May 2021 -- but he claimed over and over again in the suit that the actions during those encounters were consensual.

In his suit, Bauer claims despite consenting to "rough sex," Hill falsely filed a police report against him and accused him of sexual assault in order to sink his baseball career and to try to reach a financial settlement with him. Bauer also claims in the suit that Thiagarajah helped her perpetuate the false allegations.

He also says the two photographs of Hill's alleged injuries were altered and filtered to make them look worse than they were.

In the lawsuit, Bauer said he was filing the action in order to "expose and seek redress for the false and malicious statements and related conduct of Ms. Hill and Mr. Thiagarajah."

He's suing for damages.

As we reported, several months after Hill made her allegations against Bauer ... prosecutors declined to charge the L.A. Dodgers pitcher, saying in a statement, "the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt."

It looks like people came to Coachella ready to party and break the law even more so on the second go-around this year -- because cops slapped on way more cuffs than Week 1.

The second-weekend data is out ... and according to Indio Police, officers made a total of 133 arrests from Friday through Sunday -- which is about 20 more busts than what they'd done the weekend prior ... and a whopping 36% more than Weekend 2 in 2019.

As for how the alleged crimes break down, IPD says 106 of those arrests were drug/alcohol or intoxication-related, 17 of them had to do with fake IDs, 5 were possession of drugs for sale and another 5 were miscellaneous.

Their ticket handouts were higher on the 2nd weekend as well compared to the first -- cops say they gave out 96 citations (compared to last week's 72) ... and that figure, they say, is 81% higher than what they doled out in 2019.

Seems lots of people were eager to whip out handicap placards ... because IPD says they gave 91 citations for the unlawful use of those. Four people allegedly parked in handicap stalls and 1 person brought an unregistered vehicle into the desert ... so claim the police.

Like we said ... the numbers are higher than they were on the week of the 15th, so it appears folks came down looking to go out with a bang seeing how Coachella won't be back for a full year.

Antonio Brown just dropped his newest album, but he's already thinking about the next one -- the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout just revealed he only wants athletes featured on his follow-up project.

Brown -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady in 2021 -- joined "TMZ Live" to discuss the success of his album "Paradigm" ... as well as what he's envisioning moving forward.

"The next album got to be with all athletes," Brown told Harvey and Charles. "We want to give every athlete a chance to be creative -- NBA, baseball, football players."

"We just want to give premier athletes the opportunity to express themselves, be themselves. I know a lot of players that do it on their own that may not put it out," Brown added.

AB's current album has features from some huge names in hip hop ... and the project has been doing well, with help from his friend, Kanye West.

Brown told TMZ Sports despite Ye not being featured on the album, Kanye had a significant hand in its production, with West overseeing everything and paying for a lot of studio time.

Of course, artists such as Fivio Foreign, DaBaby, Young Thug, and Keyshia Cole are all featured on the project ... but AB is eyeing names like Melvin Ingram, Shaquille O'Neal, Miles Bridges and Darren Waller next time.

Finally, AB admitted Shaq's success as an athlete and rapper helped motivate his side hustle ... and opened up about potentially working with him in the past.

"Absolutely, Shaq was the only athlete that made a successful album that actually went platinum," Brown said. "And he still was a great player."

"He changed the fact of athletes being one-dimensional."