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Ex-NBA star Caron Butler is using his personal experiences to help teach young kids with his new book ... telling TMZ Sports his close friend Kobe Bryant inspired him to share his real story.

Caron played alongside the late Hall of Famer on the Lakers from 2004-2005 ... and the two remained great friends up until the legend's tragic death in 2020.

The 2011 NBA Champ says Bryant -- who had a series of children's books of his own -- once gave him pointers on how he could use his authenticity to motivate the next generation ... which led him to write "Shot Clock," alongside Justin Reynolds.

"He did like a little moment with me prior to him passing," Tuff Juice tells us. "We connected and we talked about the writing process and how it's so tough to be authentic and clear and real, but it's exactly what the kids need."

"He always told me to 'Tell your truth, be brave and people gonna accept it or reject it, but be brave in that process,'" he added.

Butler says he made a promise to Kobe that his second act would be "far better, more profound" than his playing career ... a vow he also disclosed with Bryant's wife, Vanessa.

The book is deep ... and reflects what Caron really went through in life -- from traveling the world to run-ins with law enforcement and losing friends to gun violence.

"Selling Sunset" producers are racing to fill the void left by Christine Quinn's departure ... they need a new villain for the show, and they need to figure it out ASAP.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the folks who run the popular Netflix show are scrambling behind the scenes to figure out who is going to step into Christine's place as the bad girl, and they're hopeful holdover Chelsea Lazkani leans into the role in upcoming seasons.

We're told execs approached Chelsea about playing into the villain role once it became clear to producers in June Christine wasn't coming back, leading to conversations with Chelsea about embracing the role Christine played so well.

Our sources say producers understand Chelsea, a British real estate agent who joined the show in season 5, has big shoes to fill here ... but they're hopeful she can step up to the plate.

Other candidates, we're told, include newcomers Bre Tiesi and Nicole Young ... they're joining "Selling Sunset" for the upcoming seasons, and sources say there's a possibility producers will look to one or both to be the next Christine if Chelsea doesn't cut it.

Filming began this week, but we're told it's too soon to know if producers have their villain just yet.

TMZ broke the story ... Christine and the producers reached a mutual decision for her to leave the show and she's moving onto other projects, signing with IMG models.

Jason Oppenheim told our photog Thursday he's not stressed about Christine leaving, saying he has no concerns her exit will hurt the show.

NLE Choppa is all for innovation in the bedroom, saying he thinks there's a part of the body that's rarely explored that should be ... the armpit!!!

We caught up with NLE Friday at LAX, who's been on a raunchy rampage since his "Slut Me Out" single dropped ... and sharing with the world he licks his girl's pits, saying, "my saliva yo deodorant."

NLE dissects the meaning behind his tweet, telling us all sorts of things have become more common in the bedroom in recent years, so armpits should fall under the same category.

We also picked NLE's brain regarding the recent rapper face-tat boom ... brought forth by Drake and Cardi B -- who's yet to actually reveal hers.

Summer 2022 was the season to get your group of friends back in touch after the long-awaited break and celebrate those special friendships with a good ol' fashion get-together!

Amongst the summer squads are the Kardashian klan who made some extravagant plans with their close-knit posse, Dua Lipa rallied her bikini clique for some awesome adventures, Terrence J got the boys to bounce to Turks and Caicos ... and Ashley Tisdale and Hilary Duff rounded up a mom mob for some R&R at a resort in Southern California.

Emilio Rivera thinks there's something to the idea of busing migrants from the border to different parts of the country ... he says it might help lessen the load on everyone.

We got the "Sons of Anarchy" star at LAX and asked him about Texas Gov. Greg Abbot's controversial new policy to send migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way to New York.

Emilio, who was born in Texas, says it's actually a really good idea because it spreads the burden, so it doesn't just fall on one area to figure out what to do with an influx of asylum seekers.

While Emilio says he's trying to look at the positive side of the situation, he admits it must be hard on the migrants' families and feels for them.

You should never count out a desperate housewife, because now they're wiping out liquor store shelves with their very own luxury booze, so put down your drink and see if you can spot the differences in these two modified shots of the legendary Eva Longoria in her tequila swag.

The beautiful actress and tequila brand owner has kept more than busy, but that didn't stop this hot momma from burning some iron at the gym ... and, of course she was repping her "Casa Del Sol Tequila" merch.

Can you take a shot at finding the mods?

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are doing their second 'wedding' in style ... with a waterside reception complete with a live piano performance and firework display.

Ben's sprawling estate in Riceboro, Georgia is shaping into full-wedding form Friday, and the latest images show tables and chairs set along a body of water with what looks like a special table for the bride and groom right next to the piano.

If that weren't enough, there's a barge floating in the middle of the water chock full off fireworks ready to light up the night sky once the sun goes down, though it's unclear which night the show will happen.

Ben and Jen's celebrity friends, including Matt Damon have also started to arrive in GA ... and it looks like they're in for a real treat once the festivities begin.

What was initially billed as a weekend bash for family and friends is clearly a much bigger event ... with all the makings of a dream wedding.

Ben's Georgia estate, which was supposed to serve as the wedding location 20 years ago when he and J Lo first got engaged, also has a huge marquee on the ground and a long aisle for his bride to walk down.

The spur-of-the-moment Las Vegas wedding looks like it will have nothing on Ben and Jen's second wedding when all is said and done.

Michael Bublé and his wife are now officially the proud parents of 4, welcoming their baby girl into the world and sharing her name with fans -- a name he almost spilled to our camera a few days ago!

The singer took to Instagram Friday to share the exciting news that his wife, Luisana Lopilato, gave birth to their newest addition. He wrote, "You finally arrived to our lives with your 3,8 kg!!! Thanks God for this infinite blessing, we love you!! Noah, Elias, Vida and your mom and dad ❤️" Baby girl Bublé's name is Cielo Yoli Rose Bublé.

Funny enough, we got the singer Wednesday in NYC just days before baby Cielo was born. We asked him if he and Luisana had picked a name yet, and he turned, asking our photog her name ... when our photog revealed her name was Seleah, Michael almost looked stunned, saying their baby's name was going to be verrrry similar.

Easton Oliverson just crossed another huge milestone in his road to recovery ... the Little League World Series player is now walking -- just days after he suffered severe head injuries in a fall from his bunk bed.

Oliverson's family shared a video on their social media page on Friday showing the Snow Canyon Little League pitcher/outfielder standing up and walking with the help of medical personnel.

"We are at a loss for words," the family said in the caption. "There are none that seem fitting other than: God is Good. SO GOOD!🤍"

"We love our Easton so much. Thank you for loving, and supporting him with us. Keep the prayers coming- he’s getting stronger every day!"

The 12-year-old initially fractured his skull on Sunday after falling off his bed at the players' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn.

Things looked dire for Easton the night of the accident -- he was actually placed in a medically induced coma -- but, he's since shown a ton of progress, and appears to be on his way to a full recovery.

Vanessa Bryant just talked about Kobe Bryant, Gianna, the crash and the photos that officials took of their bodies while on the stand -- and she was overcome with emotion while trying to explain how awful it all has truly been for her.

Using a handkerchief to wipe away tears after nearly every sentence -- Vanessa said she first learned of the crash after an assistant informed her of it at her home. She said L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the one who eventually told her there were no survivors.

Vanessa said on the stand that she begged him to secure the area, as she was concerned about paparazzi. She testified he didn't tell her at the time that his deputies had photographed her family members' bodies.

She later said she learned of the graphic photos through the Los Angeles Times report -- and, while speaking through sobs, she said it gutted her.

"I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream," she said in the courtroom. "I can’t escape my body. I can't escape what I feel."

She added that she was "blindsided, devastated, hurt and betrayed" to know that authorities had snapped pics at the scene.

"I trusted them," she said. "I trusted them to not do these things."

Vanessa told the courtroom one of the most disturbing things to her was that because of where Gianna was located at the crash scene, she believed officials had to have moved the 13-year-old's body in order to photograph it.

"They took advantage that Daddy couldn't protect her," she said. "He was at the morgue."

Vanessa testified that if the photos ever got out, and if she were to somehow see them, it'd rip her apart.

"I don't ever want to see my babies in that way," she said, explaining to the courtroom that she lives in constant fear that the photos could surface. "Nobody should ever have to see their family in that way."

As we reported, Vanessa arrived at the courtroom earlier Friday morning in a black dress, black coat and dark sunglasses. She wore a "Mama" necklace -- and appeared to be confident, flashing a smile on her way into the L.A. building.

The 40-year-old is suing L.A. County officials after learning deputies had taken and shared graphic photos from the wreckage scene.

NBC's Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitali says our political system was not set up to elect a female president ... but understanding the bias might help the nation finally cross that hurdle.

Vitali joined "TMZ Live" Friday ... to talk about her upcoming book, "Electable: Why America Hasn't Put a Woman in the White House ... Yet," and she's very clear ... a big reason why women haven't inhabited the Oval is misogyny. Fact is ... many countries have had female heads of state -- Germany, Finland, England, Argentina, India, Israel, among others.

Ali says the Hillary Clinton is living proof women are viable candidates .. .but they seem to hit a wall when it actually comes to getting elected.

We ask about one woman in particular ... Michelle Obama, who has said as clear as day she's not interested in the job, but Ali has opinions.

And what if the first female president is a conservative Republican -- would this be celebrated among women and men of a different political persuasion? Ali's answer is interesting...

Marcell Ozuna pulled the celeb card during his DUI arrest on Friday morning -- telling a cop during the stop, "Sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves" ... this according to a new police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, a Norcross Police Dept. officer said he pulled over Ozuna -- who was driving in a black 2021 Mercedes-Benz -- at around 3:35 AM after he says the MLB slugger was speeding in a 35 MPH zone while failing to stay in a lane.

Moments after being stopped, Ozuna allegedly told the officer, "Sorry, sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves." The baseball player's car reeked of booze, the police officer said in the report. The officer also claimed Ozuna had red and watery eyes.

Ozuna told the cop, according to the docs, that he was in Norcross heading to "the party." The officer said that he later learned the 31-year-old was on his way to "a nearby after-hours nightclub."

When Ozuna went to hand his driver's license to the cop, the officer said in the docs he also handed over an MLB ID card showing that he played for the Braves.

According to the report, just before administering field sobriety tests on Ozuna, the outfielder admitted he had drank "like three or four" beers before getting behind the wheel.

"If I'm drunk, if I can't drive, I do like this," the officer said in the docs, claiming Ozuna -- who allegedly had $8,000 in cash in his pocket -- "motioned for me to take his car key."

After administering three tests, the officer arrested Ozuna. But, according to the cop, Ozuna refused both a breath test and a blood test.

Records show he was eventually booked on charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane.

Hours before the arrest, the Braves had won a huge game over the Mets in Atlanta -- but Ozuna did not play in the contest.

This is the second time Ozuna has been arrested in the last 15 months -- he was previously taken into custody in May 2021 after he was accused of roughing up his wife in an incident in Sandy Springs, GA.

Ozuna -- who agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program to close out the case a few months after the incident -- was suspended 20 games by the MLB over it all.

He later said before this season began that he apologized to his teammates, adding, "I made a mistake."

Ozuna has played in 107 games for the Braves this season ... batting .214 with 20 home runs.

It appears Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are setting up more than just a fancy party at his estate in Georgia, 'cause based on pics, it looks like a full-blown wedding is going to happen.

Ben's place in Riceboro, Georgia is crawling with activity Friday, with construction crews hard at work putting up a huge marquee on the grounds, which is connected to the main house by a very long aisle for J Lo to walk down in what we can only imagine will be a beautiful wedding dress.

The temporary structures going up at Ben's place aren't the only giveaway this star-studded weekend is more wedding than party, caterers and event crews keep showing up to the house in droves.

No sign of Ben and Jen at the house yet, but we already saw them Thursday in Savannah ... where they did some low-key shopping in town.

As we told you, Bennifer 2.0 is welcoming their closest friends and family to a weekend celebration at Ben's estate, which was supposed to serve as the location for their wedding 20 years ago when they first got engaged.

Travis Barker is the latest celeb to catch COVID -- a diagnosis that comes just two months after he was hospitalized for a serious case of pancreatitis -- but he's doing his best to keep his spirits up.

Travis broke the news on Instagram Thursday, with a caption that reads, "Covid sucks🤬 I'd rather be playing drums." He was recently on tour with his buddy MGK, and posted some BTS footage a couple days before his announcement ... so it's possible he caught the disease on the road.

Unclear when exactly Travis tested positive, we saw him out earlier this week in L.A. hitting a studio.

Of course, the diagnosis comes two months after his hospitalization. TMZ broke the story, the drummer had a colonoscopy that triggered pancreatitis in June, Travis told folks on social media he had a polyp removed in a sensitive area, which "damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube" and led to the medical emergency.

Alec Baldwin says Donald Trump incited his January 6th mob to murder him ... by falsely claiming the actor intentionally fired the shot that killed the cinematographer on the "Rust" set.

Baldwin told CNN Trump's comment -- that "He [Baldwin] probably shot her [Halyna Hutchins] on purpose" was itself a trigger for his mob to put a target on his head.

As Baldwin put it, "Here was Trump who instructed people to commit acts of violence and he was pointing the finger at me and saying I was responsible for the death."

Baldwin had lots to say ... CNN says the interview lasted 2 hours, although only a small portion has been aired. He reportedly said the stress from the shooting has "taken years off my life," adding, "If I didn't have my wife, I don't know where I would be right now ... If I didn't have her, I probably would have quit, retired, gone off, you know sold everything I owned, got a house in the middle of nowhere and just you know did find something else to do, sell real estate."

Baldwin also says he hired a P.I. and got recon that he almost certainly would not be prosecuted, nor does he think anyone else will be as well. He does, however, lay the blame squarely at the feet of Chief Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Assistant Director Dave Halls, for allowing him to handle a gun with live ammo. Baldwin didn't know the gun was loaded with a live round and says it was their responsibility to check it.

Halls' lawyer says Baldwin is trying to deflect blame, saying "Baldwin is pointing the finger at others because the evidence is pointing at him."

Two "Big Brother" contestants did the deed on a butterfly-shaped pool floatie ... but it doesn't sound like their evening of romance lasted very long!

Kyle and Alyssa are houseguests on the latest season of the reality show, and they've been hooking up, forming a showmance.

Things got hot and heavy in the "Have-Not" room -- the show swapped out beds with pool floaties on the hard floor ... but that didn't stop the two from getting it on.

After their hook up was over, Kyle jumps into apology mode -- confessing he lasted a grand total of 10 seconds.

Alyssa didn't seem to mind ... although she sounded a little embarrassed when talking to housemate Turner after.

She does, however, call the quickie a "really nice moment."