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Diana Jenkins' donation for Lion Air victims' families isn't a call to war against Erika Jayne, but it IS intended to provoke a response ... from some other 'Real Housewives.'

Sources connected to the 'RHOBH' star tell TMZ ... Diana and Erika discussed the $100k gift before it even happened. We're told even though it may have appeared to be a dig at Erika, given the fact EJ's been embroiled in litigation directly related to that tragedy, that's just not the case.

On the contrary, we're told Diana and Erika are good pals ... so clearly, no shots intended -- but here's what she did have up her sleeve.

Our sources say Diana sees this as an opportunity for some of the other cast members, like Sutton Stracke and Garcelle Beauvais, to put their money where their mouths are ... because they've attacked Erika over her connection to the Lion Air case.

Since they like to talk about it so much -- suggesting in the past Erika lacks compassion for the families -- we're told Diana sees this as kind of putting the ball in their court ... giving them a chance to step up and make a donation to show how much they care about those folks.

As you know ... Erika and her estranged husband, attorney Tom Girardi, were sued for allegedly swindling these families out of a settlement they scored against Lion Air -- although Erika's denied having any knowledge of how Tom ran his business, including on this.

Susan Sarandon's progressive activism isn't preventing her from bonding with folks on the other side of the aisle on her new TV show, "Monarch" -- which she sees as a sign of hope for the country.

The Oscar winner's going full country and western for the new FOX drama, and she told us on "TMZ Live" the music's helped bring the all-star cast together.

Susan admits she knew little about the genre before taking the role as Dottie Cantrell Roman ... the queen of country and matriarch of the show's main family.

The role has her rubbing elbows with real life country music stars, and she told us her politics never got in the way of folks welcoming her with open arms.

For the record, Susan says she no longer considers herself a Democrat. Instead, she's an independent who simply stands up for what she feels is right.

That approach, combined with a healthy dose of respect, is why Susan says she's really hit it off with her new TV husband, co-star Trace Adkins. Yes, he's a Republican, but as she explained it ... "There's hope if we just talk to each other in calm ways."

Hey, it's working for them, America!

Susan tells us, she has more in common with Trace than not, and she believes this is the case for most people in the nation.

Politics aside, she says "Monarch" is really just a great family drama with lots of real country hits -- 'cause the plan is to release many of the songs as radio singles.

The Fitzmagic has officially run out -- recently retired NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tells TMZ Sports he's really done playing football for good ... even if a team in need comes calling.

39-year-old Fitzpatrick decided to walk away from the game earlier this offseason ... ending his career after 17 years in the league.

Of course, there's a history of guys retiring before getting the itch to come back -- we're looking at you, Favre and TB12 -- but Ryan says that's not the case for him.

"I'm retired," Fitzpatrick told us at the Empire State Building this week. "It's official. I'm done."

The journeyman signal-caller says that's going to stay his final answer even if there's demand for a fresh arm on a roster ... claiming his body wouldn't be too happy if he took any more hits.

"I don't know if my hip would be willing to and I'm comfortable what I'm doing right now."

So, what's he doing now?? Fitzpatrick will still be near the game as a TV analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video this season ... and he says he's going to give it all he's got in front of the camera.

"There's still a lot of work and preparation that goes into talking about football," Ryan said. "It's more of the mental side of it than all the physical and recovery. I don't get hit anymore which is nice."

American actor Brent Spiner was 38 years old when he was first cast as "Data" -- the mindful and lively male android who served as an officer as he embarked on a Federation starship -- in the 1987-1994 series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Spiner shared the space with Patrick Stewart as the professional and committed command officer, Jean-Luc Picard, Michael Dorn as the low-key and somewhat bland, Lieutenant Worf, Jonathan Frakes as the first officer under Captain Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker and Diana Muldaur as the chief medical officer, Katherine Pulaski.

Blueface will not be stepping into the ring with Nick Young on Saturday -- the rapper has not yet been approved for a boxing license ... and now event promoter Austin McBroom is scrambling to find a replacement with only 3 days until fight night.

TMZ Sports is told the 25-year-old Thotiana rapper received a letter from the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday informing him his application for a pro boxing license in the state would not be granted until he appeared before the organization in October.

Obviously, that means Blueface can't fight Swaggy P on Saturday's Social Gloves 2 card at Banc of California Stadium in L.A.

McBroom is headlining the event with rival and fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib. Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell are also fighting.

Of course, Blueface has made headlines lately for several violent altercations with his girlfriend Chrisean. It's unclear if those incidents played a role in the denial of a license.

It's not the first bout Blueface has been pulled from ... he was taken off the recent KSI card at the O2 Arena in London, where he was supposed to fight FaZe Temperrr.

Now, McBroom and his partners are working tirelessly to find a suitable opponent for the 6'7" former NBA star.

Story developing ...

Ricky Martin says he's been "persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted by a maladjusted person" -- AKA his nephew -- and he's now suing the guy who made wild accusations against him.

Martin filed a lawsuit Wednesday in San Juan against Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, who the singer claims is trying to "assassinate" his reputation.

Dennis had claimed back in July that he had a 7-month long romantic relationship with Ricky, and when it ended Ricky began stalking and harassing him -- something Ricky said was patently false. The nephew had filed a restraining order but when the heat was on him he withdrew the whole thing.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the nephew hasn't stopped. Ricky claims a month after Dennis withdrew his restraining order, he began sending messages to Ricky through Instagram ... threatening to "assassinate his reputation and integrity" unless he anted up cash.

Ricky says in the lawsuit before Dennis filed for a restraining order, he was publicly boasting about being Ricky's nephew. Ricky says the nephew bombarded him with messages -- sometimes more than 10 in a single day -- for 4 months.

Ricky says the messages were clearly written by a "maladjusted individual."

Ricky says the nephew then went rogue, posting the singer's cell phone number on his Instagram. Ricky says the nephew also made an IG account for one of his children, which made him uncomfortable.

Ricky says he's lost numerous, multi-million dollar deals because of his nephew's false allegations, and now wants no less than $20 million to compensate the singer for his losses.

Paul Anka just got a huge tribute over in France ... where President Emmanuel Macron presented him with one of the nation's highest honors.

The "Put Your Head On My Shoulder Singer" tells TMZ ... he's humbled and proud to become an officer in the French order of merit, with Macron bestowing the honor this week in Paris.

As you see, Paul and Macron shared a toast and sipped Champagne during the celebration ... and Anka's got a pretty spiffy badge -- a blue sash with the star of a Grand Cross, signifying the award.

France's "Ordre national du Mérite" was first bestowed way back in 1963 under then-president Charles de Gaulle ... and while it's generally reserved for French citizens, Paul joins a select list of foreign recipients and he's easily the biggest name.

Paul tells us it was a "very special moment for him" ... and you can tell from the pics ... he's wearing a huge grin.

Remember ... Paul is still playing sold-out venues across the world at age 81, including packed houses in France on his recent European tour.

If there's anyone Apple might wanna impress, it's Steve Jobs' daughter, but the fact is she's far from blown away by the new iPhone ... which she thinks is pretty much the same as the previous edition.

Eve Jobs, daughter of Steve and Laurene Powell Jobs, reacted to Apple's Wednesday announcement of the new iPhone 14 by posting a popular meme ... and adding her own twist of shade.

Eve is basically saying folks who upgrade from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14 aren't getting anything different from before.

Lots of folks in the comments are mostly in agreement with Eve ... some people are pointing out a lot of the tech specs between the iPhone 13 and 14 are the same ... including screen size, refresh rate, storage, CPU and the cameras.

Aries Spears is speaking out for the first time publicly after he and Tiffany Haddish were sued for grooming and molesting two children during an old skit they performed ... calling the whole thing a shakedown.

In a preview for his podcast "Spears & Steinberg" Aries admits there's not a whole lot he can't say, given the pending lawsuit ... but does take the time to thank his listeners and fans for all of their support over the last week.

He then gets more serious, calling the lawsuit an "extortion case" and a shakedown, saying, "We won't be shaken down."

Spears's comments come just a couple days after Tiffany Haddish posted about the situation on Instagram, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

Both comedians were sued by a male and female plaintiff who claimed they were groomed and convinced to take part in explicit skits. The girl claims she was 14 at the time and the boy just 7.

The skit, "Through a Pedophiles Eyes" with the young boy, included Spears applying massage oil to him as well as the boy making sexually suggestive motions with toys.

Barack and Michelle Obama are back in the White House ... this time forever.

The former president and first lady returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Wednesday to unveil their new presidential portraits, which will adorn the White House walls along with their counterparts.

Barack was in a great mood, making everyone laugh and smile ... remarking on how "fine" his wife looks in her portrait.

While Barack mostly kept it fun, Michelle made a powerful speech. She says the Obama portraits -- a biracial kid with an unusual name, and the daughter of a water pump operator and stay-at-home mom -- serve as a reminder there's a place for everyone in America.

Barack and Michelle want the paintings to inspire folks from all walks of life ... they say if the Obamas made it to the White House, so too can anyone.

Reclusive rap legend MF DOOM passed away in October 2020 but his handwritten book of lyrics and rhymes remains with record label exec Eothen “Egon” Alapatt ... at least according to DOOM's widow.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a statement from DOOM’s widow claiming Alapatt still has her late husband's rhyme book. Jasmine Dumile tells us there have been many unsuccessful attempts to get back the documents, even before DOOM passed.

She adds, "We had hoped after DOOM transitioned Egon would do the right thing and return the books to the family but he has continued to ignore these requests. Unfortunately, Egon is not the only former associate abusing the likeness, art and life's work of DOOM."

Egon owns Now-Again Records, and is a business partner of producer Madlib, DOOM’s renowned collaborator from their 2004 effort "Madvillainy."

However, Jasmine would not specify which "former associate" referring to in her statement -- she said she'll say more when it's "appropriate."

Blackstar rapper Talib Kweli prompted stirred this up last week when he slammed Egon for refusing to return the book in good faith … even after DOOM officiated his wedding in 2012.

Egon has done interviews in the past detailing his friendship with DOOM but Kweli calls it all a farce.

Tyrese is fuming over his divorce case -- where he was ordered to keep paying $10k/month in child support -- and wants a new judge to weigh in, claiming the old robe had it out for him.

The actor filed new legal docs this week, obtained by TMZ, that spell out the reasons that he wants a fresh set of his eyes on this case -- with the main one being that Judge Farmer, who was presiding over the divorce, was clearly biased against Tyrese.

There are a few examples laid out in his filing ... Tyrese says during a pretrial meeting in Judge Farmer's chambers, hizzoner apparently told Tyrese and his ex, Samantha Lee Gibson, that he thought $10,690 per month in child support was appropriate based on the financial evidence and that he didn't care if Gibson was a "greedy, gold-digging bitch."

Essentially, Tyrese is claiming this judge already made up his mind on how things should go even before hearing arguments and testimony in court.

Not just that -- but Tyrese alleges the judge's favor was shown early and often during the actual trial ... including belittling admonishments and cutting off Tyrese in the middle of his answers that were caught on video, which Tyrese says were totally outrageous. Tyrese claims his lawyer "definitely felt bullied by Judge Farmer" during the case.

Tai Emery proved she belongs as a pro fighter, but she likely won't have to do it for money, 'cause the new BKFC star tells TMZ Sports her OnlyFans page EXPLODED after she flashed her boobs from the ring!

And, we're not talking doubling or tripling subscribers ... Emery's OF page saw a 62-fold increase in fans paying to access her content -- or a 6,150% increase.

If you're doing the math ... T.E. charges $10 a month to access her content. Last week she was bringing in about $400 ... and it's money she's relied upon to survive. Now, Tai's going to be raking in around $25K a month ... or $300K per year.

"Holy moly," Tai said, "My OnlyFans went maybe 40 to maybe [2,500], or something like that."

If you missed it, in her BKFC debut, Emery, a former LFL football player, knocked out opponent Rung-Arun Khunchai with an uppercut and hook combo that sent her crashing to the canvas. As the ref called an end to the fight, Tai jumped on the ropes, pulled down her sports bra, and flashed her breasts as the Bangkok crowd cheered, a bit stunned.

But, did the R-rated celebration get Tai in any hot water with BKFC honchos or athletic commission officials?

Nope!

"I have been completely enabled to continue to be myself, and so I shall."

We asked if fans should expect another show after her future fights ... and let's just say Emery's well on her way to being a big draw.

"For sure. I'm trying to get it to a point where maybe there's like gonna be a reflection of a sea of t**ties just looking back at me in like this army of salute, from men to women."

Camila Morrone is livin' it up following her breakup from Leonardo DiCaprio ... by hitting the town with BFFs Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber for a much-needed girls' night out.

The sisterhood circle was spotted leaving Sushi Park in West Hollywood Tuesday night ... all smiles as they took to the parking lot with security in tow.

Kendall and Hailey seemed to be embracing the newly-single 25-year-old after her recent split ... and Camila looks to be havin' fun with the girls instead of worrying about the single life.

What's interesting is HB and KJ used to be good friends with Gigi Hadid, who's at least rumored to be dating Leo now! However, the model trio hasn't hung out publicly in a long time.

As you may know, Leo and Camila called it quits after 4 years of dating -- she was recently seen moving into a new place in Malibu after their breakup.

Jamie Lynn Spears is being put to the test, on not just by her sister, Britney ... she's one of 16 celebrities tapped for a new reality show where contestants go through challenges straight out of special forces training.

The former 'Zoey 101' star is competing in a new show on FOX, "Special Forces: The Ultimate Test," in what figures to be quite the celebrity experiment.

Jamie Lynn and her 15 famous counterparts will try to survive demanding special forces training exercises out in the desert ... with ex-special forces operatives running the camp, where toilets are literally just holes in the ground and beds consist of only a sheet over a metal bar.

The reality show challenges will simulate the special forces selection process, and the only way for the celeb contestants to leave is by giving up, getting injured, or being kicked out by staff sergeants ... there are no votes and no eliminations, it's all about survival.

Britney Spears' little sister will be joined on the show by Mel B, Hannah Brown, Montell Jordan, Kenya Moore, Dr. Drew, Anthony Scaramucci, Tyler Florence, Beverley Mitchell and Kate Gosselin.

A bunch of former and current athletes are competing as well, including Danny Amendola, Dwight Howard, Gus Kenworthy, Carli Lloyd, Nastia Liukin and Mike Piazza.

The Ty Cobb T206 is the "holy grail" for collectors, but for as much as the card is worth (up to millions), about 50 reportedly exist ... now, if you're looking for something truly unique, there's another piece of memorabilia that recently hit the block --

Cobb's dentures ... his actual false teeth.

SCP Auctions currently has Cobb's chompers -- top and bottom -- on the block, along with the "original plaster denture holder and brass opening device."

After Cobb's death in 1961, the teeth were preserved. Ty's biographer, Al Stump, held the teeth for years before unloading them at Sotheby's in 1999 ... to the current consignor, who held the dentures for over 22 years.

Of course, Cobb was one of baseball's first stars ... and a real problem at the plate.

In 1909 he won the Triple Crown, the A.L. MVP in 1911, and was a 12x batting champion. Cobb averaged .366 and had 4,191 hits over his 24-season career.

Cobb was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

Speaking of Cooperstown, in June 2001, the teeth went on display at The Hall ... where fans were able to view the one-of-a-kind item.

The auction, which ends Friday, already has a nearly $10K bid (there have been 7 total bids).