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Stephen King is the undisputed king of horror ... but his fictional storylines turned into a real-life nightmare at his home in Maine, with the author as the central character.

The fabled novelist of classics like "Pet Sematary" and "The Shining" got an uninvited visitor to his Bangor, Maine home Thursday, when a deer impaled itself on his spiked fence in front of his gothic mansion.

TMZ obtained a photo of the white-tailed fawn draped over the sharp spikes in the center of the wrought iron fence. The spikes drove into the midsection of the helpless animal whose legs were half inside and half outside King's property.

A rep for the Bangor PD tells us ... the one-year-old buck apparently tried to jump over the fence, but it was too high. The deer then attempted to maneuver through the middle portion of the metal barrier, but, unfortunately, the poor thing got skewered.

Unclear if King was home at the time ... but we know he didn't call cops. A woman driving by spotted the injured deer and dialed 911.

Police responded and put the deer out of its misery, shooting it. Per state law, officers are authorized to kill any wild animal they deem to be in distress.

It appears the house is a vacation home for Stephen and his wife. It gets its share of tourists who come by to gawk at the mansion.

We reached out to King's rep for comment ... so far no word back.

Patti LaBelle's a music legend, but she's still gonna show some love for her modern R&B contemporaries, as evidenced during Usher's concert in Las Vegas where she got down!!!

Multiple fans inside the Park MGM captured the legendary songstress moving and grooving Thursday night during an intermission as Ginuwine's classic grind anthem "Pony" blared through the speakers.

Ms. Patti was definitely in a mood ... a complete 180° from her BET Awards blunder this week — where she flubbed the lyrics during her tribute to the late Tina Turner ... and asked the audience for help. 😁

This will blow your mind -- an official from the government of Italy contacted Mark Zuckerberg about staging a UFC fight against Elon Musk at the most legendary battleground in the world ... Rome's Colosseum ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the Minister of Culture reached out to Zuckerberg a few days ago about staging what could be the biggest fight in the history of the world in the most fabled fight theater in history.

Our sources say both Elon and Mark would love for the fight to go down at the Colosseum.

We're told Zuckerberg's people passed on the message to UFC Prez Dana White, whose people contacted the Minister.

As for the venue itself -- one of the 7 Wonders of the World -- there have not been large events held inside the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater in hundreds of years, and only a few hundred spectators can be seated in temporary seating within the theater.

Sir Paul McCartney performed inside the Colosseum in 2003 for an exclusive charity show before 400 people who paid up to $1,500 -- but other than that, all other concerts have been held just outside the structure.

It's unclear where a Musk vs. Zuck fight would go down -- inside or outside.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us if you're gonna bet on whether this fight goes down ... wager that it's happening. We're told both Musk and Zuck are "all in," and have been negotiating with Dana about the details of a fight daily ... multiple times each day for more than a week.

The biggest obstacle is height and weight disparity, although both men have no issue with it. The question ... if the fight were to go down in Vegas -- which was the goal until the Colosseum offer surfaced -- the Nevada Athletic Commission would have to sign off. Given that Zuck is 5'7" and weighs 145, and Elon towers over him at 6'2" and weighs 230, it's a little problematic. Nevertheless, this would be an exhibition fight, so the rules might bend.

Now that Italy is interested, it opens up so many more possibilities.

Originally Published -- 6/29 9:39 PM PT

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed allegedly ditched a bag of cocaine, handing it off to another person in the hours after Halyna Hutchins was killed ... this according to prosecutors.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim to have a witness who says Gutierrez-Reed transferred a "small bag of cocaine" to them on October 21, 2021 ... after she sat through an interview with police following Hutchins' on-set death.

They say the alleged handoff demonstrates that Reed was trying to avoid prosecution and hide evidence that would further implicate her involvement in the fatal shooting.

Prosecutors say the witness had concerns about coming forward ... telling them, "I will never be able to work in the film industry again." Prosecutors are now asking for a protective order, keeping the person off any publicly-available witness lists and barring Gutierrez-Reed's camp from releasing the witness' identity.

As we reported, Gutierrez-Reed's been charged with tampering with evidence in relation to the alleged passed-off cocaine.

Two University of Buffalo football players have been charged with animal abuse ... after prosecutors say they were seen on video earlier this month beating a 4-year-old miniature Poodle with a leather belt.

According to the Erie County District Attorney's Office ... the incident happened at around 9 PM on June 13 inside an apartment in Amherst, N.Y.

Authorities allege 19-year-old Blake Hiligh, a cornerback, and 20-year-old Zachary Pilarcek, a tight end, filmed themselves striking the dog repeatedly ... in what was an apparent attempt to discipline the animal. Prosecutors say the two then uploaded the footage to social media.

On June 14, prosecutors say they hit both men with one misdemeanor charge of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals.

Officials also say the poodle, named Kobe, was seized and transported to a local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ... where it received treatment for abrasions and bruises.

Both Hiligh and Pilarcek appeared in court for their arraignment on Thursday ... and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following the proceedings, Hiligh's attorney told a group of reporters, "My client regrets the actions."

"We love our dogs," the lawyer added. "We love our pets. Sometimes they do frustrate us. Sometimes we do discipline them sometimes. I don't believe it was in a cruel manner."

Both Hiligh and Pilarcek have been dismissed from the UB football team over the allegations.

"The UB football program has zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” UB football head coach Maurice Linguist said.

"After learning about this incident, I immediately suspended the two young men from all team activities before permanently dismissing them from the program earlier this month. At UB, not only do we expect our student-athletes to excel on the field and in the classroom, but we also expect them to be outstanding citizens in our community."

Alan Arkin, the Oscar and Tony-winning actor, most famous for playing Edwin the grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine, has died.

Alan's sons confirmed the actor died Friday morning at his home, telling People, “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”

The legendary actor started as a stage performer, joining Chicago's Second City comedy troupe as an early member before making his Broadway debut in 1961 in "From the Second City" ... picking up a Tony 2 years later for his work in "Enter Laughing."

Alan's worked consistently through the decades -- most notably in films like "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance ... as well as other projects like "The In-Laws," "Argo," and "Little Miss Sunshine," for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

His lengthy list of credits also includes projects like "The Kominsky Method," "Inspector Clouseau," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Rocketeer," "Will & Grace," and "Glengarry Glen Ross."

TMZ broke the story, he suffered a stroke in 2015, although there was no major damage.

He was 89.

It was a rough day to be a Golden State Warrior on Thursday ... while Klay Thompson and Steph Curry were bad on the golf course, Draymond Green showed he's got ZERO skills when it comes to chugging beer!

The comically awful showing from the NBA stars all went down during the eighth iteration of The Match at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas ... when the Splash Brothers were trying to beat Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the annual charity golf event.

Thompson and Curry struggled mightily against the Kansas City Chiefs superstars ... losing the contest in just 10 holes.

But, perhaps the bigger story happened earlier in the evening ... when Kelce gave Green a booze-slugging contraption and 12 ounces of Coors Light.

The tight end tried his best to get Green to pour it out properly down his throat -- but check out the video ... Green was awful!!

The 33-year-old got more of it on his shirt than in his mouth -- and Kelce was cracking up over it all!!

To his credit, Green was a good sport about the snafu ... though he did try to blame Kelce's device for the mishap.

For Kelce's part, he showed he had absolutely no issues with the thing just a few minutes before Green's debacle ... slamming a Silver Bullet in less than four seconds.

The day -- despite the Warriors' worst efforts -- was still a good one nonetheless ... it showed Mahomes is truly good at everything, AND it raised a ton of cash for various charities.

Good work, guys!

"Vanderpump Rules" is already shooting Season 11, but the person who is the centerpiece of all the drama -- Raquel Leviss -- just began negotiating with Bravo this week, and there are complications in sealing the deal ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Bravo, production and Raquel's team began talking about a new contract just 3 days ago. We don't know the specifics of what was discussed, but it's standard operating procedure in the entertainment biz to make salary item #1.

Whatever terms they have already discussed, it appears none were deal-breakers, because the negotiations are continuing.

Now the problems.

Our sources say Bravo did not want to even begin negotiations while Raquel was getting treatment in the mental health facility she's called home for more than 2 months.

The reality -- if Bravo jumps the gun, makes a deal and brings her back too early, they could face legal peril if she backslides.

So, you ask ... why did they begin negotiating THIS week? The answer -- because our sources say, Raquel will leave the facility "soon." That gives production the green light to start the negotiations.

Now here's the practical problem ... the longer 'VPR' rolls cameras, the harder it's gonna be to integrate Raquel into the storylines. No one wants to pressure her to come back too early, but they want a show with lots of drama. A source connected to the show tells us ... production is ready when she is ready.

Stay tuned ...

Nike is gearing up to relaunch Kobe Bryant's line with the Swoosh, the sportswear giant's CEO announced to investors on Thursday ... and fans won't have to wait long, products are expected to drop before the end of August!

CEO John Donahue spoke on an earnings call this week, where he announced some seriously awesome news ... "It's going to be an exciting summer as we set the stage to relaunch the Kobe brand in advance of Kobe Day on 8.24," JD said.

Donahue, nor Nike, expounded further, so specifics surrounding Kobe's brand are still unclear.

A relaunch wasn't always a foregone conclusion. The longtime partnership between Nike and Kobe/KB's estate came to an end in April 2021 when a new contract could not be agreed upon.

Fast forward to March 2022 ... when Vanessa Bryant announced the estate reached a new deal with Nike, restoring one of the most successful partnerships in shoewear history.

At the time, Vanessa said of the new agreement ... "We're excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue! I am so proud that my husband's shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remains so desired by his fans around the world."

Bryant continued ... "With this new partnership, fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike products for years to come and with Nike donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna’s shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation."

Since the reunion, the releases from Nike have been sparse. There were Kobe 4 and 6's released on a limited basis, but there haven't been any major drops.

Kanye West seems to have found his happy place, roaming the streets of Tokyo with his wife by his side ... and allegedly checking out some adult toys in the process.

Ye and Bianca Censori were spotted in the Ginza shopping district Thursday, sans security, while they browsed the Don Quijote discount store. Ye, dressed in all black with his signature socks/shoes, did his best to cover his face from the public ... while Bianca went a little less traditional in what appears to be a leotard and heels.

An eyewitness tells us no one really seemed to pay attention to the two, mostly leaving them alone while they shopped.

Interestingly enough, our witness says at one point Ye and Bianca checked out an adult toy section ... though it was unclear if they purchased anything off the rack.

From there, Kanye and Bianca took off, hopping in an awaiting car and hitting the road.

Kanye's spent a ton of time in Japan over the years, but most recently it seems he's over there more than in the United States. It was just earlier this month when we saw him with North, and he and Bianca have attended a few events in the country as of late.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye and Bianca got hitched earlier this year in some sort of commitment ceremony. It's still unclear if there's any legal binding to their marriage, but they certainly move around the globe like the real deal.

Kevin Spacey was a 'sexual bully,' according to prosecutors in his sexual assault trial.

Spacey's trial began Wednesday in London, and prosecutors laid out their allegations, including one where a man claims he passed out while drinking and smoking with Spacey, only to wake up hours later with Spacey allegedly on his knees, performing oral sex on him.

They also say one of Spacey's drivers complained about him being very "touchy-feely" while sitting in the passenger seat.

The driver claimed Spacey got more inappropriate over time, touching his leg and rubbing his neck and eventually groping him "in an aggressive way."

The jury was also told Spacey allegedly manhandled a man backstage at the Haymarket Theater in the West End ... adding he was grabbed "with such force it was painful."

Spacey has denied committing any of the 12 sexual assaults with which he's charged involving 4 men.

Anheuser-Busch is defending itself against claims the company abandoned Dylan Mulvaney after the rollout of its transgender-influenced beer campaign crashed and burned.

AB issued a statement Thursday in response to Mulvaney, who claimed company executives failed to support her after she was dragged online by trolls in the aftermath of the ad blitz. She continued, "For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all."

A spokesperson for AB says the brand is "committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community."

The rep continued ... “The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”

However, the company still doesn't seem to address Mulvaney's claim ... that the brand never reached out to her when the hate got so vile it was beyond her comprehension.

As we reported, Mulvaney posted an ad campaign for the Bud Light on her Instagram page which included a custom can with her face on it. The whole thing sparked a host of controversy nationwide -- causing the brewing manufacturer to lose a whopping $20 billion-plus in market value after conservatives vowed to boycott the brand.

French Prez Emmanuel Macron got his groove on Thursday night in Paris, as rioters hit the streets protesting a police shooting that killed a 17-year-old.

Macron and his wife hit up Elton John's Farewell Tour in Paris, seeming at least on the surface unbothered by the explosion of violence in his country.

The riots were triggered by a confrontation Tuesday in the city of Nanterre, who French police fatally shot a driver in the chest ... after the 17-year-old tried to leave the scene.

Rioters hit the streets in several cities. So far more than 600 hundred people have been arrested for starting fires, looting and other crimes.

Macron has said the riots are just an excuse to commit crimes, calling it "an unacceptable exploitation of the adolescent's death."

Some rioters have compared the police shooting to the George Floyd murder.

Lamar Odom is worried for Bam Margera ... worried he's keeping bad company.

As we first reported ... Bam was detoxing in San Diego earlier this month with Lamar's help, but he left early, and given Bam's track record, Lamar is concerned.

Lamar clearly thinks Bam is hanging with the wrong crowd, saying, "Who you surround yourself with is critical. We are the company we keep."

Bam actually stayed with Lamar last weekend after leaving the detox center, but he bounced and Odom thinks that's more than problematic.

Lamar thinks there's a card his friends and family can play that could get Bam's attention ... namely his ability to see is son, Phoenix.

Remember, Bam threatened to smoke crack until he died if he couldn't see his kid, so that could be a pressure point that works.

Lamar says he's going to try and track Bam down and encourage him to go to rehab at the Odom Recovery Group.

Legendary musician John Fogerty has put his stunning Westlake Village home on the market -- but any fortunate son would have to cough up $20 million.

John's 18,600-square-foot home sits on 22 acres in the Hidden Valley gated community and has breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains and nearby Pacific Ocean.

He's put a $19,995,000 price tag on it, and it comes with some cool features -- not 1, but 2 recording studios, a home theater, and a wine wall.

There's also some great landscaping, a courtyard, and the obligatory pool.

The Creedence Clearwater Revival founder and lead singer bought the place a decade ago, spending just shy of $9M. We're told his wife Julie completely rebuilt, redesigned and reimagined it to become the stellar property it is today.

Roy Jones Jr. is one of the best boxers ever, but the legendary fighter is stepping back in the ring with an opponent like never before, massive bodybuilder and social media star NDO Champ!

54-year-old RJJ and 39-year-old NDO Champ -- who is 250 lbs. of solid muscle -- are fighting Friday night in the Metaverse (more on that later).

NDO Champ, government name Robert Wilmote, is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder who has over one million followers on Instagram ... and has gone viral a bunch of times. There's a good chance you've seen NDO's videos online.

Much different than Roy's typical opponents ... which he concedes.

"It's much different than I'm used to. It's kind of like Godzilla versus King Kong. You know, King Kong being the gorilla, that's what he kind of reminds me of with all the muscles and he's such a big dark figure," Jones Jr. said.

But, RJJ has a strategy to deal with his powerful foe ... "be smart enough not to run into the foolishness." The "foolishness" being a big power punch.

As for how he sees the fight going, Jones Jr. says he'll win ... it's just a matter of whether it's by knockout or not.

"Depends how good of a punch he can take. He can't take good punch then he goes to sleep. All depends on what happens. I don't know, I've never been in the ring with him. I've never seen him box. There's no film on him. That's what makes it so different."

Roy continued ... "You don't know what he's bringing. You don't know if he's gonna be a Mike Tyson puncher or a guy with a lot of muscle that can't punch at all."

Champ, as you may expect, sees things playing out a bit differently.

"Listen, we don't train to lose. We don't train to come in there and play. If that's the case, I'll go back doin' something else, you feel me. No disrespect, I salute the OG, but it's wartime."

NDO continued ... "I'm not coming in there to congratulate you on all our successes, nah, you shouldn't have gotten in this ring with this man. You shouldn't have gotten in the ring with me. I'm a born stone killer!"