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Taylor Swift is looking more big picture-esqe these days -- and you can tell by the company she keeps ... in this case, chowing down with some of the biggest names in movies.

The pop star grabbed dinner in NYC Monday night -- hitting up an Italian joint in NoHo with 3 other incredibly famous women in the biz ... the film biz, specifically. Among the stars she was dining with ... Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz and "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig.

It's certainly a power crew of ladies -- but it's fascinating to see TayTay mingling with women who like to get in front of and behind the camera ... especially when it comes to Greta, who's got the biggest flick of the year. Them getting together kinda makes you wonder.

Fact is, "Barbie" has been all the rage for months now ... and there's been a lot of speculation about a sequel -- although nothing official has been announced just yet.

Gerwig has said she'd be open to it ... but the fact part 2 isn't greenlit at this point is shocking considering how much $$$ it's made. Assuming WB wants to proceed with another chapter -- and they almost certainly do -- ya gotta wonder how they'd outdo the OG.

One way to potentially do that would be to bring Taylor on board and have her star in the film -- that, and maybe even have her contribute to another soundtrack. Dua Lipa got to do that the first time around (acting/music for 'Barbie') and it turned out to be a huge hit.

Seeing how Taylor naturally feels very on-brand for Barbie as is ... a linking up like this definitely gets the wheels turning on a would-be collab. Plus, keep in mind -- Taylor is very much so dabbling in filmmaking these days ... both in an acting capacity and directing.

A Connecticut man tried to stop two carjackers from stealing his Aston Martin sports car ... but his heroics fell short and ended with him getting a video-recorded beatdown.

Check out this Ring camera footage, which captured the intense battle between the masked thieves and the courageous man in his garage at his Westport home on Sunday afternoon.

As you can see, the man is sitting behind the wheel of his luxury vehicle when the suspects brazenly walk in and confront him.

One perp throws open the driver's side door and orders him out, but he refuses and the two get into a tussle.

The other perp hurries over to help his buddy, but the man is able to briefly fend them off.

Turning more aggressive, the assailants yank the man out of his seat and toss him to the ground before jumping into the car.

As they're about to pull away, the man stands up and starts fighting with the driver while screaming out for someone to call the police.

That only makes the thieves angrier, and they begin pummeling the man as the video cuts off.

A rep for Westport PD said the suspects sped away in the car and are still at large.

Howie Dorough says he'd love to have the Backstreet Boys tour with *NSYNC -- but says Justin, JC and co. deserve their own spotlight first ... assuming they actually want that.

We got the BB member Monday at LAX, and asked about all the speculation over a possible prolonged reunion for the *NSYNC fellas ... possibly including a throwback tour, which fans really seem to want at this point.

Howie hits us with a pretty optimistic take, saying he'd be more than open to co-headlining with *NSYNC ... he'd actually welcome it, and he's sure the other Backstreet Boys would too.

While many might've assumed there's a rivalry between the 2 groups ... there isn't, according to HD. He says a lot of them are actually pretty good friends -- and it sounds like they might have even talked about this once or twice over the years.

Now that *NSYNC is putting out a new song -- for Justin Timberlake's latest 'Trolls' movie -- that would-be rekindling is at a fever pitch ... and Howie says that has to be respected.

In other words, if any *NSYNC/Backstreet Boys tour is in the stars -- and there's no guarantee it is -- he says the "Bye Bye Bye" guys should get a bite at the apple first, because there's major interest in them right now. Relevancy rules!

As we've reported .... JC and Lance Bass left the door open for a potential reunion tour, but nobody's saying it's definitely going to happen -- and until they do, everyone's probably better off cooling their jets instead of getting their hopes up.

Enjoy the new *NSYNC song ... and let's just take it one day at a time. BB stans, included.

Do you want to see *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys tour together? Vote below.

Fans of The Beatles could have some incredibly rare recordings in their collections ... if they have half a million to drop in an upcoming auction for the private tracks.

The big-ticket item is a collection of never-before-heard recordings from the iconic group, including band rehearsals at John Lennon's Kenwood home and even pieces of unreleased albums, all on 6 tapes. It's all expected to grab anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000.

The legendary tapes were obtained by a memorabilia collector named Phil from Charlotte, and he tells us he got the recordings 5 years ago from a man in India, who says he first secured them from Derek Taylor ... the group's former press officer who was often dubbed the "Fifth Beatle."

We're told Phil listened through all of it only once, so he wouldn't damage the tapes, but there are a ton of Beatles gems throughout -- including rehearsals for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which has things like animal sounds for "Good Morning Good Morning" and even John and Paul McCartney complaining about the heat.

That's not all, there are also recordings of George Harrison's unreleased album with The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, almost 2 hours of Yoko Ono's "Primal Scream Therapy" -- yeah, really -- and an unreleased collab album with Yoko and John.

There's also an extremely personal and revealing 45-minute interview where John questions Yoko's motives for being with him. It was recorded in 1969, the same year they got married.

Deion Sanders just received about the highest praise a coach could get ... courtesy of Shaq, who tells us Coach Prime reminds him of 11x NBA champion Phil Jackson during the epic rivalry game with Colorado State this weekend!

"When they were down 15, there was a camera that panned to Deion's face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson. And I've always said, if the general doesn't panic, the troops don't panic," O'Neal told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (full interview airs on Tuesday's show on FS1).

Of course, Sanders' squad was down double digits to Colorado State Saturday night ... when the Buffaloes stormed back late in the 4th quarter, ultimately winning 43-35 in double OT.

Deion's demeanor on the sideline brought back memories for Shaq.

"I know exactly what the [Colorado players] are going through because when you are standing in front of someone that has an impressive resume, and you're trying to get to the level he get to, everything you say is golden. I felt that way when Phil Jackson first came to the Lakers," the NBA legend explained.

"Before [Phil] got there, me and Kobe, we got swept all the time. But when he came there and stepped in the locker room and we saw he didn't panic, so it taught us not to panic. We know that this guy knows what he's talking about."

Coach Prime's team, which won a total of 1 game last season (1-11), is now 3-0 ... and they're ranked 19th in the country.

Given the job he's done so far, Shaq believes Sanders is the best coach in the sport.

"Deion right now is the best coach in college football. You heard it here first."

We also talked to O'Neal about The Event on October 7, Shaq's third annual fundraiser ... which has raised more than $6 MILLION for children in need in Atlanta and Las Vegas!

In addition to Diesel, The Event -- hosted by The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation -- will also feature performances by John Legend and Jennifer Hudson. Ray Romano will also be in the building for the Joel McHale-hosted event.

Tickets are now on sale!

Before this young athlete with his hat backward turned into a professional footballer, he was just a casual star of his football, basketball and baseball teams in Cold Spring, Minnesota ... before heading off to the University of Minnesota.

While his main bread and butter may have come from his athletic skills, he's also no stranger to makin' a buck in Hollywood ... he was on a reality TV show, which documented him and his wifey navigating marriage and careers. Today, he's a father of 3 kids (and another one on the way)!

Need one more clue? Talk to Jessie!

Colorado State defensive back Henry Blackburn is on the receiving end of death threats after laying a controversial hit on Travis Hunter during Saturday's game ... and now, university police tell TMZ Sports an investigation into the hateful messages is underway.

Blackburn received a ton of heat for his massive late hit on the Colorado receiver in the first half of the Rams vs. Buffaloes matchup... which left Hunter sidelined for weeks with a lacerated liver.

Some looked at Blackburn's tackle as targeting ... including LeBron James, who went on X to say, "That was blatant and uncalled for IMO!"

Shortly after the tackle went viral on social media, the safety and his family were singled out by furious fans ... and we're told cops are taking the interactions seriously.

"CSUPD is aware of death threats against CSU football player Henry Blackburn, and the investigation is ongoing," a university police spokesperson told us on Monday.

"The police department will continue to monitor the situation, and the university is actively supporting the player and his family."

CSUI athletic director Joe Parker told Pete Thamel of ESPN he's concerned for Blackburn ... saying Henry never meant to hurt Hunter or anyone on the field.

"It's not what we teach or coach," Parker said. "We hope that the irrational vitriol directed at Henry stops immediately."

Rep. Lauren Boebert says it's dunzo between her and the theater groping guy -- saying the one-time private moment came and went ... and it sounds like his politics might be at play.

The Colorado congresswoman touched down in D.C. Monday to get back to work -- and she chatted it up with a photog at the airport who asked all about her busy past few days outside of Capitol Hill. Of course, we're referring to her wild night out in Denver last week.

Check out what she has to say about it ... she's got some interesting soundbites here.

For starters, Boebert again takes accountability ... saying she regrets how everything played out, especially in public. She somewhat defends her fooling around as a little bit of "me time," and she was just cutting loose and enjoying herself on a romantic date.

Speaking of that date -- bar owner Quinn Gallagher -- it sounds like he might be out of luck for a second meetup ... at least based on what she says here. The reason she's cutting him loose ... he's a freaking Dem! Apparently, she didn't know that before going out with him. Nonetheless, she says he's a great guy.

What we can glean from her remarks ... this seems to have been a first date. If true, that's certainly fascinating -- especially considering how handsy they were with each other. Here's hoping he enjoyed it, 'cause RLB probably ain't calling him again ... nice as he was.

Golf superstar Phil Mickelson is addressing the rumors that have followed him for years ... coming clean about his gambling problem and opening up on his successful treatment.

Lefty dropped a statement on the matter Monday on social media ... saying while millions of fans will be enjoying their fantasy football season and betting in moderation, he will not -- and it's because his hobby turned into an obsession.

"I wont be betting this year because I crossed the line of moderation and into addiction which isn’t any fun at all," Mickelson said ... adding his financial losses due to his gambling weren't devastating, but the impact it had on his personal life was crushing.

"'You’re here but you’re not with us,' is something I’ve been told often throughout my addiction," Mickelson said. "It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand. It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening. When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it."

Mickelson said some people close to him throughout his addiction were enablers disguised as friends ... but there was one person in his corner who helped him through his darkest times -- his wife, Amy.

"I couldn’t have gotten through this without her," Mickelson added. "I’m so grateful for her strength in helping us get through the many challenges I’ve created for us. Because of her love, support, and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be."

Phil also revealed he sought professional help for years and is still recovering ... but is moving in the right direction every day without gambling.

Dillon Danis has finally been served ... after dodging and weaving a process server for over a week, the fighter/online troll was officially notified Nina Agdal was suing him, and TMZ Sports has video.

It all went down Monday morning outside the Jersey City (NJ) building where the 30-year-old fighter lives.

The process server was waiting for Dillon ... and when he approached with two buddies, the guy said "I have a document for you, Mr. Danis," as he attempted to hand a brown envelope to the fighter.

But, Dillon refused, responding ... "That's not me," as the men walked towards the doors to his building. The PS was told he couldn't go inside, so he placed the document on the floor.

Danis and process servers had been playing a game of cat and mouse for days, with Dillon even pretending he was in North Korea. He also posted images and surveillance video of unsuccessful servers who were waiting for him.

Of course, we broke the story earlier this month ... Agdal, whose fiancé Logan Paul is fighting Danis on October 14, filed a lawsuit and restraining order against Dillon, claiming he was incessantly bullying and trolling her online (250+ times).

In her suit, Agdal says she's suffered humiliation, emotional distress, and reputational harm ... and even claims Danis broke State and Federal law on one occasion when he allegedly gained access to a private video on her phone.

Now that Danis has been served, he'll have 21 days to answer the complaint, per New Jersey law.

Savage Garden lead singer Darren Hayes is ready to turn the page on his marriage -- after splitting up with his hubby, Richard Cullen, earlier this year ... he has now officially filed for divorce.

Hayes filed his dissolution docs Monday in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.

Darren and Richard have been together for a long time. They first got hitched way back in 2005, entered a civil partnership the year after ... and then got married again (here in the States) in 2013 to celebrate gay rights.

They have no children together, but presumably share a lot of other assets ... which will get divvied up as the divorce moves along.

Darren announced he and Richard were separating back in May, writing .... "After 17 years of marriage to the best person I have ever met, Richard and I have chosen to accept that our union has gently and beautifully come to rest. In honour of this realization, we separated earlier this year and have been supporting each other emotionally throughout this massive change in our lives."

He also addressed any speculation as to why they're going their separate ways, saying ... "Because people will ask, let me answer the ugly questions to get them out of the way forever - no, there's no scandal to report, no infidelity, guilty or third party."

Kroy Biermann is again begging a judge not to let his estranged wife Kim Zolciak slow down his attempt to sell their mansion -- insisting they need to sell the place ASAP ... so they can get separate pads to shield their kids from the trauma of their toxic relationship.

The former NFL star filed new court docs this week, obtained by TMZ, which push back on what he claims is Kim's recent attempt to delay a ruling over the matter of whether to quickly try to sell their massive Georgia home.

Like before, Kroy's reiterating the urgent need to unload this property -- citing their mounting debts and money woes ... but this time, KB says it a bit more plainly. He writes in his paperwork, "The parties to this action are financially destitute, largely related to [Kim]'s reckless spending habits and love for online gambling." Oof ...

Yes, that's Kroy pointing the finger right at Kim and attributing their problems to her. What's more -- he says the IRS actually has a lien on the home over unpaid taxes in the amount of $1.1 million. Kroy also cites a number of lawsuits from creditors who want their dough.

In the docs, Kroy says he and Kim really don't have much else left to their name ... and that the house is the last true asset of value that they can cash in on -- but, according to him, Kim's trying to delay the process and making it difficult to turn the page amid their divorce. And, he says their constant fighting is hurting their kids, saying the "toxicity enveloping the marital home is extremely detrimental to the mental and emotional well-being of the children."

Time's running out, as Kroy says foreclosure is looming -- and he wants to try and collect whatever equity they have left in the place to pay down the damage and get separate places. Kroy's basically on his hands and knees here asking for the court to say yes.

Rep. Lauren Boebert isn't holy anymore in the eyes of an organization focused on conservative youths -- 'cause she's been booted from their official speakers list.

The Colorado congresswoman was initially part of the guest lineup that was set to appear and speak later this month at the Texas Youth Summit just outside of Houston -- where people between the ages of 12 and 26 are invited to lean into their right-wing views.

Boebert was supposed to appear alongside Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Charlie Kirk and others. Now, however, it appears there's been a change of plans ... 'cause she's been scrubbed from all the marketing material that originally featured her -- pre-groping video going public.

There's been no official explanation from the org itself on why they nixed her -- but it seems pretty obvious after Boebert was found to be in a mutual fondling sesh last week.

What's also interesting is how they described when they first booked/publicized her gig with them. They said RLB was a "devout Christian who seeks to honor God in all that she does."

In light of everything that's come out since, though ... maybe not as godly as they thought.

Rep. Boebert has since apologized for the whole thing -- saying it was an error of judgment on her end, on pretty much all fronts. Congress hasn't formally reprimanded her just yet.

Cover your eyes, children!

J Balvin knows how to have a good time ... and he made sure his model GF was doin' the same for her birthday, which is why he threw her a luxurious surprise party!

The Colombian artist rented out a massive villa -- over 7,000 square feet -- on the Miami Beach waterfront for his boo, Valentina Ferrer's, 30th bday Sunday night ... with about 35 people showing up to celebrate, including her family.

We're told he flew her parents, siblings and other family members out from Argentina for the big day -- their 2-year-old son, Rio, was also in attendance but likely didn't party as hard as the rest of them.

The food was another highlight ... J Balvin hired a private chef from Colombia who put together a spread of Argentinian meats to enjoy. There was also a DJ bumping beats throughout the night  -- and no, JB unfortunately took the night off and didn't perform.

We're told Valentina had no idea about the party, so it was a well-kept secret ... especially getting her whole fam to show up!

FYI, it was a whirlwind weekend for the couple ... they were enjoying the NASCAR Cup Series in Tennessee Saturday where J launched his shoe collab with Nike Jordan before jetting over to Miami.

Ariana Grande is following in her boyfriend Ethan Slater's footsteps ... because she's also officially filed for divorce from her husband of 2 years, Dalton Gomez, and he's filed too.

Ariana's lawyer, Laura Wasser, filed first Monday ... citing the boilerplate "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for divorce.

Dalton immediately followed suit, filing his response in a clearly-coordinated effort. We're told everything was worked out before going to the courthouse. Sources say Ariana will cut Dalton a check, and that will be that.

BTW ... they had a prenup. The date of separation is February 20, 2023.

As for why it took so long between the date of separation and the divorce filings, a source with direct knowledge tells us the two took their time to iron out details and settle. Our source says there are no hard feelings ..."they’ve been really caring and respectful of one another every step of this process."

As we reported, Ariana began dating her "Wicked" costar, Ethan Slater, after splitting with Dalton while filming the flick overseas ... a bombshell that sent fans wild.

Since then, Ethan's filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay. The 2 were high school sweethearts and tied the knot in 2018. They also share a kid together, whom they welcomed last year.

Sources also told us Ethan "desperately" wants to co-parent their kid in the midst of their divorce ... and both of them have apparently agreed.

Neither Ariana or Dalton have commented publicly on their divorce.

Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid says Jann Wenner's comments about Black and female artists don't come as a total shock to him -- and he's calling on some white rock legends to speak out, but only if they keep it real.

Vernon joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," telling us why the Rolling Stone co-founder calling some iconic Black and female artists inarticulate was "staggering, but not surprising at all."

Keep in mind, Wenner was referring to people like Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Grace Slick.

If anything, Vernon's glad Wenner put, in his opinion, his true self out there for all to see.

Maybe the more shocking part is that Vernon says thoughts and feelings like Wenner's are not new to the music industry -- it's just rare for anyone to say it out loud.

TMZ broke the story ... Wenner was kicked out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Board of Directors after sharing his controversial thoughts in an interview with the NYT -- discussing his upcoming book, "The Masters," which highlights his interviews with 7 white, male artists.

In Vernon's opinion, folks in the book like Bruce Springsteen and Bono should speak out about Wenner's comments, on one condition -- that it comes from the heart, rather than issuing performative statements for PR purposes.