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Hidden within this cheeky photo is an actress who is best known for her role in a hit vampire film saga.

This scrambled star got her start in entertainment at a young age, starring in films such as "Catch That Kid" and "Panic Room". She later went on to make a name for herself in several films that were based on a series of best-selling romance novels.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tajae Sharpe is paying tribute to King Von with his newest cleats ... repping the late rapper with an incredible custom paint job.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old rising rap star was shot and killed last month outside an Atlanta nightclub ... a tragedy that shook sports stars from LeBron James to Montrezl Harrell, Stephen Jackson and more.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Sharpe wanted to pay homage to one of his favorite rappers  .. and hit up artist Joe Castro from California to bless him with a pair dedicated to Von.

Castro -- who's worked with huge names like Chase Young and DeSean Jackson -- got to work on the special project ... and delivered an awesome product.

Each cleat has an image of Von on each side ... and features phrases that honor the rapper's background -- from the famous Chicago "O Block," which he repped, and his nickname "Grandson," which is also the name of his first mixtape in 2019.

Castro tells us Sharpe picked the perfect portrait of King Von for the cleats ... and the whole project took him 6 hours to complete.

Sharpe just signed with the Chiefs this week ... and you gotta assume he'll be hoping to wear them on the field in Von's honor.

Christine Baranski's good looks are award-winning!

Here is a 43-year-old version of the talented actress, looking like a timeless star at the 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Pasadena (left). This was the year she won the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, for her role as Maryann on 'Cybill'.

And, 25 years later ... The now 68-year-old was seen showing off her glowing good looks at a screening in New York City earlier this year (right). She has gone on to star in a number of films and television shows ... but our fav is her role as the Grinch's crush Martha May Whovier in the 2000 must-watch holiday movie "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Who's that lady?

The question is ...

The Game and Blueface's manager, Wack 100, squared up against two white men and held his own ... this after they allegedly hurled an epithet, which Wack says sparked the brawl.

Sources tell TMZ ... Wack was at Primo Burgers in Lancaster, CA Saturday when he encountered a couple of guys whom we're told were burning rubber behind him.

We're told Wack asked them to stop, as he feared they'd lose control of the car. The response we're told he allegedly got from them in return -- "Mind your f****** business [epithet]." Our Wack sources say the men proceeded to get out of their vehicle, at which point Wack got out too ... ready to defend himself.

It's important to note ... the video does not contain any epithets. You see the two guys swing on Wack, who fends off their blows and strikes back ... actually connecting with one guy and making him fall back on his ass and bleed a bit.

The other guy tries to come at him with a little rooster step, and Wack prepares to trade fists with him too -- but it looks like the fight stops there as more people show up to see what all the commotion is about. They say they're gonna get his plates, and Wack encourages it.

We're told Wack ended up leaving without further incident. Wack himself tells TMZ ... "It's fine," so it sounds like the fellas let things be on the street, sans any police involvement.

Helen Keller -- the first deafblind person to get a college degree -- is being skewered by an activist who calls her yet another privileged white lady who gets the hero's story in America.

Anita Cameron -- a Black disability rights activist -- was quoted calling Keller "just another, despite disabilities, privileged white person" who gets all the shine when discussing famous disabled people in history, while failing to mention achievements by her Black counterparts.

Anita's quote was included in a recent TIME magazine piece analyzing the way Helen's life is taught in schools -- which often excludes pivotal chapters of her adult life ... in which she proved, in some folks' eyes, to be pretty progressive and "radical" for her day.

Of course, people sunk their teeth into the quote calling her privileged -- including several big shots from the right, courtesy of Donald Trump Jr., Mary Vought, Ted Cruz and more ... who say the idea of criticizing Keller for being white and achieving what she did is bonkers.

Sen. Cruz writes, "This is INSANE. Woke Lefties are now attacking Helen Keller?? As 'just another, despite disabilities, privileged white person'?? There are many adjectives one can use to describe the extraordinary Helen Keller. 'Privileged' is not one of them."

While the remark on its face might sound a little out there, Anita's point might be lost on some folks -- and perhaps even on TIME itself, as it went on to note critics of Keller's point out she flirted with the eugenics movement ... almost tying Anita's outrage to just that.

It sounds like Anita feels like part of the reason we know about Helen Keller -- and how she was able to succeed as much as she did to begin with -- might be in large part due to the fact she was white and wealthy, which went a long way back late 1800s and early 1900s. HK's family had deep ties in the South, and her dad was even a captain in the Confederate Army. And yes, they were chummy with the former slaveholding crowd.

Now, Keller is unique because she was first deafblind person to achieve incredible things -- but that, too, might also be because she was white. Take, for example, Geraldine Lawhorn, who was the first deafblind African American to get a college degree.

She was born in 1916, and was alive during Helen's own lifetime ... but wasn't able to get her degree until 1983 at age 67. Helen, by contrast, got it at age 24 in 1904. Another deafblind POC of note is Haben Girma, who was the first to graduate from Harvard Law School in 2010.

A passenger on a United jet with nearly 200 others onboard was pronounced dead shortly after the pilot made an emergency landing, and it's almost certain the man had COVID.

It's gotta be terrifying for the other passengers ... the man was on the plane shaking and sweating, as the jet was making its way from Orlando to L.A.

The situation became so dire the pilot made an emergency landing in New Orleans. Medics performed CPR on the man, to no avail. He died at a local hospital. One such person on the plane who was helping to administer CPR was Tony Aldapa, who gave us the blow-by-blow from his own POV -- as he was one of just three people rotating for chest compressions.

Check it out ... he tells us they were in the air trying to keep the man alive for nearly an hour before they touched down in NOLA -- where the guy was taken away by waiting paramedics.

Now here's the scary part .... a United spokesperson tells TMZ the passenger declared he was not diagnosed with COVID and had no COVID-related symptoms.

That apparently was not true ... the spokesperson says during the emergency the man's wife was overheard saying her husband did indeed have COVID-related symptoms, including loss of taste and smell.

The incident occurred last Monday, and the CDC is now scrambling to contact the 179 passengers who were onboard.

A teenager who died from COVID-19 this year passed in a much more graphic manner than initially thought ... because the walls of his hospital room were drenched in blood.

13-year-old Peyton Baumgarth's coronavirus death in late October was well-documented, but photos recently shared by his mother, Stephanie Franek, show just how gruesome his final moments were as doctors and hospital staff tried life-saving measures that ultimately failed.

The kid had been put on a ventilator after going to a St. Louis hospital. Sure enough, he'd contracted the virus ... but his condition went from bad to worse in just days -- leaving him in need of a therapy called ECMO to level out his plummeting oxygen levels.

For some reason, after the treatment, Peyton started to hemorrhage in his chest, at which point he started having terrible coughing episodes that required emergency surgery. As docs tried replacing the ECMO tubes in his neck, the blood that had pooled there began spraying everywhere as they attempted to resuscitate him and get him breathing.

Peyton ultimately died, and his mother captured photos of the aftermath -- which included blood spatter all over the walls and machinery around his bed.

Stephanie's story serves as a cautionary tale -- she says she never thought she'd lose her son, despite underlying conditions he had that put him more at risk for respiratory issues. Friends and family of Peyton's have started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

Tiger Woods' son, Charlie, truly is a chip off the old block ... 'cause the kid golfs just like his dad -- and by that, we mean he's leaving crowds absolutely stunned by his skill.

Tiger and Charlie are participating in the PNC Championship this weekend down at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando -- where pro golfers are teaming up with their kids for a showdown to see which father-son duo (or another familial duo) is actually the best.

While TW and CW are in 4th place as of right now ... you gotta like their chances after this amazing shot Charlie took on the 3rd hole Saturday, which landed his ball in an incredible position on the green and just a stroke away from sinking an eagle -- which he did.

Like father, like son is the appropriate analogy -- but Charlie might be even more impressive than dad ... 'cause the boy's only 11. Tiger was a child golf prodigy too, but didn't play in his first professional tourney until he was 16. So, Charlie's chugging along nicely.

As we said, Tiger and Charlie are by far the odds on favorites to win it all -- but they're actually trailing behind Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron, at the moment ... plus a few more. They've got time to catch up and surpass 'em, but it's moments like this that people come to see ... and, boy, are the Woods giving people a show (per usual).

Dr. Anthony Fauci has saved Xmas by making a secret sojourn to the North Pole ... armed with the COVID vaccine.

The good Doc was on CNN Saturday, fielding questions from worried kids who fear Santa has been sidelined by the virus. No Santa means no presents, right?

Well, Dr. Tony let the kiddies in on a little secret ... he slinked away from his desk over at the NIH and made the trek to the Pole, where he inoculated Santa himself.

Fauci got all scientific, saying he measured Santa's immunity level and he was good to go.

So Fauci had 2 saves in 2020. He promises to save us from COVID with various measures he's advocated and put in place, and he saved Christmas.

A Florida congresswoman's dog appears to be just as pissed as she is that the Senate and House can't seem to pass a stimulus package -- 'cause the pooch wouldn't shut up during a live interview over the hotly-debated issue.

Rep. Donna Shalala appeared Saturday morning on CNN, where anchor Fredricka Whitfield was asking her about the stalled stimulus bill that is once again facing a logjam in the Senate ... and risks not being approved at all if Dems and Republicans can't strike a deal.

The Florida Democrat was voicing her frustration over the fact her colleagues from the other side appear to once again be holding up negotiations ... when, all of a sudden, her pup started yapping like crazy off-camera -- forcing her to go grab it to keep it quiet.

Whitfield handled the interruption like a pro ... noting this is what happens on live TV, especially when we're in a pandemic and a lot of people are working from home.

Funny enough, Rep. Shalala's dog -- whom she rescued from a shelter back in the summer, and named it Fauci -- was NOT done barking and fussing. As the congresswoman held him in her lap, he fidgeted and yelped ... at a few different points, she actually had to try and hold his snout closed, but the dog wouldn't let up.

Apparently, an untold thousands of folks didn't get Dr. Fauci's memo about not traveling for Xmas ... or they're just ignoring it.

LAX was PACKED Friday night with many folks setting out to join friends and fam for a Christmas celebration.

Almost everyone is wearing a mask, but they are packed in like sardines for prolonged periods of time ... not ideal.

SoCal is in dire shape with ZERO ICU beds in L.A. and massive numbers of people testing COVID-positive. That's pretty much the case all over the country.

As we reported, a passenger on a United jet was almost certainly infected with the virus this week. With nearly 200 people onboard, the plane made an emergency landing where the sick passenger was taken to a hospital and died. He apparently lied before boarding, saying he had no COVID symptoms. His wife was overheard on the plane saying he did indeed have symptoms.

Marco Rubio did his part to show America the COVID vaccine is A-OK ... but how's the Senator from Florida so damn pale?!!

A self-deprecating Rubio said, "I know I looked away from the needle And yes, I know I need a tan But I am so confident that the #Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself."

Members of Congress are among the first in line for the vaccine, given that they need to stay healthy to run the country, even though as a group they have failed miserably for months in coming up with a relief package for struggling Americans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell have also gotten the vaccine, as did Vice President Pence.

Joe Biden will get the vaccine next week and he will do so on camera. The idea is to show the country the leaders who are advocating vaccinations are walking the walk.

Some Boston cops were excited about pepper-spraying people protesting police brutality ... unloading on them almost like warriors ... and it was apparent, some of them were nervous that body cams were recording their actions and their words.

The incident went down in June, in the wake of George Floyd's death. Protesters were in the Boston Commons area, where cops attempted to disperse the crowd.

You see and hear a cop armed with pepper spray saying, "I got a little left. I wanna hit this asshole."

Shortly thereafter, you see a demonstrator with hands up, but a cop levels the protester with a billy club to the chest.

You hear other cops say, "Start spraying the f*****rs." There was even talk among the cops of using vehicles as weapons.

At the beginning of the video, you hear one of the cops say "I'm f***ing hitting people with the car," and then a fellow cop whose body cam is recording the conversation, quickly and nervously walks away and then announces, "This thing is on." Then the story changes and the cop says "I didn't hit anybody."

The body cam video, which was just released, has triggered an internal affairs investigation.

The German Shepherd that survived an horrific incident of animal cruelty is getting a Christmas miracle ... the pooch will spend the holiday in a loving foster home in Florida.

The dog, which Volusia County Sheriff's officials appropriately named "Miracle," is being cared for by a foster care individual who kindly offered up their home ... according to Volusia County Animal Services director Adam Leath.

Miracle was in Animal Services custody after her owner, Allison Murphy, was arrested after police body cam video showed her throwing the dog off a second floor, motel balcony during an interaction with Sheriff's deputies ... but we're told Animal Services didn't want the pooch to live in a cage so they found her a temporary home.

As we reported ... Miracle amazingly didn't get injured in her fall -- thus her name -- and cops jumped to her rescue after she tried to run away.

Miracle got fully checked out at an animal hospital, where a vet only saw a few scrapes and bruises to her feet. She actually landed feet first. She was hospitalized overnight and is on pain meds.

Animal Services also tells us the exam turned up a sewing needle in Miracle's left rear thigh ... they don't know how the needle got there, and it's now part of the felony animal cruelty investigation against the owner.

While Miracle's got a new foster parent -- whom we're told will remain anonymous because of the ongoing criminal case -- whoever adopts Miracle will have to wait until the outcome of the criminal case against the owner.

We're told Animal Services will present evidence to a judge Dec. 28 to make certain Miracle is never returned to her owner.

"Verzuz" is pulling out all the stops for its 2020 finale, and when Too Short and E-40 hit the stage it'll look like a full-fledged arena concert ... proving how much of a cash cow the show's become.

The Bay Area icons will face off on a soundstage in NorCal that will reflect the nearly $500,000 budget for this single event ... according to sources involved in the production.

TMZ obtained a blueprint of the stage setup for 40 and Short, and you can tell Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Apple are thinking big.

We're told the MCs will be surrounded by concert-style lighting and some expensive props -- 2 classic old school cars will be on stage behind each of them. Makes sense, both Short and 40 have told us their battle will be an homage to the Bay's hip-hop scene.

Our sources say Apple -- which is now streaming all the "Verzuz" episodes -- realizes how much of a cultural phenomenon the show is, and they're spending like it.

In fact, Short and 40 almost squared off at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Campus, but due to COVID safety concerns, the show had to be moved.

Unlike Jeezy and Gucci Mane, the Oakland legends are longtime friends who come into the "Verzuz" beef-free. However, when they came on "TMZ Live," it was very clear they're both playing to win.

Tom Cruise certainly got a lot of attention this week -- attention he didn't want -- and get in line for those shots, people!!! So, we gotta ask ...