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There's a new "Verzuz" matchup on the horizon ... and it's pitting Xscape against SWV for a battle of female R&B groups.

We got Xscape's LaTocha Scott in New York City Wednesday and she told us the rumors and speculation are true ... she's heading into battle May 8 alongside Kandi Burruss, Tameka 'Tiny' Harris and her sister, Tamika Scott.

Mark your calendars!!!

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have managed to keep the epic matchup under wraps until now ... with recent flyers for upcoming "Verzuz" battles blurring out the opponents.

The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire are next up on Easter Sunday, followed by Redman and Method Man for a "How High" April 20 special, and then it's on to Xscape and SWV!!!

Kandi first teased a "Verzuz" with SWV way back in December, and fans have been clamoring for the matchup ever since ... and LaTocha tells us how it all came together.

Sounds like Xscape is already deep into their preparation ... LaTocha says the group's had tons of meetings to hammer out their battle playlist, so SWV better come correct!

There's still at least 5 "Verzuz" battles yet to be revealed ... and LaTocha tells us she's hoping for a showdown between Missy Elliott and Timbaland.

Miya Ponsetto now has a civil lawsuit on her hands -- this on top of the criminal charges she's already facing -- for her infamous "SoHo Karen" hotel confrontation.

Keyon Harrold and his family are suing Miya claiming she falsely accused his teenage son of stealing her phone, and then proceeded to pounce on the kid ... much of which was captured on cameras.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the Harrolds say what happened to their son was blatant racial profiling -- and they're now alleging assault/battery, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and other loss on behalf of their son ... whom they say was emotionally scarred by the incident and incurred medical expenses.

The family is also suing the Arlo Hotel -- where this nasty face-off went down -- claiming it failed to provide a safe environment for guests ... while also hiring crappy staff who the Harrolds say didn't do a good job in de-escalating when Miya went after their son.

You'll recall ... what appeared to be a hotel supervisor actually asked Keyon Jr. to hand over his phone for inspection when Miya started hurling the baseless accusations -- which his dad was flabbergasted about at the time the original video was posted.

As we reported ... the family detailed the aftermath following their scary run-in, telling us Keyon Jr. was left asking awful questions that his folks had to address ... like why he had been targeted.

Of course, Miya has since been arrested and criminally charged over this. Once her identity became known, we learned she'd been arrested for multiple other incidents in 2020.

We've reached out to Miya's attorney for comment ... so far, no word back.

The guy who says he found shrimp tails and other disturbing objects in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is going coast-to-coast to answer the burning question -- what the hell did he eat???

Jensen Karp, husband of "Boy Meets World" star Danielle Fishel, tells TMZ ... labs across the country are offering their services to figure out what exactly was in his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, including one here in Los Angeles and another in New Jersey.

Jensen tells us he struck out 3 times Tuesday in L.A. -- trying a diagnostics lab, a hospital and an emergency room to test the black objects from his box of CTC. However, he says a NJ-based company is stepping up to test the substance ... which he fears might be rat poop.

Sending it cross country will take a little more time, so Jensen's gonna have to wait longer than he hoped to solve the mystery. He's on edge because he says he ate one bowl before noticing the strange objects ... but so far, he says he's showing no ill effects.

Meanwhile, Jensen says folks at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are setting him up with a company pledging to pay for DNA testing on the alleged shrimp tails.

Remember, CTC's initial response on Twitter was that Jensen didn't find shrimp tails, but "an accumulation of the cinnamon sugar that sometimes can occur when ingredients aren't thoroughly blended."

We're told the DNA tests will not only tell if it is indeed shrimp but where the shrimp is from specifically. Millions of CTC lovers are on the edge of their seats, just like Jensen is.

Demi Lovato says she should have died weeks before her near-fatal overdose, because she was using a frightening list of hard drugs when she relapsed in 2018.

Demi reveals the night she ended 6 years of sobriety, she began experimenting with drugs she'd never tried before ... including meth, and she mixed it with molly, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and oxycontin. That's all in one night.

She says, "That alone should have killed me." But it didn't, and Demi says weeks later she was introduced to heroin when her dealer didn't have her usual "Coke and Xanax" cocktail for her.

Eventually, Demi says she was "physically dependent" on the drugs, while also abusing alcohol and hiding it all from the people around her.

It all led to her OD on July 24, 2018, which as we've reported ... left her 5-10 minutes from death.

Demi says she was smoking heroin that night, not injecting it, which added to her surprise when she woke up in the hospital. However, she admits she had used needles in the past too ... just not that night.

As you know ... heroin and fentanyl-laced painkillers likely caused Demi's OD, and in her new docuseries, "Dancing with the Devil," she and her family detail how a team of doctor's saved her life.

In fact, her stepdad says if not for Demi being placed on a dialysis machine ... she likely wouldn't be here today.

Prince fans will soon have a chance to pay their respects to him, in person, when Paisley Park opens its doors to the public and displays his ashes in the museum's atrium.

Paisley Park officials announced it'll allow 1,400 people -- through reservations at paisleypark.com -- inside the Minnesota compound for a 30-minute visit to the atrium on April 21 ... which will be the 5th anniversary of Prince's sudden death.

The museum will offer 70 time slots ... and 20 people per slot will be allowed inside. But, the visit to the museum will be limited to the atrium because no regular tours will be offered on that day.

The best part about this to those lucky enough to get a reservation ... admission is free. There will also be an online memorial for those who can't get a reservation.

Paying their respects is long overdue for some fans -- a custom-made ceramic urn shaped like Paisley Park with Prince's symbol on it had been displayed a few months after his death, but it was ultimately removed from public view.

Vanessa Bryant and her daughter, Natalia, spent their Tuesday night getting new tattoos to honor Kobe and Gianna ... with the help of one of the best ink artists in the biz.

It appears Nikko Hurtado made a house call for his VIP clients -- and hooked the Bryants up with some pretty cool body art.

Vanessa -- who already has several pieces from Nikko -- added the word "Mambacita" to her forearm ... a tribute to Gianna, who earned the nickname through her obvious basketball talents that reminded people of her dad!

18-year-old Natalia -- who just recently signed a deal with IMG Models -- got two tattoos during the session.

The first, located on her finger, says the word, "Muse" -- which happens to be the name of Kobe's documentary he released back in 2015.

She also got another tattoo on her wrist -- but it's hard to tell the design.

But, with Hurtado working the needle, there's no doubt it's quality work.

Miami Beach cops have 2 men in custody for allegedly drugging and raping a young woman who'd traveled there alone for spring break ... and cops say she was left for dead in her hotel.

24-year-old Christine Englehardt's body was found in her hotel room late last week after allegedly being carried up in a disoriented state by Dorian Taylor and Evoire Collier ... whom police say sexually assaulted her after drugging her.

Reports say police looked at surveillance footage, which allegedly shows the party of 3 walking into the hotel lobby at around 1 AM Thursday, with the 2 men holding Christine up by her neck as she staggered along. Cops say Collier and Taylor then left about an hour later, with some of Christine's property ... including credit cards, cash and her phone.

Collier and Taylor were eventually tracked down, arrested and booked on a number of charges -- including burglary with battery, sexual battery, petty theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. They have not been charged for her death.

President Biden's four-legged friends are back at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after completing training for a biting incident with White House staff.

News broke Tuesday that the German Shepherds, Major and Champ, finished up training in Delaware and were reunited with their owners. As we reported, BOTH dogs were sent packing after Major bit a Biden staffer.

President Biden recently revealed the incident with Major was just an example of the pooch being protective, and the bite didn't break the skin ... yet it was still enough for the extra training.

We had one of the dog's former trainers on "TMZ Live" who told us a move to The White House translates to a lot of sudden changes for the pups, including a totally new environment. Apparently, both Major and Champ are quick learners, because the new training lasted only two weeks.

Alex Trebek's name will grace a new complex that's dedicated to putting a dent in an issue that was near and dear to him ... L.A.'s homeless crisis.

The folks over at Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission will honor the late "Jeopardy!" host by naming a brand new homeless shelter The Trebek Center. Alex and his wife Jean's $500k donation is the lead gift in Hope of the Valley's construction project, which is about to convert what used to be a 23,000 sq. ft San Fernando Valley roller rink.

The Trebek Center will break ground on May 15, and when the renovation is complete ... a 107-bed housing facility will serve as what's called "bridge housing" -- a bridge between the streets and permanent housing.

Hope of the Valley says the Trebeks' $500k was the cornerstone that helped them raise $2 million more from private donors like Beach Body and Shepherd Church. Plus, L.A. City Councilman John Lee spearheaded efforts to get another $6 mil from the city.

When it opens this December, Trebek Center residents will have access to a full array of onsite social services ... including mental health services, job training and placement and substance abuse counseling.

As we'd reported, Alex and Jean originally made the $500k donation for a facility dubbed Hope Center. That project still needs more funding, so Hope of the Valley got the Trebeks' permission, before Alex passed away, to redirect the half mil to the new shelter bearing his name.

Speaking of previous donations ... the Trebeks had also donated $100k to Hope of the Valley Rescue to build a bridge shelter in North Hollywood, which Alex and his family visited while it was under construction in June.

TMZ Sports has obtained new footage showing the desperate scramble to neutralize the gunman who fired shots into the air at an MMA event in Florida ... and it's scary stuff.

You can see in the video, people at the Bamboo Room on March 20 were scared and confused after an unidentified man in a red shirt pulled out a handgun and fired into the air in what appears to be an attempt to restore order when a massive brawl broke out in the crowd.

The video -- captured by Florida City Entertainment -- shows multiple people tried to confront the gunman ... but nobody wanted to get too close because the guy was waving around a loaded weapon like it was a loaf of bread.

Eventually, multiple armed security personnel drew their own weapons and confronted the man in a corridor near an exit.

But, before additional law enforcement officers could respond to the scene ... the man was kicked out of the venue and hasn't been heard from since.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports it's still actively investigating the incident ... and released photos of the gunman in the hopes someone will step forward and identify him.

As we previously reported, multiple people were injured in a massive brawl that broke out at the RIZE Fighting Championship event in a chaotic scene that included people throwing punches and chairs.

Before this cute cowgirl was showing off her superpower acting chops, she was just another sweet smiling girl growing up in Sacramento, California.

This blonde beauty has been on the big screen for almost two decades ... making her debut in a Disney Channel original movie about racing when she was just 13 years old. Her rise to fame only kept growing with her versatile roles in comedy, action, and even drama -- a talented performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Now, this marvelous star is fighting villains in the Avengers universe.

Now we know why the FBI was so hot on NBA Youngboy's trail in Los Angeles -- it's all over an arrest that went down 6 months ago in Louisiana ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... FBI agents and LAPD busted Youngboy Monday after a brief, but dramatic pursuit ended with cops sending K-9 units to track down the rapper. According to the federal indictment, the feds had unfinished business with Youngboy ... stemming from a drug bust back in September.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors take issue with 2 guns Youngboy allegedly had on him when cops arrested him in Baton Rouge for drugs. The feds claim he had a .45 pistol and a 9mm handgun -- both are major no-nos for him because he has a previous felony on his record, for an aggravated assault.

In addition, the feds say the 9mm was not registered to NBA Youngboy. According to the docs, the weapons in question can all be seized immediately, as well as any others in his possession. Cops provided a dramatic photo (below) of all of the weapons taken during the September bust.

The rapper's been charged with one count of illegal possession of firearms by a felon, and possession of an unregistered weapon. At the time of the September arrest, local law enforcement only hit him with drug charges, and his attorney denied any of the guns found belonged to NBA Youngboy.

George Segal, famous for starring roles in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Look Who's Talking" and most recently, "The Goldbergs," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The veteran actor died Tuesday morning following complications from bypass surgery ... according to his wife, Sonia Segal.

George's breakout role was playing Nick in the 1966 classic, 'Virginia Woolf' and his standout performance alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Segal has a ton of other notable movie credits in the '60s and '70s, including ... "Ship of Fools," "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," "Where's Poppa," "The Hot Rock," "Blume in Love," "A Touch of Class" and "California Split."

In the '80s and '90s, he played Albert, the biological dad of Kirstie Alley's talking baby in the "Look Who's Talking" flicks.

George also starred on TV hits "Just Shoot Me!" and Pops Solomon on "The Goldbergs."

Tributes are already pouring in across Hollywood, with 'Goldbergs' creator Adam Goldberg remembering George as "a kid at heart with a magical spark."

In addition to a long acting career, George also played the banjo ... releasing 3 albums and performing in movies and on TV.

George tied the knot with Sonia back in 1996 for his third marriage. He was previously married to Linda Rogoff and had 2 kids with his other ex-wife, Marion Sobel.

He was 87.

Justin Bieber is back in L.A. after a break in the islands, and one of his first orders of business is telling prisoners about the big man upstairs ... TMZ has learned.

The singer's RV was spotted Tuesday pulling into the California State Prison of L.A. County -- which prompted the question ... what the heck is he doing there, especially on the heels of his Turks and Caicos weekend getaway with the missus???

The answer, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is quite simple -- the Biebs was there to spread the good word.

A rep for the CDCR tells TMZ ... the warden of the state prison signed off on a brief visit for him and his pastor to support faith-based programs. Unclear what JB exactly did -- singing or speaking the gospel -- but we're told COVID protocols were followed to a T, and it all went smoothly.

If Justin was aiming for anonymity ... he definitely chose the wrong ride. That RV of his was a dead giveaway, as he and Hailey have been seen cruising all over the Western U.S. in it.

The family of the Asian grandmother senselessly attacked in San Francisco aren't keeping a penny of the nearly $1 million they've raised online -- a move made at the behest of the victim herself.

Xiao Zhen Xie was one of two older women 39-year-old Steven Jenkins allegedly bum-rushed last week along Market Street. Cops arrested Jenkins on the scene, but not before he got his ass handed to him by Xie ... who reportedly fought back with a piece of wood.

As you can see, Xie was left with black eyes, a swollen face and severe trauma ... according to her family. Thankfully, her grandson, John Chen, says she's doing better now ... but in the immediate aftermath, the family started a GoFundMe that has since raised upwards of $907k, from more than 30,000 donors.

The GFM's stated intent was money for medical expenses, but Chen just announced they're not holding on to any of the cash -- instead, they're pouring it back into the AAPI community. He says Grandma Xie ordered it so.

Chen explained his grandmother insisted they use the money to help combat the racism and hate Asian-Americans are experiencing right now. He says she told him the issue was bigger than her, and she wanted the money to help others.

LaMelo Ball is officially on the mend after undergoing surgery to fix his fractured right wrist on Tuesday ... with the Charlotte Hornets rookie stepping out in NYC with his arm in a sling hours after going under the knife.

The youngest Ball brother flew to the Big Apple to have the procedure performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery ... which will keep him sidelined for at least the next month.

19-year-old Ball was spotted leaving his hotel in NYC Tuesday afternoon in his Puma shirt and shoes ... as well as a pair of $1,100 Chrome Hearts sweatpants.

Of course, Melo went down with the injury on Saturday against the L.A. Clippers ... and the team initially feared he would miss the remainder of the season.

But, there's now hope the Rookie of the Year frontrunner could still return in 2021 ... depending on how quickly he heals up ... and if the Hornets can reach the playoffs (they're currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference).

Ball tweeted shortly after the surgery saying, "extremely blessed" ... which is great news all around.