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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are planning to say their vows soon -- like, potentially, July 4 weekend soon.

The engaged singers applied for their marriage license Tuesday in Oklahoma ... according to the Johnston County Court Clerk. The clock's now ticking for Blake and Gwen to walk down the aisle -- in Oklahoma folks have 10 days from the date they file for a marriage license to tie the knot.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Gwen and Blake are set to marry Saturday at Blake's Oklahoma ranch.

We're told the couple has an entire weekend of activities and celebrations planned, but they're staying a bit flexible due to the weather forecast. If mother nature cooperates, the ceremony will be held in an outdoor chapel on the ranch.

Our sources say Gwen, Blake and their kids are already in OK ... we're told they flew out from Los Angeles last Friday after Blake finished filming for "The Voice."

We're told the couple is sending their private plane from Oklahoma to L.A. Thursday to pick up Gwen's immediate family and whisk them to the heartland.

While the wedding is going down on a holiday weekend, sources say it will not be very big ... we're told only close friends and family will be on hand.

The L.A. Dodgers are planning to start Trevor Bauer as scheduled on Sunday ... this despite the star pitcher being accused of violently choking and punching a woman during two recent sexual encounters.

Team manager Dave Roberts just made the announcement Thursday ... explaining to reporters MLB has advised him and the Dodgers to play Bauer while a league investigation into the allegations moves forward.

"It's actually out of our hands," Roberts said. "Regardless of what direction the organization wanted to do, it's something that -- this is what has to happen. And so it's out of everyone's hands."

Roberts continued, "I'm in the position of following the lead of Major League Baseball."

"Their recommendation was for us to use our scheduled Sunday starter and to move forward and have him start that game Sunday."

It's a surprising take from MLB, Roberts and the Dodgers ... considering the allegations against Bauer are highly disturbing.

Bauer and his camp have strongly denied the allegations ... claiming the encounters were entirely consensual and that the pitcher's accuser actually enthusiastically encouraged the rough sex.

In fact, Bauer and his reps say the Dodger has text message proof that the woman was elated by being choked and had even asked Bauer to "gimme all the pain."

In court docs filed this week, a woman claims that during hookups with Bauer in California in April and May ... the 30-year-old Cy Young winner strangled her unconscious and had anal sex with her while she was out.

The woman also stated Bauer punched her in the head and face ... leaving her bloodied, scratched and black and blue.

Police say they are currently investigating it all.

Kevin Garnett just sold his massive Malibu property for $16 million bucks ... but the lucky buyer is gonna be shelling out even more dough -- 'cause the house isn't even finished!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the NBA Hall of Famer purchased the estate when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2003, but decided to start a massive renovation project in 2013.

But, KG never got around to finishing the huge project -- hey, he's a busy guy -- before listing the pad a few years ago for $19.9 million.

The place is HUGE -- the house is 11,000 square feet, has a gated entrance and sits on 7 acres right on top of the Pacific Ocean ... which means #views.

There was a bit of drama tied to the place -- as we previously reported, KG's neighbor sued him in 2014 over trees blocking his sight of the Pacific ... claiming Garnett refused to trim them down.

The neighbor also complained in the suit that KG didn't have the proper permits to add-on to the home ... but ultimately, the case was dismissed.

The Washington Football Team is getting hammered with a staggering, and record-setting, $10 MILLION fine after the NFL wrapped up its sexual misconduct investigation of the organization ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The punishment was determined and handed down Thursday after the league investigated claims that high-ranking figures within the team sexually harassed and verbally abused female employees repeatedly and rampantly over the last decade.

At least 15 women came forward with the allegations last year ... saying the NFL's team workplace was toxic and demeaning toward females.

In a bombshell 2020 Washington Post report, one of the women -- former marketing coordinator Emily Applegate -- said she was told to wear revealing clothes "so the men in the room have something to look at."

Another woman -- who wished to remain anonymous, according to the report -- alleged men in the team's football facility would stand at the base of a staircase near the entrance in order to stare up women's skirts.

The league's fine of the team is historic -- it's the largest The Shield has EVER slapped on a team or individual.

Worth noting, the WFT and its owner, Dan Snyder, just announced sweeping and progressive changes to the organization ... including naming Snyder's wife, Tanya, the new co-CEO. Other changes, some put in motion 18 months ago, include changing the cheerleading squad to a co-ed dance team and installing a more racially diverse front office.

Snyder, who was not personally fined by the league, says ... "I feel great remorse for the people who had difficult, even traumatic experiences while working here. I'm truly sorry for that."

"I can't turn back the clock, but I promise that nobody who works here will ever have that kind of experience again, at least not as long as Tanya and I are owners of this team."

The financial institution appointed by the judge to become co-conservator of Britney Spears' estate is bowing out before it even gets started ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Bessemer Trust has decided it does not want to get involved because it's become gun-shy over all the controversy surrounding the conservatorship.

As one source put it ... Bessemer feels the circumstances surrounding Britney's conservatorship have become a "hornet's nest" ... so it's bailing.

Our sources say Bessemer doesn't want to deal with Jamie Spears, but there's more. It has issues, we're told, with Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, along with all of the public outcry over her case ... especially after Britney's courtroom cry for help last week.

That means, at least for now, Britney's dad will remain sole conservator of her estate.

We broke the story ... the judge denied attorney Ingham's request to suspend Jamie from estate conservatorship duties back in November. However, the judge did approve Bessemer being made co-conservator along with Jamie, but it still hasn't taken effect yet because Ingham waited until a few days ago to file the necessary documents for that to happen.

It'll all be a moot point now ... because Bessemer's getting out.

Bill Cosby is huddling with his legal team Thursday, and a potential lawsuit against Montgomery County will be the hot topic on the table.

Sources close to Cosby tell TMZ ... the comedian and his wife, Camille, are angry he's been incarcerated for the last 3 years, and they're exploring his options for legal recourse, including potentially suing the county in Pennsylvania where he was tried.

We're told Cosby and his lawyers are looking into a possible lawsuit for abuse of process, and that's just one of several potential options they're discussing.

Legally speaking ... abuse of process refers to the improper use of a civil or criminal legal process for an unintended, malicious, or perverse reason. In other words, it means Cosby could argue the prosecutor deliberately misused the criminal justice process to prosecute him, despite the fact it meant breaking a promise to Cosby from the previous District Attorney.

As we reported, Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his conviction ... in part because it ruled he should have never been criminally prosecuted based on the agreement he made with former Montgomery County D.A. Bruce Castor.

"Jackass" is jumping the shark -- like, for real -- by joining Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" spectacle, and based on this first look ... we'd say someone's bitten off more than they can chew.

Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and a couple new jackasses are returning to TV later this month for the "Jackass Shark Week Special," and as you can see ... they are up to their same old antics.

Steve-O's said the guys "went all out" for the special, adding "there were consequences" for doing so, and based on our sneak peek, those consequences were pretty severe.

Check it out ... a new 'Jackass' member named "Poopies" appears to get attacked by a shark after a jump attempt. Someone's heard yelling for medical assistance and a tourniquet as the teaser ends.

Yikes.

Meghan McCain is leaving "The View," and the reason why is absolutely because of a series of nasty back-and-forths with her cohosts ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources tell TMZ ... Meghan felt it was too hard for her being the only conservative voice on the show and it had become too challenging, as she felt she was getting ganged up on every day.

We're told McCain will address her departure Thursday on the show. It's unclear exactly what reason she'll give the audience for her departure, but make no mistake ... it's about the politics. Remember, she gave birth to a daughter back in September, so it's possible she may also mention wanting to spend more time with her baby girl.

The news comes a little over a month after Meghan and Joy Behar's last major on-air blowup -- the one that prompted ABC News President Kim Godwin to step in and call a last-minute meeting demanding all of the 'View' cohosts chill with personal attacks.

Our sources at the time also said ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy ... which is what sparked the virtual meeting.

We were also told Godwin told the staff their personal attacks are coming off as toxic to the audience. The issue, we were told, weren't the debates ... but the attacks between the cohosts.

This is the latest shakeup in daytime talk shows. Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood.

Patrick Beverley wasn't the only one acting up after the Clippers got booted from the playoffs on Wednesday ... 'cause several L.A. fans got into an all-out brawl in the stands!!

The footage is wild -- at least 3 dudes decked out in Clippers gear appear to go after a tall man in a black shirt at Staples Center ... with one of the fans using what looks like a beer can during his attack.

Of course, there's a bit of violent history between both teams' backers -- as we previously reported, Suns and Clippers fans threw haymakers in Phoenix after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

And, even before that series, the "Suns In 4" guy went viral for getting into it with a pair of Denver Nuggets fans in the semifinals.

NBA writer Farbod Esnaashari posted footage of the newest brawl from Wednesday night ... claiming the guy in the black shirt is a Suns/Lakers fan.

The man in the black shirt impressively takes on multiple guys punching at him at once ... before being pushed down into the row below him.

Thankfully, it looks like no one was badly injured ... the guy in black is well enough to give the Clippers fans 2 BIG middle fingers while on the ground.

Howard University says it stands with survivors of sexual assault, but it's also standing by Phylicia Rashad following her controversial tweet about Bill Cosby ... which it acknowledges "lacked sensitivity."

As we reported, Rashad -- who was recently named Dean of Howard's College of Fine Arts -- responded to Cosby's stunning prison release Wednesday by saying, "FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!"

Her comment swiftly drew backlash and outrage, and although she followed up by saying she fully supports sexual assault survivors ... she did not apologize or back down from her support of Cosby.

Howard University seems to be okay with that, while also distancing itself from her comments. A University rep tells TMZ ... "Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies."

Howard U. says "Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority," adding ... "We will continue to advocate for survivors fully and support their right to be heard. Howard will stand with survivors and challenge systems that would deny them justice."

As for Rashad, the school says "her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault." That's it for admonishment ... at least so far.

Rachel Dolezal has no problem with Oli London's decision to identify as Korean after having surgeries to look Asian, but her bigger point is live and let live ... something that didn't happen to her.

We talked to Rachel about what Oli calls "coming out as transracial" ... asking her on "TMZ Live" how it landed for her when Oli said they felt trapped in a white man's body.

Check out her response -- it's a very interesting take from someone who's been through the wringer for making a very similar claim. Remember, Rachel is a white woman who infamously identifies as Black.

The long and short of her answer here is ... doesn't society have bigger fish to fry than someone -- whether it be her or Oli -- claiming to be transracial? Specifically, she says our time would be better served stamping out institutional racism.

Rachel also makes a distinction between cultural appropriation, and just being true to oneself. For her, the difference lies in one's intentions. You can see our full interview with Rachel on Thursday's "TMZ Live" (check local listings).

While she doesn't feel she's owed an apology, Rachel says she just wants to be treated with kindness and compassion, instead of being mocked and ridiculed for the choice she's made ... and, clearly, continues to make 6 years after her story blew up.

Interestingly enough ... Oli, who now goes by Jimin -- after the BTS singer they attempted to emulate through surgery -- has a bit of a different take on the Dolezal comparison.

The LAPD bomb squad's attempt to detonate illegal fireworks turned into a catastrophe when one of its trucks exploded ... injuring 17 people and obliterating a neighborhood.

According to the LAPD, its bomb squad officers were in the process of seizing over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks Wednesday night in South L.A. Cops say some of the fireworks were being stored in its bomb squad semitruck for precautionary reasons.

It's unclear why, but when the bomb squad detonated the fireworks inside the iron chamber of its semitruck, LAPD chief Michel Moore said there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle."

Moore added, "Clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should have not happened and we don't know why."

The blast was caught on video, and you can see it wreaked havoc. At least 17 were injured -- 10 officers and 7 civilians ... including 3 with serious, but not life threatening injuries. The blast also damaged several homes and displaced as many as 9 families.

Bill Cosby's surprising release from prison means he's free to live his life again, and -- according to one expert in the booking industry -- free to cash in on showing his face in public again.

TMZ spoke with a major player in the booking biz who tells us ... even though the market will be very limited for Cosby, he believes the disgraced comedian will eventually be able to bank $10-15k per public appearance -- and possibly up to $20k for speaking engagements.

Our booking source points to O.J. Simpson as a precedent, saying that despite what he was accused of and found liable for -- killing 2 people -- he still made cash for events afterward. Same will be true for Cosby, according to our source.

Of course, it's not likely to happen right away, but the feeling is there will be a certain demographic of people -- likely older fans who loved "The Cosby Show" -- who are either willing to forgive, or truly believed Cosby was innocent all along.

We're told these people, along with organizations sympathetic to the man once known as "America's Dad," might be willing to shell out dough to see and hear from him.

Not everyone's enthusiastic, though -- Darren Prince of Prince Marketing Group tells us there's no way he'd book someone like Cosby, for any reason. He tells us the guy is just off-limits ... he needs to take some serious steps toward retribution and rehabbing his image ... things he's refused to do, up to this point.

As we reported ... Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's high court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

The unveiling of a Princess Diana statue at Kensington Palace should be cause for a royal celebration, but instead, the tension leading up to the event between Prince William and Prince Harry caused it to be a much smaller, somber affair ... so claims a famous photographer.

If you hadn't heard ... Diana would have turned 60 today, and her 2 sons just unveiled a statue in her honor in the gardens of Diana's home ... the home where Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement.

The ceremony was originally planned as a large gathering, but the royal brothers recently decided to cut the guest list down to a handful of close relatives ... blaming the change on renewed COVID concerns.

But, Arthur Edwards, Royal Photographer for "The Sun," is calling BS -- he says the ongoing friction between the princes is the real reason for the scaled-down event.

Edwards says the garden area is quite large, so if they wanted to have a nice-sized crowd that could still socially distance ... they could have easily figured that out.

The photog points out that 40,000 people were packed into Wembley Stadium recently to watch England beat Germany in the Euro ... so he says it's sad so many people who were close to Diana -- including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Edwards himself -- can't attend the unveiling.

Elton John reportedly was also axed from the guest list ... but there are plans for a later tribute for Diana in September.

Britney Spears's lawyer asked the judge in her conservatorship case to boot her father Jamie Spears as the conservator of her estate, but a judge just shot that down and says Jamie stays -- at least for now.

Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, actually asked the court to suspend Jamie from conservatorship duties back in November and the judge denied the request back then. We're told Ingham wanted Jamie replaced by Bessemer Trust, which would have become the sole conservator of her estate, but the judge wasn't having it.

Ingham, for whatever reason, just let things sit for months -- he was supposed to file certain papers for Bessemer's new role to take effect. Finally -- just recently -- Ingham filed legal docs that Bessemer be made co-conservator. The judge just approved that, but also said Jamie will stay as co-conservator himself. The judge also reiterated that Ingham's request to suspend Jamie was denied.

It's important to note, the judge signed this order keeping Jamie in place AFTER Britney's testimony last week.

As you know, Britney wants Jamie out entirely, so it's pretty clear her lawyer will file another motion to remove Jamie.

By the way, everyone has been assuming Bessemer has been acting as co-conservator of Britney's estate for months, but turns out that's not the case. Actually, Bessemer still isn't a co-conservator -- certain documents must still be filed before the judge's order takes effect.

Bottom line ... Jamie has been and continues to be the sole conservator of Britney's estate.

Allen Weisselberg -- the chief financial officer for The Trump Organization -- has surrendered to authorities in NY to face criminal tax evasion charges.

Weisselberg turned himself in Thursday morning ... though we're told his team has not received a copy of the indictment so they're not sure about the charges.

The indictment will be unsealed in NY State Supreme Court later in the day when Weisselberg and lawyers for the org appear in court.

The charges stem from unpaid taxes on perks that include bonuses, cars and school tuition for Trump Organization execs. Weisselberg is the first top exec to be indicted in a long-running probe by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office and NY Attorney General. The Trump org will also be charged, though no members of the Trump family are expected to face charges.

Weisselberg's lawyer has made it clear up to this point ... he will not cooperate with prosecutors, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the end game here is not Weisselberg. The D.A. has set his sights on Donald Trump for years now, and it's pretty clear his end game is to get Trump's longtime accountant to flip on him

Weisselberg has worked for Trump since the 1980s and has a treasure trove of knowledge about the business ... something that could be problematic for the Trump family.