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Nicki Minaj is hooking up the mall cop who let one of her fans rap in a Zara, and it sounds like his 15 minutes of fame comes with an added bonus ... some social media clout with the Barbz!!!

We got the security guard, Michael, out Monday in NYC after he'd gone viral for letting one of Nicki's barbz, Zha Chanel, perform a cover of the new track, "Whole Lotta Money" ... on which Minaj features.

Michael was actually with Zha when he told us what went down when Nicki let her followers know she was looking for him to give him a gift for looking the other way during Zha's impromptu gig.

Sounds like Zha -- along with Michael's store manager -- went out of their way to get him connected to Nicki, and he says he couldn't believe it.

After Nicki got proof it was really him, she told Michael she was going to like one of his Instagram pics to get the likes rolling in ... and he says his phone's been blowing up ever since.

Even better -- she also tagged him in one of her IG stories ... so now his follower count's skyrocketing too!

Michael says he's enjoying the ride, and he's not sure if he's going to get in any trouble for letting Zha do her thing, but he doesn't care if he does -- he's just happy to support Black artists, and get some positive vibes in return.

Paralympic star Olivia Breen is firing back at a female official for calling her sprint shorts "inappropriate" ... saying women should not have to feel self-conscious about what they wear during competition.

The 24-year-old 2-time world champion claims the comment came after the long jump events at the English Championships in Bedford on Sunday ... an interaction that left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I am always very grateful to the incredible volunteers who officiate at athletics events," Breen said on Twitter. "They do an amazing job and make it possible for us to compete."

"However, tonight I feel quite disappointed because just as I finished my long jump competition at the English Championships, one of the female officials felt it necessary to inform me that my sprint briefs were too short and inappropriate."

"I was left speechless."

Breen explained her shorts are made by Adidas and specifically designed for competition ... which she has worn for many years.

In fact, Breen -- who has cerebral palsy -- says she intends to wear the same shorts when competing for Britain at the Tokyo Paralympics in August.

"It made me question whether a male competitor would be similarly criticized," she added. "I hope no other female athletes had similar issues."

Breen notes she's all on board with having rules and regulations for what people wear during events, but says "women should not be made to feel self-conscious about what they are wearing when competing but should feel comfortable and at ease."

Breen told CNN that England Athletics has been supportive and in communication with her following the incident ... and she plans to file a complaint.

Ron Bultongez -- a former 'American Idol' contestant who made it pretty far during his 2018 season -- is facing multiple counts of sex with a minor in his home state.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the singer and one-time 'Idol' sensation was arrested in Grapevine, TX when he turned himself in on July 15.

We're still gathering details of the allegations, but according to the Tarrant County D.A.'s charging documents, Bultongez is charged with 4 counts of sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 17 on 4 occasions.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say the alleged incidents occurred between December 2020 and February 2021.

Bultongez was released from custody a couple days after his arrest ... once he posted a $50,000 bond. We're told he has not made his initial court appearance yet to face the charges.

While Britney Spears is confidently taking on family members and haters, her BF's week is off to a rough start ... after getting into an accident near the singer's house.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Sam Asghari had what amounts to a fender bender Monday with a woman driving a Saturn about 10 minutes away from Britney's home in Thousand Oaks, CA.

It's unclear what exactly led to the crash, but we're told Sam's Jeep struck the other driver's car, there were no injuries and nobody was cited. You can see in the video we obtained police talking to Sam about it.

The driver of the Saturn appeared to be sitting in her backseat while cops spoke to Sam ... who drives a Jeep Rubicon.

The crash comes after Britney's weekend of blasting haters who criticized her for posting her home dance videos. She basically told 'em, love it or leave it -- "I'm not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think!!!!"

She also took aim at her sister, Jamie Lynn, for having performed a medley of Britney tunes during a 2017 award show.

That newly public family battle comes as Brit and her new attorney, Mathew Rosengart, continue her battle to remove her father as a conservator.

TMZ Sports has obtained the crash report from Richard Sherman's car accident last week ... and it looks like the NFL star just barely avoided a head-on collision with a barrier.

In the docs, police produced a diagram of how they say Sherman wrecked his 2014 Mercedes on a highway in Washington at around 1:24 AM on July 14 ... and it appears to be more evidence the 33-year-old is fortunate to be alive today.

According to cops, it appears Sherman didn't see a right turn coming, and instead of navigating around the bend -- he crashed the left side of his car into a barrier.

The picture shows just how close Sherman was to a head-on collision ... which could have been potentially life-threatening, given that officials have accused Sherman of driving drunk at the time of the wreck.

In the docs, cops say Sherman -- despite the collision -- continued to drive into a parking lot before he ditched the ride due to the severe damage to the car.

As we previously reported, law enforcement says Sherman then eventually made his way to his in-laws' home in Redmond, Wash. ... where they say he attempted to break in his wife's parents' front door.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene ... Sherman fought them, and claim the football player was so aggressive, they needed K9 help to take him down.

Sherman was arrested and eventually charged with five misdemeanors over the incident -- including driving while under the influence and reckless endangerment of roadway workers.

Dua Lipa's vacation rental in Mexico City pays homage to an Aztec serpent god, which explains why it has such a ... unique design.

The pop star posted up in the capital city inside an Airbnb that's been officially dubbed Quetzalcoatl's Nest ... named after the mythical culture hero, Quetzalcoatl. The name translates to "feathered serpent" or "plumed serpent."

The rental -- which is just outside the city in a wooded area -- is a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home that features a snake-shaped structure and twisting, cave-like walkways. Perfect for the budding herpetologist in you.

The place sleeps as many as 10 but make sure you bring friends who are in search of serenity because this place offers peace and quiet thanks to a park with botanical gardens, a cave of minerals and lakes as well.

There are quirky sitting areas to enjoy inside but the jaw-dropping views are better enjoyed outside ... thanks to sprawling green space. And, Dua did exactly that ... while rocking her abs and orange sunglasses with some friends.

Normies can book the incredibly affordable space for just $359 per night, assuming it isn't completely booked.

Jennifer Lopez is taking a very hands-on approach to finding her new home, 'cause it's not every day you see J Lo scaling ladders on construction sites.

Jennifer and her crew hit up an under-construction home Saturday in Bel Air -- this pad is actually a stone's throw away from her current home. It's unclear if the unfinished product's a project she'll take over to add the finishing touches, but she seemed very interested in the property.

You can see she's climbing ladders and talking to folks onsite -- including developer, Ardie Tavangarian, of the ARYA Group -- and looking perfectly comfortable in the dusty element ... all while looking like she just stepped out of a photo shoot for a fitness mag. Talk about nailing it.

As you know by now ... J Lo and her BF Ben Affleck have been all over town looking for potential residential landing spots for her. He tagged along last week as she checked out a stunning $65 million estate in L.A.'s upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood.

The pad was a whopping 31,000-square-foot palace with 8 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. It even has its own bowling alley.

Not long after that visit ... Bennifer was at it again in an upscale Santa Monica neighborhood and not too far from Ben's Pacific Palisades digs. Only this time, Jennifer's kiddos, Emme and Max, got to offer their input.

Keyshia Cole's biological mother, Frankie Lons, has died, passing away on her birthday after a several-decades-long struggle with addiction ... TMZ has learned.

The R&B singer's brother, Sam, tells us ... Frankie overdosed at her Oakland home Sunday ... the same day she was celebrating her born day, when she apparently took drugs while partying -- relapsing on what we're told was a long, hard-fought journey to sobriety.

Sam says he was checking in with Frankie daily, trying to help her stay clean ... a well-documented battle that Keyshia and co. had captured and shared publicly in recent years ... via television, social media and other channels.

Sam also says the family wants the world to remember Frankie as someone who loved her kids, and who wanted her children to be together ... despite their turbulent history.

Keyshia was given up by Frankie and her biological father, Virgil Hunter, for adoption at a very young age -- she ended up being raised by family friends ... and reunited with her birth parents later in life as an adult -- after she'd hit it big on the music scene.

Their family dynamic is one Keyshia actually filmed for reality TV on BET -- featuring a few different shows -- with the main series being "Keyshia Cole My New Life" ... on which Frankie cameoed often, and where the mother and daughter duo shared many heart-to-hearts.

Keyshia was also quite vocal on her mother's addiction struggles ... keeping tabs on her checking into rehab and encouraging her to stay on the straight and narrow -- posting photos and videos of her mom before her time at a facility and cheering on her success.

As of March of last year, Frankie hit a huge benchmark ... staying 60 days sober, something her daughter was proud to share with her IG fans and followers. She has yet to comment on her mother's death.

Frankie had just turned 61.

Kim Kardashian West could be signaling a new identity for KKW Beauty ... because it looks like she's getting ready to launch a new beauty line with a new name.

Kim’s company filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to “SKKN” — which looks like a new beauty line she presumably plans to launch. The "KK" in the middle is likely a reference to Kim's initials.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, KK wants to slap the name on products for hair care, makeup, skin care, nails and other products in the beauty world. We're told the trademark wasn't just filed in the US, but globally as well.

What's more -- we've learned SKKN.com and @SKKN social media handles were all locked down by Kim's team in December 2020 -- so clearly, the project has been in the works for a long time.

As we reported ... Kim recently announced her KKW Beauty brand would be getting a major facelift, and the "SKKN" trademark appears to be the brand's next step. There was speculation Kim was dropping the KKW name to distance herself from Kanye West, but we're told she's not changing her legal name ... and Kanye actually assisted with the rebranding and the new packaging that'll come with it.

As we first told you back in April, Kim filed docs to lock up the rights to "SKKN BY KIM" ... so this latest filing makes it look like Kim and her team want to trim the branding down to just “SKKN."

Kim's shapewear line SKIMS has been incredibly successful, without having to include her full name in the branding, so the transition to SKKN makes a lot of sense.

Just when you thought things couldn't get much worse for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Keigo Oyamada -- one of the composers for the opening ceremony -- has pulled out ... following claims he bullied a disabled classmate.

Even worse -- he made the claims himself ... in interviews back in the 1990s.

It's truly disturbing, but Oyamada -- now 52 years old -- once bragged to local news media that he forced a disabled boy to masturbate in front of others and eat his own feces.

The interviews were conducted when he was not yet famous, but they resurfaced recently when it was announced he would be involved in the opening ceremony.

Oyamada -- who writes under the name "Cornelius" and is popular in Japan for creating the Shibuya-kei beat -- has apologized for his "very immature" behavior ... and is backing out of the gig.

As you know ... the Summer Games have faced many challenges -- mostly related to the COVID-19 pandemic -- including star athletes being forced to miss them for one reason or another, ongoing protests, and even scrutiny about its beds.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly aren't just about PDA and hitting big celeb events together ... they've got that modern family look down too.

Megan and MGK took her 3 kids -- Noah, Bodhi and Journey -- on a trip to the Color Me Mine paint studio Saturday in L.A., and the youngest looked like he took some paint home with him.

The whole crew was wearing masks -- per the renewed COVID mandate in Los Angeles -- and even though MGK looked distracted on his phone ... the fact he's hanging with Megan's kids is a telling sign that things are cool(er) with her ex.

As you know ... she filed for divorce from Brian Austin Green in November, several months after they split and she began hooking up with MGK. Megan and the rocker met on the set of "Midnight in the Switchgrass."

BAG seemed pretty hurt by the chain of events at first, but he moved on pretty quickly himself. In fact, he had a public L.A. outing with his kids along with his new GF, Sharna Burgess, back in late May.

Luke Prokop -- a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft -- just announced he's gay ... saying in a statement Monday, "I am no longer scared to hide who I am."

The 19-year-old Nashville Predators prospect continued, "It has been quite the journey to get to this point in my life, but I could not be happier with my decision to come out."

Prokop -- a 6-foot-4, 217-pound defenseman who currently plays in the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen -- said he's hopeful coming forward with his truth will help him ultimately reach his goal of making an NHL roster.

"From a young age I have dreamed of being an NHL player," Prokop said, "and I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams."

If Prokop does make it to the NHL show ... he would become the first-ever openly gay player in the league.

"I hope that in sharing who I am I can help other people see that gay people are welcome in the hockey community, as we work to make sure that hockey truly is for everyone," Prokop said.

Both the Predators and the NHL have already released statements in support of Prokop ... with commissioner Gary Bettman saying Monday, "We pledged to do everything possible to ensure that Luke's experience is a welcoming and affirmative one and continue to work to ensure that any current or future NHL player contemplating following in his trailblazing footsteps knows our League is ready to provide full support."

The hockey player's announcement comes less than a month after Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib became the first-ever openly gay player in the NFL.

Jeff Bezos says he wants his virgin trip to space to become something everyday people can do on the regs -- almost like catching an airline flight ... which his company is aiming to do through their shuttles.

The richest man on Earth made the morning media rounds Monday, including a chat with Michael Strahan of 'GMA' -- who went down the line, introducing the 3 others accompanying Bezos to space Tuesday and hyping their launch.

82-year-old astronaut Wally Funk said she felt like her life dream was coming full circle; 18-year-old Oliver Daemen said he hoped he could serve as an inspiration for the youth, and Mark Bezos said he was excited to go on yet another adventure with his sibling ... with this trip obviously being the ultimate.

Standard pre-maiden trip to space kinda stuff -- but Jeff also dropped some new insight into Blue Origins plans with their shuttles -- namely, that they're planning to turn the spacecrafts eco-friendly by making them reusable for repeated voyages going forward.

He compared it to commercial airliners that zip back and forth in the skies now -- explaining that he and BO hope to get to that type of efficiency in the near future. So ... that's neat.

The implication (we think) is that it hopefully won't cost folks an arm and a leg to get up there one day. No telling what type of eventual price tag Bezos has in mind -- but if they're serious about the rinse and repeat approach ... maybe there's a future Groupon coming???

Sheree Whitfield's in talks to rejoin the cast of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" after a few seasons away, but only if she's guaranteed lotsa screen time ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us she's been communicating with 'RHOA' producers over the past several weeks about coming back, but reports that she's 100 percent confirmed to return are inaccurate.

We're told it's looking good, but she only wants to be part of Season 14 if she's cast as a regular housewife again ... and won't sign on the dotted line unless producers are on board with that.

You might recall, Sheree was a full-time housewife during seasons 1 through 4, but returned in season 8 as a "friend of the show." She regained full-time status for seasons 9 and 10 before leaving once again.

As we first told you ... Sheree got back together with her old BF, Tyrone Gilliams, earlier this year after he was released from prison. Our sources say her relationship with him will be a major storyline if Sheree returns, and that she wouldn't have even considered coming back if he was cut out of the picture.

Tyrone was sentenced to 10 years in 2013 for wire fraud, but got sprung early due to COVID. He's still on home confinement in Philadelphia, so he'd only be featured when Sheree's visiting.

If the show "America's Dumbest Criminals" is ever revived it's got prime content courtesy of a woman in Oklahoma who got herself arrested after commenting on Tulsa PD's "Most Wanted" Facebook post ... about her whereabouts.

So, here's the deal, Tulsa PD posted Lorraine Graves as the "Weekly Most Wanted" for accessory to murder in a homicide that went down earlier this year. Graves' comment was about the reward money. She asked, "What's where's the reward money at." Not smart.

The post was quickly flooded with comments from others ... including a woman who said, "Giiiiirl you better stay off social media they can track you!!" A man responded, "Ain't gonna be as funny when you get processed." The post drew around 1,200 comments.

The day after the post ... cops say detectives tracked down Graves and arrested her and charged her with accessory to murder. Her bond's been set at $500k.

Two other suspects had previously been arrested earlier this year and were reportedly hit with murder charges for a shooting that killed a 30-year-old man at an apartment complex.

"Cars, clothing, shoes" -- that's the type of sponsorships UCLA hoops star Johnny Juzang wants after the new NCAA rule change ... telling TMZ Sports, he's excited to make some deals!

The NCAA announced earlier this summer that athletes can now make money off their name, image and likeness ... and when we got Juzang out at Ocean Prime in Beverly Hills this week, he told us he's ready to start negotiating.

Juzang told us he wants to rep things that he aligns with ... which, of course, includes vehicles and swag!!

"I love cars, clothing, shoes -- all that type of stuff," the 20-year-old said. "Should be some cool opportunities."

The 6-foot-6 guard tells us he's also interested in food brands -- specifically healthy ones.

"I eat healthy," Juzang said. "So, different brands that’ll align with that -- it’ll be interesting, man."

He added, "It’ll be a cool way to share a little bit about myself. It’s going to be exciting, man."

Juzang -- who averaged 16 points per game last season -- became a star after leading the Bruins to the 2021 Final Four -- their first appearance there in 13 years.

JJ declared for the 2021 NBA Draft shortly after, but he withdrew before the deadline and is now back in Westwood for his junior season.

And, he says he's hoping the Bruins can make another strong run for the title in 2022!