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Soulja Boy says fans should be more aware of their surroundings the next time they're at a crowded concert like Astroworld ... but it's also on organizers to create a safe environment.

We got the rapper in NYC on Thursday and asked him what artists are doing to prevent another deadly scene like the one we saw in Houston from happening again.

Soulja says it will take a collective effort to prevent another tragedy ... telling us it's also up to fans to enjoy themselves without getting too wild and making sure they know what's going on around them.

As you know ... the death toll from the Travis Scott show now stands at 9.

SB says people can get caught up in the concert, especially when they all have their phones out, and that's when bad things can happen.

But it's not just up to the fans ... Soulja says venues and promoters need to take the proper precautions for everyone's safety, no matter if it's looked at as an inconvenience. Interestingly, he did not mention the responsibility of the artist.

Henry Ruggs' NFL career is likely over ... so says Shannon Sharpe, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the former Raiders star's fatal car crash will "probably" cost him his spot in the league.

The Hall of Famer broke it down at LAX earlier this week ... saying he's pretty sure Ruggs' alleged actions during the Nov. 2 wreck in Las Vegas will almost certainly spell the end of his time as an NFL player.

"It's sad," the Broncos legend said. "I hate it for him that what he's going to have to go through probably cost himself a career."

Sharpe, though, made it clear he doesn't have too much sympathy for the 22-year-old over it all ... explaining the choices Ruggs is accused of making that night are just inexcusable.

"He was very selfish," Sharpe said ... "This lady lost her life because he was selfish. Because he was reckless. This isn't a mistake."

"A mistake is leaving my phone in the Uber. That's a mistake. Getting intoxicated, making a conscious decision to drive a vehicle at a high rate of speed, that's not a mistake. That's reckless."

As we previously reported, authorities say Ruggs traveled at 156 MPH while drunk in his Corvette ... before slamming it into the back of a Toyota, killing a woman and her dog.

Ruggs has since been hit with five charges for his alleged role in the incident, including four felonies ... and prosecutors say he's facing over 50 years behind bars if convicted on all counts.

Sharpe clearly believes even if Ruggs serves one-tenth of that possible sentence ... his last down in the NFL has likely already been played.

New York University actor Kristen Johnston is best known for playing the clumsy blonde Sally Solomon -- who navigates the Earth world with her space sidekicks -- on the long-running NBS sitcom "3rd Rock From The Sun."

Kristen Johnston wasn't the only star saluting the Big Giant Head ... she was cast alongside other big names like Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the long-haired high schooler, Tommy Solomon, French Stewart as the squinty simpleton, Harry Solomon ... and of course John Lithgow as the University professor and High Commander, Dick Solomon.

Paris Hilton is about to become a married woman ... and tons of celebs are on hand to witness her nuptials.

Paris and her soon-to-be hubby, entrepreneur Carter Reum, are tying the knot Thursday at her late grandfather Barron's Bel-Air estate, where the guest arrivals are in full swing ... and we've got the pics of her star-studded guest list.

Check out the gallery ... folks like Paula Abdul, Kyle Richards, Bebe Rexha, Emma Roberts and Evan Ross are in the house ... with more expected to arrive.

The wedding guests, including longtime friend Kim Kardashian, are soaking in the ceremony at the $60 million estate, where ya can't miss the hot pink and white floral arrangements with the bride and groom's initials.

The ceremony is the first part of Paris' three-day wedding ... next up is a Friday night carnival on the Santa Monica Pier, and the celebration wraps up Saturday with a black-tie event.

Remember ... Paris and Carter got engaged back in February, when he popped the question on a private island to kick off her 40th birthday celebration.

The fourth engagement was the charm for Paris ... her previous fiancés never made it to the big day. She was engaged to Jason Shaw in 2002, Greek shipping heir Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis in 2005 and actor Chris Zylka in 2018.

Ever the reality TV star, Paris documented the behind-the-scenes of her wedding planning for her new reality show on Peacock, "Paris in Love."

There could be another important milestone in the near future for Paris and Carter ... they have been undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatments leading up to the wedding ... so stay tuned for a potential pregnancy.

Conan O'Brien sounds proud of Pete Davidson and Colin Jost for what he says is a long-standing tradition ... "Saturday Night Live" cast members landing smoking hot women!!!

We got Conan, who was a writer on 'SNL' long before he hosted his own late-night show, leaving Sugarfish in Hollywood and our guy asked him what's up with 'SNL' being the ultimate aphrodisiac.

As you know ... Pete recently started dating Kim Kardashian, and Colin is married to Scarlett Johansson ... and don't forget 'SNL' alum Jason Sudeikis and his ex Olivia Wilde as another recent example.

Conan says this is just one of the many perks of a gig on 'SNL' ... harkening back to his days on the show when he dated more famous women than he can count, including Elizabeth Taylor! He's clearly joking, but still ... the track record speaks for itself.

First responders were desperate to get Travis Scott fans help, even calling for the show to end in order to help those needing serious medical attention ... and you can hear the urgency in their radio communications that night.

Several audio clips have surfaced online of Houston Police officers and other medical personnel addressing the issues of crowd crushing, fans passing out and even structural issues during Scott's performance. Things are clearly dire, as one voice says, "... folks are coming out of the crowd complaining of difficulty breathing."

During another radio transmission, emergency workers can be heard saying, "... a lot of people trampled and passed out at the front of the stage."

While the audio doesn't make it clear exactly what time all of this was happening, one thing is certain ... authorities knew things were bad. In fact, at one point they flat out say, "They have to stop the show because there's people trampled and (inaudible) not breathing."

Of course, the major question now -- apart from how 9 people died -- is where the communication broke down between emergency responders and show organizers.

TMZ broke the story, Houston PD officers were spotted taking cellphone video and photos of Travis and Drake as the rappers hyped up the crowd.

According to the timestamps, the officers were seen calmly watching Travis perform between 9:57 PM and 10:02 PM.

The lawyer for defendant William 'Roddie' Bryan in the Ahmaud Arbery trial complained to the judge ... "black pastors" coming to court and sitting with the family is unfair.

Attorney Kevin Gough voiced his displeasure in open court after Rev. Al Sharpton showed up to sit with Arbery's family inside the courtroom.

Gough groused, "I've got nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton ... but if we're starting a precedent where we're gonna bring high-profile members of the African-American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that's intimidating and it's an attempt to consciously or unconsciously pressure or influence the jury."

And, he goes on ... " ... if their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that's fine, but then that's it. We don't want any more black pastors coming in here. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week sitting with the victim's family trying to influence the jury in this case."

BTW ... Jesse Jackson was never in the courtroom. He may be referring to attorney Ben Crump, who was in court earlier in the week.

The judge was less than receptive, interrupting Gough and shutting down his argument, after the lawyer makes a Colonel Sanders reference.

Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo has been released from custody ... as police continue to investigate a Tonya Harding-style attack on teammate Kheira Hamraoui.

The Versailles prosecutor’s office just announced Diallo has NOT been charged with a crime ... nor have any other charges been filed at this time.

Diallo and one other person were detained and questioned Wednesday. The second person has not been identified.

The 26-year-old midfielder is being accused of orchestrating an attack on Hamraoui after a team event in Paris on November 4 ... when two men allegedly dragged her out of a car and beat her with iron bars for 2 minutes, requiring medical attention.

Reports claimed the motive behind the hit was due to playing time.

PSG released a statement Wednesday ... saying, "Paris Saint-Germain can confirm that Aminata Diallo was taken into custody this morning by the Versailles Regional Police Service as part of the proceedings opened following an attack on the Club's players last Thursday evening," the team said.

"Paris Saint-Germain condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence committed."

22-year-old Bharti Shahani has died ... making her the 9th casualty from Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival.

Shahani, who was a senior at Texas A&M University passed away Thursday after injuries sustained at the event Friday night in Houston ... according to a family attorney.

As we had reported, Shahani had previously been declared brain dead, and was on a ventilator. She had gone to Astroworld with her sister and cousin, but the two got separated during a crowd surge. Bharti had reportedly suffered several heart attacks after the crowd crush and was rushed to a local hospital.

In an emotional press conference Thursday, a rep for Bharti's family confirmed she was the woman in a video -- obtained by TMZ -- that was dropped on her head as she was carried out by first responders. The rep says they want justice for Bharti and her family ... and for whoever put profits over safety to be held accountable.

Bharti marks the latest victim in the tragedy, and it's possible more could come. As we reported, 9-year-old Ezra Blount is still hospitalized and fighting for his life. His family, with the help of civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, sued Travis and Live Nation for injuries they say were caused when Ezra was trampled.

Travis has vowed to pay for the funeral costs of the show's victims and to provide mental health services to those impacted by the events.

A rep for Travis tells us, "Over the last week, Travis Scott and his team have been actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons. He is distraught by the situation and desperately wishes to share his condolences and provide aid to them as soon as possible, but wants to remain respectful of each family’s wishes on how they'd best like to be connected."

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial did something that, on its face, seems pure and patriotic -- but, arguably it could also, unjustly, impact the outcome of the trial.

Judge Bruce Schroeder opened proceedings Thursday in Kenosha, WI by saying he wanted to take a moment to recognize Veterans Day. He asked if there were any military vets on the jury, or anywhere in the courtroom.

Only one person responded ... John Black, a member of Rittenhouse's defense team. Judge Schroeder then asked everyone in court to applaud Black for his service, which they did.

Now, it's Veterans Day and no one's saying Black doesn't deserve the respect. The issue here is ... because Black is the defense's use-of-force expert, should the judge solicit applause for him???

The questionable move by Judge Schroeder comes a couple of days after he ripped into the prosecutor for raising the fact Rittenhouse was silent after his arrest to jurors ... which they could read as a sign of guilt.

To be fair ... anyone with a passing knowledge of law knows you have a right to remain silent, so the prosecutor earned that tongue-lashing.

Even though Kyle Rittenhouse didn't seem to shed any actual tears on the stand, D.L. Hughley is convinced the jury will believe his "performance is real" ... and it very possibly could lead to his acquittal.

The comedian/activist's review of Rittenhouse's emotional testimony is pretty blunt -- worst acting since Stacey Dash -- but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he said it will be good enough to sway jurors because a "white dude crying with a haircut is very sympathetic."

Jokes aside, D.L. joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to discuss what he sees as clear biases, both in and out of the courtroom, surrounding Rittenhouse's case. First off, he says the right wing's financial support of the teenager's defense is evidence it believes "whatever you do for your cause is justified."

He also said our judicial system needs sweeping changes, and he proposed one overhaul to remove jury biases -- namely, not allowing jurors to see the defendant. That sparked an interesting debate about how our system is supposed to work ... versus how it actually does.

As for why these changes are needed -- well, D.L. believes too many people in power lack the principles to do what's right ... regardless of how it will affect them.

Odell Beckham Jr. has said goodbye to Cleveland and is now close to saying hello to Los Angeles ... 'cause the star receiver is reportedly about to sign with the Rams.

Just a couple days after the Browns waived the wideout -- Beckham is now finalizing a deal to play with Matt Stafford and Sean McVay, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday.

Of course, L.A.'s receiver room is already loaded ... Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are perhaps the best duo in the league -- and their backups, including Van Jefferson, ain't slouches either.

But, L.A. hasn't been afraid to sign and/or trade for veteran depth at any point in the last few seasons regardless of its current roster -- so the move to ink Odell makes sense.

OBJ hasn't been a surefire superstar in years -- he battled injuries and, at times, poor QB play in Cleveland -- but seems like a good bet McVay, an offensive genius, will be able to feature him in Hollywood.

As for what number OBJ will wear when he finally gets on the squad ... for the first time in his career, it could be something different than #13.

This 728-foot superyacht is going to be a floating paradise for those rich enough to snag one of the rooms luxury condos on board -- and this first look at life on the Somnio is incredible!!!

Ya gotta check out the gallery to see what folks are getting with these floating homes, which start at $11 million, BTW ... it's no wonder this $600 million yacht is being hailed as the most exclusive address on Earth.

It's going to be the biggest residential superyacht in the world, featuring 39 condos, decked out with sweeping ocean views, private gyms, libraries, balconies, terraces, indoor and outdoor dining areas and huge living rooms.

The shared amenities onboard are pretty extravagant too ... including a wine cellar and tasting room with 10,000 bottles, plus a movie theater, spa, restaurants, beach club and a lounge at the front of the yacht.

The Somnio won't set sail until 2024, but these renderings are sure to have the super-rich lining up for the maiden journey.

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee says she was a recent target of anti-Asian hate ... claiming she was pepper-sprayed and had racist slurs hurled at her.

18-year-old Lee detailed the altercation in an interview with Pop Sugar released this week ... saying she was waiting for an Uber with her friends -- all of Asian descent -- after a night out, when a car sped by and yelled phrases like "ching chong" and "go back to where they came from."

Lee -- the first Hmong American Olympic gold medalist -- says one person even sprayed her arm with pepper spray before speeding off.

The "Dancing with the Stars" contestant opened up on the incident -- which happened a week before the interview -- saying, "I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off," she told the outlet.

The number of hate crimes directed at Asians in America has risen in recent years ... with a study at California State University, San Bernardino reporting a 150% increase in 2020.

"I didn't do anything to them," Lee added, "and having the reputation, it's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen."

Khloe Kardashian reappeared after her bout with COVID, and she definitely got noticed ... wearing a piece from her older sister's newest collab.

Khloe hit up JOEY restaurant in Woodland Hills for lunch, wearing a SKIMS X Fendi monogram jumpsuit. It's a head-to-toe type thing, and it accentuates everything! It's actually pretty bomb.

Khloe wearing Fendi is no accident ... big sister Kim has teamed up with Fendi for her SKIMS collection. As we reported, she made millions from the launch this week, including a million bucks in just the first minute the products were available.

Khloe's all smiles, but the family has drawn criticism for not pulling back after the Astroworld fiasco, given the controversy over Travis Scott's performance as the tragedy became apparent to people in the crowd.

Hours after Kyle Rittenhouse broke down on the stand and cried in front of a packed courtroom ... LeBron James trolled the 18-year-old, accusing the Kenosha shooter of putting on a show.

"What tears?????" the L.A. Lakers superstar said in a social media post. "I didn't see one. Man knock it off!"

The NBA player then took the mocking one step further ... adding three laughing emojis and writing, "That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court."

Rittenhouse was on the stand trying to convince a courtroom that he acted in self-defense when he shot at people during an Aug. 2020 protest in Wisconsin.

The teenager -- who's been hit with multiple criminal charges, including two counts of homicide -- said, "I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself."

Yet at one point during his testimony, he got so emotional trying to explain his actions ... he began sobbing and couldn't get words to leave his mouth.

Rittenhouse broke down in front of the microphone -- forcing a short break in the proceedings -- but James clearly believed it was all a ruse to try to draw sympathy.

The rest of Rittenhouse's hearing, meanwhile, also featured some drama ... with the judge in the courtroom admonishing prosecutors over the way they questioned Rittenhouse.

The officials had asked Rittenhouse about an incident that the judge had previously ruled would not be permitted as evidence ... and after Rittenhouse's attorneys objected, judge Bruce Schroeder exploded.

"You know very well that an attorney can't go into these types of areas when the judge has already ruled without asking outside the presence of the jury to do so," the judge said, accusing the prosecutor of "getting brazen" with him.

"So, don't give me that."

Rittenhouse's attorneys asked for a mistrial over it all.