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File this under ... ONLY IN FLORIDA!

A couple cruising in a golf cart was nearly bitten by an angry alligator earlier this month ... when the fearsome reptile charged them, and it was all captured on video.

The 'hell naw' moment occurred on February 16 in Ave Maria, FL ... about 35 miles northeast of Naples.

A woman named Denise Prues was hangin' around her pool when she spotted a gator slowly walking between her and her neighbor's property, toward a pond ... which was separated by an active golf cart path.

While the camera was rolling, a cart came by without issue. Then, a second came rolling through ... and the gator charged, attempting to take a bite out of the driver, who was clearly startled, as Prues freaked out.

"Oh my god!" she yelled.

FYI, it goes without saying, you don't want to get bitten by an alligator ... no matter how small. They can apply upwards of 2,000 PSI when they bite. Compare that to a lion ... with 600 lbs. of bite force. Humans output a measly 120-ish lbs.

Luckily, everybody, gator included, was okay.

Rajon Rondo is hoping he won't have to fight a criminal gun charge much longer ... TMZ Sports has learned he's just asked a judge to throw out the count he's facing.

Court documents we obtained show the former NBA star's lawyer filed a motion on Tuesday to dismiss the unlawful carrying of a handgun charge prosecutors hit Rondo with following his arrest late last month.

In the documents, Rondo's attorney argues the charge is unconstitutional ... saying the ex-Boston Celtics point guard is protected by the Second Amendment right to bear arms that gave him the right to have the handgun cops say they found on him during a Jan. 28 traffic stop in Indiana.

"The statute under which Rondo is charged fails to be consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation," the docs state.

A judge has not yet made a ruling on the motion ... but there is a hearing on the docket scheduled for late March.

Rondo was first booked on the gun charge following allegations that a loaded, black, 9MM, Sig Sauer P365 was discovered under the cupholder of his car after cops pulled him over for not having plates on the back of his Tesla.

Cops said due to a previous case against Rondo, he was not allowed to have the firearm. In fact, in police documents, one officer wrote, "I asked Rondo Sr. if he was allowed to have a gun and Rondo Sr. said he was not allowed."

In addition to the gun charge, Rondo is also facing one count of possession of marijuana and one count of possession of paraphernalia in the case ... after cops said they found weed, THC gummies and a pipe with marijuana residue in his Tesla during the stop as well.

We're almost at the finish line at TMZ, but we're still at it on the topics for our TV shows!

Starting off on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles discussed this massive crack in the hillside that's formed right underneath Travis Scott's mansion in Brentwood, CA -- which is now starting to affect not only him ... but other neighbors and residents in the area.

Pretty scary stuff, obviously ... but for now, officials are shrugging their shoulders on this.

Heading on over to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about a battle for the ages -- namely, one between the clothed and the unclothed ... like the one that went down at Venice Beach.

Some medieval weapons seem to have been used ... this is one to remember for sure.

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' Babcock and Mojo talked Kirk Cousins and his new shiny teeth!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

American actor Scott Bakula was in his mid-30s when he first started playing the leap lead Dr. Sam Beckett -- the smart scientist who travels through time as he's seeking self-reflection and knowledge -- on the science fiction TV series "Quantum Leap" back in 1989.

Other leaping stars joining Bakula included Dean Stockwell playing the former Naval fighter pilot and part of Project Quantum Leap who gave Sam insight on his life and identity, Albert Calavicci aka 'Al The Observer'.

And, in addition to playing the voice of Ziggy and narrating the series ... Deborah Pratt co-created, wrote and produced the show.

Scott's iconic performance landed him several Emmy noms and a Golden Globe win!

AMC Entertainment is giving Taylor Swift and Beyoncé a standing ovation ... the theater chain says their concert movies are behind "literally all" of its revenue to close 2023.

AMC just reported quarterly earnings to Wall Street, and the nationwide chain says Bey and Tay Tay helped boost their financials big time.

On the strength of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" and "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé," AMC raked in $1.1 billion in fourth-quarter revenue.

The massive figure is up from the $990.9 million in revenue AMC reported in the fourth quarter of 2022, a huge increase as far as AMC is concerned.

Taylor and Beyonce are getting their flowers, too -- AMC's CEO Adam Aron says "literally all" of the increased revenue is a result of the singers' concert movies.

Remember, AMC signed deals last year with Taylor and Beyonce to exclusively distribute their concert films, and it turned out to be a brilliant business move for all involved.

Adam adds ... "To that end, our praise for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles Carter has no limit."

Without the box office boost from Swifties and the Beyhive, things would probably look pretty bleak for AMC right now ... the company says it's still rebounding from last year's Hollywood strikes.

Overall, AMC still lost $182 million in the quarter, but that is way down from last year's $287.7 million loss ... hence the glee from AMC execs over Taylor and Beyonce.

Essentially, the theater chain's still hurting -- but the superstar singers helped bring the hemorrhaging down to a trickle.

Now, AMC is turning to a different celeb to get butts in theater seats ... AMC announced a trio of new, 30-second Nicole Kidman commercials -- y'know the ones about "making movies better" -- which will play in theater previews, starting Friday.

With Taylor and Beyonce changing the game here with their concert films, AMC says they'll have more concert movies in 2024 and 2025.

Aron says the company's phones are ringing off the hook with calls from different musicians.

Robert Downey Jr. is the front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor -- but one Academy member is openly admitting ... he's voting for him because he met him in person.

The Hollywood Reporter did their annual writeup that polls anonymous AMPAS members to see what their thought process is going into the new Academy Awards -- which are a couple weeks away -- and one of them was candid on their thoughts about RDJ.

This member said they were voting for Bob ... but it sounds like it might have more to do with his personality than his actual performance -- which is a little disheartening to hear.

They say, "I was torn between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., and even though it’s cheesy I’ll be real with you: I met Downey at an awards season party, we had an interaction that I did not initiate, and it tipped the scales for me."

This anonymous voter adds ... "Campaigning matters! What’s really great about him as an actor, in this film and so many others, is his ability to be believable all the time. I loved watching him turn as the story turned on Strauss."

In other words ... they liked RDJ's work in "Oppenheimer," but a little schmoozing went a long way with this person when they met Rob in real life. So, no ... it's not all on merit, it seems.

The reason that kinda sucks ... well, in a perfect world -- you'd like to think people who vote at the Oscars are only looking at what they see on screen, and are judging off of that. But, as this person is confessing, there are some politics involved in this process.

This mystery Academy member calls it campaigning ... another word for it is, lobbying.

While Downey Jr. has been considered a shoo-in from the start -- yes, his performance is actually spectacular and worthy of recognition -- this is the type of stuff you don't really wanna hear if you're Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, Sterling K. Brown or Ryan Gosling.

Kristin Cavallari's wasted no time leaning into her new relationship with Mark Estes ... in fact, the lovebirds have already wrapped up their first getaway in Cabo together.

Check out these pics ... Kristin and her 24-year-old boo were spotted Wednesday rolling their suitcases to the American Airlines priority desk at the airport -- and the reality star was rocking a casual matching black set ... ME opted for a cozy hoodie.

They're not really flashing the biggest of smiles here -- if anything, you could say it's kinda the opposite -- but it's probably just the post-vacay blues kicking in ... Cabo can do that to ya. Plus, traveling tends to wear folks out ... so their mopey moods are nothing to fret.

While their vacay is over ... it seems Kristin and Mark are still very much in the honeymoon phase. In fact, on Tuesday, Kristin went full-on IG official with Mark, declaring how happy he makes her in a super cute selfie.

This came shortly after we got photos of them heading on down to Mexico together last Friday ... remember, this was supposed to be a business trip for Kristin, but Mark decided to tag along. So, a little work and play, it seems!

We've been told Kristin and Mark have been enjoying each other's company for about a month now -- and things are clearly moving along swimmingly between them.

Kristin definitely has a thing for those hot dude model types. She previously dated Tyler Cameron after her marriage to Jay Cutler ended.

Stacy Wakefield -- the widow of former Red Sox great Tim Wakefield -- has tragically passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced Wednesday.

She was surrounded by her family, friends, caretakers and nurses at her home in Massachusetts.

The news comes less than five months after the longtime MLB pitcher died from brain cancer at 57 years old ... a loss that rocked the sports world.

The family released a statement on Stacy's passing ... saying, "Our hearts are beyond broken."

"We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come. We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life."

The Wakefields also shined a light on those who took care of Stacy -- doctors, nurses and caretakers -- who were by her side since her diagnosis.

"We are eternally grateful for your unmatched care and support. And to all of you who have sent well wishes over these last several months, we truly appreciate your kindness."

Tim -- a two-time World Series champion and Red Sox Hall of Famer -- and Stacy got married in November 2002.

Diddy's attorney says a couple individuals who were identified as minors in the salacious lawsuit filed against the mogul are not minors at all ... they're fully grown women.

Shawn Holley tells TMZ ... two women have come forward to clear the air after they saw their images included in Rodney Jones' explosive legal claim from Monday -- where he alleged everything under the sun against Diddy, including claims of partying with underage girls.

There are photos included in Rodney's lawsuit that purport to show a party that Diddy threw last summer in L.A. ... and some of the images show Diddy and his son Justin around some women -- with captions characterizing them as minors.

The suit even blacks out their faces ... perhaps in an attempt to lend credence to the notion they're underage -- but Holley tells us two of the women depicted are anything but that.

For starters, she tells us the woman depicted in the screenshot of Diddy has actually come forward to her to set the record straight ... as she feels she's been grossly mislabeled, as have the circumstances under which she was in Diddy's company that night.

Holley tells us the woman's name is Chelsea, a 33-year-old ... who has a child. We're told Chelsea does not want to publicly reveal her full identity -- hoping to maintain her and her family's privacy amid this whole mess -- but we're told she insists that's 100% her in the pic.

More importantly ... we've been provided with a photo of Chelsea, which we're told shows her in the same bodysuit outfit she was apparently wearing in the photo included in Rodney's suit.

We've blurred her face in the photo -- out of respect for her privacy -- but the bottom line here is ... Chelsea is saying she's in that picture with Diddy, and she is most definitely NOT a minor.

There's another photo of Justin in this lawsuit that purports to show him partying/hanging around underage girls at the same party -- but Holley tells us ... that, too, is false ... as the woman whose face is blacked out in the pic is actually Justin's 32-year-old girlfriend.

We've obtained what we're told is an unredacted version of the photo in Rodney's lawsuit -- and sure enough, it appears to be Justin's significant other, Stephanie Rao.

There's another photo of Justin and Stephanie from the same night -- but a different angle -- that appears to back up that it's her.

Holley points to this as evidence that Rodney and his attorneys were, at a minimum, careless in putting together the complaint here.

Last but not least ... we've gotten some clarification on Rodney's claim that Diddy and Justin were somehow involved in a shooting that left a man injured at a recording studio here in Hollywood -- something Rodney alleged in his complaint was covered up by Diddy himself.

But, our law enforcement sources tell us ... the story that was told to cops that night -- namely, that the victim was robbed at gunpoint and shot by unknown assailants outside -- ended up leading to arrests in the case, and those suspects are currently awaiting trial.

We're told cops think the gunshot victim stepped outside of the studio around 3:30 AM and was accosted by two individuals ... at which point they tried to rob him. Our sources say the man suffered a gunshot wound ... and when officers arrived, there was no sign of Diddy at all.

The alleged culprits are Rudolph Flowers and Laron Bundley -- and we're told they're suspected in other crimes in and around Los Angeles ... including follow-home robberies.

Long story short ... Holley thinks this is just another one of the dominoes that'll start to fall as the details of Rodney's suit get picked apart.

It appears Cam Newton and the rest of the combatants involved in the brawl at a youth football tournament last weekend will not be facing jail time for their roles in the scuffle ... 'cause cops say none of the participants want to pursue criminal charges against one another.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the fight erupted at around 2 PM on Sunday during a 7-on-7 event in Atlanta.

Officers at the scene wrote in the docs they don't know why it all started ... but at least one cop recognized right away that Newton was involved due to "his hat and hairstyle."

Another officer stated in the docs he saw two males "grabbing and pushing" Newton ... and he raced over to break things up.

However, once the dust settled ... the officer wrote that nobody asked for medical assistance -- and furthermore, no one wanted to see anyone go to jail.

"Neither Mr. Newton or any of the other involved persons who remained on scene indicated that they required medical attention or wished to pursue criminal charges," the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

"The responding officers completed an information only incident report to document what had occurred. At this time, it is unknown how or why the scuffle occurred."

As we reported ... two men who say they were involved in the tiff told Fox News Digital they believe Newton started it all with a whole lot of trash talk.

Richard Lewis, famous from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The comedian and actor -- who starred opposite Larry David on his hit HBO show -- passed away Tuesday night ... with Bette Midler being one of the first people who noted it Wednesday. She didn't provide much detail, simply writing, "On a sad note, the great Richard Lewis has died."

According to his rep -- he died from a heart attack at his home in L.A.

It's a shocking turn of events for fans of the beloved 'Curb' star -- as he'd been publicly battling with Parkinson's disease lately ... which he announced he'd been diagnosed with last year.

In his announcement, Richard noted that he'd actually planned on retiring from comedy a few years ago due to a number of health issues -- which all culminated with his Parkinson's diagnosis. He said at the time he was okay and was taking the right medication to manage it.

He appeared relatively okay health-wise despite his Parkinson's diagnosis. The disease hadn't reached a point where it was visibly hindering him or his ability to perform, including his recurring role as his fictional self on 'CYE.' It's unclear if his diagnosis played any part in his passing.

Richard was a regular on the long-running series since the beginning ... playing Larry's best friend, with whom he'd often squabble. Of course, Richard was also a decorated comic.

The last time Richard was seen out in public was actually alongside his wife, Joyce Lapinsky. She appeared to be helping him walk -- as they were out and about in Beverly Hills.

He's survived by his wife. Richard was 76.

Multiple stars of the 'Real Housewives' franchise are coming forward to defend Andy Cohen against Leah McSweeney's allegations -- and they're all leaning into the idea each cast member is personally responsible for her actions.

Luann de Lesseps, who costarred with Leah on 'RHONY,' talked to us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" about Leah's lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo, the production company Shed Media, and Warner Bros. ... claiming they took advantage of her alcohol abuse issues.

Leah claims she was encouraged by Cohen and others on and around the show to drink all in the name of creating better content for the program.

Luann, speaking from personal experience, didn't feel that was the case for her ... saying of course alcohol and parties are part of the 'Housewives' world, but no one ever forced her to take up a glass.

In fact, she says she doesn't think anyone can make a person drink, instead believing personal responsibility plays a key part in addiction recovery -- an issue Luann also dealt with while shooting for the show, having gone to rehab multiple times.

As for Leah's allegation Andy does cocaine with the housewives ... Luann says she's never seen or heard about that, and adds it's not in his character.

LDL says she's now in the "driver's seat" with alcohol consumption and touring with a new cabaret show -- and insists you don't have drink to have a good time on 'Housewives.'

She further vouches for Andy, saying she doesn't believe he'd force anyone to drink like Leah's claiming -- a sentiment echoed by another former 'RHONY' star.

Dorinda Medley -- who appeared on the show from 2015 to 2020 -- tells us she feels terrible for Andy, and questions why Leah decided to come back for a second season of 'RHONY' and an 'Ultimate Girls Trip' if she felt so uncomfortable.

Medley added she'd jump at the chance to get back on 'Real Housewives' ... saying she's had nothing but good experiences with Andy and Bravo and she's gained so much by being on the show. She also said adults need to be held accountable for their own actions.

And, a non-New Yorker -- Cynthia Bailey formerly of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame -- also stood by Andy, telling us at LAX, she was never forced to drink or ever believed Andy was using cocaine as McSweeney claimed.

CB says she sympathizes with addicts, but adds people who know they have substance abuse problems need to make smart choices -- like turning down cocktails if they know they have a problem

BTW ... another former Bravo star, Brandi Glanville, is also threatening to sue Andy for an inappropriate comment he allegedly made.

The visuals from the Willy Wonka pop-up attraction in the UK are pretty sad and underwhelming ... but the script is even worse, and more out of touch with reality.

The 13-page script that the actors were given to perform at the now-viral "Willy's Chocolate Experience" in Glasgow, Scotland, has surfaced online ... and if you thought the actual experience itself looked rough, wait until you get a load of the fake plotline behind it.

The first thing that jumps off the page ... set descriptions painting a picture of a whimsical, enchanting and immersive experience do not line up AT ALL with what was actually awaiting paying parents, who ended up demanding refunds for the bait and switch.

The trainwreck doesn't end there ... the script is littered with predictions for how the audience would respond to the set and the actors playing Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas ... but the rosy outlook didn't play out that way in real life.

Paul Connell, the actor hired to play Wonka, says the cast only got the script the day before the event, leaving them little time to memorize their lines ... and he told The Independent the writing was a bunch of AI-generated gibberish.

A perfect example of how the script greatly deviates from the real deal ... the "Bubble and Lemonade Room."

In the script, the space is described as "a room where the air sparkles with floating bubbles, and rivers of sparking lemonade flow freely." Sounds cool, but in reality, it's just a fold-out table with plastic cups containing a few sips of lemonade ... and a clearly visible trash bag.

There's also mention in here of some kind of evil villain/spirit thing called The Unknown -- and video of an actor portraying it during one of the tours last weekend is out too.

Let's just say ... it was creepy as hell, and scared the crap out of the kids who witnessed it.

Bottom line -- the execution of the script didn't turn out great ... but to be honest, the actual writing itself isn't very good either. The whole thing is disjointed and somewhat hard to follow ... and it sounds like that manifested in the real world when they tried to bring this to life.

Remember ... parents complained their kids were given a quarter cup of lemonade and a few jellybeans, and they piled on the crappy decorations and said the whole thing took a minute to walk through.

Everything about the event is so grim it's almost funny ... seriously, if you need a good laugh read through the script. It's pretty wild.

Jennifer Coolidge is giving Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their Sydney Zoo date ... even though she says PETA is right to disapprove.

The "White Lotus" star was at LAX when a photog asked her about Taylor and Travis' controversial date idea, which is drawing PETA's ire.

Jennifer says the lovebirds should get a pass for a few reasons ... she doesn't think they put a lot of thought into going to the zoo and were just looking for something romantic to do together.

A big PETA supporter herself, Jennifer says Taylor and Travis seem like fellow animal lovers ... and isn't going to condemn them here. She's kinda walking a fine line here -- huge fan, but also ... big animal lover.

As we reported ... PETA says the famous couple should look elsewhere the next time they're in the mood to be around animals, suggesting they hit up an animal sanctuary instead of a zoo.

PETA also took issue with the couple feeding a kangaroo at the Sydney Zoo ... saying it was harmful to the animal to do that.

Jennifer's stopping short of calling out Taylor and Travis too hard ... but says she ultimately agrees with whatever PETA says on the matter. It's pretty funny to see her wrestle with this dilemma on camera ... you can tell she loves them, and doesn't wanna slam 'em.

A first look at Bill Skarsgård in the remake of "The Crow" is out ... and fans are pissed -- blasting the over-the-top body art, unkindly comparing him to Jared Leto's Joker.

Here's the deal ... Bill's the lead in a remake of the gothic cult classic hit movie from 1994 -- and the first pictures of his revamped "Crow" character just dropped Wednesday via Vanity Fair. There's a lot of set photos they have ... but everyone's focused on this money shot.

FYI ... "The Crow" follows a murdered man who comes back to life to enact his revenge against the men who killed him and his fiancée -- which is it has this dark, noir-esque vibe. The whole film is basically a fantasy revenge flick ... with memorable makeup/costumes.

In the OG film, the eponymous character -- played by Bruce Lee's son Brandon -- wore black leather jackets and bodysuits, and white face makeup made him look more like a corpse, but overall his look was pretty understated ... especially when compared to Bill's version. That's how the internet seems to feel about it anyway!

Just check out the pics ... Bill's got the leather and white face/body makeup -- as well as a series of unseemly and sorta cartoonish tattoos ... including a giant eye in the middle of his chest and the word "Lullaby" written above his right eyebrow.

All of these tats have fans thinking about another outlandish character look ... namely, Leto's Joker in "Suicide Squad" who literally had "Damaged' written on his forehead -- just so the audience wouldn't miss that particular character trait, we guess.

Point is, fans are super upset ... with some even going as far as saying this concept of the character spits in the face of Brandon's memory.

If you don't know ... Brandon was actually shot and killed on "The Crow" set after a prop gun fired an uncleared bullet fragment from a previous scene at him. No one was criminally charged, but his mom Linda Lee Caldwell successfully sued filmmakers.

Safe to say ... fans are pretty protective of Lee's character and his legacy -- and they're pretty sure Skarsgård's look is only going to hurt the memory of Brandon and "The Crow" -- that's what some are saying about this.

LAPD officers had an unexpected face-off with an unleashed dog that attacked one of their horses -- which ended with one of the officers beating the pooch ... and it's sparked a fierce debate.

Check out this video that's gone viral ... 2 cops are seen patrolling Melrose Ave. in L.A. while on horseback -- when, all of a sudden, an unleashed dog runs into frame out of nowhere and begins to nip at the legs of the police horse, which still has one of the officers on it.

In response to the attack ... the other cop on the scene jumps down from his own horse ... and begins swinging his baton at the canine -- and he seems to make contact a few times.

The dog tries to dodge the hits, and it continues to go after the horse -- which begins to buck and get uneasy. Of course, the officer who's sitting up there is trying his best to steady the animal and get it under control ... but it's a tricky situation, to say the least.

Eventually, the presumed owner of the dog runs onto the scene and collects his pooch -- but he too has trouble with it ... and the officer on the ground gets one last good swing on the dog before it and its owner run off. At that point, everything settles down.

Now, we have some more info here that'll hopefully shed light and provide context -- including whether this fell onto the LAPD's radar at large, and what exactly happened in the end. Law enforcement sources tell us this incident actually happened a good year or so ago ... even though the video is just now making the rounds online.

We're told the dog and the two horses ended up being alright, and that the horses were checked on by a vet afterward. Our sources tell us the dog actually jumped out of a car window there on the street, which is why it didn't have a leash on ... so kind of a freak thing.

Our sources the civilian/owner did not get cited over this, and we're told everything sorted itself out once all the parties were able to talk. We're also told the owner wasn't mad.

That's not to say the internet isn't pissed about this ... 'cause a good chunk definitely is.

The situation has prompted mixed reactions online -- with many coming to the cop's defense, especially since L.A. has pretty clear leash laws. If you don't know, pet owners are required to keep their dogs on a leash in public at all times -- as it's prohibited for them to roam free.

Others, of course, are crucifying the cop here ... saying he completely overreacted and was harming the dog for no good reason. These are mostly the animal lovers/animal rights camps.

We had some debate about this here in our own office ... and we figured we'd present our arguments for people to digest. On the one hand, the dog was unleashed and caused a problem right then and there that could've become more dangerous.

Still ... the brutality the officer inflicts here just feels like too much for folks who can't stand to see animals suffer -- including some in our own ranks, who are passionate about this.

We suppose we'll just pose the question ... who's in the wrong here, the cop or the owner?