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Jussie Smollett will have his day in court over his appeal of his criminal conviction -- in fact, he'll be able to make his case in front of the highest court in the land ... of Illinois, that is.

The actor just scored a huge W Wednesday -- 'cause the Supreme Court of Illinois ticked his case off as one they are open to hearing ... in other words, his appeal to the State Supreme Court is approved, and the justices for this court will weigh in on this saga once and for all.

Remember, Jussie has been appealing his conviction pretty much ever since it came down way back in 2021 ... when a jury found him guilty of lying to cops about a hate crime he claimed he'd been victim to.

John Lennon pulled no punches about how much he detested the Beatles' 1964 knockout photo shoot with Muhammad Ali ... that's according to the guy who snapped those iconic images.

Famed Beatles photog Harry Benson spilled the tea on the tension between the legends while celebrating 60 years of snapping pics of the band, telling Fox News Digital ... Ali wasted no time throwing shade, telling the singers their music wasn't all that.

Not only did he hit the Beatles where it hurt by questioning their musical chops, but Ali also went on to size them up, calling them "tiny, small, little men" compared to his towering frame.

Travis Kelce just offered up a pretty good excuse for not showing off his most chiseled physique while out in the Bahamas ... explaining his weight's up right now because, well, it's the heart of his offseason!

The Kansas City Chiefs star touched on his dad bod while having a conversation with his older brother, Jason, and new Eagles running back Saquon Barkley on the latest episode of "New Heights."

Saquon asked the bros of the two, who could drink more ... and after the guys bantered a bit back and forth -- their respective weights entered the chat.

Ron DeSantis and Disney have buried the hatchet in court over their nearly year-long war regarding his 'Don't Say Gay' bill ... and it seems the Gov. and co. gave in.

Board members for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District -- which took over Disney's Reedy Creek -- signed off on terms for a settlement Wednesday with the entertainment giant ... bringing a close to their ongoing litigation, something Disney initiated last year.

Disney says, "This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the State."

Joe Exotic is back in mullet mode ... so we see in a new mug shot.

Joe, who's been serving 21 years at a federal prison in Oklahoma for putting a hit out on Carole Baskin, took a road trip to Florida. We'll explain.

Joe had been transferred to a Florida jail so he could appear in court for a civil lawsuit involving a music dispute. A country singer named Vince Johnson claimed he had the rights to some songs Joe played in "Tiger King."

Will Smith took one question about his net worth and turned it into a philosophical session ... but when pressed on how much he might be worth, the dude deflected.

The actor was asked by Complex's Speedy Morman if it was true his net worth was $350M as listed on Google ... but Will laughed it off, saying he didn't really keep track of that stuff. So in other words, he didn't confirm or deny.

Eventually, Will dove in on the question -- but only elaborated on his mindset, saying when he was coming up in Hollywood, he was all about making money. Not so much now though.

Drake Bell isn't done exposing the abuse he suffered as a child actor ... as he's set to appear in a newly added episode for the 'Quiet On Set' docuseries.

Investigation Discovery, the network behind the harrowing doc, has officially greenlit a fifth episode with Drake -- and other former child stars from the '90s and '00s -- set to return. The new episode, notably titled 'Breaking the Silence,' promises to delve deeper into toxic workplace claims made against Nickelodeon in the first 4 episodes.

"Quiet On Set" has already featured plenty of bombshell revelations, including a sit down with Drake, who spoke out for the first time about being sexually assaulted as a teen by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.

Eva Mendes put her acting career on the back burner after having kids with Ryan Gosling -- something she's happy with ... as she has no issue with him bringing home the bacon.

The actress talked to "Today" about a number of things in an interview this week -- and she touched on her work-life dynamic with her partner ... with whom she's been with for several years now. Eva and Ryan share two daughters... a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old.

On the topic of stepping away from acting, Eva says it was a no-brainer -- adding that she values being a full-time mom and spending time with her children, which she says is just as much work. EM also says she pursues other opportunities, but just does it from home.

Diddy was face-to-face with federal agents Monday as they intercepted his plane ... and TMZ now has a photo showing the interaction ... this as his associate was taken into custody.

Check out the pic showing the rap mogul wearing a white T-shirt and blue pants as law enforcement surrounds him and the rest of his entourage.

Diddy's got his back to the camera and doesn't appear to have been detained. You also see 25-year-old Brendan Paul in the mix ... who was later arrested and booked on drug charges following a search.

Draymond Green has found himself at the center of more criticism over his on-court antics ... this time, the Golden State Warriors star is getting backlash after wrapping his arm around Patty Mills' neck and forcing him to the ground.

The incident went down during the first quarter of the Dubs' road matchup against the Miami Heat on Tuesday ... when Green got tied up with Mills as he moved through the paint to try to defend Bam Adebayo's shot.

A nearby official immediately blew his whistle ... and the play was reviewed to see if Adebayo's attempt happened prior to the the common foul.

7:30 AM -- Ice Cube is now speaking out on the offer ... saying it was a no-brainer to pitch Caitlin Clark to his organization.

"Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3," he said minutes ago on X ... while also pointing out the league has a track record of breaking barriers with female coaches like Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie.

"With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes," Cube added.

The BIG3 founder also thinks his org. will be a better alternative for WNBA athletes to make money during the offseason ... so they don't have to take their talents to "often dismal and dubious foreign countries" to earn a living.

"And they should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar," he said. "Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes."

Caitlin Clark is in line to make more history -- the NCAA phenom could become basketball's first-ever $5 million woman, if she accepts a massive deal from Ice Cube's Big3 league ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Shakira gave a real treat to New Yorkers Tuesday night ... putting on a surprise performance in Times Square for 40,000 screaming fans.

The Grammy-winning singer hit the TSX stage at the Crossroads of the World in Midtown Manhattan just hours after she announced the pop-up show on the social media app, "X."

Thousands of her followers rushed to see Shakira's spur of the moment concert as she celebrated the release of her new album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran."

The army of federal law enforcement officers did a number on Diddy's L.A. home, and the video shows clearly the mansion was turned upside down.

TMZ has obtained footage of the aftermath of Monday's raid on Diddy's Holmby Hills drawers were ripped open, belongings scattered about, documents strewn about and safes broken into.

Agents had a field day with Diddy's electronic equipment. You see pieces of computer and other equipment in pieces on the floor. It's clear agent zeroed in on hard drives, which were seized during the raid.

Zachery Ty Bryan has been hit with a felony charge following his February DUI arrest.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "Home Improvement" alum was charged with the crime of driving under the influence with three or more priors within the last decade.

The felony complaint says Zachery refused to submit to a sobriety test, although cops say the 42-year-old had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit.

Dan Dakich is offering up some free advice to any player in this weekend's Sweet 16 looking for tips on how to prepare for the big games ... saying simply, "Don't start thinking you're a star!"

The former Indiana Hoosiers guard said in a talk with TMZ Sports this week it's easy for players who've made it this far in the NCAA tournament to start losing focus.

He said as teams return to campus and feel all the love -- it's common for players to get a big head ... and then falter when the lights come back on for the tourney's next round.

It's Hump Day, but we're gonna push through here at TMZ ... by recapping our TV topics.

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles continued to discuss the fallout from the raids on Diddy's homes in Los Angeles and Miami -- including the fact that someone in his entourage ended up behind bars on drug charges during their airport run-in with feds.

Next up, we got "TMZ on TV" ... with the gang talking about Will Smith getting a speeding ticket recently while driving along the PCH in Malibu -- and allegedly going a little too fast.