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12:55 PM PT -- We have some more clarification on what was happening with the bear.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the bear was supposed to smoke as part of the show ... but there was a malfunction ... and it smoked too much. Out of an abundance of caution ... staff cleared the area.

Disney World's rejiggered Country Bear Musical Jamboree seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot -- one of their robots apparently malfunctioned ... but the Mouse House calls BS.

A parkgoer captured the moment Ernest -- a brown bear playing the fiddle -- started smoking in the middle of a recent performance. Since the Country Bear Musical Jamboree just re-opened, there was confusion on whether it was part of the rebooted show.

Some guests thought this was NOT an intended addition to the show ... and folks were reportedly led out of an emergency exit by cast members shortly after the smoke began.

Bruce Springsteen is now a member of the triple comma club ... because Forbes says his net worth is over 10 figures!!!

The famous magazine -- which prides itself on keeping tabs on celeb fortunes -- says its new tally on the legendary musician officially makes him a billionaire ... by a wide margin.

Bruce is now worth $1.1 billion -- according to a "conservative" estimate from Forbes ... and the reason has to do with some business moves he's been making lately.

CrowdStrike founder and CEO George Kurtz is offering up an apology for his company's software update that sparked a global cyber outage ... and you can tell he's sweatin'.

The tech executive addressed the major computer disruption on the "Today" show Friday morning, where he offered up a mea culpa to the millions of customers, travelers and anyone else impacted by the worldwide glitch.

GK made it clear the outage wasn't caused by a cyber attack, but was related to a content update ... which left thousands of flights grounded and service interruptions for countless businesses.

The kickoff to the WNBA All-Star Weekend's festivities looked more like a fashion show ... as Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and all the ladies pulled up to the party's Orange Carpet dressed like models!!

The superstars donned their finest 'fits and headed over to the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona on Thursday night ... to officially let the world know their league's annual midseason showcase is starting.

One by one, they strutted their stuff in front of media members and cameras ... and they looked gooooood.

Jimmy Fallon crapped on President Joe Biden in his opening monologue -- cracking jokes about the Prez's COVID news ... and questioning if Round 2 in the Oval Office is in store.

The 'Tonight Show' host made some jokes at JB's expense on Thursday's episode -- saying POTUS was lucky he couldn't spread his diagnosis ... especially since Democrats had already been distancing themselves from him after that debate debacle with Trump.

JF didn't stop there ... adding, "Thankfully, Biden is expected to make a full recovery, and his doctor said that he'll be back to 60% in no time." Obviously, he's referring to questions about Joe's cognitive abilities for a second term.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was just hit with a 16-year prison term after being convicted of spying in Russia – a charge American leaders have categorically denied.

Gershkovich was found guilty Friday by a Russian court in Yekaterinburg as prosecutors asked for an 18-year sentence, but Evan instead was handed 16, according to multiple reports.

In March 2023, Evan was first arrested for espionage as he took a trip to Yekaterinburg while
working on a WSJ story -- he's been in Russia ever since ... despite outcry here in the States.

Donald Trump's RNC tribute to Corey Comperatore -- the firefighter killed during the assassination attempt -- featured his turnout coat and a big ol' typo ... the hero's name was spelled wrong, but it's not the RNC's fault.

During the former president's first public speech since taking a bullet to the ear, he honored Corey who died while shielding his family from the hail of bullets.

During the tribute, Trump stood with CC's firefighter gear, including his helmet and jacket which had his last name written on the back, but spelled like "Compertore" -- missing the "a."

Japanese gymnastics star Shoko Miyata will not compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris later this month ... after an investigation determined she violated team rules by smoking and drinking alcohol.

19-year-old Miyata is Japan's reigning national title holder ... and won bronze in the balance beam competition at the 2022 World Championships. She was slated to represent the squad as captain at the Paris Games.

The Japanese Gymnastics Association issued an apology for the controversy and said Miyata owned up to her actions ... and her coach, Mutsumi Harada, called for sympathy over the matter -- citing the huge expectations to excel at the international level.

The infamous Kim Kardashian-Taylor Swift beef might be over -- well, that's if Kim's recent shout-out for Ivanka Trump's daughter’s birthday is evidence.

So here's the scoop -- Ivanka posted an IG carousel celebrating her daughter Arabella's 13th birthday, and there were a few pics of a Swiftie-inspired cake in the mix!

Taylor's favorite number, "13," made a perfect fit for Arabella's big day ... replete with big red candles. It also had the lyric, "Boys only want love if it's torture," from Taylor's hit song "Blank Space" written on top.

Edwin Castro's one lucky bastard -- not only did he win a crap ton of money, but he's now gone public with his hot girlfriend ... and he's looking like he just won another jackpot!

The $2 billion Powerball winner hit a Giorgio Armani event in Malibu with his new squeeze Payten Vincent, who's a model/poet ... photos of which she shared with her nearly 125k followers on Instagram.

Check out the pics ... the two are grinning from ear to ear while sitting in the city's famous Soho House -- with both so happy it's like they've won the love lottery.

Melania Trump did the unthinkable at the Republican National Convention -- she actually showed some affection to her hubby Donald Trump ... but it's up for debate if she actually kissed him.

The former First Lady was on hand in the flesh Thursday in Milwaukee for the final night of the convention ... which saw DT deliver a VERY long speech to cap off the event, for which she was present to witness first-hand ... a surprise cameo that not many really expected.

Melania looked great and smiled/waved like she has in the past -- but the shocking part was what she did after Donald's remarks ... joining him onstage and, at least, going in for a kiss.

8:57 AM PT -- Trump is taking advantage of Hulk's viral moment ... 'cause the former president's campaign is now selling the same cutoff the wrestling legend rocked on stage!!

Folks can cop the merch with a donation of $35 or more ... and we take it it'll be a hot item with the MAGA crowd following the memorable performance.

The Republican National Convention stage looked more like a wrestling ring Thursday night -- at least for a few minutes -- as Hulk Hogan ripped off his shirt and fired up the crowd with an impassioned pro-Donald Trump speech.

The WWE-style moments all went down at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee ... about an hour or so before Trump formally accepted the GOP's nomination for President.

Hulk, who said he committed to speaking at the event following Saturday's attempt on Trump's life, repeatedly praised the former Prez ... all while speaking as if he were in the center of a squared circle at WrestleMania.

Kyle Richards is sending her own not-so-subtle message to Mauricio Umansky about the status of their marriage – it's kaput!!!

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star removed "wife" from her Instagram bio on Thursday after Mauricio was photographed kissing a young woman at an airport in Greece days before.

Kyle's IG bio now reads "Mom, actor, author, producer, animal lover, a RHOBH, CAA." The word "wife" was previously sandwiched between "Mom" and "actor" – but not anymore.

Donald Trump just accepted the GOP nomination for President at the Republican National Convention -- and he recounted the attempted assassination ... a sobering moment, indeed.

45 took the stage Thursday in Milwaukee -- where he capped a week's-worth of speeches and appearances all in anticipation of saying, yes ... I'll be your guy heading into the November election. Of course, everyone was anticipating what he would say about Saturday.

Trump took a fair amount of time to reflect on the life-death situation ... and he was genuinely humbled, saying God was on his side and that he shouldn't be here today.

The would-be assassin who got killed after taking a shot at Donald Trump is being remembered as an American hero ... at least in the mind of one man outside the RNC.

Ya gotta see this wild video from Milwaukee ... where a man with a dirt bike showed up on the outskirts of the Republican National Convention with a big sign in support of Thomas Matthew Crooks -- which had a "RIP" to boot.

The guy says he's dead serious about TMC deserving hero status. He struggles to explain what Crooks did that was so heroic before finally landing on this ... "He stood up to a dictatorship."

Thomas Matthew Crooks' assassination attempt on Donald Trump is plaguing his hometown in more ways than one, and that includes the real estate market ... TMZ has learned.

We spoke with multiple realtors representing homes in Bethel Park, PA -- the hometown of the would-be-assassin -- and they've painted a bleak picture in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting.

For instance, realtor Kristy Kaslewicz tells TMZ ... she has had zero showings since the attack. While she couldn't say for sure the shooting has directly impacted her business, she's suspicious, especially because law enforcement has barricaded the block leading up to Thomas' parents' home.