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Jessica Simpson stepped out with almost all of her relatives for a celebratory dinner ... but one family member was noticeably absent -- her husband, Eric Johnson.

Check it out ... the singer hit the town in Los Angeles Wednesday night, as she stepped out for a 16th birthday party honoring nephew Bronx at Beverly Hills hot spot Mr. Chow.

Jessica was joined by a number of her loved ones, including sister Ashlee Simpson, brother-in-law Evan Ross, ex-brother-in-law Pete Wentz, dad Joe Simpson, and mom Tina Ann Drew, among others ... so, it was eyebrow-raising when EJ was nowhere to be found.

Kacey Musgraves is going above and beyond to make amends with her hometown ... dropping thousands of dollars on a scholarship fund after putting her foot in her mouth.

TMZ has confirmed ... the country singer made a donation to a scholarship fund in Golden, Texas after previously claiming her hometown was not something to "cheer for" during a concert in Canada.

The singer shelled out a whopping $10K to the scholarship fund and penned a lengthy apology note on her Instagram Stories ... where she called the dig "a sarcastic, completely unserious joke."

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's big move news may've just surfaced, but it seems the couple has been settling down in the UK for some time.

The talk show legend and the actress were spotted taking in an acoustic set at a pub in the Cotswolds last week ... enjoying an intimate performance by The Corrs while visiting with singers Natalie Imbruglia and James Blunt.

Check it out ... Ellen and Portia were beaming while dressed in matching black turtlenecks, enjoying a night out at the Farmer’s Dog Pub --  which is owned by British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson.

"Gladiator II" is one of the most anticipated films of the year, with a whopping $250 million budget -- and the cast definitely found time to live it up between those epic battle scenes.

Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, among others, were living their best lives on set in Morocco, England, and Malta -- where most of the film was shot, including the iconic Colosseum, which was recreated at Fort Ricasoli.

Clearly, it was an intense 49-day shoot, because Pedro and Paul were snapped cooling off in the ocean -- talk about a well-deserved splash break!

Travel nightmare for a man flying out of Dallas ... he got shot with a Taser and arrested after being barred from boarding his flight ... and the intense police interaction is all on video.

The incident went down Wednesday night at Dallas Love Field airport, and the footage picks up with the thwarted traveler on his knees in the middle of the terminal, holding his hands up as three cops close in.

In the video, the guy hurls expletives at police ... telling them not to get near him and egging them on when one Dallas police officer pulls out his Taser.

10:05 AM PT -- Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb has issued a statement, saying he's disappointed with the Illinois Supreme Court decision and respectfully disagrees with overturning Jussie Smollett's criminal conviction. Webb made it clear the court's decision has nothing to do with JS' guilt or innocence and he categorically believes Smollett is guilty of perpetrating a hate crime hoax against the city of Chicago.

He also pointed out the court's ruling had nothing to do with his 2 years of work on the case because he was appointed to his special prosecution role 5 months after Cook County D.A. Kim Foxx made a plea deal with Smollett. And Webb says it was that plea agreement that led to the "unprecedented" resolution initially in the case, which was the driving factor for the Supreme Court's decision today. In other words, Webb says he did nothing wrong.

9:10 AM PT -- Jussie's attorney, Nenye Uche, tells TMZ ... Jussie is "very pleasantly surprised," even "ecstatic." Uche emphasizes the court decision was unanimous.

He points out in the age of social media, courts need to push back and defend the rule of law and due process -- watch the video, he has some suggestions about how to address that.

A deal's a deal, and that means Jussie Smollett's conviction in the hate crime hoax case is now reversed, and he cannot be tried again ... according to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Illinois' high court ruled Thursday that Jussie's deal with Cook County prosecutors -- when they originally dropped the case against him -- had to be honored. State's Attorney Kim Foxx struck a plea deal with the actor, requiring him to forfeit his $10,000 bond, and do 15 hours of volunteer community service.

The court's ruling says because Jussie held up his end of the deal -- he actually did 18 hours of service -- he should not have been subject to a second prosecution. That's when he was convicted of felony disorderly conduct and sent to jail, briefly, until he appealed the decision.

The NFL is putting its players on notice ... warning them this week to be on high alert following the burglaries at the homes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

The league issued a memo to all 32 of its teams on Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, after it determined the crimes that took place at the Kansas City Chiefs stars' mansions last month appeared to be the work of a larger group of skilled individuals who have burgled homes throughout the nation this year.

In his report, Pelissero stated one other NFL player, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Linval Joseph, was actually another recent victim of the suspected operation.

One flight had to handle some serious turbulence -- courtesy of a fitness influencer launching into an extreme "bodypump" workout, much to the horror of the other passengers, one of whom recorded the scene.

Barbara de Regil, a former Mexican soap star turned fitness queen with over 9M IG followers, decided to unwind on a long-haul flight by turning the aisle into her personal gym.

Most people usually stick to light stretching or a casual stroll up and down the aisle, but Barbara clearly has zero social anxiety, crowding other passengers' already-cramped personal space to get in her exercise.

Logan Paul is clearly thrilled to have pulled a fast one on BBC ... he just released a minutes-long video gloating about the troll job.

The prank initially went down earlier this year ... after reporter Matt Shea had spent months trying to interview Paul for a new BBC documentary titled "Logan Paul: Bad Influence?"

The work's goal was to break down the WWE Superstar's alleged involvement in crypto scandals ... and, unsurprisingly, Paul turned down each one of Shea's requests -- explaining he thought of it as nothing more than an attempted hit piece.

Move over, Regina George -- Andy Cohen just slid into the iconic spot alongside Lindsay Lohan and Lacey Chabert as they recreated a legendary "Mean Girls" scene.

On Wednesday's "Watch What Happens Live," Lacey -- AKA Gretchen -- brought us back to high school, delivering the lunchroom scene where the Plastics laid down the rules for new girl Cady.

It's comedy gold -- Andy, rocking a blonde wig, absolutely nails his Regina moment -- totally obsessed with calories, and storming off for some cheese fries while Lacey keeps rattling off the rules.

8:23 AM PT -- Boulder police have responded to disparaging comments from John Ramsey, telling TMZ in a statement ... "The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”

The department is "committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved."

John Ramsey remains hopeful that some significant changes in the police department could help catch his daughter JonBenét's killer ... while blasting how law enforcement mishandled the case over the past 28 years.

Jyoti Amge and Rumeysa Gelgi may have a 5-foot difference in their height, but the world's shortest woman and the world's tallest woman have learned they have more in common than they might realize.

The record-holders recently came together for a girls' day in London for the 20th annual Guinness World Records Day ... where they enjoyed a fancy afternoon tea at The Savoy Hotel and got to know one another.

Watch the video ... Jyoti and Rumeysa beam wide as they sip on their respective cups of tea, which look noticeably different in each of their hands.

One church in Switzerland is taking religion into the modern age ... introducing an A.I. hologram of Jesus, who is doling out advice to parishioners.

Theologian Marco Schmid, who works for the church, tells TMZ ... the experience is similar to that of a Catholic confession, with churchgoers stepping into a confessional booth at St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne for a private moment behind a closed door. However, rather than a priest greeting them behind a screen, the face of A.I. Jesus pops up, looking exactly as you'd expect -- with a young face, long black hair, and a beard.

A.I. Jesus has already left an impact on the faithful, speaking more than 100 languages and moving in sync with the words it dishes out. We're told more than 1,000 conversations have already taken place between churchgoers and the A.I. Immanuel over a 2-month period ... but A.I. Jesus is currently viewed as an experiment, not a permanent replacement for priests. St. Peter's is the oldest Catholic church in the city, BTW.

Tina Turner once turned to Cher for advice on how to escape her abusive marriage to Ike Turner, the "Believe" icon spills in her memoir.

In "Cher: The Memoir, Part One," the singer explains the Turners appeared twice on her TV show she launched following her tumultuous Sonny Bono breakup -- and during one backstage chat in April 1975, Tina straight-up asked her, "Tell me how you left him."

Cher revealed Tina’s raw question came after she showed up in her dressing room, needing help to cover a bruise on her arm.

Peyton Manning clearly has no qualms with kicking Jerry Jones while he's down ... the NFL legend roasted the Dallas Cowboys owner during the CMAs on Wednesday night!

The popshot came during the award show's opening monologue ... as Manning, Lainey Wilson and Luke Bryan were delivering some punch lines while reflecting back on another year of country music.

The trio mostly ribbed one other ... but when Wilson intro'd Kelsea Ballerini to the audience -- Manning couldn't help but take a jab at Jones.

Netflix's new holiday rom-com, "Hot Frosty," is sure to melt icy relations in the bedroom for some couples this winter ... this according to a renowned sex therapist.

Dr. Laura Berman, who is best known for her show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, tells TMZ ... the seasonal flick will likely help guys get laid during the winter months -- which is a notorious time for dry spells.

According to the doctor, studies show people's sex drives decrease in the winter months, especially around the holidays ... likely due to the stress and lack of alone time with families being home more. Depression is far more common in the winter, too.