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A Los Angeles-area home belonging to NBA guard Talen Horton-Tucker was broken into earlier this week ... and law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports cops believe the suspect made off with $170,000 in jewelry.

We're told the break-in -- or at least part of it -- was actually captured on camera ... showing the thief entering the property by jumping over a back fence -- before leaving out of one of the residence's side yards.

Thankfully, our sources say no one was home at the time of the burglary -- as Horton-Tucker was not in town. We're told it was a house sitter who discovered it and reported it to police.

Alan Cumming recently called his 'X-Men' movie "X2" the gayest flick he's ever made ... and someone else involved with the superhero film agrees ... the writer!

David Hayter, who penned "X-Men" and "X2" ... tells TMZ ... he loved hearing AC's take ... 'cause the dude who played the mutant Nightcrawler is 100% right ... the 2003 movie is pretty gay -- for an important reason!

Here's the deal... the film actor and Broadway star -- out since 1998 -- reflected on his diverse career, highlighting "X2" ... proudly calling it the "gayest film I've ever done, and that's me saying it" ... noting he believes the storyline is an allegory for queerness.

Duff McKagan's responding to "The Simpsons" name controversy ... saying he really doesn't care even if they did use his name -- but, he still thinks the connection's obvious.

We caught up with Guns N' Roses rocker in L.A. Friday and asked him about OG 'Simpsons' writer-producer Jay Kogen telling us the show's premier beer -- Duff -- isn't named for him ... instead, it's named after dude's who just sit on their butts and drink beer all day long.

DM tells us he thinks it's super funny the show's creators are all in a tizzy over his claims ... adding they're all protesting jway too much.

Jordon Hudson's 64-year-old former lover is racing to her defense ... blasting haters who have accused her of being a gold digger for her romance with Bill Belichick -- while praising her as "wise beyond her years."

Joshua L. Zuckerman -- a businessman -- tells TMZ Sports ... he met Hudson several years ago, and after bonding over psychology, philosophy and nature, they became romantic.

The two were off and on for a while -- but ceased their dating relationship just prior to Hudson coupling up with Belichick.

Kim Kardashian went all out for North West's 11th birthday -- because we're now getting an inside peek into the festivities ... and it honestly looks like a little kid's dream come true.

Check out these new photos and video obtained by TMZ that show exactly what North's big bash out in New Jersey looked like from within ... they show what the kiddos were up to at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, where North and her besties had a blast.

As you can see, North and her pals took over the place in their matching "I❤️NW" shirts -- a twist on the famous "I❤️NY" slogan, obviously -- and they enjoyed all sorts of rides and activities that were there just for them, including a photo op with SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs.

Justin Timberlake fans are capitalizing on his legal woes ... turning his glassy-eyed mug shot into merchandise.

Check it out ... several Etsy creators have already released products centered on Justin's DWI arrest ... t-shirts, shot glasses and mugs have popped up on the e-commerce site.

One shirt -- which comes in a variety of colors -- features JT's mug and pokes fun at his song, "SexyBack" ... the tee is emblazoned with, "I'm Bringing Tipsy Back."

Chris Cuomo isn't a fan of Presidential debates, dismissing them as pageantry -- but he says that's not the case with the face-off next week between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Cuomo was on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and his take is the debate will be a major test for Biden, not on policy issues but on cognition.

The NewsNation anchor breaks it down like this: If Joe steps onto the debate stage and performs well, then Trump's gonna regret all those digs, like comparing him to cartoon characters and mocking his cognitive abilities.

Robert Whittaker expected to fight Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but will instead face Ikram Aliskerov after Borz was forced out of the scrap with an illness that hospitalized him. So, much easier fight, right?!

Not so fast ... according to 33-year-old Whittaker himself!

"I am thankful for [Aliskerov] to step up to the plate to fight, and a lot of fans probably don't know how dangerous this guy is. And, in a lot of ways, this guy is more dangerous than Chimaev was, especially mentality-wise, because he has nothing to lose and only everything to gain," Robert told TMZ Sports earlier this week.

Diddy scrubbed his Instagram this week -- including his on-camera apology over the Cassie video -- and while some think it's a diss ... we're told there's no subliminal messaging here.

At some point late Thursday, Diddy got rid of every single IG post on his page -- wiping it completely clean without any explanation ... and that includes the video he posted where he addressed the brutal video of him beating his then-girlfriend.

The internet was rife with theories on what might've been behind the move -- but sources with direct knowledge have assured us there's nothing behind the move other than Puff wanting to reset his posts ... something we're told he's done in the past.

Ryan Hadley -- a tattoo artist who appeared on season 6 of the hit competition show "Ink Master" -- has died after a battle with cancer ... this according to his own social pages.

Hadley's Instagram account shared the sad news Friday -- saying he'd passed away the night prior while surrounded by loved ones. The caption continued, "While his life was cut short, in that time he left a legacy behind in both the art and tattoo world."

It went on ... "He loved his many fans, his friends and clients, and most of all his children. He’ll be missed and always remembered. A legend forever." A photo of Ryan doing some tattoo work was added to the post, and it showed him beaming.

Neal McDonough is weighing in on Kevin Costner's "Yellowstone" exit -- saying it really was just bad timing ... although, he notes the issue is between KC and Taylor Sheridan, which seems to hint at something deeper.

We talked to the 'Yellowstone' actor -- who starred opposite Kevin on the hit show for a handful of episodes back in the day -- and he told us on "TMZ Live" Friday that Kevin isn't BS'ing when he says there were scheduling issues that forced him to bounce.

Take a listen ... Neal explains that Kev was, in fact, busy for his new western movie 'Horizon' -- and because the last season of 'Yellowstone' took a while to get going in terms of production ... it was ultimately impossible for the leading man to stay on.

Kendrick Lamar extended his Pop Out stage to a wide variety of rappers -- and Kalan.FrFr says reaping the benefits was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!!!

The Roc Nation artist spoke with TMZ Hip Hop about his time onstage ... Kalan and G Perico performed their collab "Right Wit It" during DJ Hed's set and says Kendrick has been nothing but humble and genuine through all their encounters over the years.

Kalan tells us he wasn't exactly shocked at the K. Dot invite ... they're both from Compton and their degrees of separation are next to nothing.

Rakim -- the man, the myth, The 18th Letter -- is back on the hip hop scene after a 15-year break from releasing albums!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the "Paid In Full" legend Friday just hours removed from the premiere of his new song "Be Ill," which finds the "God MC" shooting lyrical darts with Kurupt and Wu-Tang Clan's Masta Killa.

Rakim produced the track, added the DJ scratches himself and tells us his upcoming album "God's Network: Rebirth" is actually a compilation showcase for rap stars he rocks with.

Jason Martin, f.k.a. Problem, was one of the select West Coast rappers to perform at Kendrick Lamar's Juneteenth Pop Out concert -- an honor he doesn't take lightly!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Jason still glowing with the euphoria from the night -- the Compton rapper performed his classic "Like Whaaat" track for the Kia Forum crowd, sharing the stage with Black Hippy, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyler, The Creator, Kalan.FrFr, Blxst and many more via DJ Hed and Mustard's sets.

Jason says the entire atmosphere was like a family reunion, he came up in the same Blog Era with Kendrick ... he says the name change reflects his maturity.

5:28 PM PT -- A rep for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tells TMZ ... the bear hasn't been caught, but if it is -- it will be euthanized. We're also told that city officials suspect the bear ended up here as a result of human behavior ... namely, the likelihood that humans were feeding it.

However, a rep for Anakeesta tells us they're not aware of anyone at the park going out of their way to feed the animal. In any case ... it'll meet its maker if/when it's found.

2:18 PM PT -- A rep the City of Gatlinburg tells TMZ ... the employee in question declined medical treatment, even though first responders arrived at the scene -- including agents for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The City says the bear fled the area ... and it doesn't sound like it was caught.

A Tennessee amusement park employee barely escaped with her life after a bear attacked her while on the job ... and the whole thing's on video, which we got a hold of.

Chris Cuomo's calling out the media for obsessing over Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest ... saying it's part of our love of negativity ... in this case, taking a big star down.

Chris jumped on "TMZ Live" Friday and had a lot to say about the arrest ... not only does Chris live near the town where Timberlake got busted, he's offering JT strong support.

The NewsNation anchor tells us he knows he can't tell other media outlets what they should or shouldn't cover ... but he thinks the degree to which many have focused on JT's Monday arrest has gone way too far.