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"Stranger Things" has a way with music -- and this season was no different, especially for Metallica ... whose tunes are in high demand, particularly among guitar hero wannabes.

As you've heard, the band's '80s hit, "Master of Puppets," is featured in a pivotal scene toward the end of the 4th season of the Netflix hit (RIP Eddie Munson) -- and like other songs heavily featured in this year's installment ... Metallica's earworm is surging in real life.

Just like Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" got mad love among new listeners, 'MoP' experienced the same -- with a reported 400% boost in streaming among various platforms.

What's different now ... it seems this renewed interest is seeping into the world of musical instruction, specifically through a company called Yousician -- which teaches noobs the basics of how to play certain instruments, including guitar.

Per Billboard, the online school's site reports a massive spike in a certain online lesson they offer -- upwards of 100%, apparently. You see, they actually teamed up with the real Metallica for a virtual master class for their paying customers ... and learning how to play "Master of Puppets" is indeed one of the songs available in their "Metallica x Yousician' course.

Yousician is also said to be adding the song to another internal tool on their site -- a guitar tuning and songwriting one -- as 'MoP' doesn't currently exist there, but will soon.

The amount of support for "Outer Banks" stand-in Alexander "AJ" Jennings has been massive since his untimely death ... but his family says the best way to honor him would be to donate some cash to a charity.

LuJean Jennings, Alex's mother, tells TMZ ... they've been offered help for funeral costs from "Outer Banks" cast and crew members, but she thinks a donation to the Red Cross would make more sense, given the deep ties he has with the org -- and it's not just his CPR and lifeguard certification.

Alex, who stood in for Chase Stokes on the Netflix series, was born in Russia and was adopted from an orphanage when he was 18 months old. He was proud of his heritage ... up until Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- something he found extremely upsetting.

Being a 22-year-old actor, Alex didn't always have the means to make financial contributions of his own, but his family would often send money to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The fund assists people leaving Ukraine with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies.

Alex's family is asking those wanting to show support for the late actor to help the refugees by chipping in to the IFRC instead.

As we reported, Alex was struck and killed by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. According to preliminary reports, he was walking along the main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit.

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," has just been sentenced to 12 years behind bars in his child pornography case.

Harris was in court for sentencing Wednesday, where a string of his friends and supporters read statements about the disgraced reality star's character. After the lengthy hearing, the judge announced the 12-year sentence.

Fed source tells TMZ … Harris has been ordered into 8 years to pay $35,000 into AVAA crime victims fund, along with court-supervised release after imprisonment.

As we reported, Harris was facing up to 50 years behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct ... federal prosecutors recommended Harris spend 15 years locked away.

The "Cheer" star had been under investigation by the FBI dating back to 2019. Authorities claimed he was soliciting sex from minors at cheer competitions, and coercing teen boys to send inappropriate photos.

He was arrested in September of the following year -- the Netflix series even dove into his arrest during their second season.

Harris' cheerleading coach, Monica Aldama, was completely shocked by the news ... saying, "Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I'm praying hard for the victims and everyone affected."

He was denied bond while awaiting trial ... prosecutors successfully argued Harris might prey on minors if released on bond, reverting back to the same behavior he once had.

A stand-in for Chase Stokes on the hit show 'Outer Banks' was killed this week in a horrific car accident -- this as the new season continues to film in South Carolina.

22-year-old Alexander 'AJ' Jennings was struck by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. He passed away as a result of injuries sustained from the double hit-and-run -- the coroner's office has his time of death listed at 3:13 AM.

According to preliminary reports, Jennings was walking along a main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit around 2 AM. The first vehicle left him for dead, and not too long after that ... Jennings was apparently hit by a second vehicle that also split -- although that driver was reportedly later pulled over in a traffic stop.

Life-saving measures were unsuccessful ... Jennings succumbed to his injuries. His employer, Kimmie Stewart Casting, confirmed Jennings had been working on 'OB' as a photo double/stand-in for John B -- the main character of the Netflix series, portrayed by Chase.

KSC writes, "I cannot fathom the shock and tragedy of AJ's sudden loss and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. I understand this message may be difficult to process for those of you that met & became fast friends with AJ."

The agency adds that Netflix has grief counseling available to those who need it -- as AJ appears to have had a lot of friends on the production. One of those friends, it seems, was Chase himself ... who also honored AJ by taking to social media.

He writes, "Still trying to process why certain things happen, and why the world works in the ways that it does. My heart is shattered. Your life was just starting. We JUST talked about how pumped you were about your tunes, how far you'd come with that ole 6 string and your want to keep creating art. Always always making others hearts warm and being so damn selfless." CS went on to say AJ had touched all of their lives, adding ... "Fly high angel."

Warren Jeffs, the subject of a popular new Netflix documentary -- "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" -- has been closely watched for his own protection for the past decade while locked away, TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice tells TMZ ... Warren has been in protective custody since he arrived at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Anderson County back in 2011.

The area is designed to provide the ultimate protection for inmates ... he stays in his cell for 22 hours each day ... even his meals are brought to him. He's given some rec time, but isn't allowed to interact with other inmates.

An inmate is placed in protective custody when there's been a serious, direct or proven threat to their safety. The circumstances surrounding his confinement have not been made public.

As we reported, Warren took his new mug shot Thursday ... as his Netflix doc continues to do big numbers. The series examines his controversial church ... where polygamy reigned supreme.

Terrifying news from one of the stars of the Netflix series, "Cheer" -- Maddy Brum says she was struck by a car that was traveling 20-30 MPH earlier this week ... but thankfully, she escaped with just bruises and cuts on her body.

Brum -- who rose to fame during season 2 of the hit show -- says she was walking with her teammates at a crosswalk when a car turned and drove into her.

Brum posted pics from the hospital ... and appears to be in good spirits, giving a thumbs up.

In fact, the Navarro star -- who's currently on tour promoting the show -- says she will continue to perform during the next upcoming dates "to the best of my ability" after being checked out by an orthopedic surgeon.

Brum's Navarro friends shared kind words for their friend ... with La'Darius Marshall commenting, "I'm praying for you darling 😢get well soon!"

Gabi Butler added ... "I love you Madison 🤍 got them guardian angels around you 🙏🏽"

Navarro coach Monica Aldama said, "I'm so thankful it wasn't worse! ❤️❤️❤️ I love you!"

Brum thanked her teammates Angel Rice, Javon "Jay" Kendrick and James Thomas for taking care of her during the incident ... calling them the "bestest" friends.

Warren Jeffs, the subject of a popular new Netflix documentary, just posed for a new mug shot ... and he doesn't look happy about his streaming service fame.

The infamous president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is behind bars in Texas, where he's serving a life sentence for child sexual assault.

We're told Warren took his new mug shot Thursday ... as his Netflix doc continues to do big numbers. He's locked up at the Louis C. Powledge Unit ... a prison in Palestine, Texas.

The super-popular Netflix documentary, "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey," takes a look at Warren and his controversial church ... where polygamy reigned supreme.

Warren reportedly had 78 wives when he was arrested back in 2006 ... and his rap sheet includes time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List plus a separate conviction for rape as an accomplice.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris should spend 15 years behind prison bars for his child pornography case ... at least according to federal prosecutors.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the U.S. Attorney's Office is recommending that sentence when the judge metes out Harris' punishment next week.

As we reported, the "Cheer" star is facing a maximum of 50 years behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Prosecutors called Harris' actions horrific, but noted his rough childhood also factored into their recommendation of a somewhat lenient 15-year sentence.

They've also requested he get 10 years of supervised release once he gets out of prison.

For his part, Jerry's legal team is trying to convince the judge to give him an even lighter sentence of 6 years in prison, and 8 years supervised release.

You'll recall, Harris -- a breakout star from the popular Netflix series -- had been under a 2019 FBI investigation for soliciting sex from minors at cheer competitions, and coercing teen boys to send inappropriate photos.

"Selling Sunset" star Maya Vander -- one of the show's first cast members -- will not be returning next season ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Maya will not return to the Netflix reality series because she's focused on raising her family and continuing to build her real estate business in Miami. Not only that, Maya recently switched her real estate license to be a member of the Compass real estate firm.

We're told Maya loved her time on the show ... but the commute from Miami to Los Angeles to be a part of the production got to be a lot to handle, especially with young kids.

She was also noticeably absent during the MTV Movie Awards when most of the other cast attended.

Maya shared some devastating news Wednesday, revealing she'd suffered a miscarriage just 6 months after her son's stillbirth. We're told the weight of that loss also factored into Maya's decision to end her time on "Selling Sunset."

In sharing the sad news, Maya thanked her husband, Dave Miller, and her two kids -- Aiden and Elle -- for the "joy and happiness" they bring to her life.

Joe Exotic is back in the dating game, after just splitting with his prison fiancé ... we've learned he's rekindled things with a former boyfriend.

Joe and his ex-boyfriend, Seth, are back together after Joe's would-be-husband John Graham got sprung from prison and moved on ... this according to Joe's lawyer Autumn Blackledge.

Seth and Joe met over the Internet back in 2021, when Seth found out Dillon Passage and Joe were splitting. Later that year Joe held an online 'Bachelor King' competition, accepting applications to be Joe's new boyfriend, and Seth was the lucky winner.

They dated for a few months but grew apart and fell out of touch. Joe then met fellow inmate John Graham at the FMC in Fort Worth.

As we reported, Joe and John called it quits earlier this month ... ending their 'Twilight'-esque relationship. Autumn told us ... John quickly ended his relationship with Joe after he got released, and almost immediately Joe reconnected with Seth.

We're told Joe and Seth communicate through letters and talk on the phone daily. Joe says he got back together with Seth because he got his "head out of his own a**" and realized he really liked Seth.

Joe says, "Seth is an amazing human being, wants the best for me and we understand each other," ... adding he's taking this one slowly.

As for seeing each other face-to-face ... Seth has yet to get the approval from prison staff, but he plans to see him as soon as he gets the green light.

Anthony Anderson is backing Dave Chappelle's decision to turn down an honor from his high school alma mater, which was all set to name a building after him.

We got AA at LAX Tuesday, and he thinks Dave's spot on by turning thumbs down on plastering the building -- the Duke Ellington School of the Arts -- with his moniker. After some controversy, the school was ready to put Dave's name right in the front, but Monday night he opted for a different name ... the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.

Anthony believes Dave's a pioneer in the world of free speech, especially for comedians. Anthony acknowledges ... everyone's got their own opinion and some disagree with what Dave says, and that's ok.

While addressing the crowd Monday, Dave referenced the backlash from students over his special 'The Closer' ... and said it really hurt him.

Dave Chappelle's alma mater is paying tribute to him by renaming a building in his honor ... just months after he got heckled on campus during the transgender controversy.

Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. is set to rename its performance theater after its most noted alumni ... the school says it's honoring Dave because of his "ongoing commitment and service to the school."

As we reported, Dave paid a visit to his old high school back in November, while he was taking heat for his jokes about the transgender community.

Things got heated when he invited students who disagreed to speak during an assembly. One student stepped up and called him a bigot, adding, "I'm 16 and I think you're childish." Some students wanted the school to reverse its decision over naming the building after him.

Dave challenged both his supporters and his opponents -- asking both sides to raise money for the school, and if the opponents raised more money, he'd gladly forego the honor of having the building renamed.

As it turns out, his supporters raised the most money so the building will be called the Dave Chappelle Theatre.

Two actors in the Netflix series "The Chosen One" are dead after a car accident near the Mexico location where the show is being filmed.

The actors were riding in a van with several other crew members when they crashed on the Baja peninsula ... according to multiple reports.

Six other people in the van were reportedly injured as it flipped on its side while traveling on a dirt road near the city of Mulege. It appears the crew was traveling between Mulege and Santa Rosalia ... the seaside city where they've been shooting 'Chosen One' scenes.

None of the victims have been identified yet.

The series is about a 12-year-old boy who finds out he's actually the second coming of Jesus Christ, sent to save humanity.

Doc Antle wants to be released from custody as he awaits trial in his federal money laundering case -- and when it comes to his rationale, he's throwing everything at the wall ... hoping something sticks.

The "Tiger King" star's legal team filed new docs, obtained by TMZ, asking a judge to allow him to post bond because he says he has a slew of health issues ... including atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure, which make it risky for him to be behind bars due to COVID.

He says the coronavirus would exacerbate his heart and circulation problems, and if that's not good enough for the judge -- Doc also cites his sleep apnea, torn rotator cuff, torn meniscus, dislocated collar bone and significant discomfort from old fractures suffered in a car wreck ... years ago. Yeah, he's totally falling apart, if ya buy what he's selling.

But, wait there's more, judge!

Antle insists his elderly mother, who has dementia, is scheduled to be back under his care soon -- and then, there are the animals.

He says his Myrtle Beach Safari resort is liable to fall into a state of disarray without his leadership. So, for all of the above reasons he's asking the judge to let him out on bond.

While Doc points out he's had a clean criminal record, prior to this, prosecutors say he's a flight risk because he has the resources to make a clean getaway.

As you know, Doc is facing money laundering charges ... and, if convicted, he could be locked up for a long time. He's denied the accusations.

Joe Exotic's gotta be singing "Looking for love in all the wrong places" -- his wedding plans are suddenly off now that his "Twilight"-esque relationship with his prison fiancé is dunzo.

Joe's divorce attorney Autumn Blackledge tells TMZ ... Joe believed he'd fallen in love with fellow inmate John Graham, but ever since John got released from their federal prison in Texas ... he's moved on and ended things with Joe.

We're told Joe will continue to have a close relationship with John's son and some members of his family, and despite their split ... Joe has only nice things to say about his ex.

Sounds like Joe's broken heart is healing quickly, though -- we're told a "very special man" came back into his life recently, someone picking up where they left off before he "put his head up his ass." No official word on who it is yet, but a name comes to mind.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe filed for divorce from Dillon Passage in March, with his relationship with John being the reason why. Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed divorce docs from jail.

We're told JE's divorce from Dillon is still making slow but steady progress, so there's a chance this mystery man might be someone totally new ... to the public, anyway.

Jennifer Lopez was apparently not happy to share a stage with Shakira -- and now, their respective fan bases are having a debate ... who's the bigger superstar between the two?

The question was posed through a statement on Twitter, which has since taken off and gone viral -- with tons of people chiming in with their own takes. The OG opinion read, "Shakira was never bigger than J Lo EVER in her career 😂😂😂😂😂😂 and I love Shakira."

The reason this is being discussed is due to this new J Lo doc, 'Halftime,' which premiered at Tribeca ... where Jenny expresses serious sour grapes about her Super Bowl gig.

According to reports, the BTS film documents what went into the Halftime Show that both Jennifer and Shakira co-headlined in 2020 ... and Jen is quoted as saying, "This is the worst idea in the world to have two people do the Super Bowl ... worst idea in the world."

She's further described as having some flare-ups with Shakira herself -- who, during rehearsals, stressed the importance of weaving their songs into the performance, per NFL guidance ... to which Jennifer reportedly says, "If it was going to be a double-headliner, they should have given us 20 minutes. That's what they should've f***ing done."

Her manager, Benny Medina, hits the point home in the film -- saying, "It was an insult to think that you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done."

And that's where Saturday's convo picks up ... with LOTS of people arguing that Shakira is actually the real global icon that Jen and her team seems to think she is -- at least that's what users on the bird app appear to be suggesting with some pretty fiery memes.

If you hop into the "J Lo" trend right now ... you'll see people coming out in full defense of Shakira, pointing out the accolades and record sales (globally) she has over Jen.

Some are even saying that the Jen isn't even all that famous here in the States for her music, but more so ... her beauty, body and/or significant others. Which is ... interesting.

At any rate, there's a bit of backlash toward Jennifer's brutal honesty over how she felt about being paired up with Shakira ... some are seeing it as Jen coming off as a bit entitled, and sort of a diva (in a bad way). Meanwhile, others are giving Jen props for keeping it real.