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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry passed on costumes for Halloween while down in New Zealand, but their choice of scenery screams that they were still in the spirit.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued their international tour Wednesday with a visit to Rotorua, New Zealand ... where they checked out the famous Redwoods Treewalk with lots of suspended bridges and towering timber around them.

Considering Meghan's preggo with their first Royal baby ... this is the most strenuous activity we've seen her undertake in weeks.

Piers Morgan says Kanye West distancing himself from politics -- save one really important issue -- is probably a good idea ... 'cause he thinks Ye's become a laughing stock.

We got the Brit Tuesday night leaving Craig's in WeHo where we asked what he made of Kanye saying his eyes were now "wide open" and that he'd been used to spread political messages he didn't believe in. Piers isn't so forgiving ... telling us Kanye's become a joke.

He thinks it's wise for Yeezy to chill on talking politics, 'cause he says the dude can't make up his mind on where he stands. But, Piers does agree with one thing Kanye appears to be advocating for now ... common-sense gun laws.

If you've got love for Marlon and Shawn Wayans going full whiteface, then feel free to do the same on Halloween ... according to their nephew, who is hysterically tiptoeing around the subject of race and costumes.

We got Damien Dante Wayans outside L.A.'s Sunset Plaza and asked him about 2 specific costume ideas -- "White Chicks" and "Black Panther." DW told us he appreciates people paying homage to his uncles' cult classic flick, but you gotta see his reaction when we brought up "Black Panther."

As our photog put it ... the Marvel movie was huge this year, and lots of people -- black, white and otherwise -- are feeling inspired. Well, Damien seems to be giving Panther costumes a thumbs-up too ... verrrry nervously, though.

Just watch. The takeaway -- put whatever on your face today, but do it respectfully.

Katy Perry's family and friends just scored HUGE, thanks to her scooping up a quaint little guest house. Kidding ... she bought 'em a freakin' mansion!

Take a look at Katy's SECOND home in Bev Hills -- it's 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms spread over 4,400 square feet. It's got French doors opening out to a kick-ass outdoor area for entertaining, and a pool area for 90210 lounging.

The crib is in a gated community which has also been home to Ellen Degeneres, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Adele ... and also Katy. Yeah, she bought a $19 million, 5 bedroom spread last year in this hood.

Don't worry ... Katy's not downsizing. She's keeping the OG place, deciding to add the second as a place for family and friends to stay when they're in town.

Asking price on the new home is $7.5 million, and we're told she's paying close to that. All the contingencies have cleared, and we're told the deal will close next month.

Khloe Kardashian might just be the good luck charm The Cleveland Cavaliers need ... she was in the crowd to cheer on baby daddy Tristan Thompson as his team got it's first W of the year.

Khloe was spotted at Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday in the same section we saw her seated in so many times last year. It's been a rough season for Tristan and the LeBron-less squad ... they came into the game winless (0-6), and fired their head coach Tyronn Lue just a couple days ago.

The team's luck changed with Kardashian in the crowd ... locking down a 136-114 victory over The Atlanta Hawks. Tristan had a good game too, with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Steven Tyler is in the marriage biz ... and he's kinda chomping at the bit to officiate the proper nuptials for Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin.

We got the Aerosmith frontman Tuesday at LAX and he flashed us a card he got in the mail, making him an ordained minister who can now officiate weddings. The price was certainly right ... he paid 80 bucks.

As for his Halloween costume ... well remember, just a couple days ago Steven tweeted a hilarious picture of himself with the following caption:

The haunted box that seemed to curse Post Malone is about to see the light of day on Halloween, 'cause its new owner wants to take a peek inside ... but on one condition.

"Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans tells TMZ he plans on opening the dybbuk box in his Haunted Museum Wednesday night, and he'll be doing it live on his show. As crazy as that sounds, it's even worse when you hear what Zak's been going through lately.

He tells us he's been getting ominous signs left and right leading up to the event that would make even Damien Thorn shake. It's pretty freaky sh*t -- stuff like dreams about people and animals being killed, calls from an unknown number telling him people will die ... and illness plaguing him for the past few weeks.

Remember ... this is the same box that supposedly put Post Malone's life in danger these past few months after he was in the same room with Zak, who ended up touching the thing. Post didn't touch it himself, but he did touch Zak's shoulder ... and Zak says that's enough to trigger a curse.

There is an upside, though, that hopefully keeps Zak from prying this devil box open. He tells us he'll only do it if he does NOT feel the same supernatural sensation he and Post felt in the room this summer.

Considering this box has made people pass out on sight -- like this poor woman here -- we're guessing he'll feel something. BTW ... we're told this lady collapsed after coming into the same room with the box just a week after Post visited. She had to be taken to the ER.

One high-end real estate developer is going green ... building weed-friendly mansions for athletes, CEOs and celebs looking to harvest their own herb at home and take advantage of the plant's healing powers without ever having to get off the couch!

Ramtin Ray Nosrati of Huntington Estate Properties is building 5 marijuana mansions in Bel-Air and Westside, and each residence contains a cannabis conservatory ... it's basically a stoner's spin on a cigar room, specifically designed for blazing up and growing ganja.

The individual homes -- call them the houses that hemp built -- are being advertised to active and retired athletes who are interested in at-home, anti-inflammatory medicine for daily life ... because THC and CBD can do wonders for all the physical and mental stress that comes with being one of the world's elite ballers.

Check out the gallery ... the special cannabis room inside each home comes with its own dedicated harvester, who will work magic for 2 years cultivating, watering, fertilizing and harvesting crops and/or vegetables using organic hydroponics. In Los Angeles, you can grow up to 6 plants in your home. Sounds dank!

Khabib Nurmagomedov is a bigger star than Conor McGregor -- so says his manager -- and therefore deserves MORE MONEY than Conor ... which he why he wants at least $50 mil for his next fight.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz who argues Khabib has become a "global superstar" -- who's met with some of the most powerful leaders in the world.

Ali says Khabib's reach is bigger than ever -- and he wants UFC to come to the table with a paycheck that reflects how big of a star he's become.

"Come on, man! You have a guy meeting with Putin, [President of Turkey] Erdogan. And, the other guy selling liquor on the corner store. It's not even in the f**king same planet."

Ali says Khabib would consider a rematch with McGregor if the price is right -- but, this time, Conor will get an even worse beating.

"I really want to see [Conor] drink his own blood," Ali says ... "He talked a lot of sh*t. He didn't back it up. Embarrassed himself in front of his whole beautiful country of Ireland, his father, his mother, his wife."

USC student and model Alasdair Russell killed himself after suffering head injuries while pledging a fraternity, and now his mother wants the frat to pay up ... TMZ has learned.

Alasdair attended an October 2016 party at the Phi Kappa Psi frat house, where he was trying to become a member. According to a lawsuit, frat members forced him to drink in excess "to the point of passing out" -- and that's exactly what happened when he fell off a platform, smashed his head and lost consciousness.

In the suit, Alasdair's mother says after he passed out, frat brothers discouraged him from getting medical attention out of fear it would "expose PKP Local's conduct, including but not limited to supplying alcohol to minors and engaging in hazing activities."

The next day, Alasdair complained of concussion-like symptoms -- head pain, vomiting, blurry vision and wooziness. His mother claims PKP bros gave him Adderall and cocaine to keep him in the game ... as far as pledge duties and partying.

According to the suit -- obtained by TMZ -- over the next few months, his personality changed, he dropped out of school in January 2017, and he ended being involuntarily committed ... presumably to a psychiatric facility. Then, on April 1, he took his own life on a beach in Florida ... while wearing a tuxedo.

10/31 -- Candace says she never once said Kanye designed the t-shirts for BLEXIT ... calling it a lie. She added, "This is a lie that seems to have made its way around the world; a lie I would like to again correct for the record. Kanye was completely right to feel used in that regard and as I have done personally, I would like to publicly apologize to him for any undue stress or pain the effort to correct that rumor has caused him, his business relationships, or his family. He simply never designed them."

Candace also said Kanye's tweets were "aimed at me and only me, rightfully, for my personal failings."

4:15 PM PT -- Kanye contacted us to make it clear he did not mention Donald Trump in his tweets, and he's getting out of politics altogether.

As for being "used" ... he says he was specifically referencing Blexit, and that's it.

Kanye West says he's been used by people to spread political messages and he's now done with it.

Kanye just fired off a series of tweets apparently distancing himself from politics. He said, "My eyes are now wide open and now realize I've been used to spread messages I don't believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative."

Kanye all but says the culprit is ultra-conservative Candace Owens. He said, "I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn't want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it."

Owens had said, "Blexit [black exit from Democratic Party] is a renaissance and I'm blessed to say that this logo, these colors, were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero -- Kanye West."

Ye went on to thank his family and community for "supporting my ACTUAL beliefs and my vision for a better world." He also expressed compassion for people seeking asylum and parents fighting to protect their children from violence and war.

And, he said he supports common-sense gun laws.

Kate Hudson's catching some flak for dressing up as a follower of Bhagwan Rajneesh -- the cult leader in the Netflix docuseries, "Wild Wild Country" -- but one of his former disciples LOVES it.

We talked to Philip Toelkes -- who used to go by Swami Prem Niren when he served as the top attorney for the controversial Rajneeshpuram in the '80s -- and he tells us Kate and her friends were well within their rights to celebrate the group.

Kate faced backlash online after posting the pic, apparently at a Halloween party, because some people felt she was glorifying the "cult."

Let's face it ... Rajneeshees will be a hit Halloween costume this year -- with the popularity of the Netflix series -- and Phil says he's totally on board with that. He also thinks Bhagwan -- aka Osho -- would be too, as long as it's respectful.

Phil also took aim at the haters, who say the Rajneeshees almost ruined a way of life for many Oregonians, saying they never understood their movement.

On the other hand, the mayor of Antelope, OR -- which had been overrun by the Rajneeshees -- tells us, "They plotted to assassinate someone. How friendly would others be if [someone] dressed up as a terrorist for Halloween?"

Linda McMahon says she didn't make the call for the WWE to move forward with the Pay-Per-View event in Saudi Arabia on Friday ... saying she's no longer responsible for WWE's business moves.

Besides being married to WWE honcho Vince McMahon -- Linda also served as a high ranking executive in the organization from 1980 through 2009.

She's now part of the Trump administration -- serving as the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, based in Washington D.C.

So, when we saw her out at Reagan Airport on Tuesday, we had to ask how she felt about WWE not canceling the 'Crown Jewel' event, despite pressure from politicians and other powerful people in the wake of the Jamal Khashoggi murder.

"If you wanna talk WWE, you're talking to the wrong McMahon," Linda told us.

When we pointed out that WWE is essentially a family-run business, she replied -- "I don't run it and I'm not responsible for it ... ya gotta talk to Vince."

Message received -- loud and clear!

How does Ben Stiller feel about Shaun White getting heat for an offensive Halloween costume based off his "Tropic Thunder" movie?

He's sorry. Still.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White dressed up as Simple Jack -- a mentally disabled character who was constantly referred to as the r-word in the 2008 movie.

Back in 2008, several disability groups spoke out against the flick -- calling the Simple Jack character offensive and tasteless.

Now, with White trotting out the costume again, groups like the Special Olympics ripped Shaun for exploiting special needs for a cheap laugh.

White has since apologized -- and now Stiller is weighing in too.

"Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then," Stiller said on social media.

"It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie, Shaun White, And the great people and work of the Special Olympics.