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Tekashi69 had a distribution disaster on his hands after his new album leaked over the weekend, forcing him to cut a last-minute deal to make sure "Dummy Boy" hits the streets Tuesday ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Tekashi tell TMZ ... "Dummy Boy" is being officially released Tuesday through Create Music Group. The album was originally set for distribution through Caroline and Capitol Music Group, but we're told the two sides had a disagreement after 'DB' leaked online, and Tekashi turned to Create because he wanted his music released ASAP.

Our Tekashi sources say the rapper felt comfortable working with Create because the two have a longstanding relationship. Create is 6ix9ine's main music publisher, but it's the first time he's using their distribution arm.

For Tekashi, the official album drop is a bit of good news in an otherwise terrible month ... he's been behind bars since Nov. 18 in his federal racketeering case, and he's currently hoping to get out on bail.

Senator Dianne Feinstein got a serious bomb threat a month before pipe bombs started showing up at the homes and offices of other prominent politicians ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs ... an intern at the California Senator's field office on Santa Monica Blvd. answered the phone on September 26 and a man on the line wanted to confirm the address of the office. He got mad and blurted out he was gonna "bomb the place" and hung up.

The intern, concerned with what he had just heard, told his supervisor who then contacted Capitol police. According to the docs, cops executed a search warrant for phone records in hopes of identifying the caller.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... no arrests have been made and it's an ongoing investigation.

The bomb threat came nearly a month to the day before pipe bombs were sent to former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, among others. There was also a package addressed to former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's HQ and Robert De Niro.

It had been believed a similar package was sent to Feinstein's field office on October 25 ... but the item turned out to be harmless.

David Charvet has filed a request for a restraining order against Team USA soccer star Jermaine Jones -- after Jermaine publicly accused the actor of trying to sleep with his wife.

Jermaine -- who played in the 2014 World Cup for Team USA -- sounded off on social media last week, posting a photo of Charvet with a cartoon devil over his face.

In the post, Jones said ... "I don't understand how some man just come and step in to relationships. Calling them self friends and behind the scenes there goal is just to get on your wife."

Jones claimed Charvet trashed him to his wife behind Jones' back.

"From the first day I don't trusted him and I was right. He killed my family!"

"I just do that post because I don't like that type of man what uses kids to get on married women #thedevilhimself."

Charvet is recently separated from his estranged wife, Brooke Burke. She filed for divorce back in April.

There's no joy at the Krusty Krab -- Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of "SpongeBob SquarePants," died Monday after battling ALS.

Stephen first revealed his ALS diagnosis in 2017. He's survived by his wife, Karen, and his son, Clay.

Nickelodeon called him "a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family."

Steve created 'SpongeBob' in the late '90s, but he took a circuitous route to his TV and movie success. Hillenburg started out teaching marine biology in Orange County ... but eventually combined that knowledge of ocean creatures with his artistic talent.

He broke into TV as a director and writer on the Nickelodeon show, "Rocko's Modern Life" -- and then eventually started creating his 'SpongeBob' ... which debuted in 1999.

In addition to the TV series, Steve wrote both hit 'SpongeBob' feature films. The first one grossed more than $140 million.

Variety first reported Hillenburg's death. He was 57.

Enjoy a Krabby Patty today in his name.

Nev Schulman went fishing for a new "Catfish" co-host and turned up with a handful of celebs to help him ... including NBA star Nick Young.

Sources close to the production tell TMZ ... Swaggy P will be 1 of 8 guest co-hosts when the new season debuts Wednesday night. The other guests include model Slick Woods; Jane Carrey, Jim's daughter; Tallulah Willis, singer Elle King and former NFL star Rashad Jennings.

TMZ broke the story ... Nev's been searching for a new co-host since Max Joseph bounced earlier this year after 7 years on the job.

That set things in motion for MTV to begin its search. Nev himself had a list in mind and really swung for the fences ... 'cause he was down to bring Cardi B on board. No dice there, but he still got some entertaining guests.

Nick's no stranger to the spotlight. He once made out with a puppet and went on a bro date with Draymond Green but also nearly blew his hand off in this crazy 4th of July video.

Swaggy P's gonna have tough competition ... he's not the only guest co-host who knows how to grab headlines. Remember, Slick recently went into labor right after walking the runway at NYFW.

Stan Lee, the creator of much of the Marvel Universe, died from heart and respiratory failure ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained Stan's death certificate, and it lists heart failure and respiratory failure as the cause of death. It also says he suffered aspiration pneumonia -- which is when you inhale food, stomach acid or saliva into your lungs. According to the document, 95-year-old Lee died Monday, November 12 at 9:17 AM at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

TMZ broke the story ... an ambulance rushed to Lee's Hollywood Hills home earlier this month, and he was brought to Cedars-Sinai.

The certificate says he was cremated and his ashes returned to his daughter. His occupation was listed as a writer in the publishing business.

Stan was smiling and cheerful Saturday, November 10 during what would be his final sit-down with his protege, comic book writer Roy Thomas.

Stan had been battling several illnesses over the past year, including vision issues and a bout of pneumonia.

Stan launched Marvel in 1961 with the Fantastic Four and the comic book giant went on to spawn Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men, Black Panther and The Avengers.

Dana White just went scorched Earth on Oscar De La Hoya -- blasting the head of Golden Boy Promotions as a "f*cking cokehead" who irresponsibly let Chuck Liddell fight Tito Ortiz this past weekend.

"I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said on the "UFC Unfiltered" podcast on Tuesday.

"People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is -- first of all, I heard last week the cokehead ‘Oscar De La Weirdo’ is talking sh*t that I don’t have any place to tell guys when to retire."

"First of all, it’s called ‘friendship’ you f*cking cokehead."

"I’ve been friends with Chuck Liddell for 20 years and the reality is that Chuck Liddell retired when he should have retired. Eight, nine years ago, however long it was. And, Chuck Liddell’s almost 50-years-old and has no business fighting anymore."

"The fact that the state of California even let that fight happen is disgusting. Disgusting."

He continued ... "Chuck Liddell has an incredible legacy. He’s a huge superstar in this sport, so of course as a friend, anybody who claims to be a friend of Chuck Liddell and was anywhere near this fight is full of sh*t. They’re not a friend of Chuck Liddell. To let him go in and fight this fight is terrible."

Of course, Chuck was knocked out in the 1st round of his fight with Ortiz -- and after the bout, he told TMZ Sports he's not sure if he'll step in the cage again.

Clearly, he knows how Dana feels about the situation ...

Dana and Oscar have been publicly feuding for a while -- ever since Oscar blasted Dana for the Mayweather vs. McGregor boxing match.

Oscar said the fight could kill the sport of boxing.

Kim Kardashian never touched ecstasy during the filming of her sex tape with Ray J ... so insist sources directly connected to the 'Love & Hip Hop' star.

Kim claimed she took ecstasy twice -- once when she married her first husband back in 2000 and again when she filmed the tape in 2003 -- and she says both experiences were bad for her.

Our Ray J sources say Kim took no hard drugs nor did she drink alcohol during the filming of the sex tape. They do say, however, she smoked pot around the time the tape was made ... and it was from a pipe shaped like a penis.

As for Kim saying her lip quivering was evidence she was on ecstasy, the Ray J sources fire back ... "her lip was quivering because she was getting ******."

Sources close to Kim tell us she stands by the claim she made on the show -- she did in fact take the drug before the tape was shot -- and she has nothing to gain from lying about it at this point in her life. We're told Kim is thankful to have learned early on from the experiences with drugs and attributes those lessons to her decision to not get heavily involved in drugs or alcohol through adulthood.

Our Ray J sources add he's offended that Kim would suggest she did the sex tape because she was in a significantly altered state. They say she was down with it from the beginning and all the way through.

Robert De Niro was treated to dinner and a show, and the big reveal got very personal for him ... which is why he whipped out his phone to capture the moment.

De Niro was the main attraction at a special event Monday night in Halifax, UK. While Bobby D was eating at a restaurant called Ricci’s Place ... speed artist Dave Sharp performed a dance and paint number that paid tribute to one of the actor's most famous movie roles.

The attendees all seemed pretty wowed by Sharp's artistry -- he first painted a taxicab, but once he added the finishing touches, it revealed a colorful painting of good ol' Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" ... including his menacing mohawk and sunglasses.

Brandon Moore, the man who created the viral "What Are Those" meme, died Sunday and his wife tell TMZ it's a complete mystery what caused it.

Brandon's wife, Noonie, tells us his heart stopped while he was sleeping in their Northern California home. We're told his death was completely unexpected -- he didn't have any previously known health conditions.

Our law enforcement sources say an autopsy was performed and there are no signs of foul play ... or any obvious cause of death. Brandon's family and authorities are now waiting on a toxicology report.

The internet comedian, aka Young Busco, rose to fame in 2015 when he mocked a police officer's shoes as a joke. While his friend was being arrested, Brandon mocked the cop's clunky boots, saying ... "What are those?"

Brandon uploaded the clip and it quickly went viral and became a popular internet meme. The catchphrase appeared in "Black Panther" and was jokingly asked to Michael Jordan during a Q and A session at a basketball camp.

Brandon, a father of 9, was just 31.

Ariana Grande has been teasing fans and celebs alike to the point of torture with snippets from her "Thank U, Next" music video without a release date ... but now we know when it's gonna drop.

Sources close to Ariana tell us the project is set to debut Friday. The music video will highlight 4 female-driven films that have special meaning to Ariana. The movies include "Bring It On," "Mean Girls," "Legally Blonde" and "13 Going on 30."

Our sources say the music video will also feature a cameo from one of the Kardashian sisters, who we are told will bust a move for the cameras.

A teaser released for the project Monday night featured actors from "Mean Girls" -- including Jonathan Bennett -- as well as singer Troye Sivan ... so it's likely Friday's release will include several more celebs.

Ari fans were surprised to see Gabi DeMartino -- a YouTuber who has made a career off of spoofing the singer -- in the video. However, our Grande sources say Ariana actually enjoys the impressions and wanted to extend an olive branch to Gabi by inviting her on the project.

It's not just Ariana fans who have been bitten by the "Thank U, Next" video bug ... stars like Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Khalid and Normani have all blown the preview up too ... with comments like "This is so fire," "Yooooooo" and "yes pls give ur fans what we need."

The fans will get it Friday.

Jameis Winston has "reached an agreement" to settle the sexual battery lawsuit filed against him by an Uber driver in Arizona ... this according to court docs filed in U.S. District Court.

As we previously reported, the Uber driver claimed she picked up a drunk Winston from the Scottsdale bar scene in 2016 ... and during the ride, he reached over and grabbed her vagina over her yoga pants.

Two years later, the woman -- who goes by "Kate P." in legal docs -- filed suit against the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback.

In new docs filed in federal court in Arizona on Nov. 26, the woman's lawyer says "Plaintiff has reached an agreement with Defendant to resolve her claims."

"The parties are in the process of finalizing a settlement agreement but need approximately 10 days to complete this process."

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court docs. We've reached out to Winston's camp for comment, so far no word back.

For his part, Jameis has previously publicly apologized to the Uber driver and claims he has "eliminated alcohol from my life."

Tekashi69's still behind bars hoping to get out on bail, but now he has something else to worry about -- the feds announcing they've had a snitch in the rapper's crew.

We broke the story ... Tekashi pled not guilty in his federal racketeering case Monday, and a trial date's been set for September 4. Things got potentially worse for him when prosecutors revealed they are working with a confidential informant who's made recordings -- presumably of conversations with 6ix9ine.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazarro, admits it's a serious development in the case, telling TMZ ... "Anytime there is a confidential informant, there is cause for concern."

In court, prosecutors boasted the recordings could send Tekashi to prison for life.

His lawyer's trying be optimistic, though, saying ... "I am confident that any recorded conversations with [Tekashi] will prove that he was never a part of the Enterprise and support the conclusion that he’s innocent."

Richard Simmons has struck a deal with "National Enquirer" in his transgender defamation lawsuit that will put the legal drama behind him ... for the most part.

Simmons has agreed to drop his appeal against American Media -- which owns 'Enquirer' -- after a judge ruled against him last year. If you don't remember, the fitness icon sued for defamation over a story published claiming he was in the process of sexual reassignment.

The judge sided with American Media, though, saying being misidentified as transgender does not inherently expose someone to "hatred, contempt or ridicule." Simmons filed an appeal shortly thereafter.

The 2 sides have now come to an agreement to drop it and move on ... but the terms are confidential. So, it's unclear if Simmons is still on the hook for American Media's legal fees.

Not everything related to the case is wrapped up -- he's still got a lawsuit out against the private investigator who allegedly planted tracking devices on him to try and prove the sex change rumors.

7:35 AM PT -- Whatever amount of money Damon got in the settlement, he's satisfied with it. He tells TMZ ... "I'm good. Just happy 2 people from the culture could work things out."

Lee Daniels is a man of his word -- he told us he would make things right with Damon Dash -- and now he has ... reaching a settlement in their lawsuit over a $2 million movie investment.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, both sides agreed to drop the matter and each will pay their own attorney's fees. As we first reported ... Dame was livid about the cash he'd given Lee to make a couple of movies. In fact, he got in Lee's face during a Diana Ross concert earlier this year ... demanding the dough.

Damon's next step was filing the suit for $5 million -- due to interest and lost profits.

Lee made it clear to us ... he'd settle the debt, and thanked Dame for supporting his projects when no one else in Hollywood would.

The docs don't reveal any financial details ... but based on Lee's own words, it's a good bet he forked a hefty chunk of change to Dame.

Nikki Bella is NOT reuniting or reconciling when it comes to John Cena ... and there's a perfectly logical reason she posted a romantic pic of them, making fans think they're tapping in on their relationship.

Sources close to Nikki tell TMZ ... the WWE superstars are still very much single, despite Nikki posting a shot of her and John cuddling in a hot tub at sunset.

We're told Nikki was simply reminiscing over the past year and thinking back on what she was thankful for -- she posted several pics of other people in her life -- and John was a part of that. Even though they called off their relationship and stopped talking to each other.

Haters will say she was trolling ... but we're told it was just some Thanksgiving reflection.

And yeah, sounds like the sun really has set on their romance. At least they'll always have #TBT if you're jonesin' to see 'em together again.