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Jussie Smollett is back on the west coast and the timing is interesting ... considering he's up for a big award in L.A. this weekend.

The embattled "Empire" actor landed at LAX Wednesday night, where he was flanked by security guards and family members as paparazzi peppered him with questions, like whether he thinks he'll get his career back on track ... and if he thought he wasted the Chicago PD's time.

Jussie remained tight-lipped and made his way to a waiting car.

His arrival makes sense ... he's nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 50th NAACP Image Awards for his "Empire" role. That's going down Saturday, and while he hasn't officially said he'll attend ... this is a strong sign he'll be there.

Here's Conor McGregor enjoying "retirement" ... sippin' on pina coladas and -- JUST KIDDING, THE GUY IS STILL TRAINING HIS ASS OFF IN THE RING!!!

Just days after the UFC superstar announced his retirement "from the sport formerly known as 'Mixed Martial Art'" ... The Notorious was in a boxing ring -- and TMZ Sports has the vid.

You can see clear as day McGregor is still in great shape and still very ready to kick some ass ... sparring with a guy at Fight Club Gym on Wednesday in Miami and getting in some ab work.

Based on the footage, seems obvious McGregor is staying ready just in case he decides to unretire and get back to work in the UFC.

As we previously reported, McGregor has talked passionately recently about wanting rematches with both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz.

We recently spoke with UFC honcho Dana White who thinks Conor is serious about retirement -- since he's made so money already and seems to be successful in his Irish whiskey endeavor.

But, watch the clip ... does this look like a guy who's done fighting to you?

R. Kelly was a sexual deviant who wouldn't take no for an answer ... so claims his former hairdresser who spoke publicly for the first time about the alleged sexual assault.

Lanita Carter -- a woman ID'd as "L.C." in the 10-count indictment against Kelly -- says he pounced on her after she denied his request for a head massage. Lanita described the alleged attack, from February 18, 2003, telling "CBS This Morning" the singer was undeterred when she told him she doesn't do massages.

She said, "He pulled my braid down by him. And he say, 'Suck it for daddy, suck it for daddy.' And I said, 'No.'" Lanita claims Kelly then began spitting, several times.

After the incident, she says she immediately went to police ... and claims officers found semen on her shirt. Although no charges were filed, she ultimately settled a lawsuit against him for $650k. She claims she got another $100k from Kelly when he released a 2009 track about having sex with a woman who braids his hair.

Lanita says she went to the Cook County State Attorney's Office when prosecutors put out the call earlier this year for victims to come forward.

Of course, Kelly vehemently denied the allegations in the indictment during his interview with Gayle King. You'll recall, he got up and started shouting, "I'm fighting for my f***ing life!"

We reached out to Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, shortly after Carter's interview and he tells TMZ ... "Chicago police did an extensive investigation. The State's Attorney's office decided not to charge up. I think that speaks volumes about the strength of the case. And that decision was made not withstanding the scientific testing."

Jussie Smollett knows his career's on the line, and he's tasking his team with pulling off the highly improbable -- making him likable again.

Sources close to the "Empire" star tell TMZ ... even though his criminal record's scrubbed clean, he's in crisis management mode to repair his public image. We're told he's ordered his team to come up with a plan to fix that pronto, because if they don't ... he's screwed professionally.

Our sources say Jussie's open to anything that will give him an opportunity to tell his story and convey he's not the bad guy. Yes ... he will stick to the victim narrative.

We're told he's down for interviews, appearances and going outside of his comfort zone if it means getting a chance to connect with an audience ... because he knows if he does nothing, he'll never get work again.

We broke the story ... Jussie's showbiz job offers have completely dried up since he was arrested and charged for allegedly orchestrating a fake attack in Chicago in late January.

Despite the charges getting dropped this week, we're told Jussie has not been contacted about any potential work and knows he's more or less a Hollywood outcast for now ... so, it's time for a full-on PR blitz.

What does LeBron James wear on his feet for a romantic dinner date at the hottest sushi spot in L.A.?? Nothin' fancy ... just a totally super rare set of kicks you'll never find in stores!!

The King and his beautiful wife, Savannah, met up with some friends at Nobu in Malibu while the Lakers played in Utah on Wednesday (LeBron stayed home in L.A.) ... and we were drawn to Bron's all white sneaks.

Turns out, LBJ was wearing a rare pair that us average Joes will never get our hands on -- the John Elliott x Nike LeBron Icon Whites ... which were only handed out to the closest of James' friends.

For reference, the grey versions of the same shoes (also only given to friends and family) are currently rocking price tags at some resale stores for more than $2,000.

Of course, LeBron's got a lifetime deal with the Swoosh ... so don't expect to see him reppin' anything else.

BTW -- the Lakers lost to the Jazz, 115-100 ... but who really cares at this point.

But man, what a flex just for dinner.

There's another element at play here ... LeBron's teammate, Lonzo Ball, is currently at a shoe crossroads after covering up his Big Baller Brand tattoo.

Seems Lonzo is severing ties with BBB in the wake of an alleged financial scandal with the co-founder of the Big Baller Brand ... and the former #2 overall draft pick could be on the hunt for another major sports apparel brand to endorse.

So, while he's in shoe limbo, Ball rocked a pair of $1,000 Dior sneakers earlier this week ... but c'mon, how much better would he look in a pair of Brons?

Jason Alexander is looking at Krispy Kreme's connection with Nazis through a positive lens, or at least a hungry one ... he wants a cut of the reparations, but he'll settle for a box of donuts.

We got the actor in Larchmont, L.A. Wednesday afternoon and our photog asked him about the owners of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts donating $11 million to charity after discovering their Nazi family ancestors used slave labor in German factories during World War II.

Jason, the son of Jewish parents, jokes about wanting a taste of the money, or at least some delicious treats ... then gets a bit serious and tells us it's noble for the Reimann family to try and make amends and take accountability -- even though he doesn't blame them for their ancestors' actions.

Speaking of reparations, Jason has some thoughts on how our country should come to terms with its slave history. Check out the clip for a lighthearted take on some heavy topics.

Journey's guitarist, Neal Schon, can't believe a security guard hired by Live Nation manhandled his wife at one of his concerts ... so he claims in a new lawsuit.

Schon and his wife, Michaele, are suing Live Nation claiming she was assaulted while taking pictures at his concert in Fort Wayne, Indiana back in March 2017. In docs, obtained by TMZ, the Schons claim she was taking pictures in front of the stage when, out of nowhere, a security guard who was hired by Live Nation violently assaulted her and threw her into the PA system.

It's unclear what triggered the attack, but according to docs ... Michaele says she suffered emotional distress and humiliation from the assault. Neal's suing, claiming he's suffered emotional distress because he's now worried about his wife's safety while he's performing.

DMX mistakenly rolling away with someone else's ride could cost him dearly if the feds find out he hopped in the driver's seat ... something X insists he did NOT do.

Sources close to DMX tell TMZ ... his lawyers think he's gonna get pulled in before a judge soon to explain what the hell happened last weekend in L.A. ... when his crew drove off with someone else's Corvette in a big ol' mixup. We're told the concern is he might have violated the probation in his tax evasion case.

As we reported ... X and his posse left a restaurant early Saturday morning, and the valet gave them someone else's car by mistake. They rode away, and the owner of the car reported it stolen. Cops got the car back pronto without arresting anyone.

Despite it being a clear gaffe on the valet's part, we're told X's camp thinks prosecutors are gonna squeeze him because there's confusion as to whether or not he was driving. DMX doesn't have a license right now, so driving would be a clear probation violation.

Our law enforcement sources tell us feds are just "looking into it" -- and it seems they're only basing their suspicions off our post. There are no images of DMX behind the wheel, as far as we've seen.

One of the stars of "Little Women: Atlanta" is cutting her time on the show short ... Monie's leaving the franchise after losing a custody battle over her son.

We've obtained this clip from the season 5 premiere ... and you see Monie getting super emotional after coming up short in her legal battle to move her teenage son from Houston to Atlanta. It's her last episode ever, we've learned Monie's quitting the show to move home to Texas and live closer to her 13-year-old.

Monie's starred on the show since it began ... but our sources tell us she feels like her son, Derrick Beckton Jr., needs his mom's influence and care at a critical point in his life -- so she's dropping everything to move to Houston.

As fans of the show know ... Monie's been trying to gain custody of her son for over a year, battling her ex-husband in the Texas courts. She was traveling between Atlanta and Houston for 3 years to see her son, and wanted to permanently move her kid to Atlanta to live with her and her new hubby ... but a judge slammed those doors shut.

Sounds like quitting the show was an easy decision ... we're told Monie will always put her son before her career.

Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw is going to bat for Ben Roethlisberger ... telling TMZ Sports the QB is a "great leader" and the criticism of him from former teammates is incomprehensible.

"I don't understand it," Bradshaw says ... "He's a great leader. He is. He's solid."

Of course, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell REALLY disagree ... they've taken turns this offseason pummeling the QB for the way he's commanded the team as the face of the franchise.

In fact, AB wrote on Twitter just a couple weeks ago, "He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches."

Le'Veon added in an interview with Sports Illustrated, "Ben wants to win his way, and that’s tough to play with."

But, Bradshaw thinks the criticism is unfounded ... telling us, "I find him to be fine."

Terry's biggest problem with the whole drama now??? He says it's cost the Steelers a TON of firepower ... and he's concerned the team might miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

"I'm worried about our team."

As for Ben ... Bradshaw's got no worries that he might leave, telling us Ben will get a new, big contract from the team sooner rather than later.

Johnny Manziel says his split with his wife, Bre Tiesi, is "very sad" -- but he's trying his best to stay focused on his football career.

As we previously reported, Bre wiped Manziel from her social media pages and has publicly accused him of breaking their wedding vows ... a year after they were married.

Now, Manziel is breaking his silence on the split ... without getting into the gory details.

"This is all very, very personal and very sad," Manziel tells TMZ Sports ... "I appreciate everyone who has been so supportive of both of us and I would just ask that everyone respect our privacy at this difficult time."

"My hope is to put my head down and be allowed to focus on work and what is required of me on the football field."

Manziel is referring to his new job in the AAF ... where he's already created a few highlights as the quarterback of the Memphis Express.

Charles Barkley says there are no winners in the Jussie Smollett saga -- only losers -- and he feels TURRIBLE for the "real" victims of hate crimes whose stories will now be called into question.

"It's a really bad situation for everybody involved," Barkley told us in NYC ... "There's no winners. We're all losers."

Barkley has been ripping Smollett's tale about being attacked by homophobic racists for weeks -- even clowning the "Empire" actor as a liar on "Inside the NBA."

So, now that the 16 felony charges Smollett was facing for allegedly lying to police have been dropped -- we wondered if Barkley would back off Jussie.

Spoiler Alert: NO.

We asked Chuck if he thinks Jussie skated -- he replied, "That's an understatement."

Should Jussie have gone to jail?

"I don't think he shoulda went to jail, but it's unfortunate."

And, that's when Barkley told us about the "real victims" in the Smollett saga.

"Anybody who's gay who gets beat up, they're the real losers ... or black [people] who get beat up, they're the real losers."

As for Jussie, he maintains his innocence.

7:09 PM PT -- Jussie's attorney, Patricia Holmes, has just released a statement, condemning the local authorities who "have continued their campaign against Jussie Smollett after the charges against him have been dropped." She continues, "The case is closed. No public official has the right to violate Mr. Smollett's due process rights."

Holmes points out that Jussie is allowed the same rights as every citizen -- that he "is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law" and also has the right to speak freely about his innocence.

She states, "We respectfully request all government agencies involved live up to the ethical tenets of their office ... The case was dismissed. We should all allow Mr. Smollett to move on with his life as a free citizen."

The Cook County State's Attorney has circulated an email asking prosecutors in the office to come up with other examples where they just dropped felony charges the way they did in the Jussie Smollett case ... this, as Jussie was making a hasty retreat out of Chi-Town via O'Hare International Airport.

According to the memo, obtained by the CBS affiliate in Chicago, the brass wrote, "We are looking for examples of cases, felony preferable, where we, in exercising our discretion, have entered into verbal agreements with defense attorneys to dismiss charges against an offender if certain conditions were met, such as the payment of restitution, completion of community service, completion of class, etc."

Here's the problem. Jussie did not do community service. Community service is often part of a plea deal where a certain number of hours is required by defendants who are convicted or cop a plea. In Jussie's case, all he did was spend a few hours over the weekend at Rainbow PUSH. That is not community service.

As for restitution .. Jussie forfeited a $10k bond, and that's it. As the Mayor said, it doesn't come near to paying the cost of the investigation.

The email goes on to say, "Nobody is in trouble, we are just looking for further examples of how we, as prosecutors, use our discretion in a way that restores the victim, but causes minimal harm to the defendant in the long term."

The concept of "minimal harm" to the defendant is confusing. Typically what happens is that a defendant would plead no contest to a reduced charge or a reduced number of charges, and maybe get community service and/or pay restitution. That didn't happen in Jussie's case.

Lil Wayne is demanding the return of a notebook filled with his old lyrics, but the guy trying to sell it for $250k says the rapper's just gonna have to buy it like anyone else off the street.

We broke the story ... Weezy's 1999 notebook is being sold by Moments in Time for a quarter-million dollars, and the dude claiming ownership says he found it lodged in a car that once belonged to Cash Money Records.

Now Wayne's trying like hell to get his work back ... his attorneys fired off a warning letter to Moments in Time, claiming Wayne's the rightful owner, and the broker doesn't have permission to sell or transfer the notebook to anyone.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Wayne's legal team says he never abandoned his notebook -- he simply misplaced it and is thrilled it's been found. Weezy's team claims the guy who found it "absconded with the notebook" and hid it for years ... waiting to cash in.

Gary Zimet, the owner of Moments in Time, is firing back ... he says if the Young Money honcho wants the notebook, he'll have to pony up, because the guy who found it "has crystal clear title."