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The 2019 Met Gala's parade of overly-exaggerated outfits produced more than just some unforgettable photo ops ... the event raised a record-breaking amount of money for charity.

The shindig held Monday night at The Metropolitan Museum of Art raised an astonishing $15 million ... this according to a Met rep. That's a jump from last year's $13M figure. The Met Gala is the museum's main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and capital improvements.

The stars didn't disappoint this year. Lady Gaga strutted into the event with a giant pink Brandon Maxwell dress and she was barely getting started when a small army helped her make her way in. As we reported ... Lady Gaga had several wardrobe changes and nearly stripped down to her birthday suit.

Gaga -- along with Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour -- co-chaired the evening. This year's theme was dubbed "Camp: Notes on Fashion" to honor writer Susan Sontag's 1964 essay, "Notes on Camp" about society broadening its attitudes toward sexuality ... particularly homosexuality.

The Gala's been going down since 1948 but it wasn't until former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland became a consultant and transformed it into a glamorous affair. Vreeland's first theme in 1973 was "The World of Balenciaga."

Luann de Lesseps admitted to downing 2 mimosas ... and that's landed her a date in court with a judge.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star told her probation officer last week she drank "2 glasses of mimosas after a performance" in Chicago ... according to docs obtained by TMZ. That, of course, is a HUGE no-no because she's supposed to lay off booze for a year under the plea deal in her 2017 Christmas Eve bust.

The probation officer presented Luann with 2 solutions -- immediately enroll in outpatient treatment for the failed sobriety test or submit to wearing an ankle monitor. According to the NY Post, Luann refused both ... saying her schedule's too busy for treatment, and the ankle monitor was too intrusive.

As a result, she's now due in court on May 23 for a probation violation hearing.

Not coincidentally, we think, Luann was accused back in February of not taking her probation seriously.

Dwyane Wade is ready for the TB12 method -- no, not the avocado ice cream and weird stretches stuff -- the NBA superstar wants Gabrielle Union to start making Gisele money!!!

If ya missed it ... Tom Brady made waves this past week when he told Jimmy Kimmel he can afford to take massive pay cuts from the Patriots because his wife brings home the bacon in their relationship.

When we got D-Wade and Gabby after the Met Gala on Monday night ... we had to ask for their thoughts on Brady's admission.

Gabby's reaction? "Smart man."

Wade's reaction? PURE JEALOUSY!!!

"Very smart man," Wade told us ... "That's what I'm trying to get!"

Of course, Wade was just kiddin' around ... Gabby does just fine in their relationship -- she's an A-list Hollywood celeb.

As R. Kelly's battling one indictment, he could be staring down a brand new one -- a grand jury's set to hear evidence related to sex trafficking claims against the disgraced singer ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us federal prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois will convene a grand jury later this month and offer up witness testimony detailing how Kelly allegedly bought plane tickets and set up hotel rooms for underage girls.

We're told prosecutors will also present emails and text messages that show the coordination Kelly's team used to set up the travel. Additionally, physical evidence will be presented ... which our sources say will include semen-stained clothing.

As we first reported ... the Illinois case is completely separate from 2 other probes currently underway with feds in New York. So, Kelly's mountain of legal trouble could be growing exponentially.

Kim Kardashian is helping free inmates at an amazingly high rate, and she's been doing it rather quietly ... until now.

We've learned Kim and her legal team helped 17 prisoners gain freedom over the last 3 months or so -- each of them having served years of life sentences without parole ... for low-level drug offenses.

It's all part of the 90 Days of Freedom campaign launched by Kim's lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett, in partnership with lawyer MiAngel Cody of The Decarceration Collective. The campaign puts the First Step Act -- signed by President Trump last year -- to work for prisoners who received Draconian sentences.

Kim is footing the bill while Barnett, who also co-founded the Buried Alive advocacy group, and Cody handle the lawyering. We're told Kim's been secretly funding the campaign over the past few months.

We've known about a few cases Kim's backed -- Jeffrey Stringer in Florida, Cyntoia Brown in Tennessee, Alice Marie Johnson in Alabama -- but now we know the list is much longer.

Here are a few examples:

Jamelle Carraway is back with his family after serving 11 years of a life sentence in federal prison.

Jamelle, who was 31 when he was arrested for cocaine possession, is living and working in Illinois as he makes the slow transition back to society.

Eric Balcom is back home in Florida, and seeing his mother for the first time in 16 years after serving hard time in federal prison.

He was convicted on a drug charge when he was 29, and was sentenced to life without parole.

Terrence Byrd is finally free after spending half his life -- 25 years -- in federal prison on drug possession charges. We're told he's been reunited with his 96-year-old grandmother, the woman who raised him.

"Game of Thrones" fans had their fun, but now it's over ... HBO has digitally removed that disposable coffee cup seen sitting on a table next to Daenerys Targaryen from Sunday's episode.

As we reported ... the cup became the unexpected star of episode 4 of the hit show's final season when eagle-eyed viewers spotted it onscreen -- hardly for a second -- during a scene in "The Last of the Starks" while Tormund praises Jon Snow.

People originally believed the cup was from Starbucks, but 'GoT' Art Director Hauke Richter told us it's from a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland ... where they filmed.

Fans were shocked that 'Thrones' would make such a boneheaded mistake, but the show owned up to it ... with a double shot of humor.

HBO says the cup has now been edited out in the current episode available on HBO Go and will not be seen in any encore presentations or streaming/DVD versions going forward.

Another night, another model for NFL star Julian Edelman!!!

This time, the New England Patriots wide receiver was getting VERY up close and personal with model Fernanda Liz after the Met Gala in New York.

For those unfamiliar, Fernanda is GORGEOUS!!!

She's a 5'11" high-end fashion model who's been on the cover of Brazilian Vogue magazine -- and featured in Elle, Marie Claire and Harrods Magazine.

Fernanda has also done a ton of bikini modeling -- which we happened to find on her IG page -- and yeah, she's killing that part of the game too.

Our model sources tell us ... the two are not in a serious relationship -- it's just casual at this point. Seems to be going well based on the photo of the two embracing in NYC!!!

One thing we know for sure ... they look damn good together!!!

Edelman has been connected to models in the past -- he dated Adriana Lima a while back and has a daughter with Swedish model Ella Rose.

Britney Spears is in dire straits and a judge needs to protect her ... this according to Lynne Spears, who's acting quickly to make sure her own lawyer can argue her cause.

Lynne has filed new court docs, asking a judge to let her attorney appear at a court hearing Friday in Britney's conservatorship case. At the hearing, Lynne will ask the judge to order Britney's dad to include her in her daughter's treatment plan.

Jamie Spears is Britney's conservator and we know there is an extreme conflict between the 2 parents. Lynne is not asking to become a co-conservator with Jamie ... but she clearly has beef with him over the way Britney is being managed.

Lynne's lawyer says it is in Britney's best interest for her to have a voice in the situation.

As we reported, Britney is not doing well after her 30-day stay at a mental health facility. As we told you, her meds stopped working and doctors have been unable to find the right combination of drugs. As one source said, "Britney is making bad decisions and it's a problem."

9:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's publicist, Darrell Johnson, tells us, "Mr. Kelly steadfastly proclaims his innocence and looks forward to a speedy trial. Again, the state has failed to bring forth any proof concerning the sex tape, while claiming there was wrong doing!"

7:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyers were told it's not enough to insinuate something rotten was going on between Michael Avenatti and State's Attorney Kim Foxx ... the judge just told the singer's lawyers they gotta say what they mean.

The lawyers asked the judge to order prosecutors to preserve all communications between Avenatti and Foxx, but they didn't say why. The judge wants to know why these communications are so important, and what it might prove. So, the lawyers were sent back to the drawing board to tell the judge why these communications could affect the case.

For his part, Avenatti states they have already uncovered texts and emails between himself and Foxx, and they were published by the Chicago Tribune weeks ago. It's unclear what more may exist, but Avenatti is claiming they have it all, and he came up clean.

7:14 AM PT -- R. Kelly just made his way inside the courthouse suited and booted with a huge entourage behind him. He kept it moving though, not stopping for questions or photos.

The judge still deciding whether there will be a live feed inside the courtroom -- we're waiting to see what the ruling is. Fingers crossed.

R. Kelly is on a collision course with another famous defendant -- Michael Avenatti -- and it could all come to a head Tuesday morning when the singer appears in court to possibly challenge the authenticity of a sex tape.

The embattled singer is trying to blow up the sex tape by suggesting something fishy was going on between Avenatti and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. In R. Kelly's legal docs, he notes Avenatti has publicly claimed to have had repeated conversations with Foxx, and based on what happened in the Jussie Smollett case, he describes the prosecutor as someone who is "able to be influenced and wowed."

He goes on to allege there are questions to suggest Foxx was "bullied or just simply manipulated by Avenatti."

Avenatti previously came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl ... and Kelly's legal team wanted to know more about Avenatti's relationship with Foxx, saying they were concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or simply manipulated" Foxx.

As we've reported ... the tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted prosecutors to hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Celine Dion's got a thing for hot beef patties, or at least hot beef on Katy Perry -- 'cause she was jonesin' hard when she spotted Katy's Met Gala costume.

Queen Celine was making her way through The Standard, High Line hotel Monday night after the Gala when we asked which actress could best play her in a biopic. She's had quite a life -- so, Celine struggled to come up with an answer, and then ... it happened.

Katy rolled through with what might be the most unique outfit of the night -- a classic American cheeseburger suit, which got Ms. Dijon's juices flowing. Seriously, you gotta check out their delicious wordplay.

Celine greeted Katy with a peck on the lips, and then a nice squeeze of her bun. Either she was starving at the end of the night or just loves her some Katy -- or both.

Katy's "dress" was a conversation piece all night ... even before Celine feasted her eyes on it. She ran into J Lo in the bathroom, who was politely observational of Katy's fashion choice.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez still has a lot to learn ... about garbage disposals.

The rookie congresswoman had her first experience with the food-shredding machine at her new Washington D.C. apartment Monday night and had no idea what to make of it ... other than it sounds scary.

AOC's reactions to testing out her disposal are pretty amusing, and to be honest ... she asks some fair questions about the benefits of the inner sink contraption. For instance -- is cramming food scraps down there really better than just tossing them in the trash?

Of course, the Green New Deal advocate couldn't resist getting political about discovering her newfound amenity ... and reminding everyone where she came from. She also cracked a joke about folks telling her to stick her hand in.

We don't suggest that, but here's a free hot tip -- if it starts to stink down there, drop a few pieces of orange peel in and flip the switch while running cold water.

Britney Spears is in bad shape -- her meds aren't working right and she's not nearly fully recovered from her relapse that landed her in a mental health facility -- and now to make matters worse, we're told she's "playing" her mom to give her more freedom to make decisions.

As we reported, Britney's mom, Lynne Spears, is going to court Friday ... asking the judge who presides over her conservatorship to force Brit's conservator, Jamie Spears, to download her on the medical decisions he's making.

Lynne has never been part of the conservatorship. She used to be extremely close to Britney, but when Britney and Justin Timberlake broke up back in 2002, the singer cut her mom out of her life. Their relationship has been spotty ever since ... we're told Lynne hadn't seen Britney for around a year.

We're told Lynne is upset over reports that Jamie had Britney committed to the mental facility and forced drugs on her -- both not true. Jamie's conservatorship doesn't give him that power. But, Lynne has heard the "Free Britney" chant and has now made her move.

Our sources say Jamie is alarmed Britney is using Lynne to get more freedom, during a period where her judgment is extremely bad. She's not allowed to drive with her phone -- security stopped her after she was caught texting and driving a week ago. Security takes her phone when she takes the wheel. By the way ... Britney doesn't have a smartphone -- only a flip phone -- because of what she might do if she has access to the internet.

Britney wants more freedom, and we're told she is using Lynne to get her way. There has been a long-standing conflict between Lynne and Jamie. We're told Lynne is deferential to Britney, while Jamie is walking a tightrope ... trying to give Britney freedom, but understanding too much freedom can trigger the type of episode that almost killed Britney in 2008.

Our sources say Jamie has confided in friends if Britney goes off the rails she could lose custody of her kids ... and quickly.

The showdown is set for Friday in court when Lynne will ask a judge for access to medical info. She's staying with Britney and we're told it's possible Britney will show up for the hearing.

John Singleton's will is lacking a critical component that is wreaking havoc on his family ... and now his 7 children are all embroiled in conflict over their father's estate.

We've learned the children have lawyered up over John's estate, which is reportedly worth around $35 million. John's mom, Shelia Ward, filed his will in probate court last Friday, leaving all of his property to Justice, his firstborn.

Here are the major problems. The will was drafted in 1993 when Justice was John's only child. John left everything in his will to Justice.

Singleton had a total of 7 kids at the time of his death. The will never accounted for the additional 6 children. Under California law, unless the unborn children were specifically disinherited in the will when John signed it, they may have a legal claim to a portion of his estate. And, no such clause exists in the will.

Shelia is the executor of John's will, and when she filed her legal docs she listed his assets at around $3.8 mil. That means more than $31 million is unaccounted for. Most likely, John created a trust with assets that don't have to go through probate court. In other words, it's all taken care of outside the will.

We don't know who gets what in the trust ... because trust documents don't have to be filed in probate court. But, that is clearly the bulk of John's estate.

We know at least one of John's kids is furious at Shelia because while he was in a coma, 21-year-old Cleopatra accused Shelia of trying to cut all of John's kids out of his estate.

In addition to challenging the will, the kids could file a separate lawsuit if they have beef over the trust or whatever John created to dispose of the $31 mil. A legal fight may not just pit grandma against grandkids ... it could also pit some of the kids against the others.

Chris Brown got wrapped into some bad juju after cops say a woman trekked across the country trying to get him to remove a curse she believed CB inflicted on her son.

Cops responded to a call Saturday night reporting a strange woman with a preteen who was seen wandering around Chris' L.A.-area property ... throwing a bible over his wall, no less.

Officers responded, and they got quite the tale from the woman. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... she said she had flown into town from Texas that day with her boy -- all in the hopes of convincing Chris to lift some voodoo. We're told she felt the presence of a bible on his lawn would help lift the curse.

As for why she thought all of this -- pretty clearly, cops figured she might have mental health issues. She was taken in for evaluation, and her son was taken into protective custody.

Chris wasn't directly involved in the incident ... he wasn't home at the time.

We know Chris luckily dodged the encounter because he was partying it up with Jake Paul, Lamar Odom and a bunch of his celeb pals in Calabasas on Saturday night for Desiigner's 22nd birthday.

Lori Loughlin may have gotten an assist in her defense -- good old-fashioned ignorance -- 'cause her daughters almost perfectly fit the mold with how women's rowing teams recruit.

An ad for the USC women's crew team popped up on campus over the weekend -- and we for sure thought it couldn't have been real ... seeing how tone-deaf it came off and the implications behind it, considering Olivia Jade and Isabella's "no experience."

Well ... turns out, the poster is real because we've been educated on how USC women's rowing teams work when it comes to recruiting walk-ons and the like.

A USC alum who was actually a coxswain at the university tells us women's rowing teams often recruit potential teammates who have zero experience in the sport -- which is kinda what Olivia Jade and Isabella were coming to the table with.

Typically, the way it works is that you already have to be a student to qualify for the team ... it's not for some random people on the street who want in at USC.

But, here's the thing ... in Lori's case, prosecutors have to prove criminal intent to seal a conviction. Sources connected with Lori's defense claim Lori didn't know the $500k payoff was shady, even if the plan was to pretend her daughters were crew-team ready. The poster would seem to help Lori and her husband, both of whom are charged with multiple felonies, because crew experience doesn't seem to be essential.

Unless Layzie Bone can prove a DNA test with 99.9999999% accuracy is wrong, he IS the father of another child ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper -- real name Steven Howse -- was involved in a paternity case in Michigan with the baby's mother, Shateira Marketa Childress. She claimed he was the father of her child, Sevyn, and turns out ... she was right.

According to the test report ... DNA samples were collected from the trio in April, and Layzie's been determined to be the biological father with almost 100 percent certainty.

As we told you, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is looking to establish Layzie as the father in order to determine how much he'll have to fork over in child support.

The rapper was involved in another paternity suit in 2013 with a different woman, and he was found to be the father that time as well. Layzie -- who apparently ain't all that lazy -- also has 3 other kids with his wife of many years.