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Hold your breath as you swim through these below the surface snaps of these snorkeling stars who are makin' a splash on social media.

"You're the Worst" driver star Brandon Mychal Smith allegedly came this close to running a red light ... and that was enough for cops to pull him over and bust him for DUI.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Brandon was driving his Rolls-Royce in Burbank last weekend when he overshot the crosswalk at a red light. We're told Brandon slipped it into reverse, but cops were watching from the other side of the intersection.

Cops pulled him over and suspected he was impaired. We're told Brandon blew a BAC at least twice the legal limit. He was promptly arrested for DUI. It's worth mentioning ... this was at 7:10 AM.

Brandon -- once a candidate to replace Nick Cannon on 'AGT' -- was jailed for several hours before cops released him.

Brandon's camp had no comment on the arrest.

A powerful U.S. congressmen is calling out NFL owners on behalf of Colin Kaepernick -- he clearly feels the QB is being punished for speaking his conscience ... and "it's unfair."

TMZ Sports spoke with Cedric Richmond -- a democrat from Louisiana who's also the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He's also a big football fan.

So, when we asked how he felt about Kaepernick still being unemployed -- the congressman didn't hold back.

"I think it's unfair. I think that he has a lot of talent. He was the starting QB in the Super Bowl and he's a great athlete. And the fact that he spoke up means he's a great person and he spoke his conscience."

"I don't think we should penalize people in this country for doing that."

He continued, "As I look around the NFL at some backup quarterbacks, it's clear that his talent is superior to a lot of people who are on teams already."

"I would hope that people would give him a chance and sign him and see what he has to offer."

Richmond concludes, "We should not penalize somebody for exercising their 1st amendment right."

Anthony Scaramucci might wanna learn something from Steve Bannon, after all -- Mrs. 'Mooch' is reportedly filing for divorce.

The new White House Communications Director had been married for about 3 years to Deidre Ball, but according to the NY Post ... she got fed up with his Washington, D.C. ambitions and decided to leave him.

Ball had been a VP at SkyBridge Capital, the investment firm Scaramucci founded.

The Post reports there's been tension in the marriage because Deidre isn't a Trump fan, and did not support Anthony's desire to land a White House post.

We've reached out to Scaramucci's office, but no word back. He seemed to reference the split on Twitter.

"Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau claims he got duped into signing a deal that sucked money out of his pockets, but his former manager says he's forgetting some facts.

Nikolaj -- who plays Ser Jaime Lannister on 'GoT' -- filed docs Friday saying his former manager, Jill Littman, tricked him into signing a contract in 2011 ... and again in 2014.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nikolaj says he had a verbal deal with Jill to pay her 10% commission. He says he never wanted a written deal, and only signed one when Jill told him it was required so her agency could sponsor his work visa. Nikolaj's Danish.

But Jill, who's repped by Howard King, insists there was trickery. She says Nikolaj signed the 2014 deal -- then in 2015, when he wanted out ... she says he promised he'd pay her commission for 'GoT' until it ends.

Amber Rose doesn't think people from her South Philly 'hood are ugly, they're just not exotic ... at least that's the defense her pal N.O.R.E.'s tossing up for her.

The rapper was out in NYC when we asked him about Amber's remark about people she grew up with not being "traditionally attractive." She said it on N.O.R.E.'s "Drink Champs" podcast, and has been slammed for it ever since.

But he thinks everyone's got her words twisted. N.O.R.E. adds, Amber has a pretty good body ... of evidence for his "exotic" theory.

Not sure Kevin Hart's ex, and Philly native, Torrei Hart will buy that, but worth a shot.

BOOM!!!!

Shaq Diesel just responded to LaVar Ball a la Tupac -- with a brand new killer 3 minute diss track going right after the Big Baller.

O'Neal's flow is straight fire over a classic Jay-Z beat -- and he mocks LaVar's basketball career right off the bat.

"I been doing this a long time ... when you were averaging 2 points riding the pine."

There's more ... Shaq also responds to LaVar's claim that he could beat him in 1-on-1.

"You having a dream and when you wake up apologize. And bow down to my Staples Center statue hanging off the side (of the building)."

But there's a twist ... with Shaq giving LaVar props for his parenting skills at the end of the track -- plus, he praises LaMelo's jump shot.

Enjoy ... and let's pray LaVar responds.

There's a good reason R. Kelly went on camera to reassure fans his weekend concerts are still a go -- because ticket sales for his opening night are seriously lagging.

Kelly's first concert since the sex 'cult' allegations came out is Friday night at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach. We checked Live Nation's website to see what tickets are still available.

In a word: PLENTY!!!

The venue -- which holds 20,000 -- appears barely at 50% capacity with just hours to go. We talked to someone at the amphitheater and we're told it could be as simple as this -- Kelly just ain't popular anymore.

Of course, it could also be a reaction to allegations made by Joycelyn Savage's family. As we reported, Kelly recorded an on-camera denial ... dismissing the rumors as "all crap."

Kinda like his Friday night box office numbers.

Kathy Griffin says the feds have "completely exonerated" her for the infamous Donald Trump beheading photo.

According to Kathy, the federal investigation into the bloody head photo closed Friday. The Secret Service had been looking into the matter since Kathy and famed photographer Tyler Shields teamed up for the shot back in May.

You'll recall, Kathy lost a bunch of gigs in the aftermath, including her CNN's New Year's special. She also claimed the President, his family members and his social media followers were bullying her.

Paul Shanley -- the ex-Boston priest convicted of child abuse and profiled in the movie "Spotlight" -- is out of prison after serving 12 years.

Shanley was released for good behavior -- he'd been sentenced to 15 years. Shanley was convicted back in 2005 of raping a boy for several years in the 1980s. The 86-year-old will now be on supervised probation for 10 years.

He was one of the first priests to go to prison following The Boston Globe uncovering the child abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese.

"Spotlight" won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2016.

Richard Simmons' reputation wasn't destroyed after a story ran he was transitioning to a woman and that's why he can't sue ... so claims the National Enquirer.

The Enquirer's parent company -- American Media -- filed docs saying the fitness guru's reputation as someone willing to bend gender norms was cemented long before its stories ... which claimed Richard had a boob job and was living as a woman named Fiona.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, American Media says Richard's defamation suit shouldn't stand because there's nothing insulting about saying someone is transgender. On top of that, AM says for most of his 40-year career, Simmons created gender uncertainty by wearing flamboyant, feminine attire.

As we reported ... Simmons said the Enquirer gambled he wouldn't sue because it'd make it seem like he thinks there's something wrong with people who transition.

Rapper Z-Ro is accusing his former girlfriend, rapper Just Brittany, of using him for publicity -- and claims there's proof on social media he didn't beat her.

Sources close to Z-R0 tell TMZ he plans to fight the felony assault charges in court. He also thinks the timing of Brittany going to cops is suspicious.

First, there's the picture Brittany posted on Twitter just after 1:51 AM on April 30. The alleged beating took place on April 29. We're told Z-Ro thinks it proves she wasn't beaten at all. In the photo, Brittany's wearing a red bodysuit and smiling next to a friend.

There's also this ... Z-Ro is telling friends it's not a coincidence Brittany reported the alleged assault on Monday -- 3 months later -- because the new reality show she's on, "Signed," premiered Wednesday. The insinuation -- she's just trying to get her name in headlines. To that point, our Z-Ro sources point out Brittany bragged she was trending on social media ... the day after his arrest.

However, when we asked about the 21 minute recording police say Brittany has of the incident -- we were told Z-Ro hasn't heard it, and won't speak about it.

Chester Bennington will be celebrated far and wide by Linkin Park fans who want to pay their final respects ... and the band's completely on board.

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda tweeted a link telling fans about a monumental effort to pay tribute to Chester all over the world -- in L.A., NYC, Vancouver, Paris, Copenhagen, Japan and beyond.

TMZ broke the story ... Chester's family wants a private memorial, but is fully aware fans also want to properly say goodbye. And now they can. LPFanCorner is spearheading the public memorial.

The group put together a full list of memorials around the world. In fact ... some will be held at venues where the band was supposed to play before canceling its tour.

Still unclear if band members will attend any of the events.

Chester Bennington's wife, Talinda, says her family's life went from "fairytale" to "sick Shakespearean tragedy" since her husband's suicide a week ago.

Talinda released a statement, saying ... "How do I move on? How do I pick up my shattered soul? The only answer I know is to raise our babies with every ounce of love I have left. I want to let my community and the fans worldwide know that we feel your love. We feel your loss as well. My babies are so young to have lost their daddy."

Chester, who has 3 kids with Talinda, hanged himself in the family's new Rancho Palos Verdes Estates home.

Talinda says she lost her soulmate and her kids lost their hero. Talinda also asks that fans help keep his memory alive as he's now "pain free singing his songs in all of our hearts."

She also asks fans to turn to one another when they're in pain, and adds, "Chester would've
wanted us to do so."

George and Amal Clooney are ready to defend their infant twins in court ... as they vow to sue a French magazine that published pics of them.

The mag, "Voici," published shots on Friday of the Clooneys cradling Alexander and Ella. They appeared to be in a backyard, and George says that's exactly what happened ... and he's pissed.

In a statement he says, "Over the last week photographers from Voici magazine scaled our fence, climbed our tree and illegally took pictures of our infants inside our home. Make no mistake the photographers, the agency and the magazine will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Assuming it went down as George said ... he's got a strong case. Under French law, public figures -- like George -- can only be photographed while going about their public lives ... and only for journalistic purposes.

Even in Italy -- where George and Amal were in the photos -- photogs cannot peep into a private residence or take photos of people or objects hidden from normal visibility.

George says, "The safety of our children demands" he go forward with a lawsuit.

The magazine responded saying the pictures published "are a response to a public demand" and that the pictures "do not put in danger Mr. Clooney, his wife or their kids."