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Paula Abdul's good looks are truly something to idolize!

Here's a 26-year-old version of the "Straight Up" singer back in 1989 (left) and 28 years later ... the now 55-year-old Hollywood 'Idol' at a fashion show in New York last month (right).

Forever your girl.

So the question is ...

Nelly has broken his silence on the rape claim against him, saying he's completely innocent and is a victim of targeting ... but he will not take the stage Saturday night.

The rapper says he's beyond shocked at the "false allegation" and is confident he'll be exonerated once the facts are in. He claims he's been targeted by the accuser, but apologized to his loved ones for the embarrassment and for putting himself in a bad situation. He also vows to take legal action against the "defaming claim" and reaffirms he's not been charged with a crime yet.

However, sources close to Nelly tell TMZ ... he will NOT be performing at Saturday night's show in Washington with Florida Georgia Line.

We broke the story ... Nelly was arrested early Saturday morning after a woman claimed he raped her on his tour bus.

Ralphie May was so sick a couple weeks before he died that he was forced to call in for a radio interview instead of being in studio ... and he sounded awful.

The comedian's interview with Albuquerque's "Carlos & Kiki in the Morning" from September 22 is telling -- he reveals he's been battling bronchitis for several days and is completely worn down. Still, he tells them he fought through it and did 8 shows in 6 days ... despite struggling to walk.

Ralphie's poor health didn't stop him from doing what he always did best during the call, though -- cracking jokes.

We broke the story ... May died of cardiac arrest Friday at a private residence in Vegas. He was 45.

Jordin Sparks is completely taken aback by the rape allegations against Nelly, and so's the guy next to her at baggage claim ... maybe even more so.

We got the singer at LAX and broke the news to her -- Nelly was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Washington -- and her jaw almost hits the floor. Jordin looks downright dismayed as the news sinks in ... and it leaves her at a loss for words.

Jerry Yester -- known for playing on The Lovin' Spoonful's smash hit "Do You Believe in Magic" -- has been arrested for having child pornography ... TMZ has learned.

The Boone County Sheriff's Dept. in Arkansas tells us ... Yester was booked Thursday and faces 30 counts of possession of child porn. He was arrested by the Cyber Crimes Unit at the Attorney General's Office. He was released after posting $35k bond.

The 74-year-old rock musician was part of the Modern Folk Quartet in the early 1960s, then joined The Lovin' Spoonful a couple years later. Yester went on to help produce albums by The Turtles, Pat Boone and Tom Waits.

9:25 AM PT -- Nelly's lawyer tells TMZ, "Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation, clearly establishes the allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once the scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges. Nelly is prepared to pursue all all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation."

Nelly has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us, a woman claims she was raped on the rapper's tour bus -- which was parked in a Walmart lot in Washington -- where he's been performing. Nelly is on a tour with Florida Georgia Line and they are set to perform Saturday night in Ridgefield, Washington.

We're told the alleged rape occurred Saturday morning at 3:48 AM. We're told she specifically said Nelly is the one who raped her.

Nelly was booked on second degree rape charges Saturday morning at around 7 AM and released shortly after.

Brielle Biermann's taking the high road for now after being blasted by NeNe Leakes ... but it looks like she finds the situation kind of funny.

We got Kim Zolciak's daughter leaving Catch in Weho Friday night with her MLB boyfriend, and asked her to confirm if those really were roaches in NeNe's bathroom in the vid she posted last week. Watch for the little smile.

As we reported ... NeNe was PISSED about the video and responded with an expletive-laced rant, calling Brielle a Kylie Jenner wannabe and jealous "racist trash."

As for Brielle and her BF, Michael Kopech ... they don't seem to be letting the drama bother them. They were spotted sucking face -- as usual -- earlier in Malibu.

Lisa Bloom is no longer representing Harvey Weinstein as a legal advisor amid the explosive sexual harassment allegations against the powerful Hollywood producer.

Bloom made the announcement Saturday morning, saying she has learned Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement. Bloom has been under heavy scrutiny since deciding to represent a man accused of sexual harassment ... when she almost always represents victims.

Even her mother, Gloria Allred, said she would not have worked with Weinstein if asked.

We saw Lisa Friday and asked her if she felt working with Weinstein was a conflict of interest, and she said no ... because of the way he has responded to his allegations.

The folks at "American Horror Story" have a big decision on their hands ... do they air a crowd-ambush scene reminiscent of Sunday night's Vegas massacre, or do they scrub it from Tuesday's episode?

The scene was shot in the O.C. last month ... long before bullets rained down on thousands of people enjoying the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Vegas strip.

The scene is a political rally where Evan Peters' character is giving a campaign speech when the character played by Sarah Paulson begins firing. It appears Evan's character gets hit, as do people in the crowd.

You hear around 10 shots in the 2 1/2 minute scene ... we've posted just a portion of the scene.

Cardi B looked frickin' amazing after she picked up her BET Hip Hop Award Friday night for Single of the Year.

Cardi went to an after-party at Story Nightclub in Miami to celebrate. All the guys from Migos -- Quavo, Takeoff and Cardi's BF Offset -- were also there to party. We are told the crew ordered more than 10 bottles of Ciroc and Migos performed.

Check out the whips ... these guys ride in style -- 2 Lambos and a Ferrari.

Colin Kaepernick surfaced in the streets of Harlem on Friday -- rockin' a dashiki and posing with a diverse group of young people ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

It was all for a photo shoot that the people behind the production didn't want you to see -- despite the fact it all took place on a public street in the middle of the day.

Unclear what the big secret is ... but there were people on set with GQ promo materials.

Kaep has been spending time in Harlem lately -- he recently donated $25k to the local DREAM Charter School as part of his $1 million pledge.

The horror in Las Vegas brings the same old issue back into focus. Meanwhile, Donald Trump kept stepping in it with his response to Puerto Rico. So we gotta ask ...

Coldplay brought down the house by bringing James Corden on stage Friday night to perform "Us Against the World."

Chris Martin and Co. filled the Rose Bowl and Corden was a surprise guest ... with some history. Corden had Chris Martin on his show last year for a Carpool Karaoke sesh. And turns out the Rose Bowl is Corden's thing ... he performed there with Coldplay last year.

The band also played a tribute to Tom Petty with a "Free Fallin'" cover ... and the crowd went wild.

Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell pulled a Kevin Hart after the BET Hip Hop Awards Friday night ... clearly trying to get ahead of a mess he made on stage.

The 2 Live Crew rapper was being honored and had a scripted speech, but that all went up in flames when the teleprompter failed. Luke apparently went ham and took jabs at Funkmaster Flex and DJ Red Alert, something he clearly regrets.

The show's set to air Tuesday, but Luke wanted a jump on the program, so he posted his mea culpa Saturday AM.

The downside to all of that ... now everyone's super interested in what he said on the show.

Michelle Rodriguez was into pasta but not hot potatoes at a West Hollywood restaurant Friday night, because she wasn't touching the Harvey Weinstein scandal ... not with a 10 foot pole.

Michelle was leaving Madeo when our photog asked about the movie titan who is taking a leave of absence after the New York Times chronicled his alleged harassment of women that has gone on for decades. Michelle wasn't having it.

Alonzo Bodden, the winner of "Last Comic Standing" season 3, is heartsick over the death of Ralphie May.

We got Alonzo Friday at LAX, where he talked about his good friend and fellow "Last Comic Standing" alum. He mused about Ralphie, whom he says was "totally inappropriate." And he tells us how he endearingly referred to him as "Ralphie F****** May."