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Vladimir Putin has a new bff -- a super adorable puppy, which he'll probably turn into a vicious killer in no time flat.

The Russian Prez got the lil' pooch as a belated birthday gift Wednesday from the president of Turkmenistan -- and you gotta see the video of the hand off. Full "Lion King" style.

The Central Asian shepherd pup's name is Verny -- Russian for "loyal" -- and even though we're normally suckers for anyone snuggling with cute puppies ... still not enough to overlook alleged human rights atrocities on Putin's watch.

Nothing personal, Verny -- but keep your head on a swivel, dawg!

Mischa Barton just got sued for one of the all-time worst parking jobs, which left her U-Haul truck jammed in a carport.

The homeowners' association at The Park Wellington condos in West Hollywood wants Mischa to fork over $26,991.55 for some major repairs that had to be done after her not-so-brilliant move back in February.

TMZ broke the story ... Mischa slammed the truck into plaster covered support beams at the complex.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mischa told the complex her then-bf, Adam Spaw, had rented the truck ... so they tried to get the dough through his insurance. The claim was denied, and according to the suit ... Mischa is actually listed in the police report as the driver -- so, the Wellington wants her to pay up.

'Rap City' host Big Tigger says he decided to drop to one knee at the BET Hip Hop Awards to seize the moment, and show support for Colin Kaepernick.

We spoke to Tigger about taking a knee Tuesday night as he entered the event. He was also wearing a black Kaepernick jersey -- but he told us the move wasn't a planned thing -- more like he just happened upon the "right place at the right time."

BT says this isn't just about sports now, instead it's a national issue now -- and he wanted to step into the fray ... just like Jay-Z and President Trump have.

Seth MacFarlane says his joke about Harvey Weinstein at the 2013 Oscar Nominations wasn't just meant to be funny ... it was a deliberate shot at the Hollywood honcho on behalf of his friend, Jessica Barth.

MacFarlane claims Barth -- who he's worked with on "Family Guy" and the "Ted" films -- confided in him in 2011 about Weinstein's attempted advances ... and it pissed off Seth so much, he ripped Weinstein at the Oscar noms event.

He says ... "I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a hard swing in his direction. Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger. There is nothing more abhorrent and indefensible than abuse of power such as this."

As we reported ... MacFarlane joked about Weinstein's sordid reputation for making moves on actresses. Now, like countless other celebs, he's speaking out against Weinstein and commending the women who've come forward.

Tyrese's doing everything he can to prove The Rock is a piece of s*** ... by posting a 2015 video of The Rock calling his album "dog s***."

The singer posted this video on Instagram Wednesday in which The Rock UNLOADS tons of crap on Tyrese's album, "Black Rose." The 2-year-old video and recent post is just the latest in the insane Tyrese-Rock feud over accusations Rock's a selfish co-star.

Watch ... Rock says he just finished listening to the album and says it's a "big piece of black dog s***" before walking away and calling him a motherf*****.

It reeks of sarcasm, but you never know with these two.

Justin Trudeau's stoked like the rest of us after seeing the new "Star Wars" trailer ... but he's got no time for nuke talk.

We got the Prime Minister of Canada in D.C. Wednesday and asked him what he thinks about "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ... he says it's a must-see. As for real-life nuclear war that threatens to destroy us all -- no comment.

Can't blame Justin, though ... he's been busy in our nation's capital with other important matters. And signing autographs.

But he's right about that trailer.

Ben Affleck is apologizing for apparently groping former MTV host-turned-actress Hilarie Burton, but he's also dealing with another, arguably worse video of himself and a female reporter.

The incident came to light when former "Total Request Live" host tweeted, "I didn't forget" in response to a fan tweeting Ben "also grabbed Hilarie Burton's breasts on TRL once. Everyone forgot though" back in 2003.

Ben tweeted an apology on Wednesday saying, "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize."

Ben's come under fire since Rose McGowan put him on blast for acting like he didn't know about Harvey Weinstein's rampant sexual harassment.

Burton, who was 21 at the time, tweeted an MTV clip where she joked about the incident with Ben, saying, "He comes over and tweaks my left boob."

Another video has also resurfaced from 2004 -- in which Ben gets a Canadian TV host to sit on his lap while his hands are all over her. Ben told her, "They would like the show better if you did it topless, wouldn’t they?"

Also, around the 4 minute mark, Ben mocks people with Cerebral Palsy. It's bad.

He's yet to say anything about this incident.

Cara Delevingne says she too was a victim of Harvey Weinstein, but unlike other accusers ... she says the movie mogul tried to force another woman on her as well.

Cara says she had a meeting with Weinstein and a director about a role, and when the director left ... Weinstein asked her to stay behind. She claims he bragged about all the actresses he slept with and then invited her to his hotel room. She initially declined, but reluctantly went up when her car service was delayed.

The 25-year-old claims there was another woman in the room when she got there ... and Weinstein asked them to kiss. She says she rejected the woman's advance, and then "swiftly got up and asked him if he knew that I could sing. And I began to sing ... I thought it would make the situation better ... more professional ... like an audition."

In her letter to Huffington Post ... Cara says when she finished singing she bolted for the door, but Weinstein blocked her and tried to kiss her on the lips. Still, she managed to get out.

Jay-Z is talking with his team about buying Harvey Weinstein's interest in The Weinstein Company ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected to Jay tell us ... Jay, along with several other investors including a famous movie producer and a billionaire, are talking about purchasing Weinstein's 23% interest in the company.

Jay has had a working relationship with TWC and Harvey ... he has a deal in which he has produced a movie, "The Kalief Browder Story." He has also a Trayvon Martin miniseries slated for production. Jay has a first-look film deal with the company.

Our sources say Jay wants his relationship with the company to continue and grow, and since Harvey is out he's looking at acquiring a substantial equity stake in the company.

Check out Jay and Harvey at the Sundance Film Festival this past January.

All you kids with dreams of impressing millions of YouTube followers with your sensational above the rim antics ... PLEASE WATCH THIS, and realize sometimes gravity wins.

Russian super dunker Illia Kroshka took a major L when he tried to dunk over a car during a recent contest, not quite clearing said car and TOTALLY EATING IT.

To his credit, Krosh posted the footage on social media for everyone to see ... so at least he's proving there's no shame in his dunk game.

BTW -- the dude is pretty sick. If you don't believe it, watch below.

Houston icon Z-RO isn't walking away clean from his alleged beating of his ex-girlfriend, Just Brittany -- the D.A. is refiling a misdemeanor assault charge one day after the grand jury refused to indict him.

TMZ has learned the Harris County D.A. marched into court Wednesday and charged the rapper with assault on a family member, a Class A misdemeanor. We're told Z-RO was in court for the hearing.

What a difference a day makes. TMZ broke the story ... Z-RO dodged felony charges Tuesday when the grand jury declined to hand up an indictment. It appears the D.A. went with plan B, and slapped him with the misdemeanor.

As we first reported, Z-RO allegedly attacked his then-gf, Just Brittany, for hours in his home. She recorded audio of the alleged incident and handed it over to cops.

If convicted, Z-RO now faces up to a year in jail.

Meek Mill just took a deal in his reckless driving arrest in NYC, and if he keeps his nose clean ... it'll be off his record.

According to the DA's office ... the rapper accepted a deal that will see the arrest wiped from his record if he can go 6 months without getting popped again. He also agreed to 30 hours of community service ... and he's already done 20.

Meek's attorney, Joe Tacopina, tells us ... "This swift resolution vindicates Meek and clearly shows how outrageous the police department's conduct is in this case."

As we reported ... Mill was originally charged with a felony for poppin' wheelies while shooting a music video in NY, but got it reduced to 2 misdemeanor charges.

Harvey Weinstein knew his wife of 10 years, Georgina Chapman, was going to leave him because they had a heart-to-heart about breaking up in the days after his scandal broke.

Weinstein says, "Over the last week, there has been a lot of pain for my family that I take responsibility for. I sat down with my wife Georgina, who I love more than anything, and we discussed what was best for our family. We discussed the possibility of a separation and I encouraged her to do what was in her heart. In the end, she made the decision to separate."

As his sexual harassment scandal grows, Weinstein somehow sounds optimistic he'll be able to patch things up with Georgina ... saying, "I understand, I love her and I love our children and hopefully, when I am better, I will be in their lives again. I support her decision, I am in counseling and perhaps, when I am better, we can rebuild.”

High hopes.

12:05 PM PT -- An MGM Resorts spokesperson also tells us:

“The tragic incident that took place on October 1st was a meticulously planned, evil senseless act. As our company and city work through the healing process, our primary focus and concern is taking actions to support the victims and their families, our guests and employees and cooperating with law enforcement ... Out of respect for the victims we are not going to try this case in the public domain and we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels.”

12:00 PM PT-- A rep for Live Nation tells us, "We continue to be devastated by the tragedy at the Route 91 Festival, heartbroken for the victims, their families and the countless people forever impacted by this senseless act of violence and are cooperating fully with the active FBI investigation. We are, however, unable to comment specifically on pending litigation."

One of the Las Vegas shooting victims has filed the first lawsuit against Stephen Paddock's estate along with MGM Resorts and Live Nation, claiming they're all to blame for her life-threatening injuries.

Paige Gasper, a 21-year-old from CA, filed the suit in Clark County, Nevada ... and in the docs she says the venue and promoter are just as responsible as Paddock because they failed to properly protect concertgoers from mortal danger.

Gasper says she was struck by a bullet that entered her right underarm, cut across her right breast, shattered her ribs and lacerated her liver before exiting her body. She says the bullet incapacitated her, and fleeing concertgoers ended up trampling her, which she partly blames on Live Nation for having an inadequate exit plan.

A Good Samaritan eventually picked her up and put her on a flatbed truck with other victims, and they were raced to a hospital. Gasper is also suing the manufacturers of bump stocks, which helped turn Paddock's semi-automatic rifle into a near fully-automatic weapon.

We've reached out to MGM and Live Nation, so far no word back.

The Weinstein Company is already feeling the heat ... a major film financier has pulled the plug on a massive loan because Harvey's no longer steering the ship.

AI International Holdings fronted a $45 million loan to TWC last year. We've learned AI sent a letter to TWC and their lawyers at O'Melveny & Myers Tuesday, demanding that the money be returned pronto.

AI says in its letter, "The dismissal of Harvey Weinstein from his position as co-chairman" constitutes a "material adverse change" ... allowing them to demand immediate repayment of the loan.

AI's film division has financed some major movies, including "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Hacksaw Ridge," and the soon-to-be released Miramax film, "I, Tonya."

This underscores the dilemma for TWC ... it was all Harvey, and now that he's gone it's unclear how they will continue to do business. TMZ broke the story, Harvey is in settlement talks with the company and is open to some sort of outside relationship after he gets back from sex rehab in Europe.

Producers for "American Horror Story" made good on their promise to edit a mass shooting scene for this week's episode, but the carnage can still be seen online.

FX aired "Mid-Western Assassin" Tuesday, and you can see they significantly pared it down to avoid showing anyone actually getting shot. You mostly just hear the victims.

The decision to make major cuts to the shooting scene came on the heels of the Vegas mass shooting. However, viewers can still use FX's video-on-demand feature to watch the unedited version of the scene ... where at least 3 people are shot onscreen.