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Ryan Reynolds playing Pikachu gets a big ole stamp of approval from one of the biggest stars in the Pokemon universe.

Veronica Taylor voiced Pokemon trainer, Ash, for 8 seasons of the animated show, and has a hard time wrapping her brain around a live-action Pikachu -- but she told us Ryan has the skills to pull it off.

Bonus for Ryan: She says taking on the "Detective Pikachu" role means more than a fat paycheck -- it's gonna pay off for his kids on the playground.

As for which will reign supreme -- cartoon or the movie? Veronica tried to play it down the middle, but you can tell where her heart is.

Steve Harvey is being sued by a guy who claims he was hired by the TV mogul to raise $20 million for the Steve and Marjorie Foundation as well as other ventures and got royally stiffed.

Vincent Dimmock claims he struck a deal with Harvey in April to raise the $20 mil, and in return he says he was promised 12.5% of everything he brought in. Dimmock says in the lawsuit he had access to high-level execs, A-list entertainers and political figures including a former President, and he got pledges for $20 mil.

According to the suit, Dimmock delivered on the first million but Harvey refused to pay him his commission.

Dimmock claims Harvey never intended to pay him and then goes on to make various allegations.

Dimmock says he introduced Harvey to an investor in May, and during their meeting he allegedly disparaged women, blamed Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry for giving him bad financial advice and also blamed Barack Obama for Harvey's "disastrous meeting with Donald Trump."

He says Harvey and his foundation were in bad financial shape because of a series of P.R. gaffes, including mocking Asian men and meeting with Trump.

7:15 PM PT -- Singer's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, had some additional comments for TMZ ... "Bryan categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end ... When Sanchez-Guzman filed for bankruptcy only a few years ago, he failed to disclose this alleged claim when he was supposed to identify all of his assets, but conveniently, now that the bankruptcy court discharged all of his debts, he is able to recall the alleged events."

Brettler adds, "The attorney behind this lawsuit is the same lawyer who represented Michael Egan, the convicted felon who sued Bryan Singer in 2014. In the end, Egan was forced to dismiss that case once the facts came out and his story completely fell apart."

Famed director Bryan Singer is being sued for allegedly forcing a 17-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him and then raping him, but Singer categorically denies the allegations.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Singer was on a yacht in the Seattle area back in 2003 ... a yacht owned by wealthy tech investor, Lester Waters. The suit claims it was a party populated by young gay males, including the plaintiff, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman.

The suit claims Singer offered to take Guzman, who was 17 at the time, on a tour of the yacht. When they got to one of the rooms, the suit alleges Singer thrust his body on Guzman, forced him to the floor, shoved Guzman's face against his crotch and demanded he perform oral sex.

The suit claims Singer pulled out his penis, smacked Guzman in the face with it and forced it into his mouth. Guzman claims he pleaded with Singer to stop, but he kept going ... causing him to choke.

The suit goes on to allege Singer then forcibly performed oral sex on Guzman. Guzman says he again pleaded with Singer to stop, to no avail. He says Singer then forcibly anally penetrated him, all while ignoring Guzman's pleas.

The suit, filed by attorney Jeff Herman, claims Singer later approached Guzman, said he was a powerful Hollywood producer and he could help Guzman get into acting as long as he kept silent. Guzman says Singer warned him no one would believe him, and Singer could hire people to ruin his reputation.

Guzman says he suffered emotional distress, mental anguish, and physical and mental pain.

Beyonce let her hair down and threw on some shades, but it wasn't enough to disguise her during a Target shopping spree.

Tar-jay customers and Lady Bey had a close encounter Thursday in San Clemente, CA. Looks like she was cruising the toy aisles with her mom, Tina. Shhh!!! Don't tell Blue Ivy ... or Sir or Rumi.

We see a kiddo in one of the pics but it's hard to tell who it is. In any event, score one for Bey's pockets, and for Target shoppers.

Your move, Kmart and Walmart.

Adult Swim's prayers have been answered ... the "Black Jesus" lawsuit is no more. Amen.

A judge dismissed the suit a writer named Saint Solomon filed against AS. He claimed their show ripped off his short story, "Thank You, Jesus" -- which also features an African-American Messiah.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the judge spells it out pretty clearly -- the tales of 2 Christs aren't similar at all ... other than the lead characters being black.

Yes, both works had the idea of making Jesus black, but as the judge said, "Ideas are not protected by copyright."

As we reported ... Solomon wanted $75 million from Adult Swim. No dice.

Which Air Jordans does Michael Jordan wear on his fancy beach vacation?

You're lookin' at 'em ... but no one seems to know what they are -- or if they've ever been released to the public.

MJ is currently out in Barbados -- smokin' cigars and loungin' on yachts -- when we noticed the black and white sneakers a female friend (maybe his assistant?) was carrying out of the water.

We called multiple sneaker experts (including ShoeZeum founder Jordan Geller) to find out the make and model .... but no one had seen these particular kicks before.

We're told Jordan gets special custom shoes made -- and gets first crack at unreleased gear -- but it's unclear if these are one of a kind or a preview of things to come.

Side note ... MJ's lady friend also handed Jordan a bag of cigars for his boat ride -- because God forbid the NBA legend goes a couple hours without a fresh stogie.

The guy running against Kim Davis -- who once denied him a marriage license because he's gay -- says he's not gunning for her job out of revenge.

We spoke to David Ermold about his campaign for Rowan County Clerk in Kentucky. As we reported ... he actually had to turn in his candidate paperwork to Davis herself. We asked him what it was like coming face-to-face with her, and while he admits it was tense -- it doesn't sound like it was a battle royal.

Meghan Markle is going full Karate Kid ahead of her Royal nuptials -- because she's hired Michael Jackson's former bodyguard to learn how to defend herself ... TMZ has learend.

Our Royal sources tell us Meghan has hired celeb security adviser and trainer Matt Fiddes to teach her martial arts and self-defense -- as well as to get her in shape ahead of her wedding with Prince Harry in May.

Meghan just landed back in L.A. Wednesday to spend time with her mom ahead of the holidays -- and we're told Matt booked a last-minute flight to Hollywood this week, so the training could begin STAT.

Matt's a natural fit for Meghan. He owns one of the biggest martial arts franchises in the world -- Matt Fiddes Martial Arts -- and works with tons of celebs, including Tom Cruise.

He's also got close ties with the Royal Family -- MJ was tight with Princess Diana, and he became part of her inner circle. Plus ... he's a Brit, so he'll be geographically desirable.

We're told Meghan's endgame is not about fitness -- sources close to Matt tell us Meghan hired him specifically to learn self-defense. Sounds like she's supplementing her hostage training.

Hi-ya!

50 Cent just won a huge legal victory when a judge threw out a lawsuit where he was accused of ripping off someone else's work to create his hit show, "Power."

Two guys wrote a play called "Dangerous" which they claimed was eerily like "Power." The story line involved a drug dealer who engaged in violence, launders money and attempts to stave off prosecution.

The court said these are common elements that are in the public domain and "One need only look to such shows and movies as The Wire, Empire, Breaking Bad, Narcos, Weeds, Carlito's Way, American Gangster, New Jack City, Scarface and Paid in Full."

So, 2 things we know ... 50 Cent won big, and the judge sure knows his TV shows and movies.

The guy who won the first season of "Survivor," Richard Hatch, has split from his husband, and plans on getting divorced ... TMZ has learned.

Richard tells TMZ ... he and his hubby of 14 years, Emiliano Cabral, are no longer together -- and they're headed to divorce soon.

Richard -- who's 56 years old -- says Emiliano, 42, met someone else much younger ... in his 30s.

Hatch tells us he's devastated by the turn of events. That said, he vows to keep living his life and is looking again for love.

Richard and Emiliano tied the knot in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2005 -- but we're told they had a private ceremony amongst themselves in '03. Richard says they split 2 months ago.

Wanna participate in a women's pro wrestling match in Abu Dhabi? Better trade out the skimpy spandex for a non-skin-baring costume ... just like Sasha Banks.

The pro wrestling superstar just threw down in WWE's very first women's match in the United Arab Emirates ... squaring up against women's champ Alexa Bliss.

But in order to get the green light, the women had to make extreme costume adjustments to meet the Muslim nation's strict laws on female attire. They did, and the show went off without a hitch.

Triple H hailed the match as an historic moment for the WWE -- and Banks got emotional ... saying, "I started crying because of how huge this is. It's bigger than me."

Banks added, "I want to empower women and let them know that their dreams are endless and they can achieve anything."

Migos, Ashanti, Ja Rule, J Balvin and Diplo ... could be a list of Grammy performers -- or just some of the performers and guests at an 18-year-old's $4 million birthday party in San Antonio.

The lucky guy is Thomas J. Henry Jr. -- son of the uber successful personal injury lawyer, who you might recall dropped $6 million on his daughter's quinceanera.

Jr.'s bash was anything but low budget -- DJ Ruckus spun all night with the all-star musical performances and celeb guests like Austin Mahone, Lance Bass, Joanna Krupa and Adrienne Bailon.

There was also a Cuban cigar roller, a bar completely made of ice.

So what do you get the kid with a $4 million party as a present? Eh, just a nice watch ... and a Ferrari.

Melania Trump's reaching out to some of her husband's supporters and offering them the first crack at a special 2018 calendar ... for just a small contribution, of course.

This is no ordinary calendar, either ... it's the official RNC calendar featuring photos hand-picked by the First Lady that she hopes will serve as "a reminder of how important the 2018 elections are to the future of our country."

Melania's only asking Trump supporters to chip in 15 bucks for the calendar, too ... to ensure the Prez and the Party have resources to keep racking up the wins.

But if they feel so inclined, supporters can donate way more -- up to $2,700 a month!

Simon Cowell's London neighbor went ballistic outside Simon's home Tuesday night, threatening to smash cars with a golf club.

The neighbor was apparently pissed off at Simon for parking in front of his house.

The neighbor came out of his home wielding a golf club as he hurled insults in the direction of Simon's mansion, saying, "He's a twat. I hate him."

The guy seems to carry a grudge over Simon's fame, apparently believing Simon can get away with things non-famous people can't.

Cops were called to diffuse the situation.