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Kobe Bryant got the All-Star treatment at the Oscars lunch on Monday -- getting the prime front row seat for the official group photo ... despite the fact he towers over EVERYONE there!

He's in front of huge stars like Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Mary J. Blige, Kumail Nanjiani, Guillermo del Toro, Laura Dern ... EVEN MERYL FRICKIN' STREEP!

Then again, she's been in like 50 Oscars lunch photos ... so, maybe they wanted to switch it up.

The Mamba's been nominated for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball" -- and he's clearly enjoying everything that goes along with being a nominee ... including free lunch!

John Mahoney, the beloved dad on "Frasier," has died in Chicago ... TMZ has learned.

According to John's publicist ... he passed away Sunday in hospice care.

The British-born actor famously played Martin Crane, the father of Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce's characters, for 11 seasons of "Frasier."

John most recently had a recurring role in "Hot in Cleveland." Besides his TV success, John was in tons of movies -- like 'American President,' "Say Anything..." and "Eight Men Out" -- during more than 30 years in show biz.

He won a SAG Award in 2000 for "Frasier" -- and was nominated for 2 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes. John was also active in theater, and won a Tony in 1986.

John was 77.

Prince wouldn't be pissed at Justin Timberlake for using his image and voice during the Super Bowl halftime show, at least according to Prince's sister ... who wants JT's haters to back off.

Tyka Nelson tells TMZ ... she was pleasantly surprised by Timberlake's performance, and even enjoyed his controversial Prince tribute. She and the rest of Prince's family knew he was planning to sing, "I Would Die 4 U," but says they weren't aware he was doing the video projection.

As for the backlash -- Tyka says everyone has their own idea of what Prince would have wanted ... so, it's an impossible position for Justin.

Tyka added her brother was outspoken, but wasn't one to hold grudges ... referring to the old beef between Prince and JT's beef over "Sexy Back." As she put it, "He said what he said and kept it moving."

Of course, one of the things he said was he hated duets between living and deceased artists. He called it "demonic" ... which doesn't sound like he'd be all that forgiving.

For her part, Tyka ain't trippin' ... and neither is JT, apparently.

An ex-bartender at the world famous Viper Room -- where River Phoenix partied right before his death -- claims his transgender manager got touchy, feely, and way too revealing about her transition.

The manager's name is Maci Wilson, but she used to go by Mike Wilson before November 2016. Michael Speziali, the bartender, says that's when Maci returned to work and announced, "I'm a f***king tranny! I can say it you cannot."

In a lawsuit, Speziali says Maci demanded hugs and fished for compliments on her looks. He also says she made comments about women with "unnatural" breast implants, and offered to show staffers her "hormone tits."

The bartender says Maci's boob talk, and complaints about "tucking" her male genitals, actually became unwanted rituals around the Viper Room.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Speziali says the harassment only began after Wilson's surgery. In fact, he says Mike Wilson acted like "one of the guys" ... but Maci made him uncomfortable. In particular, he says Maci once summoned him to the office and made him watch while she put on boots with her legs spread wide. You get the picture.

The Eagles are a football team from Philly.

The "Eagle" is a common name for gay bars all across the world.

So, when a bunch of straight Eagles fans went to Minnesota for the Super Bowl and saw a watering hole called the "Eagle Bolt Bar" ... they didn't realize they were hitting up one of the top gay bars in town!

The good news ... it didn't matter for some of the patrons who stuck around and had a great time, according to Star Tribune's Eric Roper.

"I can confirm a number of Eagles fans here at @eagleBoltbar were drawn by the name. Including a guy from Hamburg, Germany," Roper reported.

Good news ... if they stick around, they can hit "Gear Night" on Saturday -- where patrons are encouraged to wear their finest leather & chain outfits (dress code enforced).

Republic Records honcho and 'The Four' judge Charlie Walk claims he was being extorted before an ex-employee accused him of sexual misconduct, and says he has a voicemail to prove it.

TMZ has obtained a voicemail a source close to Charlie claims was left by radio exec Tom Gilligan. The caller, who sounds drunk, offers Charlie a "deal" -- resign from 'The Four' and Republic and "nobody will ever say anything." He claimed Walk hired hookers, and 3 women were ready to go public as part of the #MeToo movement.

Gilligan tells us he doesn't recall leaving a voicemail for Walk, but does acknowledge he was drunk and upset with him around the same time. He claims Charlie had ignored his request to set up a meet-and-greet with Jon Bon Jovi.

Although the message was left about a month before Tristan Coopersmith went public with allegations against Walk -- Gilligan insists he has nothing to do with her or an extortion plot. As we reported ... Walk pulled out of 'The Four' finale, airing this week.

Kim Kardashian West raked in 8 figures while selling out her latest fragrance ... and the entire advertising campaign was done on social media.

Kim's new fragrance line, Kimoji Hearts, sold out of its 300k-plus stock Sunday, only 4 days after it was released. Sources associated with the launch tell us total revenue for the 3 new fragrances -- Bae, Ride or Die & BFF -- topped the $10 million mark.

Kim plugged the scents hard on social media in a campaign that sent the fragrances to both her lovers and her haters, including Taylor Swift, Blac Chyna and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Fans still trying to get a whiff of Kim shouldn't be discouraged though ... her signature scent crystal gardenia is still available.

Brace yourselves, Beyhive ... Beyonce's father says the Beyhive might not even exist if his daughter was darker skinned than she is.

Mathew Knowles went off about race in the music biz, saying "When it comes to Black females, who are the people who get their music played on pop radio? Mariah Carey, Rihanna, the female rapper Nicki Minaj, my kids."

Mathew spoke to Ebony about his new book, "Racism From The Eyes Of A Child" ... and admitted he even thought Tina Knowles was white when they first met.

His statement about Beyonce might hit her fans as controversial, but does he have a point -- particularly when it comes to current music?

Not a lot of Lauryn Hills, Patti LaBelles and Tracy Chapmans these days.

John Schneider got a big break from the judge presiding over his divorce war ... he has a month to make good on a ton of delinquent spousal support, but the clock is ticking.

John is behind more than $150,000 in support, and Elvira's pissed. She was trying to hold him in contempt of court, which could have landed him behind bars, but the judge has postponed judgment day until March 14.

The judge said John must transfer his property in Apple Valley to Elvira to satisfy the delinquency. He must also resolve his tax liens on that property before the March deadline.

John told the judge, "I'm sorry, embarrassed and humiliated to be in this financial situation."

The judge put the screws to John, saying he must be totally transparent about his finances.

One of the things that came out during the hearing ... John did a concert last Friday and pulled in $2,580.

Elvira had complained John was in the red because he's been making crappy TV shows and movies.

Haley Joel Osment's Super Sunday is officially a very messy Monday after he got so pissed about missing a flight out of Las Vegas ... cops had to be called.

Haley was trying to get out of Sin City Sunday night, but missed his American Airlines flight ... so they put him on standby Monday morning. Emphasis on standby.

According to American ... Haley showed up Monday at 7 AM, but the flight was full, and he started going off -- yelling and swearing in the gate agent's face. Police were called, but we're told Haley left the gate area before the officers arrived.

Then came the sequel -- we're told Haley went back to the gate around 8 AM, and was even more aggressive. A witness says Haley yelled at the gate agent, "I'll destroy you!" Cops responded again, but again ... he'd fled the gate.

Little context, if you haven't been -- Vegas is nuts for the Super Bowl, and flights out are ALWAYS fully booked. Point is ... missing your flight is pretty much a guarantee you ain't getting home anytime soon.

Paul Mitchell's son Angus, a co-owner of the Paul Mitchell Company, is being sued for allegedly coercing and cajoling an employee to have sex with him.

Tally Rossi claims in a new lawsuit she was hired back in 2012 as a project manager for media/education for the famous hair care company.

She claims Angus -- who was married at the time -- used the company as a "hunting ground to find women to date and have sex with." Rossi says Angus began flirting with her, saying he wanted someone just like her.

She says in Sept. 2015, Angus invited her to his home, gave her a glass of wine, and while he was talking about his recent divorce, he grabbed her face and forcibly kissed her. She says she cried and pulled away.

Rossi says although she rejected him she felt pressure to get into a sexual relationship with him. Specifically, she says he pressured her into taking ecstasy and having sex. She says she felt like she had to do it to save her job.

In the lawsuit, filed by Ben Meiselas and Mark Geragos, Rossi says they broke up in January 2016 and no sooner did that happen than she got demoted after getting a negative performance review.

Now the twist ... she says in March 2016, she had sex with him again and he wired her $50k because he felt bad she was treated poorly at work. Then, she says, the President of the company lowered the boom, giving her the option to quit immediately or at the end of the day.

Rossi is suing for sex discrimination and harassment.

Honestly didn't see this one coming ... a FOX News reporter made a friendly Super Bowl bet with CNN's Jake Tapper -- and the REAL winner is a charity for military vets.

We spotted FOX News chief political anchor Bret Baier at LAX and asked about the politics that surrounded Super Bowl LII.

That's when Baier revealed that he was rooting for the Patriots and made a bet with Eagles fan Jake Tapper. Winner had to donate $250 to the charity of the other anchor's choice.

Baier said Tapper picked a charity to help homeless military vets -- Homes For Our Troops.

Safe to say Travis Scott is having a GREAT week ... first the birth of his baby girl and now a victory in court.

A clerk at the Rogers District Court in Arkansas tells TMZ ... the rapper's case for inciting a riot is closed after Travis struck a deal, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. The more serious charges -- endangering the welfare of a minor and inciting a riot -- were tossed.

As we reported ... Travis was arrested at his concert back in May after cops say he encouraged people to rush the stage. Several people were injured, including a cop and security guard.

After his guilty plea and paying some fines, the matter's considered closed. Good ... cause daddy's booked for at least the next 18 years.

Guess Jeans co-founder Paul Marciano says Kate Upton is lying when she says he sexually harassed her, adding she's about to make a false claim he groped her.

Marciano gave TMZ a statement, responding to Upton's tweet that he used his position "to sexually and emotionally harass women."

Marciano says, "Ms. Upton provided no details ... She leveled this malicious and false accusation only hours before a gala event at our headquarters in Los Angeles unveiling a new Guess campaign. Ms. Upton told TMZ that 'I'm excited to tell my whole story.'"

He goes on ... "I am told that she has been working with others for some time to defame me and will claim that I groped her among other things."

Marciano's response ... "This accusation is false. I have never touched Kate Upton. I have never been alone with Kate Upton. I have never acted inappropriately towards her."

Sources connected to Marciano tell us he believes Upton is lashing out because Guess ended its relationship with her after a disastrous photo shoot.

Forget the hologram drama, Prince fans are still VERY upset over Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime performance ... and it all stems from an interview the Purple One did in 1998.

At the time, Prince sat down with Guitar World Magazine and was asked about the trend of live musicians using technology to duet with someone who had passed away ... think Natalie Cole's version of "Unforgettable" she did with her dad.

Here's what Prince said at the time ...

Guitar World: "With digital editing, it is now possible to create a situation where you could jam with any artist from the past. Would you ever consider doing something like that?"

Prince: "Certainly not. That's the most demonic thing imaginable. Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing... it really is demonic. And I am not a demon. Also, what they did with that Beatles song ["Free As a Bird"], manipulating John Lennon's voice to have him singing from across the grave... that'll never happen to me. To prevent that kind of thing from happening is another reason why I want artistic control."

So, when Timberlake used Prince's voice and image to create a duet -- seems like JT did exactly what Prince didn't want.

There's more ...

Sinbad, the comedian, went off on social media about the drama between JT and Prince that started back in 2006 when Timberlake dropped "Sexy Back."

At the time, Prince joked that sexy never left ... and Timberlake responded with a diss verse in "Give It To Me" in which he said to Prince, "Don't hate on me just because you didn't come up with it."

Timberlake later pulled a stunt where he lowered the mic for Prince to mock his height at the Golden Globes.

Sinbad called Timberlake a "punk ass" for the performance -- and seems to want Timberlake to apologize.

Don't hold your breath ...