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The guy who allegedly stole Frances McDormand's Oscar is not going to escape criminal charges just because she doesn't want him prosecuted ... and that's because she's not the victim.

We did some checking and it turns out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences owns the hardware ... despite the fact the statue was bestowed on Frances and even engraved with her name. Thus the Academy is listed as the victim on the police report.

According to Academy rules, the winner of an Oscar has the right of possession but not ownership, and that's why the statue cannot legally be sold to anyone without first offering it to the Academy for $1.

Terry Bryant is currently behind bars after being arrested for felony grand theft. He took the Oscar off the table where Frances was sitting and videotaped himself with the award in hand.

Academy officials have told the LAPD they want Bryant prosecuted and that's why the case is going forward.

No word yet on whether charges will be filed.

Bryant remains in custody ... apparently he's been unable to post the $20,000 for bail.

Michelle Obama came face-to-face with the toddler who went viral for staring at the ex-First Lady portrait -- and the new dynamic duo had a dance party that deserves to go viral, too.

Mrs. Obama met up with 2-year-old Parker Curry ... the little girl who was photographed last week as she stood, staring at Michelle's official portrait -- which was painted by Amy Sherald.

Seems like Michelle took notice and wanted to give the kid a taste of the real deal.

Aside from dancing with her to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," Michelle left Parker with a sweet message, saying ... "Keep on dreaming big for yourself...and maybe one day I'll proudly look up at a portrait of you!"

Inspirational stuff like this is kind of the Obamas' thing since leaving the office. This one should even get a smile out of Michelle's critics.

Nick Cannon stiffed his crew on his upcoming movie, "She Ball" ... this according to a new lawsuit filed by some of the people who worked on the flick.

Nick -- who wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film -- is accused in the class action lawsuit of failing to pay OT. The lawsuit also claims he failed to give his crew meal and rest breaks.

The lawsuit also says Nick was late in paying wages to drivers, grips, camera operators, lighting crews, location managers and set dressers. In all, the suit says 100 people were shortchanged.

We got Nick out in January -- when accusations first surfaced from angry employees -- and he wasn't too bothered, saying he's just the big name, but the problem has nothing to do with him.

The movie, which also stars Chris Brown, is expected to be released sometime this year.

We reached out to Nick's rep ... so far no word back.

Trey Songz could be legally blocked from going near a woman who claims he struck her ... at least if attorney Lisa Bloom has her way.

TMZ has learned Bloom is going to court Tuesday morning ... asking a judge for a restraining order on behalf of the woman who claims he struck her during NBA All-Star Weekend. TMZ broke the story, the woman says she and Trey were at a Hollywood party when he hit her in the face out of jealousy because she was talking to another man.

Bloom says in her legal docs Songz choked her client, then began punching her in the face several times until she fell to the ground and he continued striking her until security pulled him off her. The woman says Songz was hitting with such force it was as if 2 men were fighting. She says she suffered bruises to her face and hand.

The woman also says she was trying to get away and called an Uber, but Songz grabbed her cell phone and threw it down a hill. She says she had a second cell phone and he also took that and threw it down a hill.

The woman filed a police report and went to the hospital just after the incident. Cops are still investigating.

She says she works in the nightclub industry and Songz frequents some of her clubs and she's scared of him ... which is why she's filing the restraining order.

Songz's lawyer, Shawn Holley, tells TMZ, "Trey has not spoken with Ms. Buera nor has he attempted to speak with her since the night of the gathering." According to people connected to Songz, the woman has tried reaching out to friends of Trey since the party, but they did not respond to her.

Holley says there were witnesses present at the party who dispute the woman's account.

Bloom tells TMZ, "We are taking this step today to protect my client's right to peacefully live and work, and we will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement's investigation of this serious matter," adding, "We are asking just one of them with a conscience to reach out to us and tell us what they saw."

Songz is currently on probation for pleading guilty to 2 misdemeanors after he went crazy throwing anything he could find off stage at his concert in 2016. He also was sued by a fan after he allegedly smacked her phone out of her hand and into her face, breaking her glasses.

Chris Martin did his girlfriend, Dakota Johnson, half a favor by dropping her off for a coffee run in his nifty golf cart ... but she had to walk to his crib.

Chris and Dakota were out cruising Monday in Malibu, and her pup was riding shotgun, too. He dropped her off at Starbucks, where she ran in and grabbed a couple of drinks -- but then he flipped a U and bolted.

It may not look like the most chivalrous move on Chris' part, but we're guessing there's ZERO shade here -- grey or otherwise.

Jeremy Meeks will be a little lighter in the pockets ... because he's agreed to pay child support.

Jeremy struck a deal in his divorce case and will pay his estranged wife, Melissa, $1,000 a month, and that's retroactive to November 1, 2017 ... meaning he's gotta pony up 4 months worth of support.

Jeremy and Melissa also agreed to joint legal custody of 9-year-old Jeremy Jr., who will spend 30% of his time with his dad. Good news for Jeremy? He doesn't have to pay spousal support.

Melissa's attorney, Lisa Bloom, tells us, "We are pleased that we were able to get Melissa child support in an amount 25% above legal guidelines. And the parties have worked together to come up with a reasonable child custody and visitation schedule, as parents should."

TMZ broke the story ... the 2 sides were ordered to mediation, but everyone was a no-show because the sides were trying to hammer out a deal. Deal's done, but the judge still needs to sign off.

MLB legend Jim Abbott is a HUGE fan of Shaquem Griffin -- telling TMZ Sports he's an inspiration to physically disabled athletes all over the world.

Of course, Abbott is an icon -- battling the odds to become a dominant Major League pitcher despite the fact he was born with one hand. Dude even threw a no-hitter in 1993!!!

So, how did Jim feel when he saw Griffin -- who also has one hand -- kill it at the NFL Combine? Proud is definitely an understatement.

"I just love him," Abbott says referencing Griffin's incredible performance at the NFL Combine ... "His determination is fierce."

"I just feel like you can see the burning desire within him with every step, so I'm a big fan. I'm really rooting for him."

Jim also says Shaquem is "making a real difference in the world" -- and he hopes to meet the kid one day.

The Playboy Mansion will remain one of L.A.'s most iconic properties, but it will NOT be added to the city's list of historic cultural landmarks.

The mansion's new billionaire owner, Daren Metropoulos, struck a deal with city officials in which the property will be permanently protected -- regardless of future owners -- but will not be subject to some of the normal restrictions attached to historic landmarks or monuments.

The new agreement locks in Daren's previous commitment to "not demolish the main residence and will repair the facade of the structure while maintaining its original condition as part of his extensive renovation."

Basically, the deal allows Daren to transform the mansion without a landmark status that would have added a lot of red tape. He says Hugh Hefner was aware of his renovation plans.

Even Oprah can't escape the Oprah factor .... heavy lies the crown.

Her Holiness was out in NYC Tuesday and -- with her movie "A Wrinkle in Time" set to premiere Friday -- Adam Glyn asked O if she ever still has to audition for roles. Remember, this isn't her first big feature. Oprah was outstanding in 'The Butler' and "Selma," to name a few.

Ya might be surprised by Oprah's answer, which includes why she got turned down for the 2008 film "Doubt."

Migos is being sued for allegedly inciting a riot at one of their concerts where several peopled ended up getting stabbed.

The concert in question went down in 2015 in Albany, New York. According to the lawsuit, Migos showed up hours late, which apparently agitated the crowd. Once there, the lawsuit claims the guys reeked of weed and alcohol. They also refused to honor a meet-and-greet, despite the fact fans paid for it.

The allegations continue ... the trio was "encouraging, cheering and inciting the patrons to fight."

The suit, filed by the venue, claims Migos "caused patrons to be stabbed, robbed, beaten, severely harmed, and injured ..." and during the melee they were "laughing and egging the crowd on as metal gates were ripped from the ground and thrown into the crowd."

Bobby Brown believes Whitney Houston and their daughter are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to justice in their deaths, but says there's a way to make things right for both of them.

Bobby recently told Rolling Stone he thinks Whitney died from a broken heart, and Monday at LAX, he told us the official record -- Whitney's death certificate -- should be adjusted. The Coroner said Whitney had several drugs in her system and heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors to her death.

Senator Jeff Flake will not answer the question -- will he challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 primaries -- but he makes it pretty clear he's noodling the idea.

We got the Arizona Republican Monday at Reagan National Airport and pressed him on the rumors he's going after Trump. Trump has already named his manager for his re-election campaign.

Stacey Dash is going to have some stiff competition in her run for Congress, because we've learned one of the most popular politicians in Southern California is about to throw her hat in the ring to oppose her.

We've learned Compton Mayor Aja Brown will announce on Thursday that she is running for Congress in the 44th District ... which covers Compton, Watts, San Pedro and North Long Beach.

Our sources say Brown had no intention of running as late as a week ago -- the day Dash announced she's running for a seat in the House of Representatives. We're told a number of members from the California Congressional delegation contacted Brown and urged her to run against Dash.

Brown has been an ambassador for Compton, often praising people like Kendrick Lamar who grew up in her city and went on to greatness.

A source who has interacted with Brown tells TMZ the Compton Mayor has privately groused that Dash is "running for notoriety" and has no relationship with the district.

Brown -- a Democrat -- is a super-popular mayor whose voice has been strong on various issues, including protecting food programs and housing initiatives.

We're told Brown herself feels it's by no means a shoo-in that she'll win, because of almost unparalleled voter apathy in the district. We're told, although she thinks the district is heavily democratic, the Republicans just get out and vote more often.

The beef between Conor McGregor and 50 Cent is heating up again -- with the rapper once again blasting the UFC star ... and this time, it's personal.

Remember, these two have been trading shots since last year -- when Conor declared, "50 Cent's a bitch!" because he sided with Mayweather before their boxing match.

50 responded saying he could take Conor in a street fight ... and mocked him for getting choked out by Nate Diaz.

Fast forward to Monday when Conor went after 50 on social media ... saying, "[50 Cent] blocked me on [Instagram]. The mad 50 year old instagram blocker. Ahh don't block me 50 kid, I still like some of your songs. The older ones hahah."

Of course, 50 responded ... posting a video Tuesday morning mocking Conor's relationship with Rita Ora and suggesting Conor cheated with her behind his girlfriend Dee Devlin's back.

50 eventually deleted the video.

Ex-Trump campaign adviser Sam Nunberg isn't the least bit worried about getting locked up because Hillary Clinton's still free after her email scandal.

We got Nunberg out in NYC Monday night after his banner day of TV meltdowns -- calling the Prez an "idiot," calling his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a "fat slob" ... and insisting he'll ignore Robert Mueller's grand jury subpoena in the Russia investigation.

Nunberg told us he's not worried about getting locked up, and compared his situation to Hillary's. He also had prison predictions for Gen. Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner -- and dropped some intel about Vladimir Putin's relationship with Trump ... according to him, anyway.

Jamie Foxx couldn't believe Frances McDormand temporarily had her Oscar stolen away from her at an after-party -- but he's got an easy fix for all future winners.

Jamie was leaving Mr Chow Monday night in Bev Hills when our photog asked if he'd heard the crazy news ... that Terry Bryant jacked Frances' golden statue at The Governors Ball, before security stepped in and called cops.

As we reported ... Bryant swiped Frances' award off her table and was kissing and posing with it on camera before he was apprehended, and the hardware was returned to its rightful owner. He was charged and booked for felony grand theft by police.

Jamie -- who won an Oscar for "Ray" back in 2005 -- was stunned by Frances' ordeal ... and told us how he avoided that kinda nightmare on his big night.