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Janet Jackson sure knows how to build hype over her forthcoming studio album -- her first in 3 years -- and did just that by assembling a stealth rhythm nation in New York.

The "Unbreakable" singer was shooting a music video in Brooklyn Monday with a quartet of dancers draped in denim behind her ... as she herself donned quite a colorful getup made of a green headscarf, a long pink skirt and a yellow belt with jeans on.

BTW, there was no music being played here as Janet and co. boogied. Unclear if she was simply getting some choreography down, or if this was the real deal. Seeing how there's a camera guy doing his thing ... probably the latter.

Janet confirmed this past May that she was working on a new record, but was still in the early stages of writing and gathering concepts. It's July now, so it seems she's had some fully fleshed out ideas since then ... hence, this.

Ben Simmons was with rich company for his birthday in Vegas over the weekend ... partying with a squad worth nearly $10 BILLION combined ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!

The NBA Rookie of the Year kicked off his 22nd year with ragers at both Drai's and TAO nightclubs in Vegas on Saturday ... livin' it up with Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin (net worth: 3 billion), Patriots owner Robert Kraft (6 billion) and Meek Mill (okay, he's not a billionaire, but he's rich).

FYI -- all these guys played a huge role in the #FreeMeek campaign ... so it's great to see them all hangin' out together after the rapper's release.

We're told the gang rolled together to Drai's to support Meek's performance ... and judging by our vid from TAO that same night, all eyes were on the Philly Clout Gang.

Offset's argument he's the victim of the so-called "hip-hop cops" just got dealt a serious blow, because police say he was weaving through traffic when they pulled him over ... TMZ has learned.

According to the cops he was pulled over for "failure to maintain lane" because he crossed over the solid yellow line. As for the guns ... cops say there were a total of 3 weapons found. One of them was on his male passenger, a bodyguard ... the other 2 were inside the car.

As we reported, Offset was charged with 2 counts of illegal possession of firearms.

Offset's attorney, Drew Findling, says officers only targeted his client because he's a rich, successful black rapper. Findling claimed cops used the lane change as a thinly veiled excuse to take down Offset, but the police report describes it as more than just an improper lane change.

What's more, Findling says Offset was NOT in possession of any firearm, and adds the guns belonged to the passenger ... who he described as an assistant who is a licensed gun holder.

Nicholas "Duffy" Fudge, a recurring cast member on the hit reality show "Wicked Tuna," is dead at a very young age ... according to Nat Geo.

Nicholas had been on the show since 2013. His death was announced on the the show's Facebook page ... which only said he had passed away last week. The post did not mention a cause of death.

He was a New Hampshire-based fisherman who served as first mate to Captain Tyler McLaughlin on their fishing vessel, Pinwheel.

If you haven't seen it ... Nat Geo's very successful show follows the fishermen as they head out to sea attempting to catch bluefin tuna, which can weigh hundreds of pounds and be worth thousands of dollars each.

'Wicked Tuna's' Facebook post notes that "Duffy" also appeared on the spinoff series "Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks."

Mark Calderon says his Color Me Badd bandmate, Bryan Abrams, was drunk as a skunk when he assaulted him, and adds ... Bryan needs something more than prosecution.

We spoke to the CMB singer Monday after Bryan shoved him to the ground Saturday during a show, for which he was arrested and booked Sunday for misdemeanor assault. Mark says Bryan was intoxicated and even heard through others that Bryan muttered ... "I'm motherf***ing Color Me Badd."

Mark says he will continue performing with or without Bryan for the love of his fans and their music, but it's clear he wants his old pal to get help in the wake of this stumble.

Luann de Lesseps is now pleading guilty to 3 charges in her drunken arrest case, but she's dodging the felony charge -- as part of a plea deal -- which would keep her out of jail.

The troubled 'RHONY' star agreed to plead guilty to battery, trespassing and disorderly intoxication for her Palm Beach County arrest. She was originally facing a felony charge of resisting an officer with violence, as well as the other 2 misdemeanors. That resisting charge was reduced to battery.

You'll recall, Luann was arrested on Christmas Eve in Palm Beach, FL -- she allegedly attacked a cop during her bust. She was caught on video telling an officer she'd kill him if he continued to touch her.

As part of the deal, she'll be placed on probation for a year. She'll have to complete 50 hours of community service and attend two AA meetings a week in NY, where she lives. Luann cannot consume alcohol or drugs and must submit to random testing. She also had to write an apology letter to the cop she hit.

Tekashi69 says he blacked out after getting pistol whipped, but says he remembers enough to believe the whole alleged caper was a setup.

The rapper was on Monday's "TMZ Live" and told us he suspects the people who kidnapped and robbed him had intel about his whereabouts, and it was no accident when they hit his vehicle with theirs early Sunday morning.

He says the gunman hit him so hard in the head he blacked out and woke up in the back of a different vehicle. 6ix9ine told us how he bargained with his captors to let him go -- and why what happened next makes him think it was an "inside job."

Tekashi also talks about his haters calling the alleged heist a publicity stunt to promote his new track with Nicki Minaj -- which just so happened to drop on Sunday.

Stormy Daniels' husband doesn't just want a divorce -- he wants her to stay clear of him and their child -- and he's accusing her of cheating.

We've learned a judge has granted Glendon Crain a restraining order which he requested with his divorce petition. The judge, among other things, agreed to prohibit Stormy from coming in contact with Crain or their 7-year-old daughter, which Crain says was necessary because Stormy wanted to bring her on tour where she would be on a bus with other adult performers and at risk for both physical and emotional harm.

The restraining order also prevents Stormy from falsifying any document or withdrawing or transferring any assets from their accounts or from cutting off Crain's access to his credit cards. There's no evidence in the docs she's committed such misdeeds.

Crain also got exclusive use of the couple's home and 2 cars.

As for the cheating ... Crain isn't specific, but merely says Stormy "committed adultery."

As we reported, Glendon filed for divorce last week. He married Stormy in 2015 but the 2 have rarely been seen together in public since she emerged with allegations against Donald Trump.

We knew something was up earlier this month when Stormy was arrested at a Columbus strip club. On the police report, she marked "No" when asked if she was married.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday, where Crain will try to get the restraining order made permanent.

Corinne Olympios says her interview with Sacha Baron Cohen -- where she advocates grenades for kids -- is no reflection on her character, instead it only proves he strong-arms folks into looking stupid.

The 'Bachelor' alum was fully duped on Sunday's episode of Sacha's show, "Who Is America?," If you missed it ... she made crazy claims about saving Ebola-afflicted people in Africa, and pitched a bogus ad endorsing kids being weaponized.

It was NOT a good look for Corinne, who seemed willing to say and do anything for a buck. It's especially bad because Corinne was accused of lying during her 'BiP' controversy ... but Corinne tells us it's BS to conflate 'Bachelor' with what Sacha did to her.

Stormy Daniels' husband has filed for divorce, a week after Daniels was arrested at an Ohio strip club, and told police she was no longer married.

Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, made the announcement Monday, saying, "My client Stormy Daniels and her husband Glen have decided to end their marriage ... Stormy's daughter remains her number one priority."

Daniels married former porn honcho Glendon Crain in 2015 ... the two have rarely been seen together in public since Daniels came forward with claims against President Trump.

According to docs, Crain has filed for a restraining order against Stormy.

TMZ broke the story -- on the police report from the Ohio arrest, Daniels marked "No" when asked if she was married -- a clear indication things had gone south with Crain.

It's unclear why Crain filed.

Story developing ...

Tekashi69's alleged robbers were caught on surveillance video outside the rapper's home ... evidence cops say helps support his story.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, investigators have successfully pulled surveillance video from a camera down the street from 6ix9ine's house. We're told the footage shows the suspects' vehicle outside the rapper's home, but it's too far away to identify who the men are.

TMZ broke the story -- Tekashi was allegedly kidnapped and pistol whipped by men armed with guns -- the rapper told cops a much milder version of what happened than what sources close to 6ix9ine initially told us.

The surveillance footage is interesting, considering Tekashi's haters doubted his story ... calling it a publicity stunt to drum up attention for his single with Nicki Minaj that came out on Sunday.

Leonardo DiCaprio's new wingman is Scott Eastwood, at least when it comes to summer beach volleyball. Hide your eyes, Tobey Maguire.

The actors got some action in the sand Sunday in Malibu, and looks like the match was going their way -- a lot of bro-in' down between serves.

Leo's been getting tons of v-ball practice lately. We saw him dishing at a Fourth of July party while co-hosting with Sean Penn. Leo went at it again a couple weeks later ... going up against Ansel Elgort.

One thing we've noticed about Leo is, for whatever reason, he prefers keeping on his white tees while others in the game opt for skins. Hard to blame him, Eastwood's 11 years younger, and well ... look at him.

Maria Sharapova's professional season might be winding down, but her boyfriend is kicking off ass-eatin' season ... in a big way!

The Russian tennis star was lounging in a bikini Sunday in Positano, alongside her millionaire bf, Alexander Gilkes, who decided to order lunch OFF-menu. For some reason, Alex got a face full of Maria's butt.

He was also pretty handsy with the booty -- so, there's little question to what he sees in Maria. Check out the pics, though ... she was stuck on her phone the whole time he was going to work back there.

Kanye West got an assist from his wife Sunday after he was feeling like crap ... so much so he beelined it for the ER.

Kim was right by Kanye's side as they showed up at West Hills Hospital in the San Fernando Valley. We're told Kanye had the flu and it got worse and worse, so he needed some Rx to make him feel better.

They were only there a short time ... and returned home where Kanye could rest.

Kanye's recently been tweeting about his sinus issues, but we're told it's unclear if they're related. He's been traveling nonstop lately.

Ryan Lochte has found himself in hot water again ... this time, the Olympian has been busted for violating the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's rules ... and he basically snitched on himself.

Lochte -- who was part of the Team USA swim team's infamous gas station incident at the 2016 Games in Rio -- wasn't popped for using a banned drug ... but for receiving an IV treatment illegally.

But, here's the crazy part -- Lochte reportedly led the USADA right to the investigation by posting a pic receiving the IV treatment alongside his wife on Instagram back in May. He even included the caption "Athletic recovery with some #ivdrip." The post was later deleted.

A member of the band Color Me Badd was arrested Sunday after shoving a bandmate so hard he landed in the hospital.

Bryan K. Abrams was clearly pissed off about something, because after performing a song at del Lago Casino in Tyre, New York, he strutted up to Mark Calderon and, without saying a word, shoved him hard.

An eyewitness tells TMZ Abrams, the lead singer in the group was having a bad night with his voice. He eventually walked off stage he was so frustrated.

Calderon hit some sound equipment on his way to the floor, and was hurt. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for neck and back pain.

As for Abrams, he was arrested for misdemeanor assault, taken to jail where he was booked. His bail was set at $2,000. We don't know if he's posted bail yet.