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Two UCLA women's soccer players took a knee during the national anthem before their game Thursday ... and the school tells TMZ Sports its coach is still fully in support of their protests.

Defenders Kennedy Faulknor and Kaiya McCullough -- along with 2 others on the sideline -- dropped to a knee at midfield during the song ahead of their clash with LMU. The pic was captured by Fred J. Robledo.

The women have been demonstrating since last season -- and clearly haven't been dissuaded by the constant attacks on kneelers by people like President Donald Trump, who has constantly called for harsh penalties on those who don't stand for the anthem.

But, UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell has publicly supported the players from the jump.

"It's about supporting the cause of racial justice and equality in the world," the coach said to the Pac-12 Networks last fall.

"I love that our team is socially active. We're politically active and we support them across the board."

You'll remember, Colin Kaepernick started the movement back in 2016 -- but the Bruins joined in the protest shortly after Donald Trump called the kneeling NFLers "sons of bitches" in 2017.

Later, gator. GOP House Majority Whip Steve Scalise went on a hunting trip with Donald Trump Jr. ... and they bagged a 9-foot alligator!!!

We got Steve at Reagan National Airport in D.C. and Scalise tells us the gator meat was finger-lickin' good, and gave us a taste of what it's like to hunt gators, fry 'em up and make gator jambalaya. Guess that's what Don Jr. had in mind when his father famously said, "drain the swamp."

He also defended President Trump's controversial stance on Puerto Rico's hurricane relief.

Steve and Don Jr. hit the bayou last week for Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's annual gator hunt ... and they were joined by Kimberly Guilfoyle and GOP Rep. Brian Babin.

The congressman -- who was nearly fatally shot last year at the Congressional baseball practice -- has recovered enough to throw on some hunting gear and hit the swamp with his pals.

Here's the story, 'Brady Bunch' neighbors ... HGTV is coming to town whether you like it or not, and they're armed for a battle -- cookies, anyone??

TMZ has obtained a letter Lando Entertainment fired off to a bunch of neighbors around the San Fernando Valley home that was used for 'Brady' exterior shots. As you know, HGTV just bought the crib, and Lando is producing the remodel project.

The letter seems likes a pretty nice gesture, especially because it came with fresh cookies from SusieCakes.

The chocolate chips and snickerdoodles were clearly sent to appease pissed off neighbors. As we first reported, a lot of residents were none too pleased a full-blown production was happening on their street.

In addition to the sweets ... Lando offered the name of an exec neighbors can hit up to voice concerns about the project. The company says the exec will be available to "field questions, address problems, resolve issues and generally serve as your conduit to the production company."

Lando is completely remodeling the interior of the home to match the original soundstage where the show was shot ... so, it's likely there will be major construction that could temporarily disrupt neighbors' lives. Lando's promising to give them a heads-up when the big changes go down.

Colton Underwood would be wise to keep it in his pants until he's down to 3 women on his season of "The Bachelor" ... so says one of the most promiscuous bachelors ever.

We talked to Season 4's 'Bachelor' Bob Guiney -- who slept with "five and a half women," according to an EP on the show -- and he says Colton should probably stay the virgin course until the fantasy suites, unless he's ready to have 'Bachelor' nation turn on him quick.

Bob's got a point -- it probably wouldn't play well with audiences if Colton started hooking up with ladies left and right after touting his virginity in such a public manner. If he stays true until the penultimate episode, Bob's sure ratings will skyrocket.

As for who should get cast to contend for Colton's heart, Bob thinks it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some late bloomers on there -- even though those folks won't have an automatic advantage.

He also suggests the pendulum could swing the other way with people like ... well, you gotta hear who his surprise guest of the year would be for yourself.

Quentin Tarantino will host his "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" premiere party at the Playboy Mansion -- this after recently filming some scenes there ... TMZ has learned.

QT and co. are going to have their after-party at Hugh Hefner's romping grounds following the premiere of his highly anticipated flick -- which chronicles the Manson murders. While a date for the party hasn't been set quite yet, we're told it has gotten the green light for whenever the film drops ... which, for now, is slated for summer 2019.

Tarantino and his crew were seen at the Playboy Mansion last week, where they filmed for 3 days. The current owner of the house, Daren Metropoulos, says ... "After Quentin reached out to me and I spent some time understanding his vision for the film, I knew there was a special opportunity to collaborate together and feature the mansion in this thrilling project."

He added ... "The timing was excellent as the property has already begun to transform back to its original grandeur and has never looked more impressive."

Tarantino's got history with the Playboy Mansion. He hosted his "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" video release party there in 2004. Looks like he's circling back with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino and other big stars that've been cast.

The premiere party appears to be one of the first major A-list events to be held at the mansion since Hugh Hefner's death late last year and since Daren bought the place for $100 million about a year prior. Most recently, he was cleared to undergo major repairs ahead of a potential historic monument designation.

Adrien Broner terrorized his Uber driver -- and now he's paying the price ... he's been BANNED from using the app ever again all because he's the passenger from hell, TMZ Sports has learned.

The boxing star captured his out-of-control ride on his own social media earlier this week -- trying to turn up from the backseat when Drake and Travis Scott's hit "Sicko Mode" started playing.

Broner leans over and unleashes a full-throated scream right in the driver's face -- before grabbing the volume knob and turning it to the max.

Then he started wildly dancing -- while the driver tried to focus on driving in the rain.

Finally, the driver has enough, slams on the brakes and pulls the car over -- demanding Broner and his crew get the hell out of the vehicle immediately.

A rep for Uber tells us ... company officials looked into the incident, and decided Broner's behavior was unacceptable and his access to the app has been revoked.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin took a field trip Thursday to the courthouse where marriage licenses are issued, and Justin had marriage on the brain.

Several eyewitnesses say the 2 were inside the Marriage Bureau in NYC and Justin was emotional. The eyewitnesses say he was crying and at one point said to his fiancee, "I can't wait to marry you, baby."

One person said ... Justin said to a court official, "Thanks for keeping it on the DL." Another claims the court official was a "judge" ... which insinuates they got married, but we can't confirm that.

And yet another person said they heard Justin and Hailey say they were leaving the country.

It's interesting ... because we know they had a clear plan NOT to get married this year.

Young kids in love ... whaddaya gonna do?

Cynthia Nixon's bid to be the next governor of New York is officially over, 'cause she just lost to incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo ... and it wasn't even close.

Cuomo was projected to beat the "Sex and the City" actress late Thursday by AP, the NYT and others as exit poll numbers poured in throughout the state. He has over 445,000 votes compared to Nixon's 230,000 votes of the count that's currently in. About 33% of the vote has been accounted for so far, and if it continues like this ... Nixon basically got creamed.

Nixon's candidacy began in March on a platform focused on public transportation and immigration. Thursday's result will piss off T.I. -- the rapper is/was a HUGE fan of her plans to legalize weed.

Cynthia got a big fundraising boost from celebs like Alec Baldwin and Chelsea Handler ... though Cuomo raised $12 million in donations compared to Nixon's $2.5M.

Tekashi69 got bum-rushed on stage in Mother Russia ... and the poor sap who did it got the mother of all beatings afterward.

Video of Tekashi performing Thursday in Moscow surfaced, showing a guy rushing 6ix9ine from the side of the stage in a clear attempt to knock him over. The guy gets the deed done and then tries to bolt ... but Tekashi's team is quick to drag him back for a spanking.

Tekashi himself wasn't involved in the stomp-out, but the rapper's security and crew took care of the rest. Makes sense Tekashi was whisked away ... he doesn't need any more legal trouble than he's already got.

It doesn't appear Tekashi was that badly injured -- as he seemed fine when he explained the incident later on a since-deleted Instagram live video.

The grim reaper has an upcoming trip to "Modern Family" ... 'cause the TV show is reportedly killing off an important character.

"Modern Family" is returning for its 10th season later this month, but apparently someone is going six feet under. Co-creator Christopher Lloyd tells Entertainment Weekly the new season will deal with a family death.

Lloyd is predictably mum about the outgoing character's ID -- start making your list of potential targets -- but he says the person plays a "significant" role and their death will be a moving event with lasting repercussions.

The suspense is already driving us nuts!!!

In light of the news, we gotta ask ... who do you think is getting the ax? And maybe more importantly, would they be heartless enough to off one of the kids???

Season 10 premieres on Sept. 26 on ABC.

Elizabeth Smart -- famously kidnapped and held captive for 9 months when she was 14 -- is speaking out about the pending release of one of her captors ... and she's taking extreme measures to protect her family.

Elizabeth doesn't specifically say what she plans to do to keep her family safe because she's afraid of tipping her hand before next week's release of 72-year-old Wanda Barzee.

Barzee pled guilty to helping kidnap Smart in 2002, and she's expected to be set free September 19 after 15 years behind bars.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole set an initial release date for January 2024, but recently said there was a miscalculation and decided to set Barzee free next week.

The very thought of Barzee on the streets makes Elizabeth shudder. Smart, a mother of 2, claims Barzee stood idly by as Brian David Mitchell repeatedly raped her in captivity.

Elizabeth is worried about Barzee's mental health, and she's asking authorities to take a second look at their decision to release the convict, claiming Barzee is a threat to the community.

Danielle Bregoli is bragging about her paid advertisement wrap on the upcoming issue of Billboard ... telling us it's a message to her haters.

We got Bhad Bhabie Thursday in Los Angeles and the rapper tells our photog she bought the cover to tell "these f**king old hip-hop people" she's in the rap game for good.

Danielle isn't trying to hide the fact she dropped some major cash on the paid ad ... it's spelled out pretty clearly ... peep the shopping list poking out of her purse.

Danielle is mum on the cost of the ad, but sounds like it's in the same ballpark as her $45k bling.

This is the best video you'll see all day ... Cincinnati Bengals star Dre Kirkpatrick and an old lady straight-up GETTIN' IT on the dance floor -- rockin' out to some old school rap!!

The players hosted a tailgate party at a local nursing home before playing the Ravens on Thursday Night Football ... and we never thought we'd type this sentence, but -- the nursing home was LIT.

The incredibly cute moment was captured by WLWT reporter Brandon Saho ... which shows the old lady vibin' to a mashup of Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" and Warren G's "Regulate" featuring Nate Dogg (RIP).

Rihanna's fashion show was eventful, both on and offstage, because we've learned one of the models went into labor.

It went down Wednesday night at the Savage X Fenty show in Brooklyn, NY. Slick Woods was super pregnant as she rocked black pasties and lingerie with cutouts ... along with nude-colored, thigh-high pantyhose.

The crowd loved it, but just as the 22-year-old walked backstage, we're told she went into labor. We're told paramedics showed up to help Slick along. She was taken to the nearest hospital.

The baby boy's name will be Saphir.