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Today we salute Alex Rodriguez ... for having the presence of mind to pull out his phone and start recording when Jennifer Lopez decided to go pole dancing.

It's glorious.

49-year-old J Lo is training for her role in the upcoming flick, "Hustlers" -- where she plays a stripper -- and decided to hit the pole to put in some work.

Alex clearly liked what he was seeing and posted footage to social media. Excellent job, sir.

As for the movie, it was inspired by the famous New York Magazine article, "The Hustlers at Scores" -- which chronicles a crew of dancers and their Wall Street clients in the wake of the financial crisis.

The flick also stars Constance Wu from "Crazy Rich Asians."

The death of the sailor in that famous V-J Day photo -- where he kissed an unsuspecting nurse -- is being marked by the #MeToo movement with an act of vandalism on a statue.

The statue recreating George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman's iconic moment from 1945 was tagged Monday in Sarasota, FL with red spray paint that spelled "#METOO." Police say they don't have any surveillance video or witnesses to the crime, at this point.

The vandalism took place on the heels of news that George had died at the age 95. While the photo of him kissing Greta is often romanticized -- he later admitted he'd randomly grabbed her at the time and kissed her without consent.

For her part, Greta told CBS News in 2015 ... "I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this tight grip." George said he'd had a few drinks and the excitement of the war being over compelled him to plant the kiss, which he said didn't last long.

It's interesting ... Greta was willing to "reunite" with George at least twice in her life, and didn't seem to be too upset about the kiss all those years later. Still, the question never seems to have been posed to her on the record ... was she actually bothered by it?

The fashion world is mourning after legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld's death Tuesday in Paris.

Lagerfeld died in a Parisian hospital ... according to Chanel, where he served as creative director. He was reportedly admitted on Monday night. No cause of death has been released, but there'd been a buzz about his health since he missed 2 Chanel shows last month.

He'd appeared on the runway at the end of every Chanel event since joining the fashion house in 1983. At the close of one of the January shows in Paris, the announcer wished Karl a quick recovery.

German-born Lagerfeld, who previously worked for Fendi, was the toast of the fashion world for decades ... commonly seen rocking his trademark shades at Chanel shows.

He worked closely with modeling legends like Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Stella Tennant.

More recently, he'd brought the likes of Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne, and Keira Knightley into the fold at Chanel.

Kim Kardashian reacted to his death, thanking the icon for her first fashion photo shoot.

Lagerfeld is survived by his beloved cat, Choupette, which he'd had since 2011. He famously said he would marry his pet, if it were legal.

He was 85.

Kourtney Kardashian looks like she's on great terms with her ex-boyfriend, Younes Bendjima ... because the former couple was super flirty when they bumped into each other while out grabbing drinks.

We got these pics of Kourtney and Younes at Alfred Tea on Melrose Place, where they randomly crossed paths over the weekend. Yeah, Los Angeles can have that small-town feel sometimes.

The person who snapped the photos tell us, Younes was in line ordering when Kourtney and her girlfriend approached her former flame. We're told Kourtney and Younes got handsy with one another ... and she kissed him on the cheek when they said goodbye.

The best part ... we're told Younes paid for Kourtney's matcha latte. Who says chivalry is dead?

As we've reported ... Kourtney dumped Younes back in July, amid reports he was cheating on her.

It's interesting ... a couple months after the breakup, Kourtney was spotted at the Alfred's in WeHo -- grabbing the same drink with a Younes look-alike!!!

Looks like Kourtney's still thirsty.

A former NFL player -- who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks -- was shot to death Sunday morning ... and cops say it was all over an argument over a parking spot.

46-year-old T.J. Cunningham was a wide receiver and defensive back at the University of Colorado back in the early '90s -- and was selected in the 6th round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

But, cops say he was killed near Eaglecrest High School in Colorado after fighting with a neighbor over a parking spot.

Officials say Cunningham and 31-year-old Marcus Johnson -- who lives across the street from Cunningham -- agreed to meet near the high school to settle the beef, but Johnson brought a gun. Cops say Cunningham did NOT have a firearm.

Ultimately, cops say Cunningham was shot multiple times and died from his wounds. Johnson has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder. Cops say they also found the gun.

Cunningham is survived by his wife and 5 children. A GoFundMe page has already been set up to help out his family.

Some hooligan had some fun at Arnold Schwarzenegger's expense ... taking a shot at the former Governator's indiscretion by defacing a decades-old sign.

It all went down at Idaho's Sun Valley Resort where the Terminator had "Arnold's Run" named after him back in 2001. It used to be the "Flying Maid." You can see where this is going. Some dope riding down the slope decided to change it to "Arnold's Maid" ... a clear shot at Arnold fathering a child outta wedlock with his maid.

A spokesperson at the resort tells TMZ ... they did notice the vandalism and have addressed it. We're told the sign's been fixed and it's now back to "Arnold's Run."

Looks like they got it changed just in time, because Arnold was up in Sun Valley on Monday and said he went skiing before a bike ride.

As for why the Idaho joint chose to honor the actor ... Arnold makes regular getaways up there. He's also previously led the Christmas Eve torchlight parade down the mountain. They love him.

Lil Xan and his GF refuse to bow to old traditions ... which is why they announced she's expecting their first child, even though she's only 5 weeks pregnant.

The rapper and Annie Smith told us ... initially, they wanted to wait to share the news, but Xan was so overcome with joy he couldn't keep the secret. Typically, expectant parents wait until the end of the first trimester, just to make sure the pregnancy's going smoothly.

Xan says he cried tears of joy after Annie surprised him with her at-home pregnancy test results, and it all came pouring out Sunday night on the Internet. Turns out, Annie and the 22-year-old rapper had been trying to get pregnant but were still shocked they pulled it off.

They also aren't shy about what they want -- it's a boy ... they hope.

Check out the vid ... Xan -- who left a rehab facility in December and finished his treatment at home last month -- says he's motivated now, more than ever, with a little one on the way.

Congrats!!!

Miranda Lambert's new hubby is NOT dropping his life in New York and hightailing it to Nashville -- quite the contrary, she'll be going to him and vice versa.

Sources close to the newly-married couple tell us, Miranda and Brendan McLoughlin will be splitting their time between Nashville and NYC -- regularly going back and forth. She's got a sprawling 400-acre estate in Tennessee where her music career is based, and he's an NYPD cop.

Considering Brendan's got a 9-5 gig on the force, it sounds like she'll be the one taking to the skies more often than him. However, we're told this travel arrangement will probably only hold up for about a year. We're told Brendan plans to be on the job for at least that long and will reassess after that.

Brendan's also got a new bundle of joy to consider. Our sources tell us he recently welcomed a kid from a previous relationship this past November, which is right around the time he met Miranda. They were first introduced on November 2 during her 'GMA' appearance.

We're told Brendan was single when he got with Miranda. His baby momma learned she was pregnant after they'd broken up ... so there was no overlap. For now, we're told he's got 50/50 custody.

Miranda announced her secret wedding this past weekend, saying she'd met the love of her life. They tied the knot late last month.

Scottie Pippen says he's a fan of Luke Walton -- but tells TMZ Sports, if his old pal, Phil Jackson, was coaching the Lakers, they'd be well on their way to an NBA title already.

Look, this definitely ain't an aggressive shot at Luke -- but, Pippen kept it 100 telling us, "That's all he [Phil Jackson] do is win."

Scottie was braving the frozen tundra of Bev Hills (it was 58 degrees) on Monday when we asked about the situation with the Lakers ... currently in 10th place in the Western Conference.

Pippen told us he'd love to see 73-year-old Phil come out of retirement for another crack at a Larry O'Brien Trophy ... and he's confident LeBron, Lonzo and Kuzma could get the job done.

Scottie won 6 NBA rings under Jackson during his run with the Chicago Bulls. Phil went on to win 5 more with the L.A. Lakers.

Of course, there are reports of turmoil in Laker Nation -- with members of LeBron's camp allegedly pushing for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to replace Luke ASAP.

We spoke with Luke on Sunday -- and he denied friction with LeBron, telling TMZ Sports, "LeBron and I get along just fine."

So, what happens now? Luke says he's confident he can right the ship and lead the Lakers to the playoffs.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is on the move again ... and it's a big deal.

We got RBG Monday in D.C. at Reagan National Airport and she answered the question on the minds of millions of worried Americans -- how's she doin'?

Justice Ginsburg walked slowly but steadily and with purpose as she arrived from a flight. She's flanked on all sides by security who kept a watchful eye on the woman who tilts the balance of power on the Supreme Court.

As you know, RBG missed 2 weeks of oral argument at the High Court after going under the knife for lung cancer. She's doing markedly better than January 9, when she was seen getting in her car after surgery, and since that time she's been given a clean bill of health.

She's 85, and has said as long as she can approach her job with full steam, she's not going anywhere.

Jussie Smollett's going from "Empire" star to "punk ass bitch," IF it turns out he staged the homophobic, racist "attack" -- so says Reza Farahan who adds ... an apology won't be nearly enough payback.

We got the "Shahs of Sunset" star out Monday in L.A. and he didn't pull a single punch in his assessment of the latest Jussie news. Reza tore him to pieces as soon as we brought up the story TMZ broke -- that the Osundairo bros. told cops Jussie rehearsed the "attack" days before it all went down in Chicago.

Watch the clip ... Reza's anger came pouring out because he says he had passionately defended Jussie.

Jussie Smollett is now the face of racist parody movie posters that have sprung up in Los Angeles in the wake of his alleged attack in Chicago and an unraveling narrative.

At least two posters popped up Monday at a bus station near Fox Studios in Century City, which feature Jussie's mug photoshopped onto the backdrop of posters for "BlacKkKlansman" and "Black Panther." Both mock claims Jussie made about the alleged attack.

The "Black Panther" poster shows Jussie as T'Challa in the 'BP' costume and the title has been changed to "Black Prankster."

The "BlacKkKlansman" poster depicts Jussie from his 'GMA' interview with a photoshopped MAGA hat and coat on, with the phrase "This is MAGA country!" superimposed in the background. Both posters are jokingly offering Jussie for consideration for "Best Fictional Story" and "Best Actor in a Drama.

The posters have been signed by conservative street artist Sabo ... the same guy that put up the Meryl Streep "She Knew" posters in 2017 after the Weinstein scandal broke.

Floyd Mayweather is TRIPLING DOWN on Gucci ... rocking the brand from neck-to-toe -- but he ain't about to hear comments on the matter -- dude disabled 'em from his social media!!!

Gucci has faced major criticism over the past month after the apparel giant released a sweater that many called "racist" because it appears to be blackface -- but Floyd's still riding with them.

Mayweather backed them on a massive shopping spree last week ... he backed them on his private jet just a day later ... and on Monday, he took it one step even FURTHER.

The boxing legend posted a pic in a Gucci shirt, Gucci socks AND Gucci shoes -- writing, "BORN A LEADER."

The most interesting part of the post? Floyd disabled all comments.

Remember, Floyd's been ripped by all kinds of celebs for backing the brand ... with 50 Cent attacking the guy on social media and T.I. making a whole rap song devoted to the issue.

Seems Mayweather's done hearing their take.

For Gucci's part, François-Henri Pinault -- the guy who runs the brand's parent company Kering -- explained, "We didn’t understand the sensitivities of the African-American community, which is reflected in that mistake."

T-Pain ain't down for shots to the face -- even if it's just a beach ball -- and his fans definitely know that now after he abruptly pulled the plug on a weekend concert.

We got this video from his Sunday set at the BBYO (B'Nai B'Rith Youth Org.) Convention in Denver, and you see him rapping "Bartender" as the beach ball comes flying through the air, bouncing off the side of his dome!

It definitely looked funny, but T-Pain wasn't in a playful mood. He immediately beelined for the exit. Fans at the concert tell us T-Pain was only about 30 minutes into his set when he bounced.

Tension was building because witnesses tell us T-Pain had already warned the crowd he was leaving if they threw another ball onstage. We're told T-Pain's people tried to get him to go back on ... but he refused.