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The man who pulled all the strings in the massive college bribery case auditioned for his own reality show back in 2010 ... a reality show on the pressures of families trying to get their kids into colleges, and he makes it clear -- traditional donations don't cut it anymore.

TMZ has obtained Rick Singer's audition tape, which was shot by a production company and submitted to a network. You hear Singer explain that even his clients with big, big money can't afford to plunk down a donation to a University that will guarantee admission. He says bluntly, $10 million isn't enough ... it won't even get noticed by the big universities.

He explains the pressures of college admission on his clients and makes it clear ... the clients are not just the students but their parents as well. He says there's so much craziness in these families, he wishes he could prescribe meds for the parents.

The reality show never sold.

As we reported, Singer copped a plea Tuesday to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, tax conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll clearly get way less by singing like a bird.

Stand-up comedian Brody Stevens' struggle with mental illness is listed as a factor in his suicide on his death certificate.

TMZ obtained the document which confirms Brody died by hanging. Specifically, it says he used a belt to hang himself from a door. It also says his "history of depression and bipolar disorder" was a significant condition contributing to his death.

As we reported ... the comedian and actor was found dead last month at his home in L.A. He had been hospitalized in 2011 after suffering a bipolar episode, and tackled topics like depression on his Comedy Central series, 'Enjoy It!'

Despite that, Brody was famous for preaching positivity during his popular stand-up act. He also had roles in movies, such as "The Hangover" and "The Hangover II" -- and was an avid baseball fan. Brody pitched in college at Arizona State University until he suffered an elbow injury.

He was 48.

10:40 AM PT -- We just got Jay Leno out in NYC and asked him about the scandal ... Leno certainly didn't hold back, calling the whole thing "the definition of white privilege."

The 50 people who were indicted for allegedly paying bribe money to get their kids into college may just be the tip of the iceberg, and scores of very nervous and very rich parents are calling around L.A. trying to get recon.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ, FBI agents have seized numerous cell phones and other evidence they believe will lead them to other parents, college employees and others who might have participated in admissions bribery.

We know a number of wealthy parents from some of the most exclusive private schools in L.A. were calling around Tuesday, asking if Rick Singer, the ringleader who just copped a plea, kept lists of clients. As one source put it, "These parents are sweating bullets."

On a different front, sources at USC familiar with the scandal tell us the University has known about the investigation for around 2 months, but they did not investigate ... because they didn't want to undermine the feds. Our sources say they've dealt with the U.S. Attorney's Office before, and they know if they conducted a simultaneous investigation it could tip off witnesses and targets, and result in the destruction of evidence.

As for what USC will do with the students whose parents got them into the school via bribery, well-connected sources tell us the students will not all be evaluated the same way. We're told if the students knew they were admitted because of bribes, they will be expelled. If they were in the dark, the University will evaluate all of the circumstances and the decisions will be student-specific.

And, one final thing, as for USC ... we know officials are furious at the parents who engaged in bribery. They say it has tarnished the school, the students and the athletic programs.

8:15 AM PT -- The hearing just ended, and R. Kelly's lawyer says there's been no change in child support yet. He says they're setting a new court date to argue the matter.

R. Kelly's back in a court of law, shooting his shot with the judge in his child support case.

The singer and his legal team made their way into the Chicago court Wednesday morning, hoping to score a reduction in his monthly payments to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly.

As you know, Kelly was arrested last week, and sat in jail until he coughed up $161,633 ... the back child support he owed Drea.

Kelly was supposed to be paying Drea $20,833 per month as of January 2009 but he fell way off schedule last year. Sources close to the singer told us he scraped together the $161k with the help of a "benefactor."

As we reported ... Kelly's camp says the singer got into a huge fight with Drea back in 2017 and, after that, she didn't allow their daughter and 2 sons to talk to him.

Drea calls BS ... saying Kelly cut her off as a means of controlling her when she spoke out publicly about him allegedly abusing her.

Ultimately, the child support is the lesser of Kelly's legal issues right now -- with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County hanging over his head.

Luke Perry and his fiancee, Wendy Madison Bauer, were planning on getting married later this year before his shocking death -- this according to their "save the date" cards.

TMZ obtained one of their "save the dates," and it forecast a late summer wedding in L.A. It looks like Luke and Wendy planned to get hitched August 17. The card doesn't get into more specific detail, but it does say a formal invite would follow.

BTW ... the "save the date" card was elegantly designed, featuring a grey and gold color scheme as well as a Naive Inline-type font. Very Gatsby-esque.

Wendy broke her silence over the weekend, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of love and support she's received in the wake of Luke's passing earlier this month.

We broke the story ... Luke died in the hospital a few days after suffering a massive stroke at his Southern California home. Doctors sedated him, hoping he'd recover, but he never did.

Regarding Luke himself, Wendy said, "The past 11½ years with Luke were the happiest years of my life, and I am grateful to have had that time with him,” she continues, “I also want to thank his children, family, and friends for their love and support. We have found comfort in one another and in the knowledge that our lives were touched by an extraordinary man. He will be dearly missed."

It's unclear when exactly Luke and Wendy got engaged, but what is clear is that they were aiming to make things official very soon.

Lori Loughlin's "Full House" and "Fuller House" co-stars John Stamos and Jodie Sweetin are rallying around her ... in maybe the only way they can for now on the heels of her indictment in the college bribery scandal.

We got Uncle Jesse leaving Madeo Tuesday night in Bev Hills -- where our camera guy, of course, asked him about his TV love interest getting busted for allegedly committing bribery and fraud to get her kids into college.

John whipped out a "no comment" real quick, and even though he flashed a peace sign before driving off -- with a sweet doggy bag, BTW -- it's still clear Lori's castmates are concerned.

We got Jodie Tuesday afternoon right after she flew into LAX. She seemed even more upset than John when we asked if she was surprised by the news. Of course she is.

A lot of stunned silence from Lori's pals ... which is kinda how many of her fans feel.

7:58 PM PT -- We just got Felicity and Mossimo after posting bail ... and it was clear they didn't want to talk.

5:28 PM PT -- Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Lori Loughlin will turn herself in to federal authorities Wednesday morning. The FBI showed up at her doorstep early Tuesday morning, and she was going to receive the same treatment as Felicity. Turns out, Lori was shooting in Vancouver and wasn't there. FBI agents arrested her husband in the college bribery scam, and then made arrangements with Lori's people for her to surrender when she returns to L.A.

Felicity Huffman knew she was a target of the federal investigation into bribery in the college admissions process ... but she had no idea 7 feds would show up at her door Tuesday morning with guns drawn.

Sources familiar with the arrest tell TMZ, 7 FBI agents showed up at Felicity's Hollywood Hills home at 6 AM and drew their weapons as they ordered Felicity to come out and surrender.

We're told Felicity, her husband William H. Macy and their 2 daughters were asleep when the agents ordered her out. Our sources say she knew the arrest was looming and would have gladly surrendered on her own, but the feds saw it differently.

An FBI source familiar with the arrest tells TMZ guns were drawn as a precaution. It's always left to the agents' discretion whether to draw a firearm during an arrest.

The agents took Huffman to a federal building where she was processed by federal marshals.

As we reported, Huffman was indicted for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The indictment claims Huffman made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter. The indictment claims the daughter was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterward.

The docs claim the girl got a 1420 score ... approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Originally published -- 3:40 PM PT

Lucky Whitehead was so wasted during his DUI arrest back in December ... he told cops, "I'm not alright to drive" -- and it's all in police footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The ex-Dallas Cowboys receiver was pulled over on Dec. 23 in Gainesville, Virginia around 2:12 AM after he ran a red light ... and when cops got him out of the vehicle -- it was clear he was DRUNK.

Whitehead was slurring his words, babbling incoherently and absolutely bombing field sobriety tests. Oh, and he admitted to having beer and mixed drinks before getting behind the wheel.

Lucky ultimately refused a breathalyzer -- despite the cop's repeated warnings it would be an additional charge on his crimes ... but the officer says on video Lucky might have blown a 0.25 if he cooperated!!

26-year-old Whitehead was ultimately hit with FIVE charges for the incident, including DUI, refusing a breath sample, driving without a license, failure to obey a traffic signal and a seat belt violation.

By the way, Lucky tried to (very drunkenly) play the Do you know who I am? card at one point during the stop ... telling cops he's the same guy that was involved in that wild shoplifting arrest mix-up back in 2017.

And, yeah ... the cops didn't care.

YBN Almighty Jay is finally out of a hospital bed but still recovering from multiple stab wounds from a weekend beating that was way worse than what video showed.

Sources close the rapper tell TMZ ... Jay was hospitalized for a couple of days to get treated for injuries sustained Friday after a street fight was followed by a separate attack and robbery later in the night.

We're told Jay was jumped by several guys around midnight in the lobby of a residential building in Manhattan, and after he tried to flee he got dragged back into a more serious assault.

Our sources say along with getting stomped on and having his chains jacked, Jay got stabbed several times with a blade ... and suffered head and facial lacerations when someone cracked a Hennessy bottle over his head.

His face was sliced up so badly, he reportedly required 300 stitches.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops responded to a call about a brawl in the lobby around 12:30 AM Saturday, and found Jay bleeding from the face. He was rushed to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

We're told the rapper initially reported the incident but became uncooperative with police when they tried to interview him. A large group of witnesses on the scene also refused to talk to cops.

As we reported ... YBN Almighty Jay's alleged attackers, including Zae Numbafive, are flaunting the rapper's stolen chain in a new music video -- right on the heels of J Prince putting out an APB to his "mob ties" to nab Zae and his crew.

Our sources say the alleged attackers posted on social media about jumping Jay after the incident -- showing off personal items they jacked like his shoes and ID.

Police are still investigating.

Floyd Mayweather is finding new ways to get at Conor McGregor -- this time, he's mocking the UFC star's Miami meltdown by BEGGING paparazzi to shoot him in Beverly Hills.

Remember, McGregor was arrested this week for taking a fan's phone and smashing it because he didn't want to be shot on the way out of the Fontainebleau hotel Monday morning.

Enter Mayweather -- wearing a super bright yellow sweatshirt so everyone could see him -- instructing the photogs to "Shoot me, man! Shoot greatness!"

Floyd knew exactly what he was doing ... and so did everyone in his massive entourage -- just look at the smirks while Mayweather puts on his show in the middle of the most famous part of L.A.

Meanwhile, Conor is still in Florida where he's facing criminal charges for the cell phone incident.

Conor recently tweeted about wanting a rematch with Floyd after getting beat up in their boxing match back in 2017.

Conor says he realizes what he did wrong in that fight and believes he can make the adjustments to give Floyd his first loss.

Nicki Minaj's concert venues are scrambling to avoid the wrath of the Barbs by making sure they have enough wattage for the show, and to spare Nicki from hearing more "Cardi B" chants.

We've reached out to 4 of her upcoming tour stops and they all confirmed what seems like a "no duh" -- but yes, they do indeed have enough electricity to meet her show's technical requirements.

Like we said, that SEEMS basic, but as you know ... Nicki had to scrap performances in Slovakia and, most recently, France due to power problems.

While she eased the disappointment for Slovakian fans by signing autographs from the stage -- the French got a little nasty.

As we reported, some fans who were already inside the Bordeaux theater when the show was canceled started chanting "Cardi B" -- about the lowest blow they could throw at Nicki.

All told, Nicki has 10 shows left on her WRLD Tour. Like we said ... venues in Birmingham, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Zurich assure us they're good to go.

Things could get a little tricky for the other 6 shows. She has a March 22 gig in Frankfurt, Germany, and reps for that venue tell us they're relying on her production team's technology. Doesn't exactly exude confidence that they can pull it off.

We're still awaiting word on the status of her other 5 concerts in Ireland, England, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Cross your fingers, Europe!!!

YNW Melly was super tight with the family of one of his alleged murder victims -- so much so, he has the guy's mother's name tattooed on his neck.

Jana Thompson tells TMZ ... her son, Anthony Williams, loved YNW and the other suspect, Cortlen Henry, like brothers. She says, "We opened up our homes & our hearts to them."

Anthony is one of 2 men YNW and Henry allegedly killed ... and Jana is, understandably, shell-shocked. She says the fact that they entered not guilty pleas "feels like another stab in the heart to myself & my family."

Jana adds, "It’s inconceivable that these very people are the ones responsible for this horrifying murder. I will not stand idle and will fight vehemently for justice!”

YNW has a neck tattoo that reads "Jana" ... it's crystal clear in his mug shot. We're told it's a tribute to Mrs. Thompson and shows just how close he was to Anthony and his mother.

Jana says it's entirely possible she will file a civil suit against Melly and Henry. We're told she's hired the firm of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene to explore her options.

As we reported ... cops believe Melly and Henry killed Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., but hatched an elaborate scheme to make it seem like the murders were the result of a drive-by shooting pulled off by unknown assailants.

Cops say after Williams and Thomas were shot, YNW and Henry drove around with the dead bodies "for a period of time" before driving to the hospital.

Pamela Anderson and her mom have mastered the art of looking like A MILLION BUCKS while raising a TON O' CASH ... all for an incredible cause.

The "Baywatch" star was front and center in Vancouver where she hosted a charity auction benefiting the Pamela Anderson Foundation. She also had a very sweet date in tow ... her mom, Carol. The gals dressed to the nines for the special event.

We're told tons of cool items were auctioned off ... including signed jerseys from futbol stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. No doubt those items hauled in a couple of sweet checks but gotta hand it to fashion photographer Raphael Mazzucco, whose career highlights includes shooting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers.

Mazzucco donated a piece dubbed "Beauty and Light." Pam couldn't resist posing next to it for a pic. But, we know why she's REALLY grinning ear-to-ear -- the piece fetched a whopping $30k!!!

BTW ... the Pamela Anderson Foundation supports organizations that protect human, animal and environmental rights. The foundation's been at it for 20 years. #KeepGrindingPam

Dak Prescott had the chance to prevent his pit bull from violently attacking a neighbor, according to officials ... who say they warned the QB MULTIPLE times his dogs were escaping from his house.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... where officials allege they told either Dak, or residents of Dak's Frisco, Texas home ... TWICE that his dogs were getting out and running loose in the streets.

They say there's a door near the Cowboys star's garage that doesn't close properly unless it's locked ... so they told Dak he needed to fix the issue to prevent his pit bulls from escaping.

But, the QB seemingly didn't take care of the problem ... 'cause his dogs broke out of the door once again on Feb. 25, tearing into a neighbor's yard and attacking.

As we previously reported ... a woman claims she lost part of her finger when she tried to pry Prescott's dogs off of hers ... telling 911 operators she believed her dog was "probably" injured in the attack as well.

Now, Dak's dog, Icon, is facing a "dangerous dog" hearing ... where if he's found to be dangerous, he could be put down.

The hearing is set for March 20 at 8 AM PT.