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Nick Carter is still front and center with the Backstreet Boys, and based on their live performance Friday night ... fans are backing him after a woman sued him for sexual battery.

BSB took the stage at MSG for Jingle Ball -- singing the Wham! classic, "Last Christmas" -- and the crowd went wild, particularly when Nick solo'd on the first verse. It was the group's first performance since Nick was accused of the 2001 assault.

TMZ broke the story ... Shannon Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, filed suit Thursday, claiming Carter forced her to perform a sexual act on him while on his tour bus. She was 17 at the time.

Nick denies the alleged incident ever happened, but as we reported ... ABC canceled a Backstreet Boys primetime holiday special that was set to air this coming week.

Several Nick Carter hashtags, including #IStandWithNickCarter, were trending Friday, in response to ABC's move and the lawsuit.

Other performers Friday night included Dua Lipa, Lizzo and The Kid LAROI.

The all-star lineup drew plenty of NYC celebs in the audience too ... such as Bethenny Frankel.

World Cup reporter Grant Wahl's fatal collapse during a match Friday is a tragic end to a long, arduous week of illness -- something he openly discussed the day before his death.

Grant recorded and posted his "Fútbol with Grant Wahl" podcast on Thursday, and said he'd come down with a case of bronchitis so bad ... he'd "been to the medical clinic at the media center twice now, including today."

Grant added he was feeling better, but was far from 100% ... which he said listeners could probably hear in his voice.

As we reported, the veteran sports journalist collapsed Friday -- while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match -- and after CPR attempts at Lusail Stadium, he was Ubered to a hospital, but died. CBS News is reporting it was a heart attack.

Grant's brother, Eric, announced his death with a video -- in which he was understandably distraught -- and flat out said he believed there was foul play involved.

He said Grant had been getting death threats in Qatar after stadium security had detained him back in November ... when he wore a rainbow-themed T-shirt in support of LGBTQ+ rights. His detainment became a big story, as Qatar had threatened to shut down any LGBTQ+ protests during the tournament.

Grant's death shocked the sports world, well beyond the World Cup -- he'd covered huge athletes for Sports Illustrated during his career, including then-high school phenom LeBron James' famous SI cover story.

Friday night, LeBron remembered Grant fondly, saying ... "It's unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was. I wish his family the best and may he rest in paradise."

Grant was just 49.

Controversial L.A. councilman Kevin de León got into a knockdown, drag-out fight with an activist ... while attending a Christmas tree lighting and toy giveaway event, of all places.

The video starts as de León is slamming Jason Reedy down onto a table, and the 2 of them continued wrestling into a hallway ... as people around them tried to break it up. Reedy is an organizer for a tenant rights group, and apparently has beef with de León.

After the fight ended -- with no serious injuries -- de León claimed it all started with Reedy headbutting him. He said the "self-proclaimed activists" assaulted him during the "community holiday event to the dismay of a multitude of families and children who were there to celebrate a Christmas tree lighting and to receive toys and food."

The incident's not all that shocking -- de León has been under fire since a leaked recording of him and other council members making racist remarks came out in October. Two of the council members resigned, but de León refused to step down and, instead, issued an apology.

After Friday's scuffle, Reedy's attorney told the LA Times, de León is “a disgrace.”

Britney Spears put a cap on her birthday week with a little booze, a lot of cake and a middle finger for her haters.

Decked out in a red jumpsuit and set to Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" ... Brit broke out some of her usual dance moves, and seemed to indulge in champagne.

Near the end of the video she puts her whole face in a creamy birthday cake, and happily smears it everywhere.

The celebratory post is one of her first since last weekend's head-turning shout-out to her sister. As we reported, the seemingly sweet note to Jamie Lynn Spears caught everyone off guard, since Britney's been on the warpath against her -- along with their mom and dad -- for years.

BS shut down her IG a few days after that -- leading some to believe the Jamie Lynn love-in was either a sarcastic jab or not really posted by Britney.

She acknowledged her IG pause in Friday's caption, saying ... "Yep it's my b-day all week and I know my Instagram has been down a few times but honestly I did the last two times myself !!! Oops ... I accidentally pressed wrong button."

Not sure her suspicious, and protective, fans will buy that, but she's back ... with a face full o' cake.

BTW, Britney also dropped some early New Year's resolutions -- including her desire to crash a wedding and sing a few songs.

A serial killer on the U.S. and Mexico border seems like a Ted Bundy copycat, at least to the Mexican authorities desperately trying to hunt him down.

So far, cops believe the murderer has snuffed out 3 Tijuana sex workers -- women he targeted in strip clubs, lured back to a hotel room ... and then performed violent sexual acts before killing them.

Baja California (Mexico) Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez told reporters Friday ... “This subject has criminal tendencies associated with violent and psychopathic behavior. His profile is very similar to someone who became very well-known decades ago: Ted Bundy."

They also suspect the killer is American. Tijuana is just over the California border.

Bundy confessed to abducting and murdering 30 women and girls across the United States from 1974 to 1978. He was later captured and executed by the state of Florida in 1989.

Thomas Markle is steering clear of his daughter's docuseries, "Harry & Meghan" ... according to Meghan's half sister, who says their father's more focused on his health than the project she calls "disrespectful."

Samantha Markle tells TMZ ... she's protecting her dad by telling him not to watch the new doc, saying Meghan's kicked Thomas while he was down in the past, and a series like this just further disrespects their fam.

Samantha says Thomas doesn't know what's in the series, and doesn't need to find out.

She doesn't think he'd even want to watch, because the royal family ordeal has been damaging to his health for a while. Most importantly, he's still recovering from the stroke he suffered earlier this year.

If you haven't seen it, the Netflix series is essentially the Duke and Duchess' side of everything they've been through -- from their first date to leaving the royal family to dealing with racist British headlines.

It also includes their viewpoint of the drama with Thomas leading up to their wedding, which he famously did not attend. Harry even says how "incredibly sad" it is for his wife to have lost her dad.

Joe Exotic feels he ought to be next in line after President Biden struck a deal with Russia to free WNBA star Brittney Griner, and he's stating his case for freedom ... from behind bars.

In audio obtained by TMZ ... The "Tiger King" star says, "The whole Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed prisoner swap is a slap in every American's face that is wrongfully detained in the American Federal Prison System, including myself."

He goes on to plead his case to the Prez, saying he's innocent of any crimes and calling out his ex-costar Carole Baskin in the process.

Quite frankly, Joe's drawing a ridiculous parallel here, between Brittney and himself. While she was imprisoned as Vladimir Putin's political pawn, Joe was tried and convicted for hiring a hitman, and various crimes tied to the treatment of animals at his infamous wildlife park.

After she spent nearly 10 months incarcerated, U.S. officials finally struck a deal this week -- Russia agreed to free Brittney in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout ... AKA the "Merchant of Death."

You'll recall, BG was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport, back in February, and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Joe is serving a 21-year sentence, but insists he's innocent -- jury be damned -- and totally deserving of freedom ... something he's been pushing for since Donald Trump was in the White House.

It was a full week without T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach on the "GMA3" desk ... and Kim and Kanye came together again for the sake of their kid. So we gotta ask ...

Dana White may just have his next big superstar ... 'cause as long as Paddy Pimblett keeps on stacking W's, the UFC honcho believes "The Baddy" could reach Conor McGregor-like status!

"He has that 'it' factor that I always talk about and you know, and obviously he's undefeated here in the UFC. If he can keep winning these key fights, this kid will be a massive superstar," White told TMZ Sports.

"The other thing is too and you know about this, the thing with his dog going to the bathroom was so unbelievably viral, it was insane. There's things that go viral on the Internet but you guys did like a 10-minute piece on that thing on TMZ and other outlets did. It was everywhere! It was really big in America, so stuff like that doesn't hurt, either."

27-year-old Pimblett -- 3-0 in the UFC (19-3 overall) -- is fighting Jared Gordon as part of the co-main event at UFC 282 ... where Paddy will look to extend his UFC unbeaten streak.

As for the comparisons to McGregor ... here's what Dana had to say.

"It's never an insult when somebody compares you to a great or one of the biggest names in the sport. I think that [Israel Adesanya] didn't like it because he doesn't like Jon Jones and Jon Jones doesn't like him. I think that's why he didn't, but it's never an insult. It's a compliment."

We also asked White about all other things 282-related (fight's going down Saturday night from Las Vegas) ... including the UFC president's feelings on Jiri Prochazka's injury, and his relinquishing of the light heavyweight title.

Dana also weighs in on former champ Glover Teixeira -- who was supposed to fight Jiri -- instead opting NOT to fight a new opponent on the card.

White actually believes it was a smart strategic move on the part of the 43-year-old fighter.

Bottom line ... with or without Prochazka and Texeira, Dana believes it's a kickass card.

Tia Mowry is picking a side when it comes to the new milk and soda trend splitting the internet ... but she just might start a new trend with her own festive twist!

We caught up with the "Sister, Sister" star and cookbook author, and got her thoughts on the beverage craze -- the one where folks are mixing cola with milk to produce a sorta DIY carbonated eggnog.

Tia seems to be all for the odd combo, saying she would most definitely try it. She explained, she already likes to put milk in her coffee, and since Pepsi's also caffeinated ... hey, why not put milk in it too?!?

ICYMI, Lindsay Lohan helped hype this with a new Pepsi commercial ... promoting "Pilk" AKA a mix of Pepsi and milk, for the holiday season.

And, folks have been rushing to social media to either try it or knock it.

Well, Linds has convinced at least one big fan! Tia told us she'd even put her own spin on it ... with Pepsi, milk and a dab of something else that'll really make your holiday party 🔥.

The athletes on the pitch aren't the only ones getting some love at the World Cup this year -- the stunning fans in the stands deserve some shine, too!!

Of course, you've heard of Croatia's #1 backer Ivana Knoll by now, but there are plenty of other beautiful footy fanatics catching everyone's eye among all the countries participating in the event this year.

Iran may be out of the tournament, but they had a ton of support from their lovely fans in Qatar ... and we're sure they helped make the loss to the U.S. sting a bit less.

Japan also made a solid run ... and those who made the trip to watch their country had some fun in the crowd as well, blowing a kiss for the cameras while at the stadium.

The ladies of Argentina were on pins and needles during Argentina's close contest against the Netherlands ... but they'll be back in full force when they take on Croatia in the semis.

One of Madonna's iconic '80s MTV Video Music Awards -- this one for "Best Female Video" -- has a new home after a lucky buyer snatched it off the auction block.

RR Auction tells TMZ ... Madonna's VMA, aka the Moonman trophy, for her hit song "Papa Don't Preach" went to the highest bidder, who dropped $38,484.

As we reported ... the shiny Madge memorabilia was expected to fetch around $60k before the bidding began, so someone got themselves a sweet deal.

In case you didn't know, the song came out in 1986 as a single from her album "True Blue" ... and it became the pop star's 4th number-one hit.

"Papa Don't Preach" -- Madonna's song about teen pregnancy -- ended up garnering 3 VMA noms and a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance."

A few other big-ticket items at the auction included Tom Hanks' screen-worn military uniform from "Forrest Gump" ... which sold for $20,771.

Leave your fancy schmancy garments at home, throw on your sportiest uniform and find the differences in these shots of all-star tennis player Naomi Osaka. Based on her rankings and playing style, it's obvious she's one to cause some serious racket!

The author was recently in New York City promoting her new children's book "The Way Champs Play," and she was looking casual-chic in a tie-dye pullover and a fire pair of Jordans. Can you rise to the occasion and locate the minor changes in the two shots?

CBS Sports journalist Grant Wahl -- one of the most respected soccer reporters in the country -- died while covering the World Cup, his brother announced Friday. He was 49 years old.

Grant was in Qatar when he passed ... and Eric Wahl believes foul play was involved, as he claims the reporter was receiving death threats over wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Eric says Grant had zero health issues ... explaining in a heartbreaking Instagram video, "I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed."

As we previously reported, Wahl was detained for nearly 30 minutes after World Cup security on Nov. 21 ... after he showed up to Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar for the United States' first tournament game against Wales.

To show his support for the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homosexuality is illegal, he wore a shirt with a soccer ball and a rainbow pattern.

At the time, Eric praised his brother and denounced soccer's governing body ... saying, "Shame on @FIFA for losing all control over this corrupt World Cup."

Grant was live-tweeting the Argentina vs. Netherlands game just hours ago ... with his last post coming at 1:05 PM PT.

Eric says he spoke with Grant's wife, Celine, who says he collapsed at the stadium and was given CPR before being Ubered to a hospital, where he died.

Eric added Celine has spoken to Ron Klain, President Joe Biden's chief of staff, as well as the White House.

U.S. Soccer released a statement on Wahl's passing ... saying, "The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl."

"Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game."

"As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all."

Grant's last article on his Substack focused on Qatari officials' apathy toward the rash of migrant worker deaths surrounding the World Cup ... saying, "They just don't care."

R. Kelly isn't admitting a damn thing when it comes to the "I Admit It" album that dropped Friday -- speaking from jail, he calls the recording a plot to screw him over in court.

TMZ obtained this audio Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, says he recorded Friday shortly after they'd met. The disgraced singer immediately shuts down the notion he'd put out any music right now, much less something with the lyrics, "I Admit It," because he's trying to appeal his latest federal conviction.

Even more mysterious ... Kelly seems to insinuate the album recordings aren't even his voice. He says, "I hope people recognized my voice and know that" he wouldn't be recording in the middle of a legal battle.

As we reported, it certainly looked and sounded like he'd release a 13-track album, with the title track addressing many of the allegations leveled against him.

After just a few hours, though, the project was pulled from Spotify and Apple Music -- as Kelly's label, Sony Music, denied any involvement in the recording or in distributing it to the streamers.

His legal team later told us, they were investigating to figure out who may have released the music. BTW, we know it was uploaded by Ingrooves, a distributor owned by Universal Music Group ... with no ties to Sony Music.

Also, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed R. Kelly didn't produce any songs using equipment in prison.

During this voice recording, he seemed to want to prove it's not his voice on "I Admit It" -- so, he broke into a few bars of his song, “When A Woman's Fed Up."

He thinks there's a clear difference, but listen for yourself.

Klay Thompson believes Draymond Green's attack on teammate Jordan Poole will eventually be nothing but a "blip on the story" ... saying the team will be farther away from the incident the more they win.

Klay spoke about the October practice altercation in an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews this week ... saying he wasn't too concerned about the impact it would have on the team's chemistry as long as they handled business on the court.

"It's unfortunate it got leaked, but those guys are all brothers, Jordan and Draymond," Klay said. "I knew, with time, like the old adage, time heals all wounds. I know winning and just having fun cures all."

"We're playing that brand of Warriors basketball again and once we continue to do so, I think it will just be a blip on the story."

It wasn't all gravy for the Dubs, though -- they were slow out the gate, going 3-7 to start the season ... and many wondered if the practice incident had anything to do with it.

But they've turned things around recently ... and are currently .500 and looking much better.

Klay also spoke about what his dad -- ex-NBAer Mychal Thompson -- thought of the altercation ... saying, "He tried to downplay it."

"I mean, he played in the '80s. They were fighting each other every other game. I've seen Larry Bird have to fight off three 76ers once. Dr. J and him choking each other. He's from a different generation."