Tiffani Thiessen dodged a serious bullet ... 'cause the former "Saved By the Bell" goddess tells us she never brought herself to watch one single episode of the abomination that was "The New Class."
If only the rest of us had that kind of will power ...
Tiffani -- who was out in NY yesterday -- also told us she was flattered when Justin Bieber rocked a Kelly Kapowski shirt to an award show in Canada last year ... saying, "I highly doubt he's ever seen the show ... but I thought it was super cute."
As for "The New Class" ... seriously, that show was terrible.
M.I.A. will end up paying any fines imposed on NBC as a result of her finger wag during the Super Bowl halftime show ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.
Our sources say ... the NFL has indemnified NBC ... because the NFL is responsible for the halftime content.
But the NFL was smart, given the history of performers who wanted to do something shocking to get attention during the biggest TV event of the year. So we're told ... M.I.A. signed a contract with the NFL for the halftime performance, and in that contract M.I.A. agreed to indemnify the NFL for any money it might be forced to pay if the FCC comes down on the Peacock Network.
Remember, CBS was hit with a $550,000 FCC fine after Janet Jackson's famous wardrobe malfunction, but that fine was thrown out by a federal appeals court.
Sources tell us ... aside from the fact that the NFL doesn't want to pay a huge fine, the organization wants to send a message to performers -- don't you dare screw with us.
We don't know if the NFL got a similar indemnity clause from Madonna.
A powerful parents TV watchdog claims NBC failed the American public by "enabling" M.I.A. to flip off the camera during the Super Bowl halftime show yesterday ... and now the group is demanding punishment.
The Parents Television Council has released a statement on the incident ... saying, "It is unfortunate that a spectacular sporting event was overshadowed once again by broadcasting the selfish acts of a desperate performer."
The PTC claims NBC and the NFL knew full well what could happen ... especially because they chose a lineup filled with "performers who have based their careers on shock profanity and titillation."
The PTC also rips NBC for failing to block the image from broadcast ... especially since Janet Jackson's nipplegate incident on CBS 8 years ago.
The group is NOT asking for an apology -- insisting one would simply "[ring] hollow after yet another slap in the face to families."
Instead, the group wants ACTION -- saying, "Either the NFL and NBC will take immediate steps to hold those accountable for this offensive material in front of a hundred million Americans, or they will feebly sit back and do nothing."
It's POSSIBLE the NFL and NBC had a contract with M.I.A. ... in which she would have to pay a fine if she pulled any offensive shenanigans ... but so far, it's unclear if she made that agreement.
It wasn't Janet Jackson's nipple, but M.I.A. flashed a body part of her own during the Super Bowl halftime show just now -- her middle finger!
It went down as she and Nicki Minaj joined Madonna on stage for their song, "Give Me All Your Luvin."
It's been eight years since JJ changed the face of television forever after revealing her breast at the end of her SB performance with Justin Timberlake. The Patriots were playing on that day as well and came away victorious.
So we ask ...
*Thanks to TMZ readers Aaron and Jamie for the quick screen grab.
Some fans of the TV show "Alcatraz" aren't so bright -- because they're infiltrating guided tours on the real-life island to search for a top secret room ... that only exists on the scripted drama!
National Parks Service rep Alexandra Picavet tells TMZ ... tourists are starting to stray from their tours and sneak into "closed areas" on the former federal prison.
Picavet says many of the not-so-super sleuths have confessed they're looking for a high tech control room (below) ... described on the show as a "bat-cave underneath Alcatraz."
Keep in mind the show just debuted last week. Crazy spreads quickly.
Picavet says they've now posted the following sign on the island: "The TV show Alcatraz is fictional, many areas it depicts are not real. Closed areas protect you, historic structures and nesting birds."
Parks Service peeps assure us the room doesn't exist. They also say the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy aren't real, so ... believe what you want.
Our photog asked Rob Lowe straight up yesterday at LAX -- would he be interested in taking over Regis Philbin's chair next to Kelly Ripa -- and he certainly didn't give us a straight answer.
As TMZ first reported, ABC loved the chemistry between Rob and Kelly during his two-day guest hosting stint this week and have already approached the "Parks and Recreation" star to gauge his interest in coming aboard full-time.
Rob Lowe could be Regis Philbin's replacement ... if ABC has its way.
Lowe just finished a two-day stint, guest hosting with Kelly Ripa and an ABC source says the honchos "loved the chemistry between them." We're told network execs have spoken with Lowe's reps about making it a permanent gig, but Lowe -- who already has a job on "Parks and Recreation" -- is non-committal.
But we just shot Rob leaving NYC at JFK airport. Our camera guy asked him, "Do you think you could live in New York?"
Rob replied: "We were just talking about that. I love New York. I love the energy. It would be a change of pace. I'm a California boy, but it could be fun."
The woman who played the original Aunt Viv on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" says there's a damn good reason she wasn't at a recent reunion dinner with the rest of the Banks family -- she HATES Will Smith.
15 years after the show went off the air ... Janet Hubert tells TMZ, she's still upset with the way she was fired from the show ... and blames the whole thing on Smith himself.
"There will never be a reunion ... as I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith," Hubert said.
She adds, "He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn't know the word."
Hubert has said in the past she believes Smith is to blame for her departure in the middle of the show's run -- claiming he turned on her because she wouldn't kiss his butt.
But Smith refuted the claims after Hubert left the show in 1993 -- telling an Atlanta radio station Hubert simply had a bad attitude which played a major role in her demise.
Smith told the radio station, "[Hubert] said once, 'I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.' No matter what, to her I'm just the AntiChrist."
We called Smith for comment -- so far, no response.
The star of the Discovery reality show "Sons of Guns" has been forced to surrender his Federal Firearm License after government officials discovered a bunch of his weapons had mysteriously gone missing ... TMZ has learned.
The man caught in the crosshairs is a famous gunsmith named William Hayden -- who founded Red Jacket Firearms in Baton Rouge Louisiana ... and hired his daughter Stephanie to help run the business.
Things went swimmingly until 2009 ... when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a routine inspection of RJF and discovered 10 guns registered to the company could not be accounted for ... a big, BIG problem.
We're told the feds pinned the blame on William and Stephanie -- and were looking to take serious action that could have resulted in the end of RJF.
But law enforcement sources tell us ... the Hayden's struck a deal with feds in 2010, in which the two agreed to surrender their gun-making licenses ... and in exchange, they could appoint a LICENSED person to take over the company.
It didn't take long for William and Stephanie to pick their successor ... they went with Vincent Buckles (pictured left) -- another gunsmith often featured on the reality show.
William and Stephanie went back to work for the company -- but since they are no longer allowed to own the gun business, they are working as employees.
Reps for the Haydens, RJF and Discovery all had no comment.
TMZ has learned Vincent Buckles has since left the company -- and two other licensed people are currently in charge of the business.
It's been 15 years since "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" went off the air, but it appears most of the cast members are still friends and actually hang out together.
Will Smith posted this pic of The Banks clan on his official Facebook page, which we're told was taken last week at a luncheon for the charity Sweet Blackberry -- which Karyn Parsons (Hilary) founded.
While Tatyana Ali, some guy, Parsons, Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery and a pre-bald Smith were all sharing the love, noticeably absent were the two actresses who played the mom/Will's Aunt Vivian.
Clint Eastwood is going the way of the Kardashians ... TMZ has learned his wife and two of his daughters are currently shooting a family reality show intended to air on the E! network.
Sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... the show will explore what it's like to live in a family of "Hollywood royalty." It will focus on the relationship between Clint's wife Dina Eastwood, their daughter Morgan and Clint's 18-year-old daughter Francesca ... an aspiring actress.
We’re told 81-year-old Clint has agreed to make a couple of cameos -- but will not be a main character on the show.
The show is being produced by reality powerhouse Bunim/Murray -- the same people who produce all of the Kardashian reality shows ... along with "The Real World" and "Bad Girls Club."
Sources tell us producers are hoping to get the show on the air in the next few months.
She adds, "He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn't know the word."
