TMZ.com Home

"Fast N' Loud" star Richard Rawlings surprised the hell out of one of his fans ... an off-duty cop whose heroic effort is now being rewarded with a free trip to Richard's famous garage.

The hot rod guru tells TMZ ... he got on the horn this week with East Chicago Police detective Bill Johnsen to commend him and reward him for his selfless act during a shooting inside a Walmart in Hobart, Indiana.

ICYMI ... Johnsen and his family were shopping for fishing supplies last weekend when, out of nowhere, gunshots rang out. Naturally, it triggered a stampede for the exits. Johnsen rushed his family out of the store, but then ran back inside to locate the shooter.

Johnsen says he first found the victim -- who'd been shot in the stomach -- and then the shooter. The cop, who works with the gangs/narcotics unit, says the shooter appeared to give up, but with the rise in mass shootings, he wasn't taking any chances. He snatched the shooter's gun and disassembled it on the spot.

When Rawlings saw news stories about the incident, he noticed Johnsen wearing a tee with the logo for Gas Monkey Garage -- the Dallas-based garage where they shoot 'FNL.'

Rawlings -- who's a former police officer and even got shot in the arm once -- invited Johnsen and his wife, Nikki, to visit his garage and his restaurant. He says they're gonna hook up September 19.

RR's gonna pick up their whole tab -- air travel, accommodations, food, beer ... the whole shebang.

Kevin Hart is lucky -- on the one hand he didn't die in his horrific car crash, but he was horribly hurt, and Jamie Spears was a real shocker this week. So, we gotta ask ...

YG and Kehlani kept their relationship under wraps for months before finally going public this week ... but she's NOT the reason he's no longer with the woman who recently gave birth to his child.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... YG separated from his baby mama, Catelyn Sparks, BEFORE he got into a relationship with Kehlani, and all parties are cool with how things played out.

YG's baby mama gave birth to their second child in July ... and we're told the rapper will still provide for both kids and their mother, at least financially.

As we reported ... YG and Kehlani confirmed they're dating Thursday night, making their first public appearance together as they strolled hand in hand into a show for New York Fashion Week.

Kehlani actually became a mother herself back in March ... but she's never been in a romantic relationship with the father, who happens to be her guitarist. Nevertheless, they've decided to co-parent.

Production on one of Hulu's newest shows is gonna be delayed, courtesy of Hurricane Dorian blowing through its set.

Sources connected to the production of "Reprisal" -- a new drama series -- tell us they had to stop shooting Thursday as the Category 1 storm approached its Wilmington, North Carolina studio. As you know, Dorian crept along the coastline of the Carolinas after decimating the Bahamas ... where it killed at least 30 people.

We're told the entire staff was sent home Thursday and told to seek shelter. The plan is to return Monday and resume filming. Staffers were also told they had the option to be put up in a hotel in Raleigh ... 130 miles away from Dorian's impact.

"Reprisal" -- starring Abigail Spencer and premiering December 6 -- shoots on a 50-acre production facility with 10 stages. It's a massive facility that's not only fully prepared to shoot movies like "Iron Man 3" and "We're the Millers" but also prepared for the furious weather conditions.

Andy Ruiz says he's not bothered ONE BIT by Tyson Fury calling him a "fat guy" ... telling TMZ Sports the Gypsy King is just bashing him to stay relevant!!!

Remember ... Fury made fun of AJ to our camera guy out in NYC last month ... clowning him for getting "knocked out by a fat guy!!!"

But, The Destroyer is taking the high road after the body shaming ... 'cause he says he's actually a fan of Fury ... and sees it as a sad attempt to capitalize on Andy's superstar moment.

"Tyson Fury, he wants to be relevant," Ruiz tells us. "He wants to be in the scene. I like the guy too. I'm a big fan of him. I like how he is. I like his energy."

The 29-year-old says he's not gonna let Fury distract him from his rematch with AJ in Saudi Arabia -- aka the "Clash on the Dunes" -- but once he's done with Joshua again, THEN they can settle it in the ring.

"I don't wanna look past Anthony Joshua. I want to win on December 7th, then maybe me and him can get in a fight too."

These famous fellas are ready to get football season started!!!

Stars such as Brock O'Hurn, Steph Curry, and Austin Mahone may not be NFL pros but they sure know how to impress a crowd while playing the game!!!

With the gridiron games back on the field, these stars need to make some waves while they can!!!

Instead of just watching the clock and waiting for kickoff, take some time to check out these stars  throwin' some ball!!! Get a look through our gallery of footballin' beach boys ... see how the hottest celebs are choosing to play the game!!!

Antonio Brown just posted pieces of an intense conversation with Jon Gruden ... where the coach tells him point-blank to "stop this sh*t and just play football" ... and it seems AB has a problem with the message.

Here's parts of the convo ...

Gruden: "What the hell is going on, man?"

AB: "Just a villain all over the news, man."

Gruden: "You're not a villain. You're the most misunderstood f**king human being in my entire life that I've ever met. I mean, I brought you here because you're my favorite guy. I've never seen a guy work harder."

Gruden: "Please stop this sh*t and just play football. How hard is that? You're a great football player. Just play football."

AB: "I'm more than just a football player, man."

AB posted the vid with apparent intentions of pointing out he's been treated like a piece of meat and not a person. In other words, he's trying to convey that he's more than just a football player.

The problem ... did Gruden know he was being recorded?? And, if not, how is he going to feel about AB posting their convo on the Internet?

There are possible legal ramifications too, if both Gruden and Brown were in CA at the time of the call.

Cali is a 2-party consent state ... which means both sides have to be aware if the convo is being recorded ... or else it can be considered an illegal recording.

Brown and the Raiders have been butting heads for the past month ... with things really coming to a head in the past 48 hours. You have to wonder whether this is the last straw.

Of course, AB publicly apologized at practice earlier on Friday after an incident with Raiders GM Mike Mayock ... so was the apology sincere??

Felicity Huffman's about to dodge a huge bullet in the college admissions bribery scandal ... that is, if the judge follows federal prosecutors' recommendation.

The U.S. Attorney filed docs Friday saying the actress should do one month in federal prison and pay $20,000 in fines. That's a great deal for Felicity because, back in May, prosecutors were recommending she do somewhere between 4 to 10 months in prison.

As for why the feds softened, prosecutors say in docs, "Some period of incarceration is the only meaningful sanction for these crimes. Not because the defendants' relative wealth has generated public resentment, but because jail is a particularly meaningful response to this kind of offense. For wrongdoing that is predicated on wealth and rationalized by a sense of privilege, incarceration is the only leveler: in prison everyone is treated the same, dressed the same, and intermingle regardless of affluence, position or fame."

Translation: the government wants to scare the rich, privileged and celebs ... so they know misdeeds will result in them going to prison -- even for a little while.

It's interesting ... although the sentencing recommendation is light, the prosecutors' language is tough -- "Huffman's conduct was deliberate and manifestly criminal: it was wrong, she knew it was wrong, and she actively participated in manipulating her daughter's guidance counselor, the testing services and the schools to which her daughter applied."

The prosecutor goes on ... "Her efforts weren't driven by need or desperation, by a sense of entitlement, or at least moral cluelessness, facilitated by wealth and insularity."

And then, the zinger ... "Millions of parents send their kids to college every year. All of them care as much as she does about the children's fortunes. But they don't buy fake SAT scores and joke about ('Ruh ro!') along the way."

The "Ruh ro" references an email -- submitted as evidence -- which Felicity had sent to Rick Singer, the bribery ringleader, when she found out the high school was using its own proctor instead of the one who was supposed to rig the testing.

Felicity did have 27 people submit letters of support ... including her husband William H. Macy and former costar Eva Longoria.

Felicity's attorney submitted their own docs, recommending she get 1 year of probation, 250 hours community service and the $20k fine. According to the docs, prison isn't necessary to deter others because Felicity's already suffering in several ways: she can't get an audition or offer for roles, her daughter Sophia can't get auditions at performing arts colleges ... even ones where SATs aren't required, and both of her daughters are "deeply angry" at her.

Our U.S. Attorney sources say one of the reasons prosecutors softened their recommendation is because the probation department was recommending as little as NO prison time.

Logic says he's no Bobby Fischer when it comes to chess, but he's feeling confident enough to challenge one of our photogs to a match ... and dropping bombs about his love life!!!

We got the rapper at Catch Thursday night in West Hollywood, where he had just finished dinner, and he was holding a very interesting accessory ... a friggin' chessboard.

Logic admits he's far from a grandmaster -- maybe that's why he's practicing at the dinner table -- but when our guy asks if he's down for a quick game, Logic jumps at the offer and sets a few parameters.

Speaking of chess pieces, Logic's got his own queen ... telling us his dinner date, Brittney Noell, is his wife now, and they're expecting!!!

We broke the story ... Logic and Brittney took a trip to the courthouse in July to take out a marriage license ... and turns out they followed through to tie the knot.

BTW ... Logic's kept things with Brittney under wraps, so it's pretty rare to see them out together.

Logic dropped a freestyle last month and said he was having a little boy, but he never revealed the child's mother ... until now.

The hitmaker behind Justin Bieber, Usher and Chris Brown is hurting to the tune of $1 million ... courtesy of a massive burglary at his Hollywood Hills crib.

The heist at Poo Bear's home was discovered Friday, and unfortunately for him, the bad guy or guys were able to make off with an entire safe ... according to our law enforcement sources.

We're told one of PB's staffers discovered a window had been smashed, and when he went inside he found Poo's safe was gone. We're told the lockbox contained a pirate's booty o' jewelry ... worth at least $1 mil.

Tough news for Poo, who produced "Caught Up" for Usher and a gang of Justin's hits. He's over in Tokyo right now and posted a pic with pals Thursday as he celebrated his birthday.

'Bold and the Beautiful' star Ashley Jones claims her husband has been beating her at home ... and now she's getting court-ordered protection from him and kicking him to the curb.

Ashley -- who's known for her longtime role of Bridget Forrester on 'Bold' -- filed for divorce Friday, on the heels of a judge granting her a restraining order against her husband, Joel Henricks.

According to the restraining order obtained by TMZ ... Ashley claims she's the victim of physical abuse at the hands of her husband, and fears for her life and for the life of the couple's 3-year-old son.

In the docs, Ashley claims the abuse dates back to before they were married, but she says it's gotten more violent with time. She claims her husband caused a spiral fracture in her hand in September 2017, when they were struggling over her cell phone and he crushed her hand.

According to the restraining order request ... Ashley says she and her son left the house on August 17, and claims her husband has been stalking her ever since. She says the day after she left, she was at a friend's house when she discovered a tracking device under her car.

In the docs, Ashley also worries her that he has a small gun collection. The judge granted her the restraining order ... which requires Hendricks to stay 100 yards away from her and their son, and have no form of contact with them.

One week after getting that protection she marched into court and filed for divorce. The couple has 1 child together and have been married since 2016.

Chris March, a costume designer who appeared on "Project Runway" -- and dressed huge stars like Beyonce and Meryl Streep -- is dead ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources close to Chris' family tell TMZ ... he died Thursday afternoon at 1:45 PM from a heart attack. We're told Chris had been in and out of the hospital for the last year, but the heart attack came as a surprise to doctors and relatives.

Despite his medical battles -- related to a nasty fall he suffered 2 years ago -- we're told Chris was still designing dresses until the end.

Chris was a finalist on season 4 of "Project Runway" ... he also appeared on "Project Runway All Stars" and had his own show on Bravo called "Mad Fashion." He also made cameos on "The Real Housewives of New York City" ... helping find elaborate costumes for Sonja Morgan.

Known for his avant-garde style, Chris had major A-list clients. He designed for Madonna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Coolidge and, as we said, Bey and Streep. He was responsible for Meryl's 2010 Golden Globe and Oscars gowns.

Chris also designed costumes for Cirque du Soleil and a slew of Broadway performances.

He had struggled to fully recover from a June 2017 fall in his apartment where he'd hit his head. Chris laid there for 4 days, finally woke up and called 911 before being rushed to the hospital.

He had to be placed in a medically induced coma, and suffered organ failure ... including a collapsed lung.

Chris was 56.

50 Cent and Paris Jackson are going head-to-head over his insinuation Chris Brown is better than Michael Jackson -- and now he's upped the ante with a graphic comment about Jackson's accusers.

Fiddy just fired back at MJ's daughter who, on Wednesday, took umbrage with 50 Cent posting a video of CB doing back flips. If you missed it, the rapper said, "All I'm saying is I never seen MJ come out like this."

Paris responded with, "true legends don't need to exert outrageous amounts of energy just grasp your attention."

Far be it from 50 Cent -- master of the IG troll -- to just let it go. Instead, on Friday, he put up a fresh post, saying ... "Why am I the bad guy, I understand how you feel Paris, but does anyone care about how the little boys butts feels."

Yeah, he went there -- but keep in mind, Dave Chappelle went there too, in his latest Netflix special -- sparking a national debate about believing or disbelieving Jackson's alleged victims.

As we reported, Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- the accusers featured in "Leaving Neverland" -- both blasted Chappelle for the jokes and personal comments he made onstage.

The first domino has fallen in Tekashi69's racketeering case ... the rapper's ex-manager has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Kifano “Shotti” Jordan learned his fate Friday, courtesy of a Manhattan judge ... 6 months after he pled guilty to 1 count of using and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and 1 count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi and Shotti were both arrested by the feds on racketeering charges back in November. The feds believed Shotti, along with Tekashi, pulled off an armed robbery back in April 2018. The feds alleged they robbed Tekashi's rivals at gunpoint.

Shotti was also accused of firing 2 shots at one of Tekashi's rivals ... on the same night one of Tekashi's crew members fired his gun inside the Barclays Center.

Watch your back MJ and LeBron, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair tells TMZ Sports he signed a fat deal with Adidas ... and he's comin' for Nike's neck!!!

We saw Flair at LAX earlier this week -- and after he broke down his beef with WWE over "The Man" -- he dropped some endorsement deal news on us.

"Ready for the good news? Adidas thinks I'm 'The Man.' I signed a deal with them, and we're fixin' to make Nike the 2nd brand. It's not gonna be Air Jordan anymore, it's gonna be Air Flair, and I can't jump."

"It's gonna be Adidas, Woooooooo!!!"

Naitch wouldn't go into detail about exactly what the partnership entails, but he rattled off a few NBA stars he's pumped to work with ... and he took aim at Nike's founder and chairman.

"This is me and Damian Lillard. Harden, James Harden, who I love and should be the MVP. Nike's gonna be [outta here]. We're gonna fire a shot over Phil Knight's bow."

Kevin Hart's scary car wreck has Dr. Phil shook because, like Kevin, he owns a classic car ... and he's now realizing it comes with some serious safety concerns.

The Doc tells "TMZ Live" his '57 Chevy is the same as Hart's 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in that it's equipped with lap belts but not safety harnesses ... and he doesn't know what to do about it.

As Dr. Phil says -- they don't make cars today like they used to ... and that's not always a good thing. He shows us there's really no way to easily install shoulder strap seat belts with the way the car's built. That's not the case with Kevin's Barracuda -- shoulder straps could have been installed.

Phil points out old cars like his and Kevin's don't perform nearly as well in crash tests as modern vehicles and, without making changes ... survival rates in crashes are much lower. In fact, he says he's stunned Hart is still alive.

As we told you ... Hart suffered serious injuries -- including 3 spinal fractures -- when his classic ride crashed through a fence on Mulholland Highway in the Malibu area early Sunday. The driver, his friend Jared Black, also suffered severe back injuries.

While their injuries may not have been totally avoided had the car been equipped with safety harnesses or airbags, they certainly wouldn't have hurt ... and installing them is now top of mind for Dr. Phil.