Rihanna SB LVII Prep Madness ... 39 Different Setlists, Last-Minute Changes!!!

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CHALLENGES ON CHALLENGES

Rihanna wants to make sure she gets her Super Bowl LVII halftime performance 100% correct ... working through 39 different setlists to get it right.

The music superstar discussed her everchanging plans on Thursday during an Apple Music press conference to pump the big show.

Rihanna told panel moderator Nadeska Alexis she hasn't been afraid to take charge, as there's a lot riding on this performance, including her own reputation.

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The singer says trying to condense hours worth of musical greatness into a 13-minute set has been damn near impossible, but Rihanna says there are a lot of people who are involved working to make it successful.

She says her bossy side has surfaced on several occasions -- making small changes such as where her guitar players should stand.

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BIG GAME ENERGY

We spoke to Rihanna about her pregame jitters back in October and it appears she still has them.

She openly admitted she had some hesitation taking the gig after giving birth to her baby back in May, and lamented over the lack of work/life balance to spend with her child.

Ultimately, the "Umbrella" singer says it was an honor to be put in a position to represent Barbados, immigrants and Black women alike ... and plans on incorporating plenty of her native Caribbean culture into the show.

Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky and T.I. are all heavily rumored to make cameo appearances also. We'll all know for sure come Sunday in Arizona!!!

Britney Spears Friends & Family Planned Intervention 'I'm Afraid She's Gonna Die'

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Britney Spears has been struggling with her mental health and substance abuse, and both problems are now dire enough that people closest to her planned an intervention ... TMZ has learned. As one source in regular contact with Britney told TMZ, "I'm afraid she's gonna die."

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... people around Britney have become alarmed by her erratic, volatile behavior. We're told she's taking meds that "hype her up." Our sources say she's been "flying off the handle" with increasing regularity and is not taking the medications that stabilize her.

Our sources say her manager rented a house in the L.A. area for several months and the plan was to take an unsuspecting Britney to the house, where her husband Sam Asghari, her manager, an interventionist and doctors would be present, in an attempt to convince her she needed help. We're told Jamie Spears, Lynne Spears and Britney's 2 sons were not involved. The plan was for the intervention to go down Tuesday.

We're told the plan was for Britney to live in the rented house for as long as 2 months while she received both medical treatment and psychological counseling.

That plan changed Tuesday ... we're told Britney became "somewhat aware" of the plan and for some reason it all changed and the intervention idea was scrapped. We asked multiple people connected to Britney and Sam why the plug would be pulled given her condition -- we got no answers.

Our sources say Britney agreed to meet with a doctor -- we don't know if it's a physician or a therapist. We're told Britney met with the doctor Wednesday late afternoon and it "went well."

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DINNER DISASTER

TMZ broke the story, Britney was spotted at a restaurant near her home last month where witnesses tell us she was acting "manic." In video, obtained by TMZ, Britney can be heard rambling incoherently.

As you know, Britney was placed in a conservatorship for 13 years after being involuntarily committed twice. The conservatorship ended in November 2021 ... in no small part because of the #FreeBritney movement. The judge did not order a medical evaluation before ending the conservatorship ... despite the fact doctors regularly weighed in before the court over the 13 years.

Dallas Stars Fan Socked In Face At Game ... After Saying N-Word

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UPDATE

11:03 AM PT -- Chad Marchman, a Dallas Stars fan who was sitting in a seat just feet below the altercation at the game, tells TMZ Sports ... the fracas all initially started due to some confusion over who was in whose seats.

UPDATE

Marchman said the man in the Benn jersey had been annoying people in the section after being asked to move -- before he was ultimately punched.

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MULLET POWER
UPDATE

In Marchman's footage of the aftermath of the haymaker, you can see the initial puncher suffered a bloody lip. You can also hear the man in the Benn jersey repeat the n-word.

UPDATE

Ultimately, according to Marchman, arena security got involved to separate everyone ... before the Benn fan was ejected from the area.

A Stars fan was socked in the face by a huge haymaker at Dallas' game on Wednesday night ... with the massive punch coming after the guy said the n-word.

The altercation went down just a few seats from the American Airlines Center ice ... when a man in a Jamie Benn jersey stopped watching the Stars vs. Wild tilt -- and began jawing with another fan behind him.

No word on why their beef initially began -- but the dude in the green No. 14 uni was clearly furious. At one point, he challenged the other fan to a fight ... saying, "How 'bout you step down here and I'll box your ass."

The guy in the black polo didn't respond -- and that's when the Benn fan, who's white, muttered the n-word.

"All right then," he could be heard saying. "Stay the f*** up there. Dumbass n****."

Almost immediately after the word left his mouth, the fan in the black shirt, who's also white, threw a right hand that landed flush. It actually appeared to briefly knock the Benn fan unconscious.

The two scuffled for a few moments following the blow -- before another woman raced in and threw a bevy of punches of her own.

Eventually, other fans stepped in before the altercation became even more violent.

It's unclear how the situation was resolved -- we've reached out to cops to see if any arrests were made, but no word back yet.

As for the game, the Stars were clearly unbothered by the ruckus in the crowd -- they were able to cruise to a 4-1 victory over Minnesota.

Originally Published -- 7:59 AM PT

Puppy Bowl Rescue Pups Invade TMZ Office!!!

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CHASING THE LOMBARKY

There's a super big game coming up, and we're not talking about the Super Bowl ... dozens of puppies will face off in the 19th annual Puppy Bowl and it's all for a great cause!!!

Dan Schachner -- the 12-year Puppy Bowl "Ruff-eree" -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and while we love Dan, we're mostly thrilled that we got a visit from some furry and adorable reps for the upcoming game. Yeah, we're suckers for puppies, but these came on a mission.

Dan tells us, the event is all about raising awareness for rescuing dogs ... because shelter animals will be competing Sunday for the Lombarky Trophy. This year, more than 122 four-legged friends will play for either Team Ruff or Team Fluff ... and they hail from 67 different rescues and shelters across the country.

If you're interested in giving one a home, all the pups are adoptable & from Paw Works.

Look for stars like Tailen Hurts, Jimmy Kibble, and Josh Allenhound -- repping for Buffalo, of course -- come game day. Heck, they even got Tom Barky to come outta retirement!!!

Dan says there's a ton of pets who need homes, and that number only increased when folks returned to work after the pandemic.

This year's bowl is super special ... 11 pups with special needs will be featured. And it's the first time ever a dog from Dominica, West Indies will compete as well as a doggy from a Native American animal org.

If you're more of a cat person, there's even a kitty halftime show featuring cats from 3 different shelters.

The big game airs for 3 hours on Feb 12 on Animal Planet and Discovery+. Be sure to tune in for the pregame show!

Alec Baldwin Halyna Hutchins' Family Files Lawsuit

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Alec Baldwin has yet another lawsuit to deal with regarding the fatal "Rust" shooting ... family members of the late Halyna Hutchins are taking the actor and several others to court.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Halyna's parents and sister have named Alec -- as well as a slew of companies and individuals -- as defendants in the suit. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is one of the many named.

The docs claim several safety protocols on set were ignored, including their insistence that Gutierrez-Reed should've been the only one handing Baldwin the gun -- NOT Assistant Director David Halls, who's also named as a defendant.

The family says Baldwin "cannot hide" behind Halls' alleged statement on set that the gun was "cold" ... adding a veteran actor like himself should've insisted that it was demonstrated to him or checked it himself.

What's more, the docs say the scene they were filming didn't call for Baldwin's gun to be cocked or fired at all -- and they say there was insufficient plexiglass in the building at the time of the incident, which could've ensured Hutchins' safety.

Hutchins' family is suing for loss of consortium, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and more ... and is seeking unspecified damages.

We've reached out to Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed -- Hannah's lawyer, Jason Bowles, had no comment ... no word from Baldwin's team.

As we reported, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter last week ... with the D.A. listing many of the same reasons as to why he was hit with the charge -- also pointing out potential discrepancies in his multiple interviews following the shooting.

GloRilla Doused by Drink-Throwing Fans!!! Club Promoter Wants Back $30K Fee

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GloRilla's stay in the Bay Area ended in a fit of rage ... rage from fans who hurled drinks and spit at the "FNF" rapper when she exited her Oakland after party without performing.

The incident happened Wednesday night at New Karibbean City nightclub, and the video shows Glo and her team making their way to the door as drink lands smack dab on Glo's jacket, angering her and her friends.

One clubgoer yelled out, "F**k you, bitch!!" ... before someone on Glo's team cools her off with a few splashes from her glass to return the favor.

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VIRAL MOMENT

Promoter Con B of Insomnia Entertainment isn't taking responsibility for fans turning on Glo ... but tells TMZ Hip Hop he paid an exec at Glo's label CMG $30K to hear the Grammy-nominated star get lit and is expecting a full refund!!!

Sources close to the situation paint a different story, telling us Glo was never contracted to perform for that $30K -- a claim backed up by Glo's CMG boss, Yo Gotti after he got wind of the incident on Instagram!!!

We're told it was only a couple of rowdy fans upset she didn't perform -- not the entire club like the internet is projecting.

Glo is currently on tour and hit the Oakland club after her performance in San Fran earlier that night.

Con B says he still wants his $30K back, but we're guessing the fine print in the contract will determine how that goes.

Pamela Anderson Texting Tommy True Feelings ... You're My 'One True Love'

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Pamela Anderson reached out to Tommy Lee to make things right, and to let him know how she really feels before her Netflix doc aired ... and told her ex-husband he's still her "one true love."

In the text messages, to which Tommy hasn't responded, we're told ... Pamela told the Mötley Crüe drummer how cute their family used to be when they were still together raising their sons ... and she blames the paparazzi for tearing them apart.

We've heard 2 differing sides on Pamela's goal in texting Tommy -- a source close to her tells us she has zero intention of breaking up his marriage, and isn't trying to get back with him. That source says Pam only wanted to express her gratitude for their history.

On the other side, a source close to Tommy tells us while Pam's been portraying herself, at least in public, as being respectful of Tommy's marriage to Brittany Furlan -- in reality, Tommy and Brittany believe she's been trying to get back with him.

Our Tommy sources say Pamela's been repeatedly texting Tommy since he proposed to Brittany, but Tommy doesn't respond, and is respectful of Brittany and happily married.

Some of Pam's texts to Tommy surfaced online ... and we're told she also texts him flirty messages about how she still loves him, and how she believes they will be together when they're old. We're also told she sends Tommy apologies for things that happened in the past.

Our sources say Pam's most recent text to Tommy was in January, right before her documentary, "Pamela, A Love Story" premiered on Netflix. We're told she was expressing heartbreak over their divorce and how she was sorry for hurting Tommy.

It's worth noting ... Brittany recently posted and deleted a TikTok where she joked Pamela wouldn't care if she died. Brittany said she deleted it because she felt like it was going to get twisted, but was clearly just making a joke.

She has been getting attacked online since the documentary dropped and we're told she's had friends and family reaching out to see if she's ok because they feel the doc makes it crystal clear Pam is still very much in love with Tommy.

Our sources say Tommy wants nothing more than for Pam to find someone else, and move on ... because the text messages are very triggering for him and his current wife.

NHL's Rasmus Andersson Hit By Car While Riding Scooter In Downtown Detroit

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Rasmus Andersson -- a Calgary Flames defenseman -- was terrifyingly hit by a car while riding a scooter in downtown Detroit on Wednesday ... but, thankfully, he's OK.

The NHL team explained the accident in a statement on Thursday ... revealing the 26-year-old was on his way to dinner via scooter when he was struck by a vehicle at around 6 PM.

The Flames said Andersson was transported to the Detroit Receiving Hospital for testing and, fortunately, was released a short time later.

He's now listed as day-to-day ... but will miss Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

"He was going through a crosswalk," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said on Thursday. "The good news -- and the most important thing -- is that Ras is doing well."

Treliving added that the team and Rasmus are "very lucky."

"It certainly could have been a lot worse. We want to make sure that we thank all those involved [in his care] and let everybody know that Ras is doing well."

According to the Detroit Police Department, there was "no indication of any alcohol at all." A spokesperson added that there will be no arrests or tickets issued.

"It was a basic accident," the DPD said.

Rasmus started his hockey career in 2012 when he joined the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League.

He left Sweden for North America and played for the Ontario Hockey League before he was picked by the Flames in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Since then, Rasmus has scored 23 goals and tallied 146 points in 349 NHL appearances.

Kim Kardashian Surprises SKIMS Shoppers ... Get Your Valentine's On!!!

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Kim Kardashian had a surprise for fans looking to get their hands on her SKIMS collection in time for Valentine's Day ... she popped up in-person at an L.A. pop-up shop!

The SKIMS founder was on hand Wednesday for the opening at the Westfield Century City shopping -- and, smartly, Kim showed up repping her company's V-Day theme from head to toe.

She wore an all-pink get-up, matching the all-pink pop-up ... and, of course, lots of items in her limited-edition Valentine's Day collection are pink too.

The collection was released a few weeks back and features lots of sheer lace lingerie, catsuits and rhinestone bedazzled gear too.

Kim enlisted some of her pals, like such as Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò from "The White Lotus," as models.

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She later wrote about the sweet moment, saying ... "having my own SKIMS pop up store at the Century City Mall means the world to me in so many ways."

The pop-up opened on Wednesday and will continue through February 12.

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SPREADING THE LOVE

Sorry guys, that means no last-minute purchases ON Valentine's Day!!!

Burt Bacharach Dead at 94

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Burt Bacharach, one of the most prolific composers/songwriters in American history -- responsible for enormous hits like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and "I Say a Little Prayer" -- has died.

Bacharach died Wednesday at his L.A. home of natural causes, according to his publicist.

Bacharach and his composing partner, Hal David, were responsible for a string of Dionne Warwick hits, including "Do You Know The Way to San Jose," "Walk on By," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Don't Make Me Over."

Numerous artists covered his songs, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones.

Although the 8-time Grammy winner was largely considered a master of easy listening, his songs were covered by artists in all genres of music -- everyone from Luther Vandross to Marty Robbins to Elvis Costello and even The Carpenters recorded his songs.

Everyone knows the #1 hit, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" ... classic Bacharach.

He and David composed the score for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which included 'Raindrops.' They won 2 Academy Awards for the film's soundtrack.

Motown record label founder Berry Gordy tells us, "Over the years, no matter who Burt collaborated with, there was always a recognizable “Bacharach” sound and magic to his songs. He was a unique writer whose music always touched my heart. I will miss him, but I know Burt’s amazing legacy will live on forever."

Burt also wrote several hits with his one-time wife Carole Bayer Sager -- and, in fact, they also won an Oscar for "Best That You Can Do" ... the theme from "Arthur."

All told, he walked down the aisle 4 times, including a 15-year marriage to actress Angie Dickinson. He married for the last time in 1993 when he and Jane Hansen tied the knot.

He's survived by 3 children and Jane. Burt was 94.

RIP

Super Bowl LVII AZ Shop Owner’s Racist Outburst at ESPN Shoot ... ‘Ya F***ing Indian!!!’

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UPDATE

5:50 AM PT -- Scottsdale PD officials just released a statement, saying they have completed their investigation and charged shop owner Gilbert Ortega with 3 counts of disorderly conduct. Police noted that misdemeanor disorderly conduct does not qualify as a hate crime under the FBI's guidelines.

A local Arizona shop owner interrupted an ESPN shoot this week to mock Native American performers -- while yelling, "MAGA country" -- and the whole racist tirade is on video.

Cody Blackbird -- who's of Cherokee/Dakota descent, and was one of the Native American performers hired by ESPN for the Super Bowl promo -- tells TMZ a dude named Gilbert Ortega started taunting the dancers from the front of his jewelry shop Tuesday in downtown Scottsdale.

We're told Ortega was mimicking their movements and chants -- in a demeaning way -- and that prompted some in the group to come over and confront him while filming.

TMZ obtained some footage of the confrontation, and it shows Ortega was out there to provoke and posture ... calling the Native Americans "f**king Indians," invoking MAGA and telling them to go back to Gallup, NM, which is home to a well-known reservation.

Ortega even came out for a tense face-to-face with the group at one point ... on a dare to say what he was saying to their faces. So, yeah ... he was looking for trouble and trying to get under the performers' skin. Unfortunately, he succeeded.

Luckily, there was no violence ... Ortega was whisked away by a friend, and the whole thing fizzled out after he went back into his establishment -- a business, BTW, that ironically sells Native American items.

Some members of the Native American group were upset enough to contact cops to complain. The Scottsdale Police Dept. tells us they're investigating the incident as "possible disorderly conduct" ... and, as of now, they don't see anything that rises to the level of a hate crime. That's subject to change based on the investigation.

Originally Published -- 12:40 AM PT

Lil Uzi Vert Caught Slippin' Poolside Outside NAV's Studio!!!

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LIL SLIP UP

Lil Uzi Vert's futsal footwork couldn't save him after he tried to play leapfrog at NAV's outdoor pool ... and the Philly Eagles ambassador was caught in 4K slipping on his ass!!!

On Thursday, NAV posted studio cam of Uzi attempting to hop his way into the island in the middle of his pool -- only to slip on the border and embarrassingly plunge into the water!!!

NAV can be seen bursting out laughing to the point he misses the dap Uzi tried to give him to assure he didn't break any bones!!!

The two wavy artists are frequent collaborators so fans will be happy to know they have another collab coming, which may end up on Uzi's highly anticipated album ... a project he's been successfully building buzz for.

Uzi's been everywhere these past few weeks -- recently repping for the newer class of rappers at the Grammys' 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute, and even marching the Eagles to victory with his hit record "Just Wanna Rock" during their route to Super Bowl LVII.

The song's been climbing the Billboard charts -- recently reaching a new peak of #10, which may or may not be from DJ Drama's championing of the track over Meek Mill's time-tested "Dreams & Nightmares (Intro)" as the Eagles' anthem!!!

Scooter Braun Company Picks Up Quality Control ... Powerhouse ATL Rap Label

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Scooter Braun, once known primarily as Justin Bieber's manager, is now firmly in the rap world -- his company dropped 9 figures to purchase Quality Control music label ... home of Migos.

S.B.'s HYBE America announced the huge purchase Wednesday, and the price is reportedly in the ballpark of $300 million. Some of the label's other heavy hitters include Lil Baby and City Girls.

Scooter, who also manages Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, told New York Times QC is one of the "most significant labels in the world," adding it doesn't stop at music ... "they also distribute culture. Their artists are the voices of their communities."

This marks the first huge leap the manager's made since taking the reigns as sole chief exec of HYBE America last month. FYI, the company's a division of Hybe, a South Korean entertainment firm that manages huge names like BTS.

The move was met with some heat online -- for those unaware, QC -- founded a decade ago by Pierre Thomas and Kevin 'Coach K' Lee -- has always prided itself in being a Black-owned business.

However, many don't realize Braun and Coach K have a 20 year friendship, working together in Atlanta's Hip Hop community for years. In fact, Scooter recently said of their pairing, "I’ll never forget riding around Atlanta over 20 years ago with Coach discussing our dreams and ambitions and how we said: ‘If they let us in the game, we are never going to give it back’.”

Thomas and Lee will still very much work for the company, just under Braun's direction.

Congressional Twitter Hearing Republicans Blasted for Floating Conspiracy Theory

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The Congressional hearing where Chrissy Teigen's tweet -- calling then-President Donald Trump a "p***y ass bitch" -- was read aloud has sparked outrage ... from the woman who is viewed by some as the leading voice on all things internet.

Kara Swisher appeared on CNN Thursday and called members of Congress who were claiming conspiracy, "ridiculous." She acknowledged that Twitter made a bad call, and went on to say the company has made lots of bad calls on both sides of the political spectrum ... BUT, as she said, Twitter is a private company and can do what it wants.

NYU Professor of Marketing, Scott Galloway, was even tougher, calling the members of Congress who were raising these theories, "idiots."

Republicans who called the hearing claimed the FBI was pressuring Twitter execs to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story.

We got Chrissy and John Legend out Wednesday and they were kinda stoked about the attention ... that Ms. Teigen made it to the hallowed halls of Congress!

Here's the thing ... Twitter has become a political football. Although it's a private company and presumably can do anything it wants, as Swisher said. But, there were Democrats in Congress who expressed concerns and even hurled threats at the platform under the leadership of Elon Musk. Democratic Senator, Ed Markey flatly warned Musk, "Fix your companies, or Congress will."

PETER MAYHEW Chewbacca Actor's Fam Pissed ... Personal 'Star Wars' Items on Auction Block

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Prized 'Star Wars' memorabilia that belonged to Peter Mayhew, the actor who famously played Chewbacca, is about to go up for auction ... and unrightfully so, according to the late actor's wife.

Angie Mayhew tells TMZ ... she's very upset an auction house in the UK is selling a ton of Pete's possessions from his 'Star Wars' days, including scripts, call sheets, signed photos and more.

The collection was given to Ryedale Auctioneers by a couple who moved into Peter's old home in northern England and found the items in the attic.

The couple didn't know the memorabilia once belonged to Peter, so they unwittingly gave it all up.

Angie tells us when they were moving out of the home, Peter attempted to snag his mementos from the attic, but couldn't get inside due to serious knee issues ... and he didn't want Angie to risk injury going up there herself.

She says Peter scooped up as many items within arm's reach as he could, but had to leave the rest.

Angie says leaving the memorabilia was one of her and Peter's "biggest disappointments" in life.

On Tuesday, Peter's wife saw the items were up for auction, and immediately got honchos at the Peter Mayhew Foundation to contact the auction house. Angie says she plans to speak with the auction house Thursday.

You'll recall, the iconic 'Star Wars' actor died back in 2019. Angie is hoping to reclaim the items and put them on display in the family's "Chewy" museum in Texas.

As of now, the items are set to go on the auction block on Feb. 17 and 18. We reached out to Ryedale Auctions ... so far, no word back.

Terrell Owens' Neighbor False Reports Case Dropped

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The woman who was accused of making false claims about Terrell Owens to police during a heated confrontation between the two back in August is now off the hook in her criminal case ... TMZ Sports has learned Caitlin Davis' misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident has been dropped.

A spokesperson for the Broward State Attorney's Office tells us the case was dismissed on Feb. 2 -- after prosecutors said in documents they "would not be able to prove the elements of the charged crime with the facts that were presented."

Davis had initially been charged with one count of misdemeanor false reports after Owens said she lied to cops following an Aug. 3 argument they had gotten into in a Deerfield Beach, Fla. neighborhood.

Owens said at the time she made up a story that he had come after her after she had yelled at him for the way he was driving on the street.

Owens actually filmed part of their altercation -- and in the clip, you can hear Davis yell at the former NFL star, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

The Hall of Fame wide receiver said he was grateful that a charge had been filed against Davis over it all ... saying to us at the time, "KAREN IS REAL."

He's yet to publicly comment following the disposition of Davis' case this month.