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NFL player and 49ers running back Ricky Watters was 25 years old when he led his fellow 49ers to winning Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers back in 1995. His running style and stellar receiving skills earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters.

After playing in the NFL for 10 seasons ... Today Watters is a proud dad of 2 and is still very active in the sport of football. He's got quite the fan base, and you can find him signing autographs at meet and greets. He also attends the games and supports his team on the sidelines.

Usher's biggest hit single, "Yeah!" almost didn't happen, if not for his label boss L.A. Reid threatening him like a mob boss ... at least, that's how producer Rico Love remembers it.

The decorated singer/songwriter was a recent guest on Home Grown Radio where he looked back at his first big break -- writing the "Throwback" song on Usher's chart-topping "Confessions" album, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Rico says he was on hand when Usher first heard the demo to "Yeah!," written by Sean Garrett, which initially failed to impress the R&B megastar ... who flat-out refused to record the track.

Rico admits he also thought the song was corny -- he says the opening lyrics, "Up in the club with my homies/Tryin' to get a little V.I./Keep it down on the low-key" ... made him fall on the floor laughing.

On the other hand, Reid -- who was the President of Arista Records at the time -- heard a hit and demanded Usher push the song out ahead of the original first single, "Burn."

When Usher pushed back further, Rico says Reid didn't give him much of an option and told him to "do the f***** song" and hung up on him immediately after!!!

The tough love paid off in plaques ... "Yeah!" topped the charts for 12 weeks straight, and "Confessions" went on to be certified Diamond. Rico calls it great A&R'ing.

Chuck Lorre's divorce has finally come to an end -- and for someone with a prenup, it sure feels like he's paying out the nose for a marriage that only lasted three and a half years ... but he still gets to keep his best 4-legged friend.

The "Two And a Half Men" creator recently finalized his divorce from Arielle Lorre after filing to end the marriage in 2022. According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, we know know Chuck will end up shelling out a small fortune ... to the tune of 7 digits.

Per the paperwork, CL agreed to cough up $5 million in the settlement -- $1 mil was paid as soon as the judgment was entered (last week) and he agreed to pay an extra $4 mil 30 days after Arielle moves out of the crib ... which she says she intended to do on Feb. 1.

The upside ... Chuck gets to hold onto to pooch, Harvey, so at least he's got that. Arielle does get "liberal visitation" with the dog though -- so he's gotta share.

What's interesting is the fact that Chuck is having to shell out so much to his now-ex-wife -- the third in his life thus far -- even though things were all spelled out in an ironclad prenup. In fact, we know he coughed up extra dough -- sources with direct knowledge tell us the $5 mil Chuck's paying is actually more than the OG prenup required.

Last interesting note ... there's a non-disparagement clause in this settlement that applies to both parties -- so no trashing the other in books or other media once the dust settles.

Again, these 2 were only married a few years -- and yet, Chuck's biting the bullet, or so it seems. Now, while what he's agreed to pay might sound like a lot to your average Joe -- the dude's considered the King of Sitcoms, with a crap ton of show credits to his name.

Not only does he have 'TAAHM' under his belt ... but other huge shows he's created include "The Big Bang Theory," "Dharma & Greg" "Young Sheldon" and lots of others. All told he's worth hundreds of millions of dollars ... so to him, this is probably chump change.

The owner of the only Chiefs-inspired bar in San Francisco is clearing up whether 49ers fans are actually "banned" -- as has been suggested -- and he's saying they're not, but also noting ... it might be hard to get in come game day.

Here's the deal ... Vlad Cood -- who owns the sports bar Buzzworks in SF, which has come to be known as a Chiefs-friendly haven for Kansas City diehards -- tells TMZ that recent reports he and his staff weren't letting San Fran fans into the establishment are false.

There were a lot of headlines locally that ran with that narrative, but Cood says his words were taken out of context -- although, he does admit ... it could be difficult for the 49ers faithful to actually get into the building, especially around Super Bowl weekend.

While he tells us his doors are open to any and all -- regardless of team affiliation -- Cood says that his bar tends to get packed with Chiefs fans on football Sunday early and often ... and that's just how it's gone for a while.

Cood says 49ers heads can certainly swing by anytime they want, but by the time kickoff starts -- he tells us Buzzworks is usually stuffed with Chiefs people ... and he doesn't expect that to change for the SB. In other words, come as you are ... but come with time to spare!

He also says this ... if 49ers fans are truly interested in coming to his business, he's got an alternative for them where they can congregate and pound booze among their brethren. As it turns out, Cood owns another bar across the street there called Butter, which he says has more than enough room for anyone who wants to file in and catch Super Bowl LVIII.

Here's the irony in all this ... Cood tells us he himself is actually a longtime 49ers fan -- so even though Buzzworks caters to Chiefs lovers, it sounds like he'd love to be with his own kind.

Heat player Haywood Highsmith was involved in a car accident following Tuesday night's game in Miami ... a crash that reportedly left one man in critical condition with a partially amputated leg.

The Heat say 27-year-old Highsmith -- an undrafted free agent out of Wheeling University in 2018 -- got in the wreck heading home from their contest against the Orlando Magic, in which he recorded three minutes of action in the 121-95 win.

According to local reporter Andy Slater, Highsmith hit a man who was helping another driver who was stuck in the middle of the road.

The man who was struck remains in critical condition, the report added.

The Heat released a statement on the incident ... saying, "Our hearts go out to those who were injured."

Highsmith will sit out Wednesday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to "personal reasons."

Highsmith -- who has also suited up in the G League and overseas -- has appeared in 37 games this season ... averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds so far. It's unclear when he is expected to rejoin the team.

Britney Spears just posted a throwback photo of herself and Ben Affleck from the summer of 1999 -- a time during which she claims they locked lips, which is ... random as hell.

The pop star threw up a pic of her, Ben and Diane Warren hanging out at a party -- one reported to have taken place in either June or July of '99 to celebrate her album '...Baby One More Time,' which came out that January.

No harm, no foul -- this photo of them has been circulating for years -- but Brit's new description of what she claims happened that night is interesting ... namely, that they kissed.

She writes, "Cool pic of me and Ben Affleck and Diane Warren years ago!!! He’s such an amazing actor. Did I fail to mention I made out with Ben that night … I honestly forgot ... damn that’s crazy !!!"

Britney continued ... "Wish I could tell you guys the story that happened before that !!! Oh dear, I’m just being a gossip girl. Psss I actually forgot!" She has since deleted the post.

Unclear why she took it down so quickly, but it raises eyebrows for obvious reasons. For one ... a love connection between herself and Ben has never been claimed by either one of them until now, and it's truly coming out of nowhere -- with no evidence to back it up either.

Fact is ... Britney spilled her guts in her memoir last year on everything from an abortion she says she had, to alleged infidelity and lots of other stuff about Justin Timberlake.

If this did in fact go down as she suggests ... wouldn't she have put it in the book???

Tech N9ne is gearing up for his Kansas City Chiefs to play in the Super Bowl ... by hosting a party at a famous Las Vegas strip club across the street from the football field!!!

The Strange Music co-founder is working with Crazy Horse 3, kicking off their Super Bowl party lineup Thursday night at a special event -- and they're making sure he's all set to do his thing for the big weekend ... and yes, the specifics are very stripper-friendly.

Our sources say Tech N9ne's contract calls for him to get $20,000 in singles to throw in the club. Yeah, it's gonna be raining greenbacks in there ... and Tech's gonna be tossin' cash.

Tech N9ne's deal also includes a supply of 10 magnum bottles of 10 tequila -- those are the big boys -- with 5 bottles of Clase Azul and 5 bottles of Don Julio 1942. Nothing but the best for Tech.

The guy's a massive Chiefs fan and his "Red Kingdom" song has kinda become the unofficial team anthem ... so we're guessing the crowd is gonna favor KC.

NFL players expected to appear include ... Dallas Cowboys wideout KaVontae Turpin, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

6:32 PM PT -- Bobbi Althoff addressed her divorce with Cory Althoff on social media, writing ... "As sad as I am right now, I am so thankful for the time I got to be his wife. Our girls are so lucky to have him as a father & I am so lucky to be able to coparent with such an incredible father and person.

She adds, "While our relationship did not work out as husband and wife, we will always be friends and I will always love him."

Bobbi Althoff is apparently about to become single -- 'cause her husband just pulled the plug on their marriage ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Cory Althoff is filing to divorce his wife of 4 years ... citing irreconcilable differences. He has their date of separation listed as July 4, 2023.

Cory is asking for joint physical and legal custody of their two daughters, 1-year-old Isla and 3-year-old Luca. He also checked the box to block the court's ability to award spousal support to either party.

Bobbi kickstarted her career on TikTok with her dry, deadpan-style humor  ... going on to develop the "The Really Good Podcast," ... where her awkwardly entertaining interviews with the likes of Drake, Mark Cuban, and more have gone viral.

For his part, Cory is a major player in the tech world ... serving as the senior vice president of software development programs at CompTIA.

He's also written some books and seems to do some public speaking every now and then as well.

Bobbi said in a 2023 Cosmopolitan interview that she preferred to keep her marriage to Cory private ... although, she has featured him on social media before.

Taylor Swift's party plans for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas are top secret and a promoter with a close tie to Taylor isn't spilling the beans ... but he's got other party options for ya.

Logan Paulson, a Las Vegas promoter, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and gave us a rundown of the different weekend parties ... ranging from the free to the super exclusive.

Taylor and Travis Kelce are renting a villa next to the Kansas City Chiefs team hotel, the Westin Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and while Logan's girlfriend, Natalie Peterson, is one of the singer's backup dancers, he played it coy when we asked him if Taylor and Travis were hosting a house party.

The strip is more Logan's specialty -- specifically nightlife at the Wynn -- and he says the property's famous XS club is expecting a packed house Friday with performances from Lil Wayne, Diplo and Shaq.

Logan says Friday is pretty much sold out, and the only way to get in at this point is to buy a table ... it's gonna cost ya, the cheapest table is going for $8,000 ... and it's outside.

For those ballers on a budget, Logan says Hakkasan has a free party this weekend, where revelers will be treated to a Travis Scott gig ... and Logan has other free parties too.

Everyone wants to know where Taylor, Travis and the Chiefs are going to have their postgame bash ... and Logan says history points to XS at the Wynn ... so keep that in mind, Swifties.

Mo'Nique is riding Katt Williams' coattails in talking major trash -- 'cause she basically just did the exact same thing on the same pod ... but her list of names slightly differs.

The comedian sat down for a new episode of Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast -- and she took aim at A LOT of big stars in the industry -- airing out grievances and claims against Oprah, Tyler Perry, Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart ... just to name a few.

Mo'Nique has been vocal over the past few years about feeling blackballed in Hollywood and she continued to double down on all that here in this chat with Shannon ... once again dragging O and Tyler into the conversation with allegations of them attempting to torpedo her career, something she's alleged in the past -- but there's a new twist to this now.

She tells Shannon that she has TP on audio allegedly admitting something to this effect ... and SS himself appears to acknowledge that he might have heard it off-camera.

We should note ... Tyler has denied tarnishing Mo'Nique's rep behind the scenes -- despite her repeated insistence over the years that he has. She also didn't play the alleged audio on Shannon's show. Mo'Nique wasn't done there, though!

She kept the parade of insults and accusations going -- calling out Oprah for "overstepping" with her in many instances ... and even took a shot at Tiffany for something she said about Mo'Nique in a GQ interview. Mo'Nique went below the belt and mentioned TH's DUI arrests, as well as her controversy in regard to the icky lawsuit she was embroiled in.

We will note ... Mo'Nique has been on this campaign for years and years now -- alleging she's been done dirty by so many different people in the industry ... and while she's squashed some of her beef with a few individuals, it sounds like there's still bad blood with a vast majority.

It's pretty crazy to think Mo'Nique's gripes all stem from a movie she did way back in '09 -- a film we're sure she probably regrets now considering how much acrimony it's spurred.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have their choice of Vegas wedding venues if they get engaged at the Super Bowl ... their latest offer is from a weed operation and it's pretty blunt.

Some folks think Travis is gonna pop the question after the Big Game, and while everything we've reported says that's a long shot... one wedding venue is throwing up a Hail Mary.

Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings is offering Taylor and Travis a complimentary weed wedding after the Super Bowl ... trying to sell them on the idea of getting hitched at a grow house.

Now, this isn't any old weed operation ... Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings says they marry people at the world's largest dispensary, Planet 13.

Taylor's favorite number is 13 ... hey, just saying.

LVCW owner Maxine Fensom would officiate the wedding ... she's an ordained minister.

Again, it's a long shot and, as we've told you, Taylor and Travis have already been offered a free wedding at the famous Little White Wedding Chapel ... not that they would accept that offer either.

Couples who aren't the celeb type are getting offered a deal here too ... Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings plans to offer $87 cannabis-themed nuptials for the first 100 couples if Travis' Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

The $87 weed weddings, priced after Travis' No. 87 Chiefs jersey, are only for Valentine's Day ... and there's a Taylor connection here too, because T-Swift once starred in a movie called "Valentine's Day."

If Taylor and Travis don't get engaged, they've also got an offer on the table from a famous Vegas strip club.

5:42 PM PT -- TMZ has obtained the mugshot for the Sphere climber ... who happens to have a smile on his face.

12:21 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment tells TMZ ... "We are grateful to the local authorities for their support in this matter. The individuals involved are currently in the custody of LVMPD."

The Sphere in Las Vegas got an unexpected visitor Wednesday ... an activist-climber scaled the towering 367-foot-tall structure.

Video of the individual walking around the top of The Strip's newest concert venue started to crop up online shortly after he began ... and the climber -- Maison Des Champs -- also posted to Instagram confirming he was the one who'd made the daring climb.

Maison explained in the short clip that he was doing the climb to raise money for a homeless woman and her unborn child ... asking his 273k followers to donate to the cause while standing on the sphere.

Reporters spoke with Tim Clement, outreach director for Survivors of The Abortion Holocaust ... who said he was told Des Champs was detained after coming off the top of The Sphere.

BTW ... this is sorta Maison's whole gimmick. He climbed the Chase Tower in Phoenix during Super Bowl week last year to protest abortion and pulled off a similar stunt the year before in San Francisco.

Police have reportedly shut down the streets in the area to traffic and have seemingly detained members of Des Champs' activist group as well.

U2's supposed to perform in The Sphere tonight ... unclear if today's stunt will delay or postpone the show.

Everybody's talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce ahead of the Super Bowl, but they're getting associated with a different kinda bowl -- a toilet bowl, to be exact -- before the Big Game ... with Dude Wipes launching new ads inspired by the superstar couple.

TMZ Sports has learned -- the popular wet wipe company came up with a cheeky way to get in on the Traylor craze while promoting its product in Las Vegas this weekend ... by whipping together some silly slogans to feature on the massive Resorts World display.

Some of the ads include pretty timely Swift-related mentions ... including a nod to her new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which she announced at the Grammys just days ago.

One sign reads, "If you're living in the Tortured TP Department, welcome to the Wet-Wiping Era" ... with another channeling the singer's "Anti-Hero" hit -- "It's me. Hi. I'm the solution. It's Me. Not TP."

But one in particular addresses the relationship that's taken over the world ... with "We love a clean tight end, too" shown in big white letters above a package of Dude Wipes.

The company teamed up with Max O'Neil at Clear Channel and the Curiosity agency to execute the campaign ... which will be seen by millions throughout Sin City this weekend.

Of course, Taylor has taken over the Super Bowl this year ... with her presence being felt all over -- including countless Swift-related questions during media availability, themed parties, and a free wedding ceremony offer from a local venue.

There's a BIG party going down in Sin City for the Big Game ... a Super Bowl watch party with stars from the 'Little Women' reality franchise mixing up drinks and pouring shots!!!

"Little Women: NY" star Little Jess tells TMZ ... she's bartending a ticketed event at the Nerd Bar on Fremont Street with two other reality stars, and there's an open bar.

Little Jess says the other bartenders include "Little Women: Dallas" star Tiffani and "Little Women: NY" star Jordanna James ... they're calling themselves the "Tiny Tenders," short for bartenders.

With all of the ladies under 5 feet tall -- Jess says they are "hot little people" and "the hottest chicks you will ever meet under 5 foot" -- they are going to use a raised platform so they can be eye-level with customers and reach the bottles.

The ladies are experienced ... Little Jess says they've all bartended in the past and she has 15 years under her belt ... and they'll be wearing black booty shorts with matching black tiny crop tops emblazoned with "Tiny Tenders."

Tickets are going for $60 in advance or $100 at the door ... and Little Jess says 50 tickets have been sold so far and they're expecting several hundred folks to show up to a venue with a 1,000 max capacity.

Doors open at 1 PM on Super Bowl Sunday and the open bar is from 3 PM to 5 PM ... which should cover the first half of Super Bowl LVIII.

Little Jess says the open bar includes well drinks, draft beers, Capri Suns, Jell-O shots and failed drug test shots served in urine cups. The open bar also has discounts on premium booze, like $5 for Jack Daniels.

Once Usher hits the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show, it's back to regular pricing.

Little Jess says they're going for a "Coyote Ugly" vibe ... and they'll be going around serving up body shots and doing some go-go dancing. She says Jordanna James worked at the OG 'Coyote Ugly' bar in NYC.

No good Super Bowl party is complete without food ... and Little Jess says they'll be serving up appetizers like tater tots, pigs in a blanket and pizza nuggets.

An open bar in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Sunday has the potential to get rowdy ... but Little Jess says the ladies will all be wearing whistles which they use if anyone steps out of line and causes trouble.

Be warned ... Little Jess says, "We will blow the whistles three times to indicate there is trouble and then our 6-foot all-male security guards will take care of the situation."

4:32 PM PT -- Albert Alarr's attorney, Robert M. Barta tells TMZ ... “As Albert said when Ms. Zucker first leveled these outrageous claims through the press last year, her baseless allegations were examined in a detailed and entirely independent investigation that lasted for two months. Dozens of individuals cooperated and every claim was thoroughly looked into. At the end of that process, the decision was made that Albert should continue in his role as Co-Executive Producer of Days of Our Lives."

Barta adds, “As Ms. Zucker’s own lawsuit all but admits, at a time of industry-wide cutbacks, she was aggressively seeking a significant personal pay increase and additional influence on the show. Having failed in those attempts, she is now - again - trying to exploit vile stereotypes to denigrate and demean a Black man who was in a position of power."

2:38 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Corday Productions tells TMZ ... "The allegations in Ms. Zucker's lawsuit are without merit. Corday Productions offered to renew Ms. Zucker's contract including offering her a pay increase. Rejecting Ms. Zucker's counteroffer does not constitute retaliation."

They concluded, "Complaints about Mr. Alarr's on-set behavior were promptly investigated. Corday Productions fully cooperated with the impartial investigation and subsequently terminated Mr. Alarr."

Arianne Zucker -- star of the hit show "Days of Our Lives" -- is suing the production company behind the legendary soap opera ... TMZ has learned.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Arianne is suing Corday Production Inc., its executive producer Ken Corday, and former executive producer of the show Albert Alarr claiming Albert sexually harassed her and other female employees on the show.

Zucker says she was subjected to nonconsensual sexual touching and sexually harassing comments during Alarr's employment -- claiming Alarr would frequently pull her close to his chest and make sexual moans while doing so.

At other times, Zucker says Alarr would make sexually suggestive remarks while filming, like allegedly telling her costars filming sex scenes with her that he would "love to switch positions" with them, and Arianne says he made it clear he enjoyed aggressive sex scenes.

On top of that, Zucker says his behavior was well-known to other producers ... claiming multiple women went to Corday Production Inc. over the years but the company allegedly did nothing.

Arianne says she ultimately contacted the co-producer of the show, Sony, and met with their HR department. She says she met with the department several times between March 2023 and June 2023 ... during which she claims Alarr was allowed to continue working on the show -- which Zucker says made her feel "violated and intimidated."

Alarr was later fired in August in what Zucker claims was a move to "save face" once allegations against Alarr went public.

Then in October, Arianne said her contract was running out and she attempted to negotiate with Corday Productions ... who she says gave her a "take it or leave it" offer and wouldn't negotiate in "good faith." She says her old contract expired last month, which she says essentially amounted to her being fired from her job.

She's suing for harassment, discrimination, retaliation, negligent hiring and supervision, and wrongful termination among other claims ... she's seeking unspecified damages.

We've reached out to Corday and Alarr ... so far no word back. Anahita Sedaghatfar represents Zucker.

Imagine skiing one of the most serene and gorgeous slopes in America ... and seconds later YOU'RE LITERALLY BEING CHASED BY A MASSIVE MOOSE, so close it could nearly nip the back of your boots!

That's exactly what happened to a skier named Kenny Rynearson in Jackson Hole, Wyoming recently ... and the wild encounter was captured on video.

The clip shows a moose in a full sprint down the mountain ... as Kenny did his best to evade the big beast (there may have been a few "oh s***" screams).

Rynearson eventually created some distance before assisting a fellow skier, yelling, "go faster!" as the animal continued to give chase.

Thankfully, it doesn't appear anyone was injured ... but this could've potentially been ugly.

Moose are huge ... they can grow to nearly 7 feet tall (standing on all fours), and weigh 1,600 pounds. The animal in question doesn't appear that big ... but it'd be a bad day if it caught you.

And, they can move, too ... running up to 35 MPH for short distances. For reference, Usain Bolt, at his fastest, went almost 28 MPH. Thankfully Kenny had skis on, and not running shoes.