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Here's a firm lesson that alligators are NOT the slowpokes they're often made out to be -- especially when they're in their liquid turf ... these bastards are fast and furious!

Check out this wild video of a guy who was swimming in a lake down in Campo Grande, Brazil over the weekend, when he had a freaky run-in with the apex predator that was on his ass as he was trying to swim to shore.

It seems the man had no idea he was being scoped out by the gator -- but once he did realize he had company ... he tried to book it.

As he's approaching the shore, you see the alligator torpedo its way toward the poor dude -- and it actually takes a chomp on his torso, only to release him as he continues to flee. Give credit to this fella for keeping his swim going, 'cause the animal could've easily latched on and taken him under.

Looks like the gator pierced some skin, as the man was indeed bleeding when he emerged. Hard to tell how bad the injury is -- but he's lucky to have walked away in one piece.

The gun scenes in the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" were considered dangerous enough to provide certain protections ... but not protections for people, but rather the expensive camera.

Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... his last scene in the movie on October 8 was a shootout where he was killed, and he says he was terrified that there were 20 rounds from pistols and rifles that were unloading blanks, and the only protection against a mishap was some sort of shield around the camera.

Hudson describes what he says was something like a 3X2 foot shield, with the only part exposed being the lens. He was standing 6 feet in front of the camera, and wondered why there was a need to protect the camera as he stood there exposed. He adds there were people standing behind the camera, something gun experts say should not have happened.

Hudson says he felt the scene was "life-threatening," because real weapons were being pointed at him and blanks discharged, creating a rush of air that struck him multiple times. He also said he was hit by small pieces of cardboard.

The actor told us he didn't complain because he was new in the business and felt he would be viewed as trouble if he voiced concern.

And, Hudson says, he and his fellow actors were alarmed enough to reference the accidental killing of Brandon Lee back in 1993. He told us they discussed the fact that it didn't seem like much has changed in the last 30 years.

Hudson says the other, more experienced actors checked their weapons 2 or 3 times after they received them from the armorer, and it didn't matter whether they were told the gun was "cold" or "hot." Baldwin did not check the weapon, but rather relied on the assistant director who assured him the gun was "cold."

The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is now under the microscope because of her inexperience ... something she talked about in a recent podcast. But, Hudson says director, Joel Souza, praised Hannah when Hudson was on set, telling her she was doing a good job.

As we reported, Souza was shot along with director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, who died from her injures after being hit by a live round.

Ian's character was killed in a shootout with Jensen Ackles' character ... and he says it was extremely unsettling.

Britney Spears has more to get off her chest as it relates to her family -- whom she says have caused irreparable harm ... which she's not going to be quiet about anymore.

The singer took to IG Monday with a not-so-cryptic message ... one that was aimed directly at her blood relatives, it seems. She explains how every person she's ever opened to immediately abandons her in a time of need -- which she finds screwed up and is over with.

She adds, "This message is to my family ... for hurting me deeper than you'll ever know !!! I know the conservatorship is about to be over but I still want justice !!! I'm only 5'4" and I've played the bigger person my entire life ... do you know how hard that is ???"

Unclear who exactly this might be about, per se, but it seems to perhaps be for her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, who's been making headlines of late ... and not for great reasons.

As we've reported ... JLS is taking major heat for releasing a book right on the heels of her older sibling's conservatorship drama, which many find to be exploitative. Britney, too, appears to agree with that -- and has issued a broader warning shot at her brood ... saying they better pray she doesn't do any interviews, where she might really spill the beans.

And, of course, Britney has already expressed anger toward her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, so her reference to "family" seems all-inclusive.

Brian Laundrie fled into the woods looking incredibly upset -- but his parents still don't know why, or what may be written in his recovered journal ... so says their attorney.

Steve Bertolino tells TMZ ... Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta, have no idea why their son fled with such angst the day he went missing in September. he would only say they felt he was "out of sorts."

Obviously, everyone wants to know exactly what the parents knew and when -- but Bertolino insists they were in the dark on what the heck was happening with Brian as he fled from the house and vanished.

He says ditto on what might be in Brian's journal, which authorities found near his remains at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Bertolino says cops haven't made the Laundries aware of its contents yet -- but says he has heard some of it may not be salvageable.

Of course, that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Like, for example, how did Brian die, and what involvement, if any, he had in Gabby Petito's disappearance and death.

Keanu Reeves knows how to treat his movie crew right -- the guy handed his 'John Wick' stuntmen new watches as a thank-you for their services. Oh, and they were Rolexes!.

The veteran actor, who's beloved in Hollywood, kept his nice-guy rep going strong over the weekend ... when he dished out brand-new 2020 Submariners to 4 guys in Paris, who went to the mat for him on camera -- this as "John Wick 4" completed filming.

One of the stuntmen, Jeremy Marinas, took to social media to post photos of the Rolexes ... writing "Best wrap gift ever." He showed closeups of the timepiece, which was even engraved with a custom message, courtesy of Keanu and co.

Looks like each stunt guy got his own name etched in, as well as being assigned a number ... Jeremy here appears to have been the fifth "John Wick," as it were. KR is probs #1.

JM also got a shot of all the stuntmen (plus Keanu) holding their watches close together in unison -- and it's pretty freaking awesome, especially when you consider the retail price tag here comes in just under $10k a pop.

Like we said, this makes for a great gesture from Keanu -- and speaks to how much he appreciates folks who work behind the scenes and help bring his projects to fruition.

Here's something new ... Dr. Anthony Fauci getting grilled, but not over COVID-19 -- instead it's allegations his agency used taxpayer dollars to fund torturous dog research ... and a congresswoman's turning up the heat.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina explained why she fired off a letter to Fauci last week ... in which she and 23 of her colleagues (from both sides of the aisle) asked him to sit for a hearing on the subject.

The Congresswoman told us on "TMZ Live" ... Fauci handles a lot of the National Institutes of Health's distribution of grants, and, therefore, he should step up to explain why it's backing such a brutal study.

As we reported ... a watchdog group claims to have obtained documents linking NIH/NIAID-funded animal testing overseas -- in which around 44 beagle puppies were gruesomely killed during experiments with sandflies.

Rep. Mace notes that most Americans would NOT be okay with their taxpayer dollars going toward such awful research ... so, she simply wants to find out why that's allegedly happening.

Kodak Black's failed drug tests came back positive for pot and ecstasy ... and yet he's now asking a judge for permission to hit up a big concert where drug use might be rampant.

As we first told you, the rapper violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing drug tests earlier this year. According to new legal docs, he tested positive for marijuana in February and then MDMA in August.

The judge ordered Kodak to complete a 90-day treatment program ... and he recently got permission to spend 30 of those days outside of Florida, after claiming it would give him a better chance at success.

Now, Kodak has his eye on a multiday music festival in New York.

According to the docs, KB asked the court to let him attend the Rolling Loud NYC music fest this weekend, and says it's strictly for business.

The judge signed off on it and gave him permission to perform at the festival -- he'll be on stage Friday in Queens -- as long as he keeps in touch with his Supervised Release Officer.

Ja'Marr Chase's early NFL success is no fluke ... so says Michael Irvin, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the new Bengals star is a "more talented" wideout than The Playmaker ever was.

"Ja'Marr Chase is off the chain, man," Irvin said of the Cincinnati rookie.

Michael told us out in NYC on Monday that he's been particularly impressed by Chase's ability to respond from a terrible preseason, one in which he dropped so many passes that people wondered if he'd be a 2021 bust.

"To make the switch to playing like one of the best receivers in the NFL right now, it's incredible," Irvin said.

The Cowboys legend added that Chase, who put up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown on 8 catches in a win over the Ravens on Sunday, is "way more talented than I ever will be."

"Now," Irvin continued, "let's see if he can get more rings than I ever had."

As for Michael's former team ... we asked Irvin about what Dallas should do in the offseason if offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, gets a head coaching offer from another team.

Before this gourd-eous girl was stirring up spells in a popular television show, she was just another pumpkin pip-squeak getting ready for Halloween in Geneva, Switzerland.

This festive female is best known for her supporting role as on-screen best friend to the lead -- played by actress Nina Dobrev -- in a dark, supernatural series that was based off a best-selling book filled with vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts!

Now, you can hear her reimagining the classic character of April O'Neil on "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," an animated Nickelodeon television series and movie!

Cardi B has at least one bright idea about what she can give Offset for his 30th birthday -- and she's confident it will top his present to her ... assuming he's into good lovin'.

We ran into the rapper at LAX, where she was incognito and COVID-safe ... she still stood out like a sore thumb, though, on account of her unique nails. Anyway, we got to talking birthdays, because her husbands is coming up in a couple months -- and he just hooked her up with a new house in the Dominican Republic for her born day.

The natural question: Whatcha gonna get him in December that beats that???

Cardi's a little stumped on the question, but after some quick brainstorming -- she comes up with a possibility that literally made us laugh out loud. We'll say this ... Offset will NOT be disappointed. No Dad sweaters for him.

BTW, our camera guy noted something important ... Cardi might not have to get Offset a house or anything material at all, because she DID just deliver their son, who hit the big 5-0 himself on Sunday.

50 days, that is -- and still no pics of the little guy on Cardi's socials or anything -- ditto for his name. We ask Cardi about that too, and she admits we almost got her to spill the beans!!!

Waka Flocka's wife, Tammy Rivera, is fuming over a CVS employee who she believes racially profiled and harassed her -- but she's also making an appeal to save the woman's job.

ICYMI, Tammy went off Sunday with a couple of video posts ... one of them from inside the CVS in DeKalb County, GA as the alleged profiling was going down. Tammy said she frequents this CVS and knows all the employees, but the woman she encountered this time was new.

Tammy claims the staffer eyeballed her constantly, up and down every aisle, and yelled at Tammy for opening a hair accessory she intended to buy. The whole scene escalated when the clerk tried to kick TR out of the store, and police were called.

She eventually left the store to avoid trespassing charges, but Monday morning Tammy called her CVS to file a complaint, and she got a quick response from the general manager ... who called back to apologize.

A rep for CVS tells TMZ ... it has a "firm non-discrimination policy" and it's committed to ensuring that all customers are "treated with respect and are offered courteous customer service." The rep added they've launched an investigation.

Tammy tells us she's told CVS she doesn't want the woman to get fired, but instead, would like to see her get more education and training. As Tammy put it ... if it happened to me, it's probably happened to other Black or Latina customers.

Sad news in the NFL ... replay official Carl Madsen died on Sunday shortly after working the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans game in Tennessee.

He was 71 years old.

The NFL announced the tragic passing on Monday -- with league reporter Tom Pelissero saying Madsen died "while en route home" from the Week 7 matchup at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

No other information surrounding his death has been given.

Madsen -- a veteran of the U.S. Air Force -- was an on-field official for the NFL from 1997 to 2008 ... before he became a replay official for the league in '09.

"Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role beginning in 2009," NFL senior VP of officiating training and development Walt Anderson said.

"A terrific friend and colleague, Carl's love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed."

#RIP

Floyd Mayweather REJECTED a male teenage fan's request for a selfie at the Clippers game over the weekend ... and it's all 'cause his nails were painted.

TMZ Sports has learned a young fan was hoping to get a snap with Floyd after the Clippers vs. Grizzlies game at Staples Center on Saturday ... so he hopped on the court to approach him, but was shut down immediately after Mayweather got a glimpse of his nails.

"You got painted nails, I don't take pictures with guys with no painted nails," Floyd is heard saying in the video as his bodyguard gets the fan to back up.

The fan was clearly upset by the interaction ... saying, "Floyd doesn't want to take a picture with me because my nails are painted. Bruh, really?!"

The fan sent us a pic of his nails ... showing the black paint job that had Floyd pissed off.

Witnesses tell us Floyd had zero issues taking pics with other people after the game ... posing and smiling on the court with another fan.

It seems Floyd is way behind on the times -- TONS of guys regardless of sexuality paint their nails ... just ask MGK, Lil Yachty, A$AP Rocky, Post Malone, Yungblud, Brad Pitt and Harry Styles.

It's not the first time Floyd fans have asked for pics and gotten shut down -- thankfully it didn't turn physical this time. As we previously reported, one of Floyd's guards allegedly beat the crap out of a fan at a Las Vegas mall in November 2019 after a request gone wrong.

The crew on the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" appears to have taken shortcuts on safety -- ones a top film weapons expert says could've and should've been avoided.

We talked to Steve Wolf -- who's been working in SFX and props in films for several decades -- and he laid out exactly what he thinks went wrong on the New Mexico set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed.

Check out our convo with him on "TMZ Live" ... Steve says the lead armorer, Hannah Reed, was not experienced enough to handle the job, in his opinion.

He explains with that type of role on a set -- one of the most important ones, especially if weapons are at play -- it requires a certain authority and expertise he believes Reed might not have had.

He also says low-budget flicks -- which "Rust" appears to be -- often do a lot of corner-cutting ... like not waiting on actual prop guns, or opting for live ammo or not taking the extra steps to thoroughly check weapons before they're used.

Finally, he addresses the burning question on everyone's minds -- who's actually responsible, and should Baldwin himself shoulder any blame? In Wolf's eyes, he does ... to a certain extent, anyway.

Young Thug is about that big spender lifestyle -- especially when it comes to his pal 21 Savage ... who just hit 29, and YT went all out for his very pricey gift ... some very expensive wheels.

21's birthday was on Friday, and he celebrated with a major Freaknik-themed bash in the ATL. You might've seen the awesome fire red pickup truck Thug gifted to his homey -- but what you didn't know, until now, is the whip cost $150k!!!

The price gets up there quick when it's a completely customized ride.

Roadshow International -- a luxury car dealership in Atlanta -- tells TMZ ... the truck itself is a Dodge Hellcat TRX, new models of which can range anywhere from $60k to $72k right off the lot. But, watch this video showing all the truck's features and you'll see why Thug paid way more than that.

The truck is plastered with dagger logos ... which lines up with Sav's signature face tat, which is an ode to his younger brother who was slain years ago. It also has a "21" emblazoned across the door.

Not just that, but the interior bears 21 Savage's face too ... a rendering of himself is stitched right into the upholstery of some of the seats -- so there's no question whose ride this is.

Delonte West repeatedly hurled homophobic slurs and said he was a better basketball player than LeBron James during his arrest last week ... and the disturbing scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

West was stopped by cops in Boynton Beach, FL, on Oct. 19 ... after officers say he was yelling and banging on a local police station's doors.

Cops say he was holding two open containers of alcohol -- one beer, one vodka -- during the episode ... so they ordered him to the ground.

That's when officers turned on their body cameras -- and you can see in the footage, they needed to point a taser at the former NBA player while insisting he gets down to get him to comply.

When West finally dropped to the floor, officers told him they were detaining him for "open container and resisting" ... and the 38-year-old then went on a lengthy, rambling rant that included anti-gay rhetoric.

West repeatedly used the f-word, called cops bitches, and claimed he was Jesus Christ and the President of the United States.

In his rant, West also said, "N****, I was better than LeBron James. I'm better than Jordan. I was the best n**** to play every sport. Shut the f*** up!"

West continued to spout words off incoherently before cops finally put him into the back of a squad car.

In the police report, officers noted West reeked of booze and appeared to be drunk.

West was ultimately hit with three charges over the incident, including obstruction/resisting without violence, open container and disorderly intoxication.

He's due in court for a hearing on the case next month.