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Lewis Hamilton has teamed up with Mercedes to make a big statement on the track about racism ... repainting his car and redesigning his racing uniform -- and both look awesome.

The Formula 1 superstar's car will get an all-black paint job for 2020 to send a message that both Hamilton and Mercedes "stand against racism and all forms of discrimination."

The 2020 season kicks off on July 5 at the Austrian Grand Prix.

35-year-old Hamilton will also swap out his usual white racing uniform for a black jumpsuit instead -- all part of a "pledge to improve the diversity of our team and our sport, and a signal of the team's commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms."

The changes come in the wake of some new offensive and downright stupid comments from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ... who is trying to push the narrative that Black people are more racist than whites.

"In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than White people are," the 89-year-old racing legend told CNN.

When CNN pushed for specific examples, Bernie didn't cite any concrete evidence -- explaining it's something he's "noticed" over the years.

But, Hamilton says his team at Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 Team -- including boss Toto Wolff -- have been super supportive of all of the new plans to make a statement about racism in their sport.

"When I spoke to Toto about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united."

"I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto and the Mercedes board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business."

The coronavirus pandemic is keeping the curtain closed on Broadway ... at least through the end of the year.

The Broadway League announced Monday all Broadway performances in New York City are on hold for the next 6 months and beyond due to COVID-19.

While there is no exact date for the curtain to open on Broadway, producers say they are now offering refunds and exchanges for tickets purchased to performances through Jan. 3.

The Broadway League says it's just not safe to host throngs of fans for indoor performances in the pandemic -- not to mention the cast, crew and orchestra -- so things remain in a holding pattern.

As you know ... Broadway has been shuttered since March 12, and the shutdown was previously extended through June 7 and then Sept. 6.

A sperm whale that got caught in a giant fishing net got a much-needed hand from Italian divers, who captured the incredible rescue on camera ... up close and personal.

This heartwarming scene went down Friday off the coast of Lipari, where some biologists working at a turtle recovery center noticed the whale not too far from the shore. It was static, so the team contacted the Coast Guard ... which sent a group of divers to investigate.

Sure enough, the whale's tail had been tangled in what's been described as an illegal net -- and if you watch the video that the divers were able to film ... you can see it's wrapped around tight and made it just about impossible for the sea creature to swim freely.

Well, the divers got to work and two of them went underwater -- with cameras rolling -- and they started snipping away with knives and cutters until the whale could shake itself free. Unclear how long it took, but we imagine a fair amount of time was spent on this.

At one point, you see one of the divers caressing the whale ... presumably to let it know they meant it no harm or to calm its nerves. Whales are mammals, BTW, and they're super smart.

Well, Donald Trump loves his white supremacists, because he just gave his stamp of approval on a protest where one of his loudest supporters is screaming "white power."

It's a bizarre demonstration/counter-demonstration ... a line of golf carts traversed streets around Sumter County, Florida with Trump supporters, as Trump protesters lined the streets.

You hear demonstrators, mostly seniors, boil over in anger ... there's no physical contact, but it's intense.

True-to-form Trump retweeted the video, saying, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!"

Kelly Asbury, who worked on some huge animated films, including directing the blockbuster "Shrek 2" ... is dead after a long battle with cancer.

Kelly died peacefully Friday in Encino, CA ... according to his rep, and leaves behind an amazing resume in the world of animation.

He's best known for directing the Oscar-nominated 'Shrek' sequel, but also worked on some of Disney's biggest animated hits ... such as "Beauty and the Beast."

Kelly directed and wrote the screenplay for the 2011 flick, "Gnomeo & Juliet," Most recently, he directed "UglyDolls," which came out last year.

Asbury earned his stripes in the animation industry at the Mouse House -- from 1983 to 1995 he contributed storyboards for iconic movies like "The Little Mermaid," "The Rescuers Down Under" and "The Black Cauldron," just to name a few.

He moved over to DreamWorks in 1995, making his directorial debut in 2002 on the Oscar-nominated movie, 'Spirit.'

Asbury eventually returned to Disney for a brief stint, working as a story artist for popular hits like "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Frozen." Safe to say, he put smiles on the faces of millions upon millions of movie-goers

He was also a published children's book author, and even wrote a biography profiling ventriloquists like Jeff Dunham, Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson and Paul Winchell.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported his death. Kelly was 60.

Ever seen a dude hit a golf ball 428 yards off the tee ... but bogey?!?!

PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau just did exactly that at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut ... and the scene was WILD!!!

Check out video of DeChambeau's nuke of a drive at the 10th tee Friday ... he crushed it -- and then got about 100 yards of fortunate roll down a cart path.

His ball eventually stopped on a sewer grate ... but the distance was so long -- it was about 100 yards farther than Rory McIlroy's 3-wood!!!

But, the craziest part of the shot? Despite being only about 40 yards away from the green ... Bryson didn't get the GIR!!

The 26-year-old ended up settling for bogey ... which is possibly a more astonishing feat than the drive itself.

Things didn't get much better for the budding golf superstar on the next hole ... his birdie putt lipped in and then lipped out.

"In this moment in history, we can't be silent."

Pretty amazing video from the Alabama football team -- with Nick Saban teaming up with his players to deliver a powerful "Black Lives Matter" message.

The video was written by Bama's offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood -- and features players like QB Mac Jones, Emil Ekiyor and Evan Neal.

"We are a team. Black, white brown," the players say in the video. "Together we are a family. We are brothers."

"On the field we are relentless. We are strong. We are conquerors. But we are human beings first."

"And in this moment in history, we can’t be silent. We must speak up for our brothers and sisters, for our sons and daughters."

The idea to share the message came after the players met with Stephen A. Smith and Condoleezza Rice ... who inspired the team to use their platform for good, according to al.com.

The message continued ... "When we see our families, our neighbors, our classmates subjected to violence, we recognize the fear in their eyes."

"We believe the solutions to our challenges are within us. We choose to listen. We choose to hear, and understand other’s perspectives."

"Let’s listen. Let’s unite. Because all lives can’t matter until Black lives matter."

Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan have each been indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

The Cobb County D.A., Joyette Holmes, announced the indictment to reporters Wednesday in front of the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, GA. Although the defendants had been arrested for murder, the grand jury handed up the indictment ... formally charging them with the crimes.

Each defendant is facing 1 count of malice murder, 4 counts felony murder, 2 counts aggravated assault, 1 count false imprisonment and 1 count criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

In Georgia, murder charges typically go before a grand jury for indictment.

The 3 defendants have remained in custody since their arrests last month, and last appeared in court in early June for probable cause hearing ... where a judge concluded there is enough evidence to move forward with the case.

As we reported ... during that hearing, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective took the stand and testified he found NO evidence Ahmaud ever took anything from the construction site he walked through before he was shot and killed.

Remember, the elder McMichael, Gregory, had claimed he thought Arbery matched the description of a burglary suspect. Travis fired the fatal shots on February 23, during a struggle with Ahmaud ... that came after all 3 men chased him down.

Travis and Gregory were arrested and charged with murder May 8, and a judge ordered them held without bail. Bryan, who recorded the incident, was arrested 14 days later and slapped with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

Authorities allege Bryan had no right to stop or confine Arbery and Bryan was working with the McMichaels by repeatedly using his vehicle to trap Arbery.

The GBI detective who testified in the preliminary hearing also said Bryan told cops he heard Travis refer to Arbery as a "f***ing n****r" right after he shot him.

The FBI says the noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama had been there since 2019 -- and they've determined "no crime was committed."

In fact, NASCAR says the item in question is a "garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose" that had been positioned in the garage since last Fall.

NASCAR adds, "Bubba Wallace was not the target of a hate crime."

The FBI -- along with U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town -- just explained the situation.

"On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway. After a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event, we have concluded that no federal crime was committed."

According to the FBI, Garage #4 -- where the noose was found -- was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week.

"Although the noose is now known to have been in Garage #4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to Garage #4 last week."

The FBI and the U.S. prosecutors say the decision not to pursue federal charges is proper "after reviewing all available facts and all applicable federal laws."

"We offer our thanks to NASCAR, Mr. Wallace, and everyone who cooperated with this investigation."

As we previously reported, Bubba didn't find the rope himself -- it was a member of his crew who discovered it on Sunday and immediately reported to NASCAR.

NASCAR launched an investigation and looped in law enforcement, including the FBI.

In the previous days, Bubba -- the only Black driver in NASCAR's top series -- had been very outspoken about removing the Confederate flag from all NASCAR events.

Former adult film star Ron Jeremy is now accused of raping 3 women and sexually assaulting a fourth ... after the L.A. County D.A. announced the charges.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Tuesday her office had charged Ron Jeremy with 3 counts of forcible rape, 3 counts of forcible penetration by a foreign object, 1 count of forcible oral copulation and 1 count of sexual battery. The charges relate to 4 separate incidents dating back to 2014.

According to the D.A.'s office ... a 25-year-old woman claims Jeremy forcibly raped her at her home in WeHo back in May 2014. Prosecutors also say Jeremy allegedly sexually assaulted 2 women on separate occasions at a WeHo bar in 2017.

A 30-year-old woman claims Jeremy forcibly raped her at the same bar in July 2019. Arraignment has been set for later this afternoon, and prosecutors want his bail set at $6.6 million.

An airplane toting a "White Lives Matter" banner flew over Manchester City's soccer game against Burnley on Monday ... and now, cops say they're investigating.

The scene was disturbing ... just minutes after players took a knee to show support of the Black Lives Matter movement -- the plane circled around Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England.

Reports say the banner was visible for several minutes ... and players -- who have all decided to replace their last names on their jerseys with the words "Black Lives Matter" -- said afterward they were sickened by the message.

Now, cops have vowed to launch a probe into the matter ... writing in a statement Tuesday morning, "We are making enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident."

"We will then be in a position to make an assessment as to whether any criminal offences have taken place."

Burnley's officials also condemned the banner -- which was allegedly paid for by a Burnley fan -- writing in a statement of their own, "This, in no way, represents what Burnley Football Club stands for."

"We will work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and issue lifetime bans."

Joel Schumacher -- the famed director behind "Phantom of the Opera" and a series of 'Batman' films -- has died.

Schumacher died Monday morning in New York City after a long cancer battle ... according to a rep.

The American director rose to stardom with "St. Elmo's Fire," "The Lost Boys" and "Flatliners." He also adapted two John Grisham adaptations -- "The Client" in 1994 and "A Time to Kill" in 1996. He also earned critical acclaim for "Falling Down" and "8mm."

A younger audience may know him best when Schumacher signed up in the early '90s to direct a series of 'Batman' films. He directed "Batman Forever" in 1995 and "Batman & Robin" in 1997.

He'd go on to direct "The Phantom of the Opera" in 2004 ... which earned 3 Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Original Song. The film also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical or Comedy - Motion Picture.

Schumacher initially thought he'd go into fashion ... studying at Parsons The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. He ultimately realized filmmaking is his passion and moved to L.A. where he worked as a costume designer for Woody Allen before earning an MFA from UCLA. He wrote several screenplays before making his directorial debut in 1981 with "The Incredible Shrinking Woman."

The director was openly gay throughout his career in Hollywood. He was once described by a friend as a "sexual outlaw" and when asked during a 2019 interview with New York Magazine to guestimate how many people he's slept, Schumacher replied, "It would be in the double-digit thousands, but that is not unusual." When the reporter replied, "double-digit thousands, like 2,000 or 3,000?" Schumacher replied, "That's not double digits, that's single digits" before Schumacher confirmed 10,000 to 20,000.

Schumacher famously — and unapologetically — added nipples to Batman’s batsuit in the 1995 flick, “Batman Forever.”

The move was super controversial at the time, but Schumacher defended it for years ... and even joked to us about the decision and lamented that that's all he would ever be famous for.

Schumacher was 80.

RIP

Bubba Wallace -- the only Black driver in NASCAR's top series -- confirms a noose was found in his team's garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday ... and now the racing org is investigating.

The noose was found by a member of Wallace's team -- just hours after someone flew a Confederate flag over the legendary Alabama track to protest NASCAR banning the symbol at all events.

The crew member who found the noose immediately alerted NASCAR, which is now working with law enforcement to find the culprit.

"We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act," NASCAR said.

"We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport."

Wallace called the situation a "despicable act of racism and hatred" -- and says he's "incredibly saddened."

He added, "We will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate. As my mother told me today, 'They are just trying to scare you.'"

"This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in."

LeBron James offered his support to Wallace -- calling the entire situation "sickening."

"[Bubba Wallace] my brother! Know you don’t stand alone," Bron said ... "I’m right here with you as well as every other athlete."

"I just want to continue to say how proud I am of you for continuing to take a stand for change here in America and sports! NASCAR I salute you as well!"

As for the confederate flag flyover which took place before the Geici 500 race was set to begin -- still unclear who was responsible for that. NASCAR says they're looking into that as well.

That wasn't the only display of the Confederacy either -- not by a long shot. While no Confederate flags were allowed inside the venue, a bunch of truck drivers rolled past the Speedway in what seemed to be a coordinated protest parade, with many flying the flag.

Some folks who wanted to show it off some more even set up camp across the street, and were proudly displaying the Confederate flag, alongside some Trump flags too.

Obviously, some people aren't all too pleased with NASCAR's new policy. But, it doesn't sound like the org gives a damn about them, 'cause one of their top dogs took a swipe at the people acting in defiance ... flatly rejecting their thinking, and calling them names too.

Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's executive VP, addressed the fly-over on Twitter, writing ... "You won’t see a photo of a jackass flying a flag over the track here...but you will see this... Hope EVERYONE enjoys the race today."

WWE superstar Matt Riddle says allegations he sexually assaulted a female wrestler in 2018 are "completely false" ... claiming the accuser is an obsessed, delusional liar.

The woman behind the allegation is Candy Cartwright -- who is a pro wrestler on the indy circuit.

Cartwright levied some heavy claims against 34-year-old Riddle on Twitter this week -- describing an alleged 2018 incident when the two were on the road with other performers.

"During the van ride, when the 3 other wrestlers had fallen asleep, Matt asked me to 'hop on his d***.'"

"When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said 'what if I just made you?'"

Cartright says she ultimately performed oral sex on Riddle "to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating."

She added, "It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it's also not ok to not listen when she says no."

Unclear if Cartwright ever went to police with the allegations. She says she was inspired to speak out by other "brave women" who have come forward about sexual misconduct claims.

But, Riddle, through his attorney, is calling BS on the whole thing.

"The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to try to tarnish their reputation in the community," attorney Daniel Rose says.

Rose says the Riddles believe Cartwright has had an unhealthy obsession with Matt for at least the past 2 years.

WWE has also issued a statement on Riddle saying, "We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter."

The org. added, "Individuals are responsible for their own personal actions. WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault."

"Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated. WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE.”

Aunt Jemima syrup is no more -- 'cause the parent company is retiring the image and name after more than a century, while publicly copping to the fact she's a giant stereotype.

The Quaker Oats Company made the announcement Tuesday, saying they were doing away with Auntie. The company explains, "As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations."

Aunt Jemima's been a thing for more than 130 years now, and its origins are deeply racist. The character is based on an 1800s "mammy" -- a black servant in a white household.

Specifically, Aunt Jemima is meant to portray a real-life woman named Nancy Green, who Quaker had previously described as a "storyteller, cook and missionary worker" ... but failing to mention she was born into slavery.

There's even more controversy surrounding the brand that's been swept under the rug over the years -- like the name Jemima coming from a minstrel-era song, "Old Aunt Jemima."

For the longest time, the Aunt Jemima brand featured a black woman with a headscarf -- but in the '80s ... Quaker switched up her look to appear more modern, decking her out in earrings and pearls.

In the wake of the civil unrest overtaking the country right now, tons of people were calling for Aunt Jemima to be shelved or re-branded. NBC News was first to report her demise.

BTW, folks are now calling for a handful of other brands to be changed ASAP because of the same issue -- among them are Uncle Ben's Rice and Cream of Wheat. It appears Uncle Ben's has gotten the message.

A rep for the brand said Wednesday, "As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity.”

It's unclear what the evolution of the brand will look like ... but the rep told HuffPost that all possibilities were on the table.

Every team in the Premier League will wear "Black Lives Matter" threads when the season restarts ... with the powerful message replacing names on the back of players' shirts.

Check out one of the kits posted by Sheffield United on Tuesday ... the unis not only feature "BLM" on the nameplates, they also have a "Black Lives Matter" patch on the sleeve.

Players from all 20 teams came up with the idea to show solidarity with the movement earlier this month ... and will wear the special jerseys for the first 12 games once the season returns from COVID-19 suspension.

The players released a statement on the decision, saying, "We, the Players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice wherever it exists, to bring about a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for All, regardless of their colour or creed."

"This symbol is a sign of unity from all Players, all Staff, all Clubs, all Match Officials and the Premier League #blacklivesmatter #playerstogether."