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Elizabeth Smart -- famously kidnapped and held captive for 9 months when she was 14 -- is speaking out about the pending release of one of her captors ... and she's taking extreme measures to protect her family.

Elizabeth doesn't specifically say what she plans to do to keep her family safe because she's afraid of tipping her hand before next week's release of 72-year-old Wanda Barzee.

Barzee pled guilty to helping kidnap Smart in 2002, and she's expected to be set free September 19 after 15 years behind bars.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole set an initial release date for January 2024, but recently said there was a miscalculation and decided to set Barzee free next week.

The very thought of Barzee on the streets makes Elizabeth shudder. Smart, a mother of 2, claims Barzee stood idly by as Brian David Mitchell repeatedly raped her in captivity.

Elizabeth is worried about Barzee's mental health, and she's asking authorities to take a second look at their decision to release the convict, claiming Barzee is a threat to the community.

12:45 PM PT -- Bird released a statement apologizing for the incident, saying, "I'm taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused."

"The information that has been released does not tell the full story. I do not condone violence against women. I am hopeful that in due time and process, I will be able to regain everyone's trust."

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird choked out his girlfriend so badly during a Sept. 7 incident that she lost consciousness ... according to prosecutors.

24-year-old Bird appeared in court in Boston on Thursday where prosecutors laid out the case against him ... and the allegations are horrifying. WBZ-TV's Beth Germano got a photo of Bird in court.

Officials say the alleged victim claims Bird terrorized her for 4 hours at his Brighton apartment -- where she tried to get away from the NBA player by hiding under her bed and locking herself in her bathroom.

During the alleged altercation, the woman claims Bird strangled her at least 12 times.

She claims she tried to escape, but Bird grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her away from the door.

Officials say Bird appeared to be having "seizure-like" symptoms during the end of the attack -- and that's how she was able to leave.

Afterward, she claims Bird texted her that he would kill himself if she didn't return to the apartment.

He was eventually arrested for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping.

Bail was set at $50,000 -- and he's been ordered to pay in cash, as that's all the court accepts.

We spoke with the Suffolk D.A., Dan Conley, who tells us, "Anyone living in fear of domestic violence can count on our office for a safe, supportive, victim-centered environment."

"As this case illustrates, a trusted figure in a survivor’s life can make disclosing abuse to law enforcement easier."

Here's Tim Tebow hittin' the Big Apple with a woman whose looks are out of this world ... and she also just happens to be his girlfriend.

The minor league baseball superstar and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters -- Miss Universe 2017 -- were spotted out in New York on Wednesday ... fresh off the couple officially meeting each others' parents earlier this week.

The big meetup appears to still be going on ... with Tim and Demi-Leigh's parents joining them on their day out in the city.

Tim first acknowledged the relationship with the 23-year-old to ESPN back in July ... saying "She is a really special girl and I am very lucky and blessed for her coming into my life."

Things sure looked pretty G-rated for the couple on Wednesday, though ... no PDA at all.

But, meeting the parents is a big step for the couple ... soooooo, engagement coming soon?

Stay tuned ...

He's the fastest man on Earth ... but how would Usain Bolt do in space!??

You're about to find out ...

The Olympic legend boarded a special Airbus Zero G plane, which simulates what it's like to be in zero gravity ... and challenged 2 of his fellow passengers to a foot race.

The challengers? French astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy (in the blue flight suit) and CEO of Novespace and French Interior designer Octave de Gaulle (in the black).

The guys definitely gave Bolt a run for his money in the first leg of the race, but Usain turned up the heat and crushed 'em when it counted.

And, how'd he celebrate? Usain didn't bust out his signature "Bolt" gesture -- instead, he popped some fancy Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar (fun fact: de Gaulle designed the fancy bottle).

The bottle was reportedly designed for use by future space tourists -- apparently, it's easier to chug from this bottle in zero gravity.

So, if you save up ... a lot ... you can (maybe) test it out one day.

Good luck.

1:35 PM PT -- Apple's new watch is ruffling some feathers. The folks at Life Alert reached out to inform us they trademarked the famous phrase, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up" ... which was our original headline. They weren't too happy because they feel like our post promotes a competitor's "similar feature" ... a violation of their trademark.

The seniors falling biz is serious stuff, y'all.

Apple's latest game-changing tech is essentially a Life Alert-like bracelet with a built-in heart monitoring system too -- all packed into a new watch.

Apple's COO Jeff Williams introduced a number of new features Wednesday for the company's Apple Watch Series 4, but none more fascinating than its new fall detection and electrocardiogram technology ... which could potentially save lives.

Williams says the new watch can detect when you've taken a hard fall, and automatically call emergency services if you don't respond to the alert. It'll also reach out to your emergency contacts.

Not just that ... but the watch's new ECG feature measures heart rate and will let you know if anything is irregular or potentially dangerous. Kinda like having an ER on your wrist. Apple says the FDA's signed off on all this new tech.

The watch's new capabilities certainly seem aimed at a new demographic that perhaps might've escaped Apple's clutches before ... senior citizens. The Series 4 watch will start at $399, and go up from there depending on the model.

Of course, Apple also unveiled 3 new iPhones -- the XR, XS and XS MAX. The XR's Apple's newly discounted iPhone that starts at $749. It comes in 6 colors including white, black, blue, yellow and red.

But, the bells and whistles are really with the XS and the bigger XS MAX, which comes with a 6.5-inch screen ... making it the biggest screen ever on an iPhone. It's also the priciest starting at $1,099. The XS starts at $999.

New camera features let you blur the background in photos AFTER snapping pics. There was also a cool moment during the event when newly-minted NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash hit the stage to pimp an app he's been working on -- Homecourt. The app -- with help from the camera -- tracks real-time shot science that measures release speed, time, speed and height among other cool things.

The Colin Kaepernick haters will have to address him as a Hall of Famer now ... 'cause the ex-NFL superstar is going into his old high school's HOF in November!!

Pitman High School -- the Turlock, Calif. program Colin beasted for in football, basketball and baseball -- announced it's giving Kaep its highest honor on Nov. 3.

“Colin was chosen, like all the others, for their contribution to the history of athletes here at Pitman,” the school's A.D., Dave Wells, tells KCRA.

“Of course, he was an outstanding athlete and a three-sport star.”

It's sure to ruffle some feathers -- given anything involving Kaep since he knelt during the national anthem does -- but a former Turlock mayor says none of that minimizes what he did for the H.S.

"Colin Kaepernick still has much respect,” says John Lazar, who also once gave Kaep a key to the city of Turlock.

“Although citizens differ on his approach, he is still a proud son of Turlock.”

FYI ... Colin led his high school to its first-ever playoff win as a senior -- AND was nominated as an All-State player in hoops, football and baseball that same year.

Check out some of his high school highlights -- dude was HUGE!!

4:47 PM PT -- Cavill just posted an odd video with a Superman action figure ... but still no clear answer as to whether or not he'll wear the cape.

When ya look up in the sky ... it might be a bird, might be a plane, but it damn sure won't be Henry Cavill -- he's leaving the role of Superman.

Henry was in negotiations with Warner Bros. to put on the blue tights and red cape for a cameo in its upcoming "Shazam!" movie, but talks broke down and both sides walked away ... according to The Hollywood Reporter.

HC bolting leaves a couple of HUGE holes in the DC cinematic universe, since Ben Affleck already ditched the Batman suit.

Cavill played the Man of Steel 3 times and had been expected to do it again for a solo Superman flick and a 'Justice League' sequel. While the Kal-El role is over and done for Henry ... we hear it's not a bitter split, and the door is still open for him to work with Warner Bros. in the future.

Word is Warner Bros is in the market for a couple of young guns to fill Aflleck and Cavill's rubber boots. The only good news is they've still got Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller on board as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Flash.

Honest question ... what's the first thing you looked at when you saw this picture?

Thought so.

Anyway, here's Cristiano Ronaldo stripping down to his skivvies for his brand new CR7 underwear campaign ... which features the soccer superstar trying to look sexy in a ball pit.

Is it working? (Spoiler: Yes)

It's the 10th season of Ronaldo's line which started in 2014. Clearly, the Juventus striker believes there's nobody better to model his high-quality underwear than himself. He's right.

“This was one of the most fun shoots ever! I'm a big kid at heart and it's not every day you get to jump into a giant ball pit," Ronaldo says.

"CR7 Underwear makes you both look and feel good, so I wanted the new campaign to capture that and have a fun and light-hearted feel!”

"My new Fall/Winter range combines optimum fit with cool, edgy design in some of my favourite colours."

We're NOT racist, you're too sensitive -- that's how an Australian newspaper is handling criticism of their Serena Williams cartoon ... and now they've REPRINTED IT on their cover.

The Herald Sun ran the headline, "Welcome To PC World" -- along with the caption, "If the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed."

Along with reprinting Serena, the paper added other "controversial" cartoons from the artist including a chubby Kim Jong-un and a villainous Donald Trump.

Under the Serena cartoon, they noted the public "vetoed" the image due to "large hair and lips, too angry."

They mockingly noted the paper would now be a "Satire Free Zone."

What the paper is failing to acknowledge is how racists used cartoons featuring exaggerated lips, hair, noses and other features to mock and dehumanize black people for centuries.

That exact point was raised by hundreds of critics on social media -- but the newspaper is refusing to back down.

In fact, the artist tried to defend his work, saying, "The world’s gone crazy. It’s a cartoon about poor behavior. It’s nothing to do with race."

He added, "I’m sorry it’s been taken by social media and distorted so much. I’ve tried to reply to these people but they don’t listen."

You could say Hugo Lloris was caught green handed ... because prosecutors say the soccer superstar puked on himself the night he was arrested for drunk driving.

The captain of the World Cup champion France soccer team pled guilty in a British court Wednesday morning stemming from an August 24 arrest.

During the hearing, prosecutors detailed the events of the evening -- and it's clear, dude was HAMMERED.

Officials say the goalkeeper was pulled over in his Porsche at 2:20 AM after cops noticed he was "not moving smoothly, and was travelling at a slower speed than expected."

He almost hit several parked cars and then ran a red light.

When cops pulled him over, "Officers observed his speech was slurred, he was helped from the vehicle by an officer, he was unstable on his feet, and there was evidence of vomit at the scene."

Gross.

A breathalyzer showed his blood alcohol was more than TWICE the legal limit.

Ultimately, the 31-year-old Tottenham star was hit with a $65,000 fine and his license will be suspended for 20 months.

His attorney issued a statement saying Lloris didn't intend to get drunk that night -- but fans at a restaurant kept buying him drinks.

9:49 PM PT -- Sources connected to the shoot tell us the images of Kendall were stolen from James and released without permission.

Kendall Jenner's completely in the buff, sprinting on the beach in a newly released portrait ... and the Internet is already having a field day.

Kendall's no stranger to nudity, but this photo -- along with several more reportedly from a series from photographer Russell James for his upcoming book "Angels" -- is Kendall like you've never seen her before ... and folks on social media seem to be in shock.

James' "Angels" collection was celebrated last week in NYC at a bash co-hosted by Cindy Crawford and Candice Swanepoel.

Here's new video of Conor McGregor hitting the gym to prep for his superfight with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- and he looks scary good.

He's sparring, he's grappling, he's knocking people on their asses ... it's impressive stuff.

Of course, Conor hasn't had an MMA fight since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in 2016 -- but he's booked to make his triumphant return to the Octagon at UFC 229 on Oct. 6.

Some people are worried Conor could have "ring rust" -- but when you're looking at the new highlight video, he seems sharp and strong.

Obviously, it's heavily edited -- but we all know what Conor's capable of ... and it's cool to see him back in beast mode.

As for Khabib, that dude is an absolute monster -- he's 26-0 and beat the dog snot out of just about everyone he's faced.

The two have bad blood -- remember, when Conor attacked that bus at Barclay's Center back in April, he was gunning for Khabib ... who had disrespected one of Conor's training partners earlier that week.

Floyd Mayweather dished out advice for Khabib -- telling him not to underestimate Conor, who's a "warrior."

Conor shot back with some insults for the entire Mayweather family.

Richie Incognito says he didn't threaten to shoot ANYONE during a heated incident at an Arizona funeral home back in August ... but admits he "lost his cool" after his father's death.

As we previously reported, cops swarmed Messinger Mortuary on August 20 after staffers secretly called 911 and said Incognito had ordered them to "cut his dad's head off for research purposes." They also claim Richie threatened to shoot the funeral director. Police say they found guns in his truck.

Now, Incognito is finally breaking his silence ... apologizing to his fans while maintaining his innocence.

“I just want to apologize to all my fans, and the people of the Bills Mafia, the Rams, the Dolphins, the University of Nebraska, all these people that have supported me. I let em down," Richie told Pat McAfee on his podcast.

"I AM NOT GUILTY. And you know the court process will play itself out. But I feel like I let everybody down. I lost my cool with my father passing. And I feel confident that I will be vindicated in the court process or whatever the heck we’re in right now.”

Kobe Bryant's basketball training campaign continues ... this time, Black Mamba is sharing his secrets with WNBA superstar Candace Parker!!

The retired NBA legend has been spreading his knowledge to hoopers like Jayson Tatum this offseason ... and has offered his services to Shaq's sons as well.

But Monday, he was focused squarely on the women's league -- hitting the gym with the L.A. Sparks superstar and fellow WNBAers Karlie Samuelson, Monique Billings and Gabby Williams.

Seems the training sesh was focused on improving footwork.

"[Kobe], I learned so much and was in awe to see the footwork in person," Candace posted ... "Here to prove older dogs can learn new tricks! #2019"

Kobe's sworn up and down he's done with pro basketball -- whether it's NBA or Ice Cube's BIG3 -- but he obviously still has an itch for the game.

A former Michigan State field hockey player claims Larry Nassar raped her back in 1992 -- and got her pregnant -- but when she tried to go to cops, a high-ranking MSU official shut her down.

The woman behind the suit is Erika Davis -- who was 17 years old when she suffered a knee injury during an MSU team practice and her coach referred her to Nassar.

During an exam, Davis claims Nassar crushed up a pill and made her drink it -- and a short time later she got "very woozy" and could not move her limbs.

Davis claims she passed out -- and woke up to Nassar raping her vaginally and ejaculating into her.

Later in the summer, Davis says a pregnancy test came back positive "and the only person who could have caused her to be pregnant was [Nassar]."

She miscarried a few weeks later, according to the suit.

Davis claims she told friends who recommended she go to the police -- but when she did, a detective told her he was "powerless to investigate ... and to go to the athletic department."

Davis says the athletic department had already dismissed her complaint and the Sergeant told her that MSU athletic director George Perles was a "powerful man" and that "she should just drop it."

Davis says she eventually moved on with her life and repressed the memories -- until 2018 after other victims began speaking out. That's when she decided to resurrect her legal action.

The car that got flipped in that raging Kentucky victory celebration over Florida this weekend DID NOT belong to a UK student ... and now the mother of the kid it belongs to is SUPER FREAKING PISSED OFF!!

Kentucky ended a 31-year drought beating Florida 27-16, prompting a crazy celebration/riot in Lexington where Matt O'Hara -- a 19-year-old who was visiting friends who attend UK -- had his car flipped over.

Matt's mom, Amy, was none too pleased about the car carnage ... and scrambled to make a GoFundMe page to get her kid a new whip ... and to lambaste the rowdy Wildcats responsible.

"When UK won, the students went nuts and started destroying my son's car. They ripped the doors off, shattered every window and then flipped over, totally destroying it."

Amy then asked why "young people think it is okay to destroy other people's property?" She ended her thoughts with the hashtag, #AngryMom.

As of right now, the GoFundMe page has raised roughly $2,300 of it's $5,000 goal ... but the comments section of the page is HILARIOUS ... with multiple UK fans blaming Matt for parking there, and Amy for not having full coverage on her son's car.