Coronavirus

Odell Beckham has quite the unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic ... saying he's developed a "mutual respect" with the virus ... which essentially makes him feel immune.

Really.

Remember, the Cleveland Browns superstar came down with a bug days before Sunday's game against the Steelers ... and many feared it was the 'rona taking over another NFL organization.

Despite testing negative for the virus, OBJ was asked Wednesday if he was scared his illness was COVID-19 at the time ... and the dude made a gem of a statement.

"No, not in an arrogant way," OBJ told reporters. "I don't think COVID can get to me. I don't think it's going to enter this body."

He continued ... "I don't want no parts of it, it don't want no parts of me. I think it's a mutual respect."

DJ Paul says Three 6 Mafia's indoor concert -- the first such U.S. show in the COVID era -- won't play out like the infamous Chainsmokers gig this summer ... the fun ends if fans don't follow the rules.

The Memphis MC joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to talk about his group's upcoming performance in Lexington, Kentucky. Paul says they had extensive discussions with the Kentucky Governor's Office to get approval for the show, and he's not about to risk breaking the established safety rules.

He told us they'll have no problem pulling the plug if some folks break free from their social distancing pods to try to bum-rush the stage.

As we reported ... the Chainsmokers had a drive-in concert in the Hamptons and videos showed fans packed like sardines near the front of the stage, despite guidelines in place to stop just that. The concert drew an investigation, fine and scolding from NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

But, DJ Paul doesn't think a similar scene will play out Dec. 11 in Rupp Arena, where capacity will be limited and folks will be required to stay in groups of 4 or less and wear masks ... as he puts it, "I don't think Lexington, Kentucky gonna play that."

Just in case, though, he says security will be extra tight and they'll remove fans from the venue if they're not wearing face coverings.

If all goes according to plan, DJ Paul says it's gonna be super cool ... and he tells us how Three 6 Mafia fans could be rewarded if they play ball.

The NFL is NOT dropping the hammer on the Tennessee Titans for alleged COVID-19 protocol violations that may have led to an outbreak ... but they may have to cough up some cash.

24 members of the Titans organization -- including 13 players -- have tested positive for coronavirus since Sept. 24. Tennessee has been hit harder by the pandemic than any other team in the NFL.

During the outbreak, there were reports that several players met at a local school for an unauthorized workout which allegedly violated the NFL's COVID policy.

The NFL investigated those allegations -- along with other allegations -- and have finally wrapped up their probe, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and others.

"NFL informed the Titans that their review now has concluded. Team was fully cooperative. Inspected facility and found it be in compliance," Schefter reported.

"There were incidents of people not wearing masks. There was insufficient communication regarding player workouts outside facility."

Aa for NFL punishment, people have speculated the NFL could go hard at the Titans to send a message to the rest of the league ... but Schefter says that's unlikely at this point.

"Individuals will not be disciplined, there is no discussion of forfeiture of draft picks. Titans’ organization will face a potential fine."

So, that's it -- ownership will likely cut a check ... and the team will continue the season as if nothing happened.

President Trump is taking the gloves off against his top COVID-19 specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and throwing his expertise out the window ... this after the doc, arguably, went on the attack on "60 Minutes."

POTUS had a press phone conference Monday, and let the insults fly against Fauci ... who he suggested was one of many "idiots" advising the White House and the public on the pandemic. He even said people were tired of hearing the guy ... plain and simple.

Reporters on the call said Trump called each of Dr. Fauci's media appearances a "bomb," but mused that firing him would cause more political fallout ... especially this close to the election. He also sarcastically referred to Fauci as a "wonderful sage" who's been around for "500 years."

Age shade from the 74-year-old.

Trump clearly feels it's time for Fauci to go, as he added ... "People are tired of COVID ... People are tried of hearing Fauci and all these idiots."

There's been tension between Trump and Fauci for months, but as for why Trump's going all out now -- blame it on "60 Minutes," perhaps.

Dr. Fauci did a thorough segment on that show Sunday and touched on a number of things COVID-related -- including a claim the White House had restricted him in recent months from doing more interviews to get the word out about the virus.

Fauci also talked about Trump's positive diagnosis, and how there seemed to be a war on science and authority ... which he implied had been sparked by the President while in office.

The gloves are off.

Anti-mask rants and dangerous COVID behavior aren't just a U.S. problem -- an angry passenger spewed her breath on fellow fliers when she was kicked off a UK flight.

The incident went down Sunday on an EasyJet flight from Belfast to Edinburgh. The woman is seen on video ranting and fuming about having been told to wear a face mask. She refused, so as she was getting the boot she yelled, "Everybody dies, you know that?!"

On her way out, the woman has the nerve to cough on passengers as she stomped down the aisle. A spokesperson for EasyJet tells TMZ ... police responded, "due to a passenger behaving disruptively onboard and refusing to wear their face covering." It's unclear if she was arrested or cited.

The spokesperson added current guidelines require all passengers to wear face coverings and, continued, "We will not tolerate disruptive [behavior] towards other passengers and crew."

Europe has a leg up on the U.S. when it comes to coronavirus infection rates, but ugly public meltdowns over it -- like we've seen in an Alaskan Walmart and a Long Island supermarket -- they got that too.

Cynthia Bailey's wedding had all the makings of a classic episode of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," but production pulled the plug on filming it at the last minute thanks to the weather ... and coronavirus.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Bravo was set to have a camera crew on location for the 'RHOA' star's nuptials -- which was a planned, outdoor event -- but 2 days before the wedding, Cynthia decided to make it an indoor affair because Hurricane Delta was bearing down on the region.

But, it became a house of cards, because the indoor venue made the network wary due to COVID-19 concerns, and Bravo decided it wasn't safe or appropriate to send staff to film with limited space and an expected 181-person guest list.

The good news -- for Cynthia and 'Housewives' fans -- Bravo still plans to work with her to showcase her wedding in the upcoming season.

We're told the bride had her own camera crew on hand at the Governors Towne Club in Acworth, GA last Saturday, and she'll provide footage of the ceremony to production.

Cynthia's pleased with this arrangement, and there was less drama with the way things worked out ... so she's totally fine with it.

As for how Cynthia and her new husband, Mike Hill, dealt with the coronavirus risk at their large gathering ... our sources say they took several precautions.

There were temperature checks at the door, guests were required to wash hands upon entry, masks were required unless eating or drinking ... and all confirmed guests had to have negative COVID tests within 5 days of the wedding.

Michael Blackson's bummed the "Coming To America" sequel won't premiere on the big screen this holiday season ... but he thinks Amazon is making a savvy business move.

We got the comedian outside Catch in WeHo and our camera guy asked about Amazon Studios cutting a $125 million deal to stream "Coming 2 America."

Michael, who stars in the sequel, tells us he would prefer a big-screen premiere ... but he knows it just couldn't happen in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The movie's slated for its streaming debut the week before Christmas, and Michael says that's perfect timing ... theaters will likely remain shuttered, and folks will be home for the holidays and ready to watch something new.

Michael thinks Jeff Bezos' company just put Netflix on notice with this massive deal ... he says it's definitely going to bring extra eyeballs Amazon's way and it's all part of a bigger showdown with Netflix.

Well, Disney's now gotten into the politics of coronavirus ... well, not exactly Disney, but a parody of one of the most famous Disney movie's song is circulating online.

It's a COVID parody of "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast" and it dives into the politicization of masks. The song ... is simply called "Wear a Mask."

The brains behind the song are encased in the heads of songwriters Noah Lindquist and Ashley Young, and without using Donald Trump's name, the duo takes direct aim at his laissez-faire attitude toward mask-wearing.

The lyrics include ... "Stop the lies, stop the fights, no one is taking away your rights." And there's this ... "You can shout, you can glare, but listen, Karen, I don't care!"

Favorite line ..."Try not to be so grouchy, have some faith in Fauci."

It weirdly sends a strong message about the folly of making masks a sign of weakness.

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban was back in the game Saturday when his team trounced the University of Georgia ... and the team celebrated the win in spectacular fashion with its formerly COVID-positive coach.

Saban tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday and immediately went home to quarantine. He says he stayed asymptomatic and subsequent tests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were all negative. So Saban returned and led his team to a 41-24 victory. It was pretty spectacular ... in just 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter, 'Bama scored 3 TDs.

But, you gotta check out the locker room celebration ... Saban and his players are dancing wildly ... celebrating the victory and his return to the team.

Shreddin' the gnar is taking off during the pandemic ... TMZ Sports has learned surfing has EXPLODED while people try to have fun while social distancing!!!

We spoke with several of the country's biggest surf shops and board manufacturers this week ... and each one told us the demand has been so huge, they can't keep boards in stock!!

"We're back-ordered and can't keep up with the demand," a spokesperson for C-Shapes in Florida says. "The surfboard industry is on fire right now."

Added a rep for Chilli Surfboards in California, "We're selling four times the amount that we usually do."

It all makes sense ... surfing's outdoors. It's socially distant. It's cheap. And, it's straight-up great exercise!

Here's how spokespeople from some of the other big shops and manufacturers around the nation explained the demand to us this week:

JS Industries -- "More beginners entered the market than almost ever before due to surfing being one of the few activities deemed safe and accessible during COVID."

Channel Island Surfboards in CA -- "Surfing has doubled this year because it's a social distancing activity and it's free."

Surf Station in FL -- "There has been a definite increase. I can't even put a timeframe for board requests."

Eastern Lines Surf in NJ -- "It is definitely a higher demand compared to the last couple of years ... More people in the water than I've ever seen."

But, perhaps Hawaiian South Shore's rep in Honolulu put it to us best ... saying, "It's pretty nuts over here!"

Some of the men who planned to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were apparently gearing up for war from inside the ultimate mom car of the 2000s -- this per federal investigators.

Michigan's FOX 17 put out a report with a treasure trove of material it obtained from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which recently presented evidence against at least 5 dudes thus far, who were allegedly in on the plot. Among the items the FBI collected ... a video of some of these men popping in and out of a Chrysler PT Cruiser with semi-automatic rifles in hand, circus-style.

You have to see it to believe it ... four guys are in the Cruiser with guns drawn, and then they hop out and begin firing at targets in the distance. Somebody in the back filming encourages them to keep going -- according to FOX 17, the feds say this was a tactical exercise.

But, wait ... there's more. Other footage released by investigators reveals two different men practicing their load and re-load times on their weapons ... apparently as a way to show how "ready" they were for the alleged mission. It's pretty intense, but goofy all the same.

One last clip shows one of the men -- who FOX 17 says was one of those indicted -- talking directly into the camera and describing why he and his comrades are doing this ... because they were sick of being "enslaved" by the state of Michigan. It's surreal to hear him say it.

FOX 17 also posted alleged screenshots of convos between the men that investigators say detail their plans in great depth, which encompassed stakeouts, reconnaissance, entry and escape routes and general chatter about their hatred of the Gov. and her COVID policies.

As we reported ... Gov. Whitmer made the bombshell announcement last week about the FBI thwarting the alleged attempted kidnapping. At least 14 men have been arrested in connection to the alleged crime -- investigators claim they're made up of at least two militia groups.

Whitmer blamed President Trump for stoking the flames on this ... going back to his "Liberate Michigan" tweets early on in the pandemic.

An 8-year-old kid named Harry may have figured out a way to save Halloween!!!

Harry lives with his fam in Washington, D.C. and was apparently noodling on how he and his pals could trick-or-treat in COVID times. He -- and we're guessing his family helped -- made a candy chute ... something that's catching fire as a way to safely dole out candy.

So, according to the family, Harry played a big part in designing the prototype. It certainly does the trick, although it's only gonna work on an incline. Nevertheless, the design is solid, so the family's now producing and selling chutes ... for a good cause.

Harry said, "I decided to sell them, exactly how much price they should cost -- which is exactly $25 and zero cents -- and how to decorate it," in an interview with NBC.

Proceeds will go to D.C. charities that offer Thanksgiving dinners to folks in need.

President Trump's predicting a red wave on Election Day, but one of his rallies looked like a potential wave of COVID cases when a Georgia politician treated it more like a mosh pit.

Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones crowd-surfed Friday during Trump's rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon. Pre-pandemic we'd say this looks like big fun, especially for a political event -- but that just ain't the reality.

Jones, or anyone else in the crowd for that matter, didn't seem too concerned about potential COVID-19 spread ... lots of folks put their hands on him and no one, in photos at least, was wearing a face covering.

Jones, a Democrat who's endorsed Trump, gave a pep talk to the crowd before diving into it. The President, who won't say when he tested negative for the virus, did not follow suit.

Don't mess with city bus drivers ... they're fed up, and a mouthy, unruly passenger learned that the hard way when he got a fist to the face.

This video of the bare-knuckle boxing match shows the driver, who's wearing a face mask, telling the passenger to back up behind the yellow line. The passenger's apparently pissed about the driver threatening to kick him off the bus ... though we don't know why.

After a few moments of yelling back and forth and tension building ... the driver momentarily turns his back, the passenger shoves him and then it was on! Both men started swinging, but the driver landed several blows ... at least one to the guy's face because he was bleeding badly, and went down to the ground.

As if he got a standing 8 count, the passenger got back on his feet, but clearly didn't want any more smoke. The driver picked up a phone, we're guessing to call cops.

It's unclear when or where this all went down but the video's going viral. We're trying to find out if any arrests were made, but the takeaway here is ... don't test public bus drivers.