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Former NHL star Tony Hrkac played hero recently, likely saving the life of a league employee who was choking on a pretzel in the press box during an L.A. Kings game.

The harrowing incident went down at Crypto.com Arena on January 4 ... where the Kings were playing the Detroit Red Wings.

Sources tell TMZ Sports an NHL employee (who wishes not to be identified) began choking and turning "purplish" while eating inside the arena.

It was an incredibly dire situation ... but fortunately, 57-year-old Hrkac -- a Tampa Bay Lightning scout -- was on the scene.

We're told Hrkac sprung into action, administering the Heimlich maneuver on the choking person, who then ejected a piece of pretzel. The employee then began to breathe normally.

People who were on the scene believe Tony saved the choking person's life.

If you're not familiar with Hrkac, he played 14 seasons in the NHL ... after winning the Hobey Bakey Award at the University of North Dakota in 1987 (they also won a national championship), given to the nation's best college hockey player. Tony went on to play for the Blues, Blackhawks, and Stars, among other organizations during his pro career.

He even won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.

Hrkac hung up his skates in 2005 (though he did come back years later).

Justice Smith está orgulloso de su nueva película que cuenta con un gran elenco afroamericano, pero le está advirtiendo (en broma) a la gente blanca que eviten el uso del título completo de la película.

Encontramos al actor en el aeropuerto de Los Ángeles el miércoles y le preguntamos sobre su nueva comedia titulada "The American Society of Magical Negroes", y él (en broma) le recomendó a los blancos acortar el título a simplemente "American Society", aunque, de nuevo, está totalmente bromeando.

Si aún no conoces la película, aquí te la resumimos: un hombre llamado Aren (interpretado por Smith) se une a una sociedad secreta de negros que utilizan la magia para mantener a los blancos felices, y, por tanto, dóciles. "También la protagonizan David Alan Grier de "El color púrpura" y Nicole Byer de "Good Burger 2", entre otros.

La broma de Smith coincide con la que dice su personaje en el tráiler de la película, cuando le dice a su mentor que deberían plantearse cambiar el nombre de su organización por el de "The American Society Of Magical Black People". La vida imitando al arte.

De todos modos, Justice nos dice que hay un cierto nivel de verdad en la sátira que se representa en su película y dice que se burla del tropo del "negro mágico" que ha impregnado las películas que representan a personajes negros a lo largo de los años. Si no sabes lo que es... mira el tráiler de arriba.

Smith dice que viajará mucho para la nueva película, incluso al Festival de Cine de Sundance, donde se estrenará. De hecho, Justice tiene dos películas que se estrenan allí este año "American Society" y "I Saw The TV Glow".

"The American Society Of Magical Negroes" se estrena el 22 de marzo, pero tal vez sea mejor comprar sus entradas en línea que gritar el nombre en la taquilla.

Justice Smith's proud of his new movie that features a prominently Black cast ... but he's warning white people to avoid using the movie's full title -- or else they're getting side-eyed.

We got the actor out at LAX Wednesday and asked him about his new comedy titled "The American Society of Magical Negroes" ... and he (jokingly) recommended whites shorten the title to simply 'American Society' ... although, again, he's totally kidding around.

If you haven't heard about the movie yet, here it is in a nutshell ... a man named Aren (played by Smith) joins a secret society of Black people who use magic to keep white people happy -- and therefore docile. "The Color Purple" star David Alan Grier and Nicole Byer from "Good Burger 2" also star in it with him ... among others.

Funny enough -- JS' joke matches one his character says in the film's trailer ... when he tells his mentor they should consider changing the name of their org to "The American Society Of Magical Black People." Life imitating art, baby!

Anyway, Justice tells us there's a certain level of truth to the satire that's depicted in his flick ... and he says it pokes fun at the "magical negro" trope that's pervaded films depicting Black characters through the years. If you don't know what it is ... see the trailer above.

Smith says he'll be doing a ton of traveling for the new movie ... including going to the Sundance Film Festival where the movie's set to premiere. In fact, Justice's got two movies premiering there this year ... 'American Society' and "I Saw The TV Glow."

"The American Society Of Magical Negroes" gets its wide release on March 22 ... but maybe buy your tickets online instead of shouting the name at the ticket window.

Ginuwine has a catalog filled with bedroom bangers, but none of them have the sauce he's looking for when he hits the sheets!!! 👀

The G-Man recently sat down with journalist Shirley Ju for a slap-happy interview ... and TMZ Hip Hop got the full sit down, which highlights the R&B star's various playlists.

When asked if he got down to any of his own tracks, Ginuwine reacted more sharply than any other question thrown his way. But, he says he has a logical explanation for shying away from his own sound.

He's got an old soul, and says you're bound to hear him bumpin' and grindin' to Marvin over his own classics. He reserves those slow jams for his live shows.

Ginuwine also cast his votes for today's crown bearers, Nas and Missy Elliott sit on the hip hop thrones in his eyes, while Usher is hands-down the reigning King of R&B.

Arguably a clear-cut winner for Ginuwine's area of expertise ... Usher's set to rock the Super Bowl next month and he's considering anything less than perfect a failure.

Detroit Lions' first playoff win in forever has totally uplifted the city spiritually and financially -- and Icewear Vezzo, one of the town's top rappers, wants to see the underserved regions also reap some rewards!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Vezzo in NYC on a chilly Wednesday but he still had time to talk about the heat his team has been bringing.

The last game alone was projected to generate $20 million into Detroit's economy and Vezzo tells us he would love for the hoods to get turnt for the better.

Vezzo places responsibility on the city's rap population as well -- he's eager about his upcoming "Live From The 6" album and sneaker drive, where he and his fellow artists will be clearing out their foot lockers for the free.

The man apparently owns over 400 pairs of Nike AF1's alone ... sounds like a win-win for everyone.

Martin Lawrence's appearance at the Emmys this week got some folks a little worried he might be worse for wear -- but the guy's actually never been better, and there's a perfectly good explanation for what people misperceived ... TMZ has learned.

ICYMI ... some fans started speculating something was up with the actor/comedian after he and his "Martin" costars -- Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II -- had a reunion at the 75th Emmys on Monday, and Lawrence seemed to slur his words during the bit.

Viewers rushed to social media to compare notes with many expressing concern for the 58-year-old's health and wishing him well and a speedy recovery.

However, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... ML's totally fine -- in fact, we're told he just recently finished filming the latest "Bad Boys." Not just that, but our sources say he's also hitting the road this summer for his latest comedy tour. In other words, tip-top shape.

We're told even though some thought he may have been slurring his words and taking long pauses during the Emmys Martin reunion, this was actually because of a technical glitch with the teleprompter caused by late changes to the script -- automation strikes again!

In fact, Lawrence is so good we're told he's actually got a couple professional surprises coming for fans in the next few weeks ... though our sources wouldn't elaborate ... so stay tuned for that.

As for the reunion itself ... Martin had so much fun getting together with the cast close to 30 years after the show ended. You gotta admit they all looked great!

La aparición de Martin Lawrence en los Emmys esta semana dejó algunas personas un poco preocupadas sobre su estado de salud, pero el hombre no puede estar mejor, y hay una explicación perfectamente buena para lo que la gente percibe... TMZ ha averiguado.

Por si se lo perdieron, algunos fans comenzaron a especular de que algo estaba mal con el actor y comediante después de que él y sus coprotagonistas de "Martin", Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold y Carl Anthony Payne tuvieran una reunión en la 75ª edición de los Emmys el lunes, y Lawrence parecía arrastrar un poquito las palabras.

Los espectadores se apresuraron en ir a las redes sociales para expresar su preocupación por la salud del actor de 58 años y desearle lo mejor y una pronta recuperación.

Sin embargo, fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que Martin está totalmente bien. De hecho, nos dicen que acaba de terminar el rodaje de la última "Bad Boys". No solo eso, sino que nuestras fuentes dicen que también está pensando en hacer una gira de comedia durante el verano. En otras palabras, está en plena forma.

Nos dijeron que aunque algunos pensaron que estaba arrastrando las palabras y haciendo largas pausas durante la reunión de Martin en los Emmys, en realidad esto se debió a un fallo técnico con el teleprompter causado por unos cambios de última hora en el guion. ¡La automatización ataca de nuevo!

De hecho, Lawrence está tan bien que nos dicen que incluso tiene un par de sorpresas profesionales para los fans en las próximas semanas. Aunque nuestras fuentes no quisieron dar más detalles, así que quédense atentos para eso.

En cuanto a la reunión en sí, Martin se divirtió mucho con el elenco cerca de 30 años después del final de la serie. Hay que reconocer que todos estaban estupendos.

Cordell Patrick, the man ejected from a moving RV, says he's lucky to be alive ... because he thought he was going to die on that busy Los Angeles area freeway.

Cordell joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday from his hospital bed ... and he told us how he ended up being thrown from his RV onto the freeway.

It's pretty incredible ... Cordell says he was getting up to use the bathroom and took off his seatbelt in the 5-second window where his wife passed out behind the wheel and veered into the median.

Cordell says the impact sent him crashing through the driver-side window ... and his body flying over the median and landing on the other side of the freeway, inches away from the carpool lane.

As he lay on the freeway with his mangled ankle, Cordell says he thought he was going to be run over by a car ... telling us it's a miracle he was able to make it out of harms way.

Cordell says he and his wife had just gotten back from a trip and were heading to their storage unit when she suddenly blacked out and crashed.

She's getting medical attention too, and Cordell says they're still trying to figure out why she passed out.

Cordell Patrick, el hombre que salió expulsado de una caravana en movimiento, dice que tiene suerte de estar vivo porque pensó que iba a morir en la concurrida autopista de Los Ángeles.

Cordell se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el miércoles desde su cama del hospital y nos dijo cómo terminó siendo arrojado desde su vehículo en la autopista.

Es bastante increíble. Cordell dice que se estaba levantando para ir al baño y se quitó el cinturón de seguridad cuando su esposa se desmayó al volante y se desvió hacia un costado.

Cordell dice que el impacto lo llevó a estrellarse a través de la ventana del lado del conductor y su cuerpo salió volando hacia un lado de la autopista, a pocos centímetros de distancia del carril de carro compartido.

Mientras yacía en la autopista con su tobillo destrozado, Cordell dice que pensó que iba a ser atropellado. Nos dice que es un milagro que fuera capaz de salir del peligro.

Cordell dice que él y su esposa acababan de regresar de un viaje y se dirigían a su unidad de almacenamiento cuando de repente se desmayó y se estrelló.

Ella también está recibiendo atención médica y Cordell dice que todavía están tratando de averiguar por qué se desmayó.

Richard Simmons quiere dejar muy claro que no tiene absolutamente NINGUNA participación en una próxima película biográfica protagonizada por Pauly Shore, la cual está oficialmente en desarrollo y estará en el cine cerca de usted muy pronto, TMZ ha indagado.

El representante de Richard nos reiteró el miércoles que el proyecto de Pauly, que acaba de obtener la luz verde, no está autorizado, y Richard señala que ni siquiera podría ser consciente de si la película está en proceso en Hollywood en este punto.

Nos dicen que Pauly y el equipo de Richard hablaron el año pasado sobre invitar a Pauly a participar en la película, pero la gente de Richard le dijo al comediante que el momento no era el adecuado para que Richard se subiera a bordo.

Ya sabíamos que Pauly no tenía la bendición de Richards para este proyecto —algo que Pauly realmente buscaba— y ahora, sabemos que la posición de Richard no ha cambiado, aunque su representante dice que llegará un momento en que Richard quiera contar su historia. Lo de Pauly simplemente no va a ocurrir.

Recordemos que Pauly nos dijo en septiembre que estaba preparando una propuesta para Richard, y ahora Deadline informa que una película biográfica se está desarrollando en la Organización Wolper, una filial de Warner Bros. El resto de los detalles sobre quién más podría venir a bordo para ayudar a hacer de esto una realidad no están claros por ahora, pero Pauly dice que está "emocionado".

Pauly también interpreta a Richard en un cortometraje llamado "The Court Jester", que se estrenará esta semana en el Festival de Cine de Sundance en Utah.

Richard no ha sido visto en público durante años, pero en 2022, TMZ lanzó "TMZ Investiga: Lo que realmente le pasó a Richard Simmons" en FOX y Hulu, esto atrajo una gran respuesta y dio pie a que Richard publicara un mensaje raro a sus fans.

Pauly y Richard tienen algunas conexiones que se conocen desde hace décadas, y Richard también conocía a la difunta madre de Pauly — La dueña del Comedy Store Mitzi Shore— pero, hasta ahora, no están conectados para esta película.

1:13 PM PT -- The Wolper Organization tells TMZ ... "While we would love to have him involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story."

They add, "We know he is deeply private and we would never want to invade that, how ever he is an amazing person, that changed millions of peoples lives and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized."

Richard Simmons wants to make it crystal clear he has absolutely NO involvement in an upcoming biopic starring Pauly Shore -- which is now officially in development and coming to a theater near you soon ... TMZ has learned.

Richard's rep reiterated to us Wednesday that Pauly's project -- which just recently got the green light -- isn't authorized, and notes Richard might not even be aware the movie's on the Hollywood conveyor belt at this point.

We're told Pauly and Richard's team spoke last year about PS portraying him in a film, but Richard's people told the comedian the timing wasn't right for Richard to get on board.

We already knew Pauly didn't have RS' blessing for this project -- something Pauly really sought -- and now ... we know Richard's position hasn't changed, though his rep says there will come a time when Richard wants to tell his story. Pauly's thing just ain't it, though.

Remember ... Pauly told us in September he was getting a pitch ready for Richard, and now Deadline is reporting a biopic is being developed over at The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The rest of the deets on who else might be coming aboard to help make this thing a reality are unclear for now -- but Pauly says he's "excited."

Pauly is also portraying Richard in a short film called "The Court Jester," which is premiering this week at The Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Richard has not been seen in public for years -- but, in 2022, TMZ released "TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons" on FOX and Hulu ... which drew a huge response and resulted in Richard posting a rare message to his fans.

Pauly and Richard have some connections ... they've known each other for decades, and Richard also knew Pauly's late mother, Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore ... but, so far, they're not connecting for this flick.

We'll see what comes of it in the end, and whether Richard changes his tune once it's actually out. Considering his incredible story, it also sounds like an Oscar waiting to happen.

The Colts released a statement on Jim Irsay's health ... saying he is still recovering from his "respiratory illness."

"We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family's privacy be respected."

Jim Irsay was found laying in his bed unresponsive, cold to the touch and gasping for air during a suspected overdose in December ... this according to police in Indiana.

Carmel Police Department documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show cops were dispatched to Irsay's Carmel residence on Dec. 8 at around 4:30 AM ... after someone said they had found the Indianapolis Colts owner unconscious on a bathroom floor with a blue skin tone.

When police first arrived on the scene, they say Irsay had been moved to his bed ... where he was struggling to breathe and had a weak pulse and constricted pupils.

Police say in the docs an attempt to wake him with a sternum rub was unsuccessful. They added, though, that after administering one dosage of Narcan -- a drug commonly used to revive people in opiate overdose situations -- "he responded slightly."

Cops say they were prepared to attach an AED to Irsay -- but paramedics arrived and "took over lifesaving efforts." Irsay was eventually transported to a nearby hospital via an ambulance.

Officers noted in the documents that a caretaker provided them a list of the medications Irsay had been taking ... though they wrote in the report, "At this time, it is unknown what Mr. Irsay had ingested prior to our arrival." They classified the incident in the docs as both "overdose" and "overdose/poisoning."

Irsay had not been seen around his Colts' team in the weeks following the incident ... and on Jan. 9, the team announced he'd been dealing with a "severe respiratory illness." The Colts explained in a statement that he would miss a scheduled appearance in Los Angeles with his "Jim Irsay Band" while receiving treatment for the ailment.

"He is receiving excellent care and looks forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible," the Colts said. "We'll have no additional information at this time and we ask that you respect the privacy of Jim and his family as he recovers."

We do not know if Irsay's recent hospitalization is related to the December incident at his home.

Irsay -- who's been the owner of the Colts since 1997 -- said in an interview with Andrea Kremer back in November, he's battled addiction to alcohol and pain pills during his life, requiring at least 15 trips to rehab. He also told Kremer he previously suffered an overdose after he "was trying to detox myself."

"All of a sudden I started slurring my words and then code blue, I stopped breathing," he told Kremer of the OD. "And they revived me, and the doctor goes, 'Jim, you're one lucky man because I had signed, virtually, the death certificate.'"

We've reached out to Irsay, but no word back yet.

Breonna Taylor's mom is thanking Niecy Nash-Betts for mentioning her late daughter while winning her first Primetime Emmy ... praising her for using her platform for justice.

Niecy won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in an anthology series, and her powerful acceptance speech prompted a standing ovation ... with Niecy saying, "I accept this award on behalf of every Black and Brown woman who have gone unheard, yet overpoliced, like Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor!”

Breonna's mother, Tamika Palmer, tells TMZ … it's "amazing" Niecy used her big moment to  "acknowledge women, including my daughter, who have tragically fallen victim to police brutality."

Niecy also told the Emmys audience she feels it's her responsibility as an artist to speak truth to power, and she plans to do so until the day she dies.

Breonna's mom adds ... "The lack of accountability for these injustices is undeniable, and it is crucial for us to keep saying their names and reminding people of the profound impact of their loss."

As you know, Breonna was shot and killed by cops in Louisville during a botched raid back in March 2020, and her death sparked demonstrations against racial injustice and policing.

Brett Gelman doesn't see anything in Netflix costar Noah Schnapp's views on Israel that warrants an apology ... and he's not afraid to speak his mind about what's going on in Gaza.

We got the "Stranger Things" star at LAX and our photog asked him about Noah sharing a video restating his position on the Israel-Hamas War.

Brett says he actually liked the viral photos of Noah with stickers reading "Zionism is sexy" and agreed with Noah calling out Hamas as a terrorist organization.

BG goes even further ... telling us anyone who is not pro-Israel is consciously or subconsciously being antisemitic.

To be clear, Brett says he's not blindly for everything that's going on in Israel, acknowledging there are some issues just as there are in every country and telling us he's not a fan of Benjamin Netanyahu ... but Brett says he supports Israel and the Israeli people.

Brett says Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas attacks ... he says he's been over to Israel recently and there are still being rockets launched by Hamas, who he also accuses of using civilians as human shields.

Noah's message was about unity, hope and peace ... and Brett says he's staunchly against the death of innocent Palestinians, but wonders why those deaths are being blamed on Israel and not Hamas.

It's rare to see a celebrity being so open about the Middle East these days ... but Brett's not shying away.

Brett Gelman no ve nada en las opiniones sobre Israel de su compañero de reparto de Netflix Noah Schnapp que justifique una disculpa, y no tiene miedo de decir lo que piensa sobre lo que está pasando en Gaza.

Nos encontramos con la estrella de "Stranger Things" en LAX y nuestro fotógrafo le preguntó sobre el video de Noah en donde reafirma su posición sobre la guerra de Israel y Hamás.

Brett dice que le gustaban las fotos virales de Noé con las pegatinas "El sionismo es sexy" y que estaba de acuerdo con que el actor llamara a Hamás como una organización terrorista.

Brett va aún más lejos y nos dice que cualquiera que no sea pro-Israel es consciente o inconscientemente antisemita.

Para ser claros, Brett dice que no está ciegamente a favor de todo lo que está pasando en Israel, reconoce que hay algunos problemas, al igual que en todos los países y nos dice que no es un fan de Benjamin Netanyahu, pero dice que apoya a Israel y al pueblo israelí.

Dice que Israel tiene derecho a defenderse de los ataques de Hamás y que ha estado en Israel recientemente y que todavía hay cohetes que son lanzados por ellos, a quienes también acusa de utilizar a civiles como escudos humanos.

El mensaje de Noah fue sobre la unidad, la esperanza y la paz y Brett dice que está incondicionalmente en contra de la muerte de palestinos inocentes, pero se pregunta por qué se culpa de esas muertes a Israel y no a Hamás.

Es raro ver a una celebridad ser tan abierta sobre lo que pasa en Medio Oriente por estos días, pero Brett no se asusta.

Disney Channel actor turned OnlyFans model Dan Benson is ripping Aubrey O'Day for exploiting MLK Day to plug her OF page -- a move he calls super disrespectful, especially for a white woman.

The “Wizards of Waverly Place” alum tells TMZ ... controversy is often the name of the game for content creators looking to attract new subscribers to their OF pages. He's not naive, but adds there's still a time and a place -- and MLK Day ain't it!

As we reported, Aubrey used the holiday by posting a series of thirst trap photos and videos Monday ... right alongside a famous, and poignant, quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Maybe Aubrey should've taken that quote to heart more. Dan says Aubrey should have taken MLK Day off from her OF work, and used the time to reflect.

Instead of using Dr. King to promote her OnlyFans, Dan suggests Aubrey should have donated some of her OF revenue to a good cause.

Of course, Dan's in the OF game too, and fully understands creators' drive to boost numbers -- but he says when the "thirst trapping" goes as hard as Aubrey's stunt, it deserves to be called out.