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Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is living up to his nickname ... explaining how and why he's the one to conquer Dana White's 1,400 lb. bull, Twisted Steel!

The retired MMA fighter joined the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week where he revealed his insane training regimen ... as he preps for the UFC honcho's 5-year-old beast, which he'll attempt to ride at an upcoming show.

"Next Monday, I'm getting on eight bulls," the 40-year-old said. "We're just gonna go, go, go, go."

"It's gonna be wild and crazy!"

Of course, Dana and Donald recently made a bet ... with a total of $100k on the line, if Cerrone can stay right side up on Twisted Steel for 8 seconds.

Sounds easy? Not so fast ... just three riders have managed the feat in a total of 34 runs -- and those guys were pros.

Here's hoping Cerrone is the fourth 'cause the money will go to charity.

"All the money donations will go straight to kid's camp," Cerrone said. "We're riding for a cause, if you will."

5:35 PM PT -- We talked to a rep for Blue Adventures by Stuart Cove -- the business that runs the shark experience at the resort ... who tells us the maximum number of participants is five and a group of five would be accompanied by three chaperones.

The encounter depicted in the vids featured three guests with two team members in the water at all times.

The Atlantis Bahamas resort shut down its shark tank after a child was attacked ... and now we have an idea of how the excursion operated days before the tragedy.

A couple clips -- obtained by TMZ -- show guests heading down into one of the resort's tanks last Saturday ... just two days before a 10-year-old was attacked by one of the sharks.

Guests are all donning big white helmets while staff members are floating around in more traditional scuba suits -- and the ratio seems a bit skewed, with a lot more guests than employees floating around.

And, check out how near the guests are getting to the underwater beasts ... talk about up close and personal!

Our sources tell us ... the tank's got about 15-20 sharks with the largest measuring about eight feet. Three chaperones help the guests get into the water and walk around for about 20 minutes -- before sending them back to the water park.

In terms of whether or not that's safe ... we can't say for sure -- we're not experts on the subject ... and this wasn't taken at the time of the attack, so we don't know if this is the same setup the resort had going Monday -- what we do know is it look like a whole bunch of tourists getting real familiar with some massive sharks.

We broke the story ... shocking video showed the aftermath of the brutal attack on a 10-year-old -- with people screaming and what appeared to be employees in blue shirts running for help.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said the boy -- on vacation from Maryland -- got bit on the right leg and was taken to the hospital ... thankfully, he was in stable condition, and Atlantis shut down their tanks immediately.

We've reached out to the resort for comment ... so far no word back.

El resort Atlantis Bahamas cerró su estanque de tiburones después de que un niño fuera atacado, y ahora tenemos una idea de cómo funcionaba la excursión días antes de la tragedia.

Un par de clips obtenidos por TMZ muestran a los huéspedes en dirección a uno de los tanques del complejo el sábado pasado, apenas dos días antes de que un niño de 10 años fuera atacado por uno de los tiburones.

Todos los huéspedes llevaban grandes cascos blancos, mientras que los miembros del personal estaban flotando alrededor en trajes de buceo más tradicionales, y la proporción parece un poco desbalanceada, con muchos más clientes que empleados flotando alrededor.

Echa un vistazo para ver lo cerca que estaban los huéspedes de las bestias submarinas, ¡eso sí que es tener intimidad!

Nuestras fuentes nos dicen que el tanque tenía alrededor de 15-20 tiburones y que el más grande medía alrededor de ocho pies. Tres acompañantes suelen ayudar a los visitantes a entrar en el agua y caminar durante unos 20 minutos, antes de enviarlos de vuelta al parque acuático.

En términos de si eso es seguro o no, no podemos decir con seguridad. No somos expertos en la materia, y esto tampoco fue tomado en el momento del ataque, así que no sabemos si se trata de la misma configuración del resort en el momento del accidente el lunes. Lo que sí sabemos es que se ve como que un montón de turistas están acercándose, quizás muy de cerca, a algunos tiburones.

TMZ informó primero la noticia, un impactante video mostraba las secuelas de un brutal ataque a un niño de 10 años. La gente estaba gritando y los empleados de camisas azules parecían correr en busca de ayuda.

La Policía de las Bahamas dijo que el niño, que es de Maryland y estaba de vacaciones, fue mordido en la pierna derecha y llevado al hospital. Afortunadamente, estaba estable y Atlantis cerró sus tanques de inmediato.

The relationship between Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco is so serious that she's now introducing him to her fatherly figure TV costars Steve Martin and Martin Short.

TMZ obtained these photos of Selena and Benny interacting with Steve and Martin on the red carpet at the 75th Annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles last Monday.

As you may know, Selena, Steve, and Martin all star in the hit Hulu show, "Only Murders In The Building," which was up for 11 Emmy Awards, but snagged only one statue for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour).

Eyewitnesses tell us ... the meeting between the four celebs occurred just prior to the kick-off of the gala event. Selena was first to approach Steve and Martin on the red carpet, giving them big hugs before chatting with them a bit.

Our sources say she then introduced her record producer boyfriend, Benny, to her costars, while the three men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Sources tell us everyone got along great and it seemed as if Selena was presenting her new beau for the first time to a couple of fatherly figures in her life. Of course, we can't be sure if they had ever met before this encounter.

After talking amongst each other for about five minutes, the foursome left the red carpet to go inside the theater for the awards show.

Well, this is crazy ... just days after Richard Simmons seemed pissed Pauly Shore was doing an unauthorized biopic on his life, RS now seems to be giving the thumbs up to the project.

TMZ obtained this video from the Sundance Film Festival Friday night, where Pauly got onstage to introduce the short film that will eventually become the full movie version of Richard's life.

He began by telling the crowd Richard texted him earlier in the day, wishing him "good luck" with the screening. The audience gave its rousing approval.

It's a total about-face ... just a few days ago, Richard wrote on Facebook, "You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don't believe everything you read."

To say he never gave his permission is as much as saying DON'T DO THIS!

If Pauly is putting yesterday's text in full context, maybe Richard had a change of heart.

The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. that's developing the film, told us -- "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."

Bueno, esto es una locura ... pocos días después de que Richard Simmons parecía enojado con Pauly Shore porque estaba haciendo una película biográfica de su vida, ahora parece estar dando su visto bueno al proyecto.

TMZ obtuvo este video del Festival de Cine de Sundance el viernes por la noche, donde Pauly se subió al escenario para presentar el cortometraje que con el tiempo se convertirá en la versión cinematográfica completa de la vida de Richard.

Comenzó diciéndole a la multitud que Richard le había enviado un mensaje de texto temprano en el día, deseándole "buena suerte" con la proyección. El público reaccionó con una entusiasta aprobación.

Hace solo unos días, Richard había escrito en Facebook: "Puede que hayan oído que van a hacer una película sobre mí con Pauly Shore. Nunca he dado mi permiso para esta película. Así que no se crean todo lo que leen".

Decir que nunca dio su permiso es igual que decir ¡NO HAGAS ESTO!

Si Pauly está compartiendo el mensaje de ayer en todo su contexto, puede ser que Richard tuvo un cambio de corazón.

La Organización Wolper, una filial de Warner Bros. que está desarrollando la película, nos dijo: "Aunque nos encantaría tenerlo involucrado, respetamos su deseo de privacidad y planeamos producir una película que lo honre, lo celebre y cuente una historia dramática".

1/20 10:23 AM PT -- Rick Harrison posted a tribute to Adam on his Instagram saying "You will always be in my heart! I love you Adam. 💔"

Fans and celebs left supportive comments on his post, including Donald Trump Jr., who stated "I'm so sorry man."

And, his brother Corey also took to Insta to post a sweet message with a pic of the two in the tub together as kids.

6:46 PM PT -- The Harrison family tells TMZ ... "Our family is extremely saddened by the death of Adam. We ask for privacy as we grieve his loss."

Rick Harrison's son Adam has died under tragic circumstances ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the 'Pawn Stars' reality star tells us Adam recently died from a fatal overdose ... and we're told the family only just found out today. At this time, it's unclear where Adam was exactly when he passed -- and the specific circumstances are also unknown at this time.

Las Vegas Metro PD tells us they're investigating the case.

Adam is one of Rick's three kids -- all boys -- and he's been mostly off the radar in terms of Rick's show and store. Word is ... Adam helped out at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop once upon a time -- but has since stepped away to do his own thing.

He doesn't appear to have been featured in any of the episodes from what we can see.

Rick had two kids with his first wife Kim ... Corey and Adam -- and he also had a son, Jake, with his second wife, Tracy.

While Rick's oldest son Corey is heavily involved in "Pawn Stars," first appearing on the reality show way back in 2009, Adam mostly remained out of the spotlight.

With Adam never really getting involved on the show, there's not a lot known about him ... though some folks have claimed he made a living as a plumber. We've heard he worked professionally in some kind of trade, but no word on what kind of job specifically.

Adam was only 39.

RIP

6:46 PM PT -- La familia Harrison le dice a TMZ: "Nuestra familia está muy triste por la muerte de Adán. Pedimos privacidad mientras lloramos su pérdida".

El hijo de Rick Harrison, Adam, ha muerto en trágicas circunstancias ... TMZ ha averiguado.

Un representante de la estrella del reality 'Pawn Stars' nos dice que Adam murió recientemente de una sobredosis fatal y que la familia acaba de enterarse hoy. En este momento, no está claro dónde estaba Adam exactamente cuando murió y las circunstancias específicas también son desconocidas por ahora.

Las Vegas Metro PD nos dice que están investigando el caso.

Adán es uno de los tres hijos de Rick, todos hombres, y ha estado en su mayoría fuera del radar en términos del espectáculo de Rick y su tienda. Se dice que Adam ayudó en el World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop alguna vez, pero desde entonces se había alejado para hacer sus propios proyectos.

No parece haber aparecido en ninguno de los episodios por lo que podemos ver.

Rick tuvo dos hijos con su primera esposa Kim, Corey y Adam, y también tuvo un hijo, Jake, con su segunda esposa Tracy.

El hijo mayor de Rick, Corey, ha estado muy involucrado en "Pawn Stars". Su primera aparición  en el reality show fue en 2009. Pero Adam se mantuvo siempre fuera de los focos.

Como nunca se involucró realmente involucrarse con el programa, no hay mucha información sobre su vida, aunque algunas personas han afirmado que se ganaba la vida como plomero. Hemos oído que trabajó profesionalmente en algún tipo de comercio, pero no se sabe qué tipo de trabajo en concreto.

Adam solo tenía 39 años.

Que en paz descanse.

Logan Paul was once in the crosshairs of a man who seemed obsessed with him -- and who even broke into his home -- but he didn't realize the man took his own life ... until now.

We sat with the YouTuber-turned-boxer for a conversation about this dark chapter in his life -- namely, back in 2018 when a guy named Tahj Deondre Speight allegedly trespassed by making his way into Logan's house without authorization, which led to a confrontation.

LP ended up detaining Speight -- and he was ultimately arrested, charged, prosecuted and eventually jailed ... but at some point, he died -- and it appears it was via suicide.

Harvey actually broke this news to Logan in our interview ... and it's clear he was not aware of this development -- with the update hitting him hard on the spot. We ask the question ... did the system fail Speight by not getting him the help or resources he needed?

Logan gives an honest answer, and somewhat surprisingly ... he says he has empathy for the man he once wrestled to the ground. It's an emotional response, and a heartfelt one too.

His full chat is part of a new show called 'TMZ Investigates: Obsessed and Dangerous: Hollywood’s Stalker Crisis' -- the start of a weekly series that hits FOX Monday at 9/8c.

Pauly Shore's Richard Simmons short dropped last night ... and Simmons stans will recognize the moment it's based on -- plus get an idea of what the feature film's gonna be like.

PS premiered "The Court Jester" at Sundance, and he went full Simmons for the role -- he looks a ton like him with the hair, tank top and thigh-high shorts ... and on top of that, Shore picked a viral moment from Richard's life. While the screening took place during the festival it was not an official Sundance selection.

The short -- not the full-scale biopic he's making -- opens with a production assistant backstage of a show hosted by a woman who looks and sounds like Ellen DeGeneres ... when Richard is called onto the stage.

Pauly's Richard comes out with a ton of energy, running around in front of the audience, sweat dripping down his forehead ... a clear reenactment of Richard's appearance on "Ellen" more than a decade ago.

Check it out ... Richard jumps around so fast cameras can barely keep up, pushes the same DVD and even pretends to be a workout machine Ellen can use -- art imitating life taken to the extreme!!!

Pauly's also showing off his acting chops in the more low-key moments too -- having a heart-to-heart with the PA from the beginning of the short while chowing down on a sprinkle donut.

Shore's clearly trying to be pretty respectful of Richard ... backing him with an angelic light while he drops knowledge on the young "Ellen" crew member -- though at this point, Richard's probably not coming around to Pauly's upcoming biopic

As we reported ... Richard -- who doesn't speak publicly much anymore -- came out and blasted Pauly's movie ... basically saying he didn't give his permission or blessing to Shore's project.

When we talked to Pauly about it ... he said he's holding out hope Richard comes around, but he's going forward with the project whether he gets the fitness guru's thumbs up or not.

Logan Paul estuvo alguna vez en la mira de un hombre que parecía estar obsesionado con él, y que incluso irrumpió en su casa, pero no sabía que el hombre se había quitado la vida.... hasta ahora.

Nos sentamos con el YouTuber convertido en boxeador para conversar sobre este capítulo oscuro de su vida. Esto es, cuando por allá por 2018, un tipo llamado Tahj Deondre Speight supuestamente entró sin autorización a su casa, lo que llevó a un enfrentamiento.

Logan Paul terminó deteniendo a Speight, quien finalmente fue arrestado, acusado, procesado y finalmente encarcelado, pero en algún momento murió y parece que fue a través del suicidio.

Harvey le dio la noticia a Logan en nuestra entrevista y está claro que él no estaba al tanto del suceso y la noticia le golpeó fuertemente. Nos preguntamos... ¿le fallo el sistema al no proporcionarle la ayuda o los recursos que necesitaba?

Logan da una respuesta honesta, y algo sorprendente, dice que tiene empatía por el hombre con quien alguna vez luchó. Es una respuesta emotiva y sincera.

Su charla completa forma parte de un nuevo programa llamado "TMZ Investiga: TMZ Investigates: Obsessed and Dangerous: Hollywood’s Stalker Crisis", el comienzo de una serie semanal que se emitirá en FOX el lunes.

El corto de Pauly Shore sobre Richard Simmons se estrenó anoche, y los fans de Simmons reconocerán el momento de su vida en el que está basado y podrán también hacerse una idea de cómo será el largometraje.

Pauly Shore estrenó "The Court Jester" en Sundance, y se sumergió completamente en el papel de Simmons, con el pelo, la camiseta sin mangas y los pantalones cortos hasta los muslos, y más encima, eligió un momento viral de la vida de Richard.

El corto, que no es la película completa que está realizando, comienza con un asistente de producción entre bastidores, de un show que es presentado por una mujer que se parece a Ellen DeGeneres. Luego, Richard es llamado al escenario.

El Richard de Pauly sale con un montón de energía. Corre delante del público, con el sudor goteándole por la frente... una clara recreación de la aparición de Richard en "Ellen" hace más de una década.

Compruébalo tú mismo, Richard salta tan rápido que las cámaras apenas pueden seguirle el ritmo, empuja el mismo DVD e incluso pretende ser una máquina de ejercicios que Ellen puede usar, ¡¡¡el arte imitando la vida al extremo!!!

Pauly también está mostrando sus dotes de actuación en los momentos más discretos, como por ejemplo, cuando tiene una conversación con el asistente de producción al principio del corto, mientras se come una dona.

Shore está claramente tratando de ser muy respetuoso con Richard, aunque a estas alturas, Richard probablemente no será parte de la próxima película biográfica de Pauly.

Como hemos informado, Richard, que no habla mucho públicamente, salió a criticar la película de Pauly diciendo que no dio su permiso o bendición para el proyecto.

Cuando hablamos con Pauly al respecto dijo que tenía la esperanza de que Richard se terminara sumando, pero que va a seguir adelante con el proyecto, ya sea con el pulgar hacia arriba del gurú o no.

The ladies of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" better thank their lucky stars NeNe Leakes isn't a Bravo producer ... cause a bunch of them would be out of a job if she was.

We got the former 'RHOA' star at LAX Wednesday, and she didn't take it easy on the show that made her famous ... saying quite easily that the dip in ratings means showrunners need to blow the damn thing up!!!

NL says it's a bad look for the show to keep running out the same cast over and over, and she thinks some fresh blood might be good for the 15-year-old program.

Now, she's not talking about a total reset (a la "The Real Housewives of New York" after season 13) ... but Leakes says she thinks "at least half" the girls have to get the boot.

She's not talking about anyone in particular though -- since NeNe doesn't even watch the show anymore! Instead, Leakes says she sees the clips via social media ... adding it's simply "not the same" as it was back in the day.

NeNe adds she could definitely help with the show's ratings ... but she doesn't seem super interested in coming back -- saying she has no message for Andy Cohen or the 'Housewives' team ... remember, she's got a pretty fraught relationship with the show after accusing executives (and Kim Zolciak) of racism in 2022.

A reunion isn't the craziest idea in the world though -- NeNe's clearly gotten over her issues with KZ, talking her up a ton during the same convo with our photog ... maybe she's ready to mend a couple more fences?

Leakes' final advice to producers ... keep the fans in mind while making the show -- the biggest priority should be to please the audience.

Don't count out Larry Merchant ... the legendary boxing announcer tells TMZ Sports he's on the mend after a bout with vertigo that put him in the hospital!

We broke the story ... 92-year-old Merchant was rushed to the emergency room just days before Christmas, and things appeared bleak for the former HBO Boxing commentator.

But, Larry himself tells us he's on the mend!

Merchant says he was diagnosed with vertigo, but after receiving treatment, he was sprung from the hospital after just a few days. He's now recovering at home, and he says he's doing well.

According to WebMD, "Vertigo is a sensation of feeling off balance. If you have these dizzy spells, you might feel like you are spinning or that the world around you is spinning."

Merchant says he "appreciated the outpouring" of support, and even joked it was like witnessing his funeral.

Merchant, who worked alongside fellow greats like Jim Lampley, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr., and Harold Lederman, laid down his microphone in 2012 ... and is widely regarded as one of the greatest commentators in the history of the sport.

'King of Kong' star Billy Mitchell is keeping score after Twin Galaxies reinstated his historical records ... after a multi-year dispute over cheating allegations.

Billy tells TMZ ... he's satisfied and relieved with the recent resolution in his defamation case against the video game database ... nearly 6 years after they suggested he fabricated his Donkey Kong record through an emulation software, banned him, and wiped his scores from their site.

He tells us when the investigation and claims began in 2018, his first order of business was going back to the arcade and beating all the scores, which he did.

For some people this wasn't good enough, so now that his name is cleared, he is going to get back to what he enjoys doing, which is playing games, breaking records, attending events, and being an ambassador for competitive gaming.

Billy's happy his history has finally been restored -- but doesn't get why people were trying to rewrite it in the first place ... especially 'cause Twin Galaxies ain't as relevant as it used to be, according to him.

"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" was a 2007 documentary about competitive arcade gaming that followed Steve Wiebe attempting to take down Billy's high score record in Donkey Kong. Following the success of the documentary, he was told there was talk of a feature film with Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey being eyed as the lead.

As for now, Billy's taking the onslaught of movie offers his way seriously ... after putting them on the back burner while his defamation case raged on.

Billy's lead counsel, Anthony Ellrod tells TMZ... “This was an extremely hard fought case, and I am happy that the parties were ultimately able to resolve it. Cases like this where an individual’s credibility and veracity are at stake are very difficult to resolve short of trial. I credit the hard work of all parties and counsel in reaching a settlement.”

Jerry Jones never truly entertained the idea of hiring Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh following the Cowboys' embarrassing playoff loss on Sunday ... so says former Dallas wideout Isaiah Stanback.

The ex-Cowboy -- who's become an NFL insider and analyst in retirement -- tells TMZ Sports ... according to his sources at The Star, Jones didn't explore moving on to a new coach before choosing to stick with Mike McCarthy on Wednesday.

"From the information I have inside the building," said Stanback, who played for Jones from 2007 to 2008, "there was never a search for an additional coach."

"I don't think it was ever an alternative to try to go and find somebody else," Stanback added.

Of course, plenty of Cowboys fans were certainly hoping Jones would've gone a different route ... after McCarthy bowed out of the playoffs over the weekend for the third straight year in disappointing fashion.

But, Stanback tells us he thinks the move is ultimately the right one ... explaining hiring the wrong choice right now could set the team back significantly further.

"In reality," Stanback said, "how many coaches in the NFL have a consecutive winning record of 12-5 to position you for a playoff run to go ultimately get the Lombardi Trophy?"

Nonetheless, Stanback knows the 2024 season is going to be a pressure-packed one for McCarthy ... and everyone else with a star on their helmet.