Celebrity Health

Simon Cowell is still on the mend from his broken back -- and while he recovers, he decided to polish up his smile while he was at it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the music exec and 'AGT' host recently got a new set of pearly whites from Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. Apa, at his private practice. We're told Simon came in last month looking for the makeover, and just had new veneers installed this past weekend.

Turns out, Simon was actually in need of a new set -- we're told he was doing away with older, temporary veneers he'd been rockin' -- but had one request ... less Simpson-y and more streamlined. In other words, he wanted a thinner, more natural-looking smile ... and sources say he even had a pic of his OG teeth for reference on the updated design.

After two appointments at three hours a pop, we're told Simon walked away happy as can be -- and even posed with the doc on his way out. As for cost ... our sources tell us Dr. Apa usually charges around $4,000 per tooth. Considering Simon got both upper and lower veneers in this job -- 28 teeth total, we're told -- that can certainly add up to a fat bill.

That said, it's unclear how much he ultimately paid.

The silver lining here -- it looks like SC is back up on his feet again after breaking his back a few months ago and undergoing a grueling surgery process to get it all fixed up. Word is the dude is still healing and in intense rehab mode right now to restrengthen those muscles.

Here's reason #1,000,001 why The Rock is tougher than you ...

Dwayne Johnson suffered a pretty gnarly gym injury Monday requiring stitches to close a wound on his face.

But, instead of cryin' about it -- he tasted his own blood and went right back to work!!!

The former WWE superstar said he suffered the wound throwing around some heavy weights -- and in a video, he revealed his eye was swollen and bloody.

But, in true tough guy fashion ... The Rock licked the blood off his face and said, "That's good. That's real good. Back to work."

!!!!!!

Johnson later explained he got nicked up tossing 50-pound chains ... and said the wound was so bad, he needed stitches.

Though the 48-year-old said he didn't go under the needle and thread until AFTER the workout was done ... 'cause, duh.

"We ain't playing tiddlywinks and we ain't reciting nursery rhymes," Dwayne said ... before later writing, "Taste your own blood, keep working out and stitch up later - rules of the house."

Who's ready for leg day now?!

Cleveland's worst fears are now a reality ... Odell Beckham has confirmed he did, in fact, tear his ACL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the 2020 NFL season.

"Odell Beckham Jr just text me that his ACL is torn and that his season is over," NFL reporter Josina Anderson said Monday morning.

27-year-old Beckham suffered the injury during the 2nd offensive play of the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals game.

Baker Mayfield had fired a pass Odell's way -- but missed his target and the ball was intercepted. Odell tried to make a play and tackle the ball-carrier but ran into one of his own teammates and apparently messed up his left knee in the process.

It's devastating news for Cleveland -- Odell was having a pretty solid season with 23 catches for 319 yards ands 3 TDs.

The Browns are 5-2 and starting to play like contenders -- losing their #1 receiver is definitely going to hurt their chances.

As for Beckham, he played all 16 games in 2019 while suffering from a groin injury -- and underwent surgery during the offseason.

Now with the ACL tear, that will almost certainly require surgery -- and usually takes about 6 to 9 months to fully recover.

Sucks.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera just finished his last round of cancer treatments ... and the mini-party hospital staffers threw for him to celebrate was AWESOME.

The 58-year-old was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer back in August ... and he's been receiving chemotherapy and other forms of treatment ever since.

But, Rivera completed his last round of treatments Monday ... and the scene afterward at the hospital was pretty emotional.

Check out the footage WFT posted ... Rivera was cheered on by a bunch of medical personnel -- with some even throwing confetti over his head!

Others, wearing "Rivera Strong" shirts, waved pom poms ... and eventually, they all gifted him with a signed card.

The best part of the footage, though? Rivera was able to ring a bell on the wall signifying the end of treatments -- and you can tell, he was happy as hell to do it.

Rivera has said the cancer drugs have taken a massive toll on him over the past couple months ... explaining the fatigue he's experienced has felt like a "300-pound gorilla on your back."

Still, Ron only missed a handful of WFT practices and never missed a game ... despite at times appearing to be in rough shape.

Rivera has said repeatedly his long-term prognosis is good ... adding his doctors are optimistic about a full recovery.

Andy Dalton was knocked out cold by an absolutely BRUTAL hit in the Dallas Cowboys' game Sunday ... but, thankfully, the team says he's now feeling better and "in good spirits."

Dalton lay motionless for several seconds after taking a violent shot to the head in the third quarter of Big D's blowout loss to Washington ... and the scene was SCARY.

WFT linebacker Jon Bostic hit the 32-year-old QB with a shoulder to the forehead while Dalton was sliding ... and the shot was so vicious, it caused Andy's helmet to fly off.

The quarterback needed help from trainers to get off the field and back into the locker room ... where he was diagnosed almost immediately with a concussion.

But, despite the frightening scene, a Cowboys spokesperson told the team's official website Sunday that Dalton was "alert, in good spirits and feeling much better."

Dalton is now in the concussion protocol ... and he'll need to clear tons of different tests to continue to move forward as the Cowboys' starter this season.

As for the hit itself, Bostic was ejected over the play ... and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he was pissed none of Dalton's teammates went after the guy for the hit.

"It definitely was not the response you would expect," McCarthy said.

Dalton's replacement in the game, rookie Ben DiNucci, is expected to be Dallas' starter on Sunday night if AD is not ready to go.

You've probably heard it a million times -- this is the most important election of our lives -- and it's probably the most expensive too ... based on the millions it's costing to try to keep voters safe.

Get this ... the estimated cost in L.A. County for this year's general election is $91.7 million -- $33 MILLION more than 2016's price tag of $58.5 mil.

We're told the added cost is the result of the massive amounts of products needed to clean and sanitize voting devices after each voter ... along with all the soap, sanitizer and PPE provided for voters and workers.

There are also added operational costs in making voting locations socially-distant compliant ... and special care for disabled voters or those with health vulnerabilities.

Houston's experiencing a similar surge in general election costs this year compared to 2016 -- $33.2 million up from just $4.06 mil ... according to a spokesperson for Harris County.

Among the new expenses -- providing PPE including masks, gloves, and a "finger condom" to all voters ... because all the voting stations have electronic touch screens.

Legendary country singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, famous for writing one of the most iconic country/folk/pop songs ever has died.

Jerry had a storied career, but his crowning achievement came when he got inspired after meeting a New Orleans street performer in a drunk tank. That interaction led to the song, "Mr. Bojangles," which he recorded in 1968. The song didn't hit big until 2 years later, when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded it and it became a huge hit.

"Mr. Bojangles" became a staple for numerous singers who covered it ... Bob Dylan, Sammy Davis Jr., Neil Diamond, Harry Belafonte, King Curtis, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone and more.

Jerry was born in New York back in 1942 and spent a lot of time as a young adult in Greenwich Village in the folk scene back in the '60s. He migrated in the '70s to Austin, and is considered a founding father of the City's vibrant music scene.

He had famous pals, including Willie Nelson, who hit it big, but Jerry didn't seem to crave the spotlight and was better known for his songwriting and his efforts to make Texas a musical force, which he did. He did, however, record 36 albums, including the awesome, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother." He's considered one of the founding fathers of Texas country music.

Jerry helped form a couple of bands years ago, including the Lost Gonzo Band and a record company, Tried & True. He experimented with outlaw rock, blues, and Mexican-influenced music.

Jerry was a hard-living guy and made no secret of his penchant for alcohol and drugs.

Jerry revealed in 2017 he had throat cancer and pneumonia, and it was so bad it looked like he might not make it, but he was able to recover. His former publicist tells TMZ, Jerry's wife told him 2 months ago to prepare an obituary. The publicist says Jerry died from cancer and related ailments.

He released his last album a year later ... "It's About Time."

Jerry married his manager, Susan, in 1974. He's survived by Susan, his daughter Jessie Jane and son, musician Django.

Jerry was 78.

Arnold Schwarzenegger might really be a Terminator -- he just had another piece of his heart replaced, and yet he says he's feeling good enough to take his new parts out for a stroll.

Arnold just made the surprise revelation about the surgery -- coming after the procedure he had 2 years ago. He said he now has a "new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery."

He got it done at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, and posted some pics from his hospital bed. He didn't say exactly when the procedure was done, but added ... he's been out and about, feeling "fantastic" on the streets of the Land.

Arnold thanked everyone at the hospital who worked on him, and it sounds like they deserve it. The 73-year-old guy's checking out statues around the city like a tourist, instead of heart surgery patient.

We broke the story ... the former California governor had emergency heart surgery in March 2018, and he later revealed it left him fighting for his life.

He recounted the experience in an awesome commencement speech earlier this year in a message to graduates encouraging them to have a vision with their lives.

President Trump's talking like he and Dr. Anthony Fauci are still on friendly terms -- despite each jabbing the other lately -- but that's news to Fauci, who says he has zero access to the Oval Office.

Dr. Fauci essentially said he's been bumped, telling NBC's Chuck Todd he no longer has the President's ear -- even though the coronavirus pandemic is ramping up again over most of the country.

The good doc says Trump is now listening more to Scott Atlas, the neuroradiologist and conservative think tank member the President added to the task force this summer.

Unlike what we've heard in recent weeks, Fauci did NOT take a shot at Trump for the shift -- watch, he says it more matter-of-factly -- but instead, he's still sharing his knowledge with Vice President Mike Pence and the rest of the Coronavirus Task Force.

He added, Pence relays information to Trump, who hasn't attended a task force meeting in several months. Worth noting ... the country reported at least 75,049 new COVID cases Thursday, the second-highest daily total since the pandemic started.

Great time for a game of telephone.

Cleveland Browns star Austin Hooper will NOT be suiting up against the Bengals this weekend ... after the team announced the tight end is undergoing an appendectomy.

The 25-year-old -- who signed a 4-year, $44 million deal with CLE this offseason -- was originally listed as questionable with a non-COVID-19 related illness ... which was later revealed as appendicitis on Friday.

Hooper's production has been improving in recent weeks ... and has 22 receptions for more than 200 yards through 6 games this season.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski broke the news to reporters minutes ago ... saying he does not expect Hooper to miss an extended amount of time.

The Browns have had their fair share of injuries this season -- from Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry's injured ribs to a depleted secondary on defense.

An Australian boxer suffered a GNARLY broken jaw during a fight Thursday -- and the video of the injury might make you puke.

CONSIDER THAT YOUR WARNING!!

The fighter is Benjamin Hussain -- who was 2-0 as a pro before he stepped into the ring against fellow undefeated fighter Ben Mahoney.

Hussain was cracked hard in the 2nd round and appeared to suffer a break in his jaw at that point -- but tried to tough it out and keep going.

Blood poured out of his mouth as he continued the fight -- the announcers speculated he could've suffered a cut on his tongue.

But, as the fight progressed, it was VERY obvious the injury was serious ... and finally, the doctor stopped the fight in Round 5.

You could hear the doctor tell 21-year-old Hussain -- "Your jaw is broken mate. I mean it’s badly broken, we’ve got to stop it."

Hussain was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated -- and despite the obvious pain, he felt it was important to show off the injury on social media.

You can see his jaw is clearly broken -- and it's so gross!!

But hey, that's boxing.

Astronauts are voting from space, millions are mailing ballots and patients battling COVID-19 are voting from their hospital beds ... welcome to the 2020 election.

Voter turnout is expected to be on the rise for what you've, no doubt, heard is the election of our lifetime ... and a non-partisan group called Patient Voting is making sure hospital patients don't get left out.

The group's founder, Kelly Wong, tells TMZ ... they've seen a huge influx in patients seeking help in casting ballots, and they're using the little-known emergency absentee ballot.

Here's how it works ... patients who are unexpectedly hospitalized without arrangements to vote by regular absentee ballot can request an emergency absentee ballot if they're unable to make it to the polls, or if it's too late to apply for regular absentee ballots.

It's pretty striking ... we're told about 200 people per day are reaching out to the organization for help, a 5-fold increase compared to the midterms. The obvious difference this year -- the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected 8 million Americans and counting.

Sadly, we're told some people who reached out for ballots and info died from COVID before casting a vote.

Then there's the case of a voter in Washington ... we're told they're hospitalized with COVID but their ballot is at home, and the volunteer org is assisting in helping the patient vote electronically so as not to infect others.

The NHL season will NOT be kicking off in the great outdoors -- 'cause the league has just officially postponed the 2021 Winter Classic.

The Minnesota Wild were set to host the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis on Jan 1 ... but NHL officials are now hoping to get it done in 2022, when fans can attend -- AKA, when we're hopefully not still in a pandemic.

The All-Star Weekend festivities -- scheduled to go down in Jan. 2021 -- has also been pushed, the league said Thursday.

"Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events,” NHL Senior EVP and COO Steve Mayer said in a statement.

"Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended."

The league says it still plans to start its 2021 season at the beginning of the year ... so, at least there WILL be hockey ... just indoors.

The gloves were already off, but now the sneeze guards are down for the final presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden.

The Commission on Presidential debates made the decision Thursday after Trump and Biden each tested negative for the virus just hours before the debate goes down in Nashville. The commission, after consulting with Dr. Anthony Fauci, decided it was safe to remove the 2 plexiglass barriers between the candidates' lecterns on stage.

After the commission's medical team felt it was safe, they consulted both campaigns and they too agreed it was OK to remove them ... according to NBC News.

No "Sunday Night Football" for Tom Brady this week ... the NFL has MOVED UP the Raiders vs. Bucs game to daytime in the wake of a possible COVID outbreak in Las Vegas.

The strategy makes sense ... at least one Raiders player has tested positive for COVID and there are concerns several more players may have been exposed.

So, for now, the league has shifted the game out of the prime time slot -- instead Raiders vs. Bucs will kick off at 1:05 PM PT.

That frees up the league to move another game into prime time -- Seahawks vs. Cardinals ... Russell Wilson vs. Kyler Murray!

Here's the logic ... there's a chance more Raiders could test positive and the league may have to make a last-minute decision about moving the game to another date.

But, they still want to have a game in that prime time Sunday night spot. Get it?

There don't seem to be any COVID concerns with the Seahawks or the Cardinals at the moment -- and there are big stars on both teams. It's a safe move. Smart.

Eric Andre was seriously injured -- and hospitalized -- after a wrestling stung gone wrong with John Cena ... and it's all on video.

The comedian revealed the whole story on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ... saying he was shooting a bit for "The Eric Andre Show" which required Cena to hulk out and throw him through a shelf.

Kimmel watched the footage and asked Eric if the stunt hurt as badly as it looked.

"John Cena did the stunt right, but we prepped for the stunt wrong. And, that metal shelf came over and clocked me in the head," Andre said ... "And, I got concussed."

Andre says he went to the hospital immediately -- noting, "I had like a Fred Flintstone, like Bugs Bunny [welt] on the side of my head."

The good news ... Andre seems to be okay now and was joking about it with Kimmel.

"They did a CAT scan, and I haven’t been able to speak English since. I memorized this interview phonetically, actually."

Yeah, we know pro wrestling is fake ... but the stunts are VERY real and come with real risks.

Just ask WWE superstar Ridge Holland -- who underwent REAL surgery after suffering a gruesome injury on live TV earlier this month.