Nurse!

Okay fine, we use a lot of hyperbole, but seriously ... famed shark attack victim Paul de Gelder's artificial limbs are scientific MASTERPIECES!!! You have to see 'em to believe 'em.

FYI, Paul -- who appeared on Discovery channel's "I Escaped Jaws" -- lost his right leg and hand during a vicious shark attack in Sydney, Australia back in 2009 -- and has since been outfitted with what he calls the "best commercially available" prosthetics in the world ... worth roughly $250,000.

The hand is what's called an I-LIMB, which uses electrodes to track muscular movement in the remaining portion of Paul's arm to operate individual fingers and grip things. It's insane.

The hand costs roughly $100,000, but the leg costs even more -- it's called the X2 and Paul says it goes for around $150,000. He can pretty much walk and move like natural.

Science is awesome. Also watch the video to hear some great "Sharknado" survival tips.

Usher is publicly thanking the men who saved his son from drowning in a pool this week ... but the mother of one of the heroes wants Usher to show his gratitude in a different way -- by becoming a wedding singer ... TMZ has learned.

The mother of Ben Crews -- the audio-video worker who pulled Usher Raymond V out of his great aunt's pool -- tells us her son is getting hitched next week, and she thinks it would be a nice gesture for Usher to sing at the wedding.

Mama Leigh Crews tells us Ben isn't expecting any money for his heroic deed -- but she says a tune or 2 would make his wedding unforgettable.

Usher released a statement saying "I would especially like to thank the two men who saved my son's life, Eugene Stachurski and Ben Crews. They are true heroes and I am deeply grateful to them."

Usher's 5-year-old son is showing miraculous signs of improvement after nearly drowning in a pool the other day -- in fact, we're told he's already sitting up in bed at the hospital, eating, laughing, and talking to people ... BUT, it may be days before he's released.

Sources close to the family tell us, Usher Raymond V is still in the ICU -- where he's being kept in a private area -- he's expected to be released in the next couple of days.

According to sources, the boy's mother Tameka -- Usher's ex-wife -- hasn't left the hospital since the accident.

As we reported, Tameka blames Usher for putting their son in an environment that led to the near-drowning accident on Monday. She has already filed legal docs seeking primary custody.

Usher's ex-wife, Tameka Raymond, has filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- in which she blames the singer for the near-death pool accident that landed their 5-year-old in ICU.

In the docs, Tameka claims Usher Raymond V was left unsupervised in the swimming pool when his arm got stuck in the drain. Tameka says Usher delegated his supervisory responsibilities to his aunt ... who she believes was not on the ball.

Tameka, who is asking for temporary primary custody of their two children, says it's typical that Usher delegates responsibility for their kids ... because he's out of town 85% of the time every month.

What's more, she says Usher had fired every caregiver who was on staff when he was awarded primary custody ... and she's clearly saying the replacements are not up to snuff.

In the documents, which were filed Tuesday -- the day after the pool accident -- Tameka wants decision-making power over the children's education, healthcare, religion and extracurricular activities.

The hearing has been set for Friday at 2pm ET.

Terrence Howard's ex-wife filed legal docs with a graphic allegation -- that the actor sucker punched her in the face, grabbed her by the neck and threw her against the wall.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Michelle Ghent alleges the brutality occurred during a trip last week to Costa Rica. She says the fight started after she told Terrence she had no interest in firing up a relationship with him -- they divorced in May.

Michelle says after Terrence hit her, he glared at her and walked over to a bedside table where he kept 2 curved knives -- 4-6 inches in length.

Michelle says she panicked and then pepper sprayed him. At that point she claims Terrence knocked her down and then kicked her repeatedly in the head.

In addition to the black eye, Michelle says she suffered contusions and swelling.

And, she says, he referred to a prior warning he had given her on a trip to Bora Bora -- threatening to kill her.

For his part, Terrence claims in his legal docs that she made up the story to damage him, timing it for his movie premiere of "The Butler." Terrence claims she threatened to kill him and he believes she's serious. He also says she's been admitted to a psych hospital in the past.

Usher's son Usher Raymond V is in the ICU at an Atlanta hospital after a serious accident in a residential pool Monday, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ, the accident occurred yesterday just after 2 PM in Atlanta. We're told Usher was not there at the time.

Here's what we know ... The child was playing in the pool with his aunt and saw a toy in the drain. He dove down to get the toy and his arm got stuck in the drain. The aunt immediately dove in to rescue him but couldn't get his hand out. The maid then dove in and tried but was also unsuccessful.

The maid screamed for help. Two audio-visual contractors working in the house came out, dove in and freed the boy. One of them administered CPR immediately and rushed to the hospital. The boy was "conscious, alert and breathing. People connected with Usher tell us he rode with his son to the hospital in the ambulance, but according to the police report, Usher met his son there.

5-year-old Usher Raymond V is the oldest of Usher's two sons with ex-wife Tameka Raymond. We're told Usher and Tameka are currently at the hospital.

Doctors have been running a series of tests and doctors say he'll be ok.

This is the second accident to strike a child in Usher's family. Tameka's 11-year-old son Kile from a previous relationship passed away last year from injuries sustained during a jet ski accident.

Terrence Howard's ex-wife Michelle Ghent has just obtained a temporary restraining order against the actor -- claiming he beat her up during a blowout fight in Costa Rica last week -- and she showed up to court Tuesday with a scary black eye.

According to the order, Terrence is forbidden from coming within 100 yards of Michelle pending another hearing later this month. He is also barred from contacting her in any way.

During the hearing, Michelle's lawyer discussed the text messages Michelle allegedly sent to Terrence in May -- threatening to kill him and his family -- but argued they were misleading and incomplete. The mysterious black eye was NOT discussed in court

As for Terrence, he filed his own request for a restraining order, but that was not granted. The judge said the court would hear his side of things at the next hearing.

As we reported, Michelle says Terrence physically abused her during the argument in Costa Rica while she was on vacation with him and his family.

Elmore Leonard -- the brilliant writer whose works served as the basis for "Justified" and "Get Shorty" -- is hospitalized after suffering a stroke last week.

87-year-old Leonard lives in Detroit, but it's unclear if that's where he's being treated.

Leonard is a legend -- dozens of his novels and short stories have been transformed into movies or TV shows ... including "Out of Sight," "Be Cool," "Hombre," "Mr. Majestyk" and "3:10 to Yuma."

Details surrounding Leonard's condition are unclear.

Before Josh Marks was arrested for allegedly attacking a campus police officer, the former "MasterChef" finalist revealed that he suffers from bipolar disorder ... TMZ has learned.

Back in February, Josh recorded a video for the "Make a Sound Project" -- an organization dedicated to helping people struggling with suicidal thoughts -- in which he talks about his mental illness.

"Me personally, I have bipolar disorder," Marks said ... "I get a little anxious sometimes, and you know how I cool out is I listen to music ... and just listen to the words and just relax, you know, find my melody."

Sources connected to Marks tell TMZ ... the chef may have been in a manic state associated with bipolar disorder during his encounter with police last week.

One source tells us, "He may not have even understood that the group of people approaching him were in fact police."

Marks has been charged with aggravated battery on a peace officer and attempting to disarm a peace officer stemming from the incident. If convicted, he faces a max of 14 years in prison.

We're told ... Josh's Chicago lawyer, Bart Beals, is gunning to have the case thrown out for lack of probable cause.

So ... someone grabbed a feminine hygiene product and fired it at One Direction this weekend, which inspired the following comment from one of our producers:

Rick: "Some girl would rather bleed out than listen to their music."

Jamie Lee Curtis got in a serious car accident Thursday ... and was taken by ambulance to a hospital ... after Jodie Foster came to the rescue -- TMZ has learned.

The accident occurred in a highly trafficked area of Venice, CA Thursday morning. Jamie was a passenger in a black Yukon SUV, which crashed into a BMW.

Two people -- including Jamie -- were taken in 2 separate ambulances to the ER. We're told Jamie's injuries were minor ... and she's already home and resting. As for the other person ... we're told the injuries were more serious.

Now get this ... a witness tells TMZ ... immediately after the crash, Jamie called Jodie Foster, who showed up almost immediately -- just like out of a movie.

In related news... here's a funny comment:

Amanda Bynes was just shut down in her bid to leave the psychiatric hospital where she has been held against her will for more than a week ... TMZ has learned.

Amanda appeared before a judge in the psych ward, as her lawyer argued there was no legal basis to hold her for the two additional weeks ... sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ.

We broke the story ... Amanda was placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold 10 days ago after starting a fire in the driveway of a home near L.A. The hold lasted 3 days, and then doctors stepped in and got a judge to extend the hold for 2 additional weeks so they could properly diagnose her.

Our sources say Amanda's lawyer argued at today's hearing the actress was capable of caring for herself and she was not a danger to others. As we reported, Amanda is actually doing a lot better since doctors have started giving her a cocktail of meds. We're told there are clear signs Amanda is schizophrenic.

In the end the judge agreed with the doctors, that Amanda needed to stay in the hospital because her mental situation is still precarious. Amanda does not acknowledge she has a mental illness, and doctors believe there's more than a good chance she would not take the meds that have stabilized her if she's out on her own.

His face was blasted open ... his eyes were swollen shut ... but MMA fighter Mike Barreras still posed for a photo after getting destroyed in a Bellator fight -- and the pic is NASTY!!!!

Barreras' ass-whooping came at the hands of Bubba Jenkins -- who put a hurting on Mike during an undercard fight at "Bellator 97," which aired on Spike TV.

Amanda Bynes is doing remarkably better ... she's stabilized, not hearing voices and it's all because of a cocktail ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... doctors at the psychiatric hospital where she's being held have given her a combination of meds -- referred to as a cocktail -- to control what appears to be schizophrenia.

Our sources say Amanda responded quickly and dramatically. We're told in the last 3 days, Amanda has stopped talking to herself and stopped insulting people. To the contrary, we're told she's become downright polite, even saying "please" and "thank you." She has shown no signs of violence.

The progress is all the more stunning because these cocktails are notoriously difficult to gauge -- getting the right combination of meds with the right doses is something of a crap shoot. Our sources say the meds take 7 to 10 days to fully kick in, so they're not declaring victory yet, but they're optimistic.

But there's an ironic twist. Amanda is scheduled to have a court hearing today ... where she's trying to get out of the psych hospital. The fact that she's doing better can actually help her case, but we're told doctors are confident the judge will not let her out for several reasons. First, it's unclear if the meds will work long-term. Also, it's highly uncertain she'll voluntarily take the drugs.

One more thing. There are reports Amanda's parents may back off the conservatorship if she does better in the psych ward. Our sources say that is "absolutely untrue." Amanda's parents feel it's essential for her to get long-term care and supervision.

MasterChef finalist Josh Marks wasn't in his right mind during a bizarre, violent encounter with University of Chicago cops this week -- so says Josh's lawyer, who tells TMZ, doctors are currently evaluating him to determine whether he's suffering from a mental illness.

Josh's attorney Lisa Marie Butler tells us, “We are working closely with medical professionals to determine if Josh's behavior could be related to mental health symptoms."

She adds, "The Josh that you are hearing about in police reports this morning is not the spirited Gentle Giant that we know.”

As we reported, 26-year-old 7-foot-2 Marks was arrested by University of Chicago police Monday after allegedly punching a cop and trying to grab his gun. 3 officers tried to subdue Marks with batons and pepper spray, but he broke free and took off running.

It eventually took 5 officers to chase him down and handcuff him. Once in custody, cops claim Marks blamed Gordon Ramsay for his outburst, claiming the celeb chef had possessed him and turned him into God. We're told there was no evidence of drug use.

Multiple sources close to Marks believe he suffers from bipolar disorder. Fellow "MasterChef" contestant Tali Clavijo tells us, "Josh was two different people ... He seemed to always be a party guy, but he had this other side trying to be good." He added, "He had split personalities."

Randy Travis' ticker is at least good enough for him to leave the hospital -- he was released today -- but he's not fully out of the woods yet.

The country superstar was sprung from Baylor Heart Hospital in Texas today, and was transferred to a physical therapy facility ... according to hospital officials.

It's a small step forward for Randy -- who's been in bad shape since July 7 ... when he was first hospitalized for cardiomyopathy ... a condition that enlarges and weakens the heart.

He also suffered a stroke while getting treatment.

It's unclear how long Randy will have to undergo physical therapy.