Ride Me

The monster is back in Jesse James' garage ... he's returning to reality TV after a 14-year hiatus with a reboot of his hit show.

Jesse is coming back to Discovery Channel with a brand new season of "Monster Garage" ... and he's coming in hot too. We're told the garage will be filled with upgrades, including some cutting-edge technology ... and a renewed passion for creating mind-blowing vehicles.

In the 14 years since "Monster Garage" ended, Jesse's been traveling the world, expanding his skill set in forging and blacksmith work -- learning from some of the best in the biz -- and now he's ready to unleash his new talents.

The first run of "Monster Garage" went like this -- Jesse and his 5-person team would modify vehicles into multi-tasking machines. For instance, there was a PT Cruiser that doubled as a wood chipper, a school bus that turned into a pontoon boat, and a police car that could morph into a donut shop.

It was cool stuff back then, but now Jesse says he's excited to step back into the garage to push the limits even more by showing what his team can do when they refuse to quit.

The reboot premieres later this year ... get ya popcorn ready!!!

"The Batman" isn't all work and no play -- as you can see he takes a load off whenever possible, and lets Hollywood magic do the rest. Case in point ... cool-guy stuntman A.

Matt Reeves' upcoming superhero epic about the early years of The Dark Knight is in the middle of filming right now out in Scotland -- and on Saturday ... the crew got some shots of Batsy riding around on his motorcycle. Well, sorta ... they got a close-up of his arm.

Check it out ... you see the stuntman -- doesn't really look like Robert Pattinson under there -- sitting next to the Batbike which is on top of a moving platform being pulled by a truck. The dude's got the Batsuit on, but he's not rockin' the cowl, 'cause there's no need.

Looks like this shot is just of the hero's arm gripping the handlebars, so the stunt double's chilling with a beanie on and a pair of shades as they run through it a couple times.

This mild shoot day isn't nearly as involved or complete as the one from a few days ago when what appeared to be another stuntman was doing a complete motorcycle ride through a graveyard, complete with a mask and some falls off the bike. Bat-mode, initiated!

Of course, this all comes about a week or so after Matt showed off what Pattinson's gonna look like in a sneak peek test shot (more or less), which already had fans squawking.

As for this latest look ... we're getting Caped Ski Bum vibes.

Australian F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo is paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant with his helmet as the new season kicks off ... showing off a design that would be Mamba-approved.

Ricciardo showed up for the opening of the Formula One preseason with an all-purple helmet ... and later on in the morning, had the design added to complete the NBA legend-inspired look.

The helmet has "KB8" and "KB24" below the visor ... as well as a snake and the words "Mamba Mentality" on top.

Ricciardo is a big NBA supporter and lives in L.A. ... so we take it he was a big fan of Kobe.

The helmet will be used throughout the preseason ... and Ricciardo will reveal a new design in time for the Australian Grand Prix next month.

The Kobe tributes have been pouring in since the tragic accident in January ... from the All-Star Game MVP trophy name change to many Bryant tattoos to players changing their jersey numbers.

A super passionate (and rich!) Kobe Bryant fan tricked out his Lamborghini to honor the Black Mamba ... and now the guy says the amazing whip can be all yours -- if you've got around $170k!!

Joe Carbonara tells TMZ Sports he was so devastated after Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash ... he wanted to honor them with his 2015 Lamborghini Huracan.

Carbonara says he took the ride -- which used to be a generic silver color -- to X-Treme Graphics near Chicago to get the tribute art put on.

We're told the shop's owner, Steve Zielinski, loved the idea of the project so much ... he spent TWO FULL DAYS wrapping it in Lakers purple and gold vinyl.

"I had to make sure it was good and not overdone," Zielinski tells us. "And, we didn't charge for it."

The results of the work were impressive ... Kobe's numbers, pictures of Bryant and Gigi, the Mamba's logo and even the names of all nine crash victims are featured on the ride.

In fact, the job was so well done ... the Lambo -- now dubbed the Kobe24Lambo -- gained national attention when it was seen driving around NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

But now, Carbonara -- who was trying to unload the Lambo prior to wrapping it -- says he's willing to let a new owner enjoy the car ... saying the ride is officially up for sale with a price tag of $170k.

In the meantime, Carbonara says you might be seeing the car in music videos and at special events ... saying he's been getting requests to show off the ride EVERYWHERE!!

You'd think NOT carrying a loaded gun at an airport checkpoint would be a no-brainer ... but it's a lesson rapper Gorilla Zoe has learned the hard way, at least according to cops.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade Police tells TMZ ... cops responded to a checkpoint at Miami International Airport around 11 PM Monday night where a TSA supervisor told them the rapper tried entering a checkpoint with a loaded .380 caliber pistol in his carry-on.

We're told it didn't take long for cops to secure the firearm and arrest Zoe for carrying a concealed weapon. Now, he does have a concealed carry permit, but cops say it's suspended.

He was booked at Miami-Dade jail, and released around 5 AM after posting $500 bond.

Jubilee Sharpe -- who appeared in Ben Higgins' season of "The Bachelor" -- better hope she does better in court than she did in rose ceremonies ... she got a DUI in South Florida.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Jubilee was busted Sunday for DUI in West Palm Beach, Florida. She was released under her own recognizance. It's unclear, at this point, what led to her arrest. We know she grew up in nearby Fort Lauderdale.

Jubilee -- an Army veteran who had a tough upbringing in an orphanage -- was famous for straight-up asking Ben during a group date if he saw a future with her. Ben said no and sent her packing. She finished in 11th place but would later return to seasons 3 and 5 for "Bachelor in Paradise."

Just when you thought technology couldn't get any crazier, Dubai turns the corner in the jetpack game ... and their latest gizmo's got us thinking superheroes here.

The Crown Prince, Hamdan Mohammed, linked to a video Monday morning showing off a sweet flight path taken by pilot Vince Reffe --- referred to as Jetman Dubai -- who flies around the city with an incredibly advanced jetpack that lets him zip around like Iron Man.

Check it out ... the dude doesn't just hover (which we've seen before). He actually reaches high-level altitudes here -- supposedly, as much as 1,800 meters in the air. And, BTW, this thing is pretty damn fast ... he reached these heights in a matter of seconds.

Not only that, but the pilot even does some light aerobatics up there before eventually using a parachute to come safely back down. There's a GoPro-like camera attached to the wings of the jetpack, so you get an up-close-and-personal look at his journey. It's wild.

President Trump is pretty stoked to be at the Daytona 500 --  so much so, in fact, he might even get behind the wheel himself and zoom off into the night. Settle down, Donnie.

45's down in Florida right now taking in the annual NASCAR race with the First Lady, Melania, and while talking to a FOX Sports reporter, he made it clear he wants to drive again. It's funny and actually kinda interesting ... DT can't really do that anymore, huh?

In a somewhat rambling response, Trump calls Daytona "the great American race," going on to say he stopped by because he sees it as "almost a patriotism kind of thing." Well said!

Trump also gave a shout-out to the drivers, saying it takes great courage to drive in such a beast of a vehicle. Sounds like he wants to take one for a spin, actually -- joking he might hop in one himself and "get in this race." He won't, obviously, but imagine if he did 😅.

Another humorous moment during POTUS's Daytona day out -- he made sure to point out where exactly God is to the people listening to his opening remarks to kick off the event.

Wendi Williams, the woman whose reclined seat was repeatedly punched by a passenger on an American Airlines flight, is ready to pick another fight ... this time with the airline!!!

Wendi tells us she met with an attorney Friday to discuss legal options she can take against AA ... and she's threatening the airline with a defamation lawsuit!

Williams is bristling over what an American Airlines rep told TMZ -- that the whole seat-reclining incident started when she first reclined and knocked over the other passenger's drink. Wendi claims it never happened. BTW, even if she did, it would have been an accident and no big deal.

She believes she was slandered when AA accused her of being disruptive, spilling a drink and also all the things that the flight attendant said to her on the plane -- that she was the bad person in the dispute -- all defamatory, Williams says. BUT ... she's not interested in suing the passenger, although she's told us she'd like to see him prosecuted for assault.

Wendi also claims she was respectful to everyone else on the plane and didn't make a scene. Remember, she previously told us a flight attendant handed her a passenger disturbance notice for refusing to delete her video of the man behind her punching her chair.

As for the reclining-seat debate ... Wendi says the airlines should be the ones determining if it's an issue, not fellow passengers.

Wendi's also got another threat for AA ... telling us, "They have pushed me way too far, literally and figuratively." Them's fighting words ... as in lawsuit.

AA's drawing its own line in the sand ... a source at the airline tells us Wendi reached out Tuesday asking for compensation, but she won't see any money because AA sees this as a passenger vs. passenger dispute.

We're also told AA won't be referring the incident to authorities, and it's up to Wendi if she wants to go down that road.

Well, this is pretty shocking ... the head honcho at Delta seems to think the woman on the American Airlines flight who reclined her seat -- only to have the passenger behind her treat her seatback like a punching bag -- was out of line.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Friday, said it's an etiquette issue ... if a passenger knows a tall person is sitting behind them, they should ask permission before they recline. Presumably, that means if the person declines then the passenger can't recline.

That certainly isn't the way our users feel -- by a 2-1 margin they support the woman on an AA jet who put her seat all the way back, only to have the dude behind her attack the seat like a boxer in training.

To recline or not recline? To punch or not to punch? Two super pissed off American Airlines passengers have everyone asking those questions, and ultimately ... the FBI might have to get involved.

A woman named Wendi Williams, of all things, recorded this video of the guy sitting behind her on a Jan. 31 AA flight from New Orleans to Charlotte. She posted it last week, but now it's gone viral because you see the guy repeatedly punching her seat.

As for WHY wannabe-Tyson was treating Wendi's seat like a speed bag -- she says it's because she had the nerve to recline. We think it's relevant that his last row seat could not recline. At one point in the video he leaned forward and said something to Wendi that sounds like, "This is a turbulent flight." It's hard to make out over the jet engines, but whatever he said he was clearly jabbing, verbally this time, at Wendi.

Wendi says things got even more annoying when she reported him to a flight attendant ... who she claims "rolled her eyes," told Wendi to stop recording video, and gave Ali Jr. some rum for his troubles.

Wendi says she's escalating matters by pressing charges with the FBI against the "man who mistook me for a punching bag." She says American apologized, but hasn't accepted responsibility for the flight attendant fueling up Mayweather-in-training with booze.

BTW, Wendi also claims she's had to get x-rays, has headaches and lost time from work since going 12 rounds with her fellow passenger.

Madison Beer splurged for her personal assistant's 30th birthday gift ... and we ain't talking expensive booze or jewelry, more like luxury wheels.

The surprise reveal went down Monday night in L.A. after the singer and some friends celebrated her assistant's birthday. When dinner ended, Madison handed her assistant a bag, but it turned out to be empty. It was also a ruse.

Check out the vid ... you can see Madison pull out a key fob to a brand new Mercedes-Benz C300. Suffice it to say ... Madison's assistant was stunned and damn near speechless.

Helluva gesture, especially 'cause Madison knew about her assistant's car trouble for a while. We're told her assistant's 12-year-old whip kept breaking down. It's a car she used a lot to run Madison's errands and whatnot. Madison also knew her assistant's dream was to one day own a white Benz. Madison delivered, and then some ... a white-on-white model that tends to run upwards of $50k.

Goes without saying, Madison is super close with her assistant, and knew this would blow her mind. She was dead-on, as you can see in the video -- which also reveals a sweet new nickname for boss Beer.

Lori Harvey is lucky she escaped a sneak attack in a parking structure -- and if not for her quick-thinking skills her car might have been jacked ... TMZ has learned.

Steve Harvey's daughter had just parked her 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan at an apartment complex in Atlanta Wednesday night ... and made her way to the trunk to grab some stuff. That’s when the suspect crept up and ran to jump in the driver's seat.

According to the police report -- obtained by TMZ -- Lori told cops the suspect was a young black guy who tried to steal her ride. We’re told Lori actually ran toward him and struggled with him as he was sitting in the SUV ... but he pushed her away.

Lori told cops that's when she realized she could just walk away with the key fob to thwart the attempted auto theft -- because it can't be put in drive without it. We’re told she simply walked away nonchalantly.

As she did, a second suspect pulled up in a getaway car, hopped out, ran to the back of her Rolls and grabbed a red duffel bag. Both he and the first suspect jumped in their vehicle and fled.

Clean getaway, but according to the report they didn't get much. The duffel bag was the only item stolen, and it only contained some clothing.

Cops say Lori didn't complain of any injuries and refused medical treatment. She told police she was returning from Whole Foods, so cops are looking to see if any surveillance cameras may have captured the suspects tailing her into the lot.

Here's what you get for the man that has everything ...

Cristiano Ronaldo was surprised by his smokin' hot GF with a brand-new Mercedes for his 35th birthday ... and TMZ Sports has learned the whip cost nearly $1 MILLION!!

The insane present was given to Ronaldo after a dinner date in Italy on Wednesday night ... and CR7 -- a dude who's worth a BAJILLION dollars -- seemed legit stunned by the gift!!

The ride -- reportedly a 1-of-10 vehicle -- was draped in a red bow ... and Ronaldo's friends helped him celebrate it by dousing him in confetti and a rendition of "Feliz Cumpleanos."

Ronaldo's longtime GF, Georgina Rodriguez, said of the present in Spanish, "Congratulations to the man of my life! I can't wait to transport our love with your gift."

The ride is seriously insane ... it's got 800 horsepower, goes 0-to-60 in 2.9 seconds, and reportedly costs around $875,000!!!

Of course, Ronaldo is a huge car collector ... the dude reportedly owns around 20 super fancy rides -- so Georgina definitely won this bday.

'Vampire Diaries' actress Alice Evans lost her s**t on a YouTuber who claims she hit her car in a parking lot and drove away -- and the confrontation between the two is wild.

The vlogger is Kayla Lashae, and she captured the British star leaving her vehicle Monday afternoon in L.A. to berate Kayla after allegedly knocking her back bumper while trying to park next to her. Watch ... Alice goes ballistic over what she thought was Kayla's fault.

Alice's rationale ... Kayla had a massive vehicle parked in a compact space, and didn't allow Alice to easily get her vehicle in. Her actual breakdown of it is more ... well, impassioned.

FWIW, Kayla drives a Jeep Wrangler -- so yeah, it's a big car.

Now, Kayla tells us Alice actually backed into another vehicle during the botched parking job ... and then, allegedly, drove away without leaving a note or exchanging info with Kayla herself. Kayla says she filed a police report with LAPD as a result -- they're looking into it.

Billie Eilish is living in the fast lane ... such is life after hauling in 5 Grammys.

The 18-year-old singing sensation headed to the desert in the most northern part of L.A. County where she met up with a ton of rocket bikers for a photo shoot. There was also a cake on the set though it's unclear if the crew was actually celebrating or if it was part of the shoot. Billie's birthday, BTW, is December 18. Just so ya know.

Anyway ... Billie's also rocking a ginormous Moschino jacket. Unclear if she's trying to make a fashion statement or, again, if it's part of the photo shoot. Either way, when you bring home Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Pop Vocal Album of the Year ... wear whatever the hell ya want!!!