Super Bowl

Demi Lovato will sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV in February -- one of her first live performances since suffering an overdose back in 2018.

Lovato has serious experience singing the Anthem at major sporting events -- she had the honors at the big Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight back in 2017.

But, her life hit some speed bumps since then and she was hospitalized in July 2018 after nearly dying from an overdose likely caused by Oxy laced with Fentanyl.

Before that Lovato had admitted falling off the wagon after nearly 6 years of sobriety.

Now, Lovato appears healthy and sober and ready to make a public comeback -- and it doesn't get much bigger than the Super Bowl!!!

FYI, if you're one of those degenerate gamblers who likes to bet on the over/under for length of the National Anthem performance ... here's some advice -- Demi's rendition at the Conor vs. Floyd fight went almost 2 minutes and 15 seconds ... so, don't bet on short!

Even Tom Brady ain't above busting Julian Edelman's balls when it comes to his allegedly drunken car smashing arrest ...

The New England Patriots QB cracked a little joke at the WR's expense on social media Tuesday ... flashing a bottle of his TB12 Electrolytes with the caption, "[Edelman] it sounds like you need some of this."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Brady's favorite target (and last year's Super Bowl MVP) was arrested for vandalism Saturday night in Beverly Hills after cops say he jumped on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz.

Our law enforcement sources tell us it appeared as if Edelman had been drinking before the incident. He was partying with ex-Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce and former New England Patriots teammate Danny Amendola earlier in the night. The group had been hanging out at Cantina Frida while the Ravens were losing to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional playoff game.

No one expected the Titans to wreck Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ... that is, no one except Chris Johnson ... and he tells TMZ Sports his old team is about to pull off ANOTHER huge upset!!

Mike Vrabel's squad came away with the 28-12 dub over Baltimore in the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday (they were 10 point underdogs) ... one week after taking down Tom Brady and the Patriots.

CJ2K says the Titans ain't done yet, 'cause he tells us Tennessee is about to take down Patrick Mahomes and co. in the AFC Championship game and punch some tickets to Miami.

"Man, listen, the Ravens had a explosive offense as well," CJ tells us. "We went in there and we did what we had to do. We held them to 12 points. so, we gon' do the same thing this week."

CJ -- who was so pumped about the win, he made t-shirts -- jokes that he's getting so good with his predictions, he deserves a TV deal!!

"I've been right on the head. I've been predicting it every week."

Jennifer Lopez performing at the SB Halftime show will be HUGE for the Latino community -- but to make it truly momentous, others should join ... so says John Leguizamo.

We got the veteran actor Sunday at LAX, where he was touching down ahead of the Critics' Choice Awards later tonight. The guy's one of the nominees for his work on "When They See Us," and he was definitely in a chatty mood. Today's topic ... Super Bowl LIV.

Our camera guy asked if J Lo performing -- alongside Shakira and, possibly, Pitbull too -- is a good thing for Hispanics at large. John certainly seems to think so ... telling us every Latinx person watching will probably be at home doing a little dance in celebration.

He took it one step further though, offering up a bunch of other big Hispanic names who could show face during the performance and really amp things up. Among them ... Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Maluma, Cardi B and even Mariah Carey -- who comes from Afro-Latina descent. JL notes even if she doesn't usually identify as such, he's claiming her regardless.

Jennifer Lopez has friends in high places ... and her star power was on display while shooting a Super Bowl commercial.

J Lo put in some serious work Thursday at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, where she was on set with her fiance Alex Rodriguez, mega-producer DJ Khaled, rockstar Steven Van Zandt and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

TMZ's obtained behind-the-scenes pics and vids showing Jennifer rocking a tight white outfit from head-to-toe, and flanked by a huge filming crew. A-Rod's wardrobe included a blue sport coat, while DJ Khaled was, of course, wearing an eye-catching, bright yellow tracksuit -- and cracking up everyone on set.

99.6 MILLION people watched the 2018 "League of Legends" championships ... just a few million shy of the 2018 Super Bowl numbers.

And, Rick Fox says it's only a matter of time before "LoL" eclipses the NFL.

Fox is an Esports pioneer who famously founded Team Echo Fox -- which competes in everything from "Fortnite" to "CS:GO" and even "Mortal Kombat."

Fox says he's been watching the sport explode ... so he wasn't shocked when fellow gaming titan FaZe Banks told TMZ Sports recently there will be an Esports event that will pull in a bigger audience than the Super Bowl.

"As much as we love football in North America, it's not international to the level of gaming," Fox says.

"'League of Legends' is a huge global event. It's already got numbers right below the Super Bowl so it's coming ... it grows every year."

"Everything is so online now, technology has unlocked the ability for those people in foreign countries, or regardless of where you are in the world, to connect."

Fox also says the sport is finally growing massive stars with global appeal -- like Faker, who Fox considers the Michael Jordan of gaming.

FYI, Faker is a 23-year-old "LoL" legend from South Korea who's already racked up more than $1.2 MILLION in prize money.

In fact, Fox says he recently had a chance to play with Faker to raise money for the Bahamas Relief Foundation ... so shout out to Faker for that!

You're looking at the two scumbags who allegedly jacked a Super Bowl XLVI ring from a retired NY Giants linebacker's L.A. home ... and now the player is begging for its return.

The footage belongs to Spencer Paysinger, who was a rookie back in 2011 when the Giants miraculously beat the New England Patriots in one of the best title games ever.

Paysinger says he left a window open to air out his home on March 17 -- when two guys broke into the house and started rummaging through his stuff.

The 31-year-old -- who retired in 2017 -- says the crooks took all sorts of valuables including purses, computers and one REALLY important piece of jewelry ... the Super Bowl ring.

"I took it out recently for an elementary school Career Day and was lazy on returning to its secure location," Paysinger says.

The good news ... Paysinger had a Nest security camera in the home that captured the alleged thieves. You can see them going through the home with a flashlight while wearing gloves to hide fingerprints.

The bad news ... Paysinger says he had accidentally stopped paying to insure the ring just one month before the burglary because he changed credit cards and didn't update his autopay.

Now, Paysinger says he's desperate to get back his ring -- and promises if anyone comes forward with the item, he won't go to police.

"My Super Bowl ring should serve as a cherished family heirloom not an unfortunate event."

"If you’re reading this or if anyone knows the two young men in the video, please be assured there are no consequences tied to this post. This isn’t bait, there are no cops involved and nothing will happen to you by giving back my ring; keep the other s**t."

Forget the football hangover ... the XFL has announced it's official kickoff date -- Feb. 8 -- just 6 days after the NFL wraps up the 2019 season.

The Super Bowl goes down on Feb. 2 ... and the following weekend, the XFL will debut with a prime-time game on ABC featuring ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones.

Cardale -- a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- is the face of the D.C. Defenders, which takes on the Seattle Dragons, coached by Jim Zorn.

The Defenders also feature WR Max McCaffrey -- brother of Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Dragons roster features former NY Jets tight end Jace Amaro, a 2nd-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Later that day, a 2nd XFL game will air on FOX featuring the Houston Roughnecks vs. the L.A. Wildcats.

L.A.'s roster features ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman, who is reviving his pro football career after being found NOT GUILTY in a sexual assault case.

During his college career, Oakman was at one point projected to be a high 1st-round NFL Draft pick ... until the criminal allegations derailed his career.

As for Houston, their QB is ex-Michigan State star Connor Cook, a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Ex-Auburn star WR Sammie Coates, a 3rd-round NFL Draft pick, is also on the Roughnecks.

This will be the first XFL season since version 1.0 in 2001 ... and Vince McMahon insists he's doing everything in his power to make it work this time around.

Rihanna is opening up on her decision to turn down the NFL's invitation to perform at the Super Bowl last year ... saying she "couldn't dare do that" to Colin Kaepernick.

It was widely reported RiRi rejected an offer to perform on Feb. 3 2019 for the SB 53 halftime show -- the biggest entertainment event in the world -- because she believed the controversial NFL QB was being blackballed.

In her cover story with Vogue, the singer confirmed she was taking a stand against the league.

"I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people," Rihanna says ... "I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler."

"There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

Jennifer Lopez might be considered a star because of her TV career, but she's not a big enough name in music to land the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Miami ... at least according to Uncle Luke.

The former 2 Live Crew frontman is standing by his criticism of Jay-Z and the NFL for choosing J Lo and Shakira as headliners for SB54 ... because he feels Pitbull and Flo Rida are at a higher level.

Uncle Luke tells us there's a very short list of performers -- and most of them are no longer alive -- who warrant top-billing for a Super Bowl no matter where it's being played ... and Lopez isn't on it.

So, he's doubling down on his stance that the upcoming Miami SB should feature famous artists who are actually from the city ... and the current duo doesn't qualify.

Jay-Z's work with the NFL is already falling short on his promise of diversity, making him look like nothing more than a pawn and the "token black guy" ... so says Uncle Luke.

The former 2 Live Crew frontman was quite outspoken with us when we asked him to elaborate on his op-ed in the Miami New Times ... in which he said Jay and the NFL were slapping Miami's talent pool in the face by booking J Lo and Shakira as headliners for the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show.

He says the fact that Jay -- who, along with Roc Nation, is now heading up the entertainment side of things in the NFL -- didn't hire a local performer of color is a betrayal.

Watch ... Luke even goes so far as to say that Jay's essentially acting as a straw man for the league thus far, and gives him an F rating when it comes to mixing up the acts.

Bruce Springsteen seems stoked to see Jennifer Lopez and Shakira at the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show -- but, interestingly, he's not yearning for some good ol' rock 'n' roll.

We got the Boss Sunday in NYC, where we asked what he thought of the pop duo being announced as the headliners for Super Bowl LIV in February ... and he told us he thought they'd put on a fabulous show come halftime. He's a big fan of theirs, apparently.

Then, our photog asked an interesting question -- in light of Bruce's epic Halftime Show back in 2009, does he think Roger Goodell and co. are pivoting way too hard toward pop music ... and snubbing classic rock acts in the process for the big stage?

Jennifer Lopez runs her business like Tom Brady runs the 2-minute offense with the game on the line ... with fierce tenacity for a payday, which is the only way to describe her new perfume launch.

J Lo launched her new fragrance, Promise by Jennifer Lopez, Thursday night in NYC ... and just hours after she and Shakira were announced co-headliners for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. As you know ... artists don't get paid for the gig, but don't tell J Lo that cause the gig's gonna bring her even more attention, which could translate to big bucks.

As we reported ... J Lo has said performing at the Halftime Show had been a bucket list thing for her. Makes sense .... nearly 100 million people watched the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The gig guarantees a spike in sales for the artists performing during the break.

But, with the Super Bowl LIV still 4 months away ... odds are J Lo wanted to pounce and capitalize on the buzz surrounding her announcement.

Lamar Jackson's college coach, Bobby Petrino, says Jackson is 100% the real deal ... so much so, he has NO doubt LJ will hoist the Lomabardi Trophy one day.

Petrino coached Jackson during his Heisman Trophy run at Louisville, and told us he's always been impressed with Lamar's play at quarterback, despite early talk that LJ should switch positions.

"It wasn't how well he ran that impressed me, it's how well he threw the football."

Lamar's been tearing it up in NFL this season, sporting an INSANE 113.9 QB rating with 7 touchdown passes ... and Bobby says it's just the beginning of the ride.

"He said he wanted to win a Super Bowl, you see that commitment and drive there. He is very driven and works very hard, so I'm gonna expect him to win a Super Bowl."

Hold on, Ravens fans ... we're not sure if Bobby is talking about this year or sometime in the future, but his confidence is crystal clear.

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's hips won't be lying in Miami come February ... the superstars are co-headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The singers made a cryptic announcement Thursday on social media ... posting images of each other in very similar outfits -- but without revealing their faces. They captioned their posts, "Get ready" and "This is happening."

Pepsi then posted the big reveal image showing both women's faces. BTW ... makes sense the NFL would draft co-headliners for the Miami event, because deuces are wild -- the Super Bowl date is 02/02/20.

When the NFL announced its new partnership with Jay-Z, it said his company, Roc Nation, would be helping secure talent for the Super Bowl Halftime Shows. We're told Roc Nation was heavily involved in closing this deal -- and we also hear ... there will be a few more surprise acts joining J Lo and Shakira.

If Eli Manning never plays another down in the NFL, his next stop is Canton ... so says Warren Moon, who tells TMZ Sports the NY Giants QB is 100% a Hall of Famer.

The G-Men just announced Manning will ride the pine as rookie Daniel Jones takes over as the starter in Week 3 ... sparking debate over whether Eli will be considered among the all-time greats when he calls it a career.

Moon -- who was inducted into the Hall in 2006 -- says they better start getting Manning's jacket measurements now ... 'cause there's no way he WON'T get in.

"I think he is based off his numbers and what he's able to do as a team as well," Moon told the fellas on the TMZ Sports TV show, airing Tuesday night on FS1.

"He's definitely put together a career that's Hall of Fame worthy."

FYI -- Manning's 8th in all-time TDs passed (362) and 7th in passing yards (56,537). And, oh yeah ... 2 Super Bowls don't hurt either.

"I've just looked at his body of work ... and he's won the championships, which is something very important to the voters when you go into that room," Moon adds.

"He's got 2 of them and he was the MVP in both of those games. That's gonna bode well for him."