TV

Gotta hand out props when props are due ... and Maurice Jones-Drew and Ike Taylor deserve some for getting as far as they did on the "Team Ninja Warrior" course.

The ex-NFL stars hit up Universal Studios Hollywood yesterday and put their skills to the test ... and it was all caught on video.

Look, they weren't exactly Kacy Catanzaro out there ... but they managed to navigate a few of the obstacles -- which (if you watch the show) is a lot further than a lot of people get!

Fellas, watch the video below ... study ... try again.

Peyton Manning's got one HUGE obstacle to overcome if he wants to slay at the "Comedy Central Roast" of Rob Lowe -- but Jeff Ross says the QB is already showing serious promise.

"Athletes are funny, but they don't always take a joke well," Ross told us at The Comedy Store in L.A.

"They're usually very sensitive."

FYI, several athletes have been featured on 'Roasts' in the past -- including Warren Sapp, Mike Tyson and Shaq.

The good news for Manning ... Ross says Peyton has already proved he has thick skin -- and expects nothing less than hilarity when #18 takes the stage.

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan's TV studio was a dark and dangerous place -- and not only because of their feud -- according to an audience member who says she had a trippy and painful experience.

The woman, named Judith, says her January 2014 visit to "Live with Kelly and Michael" included a hard fall on her ass, and she's blaming it on an incompetent employee leading her through a poorly lit area of the studio with cables all over the place.

She's not specific about exactly how she went down, but in the lawsuit she just filed ... she mentions the words "negligent" and "negligence" dozens of times while describing the scene. She calls it "trap like" conditions.

A couple of kids are trying to take down "Empire" -- or at least take some of the show's money -- for stopping them from getting an education ... behind bars.

The kids are teenage juvenile detention center inmates in Chicago ... and they say their home away from home was upset when Terrence Howard and Chris Rock swooped in last year to shoot scenes for season two's premiere episodes.

According to them all the kids at Cook Co. Juvenile Temporary Detention Center were put on lockdown -- held in cells and pods -- during nearly 2 weeks of shooting. While in lockdown, they had no access to the rec yard, library, and chapel ... and family visits were interrupted.

The teens say their education was turned upside down too because although teachers were sent to cells and pods ... they say the tutoring was not effective. As they put it, "This was 'school' in name only," and often times "chaotic."

The teen inmates have boned up on TV accounting too -- they point out the "Empire" episodes made a ton of cash ... up to $750k per 30 second commercial, and they want a cut. They've filed the class action suit against FOX, Cook County and the warden.

50 Cent just got tapped by infamous drug lord Big Meech -- considered hip-hop's Pablo Escobar -- to make a movie about his life, and 50's got prison letters to prove it.

The rapper posted the letter Meech sent him, shouting out Fiddy's TV series, "Power" ... and giving him and producer Randall Emmett his blessing to work on his biopic.

Big Meech co-founded the notorious Black Mafia Family, got arrested in 2005 and is currently doing 30 years in prison -- but back in the day he kicked it with Jay Z, Fabolous, Young Jeezy and many more.

Perfect time for the approval letter ... 50 recently announced his "B.M.F" project will be coming soon to Starz, which airs "Power."

Tyler Perry's color-blind ... and he's firing back at all the haters giving him crap over his new TV series.

We caught up with him Monday night at Craig's in WeHo and our photog asked him about all the criticism he's getting for his eight-part series, "Too Close to Home," on TLC.

Yes, it's a mostly white cast ... but the genius behind the 'Madea' movies thinks people need to see it differently.

Billy Bush says Matt Lauer did NOT bigfoot him out of the coveted first sit-down interview with Ryan Lochte ... telling TMZ Sports it was Lochte who called the shots.

So, how does a man who calls himself the "Demon King" celebrate winning the WWE Universal Championship???

By hanging out with Mr. and Mrs. Demon King.

We got Finn Balor out in NYC moments ago -- and he told us there was no insane raging at the clubs after he beat up Seth Rollins at "SummerSlam" at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

BONUS -- He also told us what special meal he chowed on during the victory celebration with the folks.

There are reports Balor suffered an injury to his right arm Sunday night -- but as far as we could tell from the clip, he didn't appear to be wearing a brace ... then again, he was wearing a jacket.

Hopefully, he's okay.

Ryan Lochte is one week into his Olympic lie, and he still doesn't understand what he did.

Lochte told Matt Lauer the Rio gas station folks were out of line to point a gun at his head because he did nothing wrong.

As we all now know ... Lochte and his crew damaged the bathroom and were leaving without paying, and gas station security claim they brandished the weapon so the swimmers didn't leave until cops arrived.

Lindsay Lohan is trying to be a tougher negotiator against Russia than either Clinton or Trump could ever be ... because she's demanding a queen's ransom for an interview on Ruski TV.

We've learned Lindsay was offered to appear on the most popular talk show in Russia -- "Pust govoryat." The show airs on Channel 1, a state-owned station.

The host wants to interview her about her relationship and breakup with ex-fiance Egor Tarabasov. Our Russian spies got us a copy of Channel 1's letter to Lindsay, in which they say, "Please send the list of demands."

Lindsay sent her demands alright ...

-- a private jet

-- security

-- 1 year Russian visa with extension

-- 500,000 British pounds

-- hair, makeup and manicurist onboard jet

-- Ritz-Carlton penthouse suite

Oh, and one other thing. She wants to meet with President Vladimir Putin and get photos with him.

Jack Riley -- the voice of "Rugrats" fave, Stu Pickles, and co-star of "The Bob Newhart Show" -- has died of pneumonia.

Jack famously played Elliot Carlin, one Newhart's super neurotic patients, during all 6 seasons of the classic '70s TV sitcom.

More recently he was the father of Tommy and Dil Pickles in the "Rugrats" cartoon series and movies. Jack also starred in several Mel Brooks movies and had tons of guest roles on huge TV shows such as "MASH," "Happy Days," and 'Mary Tyler Moore.'

Riley's wife told Deadline, Jack passed away Friday in Los Angeles. He was 80.

The star of 'Night Of' -- that TV show you keep hearing about -- isn't just a great actor, he's got some rap cred too ... just ask his co-star on the show, Sticky Fingaz.

Riz Ahmed is getting a lot of buzz for his role on the HBO hit, but he's also been doing music in his native land, England for a long time. So, we asked Sticky if he and Riz chopped it up about a possible collab.

Sticky's not ruling it out, although his Onyx partner Fredro Starr seems ... let's say, less sold on the idea.

Could Riz make it on the U.S. charts? Check out Sticky's take, and one of Riz MC's hits.

The famous 'Brady Bunch' house became more than just a tourist attraction Wednesday ... cops say it was a target for a couple thieves.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the North Hollywood home -- used for exterior shots during the show -- was broken into through a sliding glass door around 10:30 PM by 2 men who ransacked the main floor.

We're told the homeowner, an elderly woman, was upstairs and could hear them, so she flipped on a light and saw the 2 guys dart away.

The writer Thomas Gibson kicked on the set of "Criminal Minds" had his own issues with violence on the set of "ER" -- and Gibson might use it to fight back against his firing ... TMZ has learned.

Virgil Williams wrote for "ER" back in 2006 and was also a player/manager for the show's softball team. Our sources say Virgil went ballistic when he got wind a female production assistant was going to take his spot on the team.

Multiple "ER" sources tell us Williams called the woman into his office, closed the door and went off -- threatening her life, and promising to ruin her career. We're told it never got physical, but still, the 22-year-old PA was left in tears.

The show suspended Williams and ordered him to take anger management classes. Sources close to the writer tell us he learned his lesson, and hasn't had any issues in the workplace since then.

Thomas is aware of Virgil's past, and we've learned he's prepared to use it. We're told he feels he was wrongfully fired from "Criminal Minds" -- he insists the kick was in self-defense and Virgil rushed him and got in his face -- and is strongly considering legal action.

Sources at ABC, the producers of 'Criminal,' reiterate their investigation showed Thomas was the aggressor, and Virgil's keeping his job.

Peyton Manning got himself a job this NFL season after all ... ROASTER ... and his target will be Rob Lowe.

The ex-QB will be on the dais during the "Comedy Central Roast" of Peyton's fellow DirecTV pitchman -- which airs on Labor Day.

David Spade will serve as Roast Master -- and will get some help from his old "Tommy Boy" co-star Bo Derek.

Ryan Lochte is changing his tune about the alleged Rio robbery ... sorta ... with new claims about the incident that don't exactly jive with the story he told Billy Bush.

First, Matt Lauer says Lochte now insists he did NOT have a gun pressed up against his forehead during the incident -- but rather, one of the gunmen was pointing the gun in his general direction.

Lauer says he noticed one other difference when he spoke with the swimmer on the phone Wednesday night.

Lochte now says he did not get "pulled over" by men posing as police -- but rather, 2 men approached their taxi while it was parked at a gas station, where Lochte had used the restroom. Lochte says the crew tried to tell the taxi driver to go, but he wouldn't.

Lochte says he feels the differences are nothing more than a "traumatic mischaracterization."

Lauer says he asked Lochte if he made the story up to cover up something else the swimmers were doing that night -- and Ryan adamantly denied that.