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Ryan Reynolds put his action hero skills to use this weekend in Brazil -- where he was almost flattened by a barricade that gave way to a massive swarm over overzealous fans.

The actor was in Sao Paulo Saturday for CCXP 2019, a comic con event which had some heavy hitters from the States on hand to plug their new movies. Ryan was promoting "Free Guy," while J.J. Abrams, Daisy Ridley and the rest of the 'Star Wars' crew were there to hype up 'The Rise of Skywalker.' MCU heads were there too ... a Disney love fest, basically.

Anyway, while Ryan was making his way down the stage platform, he hopped off to say hello to the front row fans ... seemingly wanting to shake hands and meet them face-to-face.

Well, that backfired pretty quickly ... because the barricade toppled over -- sending everyone who was reaching over straight to the ground ... and Ryan flying back himself. Gotta say, the dude's got great reflexes -- guess that's why they pay him the big bucks, huh?

All kidding aside ... it was a pretty freak moment that could've possibly injured Ryan. Good guy that he is though, he stuck around appeared to hop down and attempted to help. BTW, based on other videos, it looks like something similar happened on the other side as well.

No one seemed to be seriously injured in the ordeal, and the event reportedly carried on as scheduled. Still, a note to the tech crew ... get a stronger barriers, or move people back.

Clint Eastwood is apparently a dear to work with ... so says the director's latest leading man, Paul Walter Hauser.

We got the actor Saturday in NYC, and he dished on what it was like working with Clint on his new movie "Richard Jewell" -- which documents the scandal surrounding the real-life security guard who found a bomb ... and then got accused of being the drop man.

PWH says he had a great time on set with with Clint, telling us the dude's a straight up sweetheart -- an ego-less one that. Plus, he's a freakin' icon ... that's a given.

We also ask Paul if it was intimidating to work with someone of that caliber, and surprisingly ... he says it wasn't, even if it should've been. That's interesting, considering what more seasoned actors have said about CE, which is pretty much the exact opposite.

Tom Hanks famously said in 2016 that Clint "treats his actors like horses" in the sense that he wrangles everyone up as needed, and was seemingly a bit of a hard ass on set.

A banana duct taped to a wall -- which sold for over $100k on behalf of a renowned artist -- is now in the belly of another man ... but apparently, it's no big deal. We think ...

Performance artist David Datuna took the bold step Saturday afternoon of EATING the super expensive Musa plant down at the Art Basel gallery in Miami -- which an art collector in France recently bought for a whopping $120,000 from artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Datuna literally walked up and stripped the brown, aging banana from the wall it was taped to and peeled it open in front of lots of shocked onlookers ... who couldn't believe it.

On Instagram, he called his performance "Hungry Artist" and posted some aftermath footage of what appears to be gallery personnel sitting him down to take his info. Based on what we can tell, this is actually a no-no ... the banana is NOT supposed to be tampered with ... although the fruit itself is allowed to be replaced on a continuous basis as needed.

It's a little confusing, but basically ... the French art collector owns the "idea" of this art piece, so whether the banana itself sticks around or not doesn't affect its value. She still has the certificate of authenticity, so she's still got $120k worth of banana art to her name.

Still, it doesn't seem like the folks who work at the gallery were all too thrilled with Datuna's stunt. In footage of the incident -- obtained by TMZ -- you can hear Datuna joke about heading to jail ... but according to reports, the guy hasn't been arrested or charged with anything yet. We're told the gallery is considering pursuing a complaint though.

BTW, the banana has reportedly already been replaced. File this one under ... forbidden fruit.

All that controversy over the Peloton commercial critics are blasting for body-shaming just landed the star of it a hilarious new gig ... with Ryan Reynolds.

Monica Ruiz is the actress who plays the wife -- sorry, long-suffering wife to many -- in that Christmas gift themed fitness spot, but now she's also starring in an ad for Aviation Gin ... and it plays perfectly off all the Peloton buzz.

Based on the commercial ... the formerly spinning-crazed wife is now more interested in downing booze with her girls. The strong insinuation here is she's left the husband who "forced" her to get on the bike every day.

The ladies toast to "new beginnings" before the wife pounds her martini. One of her GFs even says, "You look great, by the way."

Of course, Aviation is Ryan's company ... and ya gotta hand it to his marketing team for capitalizing off the social media uproar over Peloton.

All the backlash against the Peloton has impacted the ad's actors -- Monica and her "hubby" Sean Hunter -- who've dodged interviews all week. Hunter did eventually speak out in "Psychology Today."

Leave it to Reynolds, though, to lighten the mood. He tweeted his company's commercial with the caption, "Exercise bike not included."

Raymond Santana -- one of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five -- just got engaged to a reality star, and tells us it wouldn't have been possible without a little Instagram flirting.

Raymond was on "TMZ Live" Friday to give us the lowdown on his engagement to "Flavor of Love" star Deelishis, to whom he proposed on Thursday during a lunch date in ATL. Ray says he was pretty sly about it, dropping a faux attitude on his girl before he popped the question.

And, for all those thirsty folks on the 'Gram ... Raymond's here to tell you why shooting your shot can pay major dividends. The story of how he and Deelishis met is so 2019, ya gotta watch the clip. Dude's a romantic.

Of course, Ava DuvVernay's Netflix series "When They See Us" turned a spotlight on Raymond's story -- highlighting the injustice of his conviction for the brutal 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger in NYC.

We asked Raymond if he would accept an apology from former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his administration's role in avoiding a settlement in the CP5's damage suit against the NYPD after their convictions were vacated.

You might recall ... Bloomberg avoided settling the case before leaving office, and Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration agreed in 2014 to pay the CP5 a settlement of more than $40 million.

The actor who played the husband in what some see as a "sexist" Peloton ad is afraid the backlash he's getting from keyboard warriors will have a negative impact on his career.

Sean Hunter is the man in the infamous holiday ad who gifts his wife a Peloton bike. When he's not acting he's an elementary school teacher ... and he's defending himself, and the controversial ad, in Psychology Today .. of all places.

Sean says initial reviews of his Peloton gig were mostly positive, but everything changed when the ad went viral. Now, his take is, "My 5 seconds of air time created an array of malicious feedback that is all associated with my face."

He adds, "My friend texted me today declaring that I’m ‘a symbol of the patriarchy' ... As my face continues to be screen shot online, I wonder what repercussions will come back to me."

Sean says he's "grappling with the negative opinions as none of them have been constructively helpful."

If it makes him feel better ... at least some of the memes about the ad have clearly been in jest -- and even comedian Sherri Shepherd had a laugh over it.

Anyways, the criticism is clearly doing a number on Sean, and he posed a laundry list of questions. "As I continue to reflect on the commercial, I consider these thoughts: Why are people creating so many additional narratives to the story? Am I allowed to view the commercial positively after receiving such negative feedback? If recognized on the street, what will people’s first opinions be of me?"

He also wonders if his "wife" in the ad is going through the same thing he is. For what it's worth, she's chosen to remain silent since all the buzz over the ad.

Guess Sean ain't buying Peloton's company line that folks actually like the ad.

Peloton is standing its ground on the controversial ad pushing the bike as a great Christmas gift for wives ... even in the face of all the backlash and mockery.

The company pushed back against those ridiculing the holiday commercial -- where a wife receives the bike as a present from her hubby and then documents her fitness journey. Peloton says it's bummed people took it the wrong way but insists there's no reason to yank the ad.

A rep for Peloton says, "Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey. While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate."

Translation: Plenty of people like it. The ad stays.

The rep also said their members are constantly pointing out how much the product has changed their lives, especially when it arrives as a gift.

To hit their point home, Peloton also released a bunch of emails it's received in support of the ad.

Of course, not everybody agrees ... including Wall Street. Peloton's stock dropped as much as 6 percent Tuesday after the alleged "sexist" ad went into heavy rotation over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Some stars have weighed in on the controversy too ... including Sherri Shepherd, who raked the ad and any husband who thinks a fitness gift might be a good idea.

Interesting that in a time where companies tend to fold to public pressure, Peloton's holding firm.

Jason Derulo's got a problem most men would die for ... his penis is too big to post underwear pics on social media.

Jason just had his recent Instagram shot flaunting his manhood taken down for violating the platform's community guidelines on nudity and sexual activity ... and a Facebook spokesperson tells TMZ Jason's post got the heave-ho because it featured "aroused genitalia."

Glad we got to the bottom of that!!!

Jason's not taking the removal too kindly ... he says it's a double standard because women flaunt their bodies all over the 'gram. He points out he's covering his junk with underwear and says it's a clear example of discrimination because he can't help his size.

Dude may have a point ... we did some snooping and found a pic of The Game showing off his endowment in some nut huggers, and it's yet to be removed after over a year. Sorry bud, guess you ain't on Jason's level!!!

Andrew Yang celebrated opening a new office with a never before seen method in politics ... MUCH to the chagrin of his campaign manager.

The trending presidential candidate has stayed in the race with some unconventional ideas ... but this one takes the cake. He christened the new digs in New Hampshire by spraying whipped cream into the mouths of supporters on their knees.

To put it politically -- the optics are very interesting here.

Check out the vid ... the Yang fan in a MATH ("Make America Think Harder") hat clearly eggs on the Democratic hopeful, even insisting to Yang's resistant campaign manager, Zach Graumann, that the questionable celebration is "just a joke."

Andrew gleefully partakes, but then makes the jaw-dropping display even more baffling by declaring ... "That's a full-service presidential candidate!"

Yang goes on to say the whipped cream shot is how you open an office in style, then sprays it into the mouth of ANOTHER kneeling supporter ... before Graumann pulls him away.

Here's a video that'll hit ya in the feels ...

A little Saquon Barkley fan who was snubbed by a Dallas Cowboys superstar a couple months ago finally got to meet his NY Giants idol -- and the hangout brought the kid to tears!

If you missed it ... back on Sept. 8, 11-year-old Kamil Bautista tried to ask Demarcus Lawrence for an autograph after the Giants-Cowboys game in Dallas.

But, D-Law wasn't having any of it 'cause of the Barkley jersey Kamil was wearing ... and the Cowboys star straight-up told the kid as he was walking away, "Get the right jersey, son!"

The video immediately went viral ... and when Barkley saw the snub -- he flew Kamil and his family out from Texas to New York for a game!!

The Bautistas got the VIP treatment -- sideline passes, autographs and all the hook-ups -- but the best moment was clearly Kamil's first time hanging with Barkley.

Watch the vid, Saquon is SUPER nice ... and it actually makes Kamil cry!!

After the game, the two linked up again ... with Barkley signing a few things for the kid and taking a cool picture.

As for the outcome of the night, the Giants ended up losing to the Jets ... but Kamil's father tells TMZ Sports, "Our Giants are not doing that great this year but we support them 100000% all the time from South Texas!"

It's World Trick Shot Day ... and you know who's pumped about that?? The Harlem Globetrotters, which completed the HIGHEST DUNK EVER in honor of the holiday!!

The video is bananas ... Globetrotter legend Hammer Harrison jumped out of a freakin' airplane from 13,000 feet to attempt the record-breaking rim shaker ... and flew all the way down to land the dunk.

Not only is skydiving insane (props to the pro controlling the parachute), but Hammer managed to keep his focus to successfully complete the shot.

But, think about it ... WHAT IF HE MISJUDGED THE LANDING AND HIT HIS HEAD ON THE BACKBOARD?!?!?!

The Globetrotters made World Trick Shot Day an official holiday 4 years ago, so obviously they had to go big. 13,000-feet big to be exact.

Harrison also celebrated the big day last year by jumping off the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, which was the previous highest slam dunk record at 855 feet. Equally bananas.

"We work on trick shots every day, though the skydive trick shot is not one of them," Harrison said of the jump.

"We practice them because it’s such a thrill for us, and for our fans. Our fans give us such great feedback when we post them. We love getting the chance to see what they can do, too."

Papa John's founder says his former pizza chain ain't the same without him -- but the way he got to that conclusion is a little troubling ... and kind of a heart attack waiting to happen.

John Schnatter sat down with WDRB in Kentucky to discuss how his life's changed since getting ousted from the company last year following his n-word controversy. The big takeaway -- he's pigging out on PJ pizza, and bitter as hell about his exit.

Schnatter says he's eaten more than 40 pies over the last 30 days to sample how the taste has changed since he's left. According to him, they simply don't have the same magic as when he was in charge.

He goes on to say he feels his coworkers were out to get him last year by allegedly releasing audio of him saying the n-word in a private conference call. He also vows for a day of reckoning -- but more importantly, he weighs in on Shaq being hired.

As we reported, the big man was tapped to join the Papa John Board of Directors this year. Despite Schnatter's firing for shamelessly using the n-word -- he says he's a fan of Shaq getting involved ... with a caveat.

Warning to Schnatter: If the bitterness in your heart doesn't kill ya, your clogged arteries might. Lay off the pizza, bruh. We get your point ...

The koala that was saved from massive wildfires in Australia in a dramatic viral video has sadly succumbed to his injuries from the blaze.

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital made the decision to put down the marsupial -- named Ellenborough Lewis -- after inspecting his wounds and burns and determining he would not be able to recover.

The hospital had already been providing Lewis substantial pain relief and had previously warned it was considering putting him to sleep if his injuries were not treatable and were causing suffering.

After euthanizing the koala, the hospital said its "number one goal is animal welfare, so it was on those grounds that this decision was made."

Lewis shot to internet fame last week in a video showing motorist Toni Doherty running from her car in New South Wales to rescue him as the fires burned all around them. She named the koala after one of her grandkids.

Recent bushfires have tragically claimed the lives of more 350 koalas, according to animal experts, and have raised concerns about Australia's koala population ... which is already considered endangered.

A GoFundMe started by the koala hospital has currently raised over $1.7 million in aid.

Lewis was estimated to be around 14 years old.

The guy who took a selfie with Dwayne Haskins while the QB was supposed to be on the field is telling critics to shut the hell up, saying it's about time the Redskins put their fans first!

"I think it is important to, at least for once, prioritize the fans," Jaime López-Verduzco tells TMZ Sports.

If you missed it ... Haskins finally led the Redskins to a win over the Lions on Sunday -- but the QB's been under fire because he missed the final snaps of the victory to take selfies with fans.

In fact, legendary Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann said of the whole incident, "That’s unprofessional & wrong."

But, when we spoke with the guy whose iPhone caused all the drama ... he told us straight-up he thinks the criticism is BS.

"The Redskins are unfortunately losing fans by the day," Jaime says. "Dwayne took the time to make sure that didn't happen ... Let's give the man credit where it's due."

Jaime tells us he hasn't had the opportunity to speak with Dwayne since the infamous pic ... but he says he's hoping to catch up with the QB at the Redskins' next home game on Dec. 15.

As for his plans for the selfie ... Jaime tells us he's trying to frame it with a Haskins jersey -- and have Dwayne sign them both at the game next month!!!

"Hopefully, I won't bother him during the game," Jaime says. "I'll make sure I wait until after."

T.I. is ready to discuss what he revealed about keeping tabs on his daughter's virginity -- and he's doing it with the best in the biz for this type of thing ... Jada Pinkett Smith.

The rapper and his wife, Tiny, sat down with Jada, and her mom Adrienne, for a 'Red Table Talk' Monday to chat about what T.I. dished on the "Ladies Like Us" podcast a couple weeks ago, where he said he tags along with his now 18-year-old, Deyjah, to the gynecologist each year ... supposedly for the sole purpose of ensuring her hymen isn't broken.

Jada and co. grilled him pretty hard about it on their new episode, and they got right into what T.I. dubbed "hymengate." Diving in, T.I. says what he shared was totally misconstrued -- especially when it comes to deets he says he never actually spoke himself.

For example, T.I. says he never said he was in the room when Deyjah was getting these procedures done -- he was simply privy to the results. T.I. also clarifies that they only did this on a couple occasions, when Deyjah was 15 or 16 years old. It ain't still happening.

Further, T.I. says Deyjah's mother was there with him during these checkups -- and more importantly ... he wasn't doing any of this out of malice, but just from a place of love and protection.

Jada and Adrienne, explained why some might've perceived his actions as super controlling -- and even suggested a mother, not a father, should guide a daughter through their sexual journey.

T.I. stuck to his guns, saying he wants to shelter his daughter. He also made the argument that in a day and age when black women are often discarded by their families and society, T.I. insists he wanted the opposite for his fam.

It should also be noted that T.I. said his daughter was only upset with him for revealing their family business, and it sounds like she's the one who encouraged him to address it again.

FWIW, T.I.'s original argument for doing this was he was exercising his right as a parent to raise his kids how he wanted. He also argued he was looking out for Deyjah's best interest -- something he says more people wish their folks did growing up.

At the time, 'LLU' hosts Nazanin and Nadia chuckled along with T.I. as he recounted this story ... but later got serious in a statement. They said that their laughter in no way undermined their true feelings of support for women's autonomy over their bodies.

It looks like the "Serial" book on Adnan Syed's case has officially been closed by the Supreme Court ... which just denied him a new trial.

The convicted murderer, whose case was famously scrutinized on the viral podcast, was shot down by the highest court in the land after several unsuccessful appeals in lower courts.

A Maryland state court reopened Syed's case in 2015 after new info came to light on the podcast -- namely, that his original lawyer didn't question a key witness who would have corroborated the Syed's alibi and possibly gotten him acquitted.

The witness, Asia McClain, spoke on "Serial" and said that she had seen Syed in the school library at the time he was allegedly supposed to be murdering the victim.

However, the state appealed and successfully argued that a different lawyer would not have changed the facts of the murder case -- which they believe definitively prove Syed did, in fact, strangle high schooler Hae Min Lee in 1999.

He'd been handed down a life sentence, but after taking it all the way to the Supreme Court ... it seems like he's run out of options. Seems.