Viral

The State of New York just dropped the hammer on the folks who organized the now-infamous Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer ... fining them, and making it harder for them to do it again.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday the promoters who put on the sold-out drive-in charity event in July are gonna be getting a bill soon to the tune of $20,000 ... this after the NY Department of Health conducted an investigation, and found wrongdoing.

Cuomo adds, "The Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval." Southampton officials signed off on the concert ... supposedly, with coronavirus-safe regulations in mind, according to sources connected to the event.

The Gov. didn't see it as a safe environment at all, and after seeing video from the concert, said he was "appalled" at the "egregious" violations in social distancing. While we've been told the promoters feel the clips in question distorted things -- insisting it was, by and large, a safe gathering -- the State has spoken.

Derrick Henry + Josh Norman + Massive Stiff Arm = HILARIOUS INTERNET MEMES?!?!

Yup, turns out the Titans and Bills players had the perfect equation for going viral Tuesday ... 'cause after Tennessee's star threw Norman to the ground with a violent stiff arm -- the Internet lost its mind!!!

The play was insane ... during the 2nd quarter of the Titans' beatdown of the Bills, Henry stretched a run to the outside and met the Buffalo corner in the alley.

And, when the running back threw Josh to the ground like a bag of potatoes ... everyone lost their damn minds!!

Some of our favorite responses???

HILARIOUS!!

By the way, the play ultimately didn't count ... penalties wiped out its gloriousness -- but Henry himself even had to poke some fun at it all after the game!

"I have been doing too many curls," Henry joked. "I have to lay off the arms."

Sorry, Josh.

Even though he came within a cougar's whisker of death ... the hiker who was stalked by the big cat for more than 6 minutes, says he's got no beef with the animal.

Kyle Burgess is the guy whose voice you heard during that terrifying wild encounter in Utah, and he tells TMZ the whole ordeal was actually his fault ... although unintentionally.

Kyle says he had stumbled upon what he thought was an adult bobcat during the hike on Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, and that's why he pulled out his phone to record.

Of course, as he quickly and scarily learned, it was a cougar cub ... and Kyle says he totally gets why the adult was protecting its young.

"It was doing what it's supposed to do" ... that's how he sees it, and that's why he doesn't want anyone -- wildlife officials or others -- harming the animal.

Crazy as it may sound, Kyle says he's not scared to return to the scene of his brush with danger. Check out his explanation ... it's logical, but we doubt most people would do the same.

Not after getting stalked by such a pissed off kitty.

LeBron James' daughter, Zhuri, is about to be 6 years old ... AND SHE'S ALREADY A HOMEOWNER!!!

The NBA superstar hooked his kid up with an early birthday present -- her own private crib in his backyard ... and it's incredible!!!

It's a mini-version of what appears to be LeBron's Brentwood mansion -- a brand new freestanding structure in the backyard complete with a study room, windows, custom flooring and more!

It even has a play kitchen area -- complete with a play oven, stove, fridge and cabinets (don't worry, they're not REAL working appliances).

"Early bday gift my princess!!! Love you baby z," LeBron said.

It's clear Bron is hoping Zhuri will use the home for school work -- he asks her over and over again if she's taking a break from distance learning.

The funniest part of the video is when Bron tracks in dirt on Zhuri's new custom floors -- and she immediately grabs something to clean it up!

Bron can't help himself -- and starts cracking up ... saying, "Oh my bad. I got your floor dirty??!"

The Chicago Blackhawks' mascot statue was vandalized with paint and graffiti on Indigenous Peoples' Day ... and the damage was so severe, it'll be shipped off for repairs.

Photos of the damage surfaced on Twitter early Monday morning ... with red paint covering the huge team logo atop the 75th-anniversary statue outside United Center.

Along with the paint, several phrases were spray painted along the base and the surrounding areas ... including "land back" and "Decolonize Zhigaagoong," which refers to the city of Chicago.

There are also references to city mayor Lori Lightfoot's advisory committee to evaluate monuments throughout the city and 'Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz's position on the Field Museum board of trustees, according to The Athletic.

The Blackhawks released a statement on the statue Monday, saying, "Over the weekend, the sculpture on Madison Street outside of the United Center was vandalized."

"It is currently under tarp for protection and will be sent off to be repaired in the near future."

The team name has been at the center of controversy in recent years, especially with the Washington Football Team deciding to rebrand ... and other teams like the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves considering big changes.

But, Chicago has maintained its stance on the issue recently, with Wirtz telling The Athletic, "I think we truly believe that it’s a logo of honor."

"We also have heard from some of our partners and some newer voices in the Native American community who are holding us responsible or accountable for the types of education that come from having this platform. And so to us, that’s our frame of reference."

Oprah Winfrey is on the grind this week, urging the people of Texas to get out and vote -- and her first grassroots outreach effort is something you gotta see to believe.

The TV icon, media mogul and billionaire revealed Monday night she was making cold calls to prospective voters ... in partnership with Beto O'Rourke's Powered by People org.

Anyway, she says her first call was to a guy named Christian, and ya gotta see the intros -- "Christian, this is Oprah Winfrey." At first, he can't believe it, but after hearing the voice for a few seconds, he comes around. Yeah, he was starstruck.

Oprah asks him -- on a scale of 1 to 10 -- how ready he is to get engaged with early voting in the Lone Star State ... and Christian's answer was a home run with O.

If anything ... he kinda left her starstruck with how prepared he was to hit the polls. You can tell, whatever speech she was prepared to make to rally Christian to vote was rendered useless. Beginner's luck ... it even applies for Oprah!

A Louisiana kid put himself in the driver's seat of a vehicle where he'd normally be a passenger -- his school bus -- and there's video of him leading cops on a wild high-speed chase.

The unidentified 11-year-old boy was busted Sunday in Baton Rouge after cops say he somehow managed to start a school bus, and then fled from police when they tried stopping him. What followed, according to authorities, was an intense 45-MINUTE PURSUIT through city streets.

Cops say the kid taunted and flipped off officers as they gave chase, before eventually crashing into a tree. The real miracle here is the kid was okay, and was immediately arrested. Cops say he also hit 3 other vehicles along the way, but no one was seriously hurt.

As for the kid ... you can see from the pics taken by WAFB he was placed in handcuffs at the scene. He was booked on charges of theft of a vehicle, aggravated flight, damage to property and aggravated assault.

Nathan Apodaca -- the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- is looking to ride the good vibes to another big payday ... he's turning his viral moment into a Halloween costume!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nathan will be hawking a costume of himself and it's going up for sale Tuesday night on his website.

We're told the getup includes a gray hoodie that says "Steady Vibin'," black shorts, a pair of knee-high white socks, a mustache and a temporary feather tattoo. We're told they'll retail for $87.99.

People who want to fulfill their dreams and go full Nathan can add a little more to the look ... our sources say the costume will also include an option for an Ocean Spray coupon, with a link to Walmart that comes with a discount code for Nathan's favorite drink.

But wait, there's more ... we're told there's a second add-on for a skateboard.

A new mural of George Floyd just got a public showing right in the nick of time -- days before his 47th birthday, and perhaps more importantly ... three weeks before the election.

The mural -- which has been worked on under the steady hand of local artist Ange Hillz -- was unveiled Monday in Houston ... George's hometown. It's even more personal that, though ... the artwork is featured on a wall outside of a corner store George used to frequent.

As you can see, the final product is pretty exquisite -- it's George painted in a multicolor display, with 2 doves by him carrying signs that read "Be the Change" and "Go Vote."

Like we first told you ... that lines up with his birthday wish expressed by his family members, who plan to hit the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Wednesday -- the day he would've turned 47 -- and trying to sign up as many people as possible and get 'em registered.

As for Monday's ceremony -- we're told George's immediate kin were in attendance, as was U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee ... who made public remarks reflecting the message the mural is pushing -- namely, getting out the vote and being the change.

There were a few other community members in the crowd too, but it was relatively small ... we're told George's fam wanted to keep COVID-friendly and not make it super packed. BTW, civil rights attorney Ben Crump -- who's repping the Floyds -- called in and spoke as well.

A man adventuring through a Utah hiking trail stumbled across perhaps the worst thing you could find in the wild -- a big cat predator -- which tracked him for 6 terrifying minutes.

Kyle Burgess posted a full video of the terrifying encounter that went down this weekend at what he says is the Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, UT -- footage that shows him coming across a couple cougar cubs along his run ... only to come face-to-face with their mother.

As soon as he recognizes the mountain lion is hot on his trail, he starts to backpedal slowly, trying not to startle the beast or trigger it to pounce -- but it did rush at him several times!

Burgess tried different methods to scare it off, including using some foul language. Watch the video -- ya can't blame him it all under these circumstances. Not that there's anything funny about this ... BUT, we'll admit, Kyle repeatedly calling a wild animal that could've killed him, "dude" ... got us to chuckle.

The cliché of making yourself "getting big" against Mother Nature appears to have saved his ass. That and a well tossed stone!

Just wild video, and Kyle should have needed some fresh shorts.

Pennsylvania's Second Lady -- the Lt. Governor's wife -- was accosted by a woman who hurled racist epithets and told her to get out of the U.S.

Gisele Barreto Fetterman -- who's married to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman -- had to deal with this ugly encounter Sunday when she went to the grocery store alone ... getting recognized by a woman in line who had to the gall to verbally attack her and follow her out to the lot.

Fetterman says she was able to capture some of the lady's hateful remarks -- including a clear use of the n-word -- after she got back into her vehicle and pulled it together in between crying. She writes, "This behavior and this hatred is taught. If you know her, if she is your neighbor or relative, please, please teach her love instead."

For what it's worth, Fetterman is of Brazilian descent and is not Black. Still, the fact this woman weaponized such a racist term shows you some folks are just way too comfortable these days hurling it ... at anyone.

The incident also highlights how divided the country is right now -- which Fetterman also noted on Twitter. Of course, Pennsylvania is a huge swing state in the upcoming election ... and while recent polls show POTUS trailing there, much of it is still Trump country.

A law student and prospective lawyer went into labor in the middle of taking the bar exam, which she actually finished ... after having the baby! She can do both.

Brianna Hill -- who'd recently graduated from Chicago's Loyola University School of Law -- was all set to take the bar last Monday, 38 weeks into her pregnancy. The exam had been pushed back due to the pandemic ... so perfect timing.

Naturally, she says she felt a sensation down below during the first of the four-part test, which would be broken up into 2 days. Sure enough ... Brianna eventually discovered her water had broken, but only after she completed that initial round.

Miraculously, Hill was able to complete the 2nd, 90-minute section, and only then did she get to the hospital with her hubby and midwife in tow. She had the kid 5 hours later, then got back on her lawyer grind.

Brianna buckled down and completed the rest of the bar the next day from a room in the hospital, and was even able to nurse her baby in between breaks!!!

Nathan Apodaca -- AKA the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- is putting on his legal face ... he wants a streetwear company to stop using his Doggface to sell merch.

Here's the deal ... Culture Kings is hawking a "Dreams Vintage T-Shirt" with the viral star's face on it for $36.95 ... but Nathan isn't feeling the good vibes with this merch, and says he's owed a piece of the pie.

Nathan's lawyer -- yep, he's got one now -- Jeffrey R. Klein of Fisher & Wolfe LLP, fired off a takedown notice, obtained by TMZ. It says Nathan owns the rights to the photograph on the shirt and claims Culture Kings had no right to make money off of it.

He's threatening a lawsuit if Culture Kings doesn't pull the shirt.

As you know ... Nathan's got a merch line of his own, and his personally designed line of Doggface clothing is selling like crazy after launching with UpMerch.com.

Forget leaving room for Jesus at your school dances -- apparently, in Europe, they're turning spacing rules for young couples on their head for COVID ... or on their back, rather.

Check out this video of what's been described as a high school prom in what many are saying must be the Czech Republic (because of the language the MC is using). As you can see, kids are definitely back on campus, and they're even hosting traditional events again.

Thing is, there's nothing traditional about how the students are busting a move -- especially for the slow dance section. They're all back-to-back, locking arms ... and wearing masks. How romantic!!!

Unclear which school this is exactly, but we'll say this ... kudos for creativity, 'cause there's a vast number of ways officials could've rolled out the new dance regulations, and a lot of them probably would've been more restrictive than this. At least here, there's still contact.

Eric Trump says the presidency has cost his dad an arm and a leg combating the forces out to get him -- and that he doesn't really need the headache ... music to many people's ears.

The President's son -- who helps heads up at the Trump Organization -- was on ABC Sunday morning and asked about a new NYT report suggesting Trump engaged in several alleged pay-for-play deals with private companies, special interest groups and even foreign governments who patronized his hotels and resorts in exchange for lucrative contracts granted by Uncle Sam -- supposedly, to return the favor on Trump's behalf.

Rather than respond to the allegations, Eric went on an off-topic tirade ... repeating talking points from his father and accusing ABC, the Dems and the NYT of sabotaging DT. But, he also revealed Trump's apparently been bleeding money over these 4 years in office.

Eric said something else noteworthy ... "the last thing ... Donald Trump needs in the world is this job," going on to say that he sticks it out because it's the "right" thing to do for America.

When pressed on the actual story he was supposed to be responding to, ET eventually offered an answer ... saying millions of people stay at their hotels and properties each year, and that the NYT is "fake news." The interview was cut short quickly afterward.

Dr. Ian Malcolm is back to grace our screens with a partially-open shirt almost 30 years after he made 'Jurassic Park' nice and steamy ... and it's all a way of encouraging folks to vote.

We're talking, of course, about Jeff Goldblum's character from the OG Spielberg dinosaur flick, who at one point was laid out on a table after being injured by a T-Rex and striking quite the provocative pose ... with his bare chest half exposed and sweat dripping down his torso.

You've probably seen it a million times now as the iconic scene has gone on to become a meme since its 1993 debut -- now, JG has recreated it at the ripe old age of 67.

He says it's a gift to fans who followed his instructions and registered to vote through HeadCount for the upcoming election. Jeff writes, "WOW! Thank you to everyone who used my @HeadCount page to make sure that you’re #GoodToVote! Nearly 3,000 of you are ready for this November’s election. Here’s your reward…how time flies. @jurassicworld 🌋🦖🇺🇸."

Jeff still looks great by the way -- but we did notice he kept more of the shirt on this time around. All good though -- Dr. Malcolm will get another opportunity to shine in the supposed last 'Jurassic' installment in the franchise, 'Dominion,' which now won't come out 'til 2022.