You Might Want to Rethink

NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip had the thrill of a lifetime today -- HE MET DONNA SUMMER ... at least, he thinks he did ... despite the fact she died two years ago.

Waltrip was doing some pre-race work for FOX at the NASCAR Auto Club 400 race today when he THOUGHT he spotted the disco queen.

He even sang some, "Last Dance" on his way over to interview the icon ... who was really just a woman who kinda sorta looked like her.

Once he got there, it got more awkward when he attempted to talk to her -- "Hi Donna how are you? Enjoy the races today, I love your music. You’ve got a great body of work that you’ve put together!”

Moments later, he told team owner Richard Childress, “If you like Donna Summer, she’s right back there.”

Of course, Summer passed away in 2012 ... the woman at the track is just a NASCAR fan named Star Walker.

But Star says she was flattered by the mistake because she's a HUGE Summer fan -- and even went to Donna's induction to the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame!

Ya gotta watch the clip.

Former US President Jimmy Carter is so convinced the U.S. is monitoring his movements ... he won't send emails when he communicates with foreign leaders.

Carter was angry about what he believes are gross abuses on the part of the NSA ... so he said Sunday on "Meet the Press." It didn't seem theoretical ...he really believes he's being watched.

Carter says he's forced to use snail mail because it's the only want to ensure his privacy.

Justin Bieber has joined a very exclusive mile-high club that does not involving banging ... but it does involve body parts and a little prick.

It's true ... TMZ has learned Bieber got fresh ink on a flight to Canada just five days after his infamous Miami Beach arrest. The new tat was done by New York City tattoo artist Bang Bang, who has tatted up the likes of Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry and many other big celebs.

Bang Bang tells TMZ the work was done at 40,000 feet (which he thinks might be a record for highest altitude tattoo) and during terrible turbulence. He called it "the most difficult tattoo I’ve ever done for sure."

In case you're wondering ... a rep for the FAA tells TMZ there is nothing illegal about getting a tattoo aboard a plane, as long as it doesn't interfere with the safety of passengers and crew.

As for the significance of the tattoos ... Bang Bang says Bieber sent him a text afterward, explaining, "Forgiveness is powerful, forgive as Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins."

Or strike a plea bargain. Whichever works best.

Mystery solved: Miley Cyrus is a spitter.

Miley added a water sports element to her concert Thursday night -- taking giant gulps of water and spitting it back out ... all over the audience.

She pulled the stunt several times and even more baffling … is the fact the audience seemed to like it.

If Katy Perry was worried by a quick peck, imagine what would have happened if Miley pulled this on her.

It's the question millions of couples ask themselves before entering the delivery room -- and now Jay Cutler's in the same boat -- does your wife want you to see EVERYTHING when she's giving birth?

Fortunately for the Chicago Bears QB -- he won't have to guess ... 'cause his wife Kristin Cavallari was out in NYC today and told us.

Charlie Sheen is BLASTING John Mayer for claiming he was defrauded by someone who sold him counterfeit Rolexes ... saying Mayer made a fortune off the watches and now just has a bad case of buyer's remorse.

TMZ broke the story ... Mayer is suing Bob Maron, a leading watch dealer, who sold the singer $5 million worth of watches ... and Mayer claims some had counterfeit parts.

Sheen says Mayer is hiding something -- that he re-sold a number of the watches for a HUGE profit. Charlie -- also a big-time watch collector -- tells TMZ, "WAIT!! Mayer spent $5M with Maron and is crying about $600K?!? Ask him how he did on the $4.4M...! Sorry that 7 of your 100 watches aren't to your liking! boohoo!! "

TMZ also reported Mayer posted on a Rolex message board back in 2007 that he was specifically looking for Rolexes with counterfeit parts, and Maron's lawyer says this is PROOF the singer is lying through his teeth when he claims he didn't know what he was buying.

The women who walked off with an expensive piece of memorabilia from Hulk Hogan's shop in Florida were all caught on camera ... and TMZ has the surveillance video.

As we first reported, Hogan filed a police report Wednesday in Clearwater after he claimed four women conspired to steal a valuable piece of Hulkamania memorabilia ... a signed boot.

In the video, you can see the women make their way into the Hogan's Beach Shop ... and then congregate around the front desk clerk. Then something happens outside and the clerk, followed by four women, leaves the store to investigate.

But cameras pick up one of the women walking back into the store, walking straight to the back of the store, snatching the boot ... and calmly walking out. Cops described the woman as "a heavyset female in her 50s."

The investigation is ongoing.

When Floyd Mayweather hits the gym, it's important to listen to music that makes him wanna DESTROY people in the ring -- which could be why he likes to rock out to Justin Bieber.

Bieber just posted footage of Floyd hard at work at his boxing gym, knocking out an ab routine to Justin's track "Right Here (featuring Drake)."

Justin also posted a note with the clip saying, "The champ @floydmayweather training to my music . Atta boy."

Hulk Hogan's Florida beach shop was hit by three chicks who distracted the manager ... while a fourth made off with a signed boot. Simple, and effective.

Hogan tells TMZ his staff discovered one of the pieces of Hulk memorabilia -- a signed wrestling boot -- went missing. But a quick look at surveillance video solved the mystery.

Here's what happened ... four girls came in and chatted up the manager. After luring the manager to the front of the store, one of the four snuck back in and lifted the boot. Someone who has seen the video tells TMZ ... the women are large and in charge.

Hulk tells us he's planning to file a police report today and hand over the surveillance video. He also says the girls showed off Michigan IDs to the manager, so they're probably in town for spring break.

Steve-O's latest stunt -- backflipping from a bridge into the shallow, San Antonio River -- could land him in jail for the crime of "Deadly Conduct."

Steve made the jump last Friday ... a very risky proposition given the water below is only 4' deep.

Cops threatened to cite him but didn't ... however, law enforcement sources now tell us the "Jackass" star is under criminal investigation.

So, you ask, what is the crime of "Deadly Conduct." Under Texas law, someone who engages in reckless conduct that could place someone else in danger of great bodily injury, then it's considered deadly conduct ... a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

Mr. Miyagi's gotta be rollin' in his grave ... because his finest pupil just TALKED SMACK about the legendary crane kick ... telling TMZ Sports the move would never work in a real fight.

Daniel LaRusso himself -- Ralph Macchio -- was out in NYC yesterday ... almost 30 YEARS after the "Karate Kid" was released in theaters ... when he dropped a truth bomb about the most iconic fighting move of all time.

Note to Cobra Kai -- sweeping the leg ... also generally ineffective.

The Duke men's basketball team now has all the incentive they need to win March Madness ... because the school's most famous student (sorry Jabari) will have a gift waiting for them if they cut down the nets.

TMZ Sports caught up with Belle Knox -- the girl who was recently outed as a student putting herself through college by doing porn -- outside Headquarters Gentlemen's Club in NYC, where she just made her first strip club appearance.

After our photog admitted to being a "huge fan" of her work, Knox gave her Final 4 picks. Of course she included Duke, saying, "If Duke wins March Madness, then I will give every one of the basketball team members ..."

Watch the video to see how she finished that sentence. It's not quite as good as you'd think.

Jimmy Failla -- the taxi driver who rode around with a snake in his cab and then posted riders' reactions to YouTube -- has lost his cabbie license ... but tells TMZ he's gained a slew of new job offers.

Jimmy tells TMZ the Taxi and Limousine Commission yanked his license for two years, but Jimmy is more than ok with it. He says he's gotten two TV development offers, his stand-up career is taking off and he's even auditioned for a slot on "The Tonight Show."

Failla says he's even been approached by producers to pull the prank in Los Angeles, though he says he'd need a fake taxi.

How's this for ironic -- rapper-turned-pastor Mase -- who built a lucrative church and related business partly on his secrets to a successful marriage -- secretly filed for divorce from his pastor wife.

TMZ has obtained Mase's divorce filing in Georgia dated January 2nd, citing irreconcilable differences with Twyla Betha. And it sounded nasty ... Mase asked for full custody of their two kids and even wanted HER to pay HIM child support.

He claims they separated August 2013 -- after 12 years of marriage.

But just over a month later -- the day before Valentine's Day -- Mase inexplicably had a change of heart, filing to dismiss his divorce petition.

The fiasco is priceless -- if you look at the website for Mase's El Elyon International Church in Atlanta ... the entire thing is built around his successful relationship with his wife. The two even hawk their "successful marriage" book series called "What Do You Do After I Do?"

And the book description is perfect: "In this series, Mason and Twyla Betha share keys to build a marriage that will last a lifetime."

Define "lifetime."

We reached out to the Mase and his church ... radio silence.

What do you get when you file for bankruptcy ... in Dionne Warwick's case, you get a pass on more than $10 MILLION in debts.

A bankruptcy trustee filed legal docs Tuesday ... recommending to the judge that Dionne be excused from paying $10,727.429.91 in debts ... almost all of it in delinquent taxes.

The tax bills are as old as hills ... dating back as far as 1991. Under the recommendation -- which is almost always rubber stamped by the judge -- Dionne will have a fresh start.

The trustee is even letting Dionne keep all her personal stuff, including:

-- 2 fur coats and 2 sets of diamond earrings, valued at $13K
-- Various gowns and everyday clothing -- $5K
-- Art work and paintings -- $5K
-- Living room furniture, dining set, bedroom sets, 2-year-old lap top -- $1,500
-- Cash in her pocket -- $1K

The judge should make his final decision soon, so say a little prayer for Dionne.

He's 6'2" and 300 lbs ... but Atlanta Falcons defensive end Jonathan Babineaux got straight up WORKED at Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago ... telling TMZ Sports he partied so hard, "By the end, I couldn't hang anymore."

Babineaux and his brother Jordan (an NFL safety) just got back from a week-long rager in the Caribbean -- where they threw on body paint and costumes in the hopes of taking in all that Carnival had to offer.

Instead, Jonathan says he and Jordan got a serious reality check -- "I thought we partied hard. We don't. Those people can party. And it goes on a whole week. I was ready to go after a couple days."

Here's a sample of the party scene, according to Jonathan -- "There's a breakfast party in the morning until about 2. Then the day party until 10. Then the night party until 2am. Then the late late party until the morning. It's non-stop."

Jonathan says he and Jordan tried their best to keep up, pounding rum and pineapples like they meant business -- but by the end, they were completely drained.