You Might Want to Rethink

Rian Johnson is just like the rest of us when it comes to the new 'Star Wars' movie ... he hasn't seen it yet, despite him directing its predecessor in the series.

The filmmaker opened up to us this weekend in NYC about whether he'd gotten any sort of sneak peak ahead of 'The Rise of Skywalker' hitting theaters later this month. As it turns out ... he hasn't! No special treatment for the guy who manned 'The Last Jedi,' it seems.

It's NBD to Rian though -- he tells us he's looking forward to watching it in theaters for the first time like everyone else. Interestingly, he also says he hopes it's the best one ever.

Now, on to a much more serious topic we absolutely needed Rian to weigh in on ... is Baby Yoda actually cuter than those damn puppy-eyed Porgs??? John Boyega sure thought so.

Check out RJ's answer ... he's noncommittal at first on which one is truly more adorable -- almost like a parent who doesn't wanna compare their kids -- but he finally caves and chooses sides. His choice might not surprise you, or anyone who's watched 'Mandalorian.'

Brother Nature sure seemed ready to fight -- at least that's how the moments leading up to his dual-threat beatdown appear to have unfolded on surveillance footage.

TMZ got a hold of surveillance video taken at the Miami-based sandwich shop where BN was later pummeled twice over ... once in the parking lot, and again inside the restaurant. In this new footage, you can see Brother Nature initially confronting his two attackers.

As we reported ... Brother Nature was allegedly upset that he couldn't be served at his table, and tried griping about it to the shop's staff. We're told he then got in the face of one of his attackers -- who was supposedly filming him -- and you can see that interaction here.

Brother Nature is asked to leave by someone who works there, but not before some words are exchanged between him and these 2 guys who were also more than willing to brawl.

Fast-forward to the parking lot stomp-out ... which then spilled back into the eatery, where we're told BN stormed back in and allegedly socked somebody. It appears you can see that here in the surveillance video as well ... Brother Nature comes in and rushes the slimmer dude, seemingly trying to hit him, before his buddy scurries over and they team up.

The rest is pretty much history -- Brother Nature got walloped by the two dudes ... and by the time cops showed up, everybody had gone their separate ways.

Mama June and her boyfriend, Geno, are still living life on the road -- this time, they surfaced near Atlanta and looked worse for wear ... more so than usual these days.

The couple was spotted checking out of the Hyatt Place Atlanta Airport-South in College Park, GA -- about 9 miles outside of central ATL. We're told the person who took these photos chatted with MJ and Geno for a bit ... apparently, they'd been there for 4 days.

As for where to next ... our sources say June and Geno said they were driving back down to McDonough to find a new place to stay. Geno's still got that trusty SUV as you can see.

As we reported ... June and Geno were just seen up at a casino in North Carolina on Black Friday, where they were walking the grounds and peeping the slots ... drink in hand. Looks like she had something to sip on here too, but it appears to just be water.

Either way, it's pretty clear that Geno and June are still living out of hotels -- like we've been told they were doing for the past several months now -- and it's also obvious June's family is nowhere near getting back into her life, despite their repeated pleas of reconciliation.

If there's one silver lining -- and there aren't too many in her situation -- it's that these two are somehow coming across cash to pay for these hotel stays. This particular Hyatt can run anywhere from $80 to $137 a night ... depending on how far out you book it.

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.

Kim K is doing exactly what she needs to in the collective fight for criminal justice reform -- no more, and no less ... so says the famed defense attorney who inspired 'Just Mercy.'

We ran into Bryan Stevenson Saturday in NYC, where he was doing press for the new flick about his real-life role in exonerating Alabama death row inmate Walter McMillian in the '90s. Michael B. Jordan plays him in the upcoming feature, opposite Jamie Foxx.

Seeing how he's a lifelong crusader for the cause, our photog asked what he made of Kim's efforts to help put a spotlight on prisoners she feels have been railroaded by the system ... including death row inmate Rodney Reed, who was recently granted a stay of execution.

You'll recall ... Kim was with Rodney when he heard the news, and according to her -- he praised Jesus in the moment. She and plenty of others had pled with Gov. Abbott to halt Rodney's execution and consider revisiting his case in light of new evidence.

As far as Bryan's concerned, Kim's doing a good thing by using her platform to bring attention to these cases ... but he stops short of saying she's a glorified savior of any kind.

If anything, it sounds like he's downplaying how she'll be remembered -- and based on his careful answer, he doesn't seem to believe her work is on his level ... not yet, anyway.

It sure LOOKS like pro golfer Patrick Reed cheated his ass off on a hole Tiger Woods' big Hero World Challenge tourney on Friday ... but Reed insists he's INNOCENT!!!

Here's the deal ... Reed was caught in a sand trap on the 11th hole -- and during a practice swing, he appeared to use his club to knock away a clump of sand behind the ball, setting him up for a cleaner shot.

The problem ... YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!

Tournament officials hit Reed with a 2 stroke penalty which is a big deal -- he's currently in 6th place ... 3 shots behind tourney leader Gary Woodland.

But, Reed insists he did NOT cheat -- claiming it was a bad camera angle that's making it LOOK like he cheated ... when he really didn't.

Instead, Reed says his club hit a mound of sand created by a footprint that was NOT close to the ball.

"At the end of the day, it's my word vs. their word and they weren't standing there. They had a camera angle," Reed said.

Reed says he's trying to accept the punishment and move on since he still has another round of play on Saturday.

Justin Bieber's latest ink runs afoul afowl ... he's got a giant bird plastered on his neck.

The Biebs unveiled his new neck tattoo as he was leaving church Wednesday night with his wife, Hailey. As you can see ... there's a bird on the left side of his neck with its head facing his Adam's apple, appearing set for flight across Justin's throat.

Hard to tell what kind of bird it is, but it makes a nice addition to all the other animal artwork on his body. As you may know, Bieber has a giant bear tattoo on his chest across from a giant lion tattoo... and an eagle with its wings stretched is inked across his abs.

Justin teased his fans on Instagram about the new tat, saying he got a new one and asked if they wanted to see it ... but he's yet to share a shot of the final product himself.

Unclear if JB was inspired by "Portlandia" while deciding what to permanently add to his neck ... but he definitely put a bird on it!

So much for Joe Biden's "No Malarkey" tour of Iowa -- there was plenty of it when he got into a heated argument with a voter Thursday morning.

The Democratic candidate was holding a town hall meeting in New Hampton, IA ... when an attendee stood up and challenged Joe on his son, Hunter Biden's now infamous dealings with a Ukrainian gas company.

The man suggested Joe was no better than President Trump because he had placed Hunter in a position for which he wasn't qualified -- and Biden immediately stepped to the guy, barking, "You're a damn liar!" He got right in the guy's face and then challenged him to do push-ups, go for a run or take an IQ test. You gotta see it ... it's kinda bizarre.

Biden, who's in the middle of an 8-day, 18-county swing through Iowa -- which he's deemed the "No Malarkey" tour -- demanded the potential voter get his facts straight.

Biden denied Hunter did anything wrong, and also denied placing him in the position. The former VP eventually calmed down, and the man claimed he didn't want to argue.

77-year-old Biden got in the final shot though -- an odd jab about the angry man's being "too old."

Jason Derulo says he's a victim of a social media double standard -- and he informed us about this while totally gloating about the size of his junk. Well played, JD.

We ran into the singer Wednesday hours after Instagram deleted his famous underwear pic by a pool in Bali -- the very definition of living large. IG's explanation was that Jason was showing off "aroused genitalia" with the giant bulge in his briefs.

Jason's throwing cold water on that theory though ... telling he wasn't all THAT aroused in the photo, calling it more of a "semi" sitch. He says basic knowledge of the male anatomy supports his claim. Buckle up for Prof. Derulo's lesson, class.

Now, as for any potential shrinkage -- he was emerging from a pool, after all -- Jason admits that was NOT an issue.

Yeah, as they say in ancient Rome ... res ipsa loquitur. The thing speaks for itself.

Watch the clip ... there is a serious point Jason wants to get across -- he believes IG is discriminating against his natural blessings. He's demanding equality, and he's ready to chat with Facebook and Instagram about it.

Ray J is back to wearing his wedding band after briefly ditching it, but he still doesn't know if there's a chance of working things out with his wife after their fight and divorce threats.

We got Ray J leaving Chelsea Studios in New York City Wednesday, and asked how he's holding up now that Princess Love says she no longer wants to be married to him.

Ray says only God knows if there's a real shot at reconciliation with his pregnant wife. Remember, Princess claims he left her and their daughter "stranded" in Vegas after a heated argument.

The slight bit of good news is Ray is once again rocking his wedding ring.

As we first told you ... Ray J ditched his wedding ring before catching a flight Monday outta LAX. However, the fact he's wearing it again doesn't necessarily mean the couple's headed for a reconciliation.

Justin Timberlake is apologizing to Jessica Biel for getting cozy with his female costar in New Orleans ... and while he admits he was drunk, he insists nothing sexual happened.

Justin was photographed with Alisha Wainwright on a balcony at a NOLA bar last month, and they seemed to get handsy. He's clearly seen and heard all the buzz about the pics. He says he "displayed a strong lapse in judgement" with Alisha, his costar in "Palmer" ... a movie they're currently filming down there.

He added, in a lengthy IG post, the rumors about the incident are "hurting the people I love."

Justin blames the whole situation on alcohol, saying he drank way too much that night, but adds nothing happened between Alisha and him.

Translation, we held hands but didn't have sex.

JT says he should be setting a better example for his and Jessica's 4-year-old son, Silas Randall, and apologizes to his wife and family for putting them through what he calls an "embarrassing situation."

R. Kelly's girlfriend is officially breaking her silence with a video that refutes the abuse claims attributed to her on a Patreon account ... claims she calls total BS.

Joycelyn Savage says she wants to clear her name following reports she'd turned on Kelly by posting dirty deets about their relationship on the paysite, Patreon. She says she had nothing to do with the site, and STILL has no plans to assassinate Kelly's character.

But, in this video we obtained ... Joycelyn starts out reading a prepared statement, or, as Kelly's critics might call it ... a script.

As for the claims of abuse, purportedly made in her name on Patreon, she says they were all flat-out false -- and she blames an impostor for launching that page, as well as an Instagram account bearing her name.

Joycelyn also reveals the current status of her relationship with Kelly, saying they communicate daily.

It should be noted ... lots of people had cast doubt as to the veracity of the Patreon account, including R. Kelly accuser Lisa Van Allen, who explained her rationale to us on "TMZ Live."

Joycelyn did go off script later in her video statement ... adding both she and Azriel Clary are still firmly in Kelly's corner, although Azriel never appears on camera.

As we reported, Patreon shut down the alleged Joycelyn account after it couldn't authenticate the owner's identity.

R. Kelly, meanwhile, is still behind bars ... and dealing with multiple federal and state sexual abuse cases, but Joycelyn says she still sees him regularly.

Jason Mraz won't hesitate no more ... to go after the brewing giant he says used one of his hit songs without permission.

The singer-songwriter's got a major legal battle on tap for MillerCoors -- he's sued 'em for a Coors Light advertisement he spotted on Instagram. According to Jason's lawsuit, the ad contains an unauthorized clip of him performing "I'm Yours" live.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Mraz says the clip was from his performance at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, CA back in May -- and 13 seconds of footage were included in the summer-themed ad.

Mraz points out the spot also features his image along with the Coors Light logo and a can of the beer prominently displayed. He says he gave MillerCoors a heads up it was committing copyright infringement, but it failed to seek his permission and has "never acknowledged the wrongfulness of the use."

It's unclear if MillerCoors is holding out for Jason to look into his heart and find love for their ad ... we've contacted the company to find out.

For now, Mraz wants the Coors Light ad killed and he's suing for damages.

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.