You Might Want to Rethink

The Weeknd defied the odds for success after he refused to put his album release on ice in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic ... and now he looks like a genius!!!

Here's the deal ... The Weeknd announced a March 20 release date for his new project "After Hours" long before the virus reached the United States ... and made the difficult decision to keep the date as things got serious.

We're told there were fears the album would flop because of a lack of marketing opportunities ... TV appearances were drying up as the outbreak started shutting down Hollywood.

Artists like Lady Gaga had already postponed her own project, "Chromatica."

The Weeknd trusted his work and his fans, and wanted to push forward with the release ... so he made the ultimate decision to drop the album, giving people a much-needed distraction and some joy in a dark time.

So far, The Weeknd's looking pretty smart ... the album passed 1 BILLION streams in its first week, and the first day saw 100 million streams. At one point, "After Hours" songs held the top 12 spots on the Apple Music Top 100.

An E.R. doctor who dared to sound the alarm his hospital did not have enough PPE's to protect hospital staff has been fired ... according to the doc himself.

Dr. Ming Lin says he was given his walking papers from PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington, after he pled with folks on social media and other outlets for the hospital to get more gloves, masks and other items that protect doctors and nurses from contracting the coronavirus. As you know, the disease has hit Washington state with a vengeance.

Dr. Lin, who worked at the hospital for 17 years, says he was unceremoniously fired by a supervisor who told him, "You've been terminated."

Dr. Lin reportedly took it in stride, telling the Seattle Times, "It's a blow to my ego more than anything."

Lin had been very critical of the hospital, saying it wasn't protecting the staff. He claimed on social media the hospital would not screen patients outside the facility for COVID-19 ... so when they got in the E.R. safety became a crapshoot.

Jon Jones told police he had vodka before getting behind the wheel of his Jeep Thursday morning -- and needed to get out of the house because he was going '"stir-crazy" during the coronavirus pandemic.

It's all on police body cam footage from Jon's DWI arrest in Albuquerque, New Mexico ... with the UFC superstar calmly trying to explain to officers why he drank and then drove.

"I literally just got stir-crazy," Jones said ... "I just wanted to have a drive. This is my first drive in 2 weeks. And, I saw these homeless guys. I was being nice to them, having conversation with them, treating them like humans.”

During the stop, Jon said he has "really bad" short-term memory -- and blamed it on the fact he's a UFC fighter who gets "punched in the head" for a living.

"My short-term memory is really bad."

Jones was given multiple field sobriety tests including balancing, counting and reciting the alphabet. It did not go well. He struggled mightily.

Jones was ultimately arrested and booked for aggravated driving while intoxicated, negligent use of a deadly weapon and possession of an open container.

As we previously reported, cops say he fired a black handgun at some point during the evening -- which is why they were called to the scene in the first place.

Cops say they found a gun and a half-empty bottle of booze in Jon's car while searching the vehicle.

While officers are putting Jon in the car, he's overcome with emotion and begins to weep -- telling the officers, "I'm scared for my family."

At one point, Jon tells one of the officers, "I love you guys so much. I actually wanted to be a police officer when I grew up."

This is disgusting, horrifying and possibly criminal during the coronavirus pandemic -- an Amazon delivery guy was caught spitting on a package and appearing to use his hand to smear it, as well.

TMZ's obtained video of the vile incident, which we're told occurred Thursday evening at a duplex residence in L.A.'s Hancock Park neighborhood.

Take a look ... the delivery guy sets the package down on the porch, leans over and spits ... then catches some of the spit and appears to wipe it on the package as more saliva falls out of his mouth. He then stands up as if nothing gross just happened, and takes a photo to verify the delivery.

Our sources say Amazon was contacted by a neighbor and a friend of the person whose package was spit on, and a customer service rep watched the footage with them.

We're told the rep gasped in horror and expressed shock that it was an older man, and not a young delivery worker. The rep confirmed the delivery guy was from a third party service and he was reported -- but said it's possible he might be back on the job today, anyway.

A neighbor posted the delivery confirmation photo -- with a strong note to Amazon -- and the image clearly shows liquid smeared on top of the box. Amazon is supposed to get back to the aggrieved party by Monday.

When we reached out about the video an Amazon spokesperson said, “This is clearly not representative of drivers who deliver for Amazon and the care they take for customers around the world every day. We are aggressively investigating to understand what may have occurred in this situation. If it truly was a malicious act by the driver, we will be sure he is held accountable, up through and including law enforcement action.”

As we reported ... a similarly disgusting incident went down this week at a grocery store in Pennsylvania, when a woman allegedly coughed all over the fresh produce, forcing the supermarket to throw it all out and do a major disinfecting.

Here's what it's come to in Los Angeles ... you can't go inside the courthouse anymore to file a lawsuit .... one brave soul stands by the door, grabs your legal docs, and then sends you on your way.

The main courthouse in Downtown L.A. is now posting a court clerk by the dropbox. She receives and monitors lawsuit filings from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

It's become increasingly difficult and in some cases impossible to get justice these days. No such thing as a jury trial at most courthouses -- with good reason, of course. And, increasingly, it's hard to get any matter heard before a judge.

Check out the restrictions at the Downtown L.A. courthouse ... and with the direction things are going, the list will get longer.

Joe Rogan is blasting Gal Gadot for what he sees as a serious case of tone-deafness ... Joe says she's a "f***ing idiot" for singing "imagine there's no heaven."

Joe just gave Gal an epic dressing down on his podcast, ripping her for getting tons of her celebrity friends to sing John Lennon's "Imagine" in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

The way Joe sees it ... "This is not the time when everyone's grannie is dying, you f***ing idiot, to sing, 'Imagine there's no heaven.' It's such a dumb move."

As you know ... Gal and her famous friends -- including Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Kravitz, Kristen Wiig and Sarah Silverman -- sang parts of Lennon's famous tune and posted it on social media while in self-isolation.

Joe says they're all a bunch of "knuckleheads" ... he thinks it's really not what the country needs at this time, and says they all stink at singing anyways.

Comedian Tom Segura, Joe's podcast guest, thinks Gal and her buddies probably feel like they did something significant, but he says it's really a slap in the face to many.

FBI agents say they nailed a coronavirus snake oil salesman -- a SoCal man who allegedly claimed he had a cure, and used Magic Johnson's name to try to snare investors.

Ya just knew this was bound to happen ... the FBI arrested Keith Lawrence Middlebrook Wednesday evening in an undercover sting. The feds say Middlebrook delivered pills to an agent posing as a potential investor.

He allegedly claimed to have developed a "patent-pending cure" that would prevent people from getting infected, and also treat those already suffering from COVID-19.

The feds say Middlebrook solicited funds from investors and promised huge profits from his company, Quantum Prevention CV. For instance, the FBI says he told a cooperating witness a $1 million investment would turn into $200 to $300 million, conservatively.

He also allegedly dropped Magic Johnson's name to at least one potential investor ... claiming Magic was on his board of directors. The feds say they checked with Magic, who confirmed he had NO clue about Middlebrook or his "company."

Attorney General William Barr warned this week, during a White House briefing, the feds would come down hard on anyone preying on fears surrounding the pandemic.

True enough, Middlebrook's been charged with wire fraud, which carries a max sentence of 20 years.

Folks across the country are learning a new skill during the coronavirus pandemic ... how to cut hair from the comfort of their own home.

With barber shops and salons shuttering because of the outbreak, more and more people are boning up on hair styling, and they're buying clippers ... according to the company that invented the first electric hair clipper over a century ago.

Honchos at Wahl, which invented the electric clipper back in 1919, tell TMZ ... they've already sold out of their top-selling clippers on Amazon, and their own online shop is about to be cleaned out.

But, clippers are no good unless you know how to handle them, and Wahl says their website is being flooded with visitors to their men's haircut tutorials. We're told people are reading how to do fades, tousled cuts, brush cuts, easy cuts and business hair cuts.

Overall, Wahl says website traffic is up a whopping 287% over the same period last year ... and search traffic is up double-digits in nearly all 50 states, led by New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, Washington and West Virginia.

Remember, Supercuts took a huge hit at the start of the outbreak ... and now folks are channeling their inner Edward Scissorhands.

L.A. County's decision to leave firearm stores open during the coronavirus is already leaving one business owner with more customers than he could ask for ... many of whom are newbies to the gun game.

Burbank Ammo & Guns owner David Schwartz tells TMZ ... he is one of a few gun shops in the area that has seen lines out the door and around the corner lately, as people flock in to pick up a piece for protection. Interestingly, he also says many are first-time buyers.

Novices or not, Schwartz says he is cleaning up big time on the panic buying going on right now ... telling us his sales per day are way up, as much as 750%. The guns selling the most ... 9mm pistols and shotguns.

Those aren't the only items folks are picking up though -- Schwartz says people are snatching up just about anything they can get their hands on, ammo included. The main rationale he says he's hearing from those walking in his door ... protecting their homes at all costs. It's fascinating ... seems like buyers anticipate massive chaos and eventual looting.

BTW, Schwartz is being responsible with the frenzy ... he says he encourages customers to social distance while in line, and only lets a limited number of people inside at a time.

In any case, Schwartz might have to thank some County bigwigs for the uninterrupted cash flow. Earlier this week, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he was going to be shutting down all local gun shops, as he believed they weren't essential businesses.

Coronavirus has folks in heavily populated areas getting outta Dodge ... believing they'll be much safer away from people, isolating in homes on wheels.

It seems RV parks and campsites are the new safe haven for motor home owners fleeing COVID-19. Campground owners and managers in inland states -- like Nevada, Idaho and Wisconsin -- tell us they've seen an influx of folks from pandemic hot zones.

The owner of Devils River Campground in Manitowoc County, WI says they’re closed -- the ground is frozen, there’s no running water and power has been switched off -- but that hasn’t stopped diehards from trying to set up camp there anyway. As they say ... any port in a storm.

The owner tells us one couple from L.A. appeared in the middle of the night last week offering $40 just to hunker down for a night in the parking lot. A Chicago family had the same idea, and even told the owner they picked Manitowoc County because it had no reported coronavirus cases.

Anderson Camp in Eden, Idaho is also filling its RV spaces with folks from “areas that have been hit hard” ... according to the owner.

The same is true at the Canyon Trail RV Park in Boulder City, Nevada. Owner and operator Mike Wells says residents from California and Washington -- 2 of the hardest-hit states -- have accounted for 50 percent of patrons trying to crash on his 13 acres.

Mike says, “It’s been so busy and so many calls are coming in -- it’s like a call center here."

Michael Rapaport's had it up to here politely trying to ask the youth -- and their parents -- to stay indoors ... he's demanding it now, and with some cuss words to spare.

The actor and sports fanatic hopped online Tuesday with a VERY blunt PSA ... except, it ain't anywhere near as calm and collected as some of the others you've seen from your fave celebs over the past few days. Mike's getting nasty, and maybe rightly so.

"GET YOUR F****ING KIDS INSIDE!" -- it's a message to the parents of teens and young adults (probably dumb college kids, mostly) who either still live at home or rely on their parents for dough. In any case, if parents have some authority -- MR wants them to flex it to the fullest extent so their children stop infecting everyone else.

Check out the full 2-and-a-half minute message yourself, 'cause we really can't do it justice. Mike -- never one who's at a loss of words -- finds just the right ones to describe the dummies who disregard social distancing and quarantining ... and insist on partying.

It's kinda crazy -- he says he was asked by the powers that be to do a kosher PSA like most everyone else has been doing ... but he said screw that, and did one that'll resonate and accurately reflect society's outrage. BTW, his message applies to more than the "s**t-stained" kids he's talking to -- anyone screwing around with this outbreak needs to listen up.

Luka Jovic -- a star striker for Real Madrid -- broke quarantine last week in order to see his model girlfriend ... and now, officials say he's facing jail time for the reckless move.

Jovic, along with the rest of his teammates, were advised to stay in two-week isolation in Spain earlier this month after a Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for coronavirus.

For good reason, there have been more than 2,800 deaths and 40,000 cases in Spain alone since the pandemic began.

But, Jovic reportedly broke quarantine in order to fly back home to Serbia to see his pregnant girlfriend, Sofija Milosevic, last Thursday ... and now, authorities in his homeland are PISSED that he didn't isolate properly.

President Aleksandar Vucic has reportedly claimed the 22-year-old soccer star is under investigation ... and could face time behind bars for the move.

Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabic reportedly added after learning of the incident, "We have negative examples of football stars who earn millions abroad and when they come back to Serbia, they don't self-isolate as is obligatory."

For his part, Jovic has called the whole thing a misunderstanding, saying he wasn't aware of Serbian's quarantine policy ... and claims he even tested negative for COVID-19 twice.

"While in Spain, I tested negative for coronavirus, and I decided to travel to Serbia to help and support our people and be close to my family, in agreement with my club," Jovic reportedly wrote on social media.

"When I landed in Serbia, I again tested negative for coronavirus. I am very sorry that some people did their job unprofessionally and did not give me the correct instructions on how to behave in self-isolation."

"In Spain, I was allowed to go to a pharmacy and a supermarket so I could get the groceries I needed, which is not the case here. I apologise to everyone if I have endangered them in some way and I hope that together we can manage to overcome all this."

Jovic signed a 6-year deal to play for Real Madrid in 2019. He and Milosevic have reportedly been dating for less than a year.

Two airline pilots in Southeast Asia abandoned airship after hearing they had potential coronavirus-infected passengers aboard -- and their escape is bonkers.

The video, shot Friday, shows the AirAsia pilots -- moments after they landed in New Dehli, India -- popping out of the cockpit window and getting down to the tarmac that way ... rather than go through the cabin with the rest of the crew and passengers. The reason for their hasty, and awkward, retreat -- there was a rumor they had a couple sneezy travelers.

Check it out ... one pilot opens up a hatch and slithers through, safely making his way onto the airstairs before helping his buddy out. They were acting pretty caj about it, but c'mon ... this ain't normal.

Apparently, word started circulating mid-flight about suspected cases of COVID-19 in the first row -- so it looks like the pilots didn't wanna chance being anywhere near those seats. As it turns out, nobody was actually infected -- AirAsia says the passengers were screened and tested negative. The plane was fumigated and cleansed too.

Still though ... better safe than sorry.