You Might Want to Rethink

Rihanna is set to hit the stage during the Superbowl halftime show very shortly -- and you'd think NFL officials would already have her backup dancers inside by now ... you would think.

Check out this clip that our photog got about 25 minutes ago -- you see SCORES of people dressed in elaborate white outfits trekking across the parking lot just outside of State Farm Arena in Arizona (where the game is being held). The question ... are y'all with RiRi???

That's exactly what we asked them -- especially seeing how they were trying to cover up with trash bags, attempting to head over on the DL, but sticking out like sore thumbs.

A few of them actually gave us answers ... including when we referred to them as "Rihanna's army." They seemed to confirm that, and one of them even told us how deep they were rolling ... there's about 280 of them, it seems.

We don't know for certain these are Rihanna's dancers, but the odds seem high based on what we're seeing/hearing right in front of us. If they are, it's a big old SMH to the people who planned this. There's gotta be some backdoor entrance/route they could've taken. 😅

George Lopez is getting dragged through the coals for what some say is him acting like a gate-keeping elitist in standup comedy -- this after kinda putting down a fellow Latino comic.

The legendary funny man was on a podcast this past week for the All Things Comedy network -- chatting with Steve Treviño and others ... and they were talking about George's legacy, especially as it pertains to paving the path for other Hispanic comedians.

Trevino said it was incumbent on the OGs of the biz -- like George -- to pass down the knowledge and assist up-and-comers in breaking through ... but GL disagreed on the way to go about that. He acknowledged he hadn't always been the most helpful, but noted he had shown the way ... arguing it was on others to chart their own path, the way he has.

Trevino pushed back, invoking Ralph Barbosa -- a young guy who's blowing up right now in standup -- and George almost immediately took issue with his name being mentioned.

George asked why Trevino was bringing RB up, suggesting he wasn't famous/worthy of getting roped into the convo. He then asked the room if it was messed up he was saying that ... but in the end, he stood his ground in writing Barbosa off as a relative nobody.

His takeaway point was ... look out for yourself. It would seem, in his mind, that means not talking about other comics or giving them a plug of any kind -- something Paul Rodriguez has alluded to when it comes to what he says is George's track record on this sort of thing.

A resurfaced clip of Paul telling a story about George is now making the rounds in the wake of this Barbosa snub ... and it paints an interesting picture. It would seem that even among George's contemporaries ... he's got a bad rep for not extending a helping hand to Latinos.

George would likely disagree with that characterization -- but he's also pretty clear in how he thinks he can best serve people, including Hispanics. A bootstrap approach, no doubt.

As for Ralph ... he's responded to all the chatter this has spawned, and a clip he reposted is quite telling. It's a scene from the movie 'Blood In, Blood Out' -- where Benjamin Bratt is getting grilled by his relative for turning his back on his own people.

Tennis star Alexander Bublik absolutely lost his mind during a match this week -- destroying THREE of his rackets in a wild outburst that was all captured on video.

The epic temper tantrum went down in the third set of Bublik's Open Sud de France match in Montpellier against Grégoire Barrère ... when he blew a gasket over the way he was playing.

The 25-year-old -- a heavy favorite in the match -- slammed his racket to the court's surface over and over and over again after a losing a point ... leaving it in pieces.

Clearly unfulfilled by that, Bublik went to his bench and destroyed another one. Seconds later, he grabbed one more and, you guessed it, beat the hell out of that one too.

The crowd cheered loudly as Bublik went off -- and even one of the match's announcers was over it by the third racket smash, saying, "Well, this is getting out of hand now."

Bublik, the No. 50-ranked player in the world, eventually stopped the tirade -- and went on to lose the match, 6-4, 6-7 (12), 7-6 (3).

A driver behind the wheel of a Tesla was fast asleep as the car traveled along a busy California freeway ... at least that's the way it looks in footage shot from another car.

You gotta see the video ... the Tesla driver is motionless as the electric vehicle zooms down Interstate 15 near Temecula, CA ... and it looks like they're sleeping, because they're wearing sunglasses and their head is tilted back and their mouth is open.

The folks who shot the video are convinced the Tesla driver is out like a light ... they say the Tesla zoomed past them Thursday when they noticed the driver was "knocked out," remarking how dangerous the situation appears.

The concerned commuters reportedly followed the Tesla for 15 minutes, honking their horn to try and wake the driver before calling police, who never caught up with the vehicle.

California Highway Patrol says there were no reported accidents involving a white Tesla in the area at the time the video was shot ... but the footage is still pretty scary.

Chris Brown proved he was nothing but a sore loser after his Grammys defeat Sunday night.

The artist was nominated for Best R&B Album for "Breezy (Deluxe)" alongside Mary J. Blige, Robert Glasper, Lucky Daye and PJ Morton.

When Glasper was announced as the winner for his album "Black Radio III," CB took to Instagram to ridicule the now five-time Grammy-winning pianist, songwriter and record producer.

Chris posted a Google screenshot of Glasper and wrote, “BRO WHO THE F–K IS THIS?”

CB's vitriol didn't stop there...he posed the question again in another IG post...“YALL PLAYING  WHO DA F–K IS THIS?”

And, CB did it a third time ...“WHO THE F*CK IS ROBERT GLASPER.”
He then mockingly told his fans that he’s “gotta get [his] skills up” and “start playing the harmonica."

CB ended his tantrum by displaying a photo of himself playing the harmonica with the caption ... “NEW LEVEL UNLOCKED!” and “HARMONICA BREEZY.”
Twitter users were quick to pounce on CB.

One person bluntly wrote, "What a loser." Another said, "Nobody wanted him to win anyways."

A third person called out his domestic abuse history, saying, "Abusers losing will always make me laugh."

Pete Davidson is a captain at the Pro Bowl Games in Vegas this weekend -- which is sort of a weird sight ... but not nearly as bizarre as the ink Amon-Ra St. Brown was rocking.

The Lions WR was front and center Sunday for the off-weekend just before the Super Bowl next week, and during an interview with Robert Griffin III ... he showed off what appeared a relatively fresh tattoo he had plastered on his arm ... a tat of Pete's face, no less.

There's some writing underneath the drawing of PD's mug too ... it says, "Pete #1" -- as in Pete's #1 fan. Unclear if it's real or not, but Pete was brought over to take a closer look.

He was clearly impressed and moved by the gesture -- apparently, Amon-Ra is a big fan -- but he also said what most everyone else was thinking ... hopefully, that thing comes off!

As for why Pete's there at all ... he's just one of a handful of celebs on the field to help spice things up. Snoop Dogg and other stars are there too, and everyone's just goofing around and hamming it up for the camera -- notable during Pete's Best Catch judging.

Naturally, there were jokes made about his dating resume, which includes a lot of high-profile women he's been with over the years. Good sport that he is, Pete leaned in.

At one point, RGIII even made a little crack about Pete's "game" off the field ... and the dude was appreciative of the compliment -- noting, he's just there to have a good time.

Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis -- who last played with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 -- was arrested for DUI in Florida, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol tells us ... officers responded to a crash involving two vehicles on State Road 821 in Florida on Saturday, Feb. 4 around 7:51 am.

Once officers arrived on the scene, they noticed a black 4-door Tesla with heavy front end damage and a bronze pickup Toyota truck with heavy rear end damage.

According to police docs, Davis, who was identified as the driver of the Tesla, failed to maintain control of his vehicle ... and collided with the pickup truck.

The force from the collision caused the pickup truck to hit a nearby pedestrian ... who sustained multiple injuries and was transported to the hospital.

Law enforcement authorities say they observed Davis -- who played ten seasons in the NFL with the Colts, Dolphins, and Bills -- laying down sleeping on the right shoulder of the road.

When police were interviewing Davis, they say they noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and he needed to lean on the barrier to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

Police say they asked Davis if he had been drinking ... he replied, "Yes, I had two drinks. Two mixed drinks."

Officers say they asked Davis if they could administer a standard field sobriety test ... but the ex-NFL CB refused, saying, "No."

There's plenty of perks to being Madonna's daughter -- but apparently, even those perks have their limits -- like automatic entry into fashion shows.

Lourdes Leon and a friend thought they'd be able to stroll right into the Marc Jacobs Runway show Thursday night without issue ... but that wasn't the case. Check out the video, paps swarm Lourdes on her way into the Park Avenue Armory.

The two try to walk past security, but the guards aren't havin' it ... blocking the entry and refusing to let them inside.

At one point, even the paparazzi chant "Let her in!" as Lourdes and her friend crack up, but the security guards don't crack.

The wife of 49ers star Fred Warner won't be showing up to Eagles games in the future after she says Philly fans treated her horribly, berating her during the NFC Championship game, and it made her feel unsafe.

Warner's wife, Sydney, opened up about her experience at Lincoln Financial Field ... and let's just say she got a warm Philadelphia welcome.

The All-Pro's spouse says she was minding her own business, getting something to eat at a concession stand when a drunk Eagles fan got in her face, and tried to intimidate her.

"I tried my best to just not let it get to me." the 27-year-old said in a TikTok video on Wednesday.

"Like stay stone face, just walk and just let them throw stuff at you, say all the things and just get to where you're going. Just block it out."

Of course, that's easier said than done.

But, that was nothing compared to what happened when Sydney attempted to leave the game a bit early in an attempt to avoid the hecklers. Unfortunately, she ended up in a tunnel filled with Eagles fans.

"The way they were just like 'go home, go home' but that's fine. I get it but 'I hope your plane crashes!'" Sydney said, "I’m all about passion, but never again.”

Sydney, who married the linebacker last June, says it got so bad that she had to hide her red bag under her jacket so they wouldn't harass her, but she still felt unsafe.

"Like I'm 100% down riding for riding your team, but honestly, I just didn't feel safe," Sydney said.

"I will probably never go back to that stadium, to be honest. I guess you can just call me a wimp, but I couldn't handle the fans."

43-year-old Michael Bisping's still got it!

The retired, former UFC Middleweight champion, turned Power Slap commentator, joined the 'TMZ Sports' TV show on Wednesday to talk about his new gig ... when we asked Michael, if, for research purposes, he ever doled out a slap.

Turns out, oh yes, he has! Bisping told us the story of the time when competitor Jesse Nutting asked for a slap ... and a slap he got.

"The guy involved, he says to me, 'give me a little slap, Bisping,'" Michael explained, adding, "I did not give him a proper slap, but I gave him just a little mess around. Anyways, he was scheduled for the last slap contest of the day, if you will."

So, Bisping slapped Nutting and went about his business calling the fights.

"We're commentating on the fights and we're waiting for the last one to come out. And, then we're waiting and we're waiting and he doesn't show up. Then the producer comes in and tells me, 'Mike, apparently, the guy that you slapped, afterward, he started feeling all fuzzyheaded and blurry and he said that he can't compete.'"

"'The doctor looked at him and said that he's totally fine.' But, I don't believe this. Controversy follows me wherever I go."

Jesse didn't fight, and Bisping was worried he screwed up the event.

"Dana and all the partners put a lot of money into this. A lot of organization. Our commentator, that idiot Bisping is backstage slapping the fighters and we can't continue. I thought, 'Oh, My God, I'm going to get fired for sure.' Classic me strikes again. I will be slapping nobody. Punching nobody. I'm just going to sit there. Do my job. And, try to be as boring as possible."

We also talked to one of the Power Slap breakout stars, Michael "Slap Jesus" Smith ... about how the former MMA fighter turned into a slap fighter.

"I had my first MMA fight a couple years ago, and I started looking for more fights on Facebook groups and came across a post from one of the producers," Smith said. "I looked it up, seen it was from The Ultimate Fighter people ... and said, 'Let's go!'"

Smith says he loves the slap-fighting experience ... adding, "It's right up my alley!"

A 19-year-old has been arrested and booked in Iowa for what cops say was a phony charity scam that raked in tens of thousands ... all from people who believed she had cancer.

The Eldridge Police Department rang up Madison Russo on a first-degree theft charge this week, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted. She was arrested on Jan. 23, but has since bonded out ... and is due back in court on March 2.

Cops allege Russo lied about 3 different diagnoses that she'd publicly been touting for at least a year ... including leukemia, pancreatic cancer and a tumor "the size of a football."

Throughout much of 2022, Russo went viral on TikTok while documenting her health journey -- which the authorities are now saying was completely made-up ... and which entered criminal territory after she raised upwards of $37k on GoFundMe from 439 donors.

On social media, she was often seen adorned in hospital-like paraphernalia ... IV bags, tubes that ran through her nose and medical tape/gauze -- suggesting she was undergoing treatment. All of that, however, was phony and just an act -- so alleges Eldridge PD.

Court docs reportedly lay out what police say they found at Russo's apartment ... in addition to some of the medical supplies listed above, they allege they discovered a wig, pills for nausea in a relative's name and more. In other words, they're claiming these were all props.

In addition, Eldridge PD says they subpoenaed Russo's medical records ... and allege she'd never been diagnosed with cancer at any nearby hospitals. The cops say she got on their radar after people wrote in saying some of what they saw on social media seemed fishy.

Here's a new one -- a 22-year-old high school basketball coach is out of the job after trying to pass as a 13-year-old player in a junior varsity game earlier this month.

According to local reports, Arlisha Boykins -- an assistant for the Churchland H.S. Truckers in Virginia -- impersonated one of her players who was away from the team for a club basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Instead of playing with one less hooper, Boykins apparently took matters into her own hands and suited up as the student-athlete ... and footage obtained by WAVY10 shows the full-grown adult balling out against the competition -- driving the lane for a layup, getting a block and nailing free throws.

The outlet reports Boykins was fired as a result of the stunt ... and the rest of Churchland's JV players and parents elected to opt out of the remainder of the season.

The 13-year-old's father spoke about the situation ... admitting he was "shocked" the coach would do such a thing.

The school is now investigating the incident ... and the student's family is asking for an apology.

A Polish tourist in Mexico got a crash course in Mayan history after climbing a sacred pyramid ... locals were waiting for him when he got down, and one beat him with a stick.

The wild scene, which was captured on video, played out over the weekend at the famous Chichén Itzá archaeological site in Mexico's Yucatan.

In the viral footage, you see the tourist coming down the Kukulkan pyramid's steps ... and when he gets to the bottom, he's confronted by an angry mob ... including a shirtless man with a huge stick who bonks the tourist on the head as others show their displeasure.

The issue for locals ... the Mayan temple is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and it's illegal to climb the pyramid.

The tourist is reportedly from Poland, and was arrested Saturday and released after 12 hours in custody.

Adding insult to injury, the tourist was also slapped with a fine of $5,000 pesos ... but the stick to the head's gotta hurt worse.

More first responders have now been fired in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death ... and this time it's a fire lieutenant and two EMTs who responded to the scene.

The Memphis Fire Department announced Monday it fired three members of Engine 55 ... Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker and EMTs Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge for violating numerous policies and protocols during Tyre's arrest.

The department says Engine 55 was dispatched to the scene, and when they got there Tyre was on the ground in handcuffs leaning against a police car.

MFD says their investigation concluded the EMTs, who were called for a person being pepper sprayed, failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment on Tyre ... and after their initial interaction with him, they requested an ambulance, which got there about 15 minutes after EMTs arrived.

All the while, the Fire Department says Lt. Whitaker remained in the fire engine with the driver.

MFD says both EMTs and Lt. Whitaker "violated numerous MFD policies and protocols" and they've all been fired.

As you know, Memphis police brutally beat Tyre and he complained of shortness of breath while being arrested ... he was taken to a hospital where 3 days later, he died. The 5 cops involved in the arrest have been fired and charged with murder.

The mayor of New York City is admitting it probably wasn't the best idea to light up the Empire State Building in Eagles colors on Sunday -- saying Monday, "That got away from us."

The building rocked green and white at its top following Philadelphia's NFC Championship win over the San Francisco 49ers ... and it was immediately met with a ton of backlash, considering the Eagles are one of the New York Giants' biggest rivals.

To make matters worse for bitter backers of the G-Men, officials wrote on the building's social media page, "Fly @Eagles Fly!"

When Mayor Eric Adams was asked about it all during an appearance on "CNN This Morning" ... he made it clear he was not exactly thrilled that it happened.

"Unfortunately," he said, "someone did not get the memo at the Empire State Building."

Adams said the building -- which shifted its lights to Chiefs colors after K.C.'s AFC Championship win over the Bengals -- should have featured Giants shades following the games.

"That blue should have been there," he said.

Karl-Anthony Towns isn't gonna like this -- NBA star Anthony Edwards just opened up about his Chester's Hot Fries obsession ... admitting he eats at least 21 bags a week!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves guard listed the 10 things he can't live without during a GQ Sports interview on Monday -- and naturally, his beloved snack food made the cut.

"The best chips that were ever made," the 21-year-old said. "I've been eating 'em since I was probably like five years old."

"I probably eat like 3 a day. You do the math ... what's that 21 bags? Yeah, I eat that many!"

In fact, AE says he probably eats more than that depending on how much time he has during the day.

Of course, this might not sit well with KAT -- Remember, the Wolves center called out Edwards for being sluggish on the court ... and blamed AE's love for Popeyes chicken for his performance.

"I know y’all think it’s funny up here when he talks about Popeyes and all that s***," Towns told reporters last October. "That doesn't make me happy to hear."

Well, his recent performance on the court says otherwise. In Minnesota's last three wins, Edwards averaged 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game -- plus, he's shooting at 55% from the field.