You Might Want to Rethink

Rick Leventhal is digging his heels in over his decision to dress as Alec Baldwin in a cowboy costume with a gun for Halloween ... taking some serious jabs at the guy.

RL did NOT back down from his outfit choice for the holiday -- despite getting major heat, as many called it outright offensive and totally inappropriate considering the seriousness of the matter.

ICYMI ... Leventhal posted photos of him and his wife, Kelly, in costume -- pointing out she was celebrating her Native American heritage, while he was "celebrating the great American film actor Alec Baldwin." RL is pictured in rancher-like clothes ... with a fake gun in hand.

In response to all the outrage, Rick had this to say ... "In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin. He’s a jerk and deserves all the heat he’s getting."

He went on to explain he chose this getup at the last minute, while also arguing that if we dissected every costume in terms of who it might offend -- there'd be no Halloween. Rick says he of course feels bad for Halyna Hutchins' family, but adds ... "If Baldwin is anti-gun why is he waving them around in movies and pointing them at people and pulling the trigger? Focus your anger at him and the hypocrisy of that industry."

His wife's choice of costume is also getting backlash -- but chalked all that up to people being too sensitive, and not realizing she actually has Native American blood in her.

More trouble for NASCAR -- Kyle Busch is apologizing for using the r-word in a post-race interview on Sunday ... saying he should have never used the derogatory term.

Busch was furious with Brad Keselowski after making contact with the driver at the NASCAR Cup playoff race at Martinsville ... sounding off to reporters following his 2nd-place finish.

"He drills my ass coming out of (turn) 4 for no reason," Busch said after the race.

"I mean, where was he going? What was he gonna do? Spin me out? He was trying to do a (Kevin) Harvick is what he was trying to do. For what? For second place? To do what, he wasn't gonna transfer through with that."

"It’s frickin’ (r-word), man. So stupid." Busch added. "I don't understand these guys. I should beat the s*** out of him right now, is what I should do. But, that doesn't do me any good, either."

Busch took to Twitter to share his regret over using the term ... saying, "In one of my post-race interviews I used a word I should never use and I want to apologize for it."

It's the third time a high-profile driver has used a derogatory slur recently -- remember, Kyle Larson was suspended after using the n-word during a stream ... and Hailie Deegan underwent sensitivity training after using the r-word.

A spokesperson for NASCAR says the org. is reviewing Busch's comments ... which means sensitivity training, a fine or a suspension could be on the horizon.

Move over Danny Ocean, 'cause there's a new pair of thieves in town that are giving him a run for his money in the criminal world -- but their big score isn't a casino ... it's vino!!!

A man and woman posing as a couple made off with an incredibly rare bottle of French wine that's 215 years old ... and valued at $407,000. That's not all though -- they also got away with at least 6 other bottles from the 19th century, which are worth a pretty penny too.

Here's what happened ... the guy and gal -- whom are reported to have been English speakers, and acted "refined" -- visited the Atrio restaurant/hotel in Caceres, Spain ... a Michelin-starred place famous for its top-notch wine collection that they keep in a cellar.

They checked in at some point last week, deciding to dine in the attached eatery -- and, at one point, asked the front desk hotel clerk to serve them more food ... who then ran back to the kitchen, leaving security cameras unmonitored. That's when they made their hit.

Cops say the guy went down to their cellar and smuggled out 7 bottles, including the high-priced 1806 Chateau d'Yquem ... a dessert wine from the Sauternes district of Bordeaux. They checked out early Wednesday ... paying with a credit card, and leaving with a fat haul.

No word on how much exactly all 7 bottles are worth combined ... but it sounds like it might be well north of half a mill, at the very least. Folks there believe they were very much so professionals ... and pulling a heist on behalf of a wine collector of some sort.

Reason for the latter ... Atrio's owner says the $400k bottle is very well known on the market as their property, and it cannot be easily sold publicly without major flags being raised. So, either somebody wants it all for themselves, or is planning to sell it on the black market.

The upcoming "Hocus Pocus" sequel sounds like it won't feature at least one of the original stars ... because Omri Katz says his phone has been bone-dry in regards to a potential return.

Omri, who played Max Dennison in the Disney cult classic, tells TMZ ... he hasn't been approached about being involved in "Hocus Pocus 2," even though he would be open to bringing back his character in some fashion.

While Omri says it would be great for the fans to have him and some of the other OG cast members make an appearance ... so far, only the witches -- Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy -- are known to be coming back for seconds.

Omri also tells us he remains close with his "Hocus Pocus" family ... hanging out with Thora Birch (Dani Dennison) and Vinessa Shaw (Allison), usually during spooky season when the film is most popular.

Filming on 'HP2' is already underway and the movie is scheduled for a release next October on Disney+, but Omri says his main concern is getting a marijuana business, The Mary Danksters, up and running.

An Amazon driver's now jobless after a video went viral of a woman slipping out the backdoor of his delivery truck ... sparking racy speculation about what she and the driver were doing.

The clip, shot in a Florida neighborhood, shows a woman in a black dress and flip-flops hopping out the rear door. Worth nothing, the Amazon delivery guy's quite the gentleman ... he holds the door open for her.

It's unclear who the woman is, or exactly why she was inside the truck -- but Amazon certainly didn't think it was prime conduct by the driver.

A rep for the company tells us, "This does not reflect the high standards we have for our Delivery Service Partners and their drivers. Allowing unauthorized passengers to enter delivery vehicles is a violation of Amazon policy, and the driver is no longer delivering packages to Amazon customers.”

Marshawn Lynch wasn't the only one caught on TV droppin' F-bombs this week ... 'cause broadcast mics picked up an NHL player's "F*** you!" during a game Wednesday -- and it was LOUD.

The cussing was captured during the first period of the Philadelphia Flyers' tilt with the Edmonton Oilers ... and it could be heard crystal clear on television.

No word yet on who unleashed the profane remark ... but it appeared to happen because of an on-ice collision between a Flyers player and an Oilers player.

Shortly after the two guys got tangled up ... the F-bomb could be heard in the arena -- and it didn't take long for social media to notice it, and laugh about it.

Of course, it's the second time this week the F-word has made it on national airwaves ... with Lynch saying "what the f***" on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" Manningcast on Monday.

Logan Paul got in a physical altercation with a man outside an L.A. hotspot late Wednesday night ... slapping a heckler upside the head after he called the YouTube superstar a "p***y."

26-year-old Logan was waiting outside Nightingale in WeHo when a bunch of autograph seekers came up to him and started asking about his rumored fight with Mike Tyson.

When LP ignored the questions, one man called him out and said, "Are you a p***y, or what??" ... before trying to walk away.

That's when Logan aggressively approached the man ... getting in his face and shoving him before smacking him in the head.

The crowd is audibly shocked ... with several people gasping and saying, "Oh s***."

Logan's friend and "Impaulsive" podcast co-host Mike Majlak jumped into action ... pushing and shoving the heckler backwards before security came in and bear-hugged the guy away.

Majlak urged Logan to go into the club, but both guys were able to calm down and even joke with each other as Paul waited for valet to bring his Polaroid camera from his car.

Of course, Logan has been facing off against much bigger and more talented competition recently ... going 8 rounds with Floyd Mayweather back in June.

What's bizarre -- Logan maintained a smile throughout the whole incident ... but it's clear the altercation was pretty tense.

Logan eventually gets reunited with his beloved camera and heads into the club ... but accidentally drops it on his way in.

Boosie Badazz doesn't hate gay people, in general -- he just hates Lil Nas X, which is why he went on a disgusting tirade against the guy ... so says Big Freedia, who's defending the former.

We got the NOLA-based rapper at LAX, who gave her take on the whole controversy over Boosie calling LNX the homophobic f-slur, while also telling Nas to off himself. This is interesting ... not only does Freedia back Boosie, but she explains away his behavior.

Freedia's definitely not as up in arms over Boosie's language as others in the LGBT community. She seems to think he's only directing those words at Lil Nas, despite the fact they're offensive to all.

From her POV ... Boosie and Nas X are in an endless back-and-forth of online trolling, and have been for a while. That's actually how this whole thing started -- LNX jokingly said he had a song coming out with Boosie, and Boosie went into outrage mode and fired away.

However, despite his clearly homophobic words ... Freedia simply doesn't think Boosie actually has malice in his heart toward the gay community, and her evidence of that has to do with his feature film, "My Struggle."

Boosie stars as himself in the biopic, and Big Freedia says the movie has prison scenes where gays are portrayed and represented in a positive light.

That might suffice for Freedia ... but, clearly, others have differing opinions. Some feel Boosie straight up crossed the line with his tweet, which Twitter has since removed.

The ultimate remedy might be an actual collab -- Nas X joked about one happening, but Freedia says for these 2 to truly bury the hatchet ... maybe they should really link.

Things are getting tenser than a lethal game of Red Light, Green Light -- "Squid Game" creator Hwang Dong-hyuk heard LeBron James bashing the show's ending loud and clear ... and fired back by clowning his panned 'Space Jam' movie!!

James was heavily critical of the Netflix series' final scene ... discussing his dissatisfaction with Anthony Davis in front of reporters after a preseason game earlier this month (don't worry, we won't spoil it here ... but seriously, why haven't you watched yet?!?)

Hwang was asked about James' review in a recent interview with The Guardian ... and his response is clearly dissing the King's recent "Space Jam: A New Legacy" flick, which currently has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Have you seen Space Jam 2?" Hwang asked in response to James' comments.

"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I'm very thankful he watched the whole series."

So, will Hwang roll out an alternate ending to appease James' critique??? Don't hold your breath.

"But I wouldn't change my ending," he added. "That's my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I'll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, 'I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins says a Dallas Stars fan crossed the line before Monday night's game ... claiming he was taunted over the death of his teammate Matiss Kivlenieks -- and now the team is investigating.

Merzlikins -- who was friends with Kivlenieks before his tragic passing in July -- says he was walking out of the tunnel before taking the ice in Columbus when a fan in a Stars sweater started heckling him.

The 27-year-old addressed the incident with reporters after the 4-1 win, saying he truly believes the nasty remark resulted in karma on the ice.

"I was expecting a shutout because I believe in karma," Merzlikins said. "There are some stupid people in this world. It was really bad what happened in the tunnel when I was walking out. There was a fan from Dallas who (provoked) me about Matiss."

"After the first period, the three posts that I got, I really believed in karma. I saw that he was really there."

Merzlikins says he did not respond to the fan or get upset over the comment ... adding, "stupid people don't really come in my head."

Here's a firm lesson that alligators are NOT the slowpokes they're often made out to be -- especially when they're in their liquid turf ... these bastards are fast and furious!

Check out this wild video of a guy who was swimming in a lake down in Campo Grande, Brazil over the weekend, when he had a freaky run-in with the apex predator that was on his ass as he was trying to swim to shore.

It seems the man had no idea he was being scoped out by the gator -- but once he did realize he had company ... he tried to book it.

As he's approaching the shore, you see the alligator torpedo its way toward the poor dude -- and it actually takes a chomp on his torso, only to release him as he continues to flee. Give credit to this fella for keeping his swim going, 'cause the animal could've easily latched on and taken him under.

Looks like the gator pierced some skin, as the man was indeed bleeding when he emerged. Hard to tell how bad the injury is -- but he's lucky to have walked away in one piece.

Waka Flocka's wife, Tammy Rivera, is fuming over a CVS employee who she believes racially profiled and harassed her -- but she's also making an appeal to save the woman's job.

ICYMI, Tammy went off Sunday with a couple of video posts ... one of them from inside the CVS in DeKalb County, GA as the alleged profiling was going down. Tammy said she frequents this CVS and knows all the employees, but the woman she encountered this time was new.

Tammy claims the staffer eyeballed her constantly, up and down every aisle, and yelled at Tammy for opening a hair accessory she intended to buy. The whole scene escalated when the clerk tried to kick TR out of the store, and police were called.

She eventually left the store to avoid trespassing charges, but Monday morning Tammy called her CVS to file a complaint, and she got a quick response from the general manager ... who called back to apologize.

A rep for CVS tells TMZ ... it has a "firm non-discrimination policy" and it's committed to ensuring that all customers are "treated with respect and are offered courteous customer service." The rep added they've launched an investigation.

Tammy tells us she's told CVS she doesn't want the woman to get fired, but instead, would like to see her get more education and training. As Tammy put it ... if it happened to me, it's probably happened to other Black or Latina customers.

J Balvin is issuing a mea culpa for a music video of his that portrayed Black people -- especially women -- as animals ... namely, dogs ... who were literally on all fours.

The Colombian reggaetón star took to IG to apologize for the controversial visual offering of his track "Perra" with Dominican rapper, Tokischa, who's of African descent herself. The track's all about how she (Tokischa) is a dog in heat ... and looking for a male to bang.

Naturally, the video would be provocative ... but it seems Balvin and co. went all in on the canine theme -- getting a lot of their dancers/background actors in animal-style makeup, in which many of these folks of color were made to look like actual pooches.

Not just that, but some of the Black people are in cages at certain points, Tokischa is depicted in a dog house throughout the video and eating from a bowl ... and the most striking image is when J Balvin himself is walking a couple of Black ladies on leashes.

The project was slammed by several critics, but the biggest may have been Colombia's very own Vice President and Chancellor Marta Lucia Ramirez ... who deemed it sexist, misogynistic and flat-out racist. After all the backlash -- it was taken down by Balvin.

In his video, Balvin says he's sorry to anyone who was offended ... especially women, and especially Black women. He says he didn't mean for it to be interpreted as degrading -- noting he was simply trying to help give some shine to an up-and-coming artist in the Dominican Republic.

Balvin says his work has always been about tolerance, love and inclusivity -- and after hearing how it affected people ... he felt the need to come on and address it on camera.

The guy even apologizes to his own mother at one point ... so you can tell he's taking it seriously. While the video was removed from YouTube ... the official audio is still up.

The smoking gun that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins might've been more than just an on-set prop -- it was also being fired recreationally, even when cameras weren't rolling.

Multiple sources directly connected to the 'Rust' production tell TMZ ... the same gun Alec Baldwin accidentally fired -- hitting the DP and director -- was being used by crews members off set as well, for what we're told amounted to target practice.

We're told this off-the-clock shooting -- which was allegedly happening away from the movie lot -- was being done with real bullets ... which is how some who worked on the film believe a live round found its way in one of the chambers that day.

Obviously, authorities would want to speak to anyone who had been using the weapon for target practice, and -- more importantly -- to whoever was putting the gun back among others used for filming.

We've reached out to law enforcement to see if that's happened yet.

Dr. Fauci might be getting grilled anew -- Congress wants to know why his branch of the NIH allegedly funded research that saw puppies being tortured in the name of science.

A bombshell report from The Hill -- based on docs a nonprofit called the White Coat Waste Project claims to have obtained via FOIA -- suggests the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases partially funded experiments being conducted in Tunisia between late 2018 and early 2019, in which upwards of nearly 4 dozen young beagles were being killed.

WCWP alleges these docs show the NIAID, under the umbrella of the NIH, paid anywhere between $375k up to $1.68 million in grant money for drug research ... which was apparently being carried out on 44 puppies, this despite the fact the FDA condemns such practice.

Some of the twisted experiments alleged to have been carried out include putting puppies' heads into mesh containers, and letting sand flies eat them alive. Some of the puppies are also said to have been left out in the desert overnight for 9 days straight -- where there, too, they were devoured by the infectious flies ... which can carry deadly viruses.

The lab workers are alleged to have silenced the dogs' barking by surgically removing their vocal cords, so they could work in peace. As a result of these ghastly claims, 24 members of the House of Representatives have fired off a letter demanding accountability.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R) led the charge, but got support from several colleagues across the aisle ... including signatures from Reps. Ted Lieu, Cindy Axne, Steve Cohen, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Gottheimer, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mike Quigley, Terri Sewell and other Dems.

Lil Nas X jokingly said he had a new song coming out with Boosie Badazz -- but the latter didn't think it was funny ... and hurled every homophobic slur he could at the guy.

The Louisiana rapper unloaded on LNX Saturday with an expletive-laden diatribe that's shocking -- calling Nas X the f-slur, among other things ... while also telling the 'Montero' artist that he should kill himself.

Boosie writes, "STOP TROLLING ME F***** LOL 📷U A WHOLE BITCH PLAYING WITH A GANGSTA SMH U CAN KEEP SUCKING D*** N GETTIN F***** N YOUR ASS."

As if the horrendous homophobia wasn't enough, he continued ranting and telling Nas X to kill himself, claiming he'd be doing the world a favor if he did so.

Yeah, we know ... it's wild, and about as unhinged as we've ever seen Boosie on this topic.

The hate speech comes on the heels of an IG video Nas X made, where he claimed he had a new collab coming out with Boosie ... obviously, a troll comment, as everyone knows Boosie would likely never agree to something like that ... based on his well-documented history.

Lil Nas X doesn't appear to have responded to Boosie's rant just yet -- but something tells us he'll have something to say. This one just goes way too far not to address.