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One Florida theme park has a fun way to make sure guests obey their new coronavirus rules -- an overly aggressive, but totally well-meaning furry mascot, which seems very effective.

The place is called Gatorland, and it's in Orlando -- not too far from Disney World, Universal Studios and all the other family-friendly facilities nearby. They just reopened Saturday, and they rolled out a new costumed character to enforce their safety guidelines.

Meet the Social Distancing Skunk Ape!!! The name is just as subtle as his intro video that the company posted, which goes into great demonstrative detail about what it's all about. Basically, he roams around and low-key hassles non-abiding guests ... gently, but firmly.

It's an interesting idea, and certainly brings some much-needed levity to the heaviness everyone's been feeling during all this. On Saturday, some ticket holders got to meet the Social Distancing Skunk Ape in person -- and he looked just as charming as he does on YT.

The question now ... is Disney and co. about to do something similar with their many mascots??? They definitely could make a few tweaks to reflect the times ... The 'Rona Humanoid Rat is one way to go. Don't Hug Me Damsel in Distress Princess is another.

In all seriousness though, we probably already have an idea of how Disney's going to handle their costumed workers. Shanghai Disney recently reopened, and they kept them all away from their guests on a far-away float.

A generous, talented lady out in Chicago reached new heights to live out her mission of lifting quarantined senior citizens' spirits with a song ... and used heavy machinery to do it.

The woman's name is Colette Hawley, and she goes around professionally singing to old folks who live in nursing homes, and who might be feeling extra isolated and lonely during the pandemic. BTW, she does all this for free -- and she's pretty darn good at it too.

For Memorial Day weekend, Colette decided to utilize a new way to entertain as many seniors as she could in one shot -- renting out a cherry picker to bring up several stories as she had a megaphone in hand to belt out some scat singing, and other tunes.

She writes on Twitter, "I rented a Cherry Picker to sing to seniors(close but not too close!)for Memorial Day. This is an unbelievably hard time for them. I love & value our seniors. NO ONE IS DISPENSABLE. Offering free shows to nursing homes. 💖 coco."

Watch -- it would appear her good deed was a hit with her target audience ... a bunch of nursing home residents came out and started dancing. Even from their wheelchairs!

Obviously, this reminds us of the grandmother balcony serenade from a few weeks back, which some other nursing home elders were happy to piggyback on themselves.

An LAPD horse went from trusty steed to fugitive on the run on Venice Beach this weekend after it somehow lost its police officer rider ... then tried to make a clean getaway.

The wild scene went down Saturday, and it starts out with a cop who somehow came off the saddle and attempted to run down the free-spirited stallion in the sand -- to no avail. It looks like the horse might be freaked out by all the people who gathered around.

Yeah, that probably didn't help ... it quickly became a spectacle.

Eventually, the big fella found his fellow horse pal standing calmly nearby with its own rider mounted on top ... and he finally settled down enough for the frantic officer to catch up and rein him in, literally. The horse stopped putting up a fight and allowed itself to be led away.

What's crazy is that once the horse was away from the massive audience, it still was being a little stubborn and jittery. But, alas, the cowboy cop broke the bronco once more ... and got back on the horse.

No official word on if they rode off into the sunset together -- probably not, it was still around mid-afternoon here.

The 14k gold-and-diamond ring Kobe Bryant gifted his mom 20 years ago has just sold ... and it brought in more than $206k!!!!

$206,080 to be exact.

As we previously reported, Kobe bought two identical, blinged-out rings for his parents to commemorate his first NBA championship with the Lakers following the 1999, 2000 season.

Kobe's mom, Pamela Bryant, famously tried to sell the rings, along with a bunch of other Kobe memorabilia back in the day ... and Kobe sued to try and stop the sale.

Kobe ultimately agreed to allow his parents to sell 6 items -- including the rings -- and, in 2013, they sold to a private collector (a big Lakers fan) for a total of $280,000.

Now, that private collector went to Goldin Auction to see what they could get for the rings ... and obviously, the value has skyrocketed.

The minimum bid was $15,000 -- and after 20 total bids, it sold for $206k.

AND ... the ring Kobe gave his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, is expected to hit the auction block soon and it could fetch even more than Pam's ring.

As for the identity of the new buyer, that has no been disclosed -- and may never be.

Corey La Barrie's parents claim "Ink Master" star Daniel Silva is responsible for the wrongful death of their son -- and they want him to pay up in court.

The YouTuber's parents, Simon La Barrie and Lissa Burton, filed suit against the tattoo artist ... alleging he and his company, Daniel Silva Tattoos, were negligent in the hours and moments leading up to Corey's untimely demise earlier this month, on his birthday no less.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Corey's parents allege that Daniel was driving at an unsafe and unreasonable speed when he was in the car with Corey, which they say means he was operating the vehicle without due care and in violation of California law.

Not only that, but they go on to allege he was under the influence at the time of the accident -- which ultimately killed Corey -- and they even go so far as to say that his own company provided the intoxicants, which the La Barries say was alcohol and/or other unknown substances. Then the nail in the coffin ... they say Daniel had been popped before for driving under the influence, so he should've known the dangers of doing so.

As we reported ... Daniel has been charged with murder in connection to Corey's death. Now, he's got a civil suit to deal with too.

Corey's parents say that, with the loss of their son, they're going to be missing out on a whole lot of emotional comfort he did and would've provided them for years to come -- not to mention the burial expenses they've incurred and other costs.

For that, they want a judge to grant them damages. We've reached out to Daniel's attorney for comment ... so far, no word back.

An alligator rumored to have once belonged to Adolf Hitler has died at quite a remarkably old age.

The reptile -- who goes by Saturn -- recently passed away in the care of the Moscow Zoo, which he called home since the 1940s after he was discovered by British soldiers and gifted to the facility shortly thereafter ... once Germany suffered defeat in WWII, of course.

Saturn is actually said to have survived a bombing at the Berlin Zoo back in 1943 -- where he had been living after being shipped there from America in the mid-'30s -- and somehow lived among the ruins until he was found again in 1946. After that, Russia was his new home.

For some reason ... rumors swirled in Moscow that the alligator might've once been part of Hitler's personal collection of exotic animals. The Moscow Zoo says it became an urban legend but doesn't elaborate on why something like that might've even been thought.

Whatevs ... the scaly creature lived out the rest of its days in Moscow's care, and apparently -- he was a very good, but also cantankerous boy. Of the animal, the Zoo writes ... "He was fussy about food and loved being massaged with a brush. If he didn’t like something, he would gnaw on the concrete decorations." He had a diet of rabbits, rats and fish.

Now, the Zoo doesn't confirm whether the Hitler story is true or not -- the theory could never be proven -- but they do defend Saturn's rep by saying ... regardless of who he might've belonged to, an animal's an animal, and shouldn't be judged by any human action.

The alligator was 84.

If you need guidance on social distancing ... look away.

Apparently, these folks didn't see the sign that read, "Please practice social distancing: 6 ft apart."

The shindig went down at a Memorial Day party at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The lake was filled with boats, and sun worshipers and ... well, looked just like any other Memorial Day.

The Governor partially re-opened the state, but with safety guidelines, including social distancing. It was clearly lost on all these people. BTW, the video was shot by Scott Pasmore, a reporter with the CBS affiliate.

The state has also allowed restaurants and other businesses to re-open. The question ... will this happen there?

Floyd Mayweather doesn't think COVID-19 can give him his first loss -- at least judging by the way the boxer was PARTYING on Saturday in Arizona.

Floyd hit up the International Boutique Nightclub (aka INTL) in Scottsdale ... which was PACKED with people!!!

No masks. No gloves. No social distancing.

And, apparently, no worries from Floyd and his crew ... who were smiling and dancing in their own private VIP section.

The video is shocking considering we're still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Of course, Arizona had allowed restaurants to reopen their dining rooms on May 11 -- but we didn't know nightclubs were part of the plan too!

Earlier in the day, 43-year-old Mayweather was dancing a day party at a nearby hotel in Arizona.

The takeaway ... no fear from Floyd.

Arizona ain't exactly immune to the COVID crisis -- the AZ health department reported 431 new cases on Saturday ... bringing the total number of cases in the state to 16,039.

The total COVID death toll in Arizona is 799.

Thousands of people packed into Ace Speedway in North Carolina Saturday ... and it's a vision of coronavirus.

Check out the pics ... most people aren't wearing masks as they squeezed in like sardines to watch the race.

Around 4,000 fans paid $15 a pop in rural Alamance County. Only around 1 in 10 folks were wearing masks.

There were hand sanitizer stations available, but it doesn't seem many of the fans were into it as they watched the races and hit up the concession stands.

North Carolina's Governor has partially opened the state, but the point is to practice social distancing and wear protective masks when out in public ... that message was lost here.   This is the first big sporting event in the state since March.

We just wanted to give you a taste of what's going on with all the folks who just regained freedom ... and it's insane.

A throng of beachgoers -- around 200 -- descended on a car on one of the main drags of Daytona Beach to catch a few bucks. Someone inside a car was throwing cash out onto the street from the sunroof, and bedlam ensued.

It got so crazy one of the deputies trying to restore order reported over his radio he heard gunshots. He didn't ... it was a car backfiring.

Daytona is just one of the many places around the country that attracts large numbers of tourists and vacationers ... and as we're seeing, lots of folks clearly think coronavirus is a thing of the past, despite every doctor and scientist says the virus is alive and well.

Daytona is a hot spot for vacationers on long holiday weekends. Let's hope it doesn't become another type of hot spot.

Someone donated $40,000 to the family of the late WWE star Shad Gaspard ... and it's looking like the secret donor is none other than John Cena.

The family created a GoFundMe account for funeral and other expenses ... this after Shad tragically died last weekend off the Venice Beach shore. Lifeguards swam out to rescue Shad but he implored them to get his 10-year-old son first. They did, but when they came back Shad was gone -- swept out to sea. His body was found 3 days later.

Someone pledged a whopping $40,000. As for who, the person's identity was recorded as "CTC RIP."

Now the clues ...  CTC -- Cryme Tyme Cenation -- was a wrestling tag team comprised of Cena, Shad and JTG back in 2008. Cryme Tyme had existed before, but Cena joined -- though only for a short time. He suffered an injured early on and ended up dropping out, leaving Shad and JTG to continue their insanely popular tag team.

We're also told John and was extremely close to Shad and had commented to various people last week he wanted to do something for the family.

Now check out the photo John just posted ... a car with the letter CTC emblazoned on the smashed whip. It looks like Cena and Shad are spray painting the car. The pic is clearly from a match ... you see fans all around.

Mike Tyson showed some big-time wrestling stars who's boss Saturday night, and even a snake couldn't intimidate him.

Iron Mike was supposed to do the honors at the AEW "Double or Nothing" pay-per-view by handing the winners of the title match the championship belt -- he ended up doing a lot more.

The match -- Cody with Arn Anderson by his aide vs Lance Archer w/ Jake the Snake Roberts -- was back and forth. At one point Arn and Jake were hurled out of the ring and Jake was trying to make his way back inside with the ominous bag containing a snake.

That's all the former boxing champ needed to see, because Mike ripped off his shirt, revealing his amazing physique, and blocked Jack with intimidating force. It worked, because Jake and the snake retreated, giving Cody and Archer the win.

Mike then flexed for the viewers and then bestowed the honor on Cody by handing him the belt. He didn't have to throw a punch but he sealed the deal on the match -- Mike's THAT daunting.

Mike told us at "TMZ Live" he's open to fighting Evander Holyfield again.

Blake Griffin and Chandler Parsons are hoop-challenged these days -- what with coronavirus and all -- so they figured out a game that still involves a ball, though a little lower to the ground.

Blake, Chandler, "The Hills" star Frankie Delgado and a few other buds enjoyed a game of kickball Saturday, and it looked like a blast. Blake and Chandler were captains of their respective teams and, of course, and there was trash-talking galore.

Blake was fully into it, kicking a grand slam and yelling, "That's the most exhilarating thing I've ever done."

There were some issues. No one was wearing masks and they were high-fiving each other at various points of the game.

Blake and Chandler could be back in action. The NBA may be coming back at Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It's uncertain whether the remainder of the regular season will be played or just the playoffs.

Here's "Floribama Shore" star Kirk Medas pulling the ol' "don't you know who I am?" card on cops during his arrest down in Georgia ... and it backfires in spectacular fashion.

Kirk was arrested for disorderly conduct this month in Woodstock, GA ... and he tried to tout his celebrity status as he was being hauled off in handcuffs.

Kirk yells, "I'm on a TV show by the way," as cops slap on a pair of cuffs and curious bystanders laugh as they try to figure out exactly what the hell he's famous for.

Kirk ain't lying ... dude was a regular on the "Jersey Shore" spin-off ... but it seems he doesn't really know his audience. The bystanders definitely didn't know him.

As for the arrest ... cops say they were responding to a call regarding a drunk and disorderly male, later identified as Kirk, who had been kicked outta Pure Taqueria.

Police say bar staff told Kirk he had to hit the road after he threw up, and that's when he allegedly became belligerent. Medas was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

In the video, you hear bystanders saying cops have their guns trained on Kirk ... but the cops say they just pulled out tasers.

Brody Jenner and Kaitlynn Carter may SEEM like they're rekindling a lost romance, but they're not getting back together ... instead, they're just co-parenting pooches.

Here's the deal ... fans have noticed Brody and Kaitlynn lookin' pretty chummy recently -- BJ was the muscular hunk in the reflection of one of KC's snaps, and they both posted similar photos from the same beach -- but we've learned there's nothing brewing, other than a new dog in the mix.

Sources close to the famous exes tell TMZ ... Brody and Kaitlynn have hung out and bumped into each other a few times, but it's NOT a sign they're getting back together.

When Brody and Kaitlynn were "married" -- it was never a real marriage, there was a ceremony in Indonesia but they never made it legal -- they shared 3 dogs together ... Radar, Tank and Shoey.

Our sources say Brody and Kaitlynn had an agreement when they split ... he would take the dogs full time, and she had visiting rights.

We're told Kaitlynn adopted a new dog, Dash, a couple months ago and wanted to introduce the pup to the pooches she co-parents with Brody, so the exes set up a meet-and-greet for the dogs.

They all hit it off -- the dogs, not Brody and Kaitlynn -- freaking out and playing like good boys and girls.

Brody and Kaitlynn are getting along too ... we're told they said hello and were friendly when the bumped into each other at the beach in Malibu, in what sources say was not a scheduled hangout.

The exes are both moving on, but we're told there's no bad blood ... Brody was spotted quarantining with a UCSB grad and witnesses say Kaitlynn went on a date this week with Amber Heard's ex, Kristopher Brock.