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Jonathan Goodwin, who nearly died doing a stunt for 'AGT: Extreme,' is suing NBC over his gruesome injuries, alleging the network didn't do enough to ensure safety on set.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jonathan claims NBC and producers kept upping the ante on stunts to go bigger and bolder to keep eyeballs on the 'AGT' franchise, and he says that led to producers signing up contestants to perform extreme stunts ... while cutting corners on safety.

In the docs, Jonathan claims the show controlled, designed and interfered with the safe performance of stunts ... which he says nearly cost him his life when he got seriously injured on set.

Jonathan says he was "catastrophically injured" during an October 21 rehearsal at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia, where he was crushed and burned by 2 exploding cars before falling more than 20 feet to the ground and landing violently.

In his suit, Jonathan claims he dislocated his spinal cord, lost his left kidney, suffered 3rd-degree burns and fractured his legs, ribs and shoulders.

Remember ... we first obtained video of the stunt, and it shows Jonathan suspended in the air, hanging from a wire and attempting to free himself from a straightjacket before two swinging cars smash together.

The footage shows the cars sandwiching Jonathan in midair ... and sources on set told us folks who were there thought Jonathan had died.

It's been nearly 2 years since the incident, and Jonathan says there's no end to his suffering from his mental, physical and emotional injuries from the "catastrophic, life-altering" incident.

In his suit, Jonathan's blasting the show for what he says was a failure to implement industry safety standards. He says the production hired unqualified people to oversee and design the stunt, which he says wasn't tested with a crash dummy before he got in the ring.

He's suing for damages.

Pairing facial recognition with AI is a dream come true for law enforcement, but it could also be a nightmare for privacy as we know it -- which is why an author says it might be time to pump the brakes on the technology.

Kashmir Hill, a New York Times tech reporter, joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to tell us about the facial recognition databases lurking in the shadows, how the technology works and what its implications are for the future.

Google and Facebook first developed facial recognition tech in early 2017, but Silicon Valley's major players didn't dare unleash it on the public ... though Kashmir says another company, Clearview AI, picked up the baton and pushed the boundaries.

Kashmir wrote a book about the topic, "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest," and she says Clearview AI's database scraped the internet for photos of human faces -- without consent -- amassing 30 billion images and counting. Those numbers make it likely your face is already in their database.

There are some practical, and good, uses right now -- the tech is being used to solve crimes, and it was recently used to identify folks who stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

However, Kashmir paints a picture of a dystopian future where the tech completely strips away privacy for everyone ... which, for example, could make for some embarrassing trips to the pharmacy.

Britney Spears is in The Big Apple, celebrating the upcoming release of her memoir with a couple of the hottest names in music ... J Balvin and Maluma.

Spears hit Zero Bond Wednesday night for some sushi and conversation with the two music hunks, posing with her tongue out and sunglasses on while the three sat together.

J Balvin and Maluma are certainly friends, and have been for a while ... but the Britney connection is interesting considering we've never seen her hanging with the musicians before. It's also possible they simply were in the same spot at the same time and decided to join forces ... Page Six reports the guys waved Britney and friends over to their table.

Britney's memoir, "The Woman in Me," is set for release October 24 so there's a good chance she's in NYC for promotional events and a small press tour.

TMZ broke the story, Britney will serve as the voice for a portion of the audiobook and a mystery celeb will handle the other duties. We don't yet know who the mystery celeb will be, but our sources say at one point Reese Witherspoon was asked ... she wasn't available.

Taylor Swift hopped onstage at the AMC Theater at The Grove Wednesday night, thanking her fans who showed up for the premiere of her movie, telling them how overwhelmed she is with the phenomenal success of her "Eras" tour.

TMZ broke the story ... 2,200 fans were invited to the world premiere of "The Eras Tour." All 14 AMCs were packed to the gills, and things got way better for them when Taylor took the stage.

She gave a 3-minute speech thanking folks for showing up, with a special shout-out to her family and her band, all of whom were present. She said the band has become family just like her mom, dad and brother.

She explained the process of selecting who got tickets for the world premiere ... saying they were "hand-selected and handpicked ... because you've shown some type of extra support for this tour."

She gave several speeches at the various theaters in The Grove, saying, "I’m always looking out for people with elevated levels of passion, incredible senses of humor on the internet, attention to detail. These things are very important to me."

The success of the flick is insane ... it's broken all records for single-day advance ticket sales -- $26 million. By the time the weekend is over, the film is expected to gross $115 million!

During the showing, Taylor was singing and dancing along in the audience.

Taylor was also there bearing gifts, including popcorn, free alcoholic drinks and candy. Fans predictably were furiously trading bracelets during the evening.

A bunch of celebs showed, including Adam Sandler, Beyoncé, Simu Liu, Mariska Hargitay, Flavor Flav, Maren Morris and Julia Garner.

Jeremy Allen White was spotted having a fun day at the beach with his little kids ... this after agreeing to test for booze whenever he spends time with them amid his divorce.

The star of "The Bear" was on daddy duty on Wednesday, taking to the Malibu sand with his young daughters -- Ezer and Dolores.

They all seemed to be having fun ... the kiddos were running around near the water and JAW had a smile on his face watching them play. A pretty sweet moment -- one that came not long after rules were set in place so he could continue to see them.

As we reported, new docs obtained by TMZ showed Jeremy agreed to test for alcohol as part of a custody agreement he has with his estranged wife, Addison Timlin.

It said he would test up to 5 times a week when he has the little ones in his care -- and if any booze is found, that custody goes out the window. Docs said Jeremy and Addison also agreed to share joint physical custody over their kids.

His custodial time comes with some caveats, though ... apart from the testing, he also has to attend AA once a week as well as other therapy sessions.

Police are looking to charge three men who they say played a role in an altercation at a Patriots game last month that ended in the death of one fan.

The Foxborough Police Department tells TMZ Sports ... it has submitted criminal complaints to prosecutors seeking assault and battery and disorderly conduct charges against a trio of Rhode Island men.

While cops did not reveal the names of the men nor any further details of the evidence ... they did say they believe the men were somehow involved in the altercation that resulted in Dale Mooney's death at the Pats vs. Dolphins game at Gillette Stadium.

According to the FPD, officers came to the conclusion after interviewing witnesses at the game as well as reviewing videos of the incident.

As we reported, Mooney was involved in the scuffle at some point during the Sept. 16 contest ... and he collapsed and later died. Officials did say, however, that they believe a medical issue -- not a traumatic injury -- led to the death.

A medical examiner's investigation into the final cause and manner of death remains ongoing.

Donations towards Mary Lou Retton's medical expenses now top $360k and the Olympic star's daughter, Shayla, says she's blown away by the "unbelievable love" her mom is receiving from her fans.

"My sisters and I are overwhelmed," Shayla said via Instagram on Wednesday, "We didn't even realize that there's so many people out there that love her just as much as we do."

"It's been a really hard time for our family."

Since news broke that the Olympic gold medalist was battling a rare case of pneumonia, fans have flooded the SpotFund account launched by her other daughter, McKenna.

As of Thursday morning, the fund sits at $363k (after starting with a goal of just $50k!) with over 6,000 donors! And it's going up by the hour.

"Just seeing that people love her like that and showing her that support has just meant the world to us and to her," Shayla said.

"Thank you for your unbelievable love & support for our mom. Please continue to pray for her full recovery."

Britney Spears' memoir is coming out soon, but only a part of the story is going to be told in her voice when it comes to the audio version -- the rest will be handled by a surprise celeb guest ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the publisher of "The Woman in Me" tell TMZ ... Britney has already recorded the voice-over folks will hear when they buy the audiobook, but we're hearing she only recorded herself narrating a portion.

We don't know how much she recorded, but we've been told she did not narrate any chapters having to do with her family -- and, presumably, much of the book will cover that topic. Our sources say she didn't record audio for those sections because she found them too painful to retell in her own words.

So, as a remedy ... another celeb was tapped to record the rest of 'TWIM' -- which comes out on Oct. 24 -- although it's unclear who was on the mic. Our sources tell us the publisher was really pushing for Reese Witherspoon to pick up the baton, but she wasn't available to do it.

We're told only female celebs were approached, and they eventually landed on someone suitable who's completed the recording ... and the whole audiobook is ready for the masses.

Remember, Britney was on the fence about doing an audio version of the book at all -- something she was unsure of dating back to July.

With that said, it's perhaps not surprising they got her to agree to narrate at least some of it -- audiobooks are a huge part of any new book rollout these days because they're big-time sellers.

Seeing how Britney got paid a fortune for this memoir -- it makes sense Simon & Schuster wanted to get its money's worth by producing the audiobook.

Beyoncé is letting all the world know ... she's a "Swifty," too!!

Queen Bey made a surprise, unannounced appearance at Taylor Swift's now legendary premiere for her "Eras" tour concert film at The Grove in L.A. Wednesday night.

Taylor looked stunning in a $12,000 blue dress created by none other than Oscar de la Renta. And Beyoncé was the epitome of cool in her all-black bodysuit, chrome bustier and dark sunglasses.

Both superstars gave thousands of "Swifty" fans an even bigger treat -- posing together for photos on the red carpet in front of a wall of throwback images of Taylor and a huge ad for her movie.

Everyone then piled into the theater to watch the movie -- of course, Beyoncé and Taylor had a front-row seat and they proved it by posting an Instagram video of themselves sitting next to each other. Beyoncé playfully tossed popcorn on the ground as Taylor stuffed a kernel into her mouth.

In the caption, Taylor partly wrote, "I'm so glad I'll never know what my life would've been like without @beyone's influence. The way she's taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms."

TMZ first reported ... Taylor was planning to pop up at the premiere after questions swirled about whether she would attend. The music icon took selfies with 2,200 of her excited "Swifties," who were lucky enough to be handpicked to watch the movie with her.

What's more .. the security was totally insane at The Grove, which shut down for the first time in 2 decades for the event.

Hundreds of guards were posted outside the shopping center to keep an eye on things. Barricades were also set up all around the perimeter.

And everything went according to plan.

Don't forget ... Taylor moved the release date for the film from Friday to today. Get your tickets now, Swifties!!!

Do you think Taylor Swift will show up at Beyoncé's movie premiere? Vote below.

Kanye West is reportedly pissing off the people of Italy again ... and this time it's local war veterans angry over his past remarks celebrating Hitler and the Nazis.

Here's the rub ... the rapper is supposedly in secret talks to hold a concert to build a huge event stage at the RCF Arena in the city of Reggio Emilia, according to the Daily Mail.

While no plans have been set in stone, word got around town that 80,000 fans are planning to show up at Kanye's possible gig, infuriating some of the Italian war veterans who fought against Nazis during World War 2, sources told The Mail.

The vets are bitter about Kanye's comments last year, lavishing praise on Hitler and the Nazis. You might recall ... Kanye sat for an interview with conspiracy nut Alex Jones on his show, "Infowars," and made some jaw-dropping remarks.

Kanye said, "I see good things about Hitler ... Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler."

When Jones argued the other way, Kanye replied, "They did good things too, we are gonna stop dissing the Nazis." At another point, Kanye stated, "I like Hitler.

In a separate interview with Piers Morgan, Kanye doubled down on his antisemitism, blaming Jews in the music industry for his ugly feelings toward them.

Scott Disick is still suffering from his 2022 car crash in a bunch of different ways ... and it all adds up to making his sex life total crap.

Lord D opened up about the aftermath of his accident on Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians" as Khloé Kardashian took him to see a doctor for his back pain -- something he attributes to his Lamborghini rollover wreck last year near Calabasas.

The back pain isn't all Scott says he's still dealing with ... he also says the accident led to some weight gain and all of it is directly affecting his sex life.

When the doc asks Scott what he'd usually do for fun before the crash, he says sex but admits he's terrible at it now, thanks to a lack of mobility. Khloé's no doctor, but she's got some sorta bedside manner ... because she asks Scott if he'll be motivated to fix his pain so he can "get back on the wagon to f**k?"

Scott even jokingly suggests maybe once he's all healed up, he and Khloé could test out his new back in the sack! Not surprisingly ... Kourtney's sis refused to participate in that joke!

TMZ broke the story, Scott's accident was a scary one ... but thankfully, no one else was involved in the accident. Outwardly, he walked away with just a minor cut to his head, but obviously, there was more internal damage.

Taylor Swift's world premiere of her "Eras" tour film wouldn't be complete without friendship bracelets galore ... and the singer's parents joined in on the fun with her biggest fans -- which included Flavor Flav!

Scott and Andrea Swift were all smiles at the big premiere of their daughter's epic concert movie Wednesday night at The Grove in L.A. -- Andrea was spotted trading and having fun with a fan throughout the night.

Andrea couldn't help but give the Swiftie a hug after getting the accessory from them, which said, "I love you mama thank you so much" ... and she made sure to return the favor by finding a bracelet to give right back.

One of the many celebs who showed up was big-time Swiftie, Flavor Flav -- after snapping a pic with Taylor's pops, they got into the bracelet trading biz, too ... with Scott giving Flav a "Papa Swift" one that apparently is NOT for trading.

Flav gave Scott one to keep all for himself, too ... even double-checking that it'll stay on his wrist!

This isn't the first time Flav has met Taylor's 'rents -- as we reported, the rapper gave them big hugs at her SoFi Stadium concert back in August, and he was decked out in friendship bracelets there, too.

Scott even gave him some sweet guitar picks to pass out to the crowd.

Taylor Swift is gearing up to go back into cheerleader mode for Travis Kelce, with plans to attend Thursday night's game in K.C. ... though Kelce's status for the matchup still remains questionable.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Taylor plans to travel to Missouri to watch Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Russell Wilson and The Denver Broncos.

If she makes it, the game will mark Taylor's third appearance at one of Travis' games in the last 4 weeks ... the team has gone undefeated ever since Taylor first popped up at a game next to Travis' mom, Donna, back on September 24.

As we reported, Taylor hit the Chiefs vs. Jets game the following week, but was MIA when Travis and crew took on the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis last Sunday.

One major factor in Taylor's appearance Thursday though ... Travis is battling through an ankle injury, and the team announced Wednesday his status was "questionable" to play.

If she does make it as planned, the timing is interesting. The Chiefs will have a couple days off -- because they won't play the usual Sunday game -- so it's possible she spends additional time with him at home.

To say she's having a busy week would be an understatement ... shutting down The Grove in Los Angeles Wednesday for the premiere of her "Eras Tour" movie and making a surprise appearance.

Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson have reunited with Reebok ... the NBA icons just got new jobs with the athletic brand -- as President and Vice President of basketball!

Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky revealed the new roles were created for the former hoop stars this week and he's thrilled to have them back, in Shaq's case, 3 decades after first signing in 1992.

"As an athlete, he made an incredible imprint on not only our brand, but the entire sport and culture of basketball,” Krinsky said.

“With the combination of his deep-rooted history with Reebok and reigning influence he’s made on the game, there is no one better than this guy."

It's the real deal ... O'Neal even got an employee ID. Now that he can get in the building, Shaq will focus on helping the brand partner with athletes and organizations.

Iverson, who signed with Reebok in 1996, is the Vice President and will have duties similar to Shaq. He'll also work on community-based initiatives and athletic activations.

Reebok, for their part, is thrilled to be back with Iverson ... one of the "most influential players of all time" on and off the court as his "legacy continues to grow and impact future generations."

O'Neal says he's excited to start the new venture and plans to look for players, male or female, who can bring Reebok to the next level ... and working alongside Iverson helps.

One very lucky Californian is waking up a billionaire ... matching all numbers to win the incredible $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot.

The lucky combination in Wednesday night's drawing was 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 ... and the Powerball number was 10. As for where it was sold -- the winning ticket reportedly came from Midway Market & Liquors in Frazier Park, California ... about 75 mi. north of L.A.

The mystery ticket holder can either choose to get their $1.765 billion payout in installments over the next 30 years or can opt for a cash prize of $774.1 million.

In an interview with KCAL, one of Midway Market's employees said he believes the winner will be someone who plays the lottery "religiously" ... as most of their clientele buy tickets all the time.

Shockingly enough, the winning Powerball ticket for the drawing's four largest jackpots in history have all come out of California ... the last was in July for $1.08 billion.

As we reported, the largest Powerball drawing in history, at $2 billion, was won by Edwin Castro in late 2022 in California. Castro opted for a cash payout of $997.6 million from the jackpot and has purchased at least one very impressive home in the time since.

If you won the Powerball jackpot would you stay private or go public? Vote below.

Taylor Swift certainly knows how to draw a crowd -- proving it once again at her movie premiere -- by bringing out a ton of her fans and celebrity friends as well.

Taylor shut down the famous The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles Wednesday for 2,200 fans, but it felt more like a red carpet premiere once celebs started to show face.

As for the guest list -- Beyoncé, Flavor Flav, Simu Liu, Adam Sandler and his kids, Julia Garner, Mariska Hargitay, Maren Morris, Loren Gray and more.

Unsurprisingly, Taylor's fans were eating it all up ... going nuts outside the venue as their favorite singer posed for pics, shared quick stories, signed autographs and did plenty of smiling and waving.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor had 14 theaters rented out at the AMC location at The Grove and each was packed. Once inside, fans were obviously treated to the movie, popcorn in 'Eras Tour' buckets, drinks, candy and even some face time with Taylor herself.