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Amanda Gorman dedicated her latest poem for Super Bowl LV to three frontline workers whom the NFL dubbed honorary captains ahead of the coin toss ... and she did their services all the justice in the world.

The poet laureate -- who's been the talk of the town since her rousing reading at Joe Biden's inauguration -- was once again given a chance to show off her prose on the biggest stage in the world ... and she didn't disappoint, beaming in virtually with new original work.

The three captains were James Martin (a Marine vet), Suzie Dorner (a nurse manager) and Trimaine Davis (an educator). Amanda went through each person's contributions during the pandemic, big and small, and highlighted how they've helped out their community.

James provides his home to at-risk kids and streams football games for folks who aren't able to do it themselves; Trimaine donates laptops, internet hotspots and other resources for people who cant afford it, and Suzie serves as an ICU managing nurse out of Tampa.

The three frontline workers were present on the field while a pre-taped video with Gorman's remarks played. Before it aired, she said the move to get a poetry reading involved in the Super Bowl was a game-changer ... in the right direction.

She writes, "Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art & our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed. I’ll honor 3 heroes who exemplify the best of this effort. Here’s to them, to poetry, &  to a #SuperBowl like no other."

A pair of awesome performances opened Super Bowl LV, with their own unique spins on some of America's most treasured anthems ... including one from H.E.R. that truly stood out.

The R&B crooner was tapped Sunday to sing 'America the Beautiful,' which she handled seamlessly from an elevated platform near the stands. She had an electric guitar on her too, and put it to good use during the performance ... while giving the song new life.

H.E.R. completely slowed down the tempo of what is normally a pretty high energy song, and sang it in a completely different style than how it's normally delivered. You could call it soulful, but it also had some major rock vibes too -- 'cause H.E.R. shreddddded on that instrument.

Next up was Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church, who teamed up for a duet version of the National Anthem ... which was also sung in a slightly different fashion than usual -- namely, slowed-down and sorta sultry.

Church also strummed the guitar for this performance, while weaving in his vocals with Sullivan's ... who kinda took the lead with her powerful voice. They killed it -- and the crowd loved every minute of it ... with most players standing, wearing masks with a hand over their heart.

The same day an avalanche in Utah killed four skiers in Salt Lake Valley, another one about 200 miles east swallowed up a pack of snowmobilers ... who lived to tell the tale.

Check out this video that was captured and shared Saturday somewhere in the Uinta Mountains in northeast Utah ... where four to five guys in snowmobiles were riding around on the side of a mountain, when all of a sudden they felt the ground below them rumble.

The guy who posted this, Miles Penrose, says he then saw a wave of snow barreling down at him and his friends and got swept up in the debris -- this after his avalanche backpack chute (almost like an airbag to keep people safe) failed to deploy.

BTW, you can see the avalanche coming ... and it's absolutely terrifying. Incredible that the cameraman was able to hold on and not lose his phone.

Luckily, Miles says he was only taken out about 20 yards, and was able to keep himself on top of the massive snow pile. Next thing he knew, he was searching for his little brother and pals ... the former ended up being buried about five feet deep, but was alive.

So were his other friends, who were scattered about ... but again, seemed relatively unscathed. The same sadly can't be said for a group of four skiers who were killed in a separate avalanche the same day out in Mill Creek Canyon -- while 4 others were badly injured.

Donald Trump doesn't want SAG-AFTRA, and they just made it perfectly clear they want nothing to do with him either ... forever and never again.

The former President was permanently banned from ever rejoining the actors' union this weekend after the board passed a resolution that gave him the boot for good. He'd already resigned -- going out swinging too, no less -- but now they've cut ties as well.

With the passage of this, they're preemptively denying any possible future application that Trump may submit to get back in. So yes, he's officially banned, expelled, etc.

As for their reasons ... it's pretty obvious. It's all about his involvement in inciting a violent mob to storm the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 -- and his opposition to a peaceful transition of power on his way out of office. They also say he's been a jerk to journalists in the union, and can't stick to facts or the truth ... all of which SAG says is antithetical to its mission.

SAG Prez Gabrielle Carteris -- who told us punishment was still very much on the table despite his resignation -- says while cutting him out after the fact is mostly symbolic, it's important ... adding, "It is a resounding statement that threatening or inciting harm against fellow members will not be tolerated. An attack against one is an attack against all."

What this means big picture ... Trump won't be able to do any legit TV or movie appearances in the future, at least none that are SAG sanctioned.

'SNL' has a new sketch about how sexy Zillow listings really are -- but now ... they're being accused of ripping off the joke from a comedian.

Ted Alexandro has been railing on the writers from "Saturday Night Live" all day Sunday, claiming their now-viral skit -- which was all the rage Saturday -- is actually his own material ... which he performed live at the Comedy Cellar in none other than New York City.

He writes, "Dear @SNL, since you stole my Zillow joke last night please Venmo me the sum of 1 million dollars. My full special Cut/Up is on youtube if you need more ideas." Ted added a mash-up of his original joke and the 'SNL' parody, which have familiar themes and beats.

The gist of the gag is that the older you get, the more certain aspects of adulthood start to appeal to you -- maybe even in a sexual sense. 'SNL' played up the whole "yeah sex is great" angle ... and turned Zillow browsing into a softcore fantasy porn ad of sorts.

Ted's original performance of the Zillow phenomenon ain't all that different -- but he makes it more about how he and his wife "sext" each other ... sending each other Zillow listings that are out of their price range to make one another hot and bothered. They're both funny ... but Ted's insisting he did it first, and seems to want either money and/or credit.

It's unclear when Ted first performed his Zillow joke, but it appeared in a compilation video he released with a bunch of his stand-up shows called "Ted Alexandro: CUT/UP" ... which got posted on YouTube in September. Looks like it might have surfaced well before that though.

George Shultz -- President Reagan's Secretary of State and one of the most prolific statesmen in American history -- has died.

Stanford University's Hoover Institution broke the news Sunday, saying Shultz had died at his home in California ... no cause of death was revealed. Another S.O.S. and current Director of the Institution, Condoleezza Rice, remembered Shultz as a man of great accomplishment.

She says, "Our colleague was a great American statesman and a true patriot in every sense of the word. He will be remembered in history as a man who made the world a better place."

Shultz is perhaps best remembered as a major player in Reagan's administration, especially as it pertained to keeping the temperature down with then-Soviet Russia ... with whom the U.S. was in the midst of a Cold War that threatened to boil over at a moment's notice.

When Gorbachev became the Russian president in the mid-'80s, Shultz convinced Reagan to play nice and actually talk to the guy ... seeing how U.S.-Russia relations at that point were pretty much broken and non-existent. That advice proved crucial to America and Russia eventually signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which got rid of a ton of nukes in Europe ... a huge step in achieving peace.

Shultz also served in President Nixon's administration, in a number of posts -- first, Secretary of Labor, later the first director of the Office of Management and Budget, and eventually Nixon's Secretary of Treasury ... where he headed up domestic and international financial policy.

When he finally left public service for good, Shultz went on to consult on a number of political causes, including President Bush's 2000 presidential campaign ... and also sat on a bunch of corporate boards, both economic and otherwise. One of his most famous ventures post-politics was with one-time Silicon Valley wiz Elizabeth Holmes -- who founded the biotech company Theranos, and tapped Shultz as a board member between 2011-2015.

He wasn't in on the scam, but did seem to be mesmerized by what Holmes was selling at the time ... state-of-the-art blood testing that was exposed as phony. Funny enough, his own grandson, Tyler, ended up being the whistleblower that blew up Theranos for good.

Shultz is survived by his five children and several grandchildren. He was 100.

Morgan Wallen has been booted from just about every platform that played his music, but Saturday night he got the biggest platform of all ... and the crowd loved it.

Diplo headlined to around 2,000 people at the WTR Tampa Pool, and at around 1 AM he spun his hit with Wallen, "Heartless."

TMZ broke the story ... Wallen hurled the n-word at a friend as he returned home Sunday night in Nashville, and the reaction was swift. His label, Big Loud Records, indefinitely suspended his contract. He's also been yanked from radio streaming on SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, Pandora and other platforms. CMT has removed his performances and he's now ineligible for the ACM Awards.

Although his radio play dropped 71% since the video surfaced, sales of his catalog of albums and songs went from a combined 5,000 Tuesday to 22,500 after the video surfaced ... that's a 339% increase.

Wallen's sister also wrote an emotional post, saying her brother is a good man without malice in his heart and shouldn't be defined by the worst moments. Diplo clearly agrees.

A cop in Ontario, Canada viciously attacked a skateboarder who was begging for help, and it's all on video.

20-year-old Skyler Kent had apparently run a red light in front of police, so they pulled him over and he was given a ticket. The officers then went after Kent for a second time, and he was tackled by one of the cops, and that's where the video starts.

You hear Skyler repeatedly scream, "Get off of me!" as he is smothered in cop. The officer implores Skyler to stop resisting, to which he responds ... he's not resisting.

The cop orders Skyler to put his hands behind his back and then puts a taser to his head and warns, "You want this? I'll light you up!"

As bystanders plead for the cop to stop hurting the skateboarder, the cop screams, "Roll on your stomach!" The officer appears to slam the taser at Skyler's head. Another officer then comes and flips Skyler over. The first cop then grabs Skyler's hair and slams his face into the pavement. It's just brutal.

Now get this ... Skyler was charged with causing a disturbance and assault with attempt to resist arrest.

The Police Chief said the cop in question has been "reassigned to alternate duties" pending the outcome of an investigation, adding the video is "concerning."

It's pretty amazing ... the actual Super Bowl will be COVID safe with rigid rules, while the City itself has gone in the total opposite direction, and all the proof you need is right on video.

Thousands of partiers crammed into the Ybor City and SoHo Districts in Tampa Saturday night and it couldn't be more unsafe ... almost no one is wearing a mask, and sardines have more room to stretch than these folks.

The crowd is a mix of college students from the area and lots of others who flew down to Tampa for some fun.

The City and the NFL have encouraged people to wear masks and socially distance, but it wasn't happening. You see police cars in the area but we didn't see any cop or other official trying to make things safe.  Probably wouldn't have done any good regardless.

The WTR Tampa Pool inside the Godfrey Waterfront Hotel was poppin' all weekend, with Steve Aoki performing Friday night and Diplo and 50 Cent taking the stage Saturday ... again, with COVID precautions non-existent.

Diplo can sure draw a crowd, because around 2,000 people swarmed the Godfrey Waterfront Hotel's WTR Tampa Pool Saturday night and -- aside from the whole COVID super-spreader thing that sometimes causes death -- a good time was had by all.

It looks very pre-pandemic, with music, a dance floor, bars, and fun shenanigans. And, as per usual, no social distancing and masks are few and far between.

The electronic music and light show are pretty spectacular, as fire dancers do their thing.

On a serious note, this is what is keeping Dr. Fauci and other experts up at night. Some of them have warned ... if there are 50 people in a crowd, there's more than a 50% chance at least one of them is carrying COVID.

With the variants spreading across the U.S. -- some of which are even more contagious than the COVID OG -- this and other events like it are disasters waiting to happen.

50 Cent also performed earlier in the evening at the same venue.

Here's what the event organizers demanded ... "Social distancing procedures will be strictly enforced, face masks will be required for all staff & guests, wellness and temperature checks will be mandatory for entrance, sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the venue, and continued cleaning protocols will provide regular sanitizing.” The best-laid plans ...

The Tampa PD was pissed ...“Scenes from WTR last night and a few other clubs were incredibly disappointing. The city spent the better part of a year educating residents on precautions due to the pandemic and have recently put a mask order in place for both the entertainment and event zones to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors to our great city.”

The night before, Steve Aoki headlined another bash at the same venue -- that was also super COVID unsafe.

The Weeknd's super-natural looks are just as amazing as his voice!

Here is a 22-year-old version of the singer showing off his stylish good looks at an award show in New York City back in 2013 (left). This was the same year he released his first studio album titled "Kiss Land."

And, 8 years later ... the Super Bowl LV halftime performer shared a stunning selfie showing off his perfectly chiseled jawline and sculpted cheekbones on Instagram just last month after keeping his face covered with bandages during his recent performance for a storyline around his new album "After Hours" (right).

We're sure there will be plenty more to be seen on stage later today during his solo halftime show because his good looks are blinding ... light.

The question is ...

Rapper Casanova is in even more trouble after busting a move behind bars.

The 34-year-old rapper is in Westchester County Jail in New York in connection with a gang-related racketeering case.

A woman recorded him accepting the "Junebug Challenge" during a video visit. Gotta say, the TikTok challenge is to do a dance in strange locations, so Casanova clearly checked that box.

Jail officials didn't see it that way, and now he's facing discipline. Westchester County Correction Commissioner Joseph Spano says Casanova's video visitation privileges have been yanked ... turns out recording videos and taking pics during a visit are prohibited.

That's not Casanova's only problem ... he faces another disciplinary charge for not wearing a mask during the video visit.

Casanova has pled not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearms possession.

Frank Shankwitz, the Arizona Highway Patrol officer who helped a terminally ill boy realize his dream of becoming a motorcycle cop and then co-created the Make-a-Wish Foundation, has died.

Shankwitz passed at his home in Prescott, Arizona ... succumbing to esophageal cancer.  Frank passed on January 24. His wife of 38 years, Kitty, was at his bedside.

Frank heard about a boy named Chris Greicius back in 1980 ... the child had end-stage leukemia and wanted to be a motorcycle cop when he grew up, just like Ponch and Jon from the TV show, "CHiPs."

Frank wanted to make Chris' dream come true but thought the boy might not be physically up for the adventure, saying, “Figuring he’d be brought out in a wheelchair, I was surprised when the door opened and a pair of sneakers emerged.”

Shankwitz explained, “Out stepped Chris, an excited 7-year-old boy who seemed so full of life it was hard to believe he was sick.” So, Frank gave him a badge and a uniform and even had him take a driving test in his front yard to become a real motor cop. Chris was beyond thrilled.

"CHiPs" stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox later autographed a photo for Chris, but by the time Shankwitz went to give it to him ... Chris had fallen into a light coma.

Chris had hung his uniform by the bed, and when Frank pinned the badge on his shirt, he woke up and asked, “Am I an official motorcycle cop now?” “You sure are,” Frank replied.

Chris died later that day.

A few months later Frank created the Make-a-Wish Foundation. More than 315,000 children in the United States have had their dreams come true as a result of Frank's efforts.

Today the org has 64 chapters in the U.S. and 36 chapters internationally.

Frank was 77.

Forget a Super Bowl ring, Aaron Rodgers is getting a WEDDING RING -- because the superstar QB just announced he's engaged!!

Sooooo ... who's the future Mrs. Rodgers?!?!?

Aaron isn't saying ... yet ... but the smart money's on "Big Little Lies" actress Shailene Woodley!

Here's the deal ... the Green Bay Packers QB appeared at the NFL Honors event -- where he won his 3rd NFL MVP award -- and he dropped a pretty huge bombshell during his acceptance speech.

"2020 was definitely a crazy year," Rodgers told the crowd via ... "I got engaged!"

He proceeded to shout out some of the special people in his life -- including "my fiancee."

Rodgers didn't expand on engagement -- but there have been rumblings for months that he quietly began dating 29-year-old Woodley after his split with Danica Patrick.

Reps for both Rodgers and Woodley aren't saying anything more about the engagement -- but c'mon ... at this point, the cat's outta the bag.

The timing of the announcement is interesting -- either Rodgers was trying to steal some headlines before the big game he's not playing in ... or he was hoping the announcement would fly under the radar amidst all the Super Bowl hoopla.

37-year-old Rodgers previously dated Olivia Munn. His brother Jordan Rodgers found love on "The Bachelorette" back in 2016 when he got engaged to Jojo Fletcher.

Dan Levy’s mom got sweet revenge against the boys who bullied her son at summer camp ... with a little help from Lorne Michaels.

Deborah Devine celebrated her son's latest honor -- hosting 'SNL' -- with a pre-show tweet ... "This goes out to the bully punks at Camp WTF who made life miserable for a certain cabin-mate back in the summer of '96 -- just because he was different."

And then, Deb lowers the boom ... "Well, after all these years I have just 7 words to say to you: 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!'" BOOM!!!

Dan, who's gay both in real life and on his uber-award-winning show "Schitt's Creek," hosted 'SNL' for the first time.

He opened with this ... "I'm so honored to be hosting 'Saturday Night Live.' Somewhere my 13-year-old self has fainted in a really melodramatic way."

Dan's dad, Eugene, was actually the first Levy to appear on 'SNL' alongside John Candy way back in 1985.