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Flavor Flav will tell you Spirit Airlines is like 9-1-1 ... a total joke, except he's not laughing after narrowly missing a flight in Las Vegas and losing his cool.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Flav trying not to pop his top Thursday night at a Spirit gate inside Harry Reid International Airport. Sources tell us it was around 11:30 PM, and the iconic Public Enemy rapper was sitting near the gate waiting to catch a flight to Detroit.

We're told he was working on his laptop and chatting on the phone -- basically, preoccupied -- when he noticed the gate agent shutting the jetway door. He ran up, but she wouldn't reopen it for him ... so he missed the flight.

You can see he was super annoyed, and argued back and forth with the Spirit employee -- another man even stepped in to plead Flav's case.

Flav was fired up and hurled some obscenities at the employee, who threatened to call security -- but thankfully for Flav, in the end, she didn't and he did not become public enemy #1 at the Vegas airport.

Sources close to Flav tell us he commonly waits to board after everyone else because people want to take pictures with him ... and he doesn't want to hold up the boarding process. Those sources also claim Spirit actually did reopen the door to let other passengers in -- before this video starts -- but closed it again on Flav and 2 other people.

Flav tells TMZ ... "Spirit Airlines shut the door on me while I was in line to board. I was upset and said some harsh words to the gate agent. I apologize to those who witnessed me acting out of character. I do not apologize to Spirit Airlines or the gate agent."

Vanilla Ice also had a similar meltdown after missing a flight a few years ago, and as we reported ... Gillie Da Kid just had an intense showdown with a TSA agent.

The man whose bizarre life inspired the Steven Spielberg film "The Terminal" has died.

Iranian-born Mehran Karimi Nasseri reportedly passed away Saturday after suffering a heart attack in Terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Nasseria had lived in the airport for 18 years -- from 1988 to 2006 -- after losing his travel documents while trying to fly to England. As a result, he was barred from taking a flight and entering France, leaving him in legal limbo at the airport. Later on, he apparently lived there by choice.

Nasseria -- played by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks in the 2004 film -- was viewed as an “iconic character" at Charles deGaulle.

An airport official said employees looked after Nasseria "as much as possible during many years, even if we would have preferred him to find a real shelter." Nasseria always lived in public spaces at the airport and was free to move about.

He slept on a plastic bench and showered in staff facilities. He spent his days people-watching, writing in his diary and reading magazines and newspapers.

In the film, Hanks' character, Victor Navorski, sets up a makeshift home at New York's JFK Airport after he's unable to return to his fictional country, Krakozhia, following an attack. He's also barred from entering the U.S. since his passport is no longer valid because his country's new government is considered illegitimate. Like Nasseria, everyone in the airport falls in love with Norvorski, including a stewardess played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Nasseria was born around 1945 in Iran, making him roughly 76 when he died.

The Commanders will be in amazing hands if Daniel Snyder does end up selling the team to Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z ... so says Mark Cuban, who tells TMZ Sports the duo would be "great" NFL owners.

Snyder revealed earlier this month he has hired Bank of America to explore a potential sale of the Washington franchise ... and it didn't take long for Jay and Jeff to express interest in putting in a bid.

In fact, the duo had a secret dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to discuss it all ... breaking bread at a closed restaurant near the Sunset Strip for over two hours.

When we got Cuban -- arguably the most famous celeb owner in sports -- out in D.C. on Thursday ... he assured us the two titans would make for great honchos of the Commanders.

The Dallas Mavericks boss didn't elaborate further -- he had to jet quickly -- but he made it clear he's got full faith in the guys to turn the NFL org. around.

Elijah Wood says lots of folks confuse him for Harry Potter instead of Frodo Baggins ... and he's down to pull the old switcheroo and play Daniel Radcliffe on camera.

We got the 'Lord Of The Rings' star at LAX ... where our photog asked about Daniel floating Elijah's name as a candidate to play Radcliffe in a biopic.

Elijah is clearly flattered by Daniel's casting preferences ... telling us the 'Harry Potter' star is a "lovely human being" ... whom EW would love to work with someday.

There's no denying Elijah looks the part ... he tells us lots of people mistake him for Daniel, especially those pesky autograph hounds.

Elijah and Daniel being doppelgängers begs the question ... does Elijah ever play into it by dropping any famous Harry Potter quotes?

Lauren Conrad's looks are not over the 'Hills!'

Let's go back to the beginning ... here is an 18-year-old version of the reality television star looking sun-kissed with her sparkly blue eyes at a Teen People event in southern Cali back in 2004 (left). This was the same year she launched into stardom on MTV's "Laguna Beach."

And, 18 years later the clothing designer showed off her beach-wave hair at a women's luncheon in Los Angeles, CA (right). She recently made a splash with fellow Laguna Beacher's Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti and set the record straight on the infamous love triangle on the "Back To The Beach" podcast.

'Stephennn!'

The question is ...

Actor Enzo Zelocchi stole a laptop with $8 million in cryptocurrency he can't access without a password, and he's trying to extort the man with the code ... according to a new lawsuit.

Zelocchi is being sued by Iris Au for attempted extortion ... she claims he swiped a laptop from her boyfriend, Adam Iza, which contains millions of dollars in Bitcoin.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Zelocchi and Iza met back in 2018 when Zelocchi was looking for investors to produce a documentary on cryptocurrency. Au says that's when a nightmare scenario began.

Au claims once Zelocchi was hip to Iza's wealth, the actor began targeting him ... ultimately stealing a laptop with Iza's Bitcoin wallet.

Problem is ... Au claims Zelocchi didn't know the crypto passkey to the Bitcoin wallet on the laptop, so he couldn't access the cryptocurrency. Au says Zelocchi's been trying to cut deals with Iza to return the stolen laptop, in exchange for money and a hefty cut of the Bitcoin wallet.

In the suit, Au claims her boyfriend has paid Zelocchi more than $360k in an effort to get the laptop back, but Zelocchi never followed through with his promise to turn over the laptop.

What's more, Au claims Zelocchi's not only threatened her boyfriend's life, but also her children's. She says he's also tried to sully their reputations ... all in an attempt to gain access to the laptop's Bitcoin wallet.

Underneath this pursed-lipped figure is an actor and filmmaker who definitely knows how to crack a joke, and when he's not playing a comedic role on the big screen or touring on the road, you can find him on the basketball court showing off his skills.

One common theme you can seen throughout this jokester's successful career is his admiration and support for the New York Yankees and the New York Knicks ... and if you can't see the scramble maybe you should prick your ears up because during the holiday season you will definitely listen to his festive holiday song!

Tiffany Trump seems ready to say "I do" in her dad's backyard this weekend -- and the ex-Prez was on hand to see his daughter through it to the end ... looking spiffy, no less.

Donald's second youngest was in her bridal gown Saturday, with all her bridesmaids standing at the altar as the nuptials looked to be getting underway at Mar-a-Lago ... apparently, they went with a blue motif, as you can see in Ivanka's dress.

Of course, DT himself was front and center as well ... standing next to Tiff down below, and naturally the dude was wearing a tux. Pretty standard wedding attire, no real surprises.

It's been a busy 24 hours there ... a wedding rehearsal has been underway, and Trump's been flashing his signature thumbs up in pretty much every photo. He even posed with his ex, Marla Maples, and his current wife, Melania, at the same time. Rare to see!

No sign of the groom, Michael Boulos, just yet -- but we imagine if Tiffany's out there all in white ... the actual ceremony is probably about to happen pretty soon. Good news for the Trumps, BTW -- it looks like the tropical storm that was due to make landfall is a nonissue.

As we reported ... Tiffany was granted a wedding license earlier this week, and now -- it looks like she's about to make good on it. They've been together since 2018, and got engaged in the Winter of 2021. She's the latest to get hitched in the Trump crew.

Jamie Foxx apparently misses the 2000s, when things were simpler and when he was rolling in the good times ... a stark contrast to what he says is the overall climate right now.

We got the A-lister Friday as he was leaving lunch in Bev Hills, and asked about Takeoff's murder -- over which he sent condolences ... but it also launched him into a train of thought about what he considers a massive cloud of negativity that's hovering above Hollywood.

Jamie suggests there's a general heaviness among his celebrity pals these days -- especially rappers, it seems -- that's leading to some dark moments and tragedies ... which he says could be avoided if everyone just went back to having fun again like they used to.

He talks about making records and partying it up ... implying that camaraderie and light-heartedness are long gone in 2022 among his music industry peers. Instead, we're seeing more killings than ever ... not to mention more controversies than ever, a la Kanye West.

JF tells us he'll never speak ill of his brothers -- Kanye included, with whom he's made a handful of hits over the years -- but does say he thinks the solution to all the rancor and handwringing that seems to consume everyone lately is a little more focus on positivity and less attention on the ugly side of things ... particularly when it comes to the media.

While Jamie is right about the world changing since the aughts, his desire to roll back the clock is probably a pipe dream. With the advent of social media/tech, Trump-fueled politics and huge societal shifts in attitude about what's acceptable and not ... something tells us we're never going back. With that said, his sentiment is certainly appealing and nostalgic.

In the meantime, he's a throwback to those peak Jamie Foxx days. If only, if only ...

Black Friday came early for David Dobrik -- but it wasn't flat screen TVs that had people camping out for the guy ... it was nothing but Chicago-style pies!!!

The famous YouTuber -- known for his viral pranks among his friends -- has had this in the oven for a while ... a pizza restaurant called Doughbrik's Pizza that's done in the style of his native city, although it doesn't look like there's any deep dish options on the menu.

Anyhoo, the hype was real for his grand opening (Saturday) because folks were literally pitching tents and sleeping bags outside as early as 3 AM -- hoping to be first in when doors opened some 10 hours later. Check out the line for this thing too ... it's long as hell.

As you can see ... it looks to be mostly Gen-Zers out here, which is DB's target audience. But the fact these people literally stood in line for hours speaks volumes to how popular he is ... despite some scandals he's been linked to in recent years. Dave's rep holds up regardless.

The Sunset Blvd. crowd only grew larger in the afternoon, and at 1:20 PM ... the grub started to get served, with David himself coming out to greet his fans. They were clearly stoked.

As for what exactly he's offering (and for how much) ... 2 styles of pizza with a thin, square cut and another with a more doughy crust. Most toppings are available -- including a meat lovers and veggie option. Slices are $4.50 to $6.50 and whole pies range from $19 to $38.

An apparent tragedy is unfolding in Dallas, where two planes collided while in the air and then hit the earth in a fiery crash ... this amid a performance for Veterans Day weekend.

The horrific incident unfolded Saturday around 11:30 AM PT outside of the Dallas Executive Airport, where a WWII-themed airshow was being put on for the public ... Wings Over Dallas. It looks they were flying aircraft from back then ... single-engine bombers and the like.

The FAA says the planes in question were a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63. As the B-17 (the larger aircraft) is heading toward the airport, the smaller P-63 seems to come out of nowhere and clips the back of it ... which sends both of them plummeting.

Tons of people were filming this moment, BTW, and you can hear their utter shock when the two planes collide and start going down. They're even more freaked out when they each hit the ground and fireballs explode in the air. Almost immediately, you can also hear sirens.

There are several angles all over the internet -- it looks like the larger plane was split in half on impact. This was happening relatively close to a crowd of people too ... who were watching from the outskirts of the airport. A man came on the intercom and tried keeping everyone calm, telling them to remain in place and refrain from too much cell phone activity.

It's unclear for now how many people were onboard each plane, or what sort of injuries were sustained. We know first responders are on the scene, and the area's been roped off.

We're reaching out to officials in Dallas to get an update on the status of things. An investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is underway.

The new 'Black Panther' is mostly being hailed as a triumph/a great tribute to Chadwick Boseman -- but there are still some who aren't happy with how the page was turned.

Indeed ... the #RecastTChalla crowd is out in full force right now on Twitter -- this after 'Wakanda Forever' hit theaters this weekend -- and they're voicing their ongoing grievances about Marvel/Disney choosing not to find a new lead hero in the wake of CB's real-life death.

They've been on this for a while now, with their main argument being that the character is bigger than just Chadwick alone ... something Kevin Feige and co. firmly disagreed with.

Now that the sequel is out, the #Recast crew feels like their argument is even stronger than ever ... pointing out what they see as holes and flaws in the new flick that they think a simple recast would've fixed. At this point, we're getting into ***SPOILERS AHEAD***

You can hop into the trend yourself to see all the points, but basically ... super fans just aren't happy with how T'Challa's death is addressed, probably because they never quite explain what killed him -- other than to mention some vague disease he succumbed to.

There is certainly a lot of onscreen mourning, and Chadwicks' shadow looms large as the backdrop -- but you never hear his voice in the film ... only silent flashbacks/montages. Some say there should've been more of a creative effort to actually have him reappear/speak on camera somehow -- like Carrie Fisher did in 'Rise of Skywalker' -- but it never happens.

There's also the issue of Letitia Wright/Shuri -- who, in fact, becomes the new Black Panther ... but literally just for the last 30 minutes or so, and only has one big fight sequence before she loses the suit. It's badass, but super brief -- and a fair amount of people feel like there simply wasn't enough Black Panther in 'BP' ... so they're complaining about this too.

Last but not least -- and this one is a *HUGE SPOILER* -- there's a new "T'Challa," of sorts, that's introduced at the very, very end in the post-credits scene ... T'Challa's son, Toussaint.

Essentially, they tease the notion that the kid will one day become the new king of Wakanda/assume the Black Panther mantle ... which effectively means more movies, etc.

Quavo is publicly addressing Takeoff's death, and he did with a lengthy remembrance that highlights their storied life together.

The rapper took to Instagram to post a tribute to his nephew and partner-in-rhyme ... starting out by recapping their childhood and noting how difficult his passing is since Takeoff had always been right by his side in virtually everything.

Quavo touched on a few character traits of Takeoff's that he says he'll always remember, including the fact that the guy was the quietest in the room but was always watching. Quavo also says Takeoff was the most unbothered and by far the funniest of their group.

He also says Takeoff always felt like more than a nephew to him, even though he knew he wasn't quite a brother -- as he was the son of Quavo's older sister. Turns out, he likened him to an angel. Quavo then reflected on Takeoff's death specifically and said something poignant.

Quavo writes, "Me and u knew we gon always be with each other for life and jus like now we gon see each other again. I love with you all my heart. I'll never leave you I guess God jus ain't need my help. So can you ask Him for me what I gotta do to be with you again!!!"

Leonardo DiCaprio turned 48 this week -- and anyone who's anyone swung by to party.

The A-lister threw a massive bash Friday to celebrate his birthday at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, where a lot of famous faces were seen coming and going throughout the night. Truly, it was a classic who's-who of Hollywood ... something only a select few can pull off.

Among the high-profile guests ... LeBron James, Bradley Cooper, Sir Mick Jagger, Tobey Maguire, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Wesley Snipes, Stella Maxwell, Nicky Hilton, Sommer Ray, Jennifer Meyer, Caylee Cowan and many, many more.

This shindig was pretty private -- Leo reportedly had folks throw their phones into secure bags before entering, so you might not be seeing many photos posted on anyone's Story.

Definitely on par with the type of pomp and circumstance we'd expect from LDC -- after all, the guy played the Great Gatsby ... so he knows how to throw a good rager, it seems.

Aaron Carter's housekeeper -- who discovered his body -- is a homeless woman he'd taken in ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar tell us ... Aaron and his fiancée, Melanie Miller, went down to Orange County last month for a few nights to visit their son, Prince ... who's currently under the care of Melanie's mom, as neither parent had physical custody of the child.

While they were in the OC, we're told Aaron and Melanie got word of a possible break-in at their house ... their front door was open and someone left behind cigarette butts.

Our sources say when they got back to Lancaster, a friend urged them ... to get someone to house-sit for them if/when they left. Turns out, the friend had a woman in mind from his church ... who happened to be homeless.

We're told Melanie and Aaron met her, and they felt she was a good fit ... so they brokered a deal where they'd offer her a free place to stay in exchange for keeping an eye on the place. She'd also do odd jobs around the property.

As we reported ... it was this same woman who found Aaron dead in his bathtub over the weekend, and who called 911. She's only been living there for 2-3 weeks.

Offset was consoling mourners and they were consoling him after the incredibly emotional memorial service for Takeoff.

Offset was in a parking garage outside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Friday, hugging friends and receiving it right back as they absorbed the tragedy of their dear friend.

The service was packed with friends, family and fans ... among them, Cardi B.

Cardi has not spoken about the death of her husband's compadre and her dear friend, until now. She posted this ... "Takeoff your untimely passing has brought a great deal of pain and sorrow to so many lives. The impact you had in this world was so considerable and we have struggled to grasp this tragedy. I am heartbroken but I am grateful for all the precious memories we got to share while you were here with us."

She went on ... "This has truly been a nightmare and the pain is incomparable. The emptiness your brothers are feeling is unbearable and I pray that you give Offset ,Quavo, and your friends and family the strength to keep going as they are trying to cope with this loss. I believe that angels send signs and beautiful dreams to loved ones to assure them that they’re watching them and they’re okay and happy…send your mom some of those 🙏🏽."

Cardi made it clear ... she's not just a close friend of the Migos member who was gunned down nearly 2 weeks ago ... "As a Migos fan it hurts me to look at pictures and videos of y’all together, and hearing y’all songs that changed the music industry and moved the culture and had the clubs lit 🔥. It hurts because I know it will never be the same again—but I know your bros and y’all fans will make sure the world never forgets the impact you made."