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The man accused of going on a fatal mass shooting spree in Las Vegas is a college professor who may have been rejected from a job he applied for, while also claiming he cracked ciphers in the infamous Zodiac murder case.

67-year-old Anthony Polito was identified by police as the suspect who fatally shot three people and critically wounded a fourth during Wednesday’s rampage on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, ABC News reported, citing law enforcement sources.

CNN said investigators were looking into whether Polito was snubbed after sending in his resume for a position at UNLV, leading to the attack.

According to Las Vegas Metro Police, Polito was armed with a handgun as he entered the university's business school around noon and went floor to floor, shooting four people -- three of whom fatally.

The surviving victim was rushed to a local hospital and listed in critical but stable condition. Four other people were also treated for panic attacks.

An army of police officers quickly responded to the college, ordering all students and professors to shelter in place. Two university detectives ultimately got into a shootout with Polito, who was pronounced dead at the scene. It appears he was shot and killed by police.

Meanwhile, Polito reportedly maintained his own website, where he posted a 15-page document, claiming he decoded some of the Zodiac Killer's cryptic letters sent to the media about the late '60s and early '70s serial murders in Northern California. To this day, the Zodiac case remains unsolved.

Drake's latest Turks & Caicos vacation seems to include a blossoming romance with a bartender named Flacka, who's got the boy's nose wide open ... as he serenaded her in her off-hours.

On Wednesday, Drake and his crew hit an intimate beach club named Noah's Ark which reunited him with Flacka -- he's already nicknamed her “The Pride" of Turks and made sure to get additional face time with her at the bar.

Besides serving up cold drinks, she also helped Drizzy model his T&C-inspired Nike x Nocta drop in March ... and their friendship doesn't end there.

Drake previously shouted her out on his “Her Loss” track “P***y & Millions” and had no issues putting her all over his IG ... for his 144 million followers to see.

The evening ended with more canoodling -- a candlelit dinner where Drake sang his tune "Feel No Ways" ... leaving Flacka blushing!!!

They later posed for pics where she called him a "cutie" and Drake described her as "the one and only!"

Reality TV's biggest prize of $4,560,000 has officially been won ... as the winner of "Squid Game: The Challenge" was crowned.

SPOILER ALERT

Millions streamed the real-life game show adaption of the extremely popular Netflix show, and Wednesday night it all came to an end as the final 3 became one single champion. The three remaining contestants were all treated to a feast in their dorm -- consisting of steak -- before it was revealed only 2 of them would move on to the final game.

From there, the remaining 3 Mai Whelan (player 287), Sam Lantz (player 016), and Phill Cain (player 451) were narrowed to two in a game of chance where players selected a button to press ... green meant they got to choose one other player to bring to the final, red meant they were eliminated and grey was neutral. Mai got grey and Sam chose red which meant Phil and Mai moved on.

In the final game, Mai and Phil played "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Every time a player won the round, they'd select a single key from a box of several and attempt to open a lock.

SPOILER ALERT

After about a dozen rounds ... 55-year-old Mai, an immigration adjudicator from Virginia picked the winning key, opening the safe and taking home the $4,560,000 prize.

Tim Allen has found himself on the naughty list this year ... with Casey Wilson blasting him for acting more like The Grinch than his titular role in the TV series, "The Santa Clauses" while filming together.

Months after Pamela Anderson accused the actor of flashing her on the set of "Home Improvement," Casey has blasted him as "such a bitch" ... claiming working with him was "the truly single worst experience" she's ever had with a costar. Ouch.

She recalls shooting a scene in which her character confuses Santa for an intruder ... saying: "So I'm throwing things at him. [He] goes over to the producer who is standing four feet from me and goes, and I hear him, he goes, 'You gotta tell her to stop stepping on my lines.'"

Casey says that a producer turned to her horrified and relayed the message ... acknowledging that "everybody was walking on eggshells" around the veteran actor.

And that wasn't all ... as Casey claims when he was done "he was so f***ing rude. Never made eye contact, never said anything."

To mark his exit on the show, she says he announced he was leaving to everyone, picked up his Santa cape, dropped it on the floor and walked out -- with crew members scurrying to pick up the velvet cape.

Casey also alleges that a crew member told her she was seeing Tim "on a good day" -- adding one last damning statement: "He's a bitch."

Britney and Jamie Spears possibly reconciling is something Sam Asghari certainly has an opinion about, but getting him to share it ... well, that's another story, especially when the guy's got Christmas on the mind.

We got Britney's ex-husband out Wednesday in L.A., on the heels of our report about Brit warming to the idea of burying the hatchet with her old man after his recent leg amputation.

Keep in mind, Sam's the guy who once called Jamie a "d***" ... so, of course, we wanted to get his opinion on the potential father and child reunion.

Check out the interaction, for yourself -- Sam was happy to send season's greetings to the Spears fam, but beyond that ... well, you'll have to read his face.

He refused to answer questions about his ex-wife and ex-father-in-law ... and trust us, we tried every angle, including bringing up Britney and Lynne reuniting last week.

His shutdown might be a sign he's done talking about BS and her family drama, but more likely ... he and his ex have agreed not to speak about each other in public.

Remember, Brit and Sam filed for divorce earlier this year -- and late last month, we learned they were close to a settlement. So, it makes sense he's not looking to sink any ships with loose lips.

A BBC news anchor got caught flipping off the camera while live on the air Wednesday -- but she claims it was all a "silly joke."

Maryam Moshiri -- one of the BBC's "chief presenters" -- was sitting behind the news desk shielded from the audience's view by the intro to her noon show -- a digital countdown mixed with other graphics.

At the end of the intro, Moshiri flashed on screen making a funny face with her head tilted to one side -- while flipping the bird.

She suddenly realized she was live on air and quickly abandoned her goofy behavior, turning serious as she dived into a story about former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologizing to the UK for the pain caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Moshiri issued her own apology after her embarrassing gaffe went viral on social media.

In a statement posted on X, Moshiri said she was sharing a "private joke with the team and I’m so sorry it went out on air!"

She continued, "It was not my intention for this to happen and I’m sorry if I offended or upset anyone."

She also insisted she was not "flipping the bird" to her viewers or anyone else -- and it was all a "silly joke" meant for a small number of colleagues.

Travis Kelce is no stranger to breaking records on the field, and now he's doing so off as well ... with a game-used jersey auctioning off for a hefty price.

The jersey, worn by Travis in the Chiefs 2019 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City, and a game in which TK scored a TD just went for an eye-watering $37K on Goldin Auctions. The sale marks an all-time record for a Travis game-used item for the auction house.

Auction owner, Ken Goldin, tells us, "This is an all-time record for a Travis Kelce game-used item. He has always been popular but the success of the Chiefs, as well as the publicity he's gotten around his relationship with Taylor Swift, has added to his popularity and awareness among collectors."

Ken's clearly stating the obvious, though ... as the frenzy surrounding his romance with Taylor has been like nothing we've seen before. Not all NFL fans have been happy with Swift's presence at the games, stating she's been a distraction ... especially during broadcasts.

Candace Parker's WNBA career ain't over just yet ... the superstar hooper tells TMZ Sports she's got plans to return to the hardwood next season -- if she's healthy.

Of course, there were questions about her basketball future after the 6-foot-4 forward was forced to miss the Aces' WNBA Finals win -- as well as a large portion of the 2023 season -- while battling a foot injury.

However, when we got her out in Los Angeles this week ... she sure didn't seem like someone ready to hang up her sneakers just yet.

"If I'm healthy," she told us, "I want to play."

Right now, Parker said the recovery process from her foot injury is going well.

When it comes to how many seasons the 37-year-old might have left in her if her body gets back into playing shape ... she says she isn't quite sure.

Before this hungry baby was serving all the humor as a reality television star on 'The Real Housewives,' she was just hangin' with her pops in Long Island, New York and going off to Hofstra University to study psychology.

For you 'Housewives' fans ... you saw her obtain her real estate license in the most recent season. She may still have her thick Long Island accent, but she sure does fit in with the blonde OG's of the OC! And, just because she's one of the younger 'wives, doesn't mean she doesn't give IT to the more seasoned ladies!

Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye, but 'The Avengers' star looked more like Iron Man while traveling through NYC's JFK Airport ... thanks to a compression device he has to wear nearly 1 year after his horrific snowplow accident.

The actor wore 2 of the devices -- used to improve blood flow and reduce pain and swelling -- strapped to his lower legs ... along with some warm winter threads during his Wednesday travel plans.

Though, Jeremy has already come a long way since miraculously surviving the ordeal of being crushed by his snowplow on New Year's Day.

As well as his broken bones, he also suffered a collapsed lung and punctured liver ... but defied the odds a mere 10 weeks later as he began to walk with the aid of a cane.

Video footage captured the horror of the accident ... with a team of medics racing to save his life before he was eventually airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.

As well as the actions of the first responders, Jeremy told Jimmy Kimmel months later that his survival was down to pure luck.

There's no hiding it anymore -- just days after they went to great lengths to conceal their relationship -- Lupita Nyong'o and Joshua Jackson are now out and walking hand-in-hand.

The two looked happy and comfortable Tuesday while taking a stroll in Joshua Tree, California.

Notice both sported a beanie and comfy-wear as they chatted, smiled and seemingly enjoyed each other's company.

Of course, the new photos are a far cry from the couple's grocery run back in Los Angeles earlier in the week.

The duo drove up to an Erewhon grocery store in Josh's car while Lupita tried her best to hide in the passenger's seat. From there, each entered and exited the store separately before getting back in Josh's car and taking off.

It was back in October when Josh and Lupita were spotted together at a concert in Los Angeles. At the time, Lupita was still publicly with her boyfriend, Sal Masekela -- she quickly deleted pics with Sal from her Instagram after the concert photos surfaced -- before eventually announcing they had split.

Ken Hudson Campbell -- who played Santa in "Home Alone" -- is hoping for a Christmas miracle ... after kickstarting a GoFundMe for help after his recent cancer diagnosis.

Campbell -- who's also appeared in other beloved classics such as "Groundhog Day" and "Armageddon" during his 35-year career span -- was diagnosed in late Oct after a tumor "elusively grew on the bottom of his mouth and began encroaching on his teeth."

The statement on the GoFundMe says he's scheduled for a 10-hour surgery to remove the tumor Thursday ... which will also remove a large part of his jawbone.

Additionally, he'll undergo reconstructive surgery and rounds of radiation and chemo ... with a lengthy 6-month recovery period.

Unfortunately, Ken lost his SAG-AFTRA health insurance in Jan 2022 following the pandemic ... and even though he's found new insurance, substantial out-of-pocket costs are still anticipated -- hence the GFM.

At the time of writing, it has reached a little over $58K of its $100K goal.

50 Cent is getting ready to roll out a documentary on Diddy and his recent drama, but the money made from the project is slated to benefit a good cause.

The "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" rapper's upcoming documentary plans to highlight the many accusations hurled Diddy's way in the past few weeks -- and he announced on Wednesday that the profits are going to charity.

A rep for 50 Cent and G-Unit Film and Television confirmed to TMZ Hip Hop that this documentary is currently in development and all G-Unit Film & Television proceeds from this Documentary will go to victims of Sexual Assault and Rape.

To accompany the announcement, 50 shared a new interview clip featuring former Bad Boy artist Mark Curry ... where the "Bad Boy 4 Life" rapper claimed Diddy used to host parties and give spiked bottles and pills to the women in attendance.

50 also threw sly shots at his other foe Rick Ross in his teaser trailer ... by using Rozay's controversial "U.O.E.N.O." lyrics about slipping females molly in their champagne when they weren't looking.

Diddy isn't letting all this smut go to his name without a fight ... earlier today, he emphasized "enough is enough" and denied all the allegations as a money grab as a response to yet another lawsuit.

50 has yet to set a release date for the doc, but he's been posting about Diddy a lot lately, so you gotta imagine it's top of mind.

A trio of manatees, including 2 former mates named Romeo and Juliet -- are finally being relocated after a viral video showed their isolated conditions, and the guy who helped make it happen is glad something's finally happening.

Phil Demers is the head of a whistleblower org called UrgentSeas, and a video he posted last month blew up on the Internet -- it showed the manatees, specifically Romeo, toiling in despair at the Miami Seaquarium.

Romeo's counterpart, Juliet, was being kept separately and also alone in the Seaquarium ... not to mention a third manatee named Clarity. After Demers published his video though, public backlash forced the company's hand.

Sadly, it doesn't sound like Romeo and Juliet are going to be reunited anytime soon ... and they probably won't even be released into the wild, and Demers tells us why. Still, the fact the manatees are going to better facilities with proper care is a 'W' in his book.

He says the fact this is happening is proof public pressure can, in fact, spur positive change and he's glad the manatees will get a new lease on life.

Britney Spears appears to be on the precipice of a mass reconciliation with her whole family -- but from the way Jamie Lynn Spears sounded Wednesday ... maybe not???

Brit's younger sibling was asked a bunch of questions about the family dynamic at LAX, and unfortunately ... she wasn't in a very chatty mood, opting to stay mum on pretty much all talk about her sister -- including the possibility of her burying the hatchet once and for all.

We'll give the cameraperson credit here ... trying to get her to open up every which way, but JLS clammed up and simply wouldn't budge. She gives a Merry Xmas though, FWIW.

Of course, regardless of Jamie Lynn's silence ... we know for a fact Britney wanted her at her birthday party this past weekend, which their mom Lynne actually ended up attending -- the first real signs of warming we've seen from Britney toward her family.

Like we told you ... not only is Brit apparently open to making amends with Jamie Lynn, but there's evidence she's keeping the window open to repairing her relationship with her father, Jamie, as well.

TMZ broke the story ... we'd recently learned Jamie had his leg amputated due to ongoing health issues, and it would appear Britney caught wind of that update too -- 'cause she posted a throwback photo of the two of them shortly thereafter.

Again, hard to gauge what Jamie Lynn's non-talking here really means -- it could suggest the sisters aren't any closer to mending fences than they were a year ago ... or, by contrast, it could also mean she's protecting Britney's privacy and they're on the road to reconciliation.

Bradley Cooper got to work, manning the grill in his new food truck ... and as luck would have it, he had some VERY familiar faces visit him as some of the joint's first customers.

The Philly native flashed a massive smile as he got a taste of home ... cookin' Philly cheesesteaks at his new Danny & Coop food truck -- a partnership with Danny DiGiampietro, owner of Angelo's Pizzeria in South Philly -- in NYC Wednesday.

Among his first customers was ex Irina Shayk and their daughter coming out to show their support -- as well as his current squeeze, Gigi Hadid.

Proving they were still co-parenting brilliantly, the "Maestro" actor engaged in a friendly exchange with lil' Lea and Irina -- who's been busy in NYC in recent months with rumored new man Tom Brady.

Though, last we heard, things "fizzled out" between them in Oct. However, Bradley still seems to be going strong with Gigi, who paid him a visit at the truck an hour before Irina.

Despite Gigi's status as a supermodel/Bradley's (unconfirmed) GF, any attempt on her behalf to bag freebies fell short ... as she was seen pulling out her card to pay for her cheesesteak.

Nonetheless, Bradley's food truck venture went down a treat ... with even Laura Dern grabbing a bite to eat alongside Gigi.