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Tiffany Haddish is all for giving her co-star, Kevin Hart, a pass on his cheating/extortion scandal because that's HIS deal -- while HER deal is ... let's just be funny, bro.

Tiffany, who's currently shooting a new comedy with Kevin called "Night School" ... was at LAX when we asked her about his situation, and whether it's a distraction on set. Based on her quick response ... it's a non-issue when they're working together.

She also says Kevin ain't special -- lots of guys get extorted. Just for, ummm ... different things.

FOX royally screwed a gaming company out of millions by sabotaging their video game for "War for the Planet of the Apes," so now it wants a refund and then some ... according to a new suit.

Snail Games claims it entered into an agreement with FOX in late 2016 to produce a mobile game based on the movie, in which the game would be released before the movie came out ... and Snail paid FOX $2.5 mil to score the gig.

According to the docs ... FOX was uncooperative in providing Snail with specific info and source material needed to develop the game, and "unreasonably delayed" Snail's work so the game couldn't be ready for the film's theatrical release in July 2017.

To this date, according to the docs, Snail hasn't finished the game and says releasing it now would be a waste ... but claims FOX is unfairly keeping the $2.5 mil they paid to make the game.

Snail's fighting back, demanding at least $3 million from FOX ... their money back plus the profits they lost by not releasing the game BEFORE the movie came out.

11:05 AM PT -- FOX tells us ... “In 'Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?' a photo of Los Angeles Sheriff Department Commander Steven D. Katz was mistakenly used in the program. FOX regrets the error and extends an apology to Commander Katz and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”

7:25 AM PT -- Critical Content -- the company behind the special -- issued an apology, saying, "Critical Content apologizes to Commander Steve Katz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whose photo was mistakenly included in last night’s airing of 'Who Shot Biggie and Tupac?' He is not the Steven Katz of the Los Angeles Police Department mentioned in the program."

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is irate at FOX over its "Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?" special that accused a Sheriff's commander of bungling the investigation, and the Department is demanding an apology.

The show, hosted by Ice-T and Soledad O'Brien, misidentified Commander Stephen D. Katz as the lead investigator into Biggie's murder. The show repeatedly showed Katz' face and his badge and said the way he handled the case was disgraceful. All incorrect, the Dept. says ... he had nothing to do with the investigation.

In fact, the Sheriff's Dept. says they had no involvement in Biggie's investigation ... it was all LAPD.

The Sheriff's Dept. is demanding a public apology and retraction from FOX, claiming the references to Katz and the Dept. were defamatory.

We reached out to FOX .. so far, no word back.

Kevin Hart addressed the swirl of news over his sex tape/extortion/cheating case by telling an audience during a stand up routine, "I'm going to be a better man."

Kevin performed in Atlanta Saturday night and began his set by saying, "We got a lot of s*** to talk about, people." He then went about his comedy, but at the end made the promise he's made before.

TMZ broke the story ... authorities are getting close to nabbing the people who tried extorting Hart for 7 figures. We're told the search warrants that have already been executed have provided law enforcement with phone records and other data that has helped them connect the dots.

Teen actor Filip Geljo will make some serious green for playing one of the blue people in "Avatar 2" ... TMZ has learned.

The 15-year-old's set to appear in the next 2 sequels from director James Cameron, and will rake in at least $150,000 for his role, according to his contract. He'll also bank an additional $5k per day for any voice-over work he does ... if there's an 'Avatar' video game.

Talk about an out-of-this-world career move for a kid coming from a show on PBS.

"Clerks" star Lisa Spoonauer died from an accidental overdose of a powerful painkiller ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Ocean County Medical Examiner in NJ, Lisa died of acute and chronic intravenous use of hydromorphone ... the generic brand of the narcotic, Dilaudid. She was also battling cancer, anemia, lung disease and immune deficiency ... all of which contributed to her death.

Lisa, who played Caitlin Bree in the cult classic film ... was only 44 when she died in May. At the time, her family said she'd been fighting undisclosed illnesses for years.

Her death prompted "Clerks" writer/director Kevin Smith to post an emotional tribute.

Quentin Tarantino's officially putting it out there -- if a studio wants him to direct a 'Star Trek' flick, then set the meeting ... STAT!

We got the director extraordinaire Thursday at LAX and asked him 'Star Trek' stuff ...namely, would he be down if they wanted him to direct. It's an interesting clip, because most directors who haven't sealed the deal are mum until the ink is dry.

Jared Leto lost 35 lbs. for "Dallas Buyers Club" and morphed into the gangly Joker for "Suicide Squad," but when he's just playing Jared the rocker in his band, 30 Seconds To Mars ... he's ripped!!!

Jared shared this pic of his hot bod on Instagram and asked folks to caption it. He also added the hashtag #walkonwater. It's the name of 30 Seconds' new single ... so, pretty genius marketing.

He's missing a few packs to a 6, but we'll let it slide on behalf of those bulging pectorals and the whole putting-the-rock-in-rock-star thing.

Selena Gomez planted one on a dude that wasn't her bf, The Weeknd, in NYC ... but she ain't two timin' ... it's just another day at the office.

The guy's name is Timothee Chalamet. You might recognize him from the TV show "Homeland" or the film "Interstellar" -- but now he's playing Selena's love interest in Woody Allen's latest flick.

Bernie Casey, the beloved and iconic co-star in "Revenge of the Nerds" and "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," died in an L.A. hospital ... TMZ has learned.

Bernie's rep tells us he died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by loved ones. We're told he suddenly fell ill recently, and had spent the last few days hospitalized.

He broke into Hollywood with roles in blaxploitation films, and went on to co-star in nearly 80 different projects -- most notably he was the national head of the Tri Lams in 'Nerds' ... and neighborhood activist John Slade in 'Sucka.' He was also in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure."

Casey was totally a jack-of-several-trades, having also played in the NFL as a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the L.A. Rams in the late '60s. He also had a passion for painting and poetry.

Bernie was 78.

R.I.P.

8:54 AM PT -- Robert De Niro just issued a statement on LaMotta's passing, "Rest in Peace, Champ."

Boxing legend Jake LaMotta -- the champ who was played by Robert De Niro in the movie "Raging Bull" -- died Tuesday, TMZ has learned. He was 95.

Jake's wife tells TMZ, Jake died in a nursing home due to complications from pneumonia.

Another family member tells TMZ, Jake's condition deteriorated in the last few weeks. He was put on a feeding tube, which he kept pulling out. His condition worsened considerably in the last few days and a decision was made to withdraw the tube.

Jake's wife tells TMZ, "I just want people to know, he was a great, sweet, sensitive, strong, compelling man with a great sense of humor, with eyes that danced."

LaMotta was 83-19 in 106 pro fights -- a career that began in 1941, after he was rejected from serving in the military due to a medical issue.

He went on to win the world middleweight championship -- but he's most well known for his 6-fight rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson ... though he only won 1 of the 6 fights.

LaMotta was famously portrayed by De Niro in the 1980 movie "Raging Bull," based on Jake's autobiography. De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor that year.

R.I.P.

Kevin Hart isn't missing a beat when it comes to making money ... extortion plot, be damned.

In fact, Kevin was all smiles Monday morning on the set of "Night School," which is currently shooting in Clayton, Georgia. His face didn't show any tension about the fact someone tried to get up to 8 figures from him to keep a video of him allegedly cheating under wraps.

As TMZ first reported, authorities are on the case and closing in on a suspect.

Andrés Muschietti is getting a ration of s*** from clowns who are losing bank because "It" is scaring the s*** out of the kid population.

We got the "It" director at LAX Friday, and he fessed up ... the Stephen King thriller he brought to the big screen may have put a dent in the clown biz.

That said, just because Andrés profiled a murderous clown, that doesn't mean every clown is bad ... and there are nuances that can make an otherwise scary clown friendly.

Gigi and Bella can have modeling ... their pops, Mohamed Hadid, is busting into movies, and the way he managed to land a debut opposite John Travolta is a classic Hollywood tale.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum had never done any scripted acting, but that changed last year when Mohamed was "discovered" while eating at Il Pastaio in Bev Hills, of course.

Sources close to Hadid tell us ... "The Merchant of Venice" producer Andrea Iervolino was eating at a table next to Mohamed and noticed a magnetic guy with charisma -- but had no idea who he was. He asked an employee for an introduction, then dropped the classic "you oughta be in pictures" line.

We're told Andrea asked Mohamed to be in his next film, "Trading Paint," starring Travolta and Michael Madsen. They've been filming in Alabama and Mohamed has a handful of scenes playing a rich client of Madsen's character.

It's not out until 2018, but we're told Iervolino thinks Mohamed's a natural and wants to hire him again.

Gigi who?

This is the woman at the center of the Kevin Hart video that triggered a multi-million dollar extortion demand, and the extortionist freely admits money is the end game.

The 4 minute and 47 second video is highly produced, with audio from Kevin on various radio shows as the video rolls. The video cuts to a bedroom scene where it appears 2 people are having sex on a bed. You can't see the people in the bed, but afterward you see a naked man walking in the room and it definitely looks like Kevin.

Now here's what's shocking ... the extortionist who made the video says the point is 2-fold ... to expose Kevin and to get money.

"The real reason Kevin Hart orchestrated the Texas Hurricane Relief Fund, this so-called good deed was done to get ahead as he knew this damaging footage was one click away from being exposed as the liar and cheater he is. Kevin Hart was privy to me wanting to expose him as I have made countless attempts to expose this information to various blogs, in an attempt to also get paid."

Sources connected to Kevin tell TMZ, whatever happened on the video, Kevin's hurricane relief efforts had nothing to do with the extortion attempt.

During the video you hear Kevin in interviews talking about being young and unfaithful in his first marriage but now that he's 36 he's learned to handle things differently, especially since it's so easy to get caught.

Kevin Hart was the victim in an extortion attempt to the tune of millions of dollars, and we're told the FBI is on the case and has a suspect.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... an anonymous person contacted Kevin's camp and provided the video TMZ described Saturday ... showing Kevin and a woman in a sexually provocative situation. The video then cuts to a bedroom where there appears to be sexual activity on a bed, although you don't see who is in the bed.

We're told the person demanded a multi-million dollar amount in return for keeping the video private. There were actually several demands, and at one point the amount hit 8 figures.

Our sources say The FBI knows who the woman is who interacted with Kevin, and they either believe she is the one who made the money demand ... or someone who got hold of the iPhone that recorded the encounter made the demand. Either way, FBI agents think they know the identity of the culprit.

Sources close to Kevin will not say if he's the one in the bedroom, although they do say the woman who is on the various videos has had sexual relations with another celebrity -- a TV star -- and they believe he might be the one in the bedroom videos.

Our Kevin sources also say the videos were recorded on an iPhone that was propped against an object in the room and such recording without consent is illegal.