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"One great thing about being old and rich is you can do what you want to do!"

That's Arsenio Hall telling "TMZ Live" why money is making him an even BETTER comic -- because he can do all the risky material he wants without the fear of getting choked out financially.

Long story short ... Hall says he spent years playing it safe because if he pushed the envelope and rubbed people the wrong way, he'd jeopardize his cash flow ... and when you're poor, EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!!!

But, now that he's rich .... like super rich ... Hall ain't worried anymore -- saying he can say how he truly feels, no matter who he offends, because he can afford to take a hit!

"Comics are supposed to push the envelope and stretch that edge as far as you can," Hall says ... "That’s what creates great comedy. The great ones like Richard Pryor didn’t allow censors and critics stop him from doing what was in his heart."

Hall -- who's got a brand new Netflix special -- admits he needed to conform back in the day when he needed to buy a house and pay for school for his kids ... but he's paper'd up now.

"I’m kind of free!"

By the way, Hall also gave some inside info on the new "Coming to America" sequel -- and even throws out a spoiler to Nicole Murphy, whose daughter is in the flick!!

If you're rich and a huge 'Star Wars' nerd ... GET YOUR WALLET READY!!!

The most-rare, sought-after, expensive 'Star Wars' collectible ever is about to hit the auction block -- a missile-firing Boba Fett action figure ... and it could fetch around $500,000!!!!

It's called the "Boba Fett J-Slot Rocket-Firing Prototype" -- it was debuted at the 1979 New York Toy Fair ... but never released to the public because officials at Kenner worried the "missile" could be a choking hazard for kids.

A revised version of the Boba Fett figure was released, but without the missile-firing function. Still cool, but not as fun! And, not nearly as valuable.

There are reportedly only around 25 of the rare J-Slot Fett's (with the rocket) in existence -- most of which are in bad shape -- and the good ones rarely go up for auction.

But, one has made its way to Hake's Auctions in New York where it's officially on the auction block ... and fans are FREAKING THE HELL OUT!

There have already been 13 bids on the item and the current price is $133k -- but the auction doesn't close until Nov. 7 and officials are expecting a bidding war to drive the price way up in the final days/hours.

In the past, rare Fetts have fetched anywhere between $80k and $150k -- and a similar piece was featured on "Pawn Stars" a few years back.

But, on the new auction site, Hake's estimates the value could reach $500,000 ... which is only slightly less than the $650k Mark Hamill was reportedly paid for starring in the original 'Star Wars' movie!

Brandon T. Jackson says he was on "thin ice" with God for playing a gay character in "Tropic Thunder" ... but says wearing a dress in "Big Mommas" was worse for him.

Jackson famously played Alpa Chino in the 2008 Ben Stiller flick -- a closeted actor who accidentally revealed feelings for a guy named "Lance" ... it was a hilarious scene.

But, Jackson is now a pretty religious Black Hebrew Israelite -- and playing gay doesn't jive with his religious beliefs.

"I was on thin ice then with the father," Jackson said on "TMZ Live" ... "But, he had his mercy and his grace was there."

Jackson says the bigger issue is when he wore a women's dress for his role in the 2011 Martin Lawrence flick, "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son."

Jackson says he broke a religious law prohibiting men from wearing women's clothing -- "And, when you break a law you get punished."

So, what went wrong? Jackson says his career and his personal life took a serious hit and he even uses the word "curse."

"If you don't follow all the commandments that the Torah says to do, you'll be cursed."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all for "Joker" putting a spotlight on a local NYC attraction she's known her whole life, but it sounds like she'd like to keep it a neighborhood secret.

We got AOC Tuesday on Capitol Hill and she dished on the famous Bronx stairs featured in the new flick. No spoiler here, but Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Gotham dances his way down the landmark to celebrate his transformation to the Joker.

The Congresswoman from the block says those stairs have been there since forever, and folks have been busting moves -- and maybe a few asses -- down them long before Joaquin made 'em trendy with tourists. AOC added it wasn't always the safest hang either.

If you haven't noticed, the stairs have been showing up all over Instagram -- as "Joker" fans anywhere near the borough wanna pull off their own versions of Arthur Fleck's dance.

As much as AOC appreciates the shine on her district, she also doesn't want locals to lose their sense of ownership. You gotta see AOC as she declares, "Keep your Instagram posts outside of the Boogie Down! This is for us!!!"

You can take the girl outta the Bronx, but ...

Selma Blair says she's coping pretty well with her multiple sclerosis a year after being diagnosed, but she got choked up talking about her battle helping others.

We got Selma Monday at LAX, where our camera guy told her just how big of an inspiration she's become since going public with her MS diagnosis. He's not wrong ... she's shared her highs and lows with her fans.

She tells us she's actually doing well with her treatments -- which have included chemo and a stem cell transplant -- and that, despite her sometimes choppy speech, she's generally been doing great. Selma revealed the toughest part of her public appearances now.

She also opened up about continuing to act. As our guy puts it, she's become a powerful voice for other MS patients. She's still acting FWIW -- Selma was just featured in the new Netflix show "Another Life."

Selma says she hopes she can keep going because she believes it's important for folks to see people with MS and understand ... there's room for all.

It'll just take one secret ingredient from folks ... and Selma shares that with us.

Girl, Angelina Jolie's aging seems like it's been interrupted!

Here is a 22-year-old version of the beloved actress rocking a buzz cut at the premiere for her movie, "Playing God," in New York City back in 1997 (left).

And, 22 years later ... the now 44-year-old humanitarian and mother of six children stuns in a well-deserved crown as she does press for her sequel Disney film, "Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil" -- which premiered this weekend -- in London, England just last week (right).

Listen well, you all! She did indeed grow in grace and beauty!

The question is ...

Jennifer Lawrence is not so single, but very ready to mingle with her wedding guests after her private jet touched down safely in Rhode Island.

JLaw and art gallerist Cooke Maroney arrived Friday after a short flight from NYC ... one day ahead of their wedding. Far from a bridezilla, Jennifer carried her own bags -- some of 'em, at least -- to a waiting SUV. No obvious signs her bridal gown was on board. It's likely it was sent ahead of the couple.

Cooke, who popped the question back in February, was sporting a smile as he deplaned ... several healthy steps behind his bride-to-be. Every groom knows ... no one's looking at them on the big day.

BTW, there's a reason JLaw's got on her game face here -- it's gonna be one helluva wedding. As we first reported, the menu alone sounds worthy of some Michelin-starred restaurants.

The couple no doubt went all out ... from hiring celeb wedding planner Mark Seed for the 150-guest ceremony to doling out specialty cocktails.

Bottoms up!

The company Stan Lee founded is now battling Stan Lee's daughter and heir for control over his extremely valuable name, likeness and ideas.

Weird as it might sound ... Stan Lee Entertainment is suing Joan Celia Lee, claiming she's trying to cash in on her dad when she has no legal right to do so -- even though she's the sole heir to his fortune.

According to docs, the company Stan founded in 1998 -- as an animation publishing and entertainment company -- was assigned rights to his name, likeness, ideas, characters, stories, logos, etc. Basically, if Stan thought it ... SLE owns it ... according to the company.

However, SLE claims since the big cheese died in 2018, JC's failed to protect SLE's legal hold on its right to Stan's intellectual property. Specifically, in the suit, SLE calls out POW! Entertainment for interloping ... trying to "loot SLE's intellectual property."

SLE is looking for JC to play Captain America or Iron Man, and save the day. In its suit, the company says as trustee for the Lee Family Survivor's Trust ... JC has a "duty to vindicate the rights" of SLE against villains like POW!

Stan's co. wants the court to force JC to hold up her end of the bargain, and defend SLE against all evildoers -- or as the lawsuit puts it ... POW! and other entities trying to jack Stan's valuable ideas.

It also wants a declaration that SLE is the rightful owner of Stan's creations.

Originally Published -- 1:08 PM PT

Helen Hunt was rushed to the hospital after the SUV she was riding in flipped over during a violent crash in Los Angeles ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say the Academy Award-winning actress was the solo passenger in the back of a black SUV Tuesday afternoon when another car clipped Helen's, flipping it onto its side.

In video of the wreck, obtained by TMZ, you can see the violent collision -- it appears Helen's vehicle thought it had a clear path to cross the intersection -- the SUV almost makes it to the other side, but gets clipped at the last second, flipping it over.

Sources say Helen, who became super famous from the TV classic, "Mad About You," and went on to do big flicks like "Twister" and "As Good as it Gets," was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Bev Hills after complaining of pain. We're told she was transported in stable condition. We don't know the status of the SUV driver or the other driver involved.

We got Helen leaving the hospital a few hours after the accident ... her rep tells us she was shaken, but suffered no major injuries.

The cat's outta the bag -- Zoe Kravitz is playing Catwoman in the new 'Batman' movie ... which is interesting, considering she was allegedly too "urban" for Christopher Nolan's take.

The news broke Monday, with multiple outlets reporting that Zoe had landed the role after testing out some scenes last week opposite heartthrob Robert Pattinson -- who's donning the cowl next in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" ... which is hitting theaters in 2021.

The ironic thing about Zoe's casting here is that she told Nylon back in 2015 that she couldn't even get an audition for Nolan's last Batman flick, "The Dark Knight Rises," which she attributed to her race. That's not out of the clear blue sky either.

Zoe said she was basically blocked from even reading for a small role in the movie, allegedly being told that somebody had said they weren't "going urban" with the last installment.

Sid Haig -- the guy best known as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" -- died from intense and chronic heart and lung issues ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained Sid's death certificate, issued in Ventura County, CA, and it lists cardiorespiratory arrest as his immediate cause of death. Other contributing factors include respiratory failure, aspiration and aspergillus (mold) pneumonia ... as well as a "small bowel obstruction."

He'd been having breathing issues for some time, because the doc also notes he suffered from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

As we reported ... Sid's wife, Suzie, shared the sad news last month on Sid's own social media account. She wrote, "On Saturday, September 21, 2019, my light, my heart, my true love, my King, the other half of my soul, Sidney, passed from this realm on to the next."

The Joker is actually a good guy -- at least in real life -- because when Joaquin Phoenix hit a fire department vehicle, he tracked down the paramedics to confess.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Joaquin was making a right turn out of a parking lot in West Hollywood Tuesday afternoon when his Tesla scraped the bumper of an unoccupied L.A. County Fire Dept. truck.

We're told Joaquin parked and found the paramedics, who were on a call, and explained what happened -- he simply misjudged it and didn't make a wide enough turn. Police were called, everyone exchanged insurance info and a damage report was also taken because L.A. County property was damaged.

Kevin Hart's car crash was caused by the driver operating the vehicle in a reckless fashion ... this according to the California Highway Patrol, which has just completed its report on the accident.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Kevin's 1970 Plymouth Barracuda crashed because driver Jared Black gunned the engine and lost control. The car had incredible power with a 720-HP engine. We're told the sudden acceleration and loss of control caused the vehicle to go into a spin and it ended up crashing through a fence and into an embankment.

According to our sources, the report says none of the 3 people in the car were wearing seat belts. As we reported, the Barracuda did not have safety harnesses, but now it's not an issue since they weren't wearing any safety device.

Our sources say the vehicle did not have any mechanical issues. It was purely driver error -- willful or wanton disregard for people or property.

Kevin Hart is getting back to his famous "Hustle Hart" mode after his horrific car accident -- but he's not rushing into anything intense -- like full action scenes -- just yet.

Sources connected to Kevin tell TMZ ... he's reported to work this week to promote the upcoming 'Jumanji' sequel in a new marketing campaign, which clearly required his presence, because he's nowhere near 100 percent yet.

Ever the trooper though, we're told Kevin is committed to fulfilling his commitments as best as he can. For example, our sources say Kevin did 2 hours of shoots on set Monday, another 2 hours Tuesday, and will be back for another couple on Thursday.

We're told Kevin has not been in full costume for these shoots and he's not walking much for them either -- sitting through most of the day -- even though he can walk on his own these days.

Everyone else on set -- including The Rock, Jack Black, Nick Jonas and others -- have been doing full days themselves. Of course, they're not recovering from a near-fatal wreck.

Charlie Brown isn't about to let Dolly Parton's theme park get away with using his famous Christmas tune -- at least not on the watch of the song's cowriter.

Lee Mendelson's production company is suing Dollywood for using the song "Christmas Time Is Here" in a play the amusement park puts on each year. Lee cowrote the song -- famously featured in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" -- and his production studio owns the copyright.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mendelson's company says it recently became aware Dollywood weaves the track into its stage play, "Twas the Night Before Christmas," which LM's team claims has been happening, without permission, since '07.

The use of the song is no secret ... you can find clips of the performance online, in which the cast sings the track. The iconic piano melody shows up as background music too.

Goonies never say die, but Corey Feldman says a 'Goonies' sequel is anything but a sure thing ... telling us plans for a new movie are pretty much dead in the water.

We got Corey in New York City Tuesday afternoon and asked him straight-up if the 'Goonies' tale is gonna continue, and he tells our photog ... "There ain't no damn 'Goonies' reunion!!!"

Corey says any rumblings about a potential 'Goonies 2' are nothing more than rumors ... sparked by his get together with costar Sean Astin at NostalgiaCon last month.