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The Fonz's 1949 motorcycle recently sold for $231,562 at auction, but it won't just go to a museum or any old home ... it'll be in the hands of celeb grease monkey Richard Rawlings.

The motorbike was among the most prized items from the Henry Winkler-themed auction... it was expected to sell for $80k-$120k, but Rawlings scooped it up for nearly double.

The "Fast N' Loud" star tells TMZ ... his winning bid is a tribute to his dad who is battling Alzheimer’s ... he says back in the day, they would watch "Happy Days" together.

Rawlings says his dad used to ride a bike and wear a leather jacket that looked similar to Fonzie on the sitcom ... and even added he had a lot of swagger just like Fonz!

One year at Richard’s school carnival while there were games and bake sales, Richard’s dad rode his motorcycle to the school wearing his leather jacket and set up a kissing booth. As Richard says, the PTA moms ate it up.

Now Rawlings will have the actual bike that Fonz rode on, in the show ... though he won't have the actual outfit Fonzie wore -- which went for $75,312 in the auction.

Richard says he plans to ride the bike a few times, and then he'll put it in his new Monkey Trap that will have cool cars and memorabilia from all the shows he has done.

No matter what you think about LaVar Ball's antics when it comes to his sons, you gotta respect it ... so says Matt Barnes who tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, he got 'em all to the NBA.

Remember, LaVar has aways been his boys' official hype man for years -- praising Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo any chance he gets ... promising fans (and haters) they would all be in the big league.

LaVar ended up being right ... Gelo is on a G-league team, Zo is dominating with the Bulls and Melo has brought the Hornets back to life.

Barnes applauds LaVar for it, telling us he's a great dad for making sure his kids got to the top level.

Even if he did do a lotta trash talk.

"As far as him being a great dad and helping his kids to where they're at to succeed, I definitely salute him," the 41-year old tells us at LAX this week.

"The kids are very talented. Hope Gelo gets a real chance to make an NBA team but to have 2 kids in the league that are doing well and a hopeful third..."

"I can do nothing but respect that."

"Home Alone" star Devin Ratray -- who played Buzz McCallister in the flick -- had a spat with his girlfriend that got so bad ... someone called the cops to get things under control.

Law enforcement sources tell us they were called to a Hyatt near downtown OKC earlier this week for a domestic dispute between Ratray and his girlfriend.

Ratray's rep says the two got into a verbal argument, nothing physical, and things were so nasty the two broke up. The rep would not say what the argument was about.

Cops tell us things were sorted out once Devin and his gf decided to go their separate ways for the night -- she got a separate room -- and no one was arrested.

Of course, Ratray will live in classic Christmas movie infamy as Buzz, who tormented his little brother Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) for years to come. The actor recently revealed to People that there was a possible "Home Alone" reunion in the works ... but unclear if this hiccup will derail that project.

For what it's worth, "Home Alone" fans looking to relive their childhood fantasies can participate in an upcoming raffle to stay a night in the famous McCallister home thanks to Airbnb.

There's a social media push to get Kanye West to step in and fill the role of Louis Vuitton creative director after the death of Virgil Abloh ... and Dapper Dan believes Ye would be the perfect fit.

We got DD at LAX Friday who sang Ye's praises, calling him a genius and saying, "Louis, get Kanye!!!" Of course, Dapper Dan acknowledges Kanye would need to be game to take on the role, but sees it as a perfect fit.

As we reported, Virgil's sudden and surprising death after a battle with cancer drew an outpouring of support, and also raised eyebrows on who could be next to fill his position at LV ... with Kanye's name almost instantly coming to the forefront.

Kanye and Virgil had been friends for more than a decade at the time of his death, and Kanye showed up at memorial and funeral services in both Miami and Chicago to pay his respects and honor the fashion mogul.

Kanye has obviously made his mark in fashion over the years with his Yeezy brand -- a partnership with Adidas to make shoes -- and most recently a collab with GAP.

It was just this week when Kim Kardashian thanked Kanye for introducing her to the "world of fashion," when she accepted the Fashion Icon of the Year Award at the People's Choice Award.

Before this mini microphone man was making audiences jam out to his memorable music, he was just another cute kid ready for the holidays in Manhattan, New York.

This tiny tot created a career for himself that caused him to fly away with success. He's sold millions of album copies, set a record for his Grammy Awards -- he's won Best Male Rock Vocal Performance 4 consecutive years in a row -- and made a huge impact on the rock and roll world.

He's also tried his hand in acting, being featured alongside Jennifer Lawrence in a huge movie franchise.

A lot of uncertainty over the filming of the 'Black Panther' sequel -- due, in part, to Letitia Wright's vaccine status -- has now got fans wondering ... why not just recast T'Challa???

Here's the deal ... reports have surfaced in recent weeks saying Letitia wants out of the Marvel Universe entirely, supposedly in response to the vaccine mandates they're enforcing over at Disney. One report claims the writers actually had to rework the ending -- one which was originally going to heavily feature Shuri -- because of this alleged ongoing problem.

Meanwhile, THR says Letitia is expected back to resume filming in January -- this after taking some time off to recover from an on-set injury -- but the outlet also reported a little while ago that she was, in fact, spreading anti-vax sentiments with folks on the production.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, LW completely denied that account. Still, fans think there's  trouble in paradise, and are now wondering why producers wouldn't just get a new king of Wakanda ... aka, replace Chadwick Boseman with a new actor.

While many have argued that the mantle couldn't possibly be taken on anew -- because of how deeply tied it was to Chadwick's legacy -- others say ... actually, it could've ... and probably should've, especially in light of all the reported drama happening now. Now, folks are saying the idea of tapping a new T'Challa wouldn't have been the worst thing.

One Twitter user writes, "I know this is a bit of a hot take but a lot of this rumored on set drama of Black Panther 2 might’ve been prevented if they just recast T’Challa. I know people loved Chadwick Boseman, I did too, but that character had more stories to tell."

The argument is ... the character of T'Challa deserved a lot more screen time and movies to himself -- and that alone outweighs any perceived slight toward Chadwick and his memory by passing on the torch to another actor playing the same character.

BTW, this whole thing isn't just a few people firing off hot takes online ... there's an entire hashtag dedicated to this movement, #RecastTChalla. Some even say Chadwick's own words in previous interviews support the notion that he'd actually be behind this.

Of course, Marvel has held firm on their stance that they'll never get another T'Challa in front of the camera -- and besides, at this point ... they're knee-deep in production, and will very likely NOT go down that road, despite some of the fan base's clamoring.

Demaryius Thomas was at the forefront of everyone's mind this Sunday -- especially for his former team, the Denver Broncos, who paid tribute to him ... with an assist from the Lions.

The late wide receiver -- who died suddenly last week -- was honored during the opening minutes of the game ... with just 10 men on the Broncos taking the field, and WR Courtland Sutton taking a knee on the sidelines as his team let the play clock run out.

It essentially served as a moment of silence -- the significance of leaving Sutton/Thomas' position vacated on the field was symbolic, almost like it was meant to be filled by him in spirit.

Denver was penalized for this, but the Lions declined the penalty ... and let them play on as if nothing had happened -- something the team seemed to be grateful for online. There was also a video compilation played on the jumbo screen before kickoff, which showed off some of Thomas' highlights from when he was playing for them.

In addition to the on-field moment and the video, there were a number of other tributes set up all throughout the stadium, including a memorial that had been set up for Thomas that Peyton Manning and his family visited before the game got underway.

There was also a portrait of the guy that was on display in the tunnel, which players kissed and tapped as they made their way to the gridiron. And even on the field itself, the Broncos emblazoned Thomas' former number, 88, right there onto the grass.

All this was to be expected ... as we reported, the Broncos were pulling out all the stops to make sure their guy was recognized properly, as he was a big part of their SB run in 2016.

Thomas was found dead at his home on Thursday, with a call for cardiac arrest triggering a police response. It's unclear what exactly happened to him -- an autopsy is pending.

Ryan Reynolds is here to save Peloton's day -- narrating a new spoof ad that's in direct response to the outrage over Mr. Big dying in the new 'SATC' show. Also ... spoiler alert.

The actor just posted a hilarious 38-second clip, something Peloton apparently whipped up over these past few days. It shows Chris Noth -- who plays Sarah Jessica Parker's love interest throughout the OG series -- yukking it up with actress Jess King.

She stars as the hot Peloton instructor that Big is kinda into during the first couple episodes of 'And Just Like That ..." -- which killed off Carrie's hubby after a Peloton bike ride. As you can see, he's doing just fine ... and even jokingly asks if King wants to go for another ride.

As you've probably heard, CN's death made for a huge twist -- but it also had very real-world ramifications for Peloton ... whose stock price took a nosedive in the wake of the premiere.

Peloton came out and said Big didn't die as a result of riding their bike, but because of what he'd done prior to hopping on ... namely, living large. A company spokesperson responded, "Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle -- including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks -- and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6."

They added, "These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event."

Tom Holland and his girlfriend, Zendaya, don't always see eye to eye -- and that's mostly because she's taller than him ... something TH does not see a problem with.

The 'Spider-Man' stars made an appearance this week on a SiriusXM Town Hall, where the moderator brought up their height difference ... to which Tom, Zen and their costar, Jacob Batalon, started to roll their eyes. That is, until the host took it in a different direction.

She made the point that it's not a big deal -- and even went so far as to say that enforcing stereotypes about men having to be taller than women was misogynistic and problematic.

Tom and co. agreed with her -- but Spidey also wanted to set the record straight ... namely, that his on-and-off-screen partner isn't THAT much taller than him. He says she's just a couple inches or so taller, which jibes with their listed heights -- Tom's 5'8", and Z is 5'10".

Eventually, they all got on the same page, saying it's stupid to think a guy has to be taller than a girl -- whether it's in real life, or in a superhero movie.

There seem to be differing POVs on what Marvel was going for by casting a taller Mary Jane. Tom suggests it may have been done intentionally, in a sort of break-the-mold move. Meanwhile, Zendaya says sometimes they cheat a shot to make him seem taller.

LeBron James just gave a huge spotlight to somebody controversial in the rap world -- and that'd be one Tory Lanez ... who's embroiled in a legal fight with Megan Thee Stallion.

LBJ took to IG Saturday to do what he often does when he stumbles across some new tunes ... blasting it in the car and vibing out. In this case, he was playing TL's new album, 'Alone at the Prom,' and gave it a big endorsement ... showering Tory with compliments.

He captioned one of his Tory videos with, "MAN THIS BOY COLD AS HELL MAN!!! ALONE AT THE PROM IS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥" Later in the clip, LeBron films himself, seemingly singing along to Tory's lyrics.

Normally, this would be NBD -- like we said, LeBron does this all the time. The difference here ... Tory is very polarizing right now, but that doesn't seem to bother the King.

It's interesting ... LeBron is outspoken over just about everything these days, but he's been mum on the drama between Tory and Meg -- and now, he appears to have shown he's cool with Tory (or at the very least, his music) despite the allegation against him ... namely, that he shot MTS in the foot.

The L.A. District Attorney has charged Tory with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm ... also claiming he caused great bodily injury as it relates to Meg. He's pled not guilty and maintained his innocence.

James Bond could soon be using they/them pronouns on the big screen -- at least according to the woman who co-owns the rights to the franchise, and isn't ruling out the possibility.

Producer Barbara Broccoli -- who controls all things Bond via her film company, Eon Productions, alongside her brother -- did an interview with Anna Smith of the "Girls on Film" podcast ... and the debate over Bond being a woman was once again brought up.

Smith asked if she still felt JB needed to be a man going forward, and Broccoli again said yes. She reiterated her point about not forcing a gender-bending switch for characters that are traditionally male (like Bond) and said new ones simply needed to be written for females.

Then ... a curveball. Smith asked if Bond could, perhaps, be non-binary ... and Broccoli didn't shut down the idea outright. She replied, "Who knows, I think it's open, you know? We just have to find the right actor."

To be frank, it doesn't sound like Broccoli was eagerly jumping at the idea, and she had said right before that ... she thinks Bond will be a man in the future. Still, it's interesting she even entertained the idea.

One thing she did say 007 could be ... a POC. She just wants Bond to be British, and to have XY chromosomes. Everything else about the character, it seems, is open to discussion.

Stevie J's trip to Atlanta was derailed this week, all because a buddy he was flying with wanted to take his boozy beverage to go -- a big enough no-no to get 'em booted.

The producer was escorted off of a Delta flight Friday at LAX, where it looks like cops were on hand to greet both Stevie and another passenger he appeared to be traveling alongside ... and we finally learned what the heck caused the whole ruckus.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us ... this man with Stevie had apparently purchased an alcoholic beverage in the terminal while waiting to board, and then tried carrying it on past the gate, something we're told Delta personnel was telling him not to do.

Sounds like he did it anyway, and once he was in the plane -- our sources he threw it away ... but the damage was already done because the Delta team insisted they exit for disobeying their orders.

We also got video of Stevie and this guy deplaning, and you can hear the man explain to everyone that there was no longer an issue ... asking why they were being shooed off.

As for Stevie ... he was pretty pissed about it all. There's another video someone captured of him talking to the gate attendant, threatening to sue them while also calling him a few things.

Delta wouldn't confirm names to us, but they did acknowledge something happened on Thursday that slightly delayed their flight to ATL due to two passengers exiting. They say they were only 8 minutes late as a result ... but wouldn't elaborate further.

A Popeyes franchise in Philly has a pretty awful solution to the homeless crisis ... ban them from the store.

The sign is front and center inside the fast-food joint, which reads in big block letters, "NO HOMELESS PEOPLE ALLOWED INSIDE THE STORE."

There are a bunch of problems with this, aside from the absence of humanity. First, if someone is homeless that doesn't mean they don't spend money on food. The sign doesn't say homeless people are not allowed to loiter inside ... it's a flat prohibition, even if a homeless person simply wants to buy a chicken sandwich.

Second, it's kind of ridiculous to think someone can automatically be identified as homeless. And that leads to the third point ... if someone "looks homeless," are Popeyes' employees supposed to boot them from the restaurant?

Not the way to solve the prob, Popeyes.

Vicente Fernández, the wildly-popular Mexican entertainer known as "King of Rancheras" has died.

Noticias Telemundo broke the news ... "We regret to inform you of his death on Sunday, December 12 at 6:15 a.m."

Fernández was known internationally ... selling north of 65 million albums and starring in more than 35 movies. He was named Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy back in 2002. He snagged 3 Grammys and 8 Latin Grammys.

He made his way to the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 1998.

Fernández battled numerous health issues over the last decade. In 2012, he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his liver. The following year he suffered from pulmonary thrombosis.

Earlier this year, Fernández was hospitalized after falling at his ranch.

Jeff Bezos did some damage control Saturday night, saying he was "heartbroken" over the tragedy at one of his Amazon plants, where at least 6 people died as a tornado ripped through the facility ... this after being radio silent about the deaths as he celebrated his latest flight into space.

Bezos said on Twitter, "The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We're heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones."

He went on ... "All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site."

The statement came 24 hours after the tornado struck, and after Bezos had posted a photo on Instagram with the latest crew of his New Shepard rocket, including former NFL champion Michael Strahan.

He spent the morning cheering on the latest group of Blue Origin space travelers. Early Saturday he said, “Happy crew this morning in the training center.”

Bezos was effusive when the capsule came back to earth, bear-hugging Strahan, who made the trip with 4 other passengers. There was no mention of the tragedy before or after the flight, and the celebration did not sit well with lots of folks on social media.

Young Dolph -- who was murdered last month -- was honored Saturday night at Rolling Loud 2021.

Dolph's artists Paper Route Woo and Snupe Bandz performed a tribute to the fallen rapper and O.T. Genasis joined them on stage to share the moment.

Dolph was a staple at Rolling Loud, performing 4 times over the last few years. Woo and Snupe are also the PRE artists who worked during the Thanksgiving holiday to keep Dolph's name alive through a turkey giveaway that was planned prior to Dolph's tragic death.

Immediately after Dolph died, Rolling Loud posted a tribute ... "LONG LIVE YOUNG DOLPH 🙏"

As we reported, Dolph was gunned down November 17 in Memphis, outside a local cookie store. He had been targeted in the past ... back in 2017, Dolph was shot multiple times outside a shoe store in Hollywood. That same year his SUV was sprayed with more than 100 bullets.

Dolph's murder was clearly a targeted attack. No one has been arrested for his murder.