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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.

Anne Rice, the author of the wildly popular Vampire Chronicles, has died.

Rice's son announced her death Saturday, saying she passed from complications due to a stroke. Her death came 19 years almost to the day after her husband died. Anne's son said, "The immensity of our family's grief cannot be overstated."

Rice was an accomplished author, but her most famous work was her first novel -- "Interview With the Vampire" back in 1976. Her main character, Lestat, was the centerpiece of the 13-book series ... which spanned more than 40 years.

As you know, "Interview With the Vampire" was a hugely successful film back in 1994, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It's the life story of 2 vampires Louis (played by Pitt) and Lestat (Cruise) and their adventures over 2 centuries from a Louisiana slave plantation to Eastern Europe. The 2 male vamps raise a vampire child, and that's something you didn't see much in the movies back in the day.

'Interview' was so big, it became the inspiration for a bunch of shows, including "The Vampire Diaries" and "Twilight."

She said back in 2010, "I had an idea of Lestat as the man of action, the man who could do things that I couldn't do."

Anne became a successful writer of gothic fiction all over the world. She sold more than 150 million books.

Just this month, AMC green-lit a Rice-inspired series -- "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" -- based on one of her books. Last year AMC announced it was producing "The Vampire Chronicles."

'SNL' is nothing if not predictable, and they were true to form Saturday night when they skewered 2 recently-unemployed brothers.

Dr. Anthony Fauci -- no, really it was Kate McKinnon -- was offering advice on how to navigate the holidays in the midst of another COVID surge. There was some pretty funny role-playing ... such as a worried passenger wonders out loud to a flight attendant about COVID and whether the mile-high club can get you pregnant.

But then the brothers Cuomo appear, and they introduce themselves this way ... "Hello, I am disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo. I'm disgraced former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and we both lost our jobs because of COVID."

Ted Cruz is hilarious, as he pretends to have the last laugh in his war with Senator Bob Dole, who died last week. Dole famously said no one liked Cruz ... well, watch the rest.

Justin and Hailey Bieber wasted no time customizing their new Bev Hills mansion just to their liking ... filing and completing plans for changes throughout the property.

According to permits, obtained by TMZ, the couple has done overhauls in their kitchen, bathrooms and has even installed a plunge pool ... perfect for anything from relaxation to exercise.

The costs of the renos aren't public, but JB and the Mrs. went with Zac Taylor Development to get the job done ... so it couldn't have been cheap. Taylor has worked on projects with other celebs, including Adam Levine and Kris Jenner.

The couple first bought the Bev Hills palace for $25.8 million back in August 2020. It sits on 2.5 acres with 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a koi pond and a tennis court.

Clearly, Hailey's excited about the new bathroom, as she recently revealed on a segment of her YouTube show, "WHO'S IN MY BATHROOM" that she and Justin had recently moved into the home and were already filming from inside the bathroom ... looks nice!

Tyron Woodley says it was actually a blessing Tommy Fury got hurt and had to pull out of his December 18 fight with Jake Paul -- because nobody wanted to see that crap!!!

Hey, T-Wood said it ... not us.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old future UFC Hall of Famer just days before he's set to step in the ring with the Problem Child, and Woodley tells us the real winners here are the viewers.

"Nobody wants to see no f***ing Tommy Fury fight, come on now," Tyron tells us, saying, "Now his brother is lit. But, he can't ride the coattails of Tyson."

TW went on to say that Fury may go on to have a solid boxing career ... but as of right now,  he simply doesn't present the same threats as Woodley.

So, when we asked Tyron if he was a more difficult opponent ... he didn't hesitate.

"Of course I am, s***. That's why he took [the Fury] fight instead. He made a double wager and then didn't honor it because s***, why would he go back and give me the chance to finish off what I started now that I've been in there with him."

Of course, Tyron and Jake scrapped back in August ... a fight that the YouTuber turned boxing star won by split decision (Woodley wholeheartedly believes he won the fight).

Since, Woodley has all but demanded a rematch ... but Paul shot him down. That is until Tommy pulled out of the fight last week with a chest infection and broken ribs, per his reps.

So, Tyron's in ... and this time he says he will not leave things up to the judges.

"I just feel like, definitely, I can't leave any doubt."

And just like that ... Sarah Jessica Parker has still got it!

Here's the 21-year-old version of the ageless beauty with long locks of curls and giant hoop earrings at the premiere of the film "At Close Range" in Los Angeles back in 1986 (left).

And 35 years later ... The now 56-year-old actress strutted the red carpet for the highly anticipated HBO reboot, "And Just Like That...," in a top knot and gorgeous jewelry that pays homage to her iconic styles of "Sex and the City" in New York City earlier this week (right).

Get carried away!

The question is ...

Emma Hernan, the newest star on "Selling Sunset," clearly has good taste in real estate ... because while she was slinging high-end properties, she was living in an ultra-hip Hollywood Hills mansion.

If you've watched season 4 of 'Sunset' you've seen bikini-clad Emma chilling by the massive pool of this sweet pad -- a $7 million spread featuring incredible views of the city and L.A.'s canyons. What they didn't reveal on the show is this was a temporary luxury.

That'll probably make her nemesis Christine Quinn grin from ear-to-ear ... Emma was only renting the 3-bedroom, 4-bathroom home above the Sunset Strip!!!

Chill, Christine ... Emma does actually OWN a home, but it was under major renovations for about 4 months while they were filming the latest episodes.

BTW, renting ain't easy -- not in L.A., anyway -- we're told Emma plunked down more than $35k per month to live there.

Our sources tell us Emma rented the home from her good friend, Hollywood talent manager, Jamie Freed, who's managed stars like Selena Gomez and Paris Hilton among others.

Hidden within this toothy photo is a timeless singer who knows how to spread glitter and holiday cheer with her powerhouse voice.

This big-grinning gal has made audiences obsessed with her signature songs ... especially one tune that you'll be listening to on repeat this winter to get you in the holiday mood. But, being the Queen of Christmas isn't the only thing she has to offer, this talented voice has won numerous awards for hit after hit after hit.

Steven Spielberg's rendition of 'West Side Story' might be a hit with critics, but it tanked at the box office ... something many are taking joy in, all because of Ansel Elgort.

The numbers are in for the film, and it doesn't look like people were flocking to catch it on the big screen -- with the movie only raking in around $4.1 million on opening day (Friday), and a projected $10 to $11 million haul for the whole weekend. That's ... quite bad.

There's a lot on theories on why 'WSS' didn't do well ... but one that's circulating online -- without much evidence to support it, we should note -- is Ansel himself may have kept folks at arm's length, due in part to allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Like we said, there isn't a whole lot of proof to this -- most are blaming the pandemic and a sluggish holiday trend, but even if there's no credence to the Ansel thing ... there sure is a lot of giddiness.

Long story short ... the guy was accused of sexually assaulting a woman -- who told her story on Twitter, and then deleted it -- who claims she was 17 when she had sex with him in 2014. She alleges she felt violated afterward, and went on to say she suffers from PTSD. Ansel denied her characterization in a since-deleted message -- insisting it was consensual.

Other women have come forward with claims against him as well, alleging he was predatory and soliciting minors before he was uber famous -- but he hasn't addressed those specifically. In any case, him being tapped as the lead for Spielberg was widely criticized.

In SS's defense, the allegation surfaced last year -- well after Ansel had been cast and even after the film had wrapped ... so it was too late to even consider getting someone else. Interestingly, Spielberg and co. haven't addressed the situation thus far ... and all signs point to them staying mum.

We may have another UFO sighting on our hands -- and this one sure seems legit, seeing how there's no explanation for what the heck all these lights in the sky are.

Check out this wild video obtained by TMZ, which appears to show multiple giant orbs in the heavens above Chino Hills, CA -- circling each other and moving in strange, eccentric patterns ... with no light source coming from down below, per an eyewitness, anyway.

We're told this was shot a couple days ago, on Dec. 9, around 9 PM. The woman who filmed it tells us her grandson was taking the trash out, when he looked up and saw this ... which prompted the rest of the family to come out and take it all in.

The witness says she thought there was a grand opening happening, but they couldn't trace any such event nearby ... and as they mention on camera, there's no beam coming from down below. Seems the lights are really up there, generated by something in the clouds.

The crazy part is, we're told that after about 30-40 mins ... these things completely disappeared, without a trace.

There doesn't seem to be any explanation that we could find for what we're seeing here -- it's a mystery. Of course, one answer could be ... this is a UFO. Or lots of them, more like. One might even call them a fleet -- which is what one pilot recently says he saw as he was flying high above civilization himself.

Megan Thee Stallion is now Megan Thee Graduate -- 'cause she just got her diploma ... and the video is something to behold.

The rapper received her Bachelor's Degree Saturday during a graduation ceremony at Texas Southern University -- where she's been studying health administration for a while now ... which all paid off in a climactic walk across the stage, in a traditional cap and gown.

Check out the clip ... MTS definitely made it a moment to remember, posing for selfies and waving at the crowd as her name was read (Megan Pete for official purposes). It was quite surreal, in a good way.

Gotta say, we're impressed. This ain't an honorary degree or anything (something celebs are adorned with all the time). Meg actually buckled down and hit the books -- and has been for years now -- enrolling in the HBCU and working her butt off to achieve undergraduate status.

Word is ... Megan was studying at Prairie View A&M way back in 2013, and transferred to TSU shortly thereafter -- but as her rap career has taken off, she's had to do online classes on and off while navigating her professional life.

It's a lesson for the kids out there -- even as an incredibly famous star, you can still achieve your dreams, especially if it's in higher education -- something Meg has said she's wanted under her belt, with her late mother in mind. Her mom passed a couple years back.

She wrote, "I want y'all to remember that you can do whatever you wanna do and be whoever you wanna be, cause look at me!"

If Kanye West and Drake performing together wasn't enough evidence that they've truly buried the hatchet -- take a look at this ... definitive proof they're pals again.

Here's Ye and Drizzy during Thursday night's show -- but in a way we hadn't seen them before ... namely, up close and personal. As you can see they couldn't be happier in one another's presence, grinning from ear to ear and leaving the Coliseum shoulder to shoulder.

Of course, we saw these two have a ball during the actual event -- but frankly, the view (be it in person, or even on Amazon) wasn't this good ... and it's clear from these photos that Drake and Kanye are genuinely past their beef.

As we reported ... it was mostly Kanye's show, as he carried a majority of the set with hits new and old. Drake came out and performed too ... albeit for a much shorter time.

It was pretty neat -- Drake performed some of Kanye's songs, and vice-versa ... making for the ultimate crossover experience for fans. Speaking of them, the place was absolutely packed to the gills ... and word is, getting in and out of the area that night was nuts.