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James Cameron is going to catch a lot of heat for this ... he just blamed the Titanic-bound submersible tragedy on the captain, callously comparing it to the famous shipwreck.

The "Titanic" director shared his hot take on the submersible's deadly implosion, which killed all 5 people onboard, with ABC ... and it's shocking to hear.

James says ... "I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field."

In short, James is blaming the tragedy on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush .. who piloted the Titan submersible on the ill-fated mission.

James is considered a bit of an expert in this field ... in addition to winning Oscars for "Titanic," he also made 33 dives to the bottom of the Atlantic to see the shipwreck up close.

Some folks are critical of OceanGate and Stockton for exploring 2.5 miles below the surface in a tiny submersible navigated with consumer product parts, and James seems to be in that camp.

The 4 kids who survived a fatal plane crash in Colombia and then somehow made it out alive after 40 terrifying days in the jungle are not out of danger ... because they are now prime targets for kidnapping.

TMZ has prepared a documentary on their incredible survival story that airs tonight on FOX at 8 PM ET, and the doc ends with the question -- Where do they go from here? Fact is, the kids -- ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months at the time of the crash -- are now national celebrities.

People on the ground in Colombia who know the lay of the land tell us, ransom is currency in their country, and insurgents frequently target high-profile people for kidnapping.

As the kids recover physically and emotionally, government officials are trying to figure out who should care for them, and safety is a big factor.

You'd think their father would become the caregiver, but a bitter custody battle has exploded between the dad and the maternal grandparents. The grandparents claim the dad, Manuel Ranoque, was physically abusive toward the kids' mom, even striking her with a machete. The father tells TMZ he has never abused his late wife or the kids.

The four children who survived a plane crash in Colombia last month and then fended for themselves in the treacherous Amazon jungle for 40 days, actually hid from their rescuers ... TMZ has learned.

The kids -- ages 13, 9, 4, and 11 months -- were onboard a Cessna that crashed in a Colombian jungle nose first, killing their mom, the pilot, and another man. Their survival story is incredible, and the subject of a TMZ documentary -- "TMZ Investigates: The Miracle Children of the Amazon" -- which airs tonight on FOX at 8 PM ET.

TMZ has had boots on the ground in Colombia since June 9, when the kids were rescued. As we report in the doc, military GPS shows rescuers were in earshot of the kids days before they were rescued, but the children hid from them. We're told they feared the rescuers were actually insurgent forces that would kill them.

There are two survival stories here -- surviving in the jungle amid wild animals, snakes, poisonous bugs, and deadly fruit, and surviving the plane crash itself. As for how they survived the crash, three of them were in the back of the plane, which remained relatively intact. As for the infant, she was cradled by her mother, who cushioned the child during impact.

Louis Tomlinson fans are licking their wounds this morning after a massive hail storm forced them to evacuate his Colorado concert ... and nearly 100 concertgoers were injured.

The weather disaster went down Wednesday night at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater -- the show was set to start at 7 PM, but the huge bout of hail resulted in a few delays and push-backs until the whole thing was called off around 10:25 PM.

Fans were seeking shelter anywhere they could, too ... and many took to Twitter after the nightmare to complain about the golf ball-sized hail. One called the ordeal the "scariest night of my life," while another claimed they left the spot with a broken hand.

According to the fire department ... 7 people at Red Rocks were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and another 80 to 90 people were treated on the scene.

As for the show, Louie took to the bird app after the terrifying storm ... letting fans know he's devastated about having to pull the plug, before adding "I felt all of your passion! Sending you all love!"

"Simpsons" writer and producer Mike Reiss says he was super relaxed during his journey to the Titanic wreck aboard an OceanGate submersible -- but also scarily aware he might die down there.

Mike joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and detailed his experience on the Titan ... the sub that went missing this week in the Atlantic Ocean while attempting the exact same journey he made last summer.

For Mike, his trip included a few bumps and some technical difficulties ... but he says he kept his cool inside the cramped sub, even getting some shut-eye on the 2.5-hour descent to the ocean floor.

He says they stumbled upon the wreck and only had about 30 minutes to check it out from the tiny viewport ... but he got his pictures.

Mike was able to keep calm even in the face of some challenging conditions ... as he tells us, it's pitch black 2.5 miles under the surface and the sub creeps along in the dark looking for the wreck, usually without much help from the navigators back on the surface.

Plus, there's the fact Mike says the waiver he signed before the expedition made it very clear death was a possible outcome.

It's interesting ... Mike says he was actually comforted by the relative simplicity of the sub, including the video game controller steering the Titan.

As you know ... the Titan went missing Sunday during an expedition to the Titanic and a search and rescue effort is underway ... the clock is ticking and time is running out.

Our conversation with Mike is super interesting and insightful ... and he tells us why he went down there in the first place, and under what circumstances he'd actually go back again.

Things are starting to look very grim for the 5 people trapped inside the submersible meant to explore the Titanic ... but that's not stopping the stepson of one of the missing men from shooting his shot with an Onlyfans model.

Hamish Harding is a British billionaire among the passengers inside OceanGate's Titan -- the submersible that lost communication 2 hours into its dive Sunday. Harding's stepson Brian Szasz has been very active on social media as the story has blown up around the world.

Brian was back on Twitter Wednesday, first asking his followers to continue to think of his family, writing, "Please keep my family in your prayers!🙏🏽♥️"

However, about 30 minutes later, his attention shifted to streamer and Onlyfans model Brea -- who posted a pic of herself in a bikini with the caption, "can i sit on u."

Brian, clearly into the pic, reposted it and replied, "Yes please!🥰"

Of course, Brian's comment section started to pop off following the post. One user wrote, "Lmao quote tweeting a thirst trap while your stepdad is lost at sea is wild business 😅" Another added, "This guy loves blink- 182 and having ladies sit on his face and he’s not afraid to let the world know."

As we reported, Brian's the same guy who announced he was going to a Blink-182 concert in San Diego as rescuers scrambled to look for Harding. Brian posted a photo outside the concert Monday night, clearly aware it was going to come off the wrong way and defending his attendance at the show as a way to cope with a tough situation.

Guess everyone handles stress differently.

Search crews desperately looking for the five people trapped inside a submarine that vanished in the Atlantic Ocean might have gotten their first break -- after hearing possible signs of life coming from the vessel.

According to CNN, citing an internal U.S. government memo, the crews detected banging noises in 30-minute intervals over their sonars emanating from inside the North Atlantic Ocean Tuesday after the submarine disappeared two days earlier while on a tourist exploration to see the Titanic wreckage.

The internal memo said additional sonar devices were also deployed Tuesday, picking up even more banging, although it was unclear how long the second batch of sounds lasted.

"Additional acoustic feedback was heard and will assist in vectoring surface assets and also indicating continued hope of survivors," CNN reported, quoting the internal document.

What's more ... a Canadian P-3 military aircraft reportedly spotted a white rectangular object in the ocean, but the potential lead has yet to be investigated because crews were too busy probing the banging noises.

The U.S. Coast Guard tweeted ... the P-3 aircraft shared information about the rectangular object with the U.S. Navy "for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans."

As everyone knows by now ... the authorities are in a race against time to find the submarine and save its five passengers, who began with 96 hours of oxygen when they launched the voyage Sunday.

By Tuesday, that number was cut by more than half to 40 hours. Now it's Wednesday and the clock is still ticking.

Former Coast Guard Captain Andrew Norris told us on "TMZ Live" ... the submarine passengers would need an unprecedented miracle to survive this situation.

Cardi B is going off on the stepson of the British billionaire aboard the Titanic submersible, saying he pulled a wildly inappropriate move by going to a live show amid the drama.

The rapper sounded off on Brian Szasz for recently going to a Blink-182 concert in San Diego -- something he proudly touted and defended online, but Cardi sees it the way many others online have ... which is to say, that's messed up dude.

Of course, she says it the way only Cardi can ... asking the rhetorical question she figures Brian might have asked himself before deciding to go see Tom DeLonge and co. in the middle of a family crisis -- uh, should I really be doing this???

According to her, the answer is obviously no ... as she believes the dude oughta be at home crying and saying his prayers for his stepfather -- who, by most experts' accounts, has a slim chance at survival with less than 24 hours left of oxygen in the deep-sea vessel.

As we've reported ... Hamish Harding is one of the 5 people inside OceanGate's Titan. Brian acknowledged the family link online -- and then proceeded to let the world know he was ready to rock with Blink-182, arguing his family would want him to enjoy himself.

While he certainly seemed comfortable with the excursion, a lot of folks in the Twitter-verse were giving him an earful ... and calling him out for what they perceived as insensitivity.

And, of course, there were even some callous jokes cracked that Brian might be stoked to know he's got a fortune of inheritance coming his way soon.

As for CB, she's got a unique final takeaway.

In a nutshell, better to be poor and loved, than uber-rich and seemingly uncared for ... so sayeth, Cardi.

Originally Published -- 6:42 AM PT

The U.S. Navy is getting ahead of the game in the search for the Titanic sub that's gone missing ... sending a deep ocean lifting system in the hopes the vessel is found and can be retrieved.

According to a Navy spokesperson, the maritime force is deploying the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System -- along with experts in the field -- to hopefully find OceanGate Expeditions' lost Titan vessel and strategize how to bring it to the surface.

The Navy's machinery is a lift system that's designed to provide "reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels."

The Navy adds the experts and system should arrive in the area as soon as Tuesday night.

As you know, the Titan lost communication with the support crew a couple of hours into its expedition over the weekend ... with the Coast Guard launching a search and rescue for the vessel and the 5 passengers onboard.

The clock's ticking for rescuers to find the 5 people missing on a sub aimed at exploring the Titanic wreckage ... but that's not stopping the stepson of one of the passengers from enjoying his favorite band, Blink-182.

British billionaire explorer, Hamish Harding, is among those onboard OceanGate Expeditions' Titan, a carbon-fiber submersible. Harding's stepson, Brian Szasz, posted about Harding's disappearance on Facebook Monday ... writing, "Hamish my stepdad is lost in a submarine thoughts and prayers that the rescue mission will be successful."

Just a few minutes after posting about the rescue mission, Brian revealed he was attending a Blink-182 show in San Diego, posting a pic of himself outside the venue.

Clearly recognizing some people might take it the wrong way, Brian writes, "It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times!♥️🙏🏽"

As we reported, OceanGate lost communication with Titan almost 2 hours into its journey down to the wreckage. The submersible has a 96-hour emergency supply of oxygen onboard -- which has likely dwindled to about 40 hours remaining.

It's not yet known where the Titan is, or whether the 5 on board are even alive.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

The submarine that's gone missing trying to explore the Titanic was, partly, comprised of simple, store-bought parts ... but it's unclear if that has anything to do with its disappearance.

OceanGate Expeditions' underwater vessel, dubbed Titan, has been under the microscope and featured on news programs ... which dove into its construction, its technology and efficacy -- and all three seemed to be fairly solid, at the time.

What caught the eye of journalists then -- and what's certainly being scrutinized now -- is the fact this submersible features a lot of gadgets and gizmos built using very basic consumer products ... like game controllers, one-push buttons and home monitors you could buy at any electronics store, like Best Buy.

With that said, other key elements of the sub -- including the exterior and all its air pressure tech -- seemed to be top-notch, with designs and contributions from institutions like Boeing and NASA. At least, that's what OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush once told CBS News.

In fact, Rush gave a tour of this thing, and when the journo asked him if some of this stuff was MacGyver-y ... he rebuked that characterization, even though it sure felt that way.

Of course, the sub's components are getting a double-take now, because it's been missing for 2 days. As we've reported, it lost communication with its support team a couple hours into the expedition, and it didn't return to the surface at its scheduled time. Now, authorities have launched a full search and rescue.

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a full search and rescue for the vessel with 5 passengers onboard, including OceanGate's honcho and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood and Hamish Harding ... these men were researchers, businessmen and explorers, respectively.

Again, there's no evidence at this point the makeshift elements of the sub have anything to do with it going missing. By all accounts, Titan and other OceanGate subs have carried out several successful voyages over the years ... including ones to the Titanic.

While the fact Titan has yet to be found might sound discouraging, reports have indicated it's actually capable of supporting life for up to 96 hours ... so there's still time, technically.

TMZ has a new documentary probing the miracle in the Amazon that unfolded 2 weeks ago ... when 4 children survived a plane crash and fended for themselves for 40 terrifying days.

The special -- which airs Thursday on FOX at 8 PM -- "TMZ Investigates: The Miracle Children of the Amazon." We have boots on the ground in Colombia to not only chronicle the crash, the search and the rescue, but explore some very puzzling elements.

As you know ... four kids, ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months, made it out alive after a fatal plane crash -- which killed 3 adults, including their mother -- and went on to fight for their lives for well over a month in the jungles of Colombia.

Some of the questions ... Why did the children hide from rescuers? Were they political pawns in a conflict between insurgent forces and the government of Colombia? Why did the President of Colombia announce the kids were found 2 weeks before the rescue, and then take it back? And why is there now a bitter custody war over the kids?

There's so much more here than meets the eye -- and TMZ has it all covered, with interviews with the father, grandparents, government officials and rescuers.

The search for actor Julian Sands continued this weekend -- after he disappeared on a hiking trip back in January -- and the results were tragically familiar, with no signs.

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Dept. says they went out once again Saturday with a rescue team of about 80 volunteers -- including civilians and workers ... all in hopes of finding any sign of the British actor. Unfortunately, the agency says they came up empty-handed

SBSD says they used two helicopters and even drones to scour the Mt. Baldy region -- where Sands was hiking at the time. Ground crews were deployed as well ... but there was some tech used to reach inaccessible sections.

While it's now June -- when all the snow would presumably be gone -- the Sheriff's Dept. notes there are still portions of the mountain that are buried in powder and ice ... not to mention being surrounded by steep terrain and ravines that make it difficult to navigate.

The Sheriff's Dept. goes on to say they've conducted 8 separate searches -- consisting of both ground and air tactics -- and that their volunteer hours have crept up toward 500.

Despite not having found him yet ... SBSD says Sands' missing person's case remains open and active -- but those search efforts will continue in a limited capacity going forward.

Some members of Sands' family have said they've already said their goodbyes.

A submarine that gives underwater tours of the sunken Titanic has gone missing during a recent expedition ... and now, authorities are on the hunt to find it somewhere in the Atlantic.

The deep-sea vessel vanished sometime over the weekend, with a full-blown search and rescue operation launched Monday, via the U.S. Coast Guard. Reports say inside the sub were 4 crew members and one tourist.

Unclear where exactly it lost touch with its home base ... but reports say the submarine had begun a 12,500-foot descent into the ocean to see the Titanic wreckage up close off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A famed (and rich) British world explorer, Hamish Harding, is said to be the lone civilian accompanying the crew ... as confirmed by his family.

Harding -- who once paid top-dollar for a ride in Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket -- posted a proud pic of himself Sunday, hyping up the fact that he'd be the last person to see the Titanic in '23. The org that owns and operates this submarine, OceanGate Expeditions, was actually set to resume voyages in 2024 -- and this one was going to be their last of the year.

OceanGate has said this sub belongs to them ... and that their team had yet to return from the mission. They're a private company that offers tours of the Titanic ... and tickets for this go as high as $250k.

Normally, these OceanGate Titanic trips last 8 days total and the dives to the Titanic can reach up to 10 hours apiece. OceanGate says they often rely on satellite tech to stay in touch with their subs -- but in this case, it seems all communication has been lost.

Bill Simmons called Meghan Markle and Prince Harry de facto charlatans amid their Spotify exit -- and he clearly believes they brought little to nothing to the table there.

The longtime sports media personality and Ringer founder -- who made a boatload of cash in a mega-sale to Spotify a few years back, and who oversees a sea of podcasts under The Ringer brand there at Spotify as well -- trashed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his latest podcast episodes ... where he did not mince words on how he felt about 'em.

BS launched into a quick and mini tirade about the Royal couple ... jokingly saying he wished he was part of their deal to leave Spotify, and then proceeded to call them "grifters."

Check it out yourself ... not only does Bill call them virtual phonies in the podcast game, but he actually drops what sounds like an F-bomb too. Adding insult to injury, he teases a story he says he has about trying to pitch PH a podcast idea over Zoom once upon a time.

Doesn't sound like that went well ... 'cause Bill obviously isn't a fan of them or their content.

Speaking of that content, reports have suggested that Meg and co. simply weren't cranking out enough of it to meet their end of the $20 million bargain. As such, some media outlets are saying they won't get paid out in full on their contract -- which is ... not great.

BTW, Harry and Meghan aren't the only people at Spotify getting kicked to the curb. It appears there's a lot of fat-trimming going on for pods that aren't producing -- Jemele Hill's losing her Spotify deal, and the Obamas lost theirs as well in the not-too-distant past.

Grand Canyon emergency rescue teams were put to work after one man went over the edge at the popular Skywalk ... falling to his death.

The incident happened last Monday at the attraction, officers from the Mohave Co. Sheriff's Search and Rescue team responded around 9 AM with ropes specialists and a helicopter.

Unfortunately, the team determined the man, a 33-year-old, was deceased from the fall.

While it's unclear exactly how he went over, officials just say he "went over the edge," a Facebook release from the search and rescue team also featured a message about suicide prevention and urged those struggling to call the National Suicide Prevention Line.