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Leonardo DiCaprio almost dropped the ball on arguably one of his biggest roles ... according to "Titanic" director James Cameron, who says he almost showed the actor the door when he came to an audition with some serious 'tude.

James spilled it all Tuesday ... saying he asked Leo to come during the audition process to do a chemistry test with Kate Winslet -- who had already landed the part of Rose.

In a GQ interview, James claims LD thought he was just coming in to meet Kate ... but when he found out he'd be reading lines with her, he replied, "You mean I'm Reading? Oh, I don't read."

James wasn't gonna put up with the attitude, and says he told Leo he could either read with Kate or lose out on the role ... telling him, "I'm not gonna f*** it up by making the wrong decision in casting."

He says the actor begrudgingly agreed to do it, keeping things super negative ... right up until James yelled "Action." James claims Leo instantly "turned into Jack," and he knew at that point Leo was the king of the world.

As you know, this was a titular role for the actor -- launching him into a world of successful films soon after. The movie ended up winning 11 Oscars, but Leo never got a nom for his iconic performance.

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly fired their offensive line coach/running game coordinator for groping a woman in Mexico City ... just hours before the team played against the 49ers.

ESPN, citing sources, reported Wednesday morning Sean Kugler was accused of inappropriately touching a female on Sunday night. The outlet reports Mexican authorities were made aware of the allegations, and then told the Cardinals of it all. Kugler was fired a short time later and sent back to Arizona on Monday morning.

The Cards had arrived in Mexico on Saturday night for the big game against S.F. on Monday. The team went on to lose the contest, 38-10.

Arizona officials have yet to confirm the report ... in announcing the firing on Tuesday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury would only say Kugler had been involved in an off-field "incident."

Kugler had been on the Cardinals' staff since 2019.

The two-piece wedding suit Marilyn Monroe wore for her marriage to Joe DiMaggio is hitting the auction block ... and it's expected to fetch seven figures.

Marilyn's 'fit from the January 1954 wedding to the New York Yankees star will be offered to the public through Gotta Have Rock and Roll, and although it's one of her more conservative looks ... folks at the auction house think the winning bid will be spectacular -- somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million!

The historic clothing is a two-piece dark brown Serge wedding suit, with a white fur collar on the jacket.

Marilyn and Joe's wedding was a huge event back in the day ... and there are tons of photos and videos of them kissing while she's in the wedding suit.

And, here's a fun fact: glamorous Marilyn totally went mainstream for her big day!

Gotta Have Rock and Roll says she originally bought the suit at Macy's, and it was later gifted to the mother-in-law of her personal photog, Milton Greene.

A top H.S. quarterback recruit's use of the n-word will not spell the end of his football career ... so says ex-NFL star Jamal Anderson, who tells TMZ Sports he's confident the teen will get another scholarship offer.

Marcus Stokes -- a four-star athlete from Allen D. Nease High School in Florida -- had his full ride to the Univ. of Florida pulled on Sunday ... after he posted a video of himself rapping the n-word in his car.

He apologized for it all, calling it "hurtful and offensive to many people" -- but some have wondered if it, and the Gators' subsequent punishment for it, would mean he'd no longer have a chance to play college ball anymore.

When we got Anderson out at LAX this week, he told us he's sure another school will give him another shot ... saying, "Man, he's a kid still."

"You've got to have time to grow and make mistakes and learn and make amends for the mistakes that you make," the former Atlanta Falcons running back said. "So, I wish him all the best and I hope that it all works out for him."

Anderson tells us Stokes' coaches, teammates, friends and peers will help him rebound from it all ... explaining if those around him continue to report he had no racist intentions with his actions, it'll be easier to forgive.

"When you look at the reports of the people that actually know him," Anderson said, "The people that are actually around him, there's nothing like that."

Before this cute kid on her yellow telly turned into an actress and model, she was just cooking up a storm in her kiddy kitchen and getting ready for Turkey Day while growing up in sunny Los Angeles.

This beauty enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner next to Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw in a hit popular drama/sports movie, but in real life, you can find her at the dinner table with her uber-talented musician father.

Need one more clue? She starred in a Netflix series taking place in Paris!

Drag queen Eureka O'Hara says discrimination and propaganda are behind the recent attacks on gay bars ... and she wants the hateful rhetoric to stop, because queer people aren't going away, ever.

We got the "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Tuesday at LAX, and our photog asked what can be done to prevent these types of attacks, like the gay nightclub massacre in Colorado Springs.

Eureka says people with ill will towards queer people need to be educated, especially on the trans community -- she says the LGBTQ agenda has nothing to do with straight people or their kids, they just want to live their lives like everyone else and coexist.

As we reported ... Richard Fierro, an Army vet subdued the gunman who killed 5 people Saturday night at Club Q -- charging the shooter and pulling him down to the ground until other club-goers stepped in to help.

Eureka says trans and queer people have been forced to defend themselves forever, and refuse to just take it when someone comes after them.

In addition to 'Drag Race' ... Eureka also stars on HBO's drag series "We're Here," and suggests people sit down with their families to watch the upcoming third season to not only get educated on trans people, but also relate with them.

As if Cleveland's season couldn't get any worse -- some rando allegedly broke into FirstEnergy Stadium and took a joyride on the field just days before the Browns' next home game ... resulting in a bunch of damage.

The incident reportedly went down early Tuesday morning ... forcing the Browns' grounds crew to rush to repair the grass before Sunday's matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pictures captured by News Channel 5 show tire marks throughout the field ... with a road roller working to improve the home turf.

Luckily, the team told the outlet the damage is superficial ... which means there's a good chance Sunday's game will go down without any hiccups.

Police believe the joyride occurred after someone broke into the stadium and got ahold of a golf cart. The whole thing is currently under investigation.

“We are aware of the incident that occurred early Tuesday morning at FirstEnergy Stadium and have provided the Cleveland Division of Police with all relevant information," the team said in a statement.

"Based on our internal evaluation, there was some superficial damage to the playing field that our grounds maintenance team is currently working to repair."

Jay Leno can't stop, won't stop -- unbelievably, he's back on the open road less than 2 weeks after he was severely burned in a car fire, and his first stop ... the same garage where it happened.

Tuesday, the comedian drove himself -- still visibly scarred on his face and hand -- to his Burbank garage where he keeps most of his famous car collection.

He briefly chatted with photogs as he pulled in at the gate ... tellin' them he'll back onstage telling jokes as soon as this weekend.

He also jokes around about a much-needed BBQ. Too soon, Jay!!!

As you know, Leno was working on a vintage car that had a clogged fuel line when he got sprayed with gasoline, which then ignited and set him on fire. Luckily, his friend was there at the time to extinguish the flames, and save Jay's life.

Jay was released from the Grossman Burn Center Monday, where he underwent 9 days of treatment. He seemed to be in great spirits in photos alongside the staff ... and this new video confirms he's continuing an amazing recovery.

Here's a painful lesson for all stage invaders ... the Black Crowes do not find you "Hard to Handle" -- not when they've got guitars and mic stands to beat you down!!!

This scene went down Sunday during the rock band's Melbourne, Australia concert -- as they started playing "Stare It Cold," one rowdy fan looked like he instead wanted them to play "Twice As Hard" ... 'cause that's what he got.

The guy jumped up from the front row and sprinted in front of lead singer Chris Robinson as security chased him to a corner of the stage.

Stupidly, he decided to put up a fight with bodyguards, and that's when lead guitarist Rich Robinson stopped playing ... literally and figuratively. He took off his guitar and used it to smash the dude in the neck.

While the Robinson bros are famous for being at each other's throats, they came together for this battle ... as Chris used his mic stand to help beat back the fan.

Almost immediately, the guy fell back into the crowd ... before security showed him the door and the Crowes restarted "Stare It Cold."

Michael Armand Hammer, the father of Armie Hammer and business titan, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Michael passed away Sunday, sources connected to the family tell TMZ. We're told he had been quite ill for some time, battling cancer.

The American businessman worked at an investment banking firm in NYC ... before getting involved with Occidental Petroleum, the company his grandfather, Armand Hammer, helmed for years.

Michael moved Occidental's HQ to Los Angeles in the '80s ... becoming VP of the company and landing a seat on the Board of Directors.

Over the years, Michael reigned over Hammer Productions, the Armand Hammer Foundation, Hammer Galleries, and the Hammer International Foundation.

Michael and then-wife Dru Ann Mobley gave birth to Armie in 1986, and Armie's brother, Viktor, 2 years later.

As you know, the Hammer family was heavily featured in the docuseries, "House of Hammer."

The family has a mausoleum in the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park, where Armand and a number of other family members were laid to rest.

Michael is survived by his wife, Misty, as well as Armie and Viktor.

He was 67.

Savannah Chrisley is ready to take custody of 2 of her young relatives ... as her parents will be heading to prison to do serious time.

The "Growing Up Chrisley" alum talked about the drastic change in her life during Monday's latest episode of the "Unlocked" podcast ... which dropped just a few hours before Todd and Julie found out about their sentences.

She sounds pretty concerned about what the outcome would be in court, and confirms she'd be getting custody of her 16-year-old brother Grayson, and 10-year-old niece Chloe.

Savannah understandably gets emotional ... seeing it as one of the most difficult parts of this legal battle, but says she's prepared to take them on for their first Thanksgiving away from Todd and Julie.

Again, the podcast was done before the sentencing, and as it turns out ... the Chrisleys aren't required to start serving their time until January.

As we reported, a judge gave Todd 12 years in prison after his conviction for bank fraud and tax evasion, while Julie got 7 and both got 6 months of probation.

Neal Schon claimed his Journey bandmate, Jonathan Cain, was cutting him off from funds available to the band -- but Jon's calling BS ... saying the dude's just fiscally irresponsible.

Cain just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Schon's lawsuit from October ... in which NS alleged that his old pal was boxing him out of an AMEX account that's supposed to be controlled by both of them for the purpose of official Journey business.

Neal alleged Cain wouldn't grant him access to key records, and that the account was only able to be used by JC of late. However, Jon says that's not quite right, alleging Neal's simply a reckless big spender -- and that's why he lost his privileges to the company credit card.

Jonathan tells TMZ ... Neal's always had access to the credit card statements, and what he's really upset over is not being able to up his spending limit on his own. Jon says Neal's been dealing with a lot of pressure over debt related to his extravagant lifestyle and excessive spending -- which he believes Neal was trying to resolve by even more spending.

Jon says when measures were taken to limit his pillaging of Journey's credit line, that's when Neal went on the offensive with his lawsuit -- which Jon says is frivolous and without merit.

His lawyer, Alan Gutman of Gutman Law, backs Jon ... further explaining that Neal's personal expenses were north of a million dollars and completely unnecessary for Journey.

Gisele Bündchen has begun the process of becoming Tom Brady's new next-door neighbor ... and if you look closely enough, you can see she's actually getting a hand with the move from an associate of the jiu-jitsu coach who vacationed with her earlier this month.

TB12's ex was spotted Monday outside the $11.5M Miami Beach home -- which is located just across the creek from where Brady is building a house -- directing traffic and handing off appliances.

Gisele pointed at different parts of the property with famed designer Constanza Collarte ... and, at one point, got some help with a toaster oven from none other than what appears to be a pal of Joaquim Valente.

The man -- donning a blue Valente Brothers jiu-jitsu T-shirt -- seemed to be chummy with the former supermodel, before leaving the premises with the kitchen item.

Of course, this is now the second time Gisele has been seen with Valente or associates of Valente outside of the gym in November ... you'll recall, she took a trip with the fighting instructor to Costa Rica just a few days ago.

Sources close to Bündchen have insisted they're just friends -- and Valente tagged along on the vacay merely to help coach her and her kids in the off time.

We're told Tom hasn't exactly bought it all, though -- and we're sure seeing Valente's friends help with his ex-wife's move isn't exactly assuaging that opinion.

Amber Heard says her million-dollar insurance policy does, in fact, have to cover her in the Johnny Depp trial and verdict ... and she's asking a judge to confirm it.

The actress countersued New York Marine and General Insurance Co. after they first asked a judge to let 'em off the hook for a $1 million liability policy she'd taken out to protect her from defamation claims.

Their argument was based on the fact the jury found Amber's committed willful misconduct in her defamation of Johnny -- and under California law, they say that gives them an out in having to fulfill the policy. In other words, they believe they're not responsible.

In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Amber argues the exact opposite ... namely, that New York Marine promised to pay her defense costs and judgments against her up to a million dollars, no matter what. That's the unconditional deal she claims they struck with her, and she says they haven't lived up to their end of the bargain.

AH says that in trying to wipe their hands clean, they're turning their back on that agreement ... including breach of contract, among other claims.

The Army vet who stepped up and took the Colorado shooter down this weekend is still reeling from the massacre -- breaking down in tears as he recounts the blow-by-blow.

Richard Fierro was on CNN Tuesday to discuss his heroism in Colorado Springs Saturday, where he subdued suspected gunman, Anderson Lee Aldrich, with the help of other patrons at Club Q ... an LGBT-friendly establishment.

Check out how he describes the harrowing story in his own words -- it's incredibly dramatic, and it clearly still has an effect on him ... because Fierro cried several times in the interview.

Like he'd previously mentioned, RF says his military training kicked in and he went into combat mode as soon as shots started being fired ... charging the shooter and pulling him down, where they tussled on the ground until other club-goers stepped in to help.

Fierro says he told the gunman he was going to kill him as he beat him with his own gun ... furious that the guy had jeopardized the lives of his loved ones. He also describes, in tragic detail, immediately rushing to help others who'd been shot after Aldrich was arrested.

In the end, the boyfriend of Fierro's daughter, Raymond Green Vance, was one of the victims who died that night. Fierro -- who's still obviously processing his emotions -- can't believe it.

It's heartbreaking to hear Fierro's account firsthand ... he says he never wanted to do this type of thing ever again postwar, noting he gave it up for a reason, and is outraged he had to enter combat here in the States, where he says people should feel safe and secure.

There was another moving moment during Fierro's CNN interview this morning ... he talked to Club Q co-owner Nic Grzecka, who thanked him for being there and doing what he did, which undoubtedly saved countless other lives. He and Fierro talked business and inclusivity.

Five people were killed during the shooting, and dozens of others were injured. Aldrich remains hospitalized in the aftermath, but he's already facing serious charges ... including several counts of first-degree murder, among others.

Antonio Brown is continuing to cross the line in his feud with Tom Brady -- this time, he posted a clearly photoshopped nude pic of Gisele Bündchen on social media.

The troubled ex-NFL receiver shared the image to his Snapchat on Monday ... showing Gisele's face edited on top of another woman's naked body.

A caption was not included, so there's no explanation behind the decision to take another shot at Brady's ex-wife. The slide was later deleted ... but screenshots of AB's post quickly made rounds on Twitter.

It's yet another example of AB burning his Brady bridge to a crisp -- he's completely turned his back on his former teammate in recent months, despite TB12's continuous support throughout his off-field troubles.

Brown has also posted several times about Brady's divorce from Gisele after 13 years together ... including a pic hugging Bündchen after the Bucs' Super Bowl win in 2021.

He also went the bad photoshop route another time ... by putting his face onto Brady's body as Gisele had her arms wrapped around him.

AB seemingly tried to expose Brady by sharing a text conversation from 2021 last week ... in which the 7-time champ called Brown out for acting like "a young immature man that is selfish, self serving, irrational and irresponsible."