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Taylor Swift is laughing all the way to the bank in her latest stretch of massive success, catapulting her to the #2 spot on Forbes' richest women in music list ... a number that's certain to grow after her latest tour wraps.

According to the publication's "Richest Self Made Women" list, the singer is now worth a staggering $740 million ... making her the second richest woman in music behind Rihanna, who still almost doubles T-Swift at $1.4 billion from her music career and cosmetic line.

It's a super huge milestone ... Taylor now surpasses Madonna, who is said to be worth $580M, as well as Beyoncé whose net worth is reportedly $540M.

The new rankings put Tay at #34 overall on the "Self Made Women" list ... which includes everyone from Oprah ($2.5B) to Panda Express co-founder Peggy Cherng ($3.2b). BTW, Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply -- a company that sells roofing, siding and windows -- is top of the list at $15B.

Of course, T-Swift has ridden yet another wave of success after dropping "Midnights" back in October, becoming the first artist ever to claim the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

As you know, TS is in the middle of her wildly-successful 'Eras' Tour. Remember, the demand for tickets was so high, Ticketmaster crashed and Congress wound up launching an investigation into the site.

The former "Family Feud" contestant, who joked he regretted getting married on the show, has been found guilty of murdering his then-estranged wife -- after her sister testified the victim previously said she was worried her husband would harm her.

Timothy Bliefnick was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder and home invasion following a nearly week-long trial in Illinois.

You'll recall, Becky Bliefnick was found dead inside her home back in February -- and her estranged husband was charged with breaking into her home and shooting her multiple times. The former couple was living apart at the time, and in the process of divorcing.

Perhaps the most sinister testimony came when Becky's sister took the stand, and said Becky worried [Timothy] might harm her, as they fought over custody of their 3 kids.

The sister said Becky texted her in 2021, saying ... "If something ever happens to me, make sure the No. 1 person of interest is Tim."

As we previously reported, Bliefnick had joked back in 2019 -- while on "Family Feud" -- that the biggest mistake he made at his wedding was saying "I do."

Al Pacino was so certain he could not get his girlfriend or anyone else pregnant, he did not believe the baby was his at first, and got a DNA test for proof ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

The 83-year-old actor, we're told, had medical issues that would have commonly prevented a man from impregnating a woman. We're told Al had no idea until 2 months ago that 29-year-old Noor Alfallah was pregnant, and when he found out he was "shocked."

Our sources say Al doubted at first the baby was his and wanted a DNA test. We're told Noor obliged and the test showed he was indeed the dad.

Showbiz 411 first reported the paternity test.

Kanye West is getting sued over a heated encounter he had with a photographer -- the one where he pulled over to snatch her phone and throw it into the street.

TMZ broke the story back in January ... as he was driving away from one of North West's basketball games with his wife, Bianca Censori, Ye stopped because he noticed several paparazzi on his tail.

According to one of the photogs, Nichol Lechmanik, Ye was angrily confronting a different paparazzo, going through the man's pockets ... and she claims she feared the rapper might have had a weapon on him.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lechmanik says she was terrified he would come after her next ... and he did. Video shows Ye approaching her as she sat in the driver's seat of her car, recording him with her phone and yelling, "You all ain't gonna run up on me like that!"

Ye told her, "If I say stop, stop with your cameras." Then he ripped her phone out of her hands and tossed it -- she says it landed in oncoming traffic.

All of this was captured on video by Lechmanik's business partner who was recording from her passenger seat ... and she says Ye walked over to that side of the car and flashed a "death stare" at them. That same day she went to the Sheriff's Department to file a report about the incident.

As we first reported, law enforcement named Ye a suspect in their battery investigation, but ultimately he was not charged.

That being said, Lechmanik says she was traumatized and humiliated ... and lost earnings because she wasn't able to go back to her J-O-B ... snapping photos of celebs.

In the weeks after their encounter, Ye started going straight to law enforcement -- as he did on Valentine's Day -- whenever photogs approached him.

Lechmanik is suing Ye for assault, battery and negligence.

Lil Durk is expected to pull in big numbers with his new "Already Healed" album, and he's taking time out to assist a fan who helped spread awareness of the music ... despite not having a proper roof to blast the tunes!!!

On Thursday, a video surfaced of Durk linking up with L.A. resident Pedro Ramirez, a homeless man who went viral on TikTok for playing Durk and J. Cole's "All My Life" video from inside his tent on a big-screen projector.

Durk thanked Pedro for pumping the music and blessed him with a hotel room for 30 days, a phone, a gift card, and some spending money for being an OTF loyalist.

Earlier in May, Pedro talked to FOX 11 news, and explained how he uses a personal generator to power his projector, and recharges at a nearby Metro station.

Pedro says he's been living on the streets for 2 years and chooses his tent setup over L.A.'s assisted living programs, which he claims treat people like prisoners.

Tom Sandoval couldn't contain his anger during the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion, even offstage ... losing his cool when producers blocked him from chatting with Raquel Leviss off camera.

During Part 2 of the 'VPR' reunion, Tom goes off on producer Patrick McDonald, demanding he gets a break to have a private convo with Raquel. He says, "I want to talk to her, like, I don't want a camera in my f**king goddamn face. You're not understanding."

The producer tells him he's able to take a lunch, alone, but says the cameras have to be rolling if any castmates are gathered or talking to each other ... which seems to only upset Tom even more, as he stormed around and yelled, "I'm done filming. I need a break from filming."

TS wasn't taking no for an answer -- he continuously pushed for alone time and threatened to take off his mic.

He angrily added, "I don’t feel relaxed, she doesn’t either. We have to watch what we f**king say. Like, I don't want that!"

It's interesting ... minutes prior to the meltdown, Tom had a one-on-one, on-camera conversation with Raquel, who watched Part 1 and 2 of the reunion from her trailer ... chatting about their cheating scandal and how things played out so far with his ex Ariana and the entire cast.

So ya gotta wonder, what TS might want to say to Raquel that he couldn't say with cameras rolling or other folks around.

The final part of the reunion airs next week, and it's bound to be just as explosive -- Raquel finally gets to address the cast directly for the first time ... and vice versa.

Sergio Calderón, who starred in numerous films, including "Men In Black" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," has died.

Calderón passed away Thursday morning surrounded by his family after he was previously hospitalized with pneumonia, a rep told "ET." His cause of death has not been disclosed.

Calderón enjoyed a long career in Hollywood, collecting more than 50 film and TV credits dating back to the 1970s. Two of his most notable roles were as Captain Vallenueva in 'At World's End' (2007) and Jose — a.k.a. the "head on a stick" guy — in 'Men in Black' (1997).

He also landed parts in "The Missing" (2003), "The Ruins" (2008) and "Little Fockers" (2010). He retired in 2022 after performances in his last three projects: "The Seven Faces of Jane," "Better Things" and "The Resort."

Calderón was 77.

Tom Brady is NOT coming out of retirement to play quarterback for the team he'll soon own ... emphatically saying a return to the football field simply ain't happening, despite endless speculation.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the 46-year-old 7-time winning Super Bowl champ made it clear he's done for good ... and there will be no unretirement this time around.

"I'm certain I'm not playing again. I've tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that 'because I've already told people that lots of times but I'm looking forward to my broadcasting job at FOX next year," Brady said.

Tom, who retired for the second time in February, continued ... "I'm looking forward to the opportunity ahead with the Raiders and we're in the process of that along with the other different things I'm a part of professionally and in my personal life."

Brady recently agreed to terms with Mark Davis and is in the process of becoming a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

During a conversation with Troy Aikman last week, the NFL legend told us he could envision a situation where Brady came down from the owner's suite, threw on pads, and played QB for the team.

The 3-time Super Bowl champ was far from alone in considering the possibility. Add to it, the NFL allows owners to play, provided 75% of the teams approve via a leaguewide vote. Getting the votes would presumably not be a problem ... as Brady is great for business.

But, it's all just talk ... 'cause Tom says it simply isn't going to happen. His days as a signal caller are over.

As for what he will do, Brady's plans center around his children.

"Just spending as much time with my kids as I can and seeing them grow up and support the different things that they have going on. That's a very important job. I take them all pretty seriously."

The woman who claims a man pulled her wig off for no apparent reason in the streets of NYC has now gone to the police for help, filing a report in a bid for justice.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ an official complaint was filed Sunday with the NYPD by a local artist named Lizzy Ashliegh, who's Black. We're told the crime alleged is misdemeanor assault ... and that Ashliegh is claiming to have suffered a minor injury to her neck.

Our sources tell us Ashliegh declined medical attention when she filed the report -- although, she claimed on social media she's seen a doctor -- and that her report triggered an investigation. We're told Lizzy identified a man named Anthony Orlich -- a lawyer whose law firm has since said he is no longer employed with the firm following the alleged incident.

Ashliegh posted a video that she claims showed the aftermath of the alleged incident, which went viral. You see her repeatedly ask the man why he snatched her wig off, this as she holds the blue-green wig in her hands.

Other guys in the clip -- who are reported to have been friends of Orlich --  were also trying to get him to apologize for it ... to no avail. The internet was up in arms about it too -- especially because he's white and Ashliegh's Black.

Kim Kardashian isn't oblivious to the masses of people who believe she and her family owe viewers more when it comes to sharing the intimate details of their everyday life ... having a serious convo about the future of the show.

KK got candid with her sister Khloe Kardashian and Scott Disick on Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians" and took the time to address some of the criticism around the Hulu hit.

While says she enjoys reading the feedback, she went on to say at times it can be very brutal. She says "Khloe and I, we give real content. We're sharing every last detail of our lives." She continues, "I talk about me wanting to lose weight and I am brutalized. I am the face of all this criticism."

Kim also gives specific examples ... saying, "There was an article about season 2 that said Khloé didn’t give enough with her Tristan [Thompson] situation."

Kim did fess up to a couple things being more off limits -- like her issues with her ex-husband Kanye West and her most recent ex, Pete Davidson -- saying at times, she just simply didn't want to be filmed.

At the end of their heart-to-heart, the two sisters acknowledged deep down they do love the show and it's been the centerpiece of the entire family empire. Kim admits, "I will always want to film and give our all."

The Kardashian-Jenner clan first appeared on E! for their "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" series in 2007, which ran up until 2021. The 3rd season of "Kardashians" is now running on Hulu.

MMA fighter Mike Dragich is used to squaring up against proverbial beasts inside of a cage, but last month, he got to go up against a literal one -- wrestling a 10-foot alligator away from onlookers ... and the wild scene was all captured on video!!!

The crazy matchup happened outside of an elementary school in Jacksonville ... when Dragich -- a 33-year-old amateur fighter and licensed gator trapper -- was summoned to help Florida fire and rescue officials wrangle a giant reptile away from a campus full of students.

You can see in footage that Dragich posted to his social media page, he didn't look nervous about the upcoming fight at all ... strolling up to the gator in a cut-sleeve shirt and tight pants.

Video shows Dragich tried to grab the alligator by its tail multiple times ... but the animal wasn't budging.

Finally, Dragich was able to hook its head with a catch pole ... but the alligator didn't go down easily, causing a group of spectators nearby to scream with fear.

It rolled multiple times in an effort to break free from Dragich ... though, eventually, the man was able to corral it with the help of JFRD responders.

After the battle, the gator wrangler told Fox 35 Orlando, "I felt like Batman, for real."

"A lot of fighters will understand that uh, when you go to the cage, you're nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused and honestly that's what I remembered from that night," Dragich said.

The mixed martial artist is no stranger to these kinds of situations, in addition to taking multiple fights in his career ... he's also taken down a bunch of gators over the years too, showcasing many of his conquests in videos on his IG page.

Of course, he's far from the first notable figure to get in brawls with scary creatures -- UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov gained fame for wrestling bears regularly. And, who could forget Chuck Norris' own tilt with a bear?!?

Begs the question, what's crazier ... fighting a gator, or a bear???

The "Vanderpump Rules" reunion has made something very clear -- it's not just Tom, Raquel and Ariana who have been deeply impacted by Scandoval -- as Scheana Shay made very clear.

Part 2 of the reunion special ran Wednesday night, where the cast continued to discuss the affair and the explosion it's caused in all of their lives. At one point, Scheana Shay -- who was extremely close with both Sandoval and Raquel -- completely loses it.

Shay says she feels abandoned by two people who she truly trusted, and finds herself experiencing total breakdowns at different points in the day.

To make matters worse, Shay says her emotions have impacted her ability to be a good mom -- and even her daughter is experiencing severe emotional trauma because of the events with Tom and Raquel.

Tom apologizes to Scheana, but the words seem to ring hollow. As for Raquel, she was unable to listen to Scheana's issues up close and personal, as she had a temporary restraining order against her at the time of filming after Scheana allegedly attacked her after learning of the cheating.

As we reported, the restraining order was eventually dismissed -- but clearly, there was some serious damage already done -- restraining order or not.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have FINALLY bought a house after 2 years of looking ... and it's amazing.

The house boasts a cinema, wine room, whiskey lounge and a spa with a hair and nail salon, and a sauna and massage room. And get this, there's also a separate, 5,000-square-foot sports facility, which includes an indoor pickleball court, boxing ring and sports lounge. On top of that, there's a 2-bedroom guard house.

In all, there are 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and 15 fireplaces!

Ben and Jen paid $60,850,000 ... and they paid in cash. The whole deal took 1 week, start to finish.

It sounds like a lot of loot, but it turns out they got an incredible deal. The property was listed in 2018 for $135,000,000 and relisted this year for $75M.

It sits on a 5-acre promontory and the security is unmatched ... the estate is double-gated.

It's considered the crown jewel of Wallingford, and that's saying something.

The newlyweds have had several false starts, going into escrow on a few other estates but pulling the plug before closing.

Ben and Jen were repped by celeb realtor Brett Lawyer. The seller was repped by Ginger Glass.

Pete Davidson has a new best friend, a super cute pup ... and he was all smiles as he picked up his new buddy with girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders.

They picked up the pooch in New York City, going to Citipups in Manhattan to get their furry friend ... the pet store just posted footage of Pete and Chase at the counter.

Folks who work at Citipups tell TMZ ... Pete and Chase came through May 21 and left with a cavapoo puppy. We're told the pup, a boy, was only 2.5 months old ... and he didn't have a name, so Pete and Chase have a big decision to make.

The puppy's not a rescue or anything ... we're told it was from a breeder.

Leading up to Pete's in-store visit, we're told Pete was in contact with Citipups and told them he fell in love with the cavapoo after seeing a photo of the pup.

Pete brought Chase along with him ... and we're told they loved the dog and bought it on the spot. Naturally, we're told Pete and Chase are super excited with their new pup ... though it's unclear if it's Pete's dog or if they got it together.

Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is a real-life hero ... the L.A. assistant coach helped save a 3-year-old boy from drowning at a Las Vegas hotel pool over the weekend.

The terrifying incident happened at the Encore, when, according to a post on Morris' wife's social media page, a little boy was pulled from the water without a pulse by his father.

An on-duty lifeguard raced over to provide aid to the toddler ... and, thankfully, a quick-thinking Morris jumped in to help too by grabbing a nearby automatic external defibrillator (AED).

"I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?" Morris said to ESPN on Wednesday. "When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK."

Morris' wife said the kid was taken to a nearby hospital ... and, thankfully, discharged a day later.

Morris -- who joined Sean McVay's Rams staff in 2021 -- said training he received recently in the wake of the Damar Hamlin medical emergency helped him know what to do in the horrifying situation.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff added that he believed the training played a significant role in the heroic efforts as well.