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The internet is ablaze with fury that Usher allegedly made it rain on strippers with fake ass money -- with his face on it, no less -- but take a breather, because that's not how it went down.

You might have caught wind of this today -- a dancer going by the handle @beel0ove on IG posted photos of three "Usher bucks" that came in $100, $20 and $1 denominations ... all with Mr. Raymond's face in place of the usual dead Presidents.

She posed the question ... "Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??" The insinuation was she actually got the bogus cash for services rendered, and called for Usher to be "blasted" for passing the funny money.

She kinda got her wish, based on all the Usher memes out there now -- BUT, turns out there's way more to the story ... according to people directly involved.

For starters, this all happened at Sapphire in Vegas -- and a rep for the club tells TMZ Usher did NOT tip the strippers with this fake money, and actually dished out authentic greenbacks, while also going on to tip the staff at large quite generously.

We're told Usher and co. ended up spending thousands on the dancers (REAL thousands, mind you) and also enjoyed bottle service ... which he definitely didn't cover with these Usher bucks. It goes without saying ... Sapphire tells us they'd love to host him again, anytime.

Now for some more intel on what the hell actually happened here -- sources close to Usher tell us that somebody in his crew (not him) left some stray Usher dollars behind on the stage as a bit of a gag ... both to be joke-y, but to also promote his new Vegas residency.

We've been assured by folks in the singer's camp that he did, in fact, tip the girls who danced for him ... and that the Usher bucks in question weren't used for payment AT ALL.

DMX's family is NOT strapped for cash, and is NOT asking the public to chip in for burial expenses -- and if you see anything online saying otherwise ... it's total bunk.

X's direct family members tell TMZ ... there's been a lot of unfounded rumors circulating after DMX's death last week, including a particularly absurd one -- namely, that his inner circle is raising money to help pay for his upcoming funeral.

This one's pretty easy to throw water on, because we're told family members are absolutely not raising money, and they actually want the public to know any campaigns suggesting the contrary are completely bogus, and not connected to the fam at all.

The family says it's aware there is any number of flat-out scammers out there soliciting money in X's name ... and they just want fans to be wary.

Here's another thing folks should be on the lookout for ... our sources say X's family is also NOT selling any DMX merch at this time, so if you're seeing stuff hitting the market now -- his family didn't authorize it, and they're not profiting from it.

One last wild theory that's been floating around -- you might've heard Jay-Z and Beyonce bought DMX's masters for a cool $10 mil with the idea of making sure his kids can reap the profits down the line. Yeah, the family's also setting that record straight, and ... it's BS.

The family says X's masters aren't in play with Jay and Bey at all. Yes, some are still under Def Jam control -- but not owned by Jay outright.

Thus far, X has been honored in a few unofficial ways since his passing -- fans created a makeshift memorial outside the hospital he was being treated, and there was also a prayer vigil held a few days before he died.

It's a wrap for Julian Edelman -- the New England Patriots WR is officially retiring after a stellar 12-year run in the NFL.

... but it begs the question -- does he belong in Canton?!

Edelman was a 7th-round pick out of Kent State in the 2009 NFL Draft -- and went on to become a 3-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl LIII. Pretty impressive, huh?!

34-year-old Edelman had been dealing with some knee issues lately and underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment back in October.

Unfortunately for Julian, the latest injury proved too much to overcome -- and he decided to hang up his cleats.

Edelman finishes his career with 620 catches for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 TDs -- a pretty solid stat line for any NFL player.

Worth noting ... most WRs currently in the Hall averaged over 800 career receptions, with more than 10,000 yards receiving and around 100 TDs each.

But, is Edelman's postseason prowess enough to get voters to look past the stats?

In the post-season, he's racked up 118 catches -- 2nd all-time behind Jerry Rice, who caught 151.

He also has 1,442 receiving yards in the post-season -- again, 2nd behind Jerry Rice, who has 2,245.

Edelman's career has been debated for years -- with his former Patriots teammate Deion Branch saying, in 2019, he thinks JE had locked up a HOF spot back then!

"He knows I'm all for it," Branch said at the time ... "Put my brother in. He has earned it."

So, will the voters get behind Julian? Either way, congrats on a solid career.

Kanye West filed his answer to Kim Kardashian's divorce petition, and it's basically a mirror image of his estranged wife's legal docs.

Kanye is also asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids, just like Kim. FYI ... joint custody doesn't automatically mean a 50/50 split, and it's likely Kim will have the kids the lion's share of the time. They will almost certainly work out an arrangement between themselves and have it approved by the court. They have both committed to co-parenting.

Kanye -- as well as Kim -- wants to shut the door on spousal support. Well, they can afford to fend on their own.

He also says they should also pay their own legal fees.

As we already reported, Kim and Kanye have a prenup, so there shouldn't be a big issue with dividing assets. It's interesting ... Ye's answer comes on the heels of Forbes reporting Kim has now reached billionaire status.

Kim filed for divorce on February 19 ... so Kanye's a little late in filing his answer, although it doesn't really matter because it won't trigger any sort of problem.

Kim did not list a date of separation on her divorce docs. As for Kanye ... he also did not list a date of separation.

Our sources say Kim and Kanye hardly spoke in the months preceding the divorce petition, but it seems things are calmer now.

Madonna just plunked down a small fortune, and now she's proud of The Weeknd's Hidden Hills Estate.

Madonna paid $19.3 million for the home, which is in Kardashian Country. It's been on the market for a long time -- The Weeknd listed it back in June, 2020, for $24,995,000, so there was a significant price reduction.

The Weeknd bought the house back in 2017 for $18.2 million, so with commission at best he broke even.

The house has plenty of room, with more than 12,000 sq ft of living space, 9 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms. It sits on 3 acres with a giant pool in the backyard as well.

But don't worry, The Weeknd still has a place to rest his head, he scooped up a $25m penthouse bachelor pad back in 2019.

DMX is forever inscribed on the flesh of the woman he was set to marry before his untimely death -- because she got some new ink to honor him ... and it's right up his doggone alley.

Desiree Lindstrom -- who was engaged to X, and birthed his 15th child -- actually enlisted the services of a famous tattoo artist in NY to show her love for her late fiance in endearing terms ... hitting up one-time 'Black Ink Crew' star Krystal Kills for the custom job.

As you can see, Desiree got "Dog Love" written on her forearm ... with a big X underneath it. The meaning might seem self-explanatory -- if you know DMX, you know canines were a big part of his artistic aesthetic -- but this wording is actually a bit more personal than that.

We're told Desiree got "Dog Love" etched in for 2 reasons -- one, it's something X himself used to say. Second, our sources say Desiree considers a dog's love to be unconditional, much like X's. BTW, she got this done Friday night ... not too long after he passed.

As we reported ... X died after his organs started failing and brain function never returned.

Desiree was on hand with their young son, Exodus, for one of the vigils held for X right outside the hospital -- part of the outpouring of fan love for him during his final days.

Harvey Weinstein's been indicted on sexual assault charges in L.A. and now faces extradition from New York, but he's hoping to stay put because his health is failing... so claims his legal team.

The disgraced movie producer appeared Monday for his extradition hearing via video conference along with his attorneys, Mark Werksman and Norman Effman, who argued against him being sent to L.A. for "humanitarian" reasons.

Effman claims Weinstein is technically blind and has major dental issues -- he's allegedly lost 4 teeth and is in danger of losing more. According to his lawyer, prison officials in NY have scheduled 2 medical procedures for Weinstein ... one for his sight and one for his teeth.

On top of all this ... Effman says his client's still suffering from cardiac issues, diabetes and back pain, along with sleep apnea.

For all of these reasons, Weinstein's team's asking the judge to allow him to remain at the medical unit he's been confined to at the maximum-security prison in New York, where he's serving his sentence for rape.

The judge set the next hearing for later this month, so for now Weinstein will stay put in his prison cell.

As we've reported, despite his 2020 conviction in New York, Weinstein was still facing criminal charges in Los Angeles ... where a grand jury recently indicted him on 11 counts of sexual assault connected to alleged assaults of 5 women.

Protests and riots broke out in Minnesota just 10 miles from where Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd ... following the killing of another Black man by police.

20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. Wright died as cops were trying to take him into custody during a traffic stop after learning he had outstanding warrants.

According to reports ... Wright was shot after getting back into his vehicle and trying to flee. He drove several blocks before crashing to a stop. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon says medical workers attempted life-saving measures, but he died at the scene.

Shortly after Wright's death, protesters gathered and marched to the police department, which led to what the city's mayor called "growing civil unrest" ... resulting in the National Guard deployment.

It's unclear what effect Wright's death and subsequent protests could have on Chauvin's trial -- which begins its 11th day just miles away -- but it's worth noting the jury is NOT sequestered, so will be exposed to all this news ... and there are only 2 alternates.

Clashes between demonstrators and police continued until the late hours, and at one point it seemed law enforcement released smoke canisters to disperse the crowd.

Britt Reid -- Andy Reid's son and a former assistant on the Chiefs' coaching staff -- has been hit with a felony DWI charge stemming from his role in a violent Feb. car crash ... law enforcement announced Monday.

In court docs, prosecutors said they've officially levied a "Dwi - Serious Physical Injury" charge on the 35-year-old. If convicted, Britt faces up to 7 years behind bars.

As we previously reported, Britt was involved in a bad 3-car crash near Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City back on Feb. 4 -- just 3 days before K.C.'s appearance in Super Bowl LV.

Britt was accused of slamming his pickup truck into two cars that had pulled over on the side of the I-435 highway at around 9 p.m.

The collision caused serious injuries to a 5-year-old girl, Ariel Young, who was in a coma following the crash.

According to the girl's family, Ariel remains in the hospital and has been showing signs of improvement ... but "she still has a long road to recovery."

Investigators say Britt had told them he had taken Adderall and drank before getting behind the wheel. They added in court docs Britt did not perform well during field sobriety tests.

Britt had been placed on leave by the Chiefs following the accident ... but he's now no longer employed by the NFL team.

The Minnesota Twins will NOT be taking the field Monday afternoon -- the team has postponed its matchup with the Boston Red Sox following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright at the hands of a police officer.

"Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today's game," the team said in a statement.

20-year-old Wright was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Cops say they were trying to take him into custody after learning he had outstanding warrants ... and Wright attempted to flee.

BC Police Chief Tim Gannon claims the officer meant to use her taser during the incident, but accidentally shot Wright instead. He died at the scene.

Protests and riots broke out in the area following the tragedy ... and the National Guard was deployed on the scene.

The Twins -- who were set to open a 4-game series with the Sox -- say they worked with MLB, local and state officials to reach its decision ... and will announce a makeup date at a later time.

The traffic stop of an Army Lieutenant has now become a criminal investigation ... this according to the Lt.'s attorney.

Attorney Jonathan Arthur said on "TMZ Live" Monday ... he had been contacted by either the feds, state prosecutors or both regarding the December incident. He would not say which agency or agencies contacted him, but he did say a criminal investigation is afoot.

The feds could file criminal civil rights violations ... similar to what happened in the Rodney King case years ago. There could also be a state investigation over excessive force. As we reported, Lt. Caron Nazario was pepper-sprayed 4 times as officers barked orders at him.

Arthur filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month, and the video of the incident surfaced this weekend.

Attorney Arthur says the officers' conduct was egregious ... allegedly lying on the police report and also apparently telling Nazario if he doesn't complain they won't destroy his military career.

Ellen DeGeneres made quick work of the Beverly Hills home she just put on the market ... but she didn't cash in quite like she probably hoped.

The talk show host unloaded the massive, secluded property she bought just 2 years ago from Maroon 5 frontman, Adam Levine, for a whopping $47 million ... but she was asking for way more than that.

As we first told you ... Ellen listed the 10,000 square-foot mansion for $53.5 mil just over a month ago, which would have netted her a decent profit because she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, purchased it from Adam for about $45 mil.

Instead, it's more like a break-even transaction ... but we're told DeGeneres went ahead with it anyway because she spends very little time in L.A. outside of shooting her show. She's now living full-time up in Montecito.

As for the new buyer -- represented by Brian Lane & Bob Safai of Madison Residential -- they just scored a gorgeous, ivy-covered estate with a resort-style pool, outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, fire pit, dining room bar, 50-foot living room with stone fireplace, indoor gym, spa and a guest house.

There's also a sunken tennis court, as the home used to also be owned by tennis legend Pete Sampras.

Here's something to make ya feel old ... Macaulay Culkin is now a proud parent!!!

Macaulay, best known as Kevin McAllister in the insanely popular 1990s 'Home Alone' movies, just announced the birth of his first child with his partner, actress Brenda Song.

Macaulay and Brenda welcomed their son, Dakota Song Culkin, into the world last Monday in Los Angeles. A rep for the couple says he was named after Culkin's sister who passed away in 2008.

The baby boy is healthy after weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces.

It's pretty jarring to think of Macaulay as a father and not as little Kevin ... entire generations have grown up knowing MC only from his classic Christmas movies, and the Google holiday ads reprising his iconic role.

In fact, filming wrapped on the OG 'Home Alone' a few months before Macaulay's 10th birthday, and he was 11 years old when he played Kevin in the 1992 sequel.

Now, he's a first-time father at 40 ... and with baby Dakota joining the fold, Macaulay and Brenda will no longer be home alone. Also, their sleep will most likely suffer.

Luke Bryan's going to miss out on the excitement of "American Idol" going live for the first time this season due to the coronavirus ... but a familiar face will take his place.

The country music star and 'Idol' judge says he tested positive for COVID-19, so he won't be part of Monday night's first live show of the reality singing competition.

Luke says he's doing well and hopes to be back at it soon, but in the meantime ... Paula Abdul is back!!!

The show just announced while Bryan's quarantining and recovering at home, the former judge will be filling in as guest judge alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

It's unclear how long she'll have to hold down the fort in Luke's chair, but as you know ... she has a lot of experience. Paula joined the series in 2002 as one of 3 judges with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, and had numerous memorable clashes with Simon.

The four-legged friend of the U.S. Army Lieutenant who was repeatedly pepper-sprayed by a cop is feeling better after choking on pepper spray and struggling to breathe.

Lt. Caron Nazario's attorney, Jonathan Arthur, tells TMZ ... Nazario's pooch, Smoke, is OK after the scary incident, despite feeling the effects of the toxic chemical.

As you know, Nazario was pulled over in Virginia, pepper-sprayed and attacked ... all over the fact he didn't have a rear license plate. Smoke was in the backseat of the SUV during the incident, and one of the cops fired pepper spray at the Lt. four separate times.

The Lt. told the cops the dog was in distress, but they did not come to his aid.

The dog, who was in a kennel in the back of the SUV, eventually shook off the toxins. He did not need to see a vet.