Jay-Z Tidal Sale Closes ... $302 Mil to Jack Dorsey's Square!!!

UPDATE

2:53 PM PT -- 5/3/21 - A rep for Square says the purchase price was actually $302 million for majority ownership of Tidal. It's a hell of a deal, because our sources say 80 percent of Tidal has a $350 million valuation.

UPDATE

Square says it's searching for a new honcho to run Tidal, but in the interim one of its execs, Jesse Dorogusker, will have the gig.

Jay-Z's 6-year flip of Tidal's streaming service is complete -- he just closed the deal to sell the majority of the company to Square for $350 million ... a pretty good return on his initial investment.

Square, the financial services company owned by Jay's pal, Jack Dorsey, is now firmly in the music streaming biz. Jack had announced back in March that he planned to take Tidal off Jay's hands, but sources familiar tell TMZ they just closed the deal Friday morning.

Remember, Jay-Z launched Tidal back in 2015 for $56 million in a partnership with several artists, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris, Chris Martin and others.

For its $350 mil ... Square gets 80% ownership of Tidal, along with licensing deals with the major record labels and all the artists/owners will remain with the company too.

We're told Jay and Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, who helped broker the deal, will both remain on board to help run Tidal.

Over the last year we've seen Jay and Jack hanging out several times -- sometimes sipping wine together in the Hamptons -- and now we know what they're discussing ... major tycoon stuff.

Jay's made serious bank of his Tidal investment. He'd previously sold 33% of it to Sprint back in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.

As Jay-Z famously said almost 20 years ago, he's not a businessman ... he's a business, man!!!

Michael B. Jordan Shoots His Shot Gun Range Fun with Lori Harvey!!!

TARGET PRACTICE
@FT3_tactical

Michael B. Jordan may have a case of gun fever, because he returned to an indoor shooting range where he'd trained for a role -- but this time it was just for fun with his girlfriend.

Michael took Lori Harvey to the Field Time Target & Training facility in the O.C. this week to do some shooting and, no, Lori wasn't just watching MBJ in action ... she opened fire too.

The team at FT3 Tactical tells us the couple were at the place for a couple hours Wednesday night, and enjoyed target practice. We're told Michael was there a few months ago to train with the staff for his upcoming movie, "Without Remorse."

Obviously, he liked the spot enough to return for date night.

FT3 says he was super nice, cool and humble and spent time chatting with employees and taking photos. They've even named him an honorary member of the team.

Fans who want to see how Jordan's gun range training paid off can see for themselves now ... his action flick just dropped on Amazon Prime.

President Biden's Dog Major Prrretty Sure He'll Be Cool w/ New Cat Thanks to Special Training

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
NBC

President Biden's dog, Major, will soon have a new four-legged pal around the White House ... 'cause the Bidens are getting a cat and they made sure Major can handle it.

Biden and the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, told "Today" Major underwent special training that included the German Shepard visiting a cat shelter to see how he reacts around cats ... and he did fine.

When "Today" co-anchor Craig Melvin brought up Major, Biden joked, "We were going to bring him in to see you" ... to which Melvin replied, "Well, I don’t know if that’s the best idea based on what I’ve heard about Major."

Jill defended Major ... calling him a "sweet, lovable dog."

Major, of course, has had 2 biting incidents at the White House ... with the first one getting him and his pal, Champ, sent back to Delaware last month. Major eventually returned but just days later there was another biting incident ... prompting some extra handlers and a new trainer.

But now, there's going to be a cat in the mix. There had been rumors the Bidens would adopt a cat and Jill confirmed, "she is waiting in the wings." It's unclear when exactly the cat will arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. but we can only say to the new First Feline is ... Godspeed.

Khloe Kardashian & Kris Jenner Hers & Hers Side-By-Side Mansions ... Construction Underway!!!

Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner are about to be just a stone's throw away from each other -- their next-door mansions are in the midst of construction ... and they are HUGE.

Khloe and her momager are building side-by-side modern farmhouse estates in an exclusive enclave in the Calabasas area. These new aerial shots show there's still a ton of construction going on, and it looks like daughter built a little bigger than Mom.

When it's all complete ... both Khloe and Kris will have enormous swimming pools where they can entertain, and do plenty of IG photo shoots.

According to reports ... the massive lot used to be one single estate. After it was sold in 2012, another local developer razed the house ... but it sat vacant for years. The new developer's now putting the finishing touches on Khloe and Kris' houses.

We don't have exact numbers on how much Khloe and Kris paid -- but there are reports they each plunked down north of $10 million.

We're told Khloe's home -- on the left -- is 18,000 square feet and features 8 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms. There's also an 8-car garage, covered patios, guesthouse, movie theater and gym. Kris' place is a massive 17,000 square feet.

The pads are reportedly in a super famous neighborhood of Hidden Hills ... with homeowners that include Jeffree Star, Paul George and Vin Scully.

T-Pain Repeatedly Called N-Word, Racist Slurs ... During COD Sesh

SERVING VIRTUAL JUSTICE
@tpain/TikTok
UPDATE

1:38 PM PT -- Activision -- publisher of Call of Duty -- tells TMZ Sports it is continuously working to combat racism hateful comments and other harassment on its platform.

UPDATE

"It is saddening and troubling that some use the communications functions in games to espouse hate," the company said Friday.

UPDATE

"We have taken a number of actions to address, including banning thousands of players for racist and hate-oriented names; implementing new technology; and providing even easier ways for players to report offensive behavior."

UPDATE

"We will continue to invest in and deploy additional measures aimed not only at enforcement of our policies, but also prevention and education."

Disgusting moment during a video game sesh for T-Pain this month ... a group of players hurled the n-word and other racist insults at the singer -- and it was all captured on video that's hard to watch.

It went down when the 35-year-old hopped on a Call Of Duty Twitch stream ... when, before a match started, a group of racist scumbags verbally attacked.

In the footage, you can hear players repeatedly call T-Pain the n-word ... and, at one point, some of the players even said to the singer, "F*** Black Lives Matter."

T-Pain was clearly bothered by it all ... he let out a sigh and said, "Jesus Christ."

"I mean, I don't know at this point," he added. "Randoms."

T-Pain shook it all off, though, and stayed in the game ... and tried to make some light of a horrible situation.

Waiting for your permission to load TikTok Post.

The "Bartender" singer -- who's a HUGE video game nut -- ended up dominating the match, helping his team win 200-152, and then he rubbed some salt in his racist opponents' wounds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, looks like the n******s win," T-Pain said after letting out a long dance. "Stupid idiots!"

He later added, "Looks like the n*****s took it home. F***ed up. Stupid idiots. F***ing a**holes."

We've reached out to reps for Call of Duty for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Do better, people.

Originally Published -- 8:21 AM PT

Cassie Randolph Getting Serious with New Boyfriend ... Still Mum on Colton

Cassie Randolph still hasn't said anything about her ex, Colton Underwood, coming out as gay, but she's clearly moved on.

Sources close to the former 'Bachelor' winner and her new boyfriend -- 23-year-old singer-songwriter Brighton Reinhardt -- tell TMZ ... the 2 have been dating for a few months.

Though they've been spotted out together from time to time, their most recent outing is telling -- Brighton was hanging out with Cassie's family and we're told things are gettin' serious.

Cassie and Brighton spent the afternoon at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach with her parents, along with her brother Landon, sister Michelle and her pretty famous boyfriend, Gregg Sulkin. Pretty good-lookin' crew.

As you may know ... Colton and Cassie dated after he gave her the final rose on his season as 'Bachelor,' but things fell apart and led to Cassie taking out a restraining order against him, which she later dropped.

We're told after she dropped it, there may have still been some bad blood, because Brighton dropped a song called "Creep" with the following lyrics --

"You can’t stop thinking about my baby / What once was yours in the world is changing / God, I hope you get your thinking right / GPS on the underside / Told her everything will be just fine / Damn, I can’t believe these guys." In other words, a clear shot at Colton.

Anyway, Colton recently revealed he's gay, and Cassie has yet to address it other than to say she wouldn't be discussing it, adding ... "There's a lot of layers to it, and I just think the best thing for me at this time is to move forward and just focus on going forward."

So the question ... why are both of them totally mum about each other? If we know anything here at TMZ, when people drop legal cases, they often agree not to trash each other or even mention the other person's name.

Kobe Bryant '96 Lakers Rookie Jersey Hits Auction ... Could Break Record!!!

Kobe Bryant’s earliest known, game-worn L.A. Lakers jersey -- rocked by the Mamba during his '96 rookie season -- is about to hit the auction block ... and we’re told it could rake in over $500k!!

Bidding for the awesome piece of sports memorabilia opens Monday at Goldin Auctions ... and Ken Goldin tells TMZ Sports the ultra-special threads have a chance to break the record for most expensive regular season NBA jersey of all-time.

FYI, the current record belongs to Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards jersey from his last ever NBA game in 2003 ... which a collector dropped $570k on.

As for the KB jersey ... it's pretty special.

An 18-year-old Kobe -- fresh off being selected with the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft -- donned the gold Lakers jersey during his 23rd NBA game ever ... when Bryant and Shaq's squad took on the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 8, 1996 at The Forum.

Kobe wasn't (yet) a starter, but played 22 minutes ... and dropped 11 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in the Lakers' 110-86 victory.

And, get this, Goldin Auctions officials say Bryant didn't only wear the jersey once ... they say it's been expertly photo matched to at least 4 games during his rookie campaign -- AND his rookie photo shoot before the season started.

If half a milli's a little too high a price to pay, Goldin says they have over 360 other pieces of Kobe memorabilia -- including a rare, mint-graded '97-'98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Kobe card -- that they expect to go for over $300k.

All the Kobe pieces close on May 23 ... happy bidding!!

Michael Blackson Leave Sarah Paulson Alone ... I'm All About a Fat Suit!!!

SLIM WORK
TMZ.com

Michael Blackson says he's a big fan of actors wearing fat suits -- like Sarah Paulson is to play Linda Tripp -- and he's got a message for folks who think Hollywood's too fatphobic.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked him about the controversy on the set of "Impeachment: American Crime Story," where Sarah's use of a fat suit is triggering critics.

Michael says he's all for Hollywood using fat suits ... and he thinks it would be hilarious to take the skinniest person in the world and make them fat.

One problem with Michael's take ... 'American Crime Story' isn't exactly looking for laughs.

As we reported ... Sarah's slipping her slim figure into a fat suit to get in character as Tripp, and a lot of people on social media, and in Hollywood, think Ryan Murphy and his team should've cast a bigger actor ... one who wouldn't need prosthetic assistance.

Michael says the outrage is way overblown, because as he tells our photog ... "let the skinny guys get some work!!!"

He's obviously a bit biased, and admits he'd like to get into a fat suit just like his buddies Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence did before him.

Stefon Diggs Abandoned G-Wagon Police Video ... 'That's At Least A $160K Car!!!'

THE ABANDONED CAR

Police officers were perplexed to find Stefon Diggs' Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon abandoned by Miami train tracks this month, with one cop even noting, "That's at least a $160,000 car!"

It's all captured on new police video obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Miami-Dade Police Dept. officers in the seconds after they were dispatched on April 18 to look at an abandoned vehicle near the Miami airport.

In the footage, you can see officers and other authorities discussing the ride ... and wondering out loud what it was doing there and how it got there.

They noted it had tire damage, they saw it was locked, and they made it clear nobody was in it or around it.

Eventually, one cop told another on the scene, "Nobody's inside the car, man. But, that's at least a $160,000 car!"

The officers then tried to piece together how the vehicle could have ended up abandoned there ... with one cop saying, "He was just coming southbound and then he lost a piece of his tire and came all the way down."

An official on the scene then joked, "Unless a helicopter dropped him there."

Ultimately, cops ran a search on the car and found out it was Diggs' ... and you can see in the clip, the cop recognized the name right away.

"He's a wide receiver," the officer said. "He's a wide receiver for the Bills, boo."

In an incident report, officers noted the car was "stuck in gravel, off the driving road" and had "scratches - dents" on it. They also noted they towed it shortly after discovering it.

It does NOT seem cops are investigating the incident further ... the report lists the case as "closed."

A rep for Diggs tells us there was NO wrongdoing involved in the incident ... saying the car was NOT stolen and adding that Diggs wasn't even in town at the time of its abandonment.

The rep tells us Diggs had lent the ride to a friend, who left it abandoned after it had gotten a flat tire.

"[Stefon] was not driving the car," Diggs' rep says. "He allowed a friend to use the car while he was gone. Unfortunately, the friend had got a flat tire with the car."

The rep says Diggs has since taken it to a Mercedes-Benz dealership to have its damage repaired.

'90s TV Host J.D. Roth 'Memba Him?!

New Jersey native J.D. Roth (real name John David Weinroth) became a big name in the '90s after he hosted a bunch of great television shows including the kid's game show Fox's "Fun House," the go-to video game show "GamePro TV" and the short-lived dating show "Double Up."

After his stint as a host, Roth made some major moves to working behind the camera and is credited with producing some big-time shows including "The Biggest Loser," "Bar Rescue" and "Beauty and the Geek."

He's now a husband, father of two sons and even an author!

Guess what J.D. Roth looks like now!

Kirk Douglas' Widow Anne Buydens Dead at 102

Anne Buydens, who married Kirk Douglas a year after meeting him in 1953 on a movie set, is dead.

Kirks' widow died peacefully Thursday at her Beverly Hills home, which she shared with her late husband ... according to reps for the family.

A longtime staple in Hollywood, Anne presided over the Douglas Foundation and The Bryna Company before she died ... but she got her start in Tinseltown as a location scout for director John Huston. Anne also worked as a publicist for the Cannes Film Festival back in the day.

Anne and Kirk married way back in 1954 ... they'd met the previous year while he was shooting his starring role in "Act of Love." Anne applied for a job as his assistant on the movie ... and the rest, as they say, was history.

Anne and Kirk had 2 sons together, Peter and Eric. The latter died in 2004. FYI, Michael Douglas is one of Kirk's sons from his first marriage.

One thing Kirk and Anne definitely had in common was longevity. You'll recall, he passed away in February 2020 at the age of 103. Anne was 102.

RIP

Joe Rogan Fauci's Right, Young People Should Get Vaxxed ... 'I'm a F***ing Moron'

Joe Rogan's walking back his COVID-19 comments suggesting young, healthy people don't need to get vaccinated, and he wants to make it clear he's not a doctor, not an anti-vaxxer ... but he IS a "f***ing moron."

The immensely popular podcast host and UFC commentator addressed the backlash he got this week on Thursday's episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," saying ... "I am not an anti-vaxx person. In fact, I said I believe they are safe and I encourage many people to take them."

APRIL 2021
JOE DOESN'T KNOW!
NBC

Rogan explained that he felt if you're a young healthy person, you don't need it -- something widely refuted by experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci -- but Joe now concedes what he said was misguided amid the pandemic.

Joe says ... "Their argument was you need it for other people. That makes more sense, but that's a different argument. That's a different conversation." He later repeated it makes sense to consider other people's health and safety.

He went on to blame media "clickbait" for blowing the whole thing out of proportion, but added ... "I'm not a doctor. I am a f***ing moron. And, I'm a cage-fighting commentator who's a dirty standup comedian ... I'm not a respected source of information even for me."

Rogan concluded ... "But, I at least try to be honest about what I am saying."

2021 NFL Draft Fashion The Good, The Bad And The Gaudy!!!

The NFL draft festivities have made a return to normalcy ... which means one thing -- EXPENSIVE SUITS ARE BACK, BABY!!!

Twelve of college football's best players have arrived in Cleveland for the big night ... and so far, most of the dudes are looking dapper as hell!

Check out this incredible look -- Michigan pass-rusher Kwity Paye paid tribute to the late, great Chadwick Boseman with a "Black Panther" inspired fit.

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Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith crushed it in a bowtie and a pin with his initials on it!

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons CRUSHED it in a navy blue suit with a black turtle neck ... while Florida tight end Kyle Pitts killed it in a green suit and bow tie.

LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's Jaylen Waddle opted for the no-tie fit.

Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II added a powerful message to his look for Thursday night ... rocking a black suit with red lettering tha read "Black Lives Matter."

Two of the top quarterbacks in the selection show, meanwhile, went with more muted looks ... both Alabama signal-caller Mac Jones and BYU QB Zach Wilson had little to no flash at all.

Of course, it's all a welcome site regardless ... 'cause just 12 months ago, there was NO in-person draft due to the COVID pandemic.

The 2020 show was held entirely virtually ... and most prospects opted for casual loungewear.

The first pick is just minutes away ... getcha popcorn ready -- but make sure you keep the buttery fingers away from the pricey suits!!!

Josh Duggar Arrested in Arkansas By Federal Agents

Josh Duggar is in custody in Arkansas ... federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

The reality star was arrested Thursday by federal agents in Washington County, and he's being held in a detention center without bail.

We've obtained Duggar's mug shot, showing the former reality star posing with a bizarre smirk.

As we reported ... back in November 2019, Homeland Security agents were crawling around the car dealership where Duggar works in Arkansas, raiding his office in connection to a federal probe.

Josh's only current legal dispute, as far as we know, is a civil lawsuit filed against him for real estate fraud. It would appear his latest arrest is for something far more severe, though it's unclear exactly why he's been taken in.

Story developing ...

Lady Gaga Alleged Dognappers 3 Charged with Attempted Murder, Robbery ... 2 Others Hit with Accessory Charges

UPDATE

2:55 PM PT -- L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón has released the names of the 5 suspects, and says they've all been charged for their alleged roles in the shooting of Gaga's dog walker.

UPDATE

James Howard Jackson, Jaylin Keyshawn White and Lafayette Shon Whaley were charged with one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. Jackson also faces 2 additional firearm charges -- one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. White faces one count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.

UPDATE

Harold White and Jennifer McBride were charged with one count each of accessory after the fact. Harold was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm and McBride faces one count of receiving stolen property

UPDATE

1:55 PM PT -- LAPD says a total of 5 people were arrested -- 3 of whom allegedly pulled off the actual dognapping and shooting of Fischer ... they've been booked for attempted murder.

UPDATE

The other 2 suspects were arrested for accessory to murder, and cops say one of them is the father of one of the alleged dognappers. LAPD believes he contacted a female friend and recruited her to drop off the dogs, and claim the reward money.

UPDATE

Cops say the father and the 3 people booked for attempted murder are all known gang members.

Multiple people who allegedly dognapped Lady Gaga's 2 French Bulldogs and shot her dog walker have been arrested ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell us the alleged culprits were arrested on a variety of charges, including attempted murder and robbery. They were arrested Thursday.

We're told cops got video of where the dogs were dropped off in an alley days after the February 24 dognapping ... and it became key evidence in hunting down the alleged criminals.

2/24/21
VIOLENT ABDUCTION
TMZ.com

The woman who "found" the dogs was also arrested, according to law enforcement sources. As we reported, cops were suspicious of her from the jump and that's why Gaga was advised by cops not to pay the $500,000 reward.

We're told cops initially thought this was some sort of gang initiation, but later changed the theory to a dog-stealing ring. French Bulldogs are a hot commodity and can be resold for lots of money.

We're told police believe the dognappers got nervous with all the publicity surrounding the incident and decided to bail on the dogs and, while they were at it, cash in on the reward.

As we reported, Gaga got her dogs back unharmed ... they were tied up in an alley when the woman called the number Gaga had posted.

The dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was in the hospital for several weeks but we're told he's OK.

Originally Published -- 12:48 PM PT

Ghislaine Maxwell Gets Black Eye Behind Bars ... First Pic From Prison

Ghislaine Maxwell is sleep deprived and things are so torturous for her behind bars she's suffered a black eye ... so claims her attorney in a letter and photo she filed in court.

Maxwell's attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, filed docs attaching a picture showing what Jeffrey Epstein's associate is looking like these days while locked up at NYC's Metropolitan Detention Center.

It's clear she's suffered a bruise under her eye, but how she got it is a mystery. Her lawyer's filing included a letter to the judge stating Maxwell only noticed the bruise after catching her reflection on a nail clipper. She doesn't have a mirror.

Sternheim says Maxwell -- who's accused of trafficking underage girls to have sex with Epstein -- doesn't know how she got the bruise. It appears prison officials aren't buying that, because Sternheim claims officials threatened to put Maxwell in a Special Housing Unit unless she spilled the beans on how she got the bruise.

But, Sternheim says if Maxwell's ever placed in SHU "it would be ironic" because "it would signal that Ms. Maxwell needs protection from the very staff so intent on protecting her, since she has no contact with anyone but staff."

BTW ... there's one theory on how Maxwell got the bruise. Sternheim said, "There is concern that the bruise may be related to the need for Ms. Maxwell to shield her eyes [using a sock or towel] from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night."

Sternheim's concerned about Maxwell's sleep disruption every 15 minutes to check on her breathing ... to which the attorney also objects, saying it's a "myth" that "Maxwell's conditions of confinement are related to her being a suicide risk."

Maxwell's attorney wants prison officials to ax the 15-minute light surveillance because they say sleep deprivation is having an adverse effect on her "health, well-being, and ability to prepare for and withstand trial."

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