Money

Monica Lewinsky just got an offer to handle big bills in the cigar biz ... at a famous strip club -- and it's a serious offer that pays six figures ... TMZ has learned.

We've obtained a letter written by the head honcho of SCORES ... offering Lewinsky a position at their Atlantic City club as a hostess in their Sports and Cigar Bar.

CEO Mark Yakow says he made the offer after reading a recent Vanity Fair article ... where Monica complained she can't get jobs because of her "history."

Yakow says the hostess gig pays $100K a year -- and does not require stripping ... but he's only giving her until Saturday to accept.

The divorce between "Game of Thrones" director Alex Graves and his estranged wife has gone nuclear ... he claims she's a vindictive, unbalanced woman who's holding their kids hostage.

Graves claims in court docs -- obtained by TMZ -- that his wife Sarah refuses to let him see his 15-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter unless he falls for her ploy to get more money.

Graves says he worked his ass off as a Hollywood director to provide a stable, upscale lifestyle for his family ... with exotic trips and festive holiday celebrations.

But Graves thinks his wife resented his work and complained for years he didn't earn enough because he's too stupid.

He says she's bipolar and is fixated on the belief he's having an affair. Graves accuses Sarah of spying on him and using their son to try to bait him into admitting infidelity.

The guy Columbus Short allegedly beat up in a bar fight has had it with the former "Scandal" star ... and now plans to sue after an out-of-court settlement fell apart because Columbus pled poverty.

The victim's lawyer tells TMZ ... Short offered to pay a handsome sum to settle with the guy he allegedly knocked out. But the lawyer says Columbus pulled the plug, saying he was just sacked from "Scandal" and his income stream dried up like a riverbed in drought-stricken California.

We're told the victim had asked Columbus for several hundred thousand dollars to cover medical expenses -- including an expected surgery to repair facial fractures. And of course, he wants something for his pain and suffering.

We're told Columbus can expect a lawsuit as early as Friday.

Columbus' lawyer had no comment.

Someone call a doctor ... because former "ER" star Mekhi Phifer is broke as hell.

Phifer filed for full blown bankruptcy late last month, claiming roughly $67,000 in assets ... as he drowns in debt totaling around $1.3 Mil.

Maybe he should have seen it coming. Phifer says in his legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- he spends around $11,600 in monthly expenses, but pulls in only $7,500.

His debts are impressive ... $1.2 mil in back taxes, $50K in lawyers bills and $4,500 in back child support.

Rick Ross hates it when people steal other artists' work -- just ask LMFAO -- but now Rick's being sued for allegedly jacking the snaps of a famous hip hop photog.

Armen Djerrahian claims in a new lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- he shot photos of Ross for a magazine layout -- including the iconic photo of Ross pointing a finger to his head like it's a gun-- but claims Ross ripped off the image and is now using it illegally.

Djerrahian claims he also shot a bunch of rappers from Ross' Maybach Music group -- including Meek Mill, Gunplay and Omarion -- and now those pictures are popping up everywhere.

Djerrahian says his images are being used on posters, ads, internet banners, mixtape and cd covers, websites and all over social media ... even though he never gave anyone permission.

Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson parading around in bikinis did absolutely NOTHING for one man ... who claims he got swindled big-time by producers of the movie "Spring Breakers."

In a lawsuit, Wicks Walker says he put up $700K for the film, and was told producers needed his money immediately or they would lose their stars -- namely James Franco, Gomez and Hudgens

In the docs, Walker claims it's doubtful the flick would've been made without his cash.

But Walker says he hasn't seen a dime of the profits ... even though the movie has taken in just over $14 mil in the U.S. Walker claims the producers siphoned off money that should have been returned to investors ... and used it to line their own pockets.

Apollo Nida -- husband of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Parks -- has pleaded guilty in a massive money fraud scheme ... after allegedly stealing the identities of more than 50 people and laundering more than $2.3 million.

According to the US Attorneys' office, Feds pounced on Nida last year after he and a group of co-conspirators cashed tons of stolen U.S. Treasury checks, and checks from the Delta Airlines pension fund ... then laundered the money through bank accounts in the names of people whose IDs he also stole.

Feds claim Nida bilked even more cash by filing fake tax returns and obtaining bank loans against cars he didn't own.

Women at "Dateline NBC" were routinely used as sexual decoys for stories about prostitution, sex trafficking, and sexual deviants ... according to a female producer who says NBC turned a blind eye to her fears ... but NBC says her claims are bogus.

Kimberly Lengle's lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- claims she was used as bait for dangerous -- and often sexually-oriented -- undercover segments ... including one about a man known as the "Sperminator" -- who billed himself as "a natural intercourse sperm donor."

Lengle says NBC honchos pressured her to respond -- often with her own photo -- to potentially dangerous predators ... for a series called "Wild, Wild Web," adding she was required to engage in sexually explicit conversations.

She claims one of the producers even set her up with training on how to be a prostitute.

According to the lawsuit ... none of the male producers were used as sexual decoys. Lengle says her bosses retaliated against her after she complained to HR ... and she resigned after her complaints were determined to be unfounded.

Dr. Dre FELL IN LOVE with Tom Brady's mega-mansion in L.A. -- and put an offer to buy the house almost immediately after it hit the market back in March ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Tom and Gisele listed the 18,700 sq. ft. Brentwood estate they custom built from the ground up for $50 MILLION after barely spending any time living in the place.

We're told there were "multiple interested parties ready to put offers on the house" ... but Dre swooped in with a solid offer first ... and T&G decided to sell to the Doc.

Sources tell us the deal has not yet closed -- but it's close.

Tom and Gisele were offering the house fully furnished ... but sources tell us Dre has his own stuff he wants to put in the house -- and has chosen to pass on all of the stuff the Bradys spent years collecting from various trips around the world.

As for Dre's finances, he was recently listed in Forbes richest hip hop stars with an approximate net worth of $550 MILLION.

Ben Affleck can keep doubling down and splitting Aces in Sin City ... because he just got offered a blackjack safe haven where he won't be 86'd for card counting.

Derek Stevens owns The D Casino Hotel and Golden Gate Hotel in downtown Vegas -- and he wants Ben to bring his chips from the strip without worrying about getting swooped up by security.

TMZ broke the story -- Ben was escorted out of the Hard Rock Casino last week after security labeled him an "advantage player," believing he was counting cards in blackjack.

Stevens tells us, "The D Las Vegas is not afraid of Ben Affleck winning a few hands in a row," adding, "Ben can come play blackjack and not worry about security walking him out!"

Heading off the strip doesn't mean you lose whale status -- The D can accommodate high rollers up to $10K per hand.

Plus Golden Gate has the best $2.99 shrimp cocktail in town. It used to be $1.99 -- damn inflation.

It's the most baller move Ray J's made since shaking Kim Kardashian's cakes to camera -- he just celebrated a 7-figure TV deal by dropping half a mil on his and hers exotic sports cars.

Ray sunk the massive chunk o' dough into a Bentley Continental convertible for his gf, Princess Love -- and a Ferrari 458 for himself ... all on the heels of signing a fat new contract with VH1.

Sources close to the sex tape star/singer tell TMZ the deal has 6 zeroes attached -- and Ray will not only star in "Love and Hip Hop L.A." ... but also develop shows for the network with his manager David Weintraub.

We're told RJ will appear in some of the shows, and produce others. Real talk though -- he's mostly gonna enjoy the hell outta the Ferrari.

No one was more shocked by the return of Valerie Harper's cancer than Valerie Harper -- so she insists in new legal docs, claiming the Broadway playwright who accused her of keeping her cancer a secret is wrong beyond measure.

TMZ broke the story, Matthew Lombardo -- the playwright behind the Broadway production "Looped" -- sued Harper for $2 million, claiming she withheld the truth about her cancer's return in 2012.

Matthew claims Valerie's ruse eventually fell apart when she was forced to pull out of the play because of her medical issues ... and it cost him $500,000 to find a last minute replacement.

Harper is now firing back, insisting Matthew's talking out of his ass. Harper claims Lombardo found out about her cancer's return the same time she did, so his lawsuit is baseless.

At the time, Harper claims she believed her cancer had been successfully removed during a prior surgery, and when her health began to deteriorate in early 2013, she thought she had suffered a stroke. It was only later she discovered her lung cancer hadn't just returned, it had spread to her brain.

Flo Rida's alleged baby mama says the rapper hasn't given her a dime for prenatal care, but did offer her money for an abortion ... according to court docs.

Natasha Georgette Williams is fighting Flo in court to get financial assistance -- he won't acknowledge he's the daddy -- but in a new court filing she claims he demanded she have an abortion ... which she refused.

Flo says he wants DNA proof he's the father, but Williams is refusing in utero testing -- amniocentesis -- because doctors told her it was invasive and risky for the baby's health.

It's the worst ride since "It's a Small World" ... a virtual reality simulator of the Titanic disaster ... and now the woman who came up with it has filed a BILLION dollar lawsuit.

Faan Qin is suing James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and others involved in the hit film, "Titanic" ... claiming they jacked her idea for a 3D ride that recreates the magical experience of crashing into an iceberg and sinking to a watery grave.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Qin claims Cameron and the others copied her idea with something called "R.M.S. TITANIC-THE EXPERIENCE" -- featured in the O.C. and Orlando -- and they've have made a killing off of it.

Marc Anthony should change his name to Shakespeare after the drama that just unfolded on the stand in his bitter child support case -- he said it would be "tragic" to pay his ex-wife more child support than he's already giving her.

Marc took the stand Friday, claiming the increase in child support Torres is seeking -- from $13,000 a month to $113,000 -- would be detrimental to his and Torres' children because it's simply excessive.

Anthony insisted he already pays all the costs in relation to his children's needs.

Marc Anthony bought the farm ... AND FORGOT!

The singer was in court Friday ... testifying in his bitter child support case with Dayanara Torres. She wants support raised from $13K to $113K a month, claiming Marc is hiding income.

During testimony Marc was going over his assets ... explaining how he failed to account for a farm he had in upstate New York. Marc's answer was simple ... "I completely forgot I had a farm."

As for how he forgot .... Marc says he hadn't been there in 7 or 8 years.

Anthony says he thinks the farm was worth around $700K.

Marc has filed legal docs saying he makes $1.25 million a month, but he says he has trouble knowing exactly how much is coming in.