Money

Stevie J and his old Bad Boy pal, Mase, were supposed to headline a nightclub after-party ... but bailed out ... and the promoter thinks Stevie was part of a plot to rip him off.

Promoter Albere Correa fired off a letter to Stevie, and 3 guys he believes have close ties to Stevie ... demanding they fork over $20k for allegedly scamming him. In the letter, Correa claims he paid through the nose to book Stevie, Mase and Lil' Kim.

Correa says he shelled out around $30k to a guy claiming to be Stevie's manager, but as they got closer to the September gig ... he realized he'd been paying a guy who couldn't deliver. As Correa expected ... Stevie and Mase were no-shows at the party. He says Kim was there, but only because Correa booked her on his own.

He's not letting Stevie J off the hook, and is threatening to sue him, and his alleged cohorts, if they don't pay up the $20k.

Kobe Bryant has done it ... Caron Butler has done it ... and now the originator of the NBA's "Big Balls" dance thinks it's high time the league let guys do it in peace ... without the huge fine.

We got Sam Cassell out at Mastro's and asked him about the move he made famous ... the imaginary cuffing of huge huevos whenever you hit a big shot.

Sam's been busting the move since back in his Minnesota Timberwolves days ... but now the league has labeled it a no-no ... issuing huge fines to offending players.

Check out the clip ... Sam has a message for the league -- LET THE BALLS GO ... saying fining a guy huge money for a little expression is kinda ... whack.

Great job, Sam ... takes a big pair to make a stand.

More trouble for ex-NFL superstar Greg Hardy -- who allegedly blew off car payments for his Ferrari and his Bentley ... and now he's being sued for more than $200,000!

According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, Hardy leased a white 2013 Bentley GT Speed (reportedly valued around $240k) back in 2014 from Second City Leasing.

A year later, he leased a white 2012 Ferrari California (reportedly valued around $200k) from the same company.

Problem is, Second City Leasing says Hardy stopped paying both leases in June 2016 -- violating the terms of the leases. The company now wants Hardy to pay for the remaining amounts owed for each car.

In total, Second City is demanding $200,736.82 -- plus interest.

Ever wonder what an $111 million NBA contract looks like?

Well, here you go ... courtesy of Gilbert Arenas.

Gilbert Arenas says he's NOT REALLY struggling financially -- despite what he said in court docs -- claiming he's still extremely loaded and hiding his fortune from his baby mama.

We broke the story ... Gilbert filed court docs in his family law case saying his $111 million NBA contract pays out on Oct. 31st -- and once that day comes, he won't be able to afford to pay for his kids' expensive private school.

In the docs, Gilbert makes it very clear he'll be living on interest from previous investments -- and not rollin' like a $160 MILLION baller.

But after TMZ Sports posted the story ... Gilbert posted a video of his own -- showing off his kids messing around with thousands of dollars in cash and bragging that he's "hiding" it from his baby mama, Laura Govan.

Gilbert also shows off his kids' safety deposit boxes and says they're "gold digger proof."

He also says if Laura is insistent on sending the kids to school she better start "selling that p**sy."

#StayClassy

Gilbert Arenas' infamous $111 MILLION contract with the Washington Wizards is finally about to expire ... and Gilbert says he will be so poor, he won't be able to afford private school for his kids.

Gilbert signed the 6-year guaranteed contract back in 2008 -- but according to new court filings in his family law case, obtained by TMZ Sports, Arenas will get his last installment on October 31st (the contract was paid out over 8 years).

It was good while it lasted ... and Gilbert knew it when he spoke to our photog about the contract in 2013.

The problem, Arenas says ... is now that he's no longer getting NBA checks, he'll only earn $169,895 per year in investment income ... not enough to live the BALLER lifestyle he's used to.

So, Arenas says he has to make some serious cuts -- and one of the items on the chopping block is the private school where he sends his kids ... which runs $91,600 per year.

"I anticipate that the children will need to transfer to public schools in 2017 and beyond."

For the record, Arenas reportedly made more than $160 MILLION during his NBA career ... not including tens of millions in endorsements.

Grace VanderWaal didn't just get $1 million for winning "America's Got Talent" ... she also nailed down an extra $100 grand, and a slew of possible bonuses.

The 12-year-old 'AGT' winner from this past summer is set to receive the $100k advance for her 1st album, and then an additional $100k if the record pushes more than 500,000 units in its first year.

According to her contract, Grace is eligible for up to 4 renewals of her deal with Simon Cowell's record label, SYCO -- and each one comes with another $100k.

She rode her original tune, "I Don't Know My Name" all the way to the 'AGT' crown, and if she's got a few more hits up her sleeve ... the kid's set for life.

The six string Janis Joplin used to record her signature song is expected to go for six figures on the auction block.

It's a 1969 Gibson Hummingbird acoustic and Janis played it while recording "Me and Bobby McGee." After Janis died in 1970, it was given to her old bandmate, Sam Andrew. Andrew died last year, and now his wife is auctioning it off through Heritage Auctions.

Heritage says the guitar is a big deal because Janis memorabilia is very hard to come by ... hence the $100,000 price tag, at least.

Don't worry ... for that kinda money you get some extras ... like the doily Janis used to clean the guitar. Doilies, nothing screams rock 'n' roll like legendary doilies.

The auction runs through November 12.

You know what sucks ... LUKEWARM BEER!!!

But fear not, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty says he can save your mouth from sucking down overheated brew ... with a very chill invention.

It's called the Beer Bit -- and Stephen and his brother, Nick, swear it will keep your booze COLD for up to an hour!!!

The guys just launched their own Kickstarter campaign -- and already raised more than $13,000 ... PLUS they even got teammate Yadier Molina to help promote it!!!

The IRS is going after a big chunk of change from Ty Dolla $ign, claiming he's $180,969.35 in the hole.

The rapper was hit with a federal tax lien for 3 separate years -- $16,617.05 in 2011, $54,626.91 in 2013 and $109,725.39 in 2014.

Ty released "Beach House EP" -- his first major label project -- in 2014, so it makes sense he made a lot more money that year. Problem is, according to docs, he didn't pay enough, or any, taxes on that salary.

Sounds like someone could use a tax cut. Something to think about, Ty.

KFC ripped off a woman who ordered the bountiful bucket of chicken she saw on TV, but got a measly 8-piece instead ... according to her new lawsuit.

The New York woman told us her story ... she went into a KFC and paid 20 bucks for the "Family Fill Up" deal -- expecting an overflowing feast -- but got cheated. She contacted KFC about the false advertising and a rep offered her a coupon for her troubles ... but she told them to eat it.

Instead, she wants the restaurant chain to pay her $20 MILLION ... though she admits that number might be a tad high -- for a good reason.

A KFC spokesperson tells us ... they've got this one in the bucket.

Fetty Wap's latest grill doesn't have a single piece of bling in it, but it's brighter than anything else he's rocked -- as it should be ... since he paid about $4,000 per tooth to get it done!

TMZ has learned Fetty hit up Dr. Mojgan Fajiram of Sutton Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry in NYC recently, looking to score the straightest, whitest looking teeth possible. The doc's office says they hooked Fetty up with 20 porcelain veneers, top and bottom.

Fetty's rep tells us, all told, he was in for $80k once the 2-step process wrapped last week. Not quite a million dollar smile, but he seems satisfied.

#SeenYoPrettyAssTeeth

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton helped a savvy college student rake in more than a grand on the heels of their heated final debate in Las Vegas.

Alexander Lin, a biology major at UNLV, knew having the debate on campus would mean prime time exposure -- so he whipped up a sign asking people to donate to his GoFundMe account ... and grabbed a spot behind Anderson Cooper.

Alex appeared through most of CNN's post-debate coverage, and although he's no harder up for cash than the average college student -- he was instantly flooded with donations. Check out the video to find out how much he hauled in as of Thursday afternoon.

He's got big plans for the cash -- including a charitable donation, and his personal charity.

Well played, sir. Well played.

Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and Young Dolph shook off a near-shooting incident to fire off Benjis upon Benjis inside V Live Atlanta.

Our sources say the rappers dropped $60k combined on the evening's entertainment ... and all stayed until closing time. You can tell from this video, they weren't the least bit rattled by gunshots near their music video set earlier that night.

We're told Gucci arrived with his girlfriend, Keyshia Ka'oir, but spent most of his money on FAME (best known as Ph*** Fame) -- one of the most popular girls in the biz.

Gucci's been on a roll this week, or maybe that's Rolls.

New disgusting allegations against Johnny Manziel -- who's being sued for more than $350,000 for allegedly treating a $50 MILLION mansion like a giant litter box ... according to a new lawsuit.

As we previously reported, Manziel's at war with the guy who owns the famous Weidlake Mansion in the Hollywood Hills ... where the QB allegedly stayed for most of the summer.

According to the lawsuit, Manziel and his pal entered an 8 month lease to stay at the pad but disappeared after 3 months ... after causing more than $187,000 in damages.

"Defendants ravaged the plaintiff's home," the suit reads ... "They broke doors and mirrors, and failed to clean up and immense amount of dog feces and urine that was left throughout multiple rooms of the house for days, if not weeks."

The owner claims the pee and poo left an "overwhelming stench and permanent staining to expensive couches, hardwood floors, rugs and carpets."

The owner claims he reached out to Johnny to fix the issue and Johnny texted back taking full responsibility.

"This is on me %1000," one of Johnny's alleged texts reads ... "I cannot apologize enough."

The owner says Johnny also promised to cover the damages saying, "I'm a man of my word."

Problem is ... according to the suit, Manziel and his roommate never fixed the problem -- plus they moved out after 3 months and still owe $125,000 in unpaid rent.

Val Kilmer's turning tumbleweed into gold, and a small fortune ... TMZ has learned.

Val is selling an actual tumbleweed he bronzed and dipped in 22k gold ... for a cool $150,000. Luxury boutique Just One Eye got the piece Tuesday in L.A.

We're told the piece -- aptly titled "Tumbleweed" -- symbolizes Val's childhood growing up in New Mexico. His granddaddy was a gold miner, so the art's got family roots. Plus, "Tombstone" ... 'cause that movie's awesome.

Good news for interested buyers, it comes with a Val signature.