Money

Teresa Giudice has paid approximately half of the restitution she owes as a result of her criminal conviction ... and it seems more than coincidental that she came up with the loot on the heels of a post-conviction, exclusive interview with Bravo.

TMZ has confirmed ... Teresa paid $200,000 that will go toward the $414,588 restitution ordered by the court. Although there are reports Teresa paid the money Tuesday, we've learned it was paid before then.

What's interesting ... just a week ago Teresa and Joe sat down with Andy Cohen for a 2-hour interview ... and our sources say Bravo lined their pockets handsomely.

Translation ... crime doesn't pay ... but it can definitely help you get back in the black.

He once signed a $126 MILLION contract ... but former MLB pitcher Barry Zito could still use a few extra bucks -- which is why he's trying to rent out his S.F. mansion for $25k per month.

The ex-San Francisco Giants hurler has listed his 2-acre estate in Marin County, CA to rent or buy ... the latter will run you about $9 million.

The place is pretty sweet -- 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a wine cellar, pool, outside fire-place with seating area, a guest house ... and privacy, privacy, PRIVACY!!!

The former Cy Young winner bought the place in 2007 for $8.8 mil ... but clearly, he's over it.

Zito's also selling another mansion he owns in the Hollywood Hills.

Mark Zuckerberg is going all Bill Gates .... giving a massive amount of money to help fight the world's biggest health crisis ... Ebola.

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla just donated $25M to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation ... he says he wants to stop the epidemic from becoming a long-term crisis like HIV or polio.

Zuckerberg said the infusion of $$$ is the fastest way to get help to frontline responders, saying "These people are on the ground setting up care centers training local staff, identifying Ebola cases and much more."

"Jurassic World" is about to do battle with "Iron Man" ... and the victor gets a 13-year-old kid.

Ty Simkins is a hot pint-sized commodity in Hollywood. He starred alongside Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 3" ... and he's also set to star in the upcoming dino flick, "Jurassic World."

Ty's "Jurassic" paycheck would dino-soar him to new heights ... $200K base -- according to his contract which was filed with the court. He'll make another $125K if the flick kills. And the sequels would score him $400K minimum for #2 and double that for #3.

Here's the problem .... Marvel -- which produces "Iron Man" -- has locked the kid up for a long time. It has first dibs on 3 sequels ... which could put Ty way past Bar Mitzvah age before he could do "Jurassic."

Terrence Howard cooked up a diabolical plot to hide his fortune from the court and his ex-wife -- at least according to the ex-wife who's now demanding he fork over nearly half a million dollars ... STAT.

Michelle Ghent claims Terrence owes a fortune in back spousal support and legal costs -- $481,715 and growing -- and she wants the court to force him to pay.

TMZ broke the story ... Terrence claimed most of his earnings go directly to another ex-wife Lori McMasters in the form of support ... and there's not enough left over to pay Michelle.

But in Michelle's new court docs she says Terrence admitted, back in 2013, that he created the "fake debt" to McMasters. She says his plan was to make it look like he had no funds -- and he told her, "I am not gonna give you one cent."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Michelle says Terrence hauled in at least $1.3 mil last year alone ... and has steady work lined up for the next 2 years that will pay handsomely.

Ex "Scandal" star Columbus Short is a real loser -- lost his job, lost his wife ... and now he's lost his home too.

Short had been renting a place outside L.A. ... in the Valley ... for $6,995/month, but his landlord gave him the heave-ho once he fell about a month behind on the rent.

The landlord must have been aware of Short's recent track record, because he got a court order giving Short 5 days to get the hell out. Turned out to be unnecessary though ... since Columbus bolted on his own. The landlord tells us he's not sure if the actor paid back rent before leaving.

But hey, any exit Columbus makes these days without a fight ... is a good one.

Nobody's pulling for Denzel Washington's new action flick more than his young co-star Chloë Grace Moretz -- because she's on the verge of a six-figure haul that will make her one of the highest paid teens in Hollywood.

17-year-old Chloë -- who also starred in the "Kick-Ass" movies -- already took home a $400,000 payday for "The Equalizer" ... but according to the her contract she stands to make a ton more if the movie achieves a couple of magic box office numbers.

Since Chloë is a minor her deal has to be filed with the courts -- and TMZ obtained a copy ... which shows she'll get another $150,000 if the movie earns $100 million in the U.S. and Canada. Girl's got a shot -- after 2 weeks it's at $64 million domestically.

Teresa Giudice and hubby Joe Giudice are each criminals, but together they are diabolically criminal ... so says the sentencing judge who ordered each of them to put a wall between the other's finances.

According to court docs ... the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" stars were ordered to keep their personal and business accounts completely separate.

They've each been ordered to pay more than $400K in restitution. It appears at the very least the judge does not want Teresa to pay Joe's debt and vice versa. Fact is ... it's unclear what Joe really does for work, so he's the one who apparently is screwed by the order.

Another point in the docs ... the judge said she did not consider "anonymous letters and phone calls from the public in regards to sentencing."

Stephen Collins' alleged child molestation scandal got "7th Heaven" reruns yanked off the air ... which means his former co-stars are about to see their residual checks dry up.

Niki Saletta and her brother Sam Saletta were 2 of the child actors on the show -- and Niki's manager (and mom) Caryn Moss tells us when the reruns stop airing, the residual paychecks stop too. She admits they weren't "Seinfeld" sized ... but says they'll still be missed.

Niki played "Deena Stewart" on 18 episodes, and Sam was "George Camden" on 6 episodes -- so, it's true ... at this point residuals (known as "mailbox money" in the biz) for non-starring roles would be pretty small.

TV Guide Network and UP TV both dropped "7th Heaven" from their lineups after TMZ posted Collins' audio taped confession to sexual misconduct with young girls. They were the last 2 channels airing the show in the U.S.

As for her children's safety on set -- Moss tells us she never saw anything suspicious, and never had any concerns about Collins.

Johnny Manziel still has the golden touch -- because his autographed used Nissan truck just sold for WAYYYY over market value ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Manziel traded in his 2014 Nissan Titan SL earlier in the month at Airport Nissan of Cleveland -- and the dealership decided to put up for auction on eBay.

Now get this ... Edmunds lists value of the truck somewhere between $32k and $36k -- but Johnny's ride ended up hauling in $42,500!!

We spoke with Bernie Moreno, the owner of the dealership, who tells us the people who bought the truck are from Cleveland -- and are "HUGE Johnny Manziel fans" ... and their pumped about their new whip.

Block parties in Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian's 'hood just got a whole lot more fun ... now that hair metal rocker Bret Michaels is calling the place home.

Real estate sources tell us the Poison lead singer dropped $3.05 million on a 6,797 sq. ft mansion in the gated Oaks community of Calabasas ... and has been busy making some rock star renovations.

We're told Michaels got a deal on the crib ... since it was originally listed at $3.475 mil. It's got 5 bedrooms and all the amenities ... courtyard, spa, "multiple seating enclaves" ... and a loggia (rich people word for 'covered patio').

Iggy Azalea is fighting back hard against her ex boyfriend -- saying she's not gonna let the 6-month fling take her for everything she's worth .. or even half.

We broke the story ... her ex-bf Hefe Wine is filing for divorce, claiming they've been common law married since 2008 -- which would entitle him to half the money she made over that time. But today in Nashville, Iggy said Hefe's got the facts all wrong about this so-called "marriage."

Iggy added ... she can see right through Hefe and knows his true intentions. Just watch her call him out for it in this clip.

President Obama snapped pics, ate dinner and chitchatted with his Hollywood constituents Thursday ... but only if the price was right.

We got hold of the pricey menu at Gwyneth Paltrow's digs -- where people paid $32K for a full hangout with Obama.

Here's the price list for the various options:

- $1,000: You get on Gwyneth's lawn and get to hear the Prez.

- $2,500: A good seat on her lawn.

- $5,000: Includes a photo with the Prez.

- $15,000: A Prez pic AND you get to stay for dinner.

- $32,400: Talk time with the prez, your name on the invitation and all of the other perks.

Katy Perry is getting major support for playing the Super Bowl Halftime show -- with an Oscar winning rapper vouching for the singer and warning the NFL ... you better not charge her to play!

TMZ Sports spoke with Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul -- who told us he's thrilled for Katy ... claiming she's the perfect fit for the big game -- and hopes it skyrockets her to another level.

"If you play the Super Bowl, that's a lot of money. You're reaching a whole new fan base. It'd be great for her career."

But DJ Paul says he read the reports about the NFL considering charging halftime acts to perform on their stage -- and says in Katy's case, she deserves a pass.

"Let her do it for free! She's a hot chick. Start charging next year."

We also spoke with Sir Mix-a-Lot ... who agrees with Paul -- the NFL would be INSANE to charge Katy a single cent.

"I wish no artists would pay. Do a concert with Katy Perry, Jay Z, Beyonce on an adjacent channel. Everyone would watch that while a boring f**king marching band plays the halftime show."

Diddy is no dummy ... so when he told us last night that he thinks it's a "great idea" for Rick Ross to buy a piece of the Miami Dolphins, The Boss should probably do it.

Earlier this week, Rick revealed that he sat down with Dolphins big wigs and talked about owning a piece of the NFL team

"It was a real positive conversation," Ross said.

So when we asked Diddy how he felt about it, the hip hop mogul not only gave his blessing ... but asked how he could help make it happen.

BTW -- Diddy doesn't own a team himself, but has stated in the past that he wants to own a MAJORITY stake in an NFL franchise in the future.

He's reportedly worth $580 million ... so it ain't exactly out of the picture.

The idiocy of Hollywood was in full bloom Thursday night when Gwyneth Paltrow turned an already-embarrassing Hollywood fundraiser into "The Dating Game."

Paltrow -- who hosted the event at her Brentwood home -- gushed as she introduced President Obama, "You're so handsome that I can't speak properly."

She then showed utter ignorance about, and contempt for, the Constitution and separation of powers -- the basic tenets of our government -- by saying, "It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs to pass the things that he needs to pass."

It's the latest example of how demeaning it has become for Presidents to act like circus animals -- performing for crowds that will feed them ... in this case, feed them with money to line political coffers.

It's revolting that celebrities and other rich people feel such a need for self-importance -- contributing money but ONLY if they can have their picture taken with the president and tell their friends they had dinner with him. If they're so committed to him, just send him a check and let him stay in Washington and do his job.