Money

Lance Bass is giving personal shout-outs for $150 a pop ... but he's not looking to make a quick buck. He's trying help struggling teachers across America.

With back-to-school just around the corner, Lance is dedicating the entire month of August to help fulfill wish lists for teachers who desperately need supplies. It's shocking ... thousands of teachers take money out of their own pockets to pay for basic classroom essentials ... and remember, they're underpaid to begin with.

So, here's how it works -- if you go to Cameo.com/lancebass and pay the $150, Lance will deliver a 30-second shout-out. 100% of his take goes to teachers.

The videos are individualized ... like the shout out he gave to Laura.

Lance has raised more than $4,000 in the first 16 days of August. It's all earmarked for "Clear Teacher's Wish List" on Amazon.

By the way ... Lance has a dog in the fight, because his mom's a teacher.

He hopes others will get on board and help with the donations.

Move over, Jay Glazer ... there's a new NFL Insider now -- Jamie Foxx -- and he's telling TMZ Sports his sources say the Cowboys WILL get a deal done with Ezekiel Elliott!!!

In fact, when we got Jamie out at Delilah in L.A. ... he said people close to the Cowboys are telling him Jerry Jones is going to get deals done with Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper too!!!

Of course, the Cowboys are in contract talks with all three of their superstars ... with Zeke threatening to sit out games this season if he doesn't get a raise.

But, when we got Foxx -- who has spent time out at Cowboys camp in Oxnard, Calif. this summer -- he told us there's no need for fans to worry about any of it.

"I got the word, I got the underlying word," Foxx says, "that it's all the way, all the deals are being worked out. Look out, baby!"

Foxx also gave us his prediction for a breakout player in Dallas this year ... telling us a well-known tight end is going to raise some eyebrows.

Jussie Smollett is ready to go on the offensive against the City of Chicago, which is suing him for the cost of investigating what City officials believe was a fake "attack" ... because he's now threatening to file a lawsuit of his own.

Jussie just said in legal docs in the City's case -- where it wants around a half a mil for various costs associated with investigating Jussie's claim he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack last January.

The former "Empire" actor says he's seriously thinking about filing a lawsuit against Chi-Town, "for their conduct underlying the arrest and their conduct thereafter." Translation -- he thinks he's the victim of a malicious prosecution.

R. Kelly believes Michael Jackson's attorney is just the guy he needs to help set him free -- but if that happens, it's gonna come at a steep cost.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly met with famed lawyer Tom Mesereau -- who beat the rap for Michael Jackson back in 2005. We're told after the 4-hour meeting, Kelly was in hook, line and sinker. We're told Mesereau hasn't agreed to rep Kelly -- at least not yet -- but it could very well happen.

Here's the rub. Mesereau is one of the best and most sought after criminal defense lawyers in the country. He's turned prosecutors flat-footed in trials where it seemed open-and-shut against his client. Did we mention he scored a not guilty verdict for accused wife murderer Robert Blake?

That said, Tom doesn't come cheap, and money has become super tight in Kelly's world. He's already hired a battery of lawyers, and he's making next to nothing.

We're told Kelly and his team are trying to figure out ways to raise the money to hire Mesereau.

As for why the singer wants to 86 his current attorney, Steve Greenberg, and his team -- our sources say R. Kelly believes they care way too much about getting media attention for themselves ... Greenberg calls the whole thing, "A complete load of crap."

R. Kelly's financial woes have been well documented -- he needed outside help to pay his initial $100k bond, and spent additional time behind bars because he couldn't ante up $161k in back child support to ex-wife Drea Kelly. He's currently paying Drea $21k/month in support.

We're told if Mesereau is brought on, attorney Raed Shalabi -- who also visited with Kelly Wednesday -- will likely join the team too.

The criminal cases keep piling on. Kelly was recently hit with more sex crime charges, this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

The owner of the Florida nightclub where a mass shooter killed 49 people has no issues profiting off other people's pain ... at least according to some of the survivors.

Barbara Poma, the owner of PULSE and founder of the nonprofit onePULSE, is leading an effort to build a museum blocks away from the site of the deadly shooting ... but survivors say her plans are a smack in the face because it puts profit over healing their pain.

Norman Casiano-Mojica tells TMZ ... he and other PULSE survivors are pissed because, to them, Poma's museum plans seem more like a tourist attraction than a tasteful memorial. He says the fact there will be a gift shop and admission fee makes him cringe.

Norman, who was shot twice during the tragedy and now has to walk with the aid of a cane, says he's not against a museum or memorial ... but only under certain conditions.

In his eyes, Poma has already botched the makeshift memorial outside Pulse. He says it's more of a photo op than a place of remembrance, and that's why he doesn't trust her to get the museum right.

The onePULSE Foundation tells TMZ ... they're "following the model of other museums and memorials such as those in Oklahoma City and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. As with those sites, the memorial will be free, while the museum will charge a modest admission, which will go to keep up the museum and the memories of those it honors."

The foundation added, "Without a museum, there is no place to tell the story for future generations and we risk the tragedy being erased entirely over time.”

Mama June is apparently strapped for cash ... because she and her boyfriend are selling off everything inside their home, and video from the garage sale shows the place in shambles.

June, who family members believe is struggling with drug addiction, is putting a wide array of items up for sale on Facebook Marketplace ... including the only bed left in the house. Well, a couple people saw her post and decided to swing by and see what Mama and Geno Doak had to offer.

This video starts with June and Geno rambling on and on about what sounds like a huge massage chair. It also shows parts of their home looking like an absolute pigsty ... while other parts are totally cleared out -- as if they've already unloaded most of their stuff.

We're told some potential buyers claim to have seen what looked like needles or syringes among the items strewn around one of the bedrooms. Remember, both Geno and June are awaiting trial for crack possession after their March arrests in Alabama.

We're guessing the garage sale's been going pretty well ... based on the stack of cash June was holding.

Maybe June will use some of the funds to fix her broken veneers ... then again, doesn't seem like her appearance is a top priority right now -- neither is Honey Boo Boo.

TMZ broke the story ... Honey Boo Boo moved out of the home to live with her sister, Pumpkin, and she's not moving back with Mama until Geno is out of the picture.

Mama isn't showing any signs of cutting ties with Geno -- and if HBB ever moves back home, she might not even recognize the place anymore.

Kylie Jenner is getting into full party mode during her endless birthday getaway ... dancing and grinding with Travis Scott as they TURN UP in Cannes!!!

Kylie's entering the dance party phase of her bday celebrations, grabbing her man's hand and shaking her booty Thursday afternoon smack in the middle of a beachfront restaurant!!!

Travis gets the party started, sliding behind the DJ booth and hopping on the 1s and 2s to spin some tunes that put Kylie and her friends in the mood to groove. Seriously, Sofia Richie and the girls are dancing on top of tables!!!

The impromptu daytime dance party is a different scene from what we've seen from Kylie and Travis during her 22nd bday trip ... which kicked off with a shopping spree with Stormi in Positano, followed by the couple's romantic dinner in Capri.

No sign of Stormi and Kris Jenner at the lunch spot Kylie and co. turned into a dayclub ... guess that means it's time to RAGE!!!

Get it, girl!!!

Adam Lambert's moving on up ... and he wants ya to do the same above the Sunset Strip if you've got a pretty penny.

The 2009 "American Idol" runner-up is selling his 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom crib in the Hollywood Hills for a cool $3.35 million. It's a contemporary beauty with the perfect amount of space to spoil your guests.

The crib features nearly 3,800 square feet of living space ... featuring a floor-to-ceiling climate-controlled wine wall, home theater and gym. The master suite includes a sitting room and steam shower. Pocketing glass doors lead straight to a sprawling backyard ... with 2 reflecting pools, a 10-person spa and a fire pit.

Not a bad way to spend the evening ... especially with sweeping city and canyon views.

Adam originally bought the pad in 2014 for $2.995M ... but he's since moved on. He already plunked down $6.5M for a home that features an impressive 14 rooms.

"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel is telling a tall tale by claiming her marriage to Todd was sexless ... at least according to Todd, who says they definitely banged.

Todd's filed his response to Christy asking a court to annul their marriage ... pushing back against her claim the marriage was never consummated, and denying her allegations of financial fraud.

According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Todd says Christy's claim that "we did not have sexual intercourse once" during the marriage is flat-out false and sells his sex game short.

It still sounds like they weren't doing the nasty on the regular, though. In the docs, Todd says he had trouble with his mobility during their time together, so he usually slept downstairs while she slept upstairs. He adds, the short climb up the stairs was just too damn painful for his body.

As for Christy accusing him of financial fraud ... Todd claims he didn't take out loans in her name without her consent. He says he took loans out against his 401k and used some of the money to buy Christy's daughter the "princess bedroom" of her dreams.

Antonio Brown is being sued yet again ... this time a celebrity chef is claiming the NFL superstar stiffed him out of $38,000 at the Pro Bowl in January.

It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Stefano Tedeschi -- aka the "Sports Chef" -- is claiming AB hired him to cook during the NFL's All-Star week from Jan. 26 to Jan. 28.

In the lawsuit, Tedeschi claims he and Brown entered into a verbal agreement where AB would pay for 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners at the receiver's rental property in Osceola County, Florida.

The problem? Tesechi says before he and his crew could feed Brown and his guests their lunch on Jan. 27 (the second day he was hired to cook), AB kicked the chef out of the property.

Tesechi says he wasn't allowed to serve the lunch he had prepared ... and also wasn't able to cook Brown dinner on the 27th or the rest of the meals Brown had agreed to buy on the 28th.

Tesechi claims he was screwed out of a ton of money ... because when Brown kicked him out, he didn't allow the guy to take his culinary gear with him -- and couldn't go serve others during a popular weekend for him.

Tesechi is now suing Brown for $38,521.20 ... claiming that's all the dough the WR owes the celebrity chef for the meals he had planned for the weekend.

For Brown's part, his attorney, Darren Heitner, said in a statement to TMZ Sports, "We expect to be filing a motion to dismiss the complaint and will let the filing speak for itself."

Remember, this is the second time in the last few weeks Brown has been sued ... a famous trainer in California claims the Oakland Raider stiffed him out of $7,194.81 for "unpaid therapy and training services" earlier this year.

Equal pay mediation between the U.S. Women's national team and the U.S. Soccer Federation has gotten UGLY ... and now the dispute is likely heading to court.

Remember, the USWNT sued the Federation back in March for gender discrimination -- claiming,  "The female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts."

The USWNT had agreed to meet with the USSF in New York City this week to discuss the heated issue ... but according to team spokesperson Molly Levinson, both sides remain far apart.

"We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of USSF full of hope," Levinson says. "Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the Federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior."

"It is clear that USSF, including its Board of Directors and President Carlos Cordeiro, fully intend to continue to compensate women players less than men. They will not succeed."

Of course ... Cordeiro made his stance very clear last month ... saying the women's team actually makes MORE than the men's team, despite bringing in a lot less.

He even provided a fact sheet to back up his claim.

Levinson continued ... "We want all of our fans, sponsors, peers around the world, and women everywhere to know we are undaunted and will eagerly look forward to a jury trial."

Todd Chrisley and his wife, Julie, are not running from the law -- instead they're facing their tax evasion case head on, one day after the feds indicted them.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" stars surrendered Wednesday morning to the FBI in Atlanta, where there were open warrants for their arrest. According to local reports, the Chrisleys came in on their own accord and were taken into custody. They're set to appear in court later Wednesday ... presumably for a bond hearing.

As we reported ... the Chrisleys were slapped with the multi-count indictment Tuesday, alleging years of tax evasion, bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy between 2007 and 2012. The feds claim the couple ran a scheme in which they swindled banks out of millions of dollars in loans by providing fraudulent info -- not to mention screwing the public by dodging federal taxes on the money they earned. Their accountant was indicted as well.

The couple put out a lengthy statement shortly before the charges became public, denying any wrongdoing and trying to explain what exactly happened ... in their eyes, anyway.

Todd and Julie say a former employee of theirs is the one who was carrying out the financial crimes -- without their knowledge. They say they have nothing to hide.

Todd and Julie Chrisley are now under federal indictment for tax evasion and fraud, but the reality stars say they knew the charges were coming and insist they did nothing wrong.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Todd and Julie Tuesday on multiple counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. The couple's accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also indicted on tax-related offenses.

The U.S. Attorney's Office claims Todd and Julie defrauded banks by fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans, and also claims the couple cheated taxpayers by actively evading federal taxes on the money they earned.

According to prosecutors, Todd and Julie ran the scheme from 2007 through 2012, allegedly fabricating documents and providing false information to banks when applying for and receiving millions of dollars in loans ... which they allegedly used to fund their lavish lifestyle.

According to the indictment, Todd allegedly worked with a partner to make it look like one of his bank accounts had $4 million, when they actually didn't even have an account at that bank at the time. The feds claim Todd emailed his partner, "You are a f***ing genious [sic]!!!! Just make it show 4 mil+."

As for Julie's role ... the feds claim she fabricated multiple financial documents by physically cutting and gluing or taping them together. According to the indictment, Todd allegedly told someone he was working with to "find a crooked accountant."

A school Bill and Melinda Gates have supported by donating millions of dollars is being sued over a horrific bullying incident, which allegedly left a 12-year-old boy with permanent brain damage.

TMZ has obtained video of the incident, which is extremely difficult to watch. It was shot at the Animo Westside Charter Middle School in L.A., near LAX.

The boy's mother is suing the school and Green Dot, the org that oversees the school. The Gates are not being sued.

You see the boy right outside the school, when a bully from the school punches him and then puts him in a chokehold, which seems to last around 20 seconds. Notice in the video ... a staffer walks by but seems unconcerned by what is happened right next to her. She never helps ... just walks away.

The boy goes limp, apparently losing consciousness, and the bully becomes alarmed ... realizing what he had done.

The bully then helps the injured student by bringing him inside one of the buildings so he can drink some water. The boy then goes limp again and then loses consciousness. A staffer brings him into an office and lays him out on the floor. The blinds close and the paramedics arrive.

The lawsuit -- filed by attorney Ben Meiselas of Geragos & Geragos -- claims the boy suffered a seizure shortly after the incident and he now has permanent brain damage. According to the lawsuit, he suffered a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury -- a lack of oxygen to the brain. He now has significant learning disabilities and will likely need treatment for the remainder of his life.

The boy's mother told LAPD she did not want to press criminal charges against the bully because he was "a mere child." All she wanted was him expelled from the school, but according to the lawsuit he was not removed from the school and the lawsuit claims, he "continues to pose a threat to the safety and lives of other students."

The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages.

The Showtime drama "Billions" could be on the hook for stacks of cash for its portrayal of a Native American tribe and one of its honchos.

A real-life Cayuga Nation Council member Clint Halftown points out there's a character on the show named Jane Halftown ... who just happens to be a council member. In the suit, Clint calls out a scene where Paul Giamatti's character is discussing a land deal with Jane Halftown that reeks of corruption on the part of the tribe.

According to the suit, the Nation claims "Billions" makes it seem like the Cayuga are all about accepting "unlawful gratuities" and coercing politicians into getting their way.

In the suit, the Nation says "Billions" producers were lazy because they didn't bother to change names -- as in using a fictitious tribe and council member. They claim they DID do that for the main characters. For instance, the show's star, Damian Lewis, plays Bobby Axelrod ... and they claim he's widely considered to be modeled after real-life hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.

Halftown and the Cayuga Nation say Showtime and the show's producers can make things right in two ways: stop referring to the Nation and the Halftown character in future episodes AND compensate the Nation for the damage to its reputation.

Showtime along with producers Brian Koppelman, Andrew Sorkin and David Levien are named as defendants. We've reached out to Showtime, but no word back.

Kyrie Irving is getting a head start on building chemistry with his new teammates ... having a night out in L.A. with Caris LeVert and Taurean Prince ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!!

The Brooklyn Nets trio hit up Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, Spago, in Beverly Hills on Monday night ... and everyone appeared to be in great spirits.

It should be encouraging to BK fans to see the NBA superstar hanging with his new guys, considering there were reports he wasn't getting along with his teammates in Boston ... and of course, there was a MAJOR falling out in Cleveland.