Money

Joe Giudice is getting his wish -- he's returning to his motherland as he awaits a final decision in his deportation case.

According to federal court records, the judge signed off on Joe's request for his immediate release from an ICE detention center so he can travel to Italy while the courts decide on his appeal of deportation.

We broke the story ... Joe wants to return to his native Italy so he can work and send money back to the States to support his wife, Teresa Giudice, and their 4 daughters, who are all living in New Jersey.

Now he's got the green light, but the question remains ... will it be a temporary trip or permanent?

LaVar Ball is firing back at his ex-BBB business partner Alan Foster ... claiming the scathing allegations against LaVar in a new lawsuit are total BBBS.

"Alan Foster’s claims are not only unfounded and devoid of any truth, but are an egregious attempt to turn the attention away from the millions of dollars that he embezzled from the Ball Family and the Ball Family Business," Ball said in a statement.

"Not only will LaVar Ball and his family continue to vigorously pursue their civil action against Foster seeking civil damages, but will also continue to cooperate with law enforcement in order to seek justice for his egregious actions."

"The Ball family are all united in relentlessly pursuing Foster for his grave injustices, and will always fight to protect the respected Ball family name, despite Foster’s futile attempt to defile it."

Foster reportedly filed court docs against LaVar, accusing Lonzo Ball's famous father of embezzling more than $2.5 million from the Big Baller Brand company.

Soledad O'Brien is so confident President Trump's going to get impeached, she's putting her money where her mouth is ... and our photog's now on the hook!!!

The TV journalist and host was at Reagan National Airport Wednesday when our guy asked what the chances are that the impeachment inquiry will turn into the real deal.

Soledad says the evidence out in the open makes a strong case already, so she thinks it's only going to get worse for POTUS ... but better for those banking on him getting impeached.

In fact, she's now one of those bettors dropping some cash on Trump becoming just the third prez to be impeached -- along with Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.

Zak Bagans is trying his darndest to bring more spirits to his Haunted Museum ... because he just dropped a huge stack of cash on the famous ghost trap from "Ghostbusters."

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he spent a whopping $310,000 for a haul of "Ghostbusters" memorabilia that includes the Hero Ghost Trap used to capture Slimer and Gozer.

Zak also got a bunch of props and costumes Harold Ramis used in the 1984 classic -- such as Dr. Egon Spengler's jumpsuit, utility belt and boots, plus a proton pack shell!!!

But, the ghost trap is the pièce de résistance among Zak's new additions. He dropped $230k alone to score that piece of movie history from Prop Store ... a huge auction house.

Lori Loughlin has a very serious legal battle ahead in her college bribery case -- but she hasn't shunned the life of the rich and famous just yet.

The embattled "Full House" star arrived Tuesday at the Bel-Air Country Club ... grinning ear to ear as she got out of her vehicle and went inside, donning a pretty swanky outfit that would probably sit well with the members.

She got a bit more serious as she got into motion, perhaps realizing cameras were on hand and capturing her giddy mood alongside her hubby, Mossimo.

It's interesting, 'cause Lori appears to be carrying on like normal ahead of her trial ... and it would seem she's still in the good graces of at least some at the Bel-Air Country Club, of which she's presumably a member as well. This might be telling, actually.

Of course, actress Felicity Huffman -- who was also indicted in the scandal -- just got her sentence of 14 days in jail a few weeks ago after pleading guilty. It was essentially a slap on the wrist, and a big defeat for the prosecution ... who wanted way more time -- we're told they wanted a year minimum, then scaled it down to 4 months and then 1 month.

Lolo Jones says her LSU Tigers are in trouble after the new California NCAA bill got signed ... telling TMZ Sports recruiting could suffer BIG TIME if things don't change!!!

Lolo is a huge LSU fan -- she went there back in the early 2000s -- and she keeps up with the school's athletics regularly.

So, when we got her out in NYC ... we had to ask about the new bill Gavin Newsom just inked which makes it legal for athletes at California universities to profit off their names and likenesses without penalty.

That's when Lolo told us Louisiana better adopt the law too ... OR ELSE!!!

"Right now, California passing this, it gives them an advantage in recruiting," Lolo says.

"Because let's say an athlete is choosing between USC or LSU. Well, now if they know they can monetize their likeness and make money, they will go to USC all day over LSU."

The bill isn't set to go into effect until 2023 ... so states have time to hop on board -- and it seems Lolo is saying they better get on that train ASAP.

"They're going to have to make it fair for all the athletes in the U.S.," Lolo says.

A homeless woman's beautiful voice isn't just making her go viral -- it might have landed her a legit big break in the music biz.

Emily Zamourka already got Internet famous after an LAPD officer shared a clip of her singing Puccini last week, but her star's still rising, and now Grammy-nominated music producer Joel Diamond is offering her a recording contract.

Joel's drawn up an offer letter for the Russian-born subway singer, with the hope of creating a "huge classical/EDM crossover hit record for the subway soprano." The deal would be for one initial record entitled "Paradise" ... which would be released on Diamond's label, Silver Blue Records.

We're told the producer saw her viral vid like everyone else and wants to help her blow up.

Joel's got experience in that department too -- he got David Hasselhoff to go platinum in Germany, and has produced 12 albums for legendary singer Engelbert Humperdinck.

Donald Trump is about to follow in the footsteps of Bill Clinton ... at least that's the way degenerate gamblers and bookies see the impeachment process playing out.

Okay, impeaching Trump is hardly what Vegas would call a stone-cold lock, but according to oddsmakers at US-Bookies.com ... it's now more likely than not the President is impeached.

The odds of Trump getting impeached are currently 1/2 -- meaning a $100 bet pays $50 -- and the betting line has moved significantly since the whole Ukraine saga was thrust into the national conversation.

Since the whistleblower came out and Nancy Pelosi started the impeachment inquiry, the betting line shifted from even to 1/2. That kinda shift is due to the fact tons of people started betting Trump WILL get impeached.

Oddsmakers tell us the current betting line is the lowest it's been at any point since Trump was sworn in, and up until recently, the bettors felt confident 45 would get a second term.

It's interesting ... polls are trending toward more Americans favoring impeachment than not ... and clearly a lot of them are willing to risk some of their hard-earned money on it.

Justin Bieber took a bling cue from the Kardashian clan -- opting to use their private jeweler to gift himself a super-rare watch that's worth a pretty penny.

Sources tell us that the gold watch JB debuted on Instagram Monday -- which he called "a lil wedding gift" for himself -- is actually quite exceptional, in that it's from a rare, vintage luxury line of watches ... with this one retailing somewhere in the 6-figure range.

The watch is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402BA, a line that dates back to the 1970s ... and that isn't really made all that much anymore. Current models of AP Royal Oaks have an average price tag of around $50k ... but we're told JB's was worth at least double that.

Now, it's unclear if Justin ended up paying that amount himself -- but if he wanted to auction off the timepiece ... he could probably get in the ballpark of $100k, and possibly more.

Darren Rovell has a warning to everyone who thinks the new CA law allowing college players to get paid for endorsements is all roses and sunshine -- "There will still be cheating."

EVERYONE is talking about the law after Gov. Gavin Newsome signed it on Monday while appearing with LeBron James on the NBA star's HBO series, "The Shop."

The law -- known as "The Fair Pay to Play Act" -- doesn't take effect until January 1, 2023 ... but Rovell is already breaking down the pros and cons.

The Pros ... 

Rovell, who now works for the Action Network, says the law could be the "great equalizer" in college sports, allowing small schools to compete with the traditional powerhouses ... if they have wealthy boosters willing to plop down the cash to bring in top talent.

"Troy has a great booster," Rovell says ... suggesting ONE motivated billionaire could bankroll tons of paid endorsements for players and give them a serious edge in recruiting.

In other words, players could choose a school like Troy over Alabama or Ohio State if they're getting paid better.

The Cons ... 

Rovell says schools will find ways to cheat -- and could concoct "sham endorsements" where players will get paid 15 times their market value as a way to beat the system.

As for the NCAA, the organization has spoken publicly AGAINST the new law saying it will significantly damage college sports as we know it.

Amazing gesture from Astros superstar Carlos Correa ... the shortstop visited the family of murdered Houston police officer Sandeep Dhaliwal on Monday -- and donated $10,000.

Dhaliwal was killed last Friday in broad daylight after a man shot him in the back of the head during a routine traffic stop ... and Correa was hit hard by the news.

42-year-old Dhaliwal had famously helped citizens in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the community in 2017 ... so Carlos -- a Puerto Rican native -- wanted to reach out.

The 'Stros stud was able to meet with the Dhaliwal's family Monday afternoon ... and, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, it was the first time he had seen the family smile since the tragedy.

"Can't thank him enough," Gonzalez said of Correa to Fox 26's Mark Berman ... "Amazing what he does for the Houston community."

Correa also donated $10k to Dhaliwal's family ... and said of the situation, "A lot of people in Puerto Rico suffered the tragedy of Hurricane Maria. And, for him to go out of his way and help people that he didn't even know, it really touched me."

Correa added, "We're very grateful for everything he did -- me, my family, the whole country of Puerto Rico. It's an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to come show my respects and my appreciation for the family and be able to help them in some way."

Hilarious moment of honesty from T-Pain ... who tells TMZ Sports he doesn't give a DAMN about the Miami Dolphins and only agreed to remix their fight song because they PAID him!!!

Remember, the hip-hop star -- who's from Florida -- made headlines back in 2009 when he was tapped by the Dolphins to rerecord the official fight song.

So, when we saw him at LAX this week ... we had to ask how he felt about the atrocious 0-3 Dolphins squad, which is already being panned as one of the worst teams in NFL history.

That's when T-Pain kept it all the way real ... and told us he couldn't care less about the Fins ... explaining, "You don't have to be a fan to get money!"

Ya gotta watch the clip ... T-Pain says he feels ZERO allegiance to any pro-sports team because deep down, the players don't really care about the teams either.

With LaMelo Ball reportedly open to signing a shoe contract outside of the Big Baller Brand, TMZ Sports has learned Nike has a serious interest in working with the 18-year-old.

Our Nike sources tell us ... the company is actively scouting the youngest Ball brother and even has a scout in Australia monitoring him as plays pro ball overseas.

We're told Nike has not made a formal offer at this point, but the interest is real -- and we're guessing the fact Melo has been rocking Nike shoes lately is a good sign for the Swoosh.

Of course, things could get dicey with LaVar Ball who says he's deadly serious about reviving the Big Baller Brand after a disastrous first run.

Megan Thee Stallion's getting serious with her boyfriend/fellow rapper by buying him a seriously expensive birthday gift ... with a pretty romantic message attached.

The "Hot Girl Summer" rapper gifted Moneybagg Yo with a blinged-out, half-heart pendant. As you can see, there are 2 chains with 2 half-heart pendants -- his and hers.

Before ya start thinking the half-heart pieces are kinda basic, know these didn't come cheap for Megan. The complete set includes 120 grams of 14-karat rose gold and 40 carats of VVS diamonds blanketing the pendant.

Translation: Serious drip!!!

Jermell Charlo ain't fighting this weekend ... but all eyes are gonna be on him anyway, 'cause the boxing star just copped an insane amount of jewelry worth $553k!!!

The former WBC light middleweight champ is gonna be iced out when he hits up the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter boxing match at Staples Center on Saturday ... with a haul that would make Floyd Mayweather blush.

Charlo hit up celeb jeweler Iceman Nick for the task for the watch, chain, pendant, rings and bracelet order. Here's the breakdown:

The war between Antonio Brown and a celebrity chef is getting uglier ... new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports show the cook is now accusing the WR of slander.

AB and a celeb chef named Stefano Tedeschi have been fighting it out in court since July when Tedeschi filed a lawsuit alleging Brown stiffed him out of $38,521.20.

Tedeschi claims he and Brown struck an agreement where AB would pay him to cook for him, his family and his friends for 3 days at the Pro Bowl in Orlando in January 2018.

But, Tedeschi says AB never paid up ... and claims it's all because of a frozen fish head.

Brown eventually called BS on Tedeschi in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this month ... going scorched-earth on the chef, writing, "[Tedeschi's] complaint is nothing more than a fledgling action to promote the career of a chef who will use any attempt or frivolous claim to seek fame and/or fortune."

Now, Tedeschi is firing back ... in new court docs, Tedeschi is accusing Brown of defamation.

Tedeschi says Brown's words were "slanderous, defamatory and not the type of language one would expect to see in a professional legal document."

Tedeschi -- who wants the court to deny Brown's motion entirely -- added, "This language can only be viewed as an effort to smear [Tedeschi]."

We reached out to Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, for comment on the new docs ... and he told us, "There was simply no defamatory statement made."