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There's a huge group of super powerful women teaming up to bring pro women's soccer to L.A. by 2022 ... including Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Eva Longoria and more!

The group is calling itself Angel City -- and they're working with the National Women's Soccer League to establish the city's first pro team.

The NWSL is the women's version of the MLS -- but they only have 9 teams throughout the country in cities like Portland, Orlando, Tacoma, etc.

But, the Angel City group claims there's heavy fan demand in Los Angeles ... and they're rallying together to get a team here, stat.

The lead investors are Portman, technology mogul Kara Nortman, gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Ohanian is married to Serena Williams -- who is part of a smaller investment group affiliated with the team which includes a TON of other big names.

Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Uzo Aduba and Lilly Singh are on board -- along with soccer legends Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Shannon Boxx and more.

"Today we take an exciting step by announcing the first women majority-owned and led ownership group," Portman said.

"I am thrilled by the opportunity to partner with this incredible group of people to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Los Angeles."

"Together, we aim to build not only a winning team on the field, but also to develop a passionately loyal fan base. We also hope to make a substantive impact on our community, committing to extending access to sports for young people in Los Angeles through our relationship with the LA84 Foundation."

"Sports are such a joyful way to bring people together, and this has the power to make tangible change for female athletes both in our community and in the professional sphere.”

So far, the organization has not announced a team name or logo -- but plan on releasing that info sometime soon.

Here's a real jaw-dropping crime, even in Sin City -- a man making off with a humongous dildo without paying, and even though the whole caper's on camera ... it might be tough to nail this guy.

We're told the suspect struck July 14 in broad daylight, and surveillance footage shows him calmly strolling into the Deja Vu Love Boutique in Las Vegas ... and walking out with the massive sex toy slung over his shoulder.

This is not your average dildo ... it stands a whopping 3-feet tall, weighs in at an impressive 40 pounds and goes by the name Moby Dick. Not quite what Herman Melville had in mind, we're guessing, but ya get the point: the suspect is packing! Big time.

According to the police report, the guy -- whose ID was concealed by a face mask -- crammed the phallus into a white car, similar to a Dodge Caliber, and made a clean getaway.

It's a pretty lucrative haul ... Moby goes for a cool $1,200, retail.

Heather McDonald and former 'RHOC' star Jim Bellino are on the same page, legally speaking -- they've settled his lawsuit against her ... TMZ has learned.

According to a joint statement released by Jim and Heather ... they've "reached a settlement of the dispute on mutually satisfactory terms." The joint statement also says Heather "never intended to cause any of the damage" to Jim's reputation or that of his business.

Jim, the ex-husband of 'RHOC' star Alexis Bellino, sued the comedian in June 2019, claiming she "shamelessly dished and peddled unsubstantiated gossip" about his divorce with Alexis on an episode of Heather's podcast, "The Juicy Scoop."

Heather, who used to appear on "Chelsea Lately" before starting her podcast, previously secured a victory in the defamation suit back in March, when a judge granted her motion to dismiss the lawsuit ... but Jim appealed.

Britney Spears' old digs -- the home that served as the backdrop when the singer went into free fall, shaved her head and ended up being involuntarily committed -- is back on the market, and anyone who still has millions of bucks can now get it for a steal.

The pop singer's former Beverly Hills mansion -- where she lived after her divorce from Kevin Federline until 2012 -- is up for grabs for $6.8 million ... a pretty significant reduction from $9 mil when it was put up for sale in 2018.

The 7,500-sq.-ft Italian villa-esque home comes with 6 bedrooms and 6.5 baths, but it's mostly known for its fortress-like qualities ... making it a draw for celebs and other rich folks looking to live in one of the top gated communities in L.A.

The property's described at "virtually paparazzi-proof" by "Million Dollar Listing" star Matt Altman. It's listed by him and his bro, Josh.

Of course, with all the security comes a LOT of luxury and frills ... including a home theater, a chef’s kitchen with a breakfast nook, a massive master bedroom with a balcony, high ceilings and an open floor plan.

The outside boasts a saltwater swimming pool, an in-ground jacuzzi, firepit and entertaining area ... along with a detached guest house for any Kato Kaelin types.

Johnny Ortiz -- who starred alongside Kevin Costner in "McFarland, USA" -- is currently sitting behind bars after being charged with premeditated attempted murder charges ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke "for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members."

Navarro is the one accused of pulling the trigger, and while it's unclear exactly what role Ortiz played in the crime ... prosecutors felt it warranted the attempted murder charge.

Ortiz -- who starred as one of the cross country runners in the based-on-a-true-story Disney flick, "McFarland, USA" -- was arrested in late May, and remains behind bars. The judge set his bail at a whopping $1,120,000.

His family insists he's not guilty, and is trying to raise his bail through crowdfunding. They wrote on the site, "Johnny is everything to our family. Johnny does everything to help the community and the Hispanic community especially ... he is in jail fighting for his case that he is innocent on."

The actor's also appeared in "Ali," "American Crime" and "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie."

LeBron James is now officially the G.O.A.T. in the trading card world ... an insanely rare piece from the King's rookie season just fetched $1.8 MILLION -- making it the most expensive card EVER!

According to officials at Goldin Auctions, which smashed the gavel on final bidding over the weekend, the LeBron card topped the previous leader -- a Mike Trout rookie piece -- by nearly $900,000.

The James card is pretty amazing ... coming out of the 2003-2004 Upper Deck Exquisite collection, it's only one of 23 ever produced.

It features a piece of a jersey cut from a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform he wore during a photo shoot during his rookie season ... and it also has LBJ's autograph clear-as-day in blue ink on the front.

It has a grading of 9.5, meaning the card is in near-perfect shape too ... which is why bidding soared from a $150k start to a $1.8 million finish in just a few weeks.

Pretty cool for LeBron ... but even cooler? The Lakers superstar said on social media he has "a couple of those exact" cards still laying around his house too!!!

COULD YOU IMAGINE BEING SO RICH THAT YOU HAVE A COUPLE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CARDS JUST LAYING AROUND?!

Amazing.

By the way, the winning bidder was reportedly Leore Avidar -- a super-rich guy who co-founded Lob.com.

Marilyn Monroe's pearls from her last ever photo shoot could be sitting in your collection -- the historic jewelry is hitting the auction block.

Marilyn wore faux pearl earrings and slipped on a faux pearl necklace for the photo spread -- famously known as the "Last Sitting" -- with legendary fashion photog Bert Stern.

The pics were snapped just 6 weeks before her death, and they're going up for sale through online auction house Gotta Have Rock and Roll, where they're expected to fetch a pretty penny.

The jewelry is cool, but so is the Nikon camera Bert used to take thousands of photos that day, and it's also up for auction. While Vogue Magazine supplied the props, clothes, jewelry and accessories ... the camera was Bert's personal one.

Marilyn even used the camera as a prop, spontaneously grabbing the Nikon while Bert grabbed a spare camera and kept snapping away. The auction house expects the Nikon to fetch $60,000 due to its place in pop culture.

The pearls are expected to bring in $50,000 for the earrings and $8k for the necklace.

Some of Marilyn's extensive wardrobe is also part of the auction ... we're told a gown and shawl is estimated to go for $40k and a pair of black and white checkered pants could fetch $15k. MM owned and wore the clothing.

The auction opens July 22 ... good luck!!!

Half a BILLION dollars might not have been enough for Patrick Mahomes ... so says the QB's star WR, Tyreek Hill, who tells TMZ Sports he would've gone higher!!!

"I mean, hell," Hill says, "I thought he was worth even more!!"

Of course, Hill tells us the deal is still massive and more than fair for his Chiefs BFF ... adding, "I'm proud of my boy, Pat, man! I'm really happy for him."

Mahomes inked a record-breaking 10-year, $503 MILLION contract extension earlier this month ... and Hill believes that could be the catalyst for a lengthy dynasty in K.C.

In fact, the 2-time All-Pro wideout tells us with Mahomes locked in and star defensive tackle Chris Jones inking a new deal ... he sees multiple rings on the horizon for the Chiefs.

"I'm proud of just the Chiefs in general for getting all these deals done, man," Hill says. "'Cause they understand right now is our time, like this is our window to be great, for us to build that dynasty and I'm just happy to be along with them."

As for who's buying meals going forward now that he, Jones and Pat have signed huge contracts ... Hill says that honor will go to Mahomes from here on out.

Sorry, kid.

By the way, Tyreek is doing some really cool things this offseason while preparing to go back to back with K.C. ... he tells us he's creating a clothing brand that he hopes can help raise money and awareness in the fight for social justice.

Mark Wahlberg dropped a fat stack on a new set of quarantine wheels ... a custom 3-wheeler that's eco-friendly AND street legal!!!

Marky Mark's newest ride is an Arcimoto FUV -- Fun Utility Vehicle -- which retails for just under $20,000 ... and it's super cool.

Sources connected to the deal tell TMZ ... Mark was one of the first people to test drive the FUV last year, when Arcimoto had a small junket in Los Angeles showing off the new electric whip. We're told Mark liked it from the jump and he finally pulled the trigger while in quarantine.

Our source says Mark's environmentally sustainable ride comes with a custom paint job promoting his health company, F45, and MW feels the FUV is perfect for zipping through his compound and getting around on set.

The FUV sounds pretty fun to whip around ... it tops out at 75 MPH and comes with heated seats and steering grips, Bluetooth speakers, removable doors and a panoramic roof.

George Floyd's set to be honored in an historic way, and the City of Minneapolis just got some funding to move the process along.

The city was recently awarded the "Vision Grant" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, to help preserve the memorials that have sprung up for George since his death.

The fund was created in 2017 to preserve sites and stories of Black history, and clearly ... Minneapolis has been a significant spot lately.

So, along with preserving the murals and other tributes already created for Floyd ... we're told the city is discussing plans to honor him permanently.

A Minneapolis city official tells TMZ ... they've held more than 40 listening sessions, inviting community members and local government workers to share thoughts on how to best memorialize George.

We're told the city is specifically designating 38th St. and Chicago Ave. -- the location where Floyd took his last breath -- as a location for a special tribute. A makeshift memorial popped up there shortly after he died at the hands of police.

So far ... street names, memorial plaques or statues and a community center are all being discussed as official ways to honor George with the new grant money, but nothing's set in stone yet.

BTW, $1.6 million was awarded to 27 different sites and organizations by the AACHAF ... Minneapolis got $50k.

The National Trust's Brenda Jones tells us the planning grant could potentially lead to "other opportunities to invest in the preservation and protection of African American history in Minneapolis, including the murals commemorating the sacrifice of George Floyd."

One of Elvis Presley's most famous guitars is hitting the auction block ... and acquiring it may require a king's ransom.

Elvis' historic 1942 Martin D-18 guitar -- which The King owned between 1954 and 1956 -- will be up for auction over at Gotta Have Rock and Roll, and no doubt it'll go to a serious collector with huuuuge pockets. The minimum bid starts at a whopping $1.2 million. It's expected to fetch up to THREE MILLION BUCKS.

The investment's totally worth it ... because the instrument oozes musical history. For starters, the guitar is often referred to as Elvis' "Sun Sessions" guitar. Elvis recorded at the iconic Sun Studios in Memphis, TN and also performed with the guitar onstage.

The King of Rock 'n' Roll bought the guitar at O.K. Houck's Piano Store in Memphis, trading in his Martin 000-18 model. He then went on to decorate the body of the guitar with adhesive metal letters spelling out "ELVIS." Today, the guitar's missing the "S." The extensive wear visible on the guitar, no doubt, is due to Elvis' hard strumming and the guitar's frequent use.

And, get this ... during the time Elvis owned the guitar, he also recorded the classics "That's Alright (Mama)," "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Good Rockin' Tonight," to name a few.

The new owner of this guitar will get TONS of paperwork proving the authenticity ... from a photocopy of the receipt from O.K. Houck Piano and photocopies of correspondence from the curator of the Country Music Hall of Fame to a historical note about the guitar ... which has been reported to be Elvis' first guitar. The auction opens on July 22. Good luck!!!

Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach estate, where he allegedly sexually molested dozens of teenage girls lured in by money, just got vandalized with a very powerful message.

"GONE BUT NOT FORGIVEN" reads the mark left on the front gate guarding one of Epstein's former homes.

The image is in red paint, clearly intended to look like blood.

The house has been tied up in litigation since the charges against Epstein were brought. As you know, Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. Authorities say he hung himself, but a private autopsy raised questions. Medical Examiner Cyril Wecht concluded it is virtually unheard of for 3 neck bones to break when someone hangs themself.

Carole Baskin ... what the fudge is this??

The 'Tiger King' star's been cashing in doing Cameo vids for a bit now, but her latest submission -- a birthday shout-out to a fan named Charlotte -- is ... well, priceless.

Carole -- joined by her husband Howard -- kicks off the video message with her tagline, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens," before saying they're "here with the crip mates" to wish Charlotte a happy bday.

And, then it gets REALLY interesting.

Watch for yourself ... pretty sure 50 Cent's "In Da Club" has never been done like this. And it probably shouldn't be ever again.

"Women lie. Men lie. The stats don’t. Go do your homework."

Ezekiel Elliott has clearly hit a breaking point with critics of his game ... the Dallas Cowboys star just went OFF on an epic rant -- clapping back at haters who say he's lost a step.

"Check the stats," Zeke said. "Since I entered this league I have dominated year in, year out. Put some RESPECT on my name."

The 24-year-old has come under fire on multiple occasions in the last few days ... one anonymous coach last week ranked him as the 11th-best RB in the NFL.

Just days later, meanwhile, his Madden rating came out ... and he was only a 92 overall -- making him just the 4th best back in the game.

Zeke decided to lash out against the criticism Thursday ... insisting he's still the same dude that busted into the league in 2016 and destroyed everybody.

"Almost 1800 scrimmage yards and 14 TD’s with no training camp [last season] and now im not the same back," Elliott said.

"I do appreciate the standard you guys hold me to though lol. But I promise you no one holds me to a higher standard than myself."

The Twitter accounts of some of the most high-profile celebs, politicians and business leaders around have been hacked ... and it appears it's all part of a massive Bitcoin scam.

The hack began Wednesday afternoon and is ongoing, but it seems to have started with Elon Musk. Around 4 PM ET, the Tesla founder's Twitter account was seemingly compromised by a hacker ... and it tweeted out a message asking users to send $1,000 to his Bitcoin address and they'd get $2k in return.

Shortly afterward, Bill Gates' account tweeted out a similar message with the identical BTC address. The hacker or hackers are continuing to rack up victims by posting the scam on other accounts ... including those of Kanye West, Jeff Bezos, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Barack Obama and most recently, Kim Kardashian West.

Gates' people were quick to respond to the hack, saying ... "We can confirm that this tweet was not sent by Bill Gates. This appears to be part of a larger issue that Twitter is facing. Twitter is aware and working to restore the account."

Some of the scam tweets are being deleted, but then follow-up tweets are going up just as quickly ... or popping up elsewhere.

NFL star Tyrann Mathieu has paid for the funeral costs of a 9-year-old boy who was killed in a horrific shooting in New Orleans, TMZ Sports has learned.

Devante Bryant was shot in the head on July 13th in a mysterious attack on a bunch of kids. Two other teenagers -- 13 and 16 -- were also shot, but they survived.

Cops are investigating but so far, they don't seem to have any idea about why someone would commit this horrible act.

When Tyrann -- who's from Louisiana -- found out about the killing, he wanted to help the family and felt paying for the funeral costs would allow them to focus on grieving for their son.

"Young black children should not be dying from gun violence," the Kansas City Chiefs superstar tells TMZ Sports.

"Devante didn’t even have a chance to live his life before it was tragically taken away from him."

"My goal is to help stop the violence and help my community to show and empower children from my community that there is another way, one child at a time."

"I wanted to help the Bryant family because I am from the 7th Ward and I felt that pain. I have a 7-year-old son that lives in New Orleans and I couldn’t imagine something happening to him at that age. He is only 2 years younger than Devante."

"My heart goes out to the Bryant and Howard Family."

If you have any information about the shooting -- please reach out to the New Orleans PD.