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Wowzers.

Logan Paul just found out that his unopened set of first edition Pokémon cards -- which he shelled out $3.5 MILLION to get -- is a big, fat phony ... revealing the box was full of useless G.I. Joe cards.

Rumors had been swirling about LP's purchase for weeks ... with experts skeptical about the authenticity of the cards inside the box.

26-year-old Paul and his friend/famous card collector Bolillo Lajan San met with the Baseball Card Exchange in Chicago in hopes of proving once and for all that his purchase was a good investment ... but instead, he got some REALLY bad news.

While the outside packaging appeared to be legit, it was once the box was opened that Paul and the gang realized that they'd been scammed.

"Oh my God, bro," Paul yelled as the first box was opened. "G.I. JOE?? G.I. JOE?!?! It could have been anything else."

One of the authenticators said it best ... adding, "This is the biggest fraud in the entire history of Pokémon."

It's a beyond heartbreaking loss for Paul -- had the cards been real, he could have made a fortune on what was inside the box.

"I'm a super positive person, bro," Logan said. "And, I'll always be the one to look at the bright side, and I am trying, but this is very hard."

On the bright side, Paul still has a first edition "Shadowless" Charizard card -- which he claims is now worth more than a million -- as well as 5 other packs of first edition Pokémon cards.

"It's sad for the Pokémon community, like, how many fraudulent things are out there?" he added. "I'm grateful for the things that I have that are real now. Like, I'm picturing my Charizard in my head like, "Oh my god, holy s***, something real, something worth a lot of money that is real!"

A publicist is suing LaMelo Ball ... claiming the NBA star owes her MILLIONS after he signed a lucrative contract with Puma but never gave her her cut of the deal.

Amber Johnson spelled out the allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, claiming Ball hired her back in 2019 to score business deals, but he screwed her over a short time later.

Johnson says she worked with Ball to get him on a video game streaming show -- and things went so well, Ball and his reps asked her to work with them going forward.

In her suit, Johnson claims as part of their working relationship, Ball and his camp agreed to give her a 10 percent cut of any deal she found for the hooper. She also says they agreed to reimburse her for any out-of-pocket expenses that she incurred while working on projects for Melo.

Johnson claims a short time later, she helped Ball sign a contract with streaming service "Caffeine."

Following that deal in 2019, Johnson says she began talking to Puma about working with Ball as well.

In her suit, Johnson says she helped facilitate communication between Melo and the giant shoe company ... which she says ultimately resulted in a $100 million contract for Ball.

But, Johnson says she never got her cut of the deals she delivered to the star. She also says she was never reimbursed for $4,800 in expenses from helping Ball on various other projects.

She's asking for damages in excess of $10 MILLION.

Bob Saget very privately turned a personal tragedy in his life into a mission to spare others similar grief ...  and a 9-year-old girl named Sophie Anne and her parents are forever grateful.

Sophie Anne is afflicted with Scleroderma, a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening of the skin and connective tissues. It's a disease that took the life of Bob's sister, Gay, who died in 1994 at age 47.

Bob became a tireless advocate and fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, but we found out he also reached out to families suffering from the illness to offer comfort and support.

Bob found out about Sophie Anne roughly 2 years ago, after she was diagnosed.  Her parents, Martha and Jeff Seaman, tell us they felt they were in the middle of the ocean without any lifeline, when suddenly, Bob came into their lives.

Bob sent the little girl personalized videos, always with comfort and hope ... "We are going to find a cure, sending lots of love."

Bob knew how the disease affects an entire family, so he offered support to Sophie Anne's sister with a school paper. The paper she chose to write, "Bob Saget: My Everyday Hero." We're told Bob was incredibly patient and candid about his life ... spending more than 30 minutes with her on the phone.

It didn't stop there. Just a few months ago, Bob invited Sophie Anne's parents to his show in North Carolina. He comped their tickets, meals and brought them backstage after his show.

The Scleroderma Research Foundation is benefiting from the massive goodwill embodied in Bob. More than 1,200 people have donated a total of more than $80,000. And, people are learning about the disease because of Bob's good work.

Hollywood execs and celebs who were planning to attend this year's Sundance Film Festival are in for a rude awakening ... because the event was canceled just days beforehand and now they stand to lose a boatload of cash.

This year's Sundance was scheduled for Jan 20-30 as a hybrid event with both in-person and online events ... it was expected to bring out filmgoers from around the U.S., volunteers and, of course, celebs and Hollywood honchos.

Well, that was until the festival was canceled only 15 days before the curtain was raised, due to the explosion of COVID. We're told hotels and Airbnb jacked up the prices like crazy -- $3k and up for some rooms and suites -- and now we're told a lot of them are not giving refunds.

Likewise ... Sundance organizers are not offering refunds to folks who paid to attend in person. Instead, attendees can either gift their packages to someone else or turn the money spent into a tax-deductible donation to the Sundance Institute.

Back to the hotels ... one example is Auberge Resorts Collection, which was charging $3,798 per night for some of the suites ... and guess what, it's non-refundable. The hotel is telling guests to come anyway and enjoy the skiing, or just reschedule.

When COVID strikes this way, a lot depends on what's in the contract.  If there's an "Act of God" clause, although it's not clear there have been successful arguments that money should be returned.

Kevin Hart's now on a Philly dream team -- joining Meek Mill and Michael Rubin to give back to their community with a $15 million donation to benefit students in the greater Philadelphia area.

The "Championships" rapper and 76ers partner added Kevin to the mix for another big charitable push -- pooling their funds to support 5,000 students from underserved communities who are attending private and parochial schools.

We're told the $15 mil donation will back the students at 110 schools for the 2022-23 school year.

As we've reported ... Meek's made a tradition out of playing Santa for Philly kids each Christmas -- but he's also put forth a year-round effort to support education in his hometown.

He and Michael launched a $2 million scholarship fund for Philly students back in December 2020, providing youth with critical resources during the pandemic.

The duo partnered with REFORM Alliance just last month, hosting a special VIP experience for more than 25 children negatively impacted by the criminal justice system -- the kids went to a 76ers game, and even got to shoot around on the court.

Brandy Norwood is being dragged to court over a $45,000 ring she was supposed to wear at the American Music Awards ... a ring that's allegedly gone missing.

Brandy and her stylist, Ashley Sean Thomas, are being sued by Elle B. Mambetov, a fashion designer and Beverly Hills store owner.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mambetov claims Brandy's stylist approached her last year about borrowing jewelry and clothes for the singer to wear at the November Awards show ... and the designer let them borrow some outfits and a Dreamboule Big Bang Diamond Ring.

Brandy and her stylist allegedly never returned the ring ... and the designer claims it's valued at around $45k. She says in her suit Brandy's stylist told her it was last seen on the piano at Brandy's Calabasas estate.

Brandy didn't wear the ring or the outfit to the AMAs ... but we're told it's not all that uncommon, because stylists usually put together many different options for celebs.

The ring is 18-karat rose gold, with a sapphire crystal dome and black volcanic stone.

The designer's going after Brandy and her stylist for the value of the ring plus other damages ... claiming she's suffered financial losses and emotional trauma.

We reached out to Brandy and her stylist ... so far, no word back.

Nicki Minaj can breathe easier -- a lawsuit claiming the rapper harassed and threatened the woman who accused Nicki's husband of sexual assault has been dropped ... and Nicki's planning to go after the woman to recoup money lost in legal fees.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the lawsuit against Nicki was voluntarily dismissed Wednesday by Jennifer Hough. A source close to the case tells us there was not any sort of financial settlement reached to make it go away. Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, remains a defendant.

In a blistering response, Nicki's attorney, Judd Burstein, tells TMZ Jennifer and her lawyers thought they could shake Nicki down for some easy money, trying to financially settle it from the beginning.

We've seen an email Burstein sent to Hugh's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, which reads, in part, "In my view, your conduct in pursuing this case against Nicki represents the worst of our legal system: bottom-feeding lawyers who pursue frivolous actions against a celebrity assuming that they will be paid off if they throw enough dirt."

Judd continues, "You forced my client to spend over $300,000 in fees to defend a case which even my labradoodle, Gracie, could see was frivolous on both the facts and the law."

Kenneth was convicted of trying to rape Jennifer in 1995, and she's since spoken publicly about the ordeal.

TMZ broke the story, Jennifer sued Nicki in August, claiming Nicki and her legal team had offered to pay Jennifer to change her story about what happened with Kenneth.

Fat Joe says his famous friends are chipping in to make sure victims of that historically deadly Bronx apartment fire aren't left out in the cold -- but adds it's gonna take more than celebrities to get the job done.

Joey Crack joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us what inspired him to team up with NYC Mayor Eric Adams to help survivors and those who lost loved ones and property in the deadly blaze.

As we reported ... the inferno engulfed a 19-story apartment building in the Bronx, killing 17 people -- including 8 children -- the city's deadliest fire in more than 30 years.

Fat Joe says most of the people living in the building are immigrants, and they're now homeless amid freezing cold winter temps. He's used his contacts to help jumpstart fundraising, shouting out donations they've already received from Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, LL Cool J, Nas and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey ... among others.

It's the first big crisis for Adams, who took office on Jan. 1, and Fat Joe tells us why the new mayor can cut through political red tape to make a difference here.

Kanye West is plotting on Putin -- he wants to have a sit-down meeting with the Russian leader, that is ... and his team is rooting for the ultimate link up.

We caught up with Ye's manager Bu Thiam, and he's definitely here for a Vladimir Putin meets West sit down ... despite many folks who are side-eyeing the whole situation.

Bu says he looooves the idea of the two men sitting down and having a conversation... “That’s King Ye, Why not?” he asked. Well, depends on who he's asking ...

While many people have suspicions about the Russian leader's alleged brutal tactics ... when it comes to Putin, Bu says that he loves him and backed him up by saying most leaders have to make tough decisions.

He dusted off any backlash saying, in America "we hate" everybody that’s not American ... he even doubled down on that by claiming Putin is loved by his own people.

As we previously told you ... Kanye reportedly wants to have a meeting with the Russian leader. He also is planning to start doing his Sunday Service shows in the country starting in the spring or summer.

Ye's team is divided on the topic, with some saying none of this is happening. His business associate told Billboard about the plans, but then his PR rep shot down the story, saying it was "entirely fabricated."

Wanna dress like Tom Brady?? It's gonna cost you ... 'cause the NFL superstar's new clothing line just dropped ... and just a t-shirt comes with a $75 price tag!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB officially launched his own "Brady" brand on Wednesday ... which features several streetwear items donning his last name.

But, the honor of wearing the 7-time champ's name comes with a price. Here's a list of some of the items:

-- Brady ball cap -- $65

-- Brady short sleeve tee -- $75

-- Brady joggers -- $160

-- Brady rain jacket -- $350

The most wallet-friendly item is a pair of socks with the "Brady" logo ... coming in at $20.

As for the design, it's pretty simple -- Brady's custom blue color is featured throughout the catalog ... as well as his last name.

The $75 tee kinda looks like a regular navy shirt ... aside from Brady's name etched in small lettering on the collar bone.

Brady spoke about his new launch in a hype video ... saying, "I'm proud to bring this to all you guys looking for clothing that performs across all of your daily active lives."

"Every item's unique, innovative and it's got great function and purpose," he added. "These are pieces I love."

The 44-year-old QB says he's been working on this line for 3 years -- and partnered with college athletes like Deion Sanders' son, Jackson State's QB Shedeur, for the launch.

Jamie Lynn Spears says she has always loved her sister, Britney, and can't understand how that relationship deteriorated.

Britney's younger sister appeared Wednesday on "Good Morning America" ... hawking her book, "Things I Should Have Said," about her family. Jamie Lynn said she's happy the conservatorship ended, but bobbed and weaved when it came to how she felt about the conservatorship during the 13 years it was in place.

She said when the conservatorship was first put in place she didn't understand it and was dealing with other issues ... specifically, she was 17 and having a baby.

But, she said she understands as little about the conservatorship now as she did when it fired up ... which is odd since the saga lasted so long. She says she took no part in the conservatorship during its entire run.

From her vantage point, she says she was helping Britney, and, according to her, the help was welcomed. She says Britney asked her to make sure her 2 boys got what they needed.

One thing she addressed squarely ... Britney's comment to the court that everyone in their family -- including Jamie Lynn -- profited off Britney during the conservatorship. Jamie Lynn says she did not, but then offered that there may have been a "misunderstanding." Britney has gone after Jamie Lynn for remixing some of her songs, but she says it was meant as a tribute, not a money move.

She says she's happy the conservatorship is over because it caused so much family discord.

As for Britney, well she intimated in a post Tuesday night ... 2 can play that game, as in writing a book.

Mark Wahlberg is a savvy businessman -- with his own line of gyms and burger joints -- but now he's taking on the tequila world with his sights set on some of the biz's celeb heavy-hitters.

A rep for Mark tells us he recently became a principal investor in Flecha Azul -- a company founded by Mexican PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez -- who first reached out to the actor about the opportunity.

A source close to Mark says he traveled down to the distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, MX to check it out, liked what he saw, and wrote a "very big check" to join the company.

We're told it was important for Mark to be on location, and test the product so he could have "real skin in the game."

What's more ... our sources say Mark plans to reach out to George Clooney (Casamigos) and "The Rock" (Teremana) for a good ole fashioned tequila-off in the future to determine which celeb-backed brand reigns supreme.

Not only that, we're told Mark's burger chain, Wahlburgers, will exclusively sell Flecha Azul at its locations.

Of course, there's a whole slew of celebs now in the tequila booze biz -- including Kendall Jenner, Kevin Hart, Toby Keith, Justin Timberlake and Diddy.

Travis Scott's album cover from years ago is landing him in hot water in France ... where one artist is definitely not saying "c'est la vie" over what he claims is outright theft of his art.

A man named Mickaël Mehala -- who also goes by Black Childish -- is suing Travis in his home country, where he alleges the rapper jacked his original artwork for "Travis La Flame" ... an official compilation project which includes a lot of songs from his mixtape "Days Before Rodeo," among others.

The album cover is well known among TS stans ... and has even been featured on Travis' YouTube page and Tidal page at one point or another. That's a problem for Mehala, who claims he actually created this piece himself in 2015 and sent it to Trav via Instagram DM in 2016 -- the same year 'La Flame' dropped -- so he could see it and share it with fans.

Mehala says he never heard back from Travis, but lo and behold ... he saw his centaur art featured front and center when 'La Flame' rolled out, which was big news at the time.

In the French legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mehala claims he formally registered a copyright for the art in February 2019. He also says he was blowing up Travis and his management team about the issue, and finally heard back from one of his attorneys in the summer of 2019.

He claims the lawyer told him Travis was unaware of using art belonging to anyone in particular. While the lawsuit notes the centaur shot's since been removed from multiple platforms carrying 'La Flame' ... Mehala apparently still wants his day in court.

He also wants d'argent, or as Travis would say ... money, and lots of it. Mehala's suing for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sole control of his centaur going forward.

We've reached out to Travis' team, but no word back yet.

Kanye West has his sights set on Moscow -- where he reportedly wants a powwow with the Vladimir Putin, not to mention a vast plan to establish roots in Mother Russia.

Ye is gunning for a meeting with the Russian President, and also wants to do a series of Sunday Service shows in the man's country fairly soon -- sometime in the spring or summer, in fact ... this according to Billboard, who spoke to KW's biz associate, Ameer Sudan.

Sudan says Ye's schedule will dictate when this all happens, but assures Billboard that the wheels are already in motion to broker a face-to-face between Putin and Kanye.

Sounds like a lot of this is going to be handled by some Russian friends Ye has apparently cozied up to of late -- tycoon real estate developer Aras Agalarov and his son Emin Agalarov ... the so-called "Trumps of Russia," and clients of attorney Scott Balber, whom Sudan says is also helping Kanye make this happen. Unclear if Balber reps Ye personally.

Anywyay, speaking of Emin -- who's actually an aspiring musical artist himself -- Kanye is said to be intent on helping him blow up here in the States via collaboration, so says Sudan.

There's more ... Sudan says Ye's business relationship with the Agalarovs will bear lucrative -- with deals he says they're working on that'll supposedly send his net worth sky-high, north of $10 billion, he claims. So, in other words ... Ye is all in on Russia, it seems.

Sudan went so far to say that Kanye would be making the area a "second home," telling Billboard the guy plans to spend a lot of time out there going forward. As for where those Sunday Service concerts would happen -- word is, he has the Crocus City Hall in mind, and will invite President Putin as his guest. It's a big venue ... capable of seating over 7,000.

Other options are being considered too, per Billboard, like the Grand Sports Arena at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, where the Olympics were once held. Capacity there is 80k-plus.

One last thing ... Sudan says Kanye is aware of the international strife between the U.S. and Russia -- namely, Putin encroaching on Ukraine, among other things -- but had this to say about it ... "This is Ye, Ye is going to get there regardless. What are they going to say? He's going to be a special guest of the Agalarovs."

He adds, "Kanye knows what's going on more than the average human being, he's well aware of things. And it's nothing against the United States or to cause conflicts, but Ye is Ye -- he can't be controlled."

Julian Edelman is putting his money where his mouth is -- TMZ Sports has learned the former Pats wideout is placing a $100,000 bet that the Patriots and Buccaneers will meet in Super Bowl LVI.

With the NFL playoffs officially here ... Edelman is so confident that his old QB and good friend, Tom Brady, will square off with his former coach, Bill Belichick, for the Lombardi Trophy on Feb 13, he's laying down the serious cash on it via the WynnBet Sports App.

Edelman says the co. gave him the money to help promote the brand ... but he quickly laid it down on Pats vs. Bucs with the hopes of turning it into $545,000!!!

Hitting the bet doesn't seem likely -- after all, the Bucs are the #2 seed in the NFC and the Pats are the #6 seed in the AFC -- but there aren't too many people who know the two teams better than he does.

You'll recall, Edelman spent his entire playing career with Brady and Belichick in New England ... winning three Super Bowl championships together.

The Pats and the Bucs, meanwhile, have already faced off once this season -- Brady got the better of Belichick at Gillette Stadium in October -- and Edelman called the game "super weird for him."

Someone's about to have trouble falling asleep -- the infamous home from the OG "A Nightmare on Elm Street" has a new owner, who's dropping $2,980,000 to toss and turn ... TMZ has learned.

Aside from being a kickass location for a Halloween party ... the 3 bedroom, 4.5 bath L.A. home has some impressive features like walnut floors, spacious backyard patios, a pool and a bed that devours you whole!!!

Kidding. The infamous bed from the classic horror film was not included -- that would cost way more than $3 mil.

Despite its place in Hollywood horror history, the home screams peaceful suburban bliss ... and was originally listed around Halloween for $3,250,000.

You can see in the photo gallery, the sellers really leaned into the whole Freddy Krueger thing to market the home.

The 2 story pad does come with a bonus -- a detached guest house with its own kitchen, covered patio and full bathroom.

We don't know who snagged the iconic home, but they are in for a treat ... and maybe a trick or 2. Their new favorite song?