Money

"Jeopardy!" champ Amy Schneider is now flush with cash, so she essentially went all country -- as in "take this job and shove it!!!"

Amy's way too polite to say "shove it," but she is indeed quitting her job as a software engineer. She tells us the whole "Jeopardy!" experience has been life-changing, and that includes employment.

She assumed the interactions and business discussions she was having during her run would fade away once she was dethroned. As she put it ... "That turned out to be completely incorrect."

She says the emails and meetings have made it clear ... there's more out there! She's also enjoying the life of a newly-minted celeb.

Amy went on to share what career avenues she's mulling over .... writing a book and podcasting are at the top of her list. She also says she's looking for anything educational because that clearly has served her well.

Amy was on a hot winning streak -- racking up $1.3 million over 40 episodes! It all came to an end when she went up against Rhone Talsma and lost during Final Jeopardy.

It's a new year, and for Fat Joe, that means a new Rolls-Royce ... he just got his custom ride, and it's worth around $450K.

The NY rapper ordered his 2022 RR Cullinan months ago, and he had it delivered straight to car designer Will Castro from the show 'Unique Rides' ... in true Fat Joe fashion.

Will Castro tells TMZ ... he and Joe decided on the name "Mandarin Oriental Edition" after pimping out his ride with two-tone matte black wrap and mandarin orange accents.

The factory chrome was wrapped in gloss black ... and the interior includes some pretty sweet features like a shooting star headliner, custom Mandarin orange leather with matching key fob and lambswool floor mats.

Fat Joe isn't new to the game. He's worked with Will on all of his cars over the last 20 years ... and of course, his many Rolls-Royces.

Fat Joe actually picked up a new Rolls-Royce in 2019 and took it to Will to get it decked out ... that time, he also spent nearly a half mil.

Win or lose ... Odell Beckham Jr. is hitting the field in style today -- the Rams star will be rocking a custom pair of $200K cleats featuring diamonds in them for the Super Bowl LVI pregame.

TMZ Sports has learned ... OBJ teamed up with Dominic Ciambrone, aka "The Shoe Surgeon" in L.A., and Jason of Beverly Hills to create "the most expensive cleat ever" for Beckham to wear on Super Sunday.

We spoke with Dominic -- who has over 1 million followers on his social media page -- and he told us Odell's 1-of-1 cleats feature yellow gold (symbolic of the Rams' colors) and 1,494 round brilliant white diamonds on the Nike swoosh sign.

Dominic tells us the connection between him and OBJ formed after he collaborated with one of Odell's teammates, Jalen Ramsey, to make some cleats for the Rams star cornerback.

"I was making cleats for Jalen and a few other guys," Dominic said. "But this year Jalen hit me ... game one of the playoffs and then Odell hit me."

"We just knew we were going to work together. And it just happened to be on the biggest stage for the sport."

FYI, the turnaround time for a project like this is typically 3-to-5 months, but Dominic told us his team spent over 100 man-hours working on the project to ensure the cleats were ready for game day.

Speaking of the game ... we asked Dominic for a prediction, and, well, he couldn't pick against his friends.

"You already know that answer, man," he said. "The Rams are gonna win."

Timing is everything, and Super Bowl LVI's couldn't be worse for celebs already on edge due to recent violent crimes in L.A. -- and all that adds up to way more biz this weekend for private security companies.

During a normal Super Bowl, celebs attending the big game wouldn't call for backup, as it were, because the NFL and host city always have tight security teams and measures in place -- but that's different this year. However, Los Angeles has seen a lot of violence building up to game day, so big names in attendance are asking for more protection.

2 Deep Security says they're covering a handful of clients at the game, including Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander. They say each client's getting 3 guards ... 2 inside SoFi Stadium, and one on the outside. They've normally dispatched one bodyguard per celeb at Super Bowls.

Of course, L.A.'s famous for traffic ... so, naturally, Ratpack Worldwide Security says it's getting a spike in specialty transportation requests. A rep tells us their bulletproof rides and black truck fleets are providing the kinda protection celebs want while traveling to and from the game and all the parties this weekend.

Speaking of those parties, Kings Protection tells TMZ ... many of their clients are avoiding the bigger public parties they'd normally attend, and instead, doing smaller ones at hotels and Airbnbs -- but even there, they'll still have protection.

An unopened VHS copy of 'Star Wars: Episode IV' is getting some love on the auction block -- it's expected to fetch $60K!!!

Goldin Auctions is hosting an online auction featuring a ton of vintage VHS tapes, and the star of the show is from a galaxy far, far away.

The copy of 'Star Wars: A New Hope' is a first edition VHS tape ... and includes a "Gray Tape-Head," a "First Edition Stereo Only" red label, a "1984 Sleeve," and "First Edition CBS/Fox Watermarks" ... all it needs is a lightsaber to go with it!

The tape has lots of history ... when it was originally sold, it was the first time someone could watch the film at home, making it legendary among collectors and movie buffs. It first sold at auction for $57,600.

They're also offering up a sealed copy of the "Star Wars 10-Year Anniversary Original Trilogy Set in Trilogy Case" ... which should go for somewhere between $10k and $20k.

Wanna bet Eminem rocks the Slim Shady platinum blonde hairdo during the Super Bowl halftime show?!

Or that Mary J. Blige might show some cleavage?!

Well, if you have money to put up, there are a whole bunch of fun prop bets waiting to be made on BetOnline.ag on everything from the coin toss to National Anthem too ... boobies!!

Eminem's hair color?

• Brown/black -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• White/blonde +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

Will any of the Halftime headliners be smoking?

• Yes +200 (risk $100 to win $200)
• No -300 (risk $300 to win $100)

FWIW, we talked to 2 Chainz this week in L.A. and he said Snoop has to smoke!!

Mary J Blige's earrings?

• Hoop/huggie -125
• Chandelier/Cluster +175
• Teardrop +275
• Stud +750

Mary J. Blige shows cleavage?

• Yes -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• No +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

The "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" ain't the only one you can place a bet on to show a little somethin' ... you can also wager on whether country singer Mickey Guyton will show cleavage during the anthem.

You can also bet on Joe Burrow ... not in regards to the game (well, you can bet on the game, too), but as to whether he'll be compared to his "look-alike" Macaulay Culkin.

There's more ... you can also bet on the commercials. Or, which Hollywood landmark will be shown first on the broadcast.

What will be shown first?

• Hollywood sign -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• Hollywood walk of fame +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

Suge Knight's son thinks Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records is a victory for West Coast rap ... and says there's no bad blood coming from his old man.

Suge Jacob Knight tells TMZ ... he's happy just like lots of folks in Cali that Snoop is taking over Death Row, because it's time the West Coast starts winning again after losing icons like Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant.

As we reported ... Snoop just became the top dog at Death Row Records, the label that launched his career nearly 3 decades ago.

Snoop bought Death Row from Blackstone investment firm and MNRK Music Group ... and Jacob tells us he previously pitched execs there on a rebrand, and he thinks the Doggfather is the right guy to carry the torch.

While some folks reacted to the purchase by theorizing Suge will be enraged, his son says that's simply not the case. He says everything's kosher between Suge and Snoop, despite the widespread belief the two are on the outs.

Julia Haart, the star of Netflix's "My Unorthodox Life," is getting dragged into court by her estranged hubby ... who claims she made off with $850k from a company account.

Silvio Scaglia and Freedom Holding Inc. are suing Julia ... claiming she misappropriated the funds after finding out she was going to be dismissed as the CEO at Elite World Group.

Silvio runs EWG, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding, and in a lawsuit, he says she made the huge withdrawal on Tuesday, the day after finding out she was getting the ax.

It's interesting ... the alleged withdrawal went down the day before Julia filed to divorce Silvio after 3 years of marriage.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Silvio claims he gave Julia a 50% stake in Freedom Holding back in 2019, and she became the CEO of EWG that same year ... a job that gave her access to the company bank account.

Julia's ex claims they met in January to discuss company finances and agreed to place limits on what she could withdraw ... no more than $250k to cover a mortgage, rent and living expenses, and he claims she took out $250k shortly after that agreement was made.

Silvio says EWG sent a letter to Julia outlining reasons for her dismissal, and it cites an alleged increase in costs and expenses beyond the budget. It also blames Haart for the company's failure to raise new money.

Silvio claims Julia swiped the money as retaliation for getting fired, and he's suing to get back the $850k, plus damages.

We reached out to Julia ... so far, no word back.

Logan Paul is taking his rivalry with Floyd Mayweather to the courtroom -- the YouTube superstar tells TMZ Sports he's planning to sue the legend ... claiming he still hasn't gotten paid for their exhibition fight in June.

Logan has been vocal claiming he hasn't gotten a dime from the 50-0 boxer following their popular bout at Hard Rock Stadium last year ... and he says he's so pissed about the situation, he's going to file a lawsuit.

"It's honestly bulls***," Logan said outside Saddle Ranch on Thursday. "Like, having people who aren't a professional promotional company control where the money goes, we made that mistake,"

"It's Floyd Mayweather. Before we fought him, we were kind of willing to do whatever. Now after the fact, we're kind of shooting ourselves in the foot because he's a "f***ing scumbag."

FYI -- Floyd has made a killing over the course of his career ... and reportedly made over $300 million for his Conor McGregor fight alone.

The Logan vs. Floyd fight raked in a ton of cash ... but so far, Paul claims he hasn't gotten what he deserves for his involvement.

Logan has a bit of advice for whoever steps in the ring next -- "don't let him control the money."

Paul also says Floyd has hit him up for a rematch ... but his response was simple -- "suck a d***."

Move over Bengals and Rams fans ... Drake now might be the most nervous person on the continent watching the Super Bowl this weekend -- 'cause he revealed he's betting more than $1 MILLION on the Big Game.

The "Hotline Bling" singer disclosed his bets on his social media page Thursday evening ... showing he's laying down serious cash on the Rams and Odell Beckham Jr.

In screenshots of his wagers -- which appear to be placed in Bitcoin -- Drake showed he's got nearly $500K on the Rams to beat Cincy outright.

Drake also revealed he's betting nearly $800K on Odell catching a touchdown and logging more than 62.5 receiving yards.

In total, if Drake hits all three bets, he stands to make over $2 MILLION.

Of course, the bets aren't too surprising -- Drake's rich after all, but he's also good buds with Beckham. In fact, along with his betting slips, Drake showed a photo of what appeared to be gloves given to him by OBJ.

Rings, Hobbits, wizards, elves and even that creepy Gollum dude ... all things 'Lord of the Rings" are hitting the open market, but you're probably gonna have to outbid Jeff Bezos to get it.

Here's the deal ... The Saul Zaentz Company currently owns rights to the universe and characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien -- or almost all of 'em, anyway -- and has since 1976, but it's now reportedly ready to sell for at least $2 BILLION!!!

This might sound a little confusing, because as you know Warner Bros. (through ownership of New Line Cinema) made Peter Jackson's enormously profitable 'Rings' trilogy from the early 2000s, and 3 'Hobbit' films in the 2010s.

More currently ... Amazon is getting ready to roll out its "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" series on Prime.

So, here's how that all shakes out -- SZC has been battling WB over its share of profits from the 6 films, and reportedly believes it's reclaimed the movie rights because WB hasn't developed any new projects since 2014's 'Battle of the Five Armies.' So, lawyers will have to settle that part of the deal.

Amazon bought its rights back in 2017 due to a loophole in SZC's ownership that allows for the sale of TV rights, as long as the series is longer than 8 episodes.

That means Amazon will be highly motivated to purchase everything else in the 'Rings' franchise to capitalize on what it hopes is a new blockbuster series on its streaming service.

Let's face it ... $2 billion is a drop in the bucket for the world's 2nd richest man.

David Spade just got a lot richer -- not that he needs the loot -- because he flipped his longtime Beverly Hills mansion and cashed in at $19.5 mil ... TMZ has learned.

For context ... David plunked down $4 million for the 4 bedroom, 7 bathroom home back in 2001, and you know what's happened to the housing market since then. True, he made a bunch of renovations, but still ...

The house is located in the super-exclusive Trousdale Estates in Bev Hills. A ton of stars make Trousdale their home, including Elton John, Ringo Starr and Charlie Puth. Among those who once lived there but are no longer living ...  Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and President Nixon.

The house is 6,426-sq ft ...  with sweeping, jetliner views from downtown L.A. to the blue Pacific

There are a bunch of bells and whistles, including a tennis court and an entertainment lounge.

Outside of its impressive looks, the mansion has a cool pedigree ... Prince, Eddie Murphy and Warren Beatty all lived there ... no, not all at once.

D.S. listed the house last month with Stuart Vetterick of Hilton & Hyland for $20 million, so it sold for just a skosh under asking.

Kevin O’Leary is off the hook in a fraud lawsuit -- and his lawyers are saying he should never have been sued in the first place.

A judge just granted O'Leary's motion to toss the suit filed against him last year ... alleging he helped promote a massive scam that duped a bunch of people trying to start businesses.

20 entrepreneurs sued Kevin and others for allegedly encouraging them to use crowdfunding companies to kickstart their business ideas. The problem is they claim it was a total bunk, and they all ended up losing money.

Here’s the thing though ... Kev’s attorneys, Paul Sorrell and Andrew Brettler, tell us the reason the judge agreed to dismiss O'Leary from the case is because -- put simply -- the court didn't buy that O’Leary's general statements about crowdfunding were enough to hold him accountable when people pursued those paths.

In other words -- just because the crowdfunding plan didn't pan out, it's not Kevin's fault

In any case, all’s well that ends well for Mr. Wonderful ... who previously told us the suit was bogus, and that he’d defend himself in court.

Snoop Dogg just became the top dog at Death Row Records ... 'cause he now owns the record label that launched his career nearly 30 years ago.

The Doggfather scooped up Death Row from Blackstone investment firm and MNRK Music Group. No word on how much he paid for the legendary label, but it's been passed around a bit since going into bankruptcy in 2006.

Remember, label co-founder Suge Knight is serving 28 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.

Anyhow, Snoop's homecoming purchase is a great way for him to celebrate the release of his latest album, B.O.D.R., on Friday. Not to mention ... he's got the Super Bowl Halftime show coming up with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Snoop says, "I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value. It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members," Snoop said.

Death Row released Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1992 -- which heavily featured Snoop -- and then in 1993 it released his debut solo record, "Doggystyle."

Greg Robinson -- the #2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- has been arrested again ... after cops say they found the former Cleveland Browns tackle was in possession of $120,000 worth of illegal drugs.

According to the Thibodaux Police Department in Louisiana, Robinson was pulled over on Monday at around 12 AM for a routine traffic stop.

Cops say a Police K-9 smelled an odor of drugs coming from inside of the football player's 2021 Black Cadillac Escalade ... and when they searched it, they say they found suspected cocaine, suspected crack cocaine and much more.

The officers say the stop led them to search Robinson's properties in the area, and they claim they found more illegal narcotics at those residences.

In total, cops say they found pounds of what appeared to be crystal meth, cocaine, weed and more at the homes. They also say they found firearm magazines and ammunition. They said in a statement they believed it all had a wholesale value of approximately $120,810.

Robinson was arrested and booked on a litany of charges, including felony possession with intent to distribute cocaine and felony possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

Jail records show the 29-year-old is still behind bars.

You'll recall, this is not the first time Robinson has been accused of being in possession of a large amount of illegal drugs ... the offensive lineman was arrested back in Feb. 2020 after he allegedly had 157 pounds of marijuana in his car.

Robinson was eventually sentenced to 5 years of probation in that case.

Christmas wrapped up nearly two months ago, but Floyd Mayweather still did his best Santa impression outside of the Lakers game on Tuesday night ... doling out $100 bills to kids!

It was a super generous act for the legendary boxer ... who said, "I'm all about giving back to the kids" as he forked over cash to youngsters who were trying to sell candy bars at Crypto.com Arena.

In total, Floyd handed over $400 or $500 to the kids ... and he didn't blink an eye parting ways with the money -- adding, "The kids out here selling candy, they ain't doing nothing wrong."

Floyd then promised to repeat the gesture "every time" he sees them at the games going forward.

It should be noted ... Mayweather did not take any candy in return for the cash, a sign that he's taking his upcoming exhibition match later this month pretty dang seriously.