Money

Kodak Black is strapped for time these days -- booking gigs here, there and everywhere -- but at least he's got a sweet new watch for his travels ... and it's worth its weight in gold.

The rapper recently had a ridiculously pricey timepiece delivered to him in Miami -- a Richard Mille RM 030, completely iced-out with diamonds and valued at about $300k!!!

As you'd expect at that price ... the watch is a custom design courtesy of celeb jeweler Gavriel from NYC Luxury, and he's sure proud of a job well done. He posed with Kodak, and the watch, when he dropped it off.

Kodak liked it too ... the dude was rocking it all weekend while at the Ultra Music Festival -- and was even happy to show it off to his buddies.

The rapper's definitely getting back into the swing of things since getting released from prison last year -- thanks to then-Prez Donald Trump -- when he had his sentence commuted. As we've reported, he's kept fairly busy in a variety of ways.

Not only has he been charitable, but he's also getting hired for jobs around the globe. And, unfortunately, he seems to have found some trouble in the year-plus since walking out a free man ... sometimes through no fault of his own (that wild shooting comes to mind).

Channing Crowder thinks there's no way Ciara would leave a guy like Future to get with Russell Wilson -- at least not without some money motives behind the move ... yikes.

The ex-linebacker made the inflammatory comments on a recent episode of his podcast "The Pivot," where they were talking about the Broncos QB and his wife ... whom Crowder apparently feels is in the wrong relationship, invoking her ex of several years now.

We'll let CC speak for himself here, because he says a lot ... and much of it is pretty mean. He calls Russ a "square" and speculates Ciara is only with him for cash.

He also theorizes there's just no way Ciara would ditch someone like Future and get with Russ -- who's seen as his polar opposite -- unless there was something deeper fueling her ... because he thinks all women have a type, and believes Ciara's shown her cards.

On Sunday, Crowder doubled down on his "goofball" jabs -- posting an old photo of Russ at the NFL draft in 2012 next to his then-GF Ashton Meem, whom he mocked in the pod.

Of course, he got strong pushback from his fellow podcasters ... who tell him that women want peace, and that Ciara and Russ are perfectly happy together -- as they've been married since 2016 and have kids together.

Sooo, it seems the proof is in the pudding here ... namely, the fact they've stayed together this long proves Crowder's train of thought isn't actually supported by reality. Russ and Ciara have been couple goals for a very long time now -- and yet, this narrative persists.

Russ, meanwhile, appears to have responded to all the renewed chatter ... albeit cryptically.

He tweeted Sunday, "'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.' Galatians 5:22-23 NIV."

Blac Chyna will finally get her day in court against the Kardashians -- this after a years-long legal battle over what happened to her old E! show ... and she's licking her chops.

The reality star and model -- who has children with both Rob Kardashian and Tyga -- signaled she would be shifting her energy on her civil case against the family that she says is going to be put forth before a jury in less than 2 weeks.

BC writes, "I plan to refocus my attention on my trial against Kris Jenner and her daughters Kim, Khloe, and Kylie which starts in 13 days. When they got my #1 hit show killed back in January 2017, that not only hurt me financially and emotionally, that hurt my beautiful KIDS."

She adds, "I’m taking them to court to stand up for my legal rights and to be an example to my kids that whats right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. And what they did was so wrong."

Chyna also says she's thankful a jury is going to get to hear firsthand what she claims happened behind closed doors, including alleged "lies" told and damage done.

She also had this to say ... "At the end of the trial, I’m going to be able to proudly tell King and Dream that I did everything I could to right the wrong that was done to me. And that, in life, it is my hope that they will be able to stand up for themselves when it matters too."

Of course, this all dates back to 2017 -- when Chyna sued the Kardashians for what she claimed was them pulling the strings BTS to torpedo her and Rob's reality series, "Rob & Chyna" ... for a number of alleged reasons, including what she described as racist motives.

The Kardashians and their attorneys have fiercely pushed back on her claims, saying Chyna herself made the show impossible to continue -- on account of her having a restraining order against Rob, and their volatile relationship in general. They've denied her racism claims too ... saying it reeks of desperation and that her rationale has changed a lot over these 5 years.

We've also heard from production sources that the show wasn't nearly the hit Chyna might think it was ... and that there were a number of reasons to pull the plug.

Regardless of how each party might feel about the sitch, it seems a jury is finally gonna get to weigh in for themselves and decide once and for all.

Bruce Willis is educating the world about aphasia by opening up a discussion that wasn't there before ...  according to organizations that support the cause.

The National Aphasia Association saw an unexpected 30,000 hits on their website just one hour after the Willis family broke the news on Instagram ... so says Darlene Williamson, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The goal of NAA is to make those with aphasia feel accepted in the community, and Bruce's family's announcement is decreasing the stigma behind the disease. Darlene says they've received several modest donations since the news of Bruce's diagnosis ... some of the donations came with personal notes in Bruce's honor.

Justine Knight, the Executive Director at Triangle Aphasia Project Unlimited, tells us one of the worst things those with the disease could do is stay isolated ... but now, people are opening up about their experiences after seeing a celebrity in the same position as them.

Justine says they've seen a recent uptick in visitors online too with their Facebook page reaching over 4,000 users a day -- compared to less than 100 before Bruce's news broke.

St. Peter's star Doug Edert is striking while the iron's hot -- the NCAA tournament hero is cashing in on his new fame by charging $100 for personalized vids on Cameo!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old Peacocks hooper is raking in the dough on the video platform ... and so far, he's getting great reviews.

In fact, 17 reviews have been left on Edert's page ... and they're all 5 stars!!

The price tag is pretty interesting -- especially considering North Carolina star Armando Bacot charges 60 bucks.

But, it shouldn't be too shocking -- Edert became a fan-favorite during St. Peter's Cinderella run in the tourney ... as he helped knock off 2-seed Kentucky in the first round with 20 points.

The Peacocks ended up making it all the way to the Elite 8 before being booted by UNC.

During their epic run, Edert also made the best of his spotlight by securing deals with Buffalo Wild Wings and Barstool Sports.

Shout-out to the NCAA's new NIL rules ... 'cause now athletes can finally get what they deserve.

Choreographer and former "Celebrity Big Brother" contestant Todrick Hall may not be a homeowner after all ... cause TMZ has learned, the dude's just been hit with a lawsuit for thousands in unpaid rent.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Hall is being sued by Avi Lavian who claims Todrick failed to pay $60k in back rent, for his Sherman Oaks home. The suit claims, Hall is supposed to pay $30k per month in rent but is now around 60 days behind.

Oddly enough, the 36-year-old singer raved about buying the lush home and gave an elaborate tour on YouTube. He said ... "I have been wanting to buy a home for a very very long time, and this is a dream come true."

Check out the video of Todrick showing off his pad and all the cool amenities ... including an outdoor pool, a movie theater, an enormous walk-in closet and a bedframe decked in Louis Vuitton -- just to name a few.

You might recall Todrick from the reality show, "Celebrity Big Brother." He first gained national attention, after appearing on the 9th season of "American Idol" … he's done quite a few gigs since then, including appearing on "RuPaul's Drag Race" as a choreographer and judge, and working with huge stars like Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

Now, it looks like the homeowner life may not have really been a reality for the reality star.

Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes are being sued by their drummer, Steve Gorman, over unpaid royalties ... according to legal documents.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, claim the accounting wasn't up to snuff when the band was cranking out albums ... allegedly resulting in Gorman missing out on royalties from their past albums. Gorman says he doesn't know exactly how much he's owed.

Gorman joined the reassembled group in 2005 after a 4-year hiatus, touring periodically with the band. The docs claim they recorded and released 3 albums in the mid-to-late 2000s during their time together and Gorman claims he was shorted for his work in the reunion era, either.

Gorman is suing Robinson and the band for back royalties.

The Black Crowes were signed by Def American Recordings in 1989, and dropped their first album, "Shake Your Money Maker" the next year. They released 5 more records before lead singer Chris Robinson announced his solo career in the summer of 2001.

We've reached out to reps for Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes ... so far, no word back.

Paul Walker's sunglasses from his fatal car crash are changing hands ... and Zak Bagans wants to get them back to the late actor's family.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... earlier this year he bought the infamous pair of Maui Jim sunglasses recovered from Paul's crash site, but he doesn't feel comfortable displaying them at his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.

Instead, Zak tells us he'd like to return the shades, worn by Paul at the time of the crash, to the Walker family for free ... and he's planning to reach out to the family directly.

You'll recall ... Paul died in a fiery car crash back in November 2013 and there was a ton of outrage when the sunglasses went up for auction in 2014 for $15,000. A man who was at the crash site allegedly found them in the bushes once the wreckage was cleared.

The man who found the glasses says shortly after the crash he tried getting in touch with Paul's family but never heard back. He then put the sunglasses up for auction, but after lots of backlash ... they never sold. The owner of the auction reached out to Zak earlier this year and Zak bought them from him.

If for some reason the Walkers don't want the sunglasses, Zak says he would seek the family's permission to display them in a new memorial exhibit at his museum.

Zak's already displaying different artifacts connected to dead celebs ... including a piece of the James Dean death car, Sharon Tate's wedding dress and a Patrick Swayze tooth ... but he says he would create a special display just for Paul, if it gets to that point.

David and Victoria Beckham's London mansion was burglarized late last month while the couple and their 10-year-old daughter were still inside the home ... but, thankfully, everyone is safe.

Cops confirmed to TMZ Sports that in the early morning hours of March 1, officers responded to the Beckhams' Kensington home for a report of a burglary that was believed to have taken place between 8:30 PM and 11:30 PM on Feb. 28.

Police tell us "a number of items were reported stolen" ... and, according to The Sun, that included expensive "designer and electric goods."

The Sun reported the break-in was discovered by David's 17-year-old son, Cruz, after he had returned home late in the evening from hanging out with friends.

Cruz reportedly saw broken glass and a ransacked room -- and then helped search the house for the culprit with his father. The alleged thief, though, was believed to have already escaped.

According to The Sun, security video showed the suspect climbing over the Beckhams' gate, then climbing up the couple's home, before breaking into a spare bedroom's window.

The Sun reports that while David, Victoria and the rest of the Beckhams were uninjured in the incident ... the couple is "shaken up" over it all.

The verdict is in and Damon Dash isn't gonna like it -- he has to cough up more than $800,000 to the director and producers of a movie he tried to claim as his own.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Dash took the L Wednesday morning ... when the jury sided with director Josh Webber and Muddy Water Pictures who made the feature film, "Dear Frank" -- starring Brian White, Claudia Jordan, Nick Turturro, Lil Durk and Columbus Short.

The filmmakers sued the Roc-A-Fella co-founder 3 years ago for copyright infringement and defamation, alleging he tried to shop and advertise the movie as his own ... despite Dash getting dropped from the project.

To make matters worse, they say Dame sent promo material of the movie to outlets like BET, but changed the title to "The List."

Let's rewind a bit ... Josh and Muddy Waters say Damon was supposed to direct the film starting in 2016, but they claimed he wasn't fit for the job because he was often high on set while filming his Sherman Oaks property.

They cut him in 2018 and completed the movie without him. Damon fired back, claiming they shot the movie at his house and used his equipment, before stealing the footage to work on it without him.

The jury didn't see it that way, and now Dame's got a hefty tab to settle. Attorney Chris Brown repped the plaintiffs and tells TMZ, "I will get every penny due to my clients."

Jon Gruden lost his job in Vegas -- and now he's officially given up his home there as well ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the former Raiders head coach just officially sold his mansion in the desert for $7 million.

The 58-year-old put the 8,684-square foot palace on the market back in February following his infamous ousting from the Raiders ... and it didn't take long for it to sell.

We're told the sale just closed recently -- and it's clear from the pics of the place, the buyer is going to be happy with the purchase.

The pad features retractable floor-to-ceiling windows along with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a chef's kitchen and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

The property's backyard is decked out too, with an infinity-edge pool, spa, fire pit and BBQ area. It's also got beautiful views of the Nevada mountains.

Heidi from Lifestyle LV tells us the listing also included an empty lot (also owned by Gruden) that's adjacent to the mansion. The final price tag was $7,025,000.

As we previously reported, Gruden -- who began coaching the Raiders for a second go-around back in 2018 -- resigned on Oct. 11, 2021, after it was revealed he sent emails in the past that contained racially insensitive, misogynistic and homophobic language.

Facebook is determined to beat out its biggest rival, TikTok ... going so far as to hire a major political consulting firm to smear its competitor with an elaborate nationwide campaign.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to turn Americans against TikTok and ultimately steer young users back to FB ... according to the Washington Post.

In an internal email obtained by WaPo, one of the firm's directors says Targeted Victory needs to "get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat, especially as a foreign-owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using."

The firm's tactics include targeting TikTok through op-eds and letters to the editor in regional news outlets, recruiting politicians, political reporters and public relations firms to help turn the public against TikTok and planting negative stories about the Chinese-owned app.

You might have seen some of the negative press ... like stories about the so-called "slap a teacher" TikTok challenge, which actually started on Facebook.

Targeted Victory is a huge digital consulting firm within GOP circles ... receiving $237 million in Republican campaign spending during the 2020 election cycle. It's unclear how much Meta is paying the firm.

Jerry Jones says the woman who accused him of being her father in a lawsuit earlier this month attempted to extort him before she made the allegations in court documents.

Jones made the claim in court docs of his own -- filed in Dallas County, Texas, on Monday -- alleging Alexandra Davis approached him to "make a deal" before she filed her lawsuit.

Jones claims Davis asked him to pay up in exchange for assurance "that he would not be publicly or privately identified and/or declared as [Davis'] father."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jones says the request was one of "multiple monetary extortion attempts" made against him and the Dallas Cowboys at the time.

Jones, though, says he declined Davis' offer ... so she filed the suit.

In Jones' docs, he argued that Davis' case should be tossed -- saying her hypothetical claims about him being her father belong in family court, if at all.

"She is not entitled to the relief she requests," Jones' attorneys argued in the docs, "and the Court does not have jurisdiction to grant it."

A hearing in the case has been set for March 31.

As we reported, Davis -- a 25-year-old who works for a U.S. congressman in Washington, D.C. -- sued Jones back on March 3 alleging the Dallas Cowboys owner is her dad. She claimed in the suit that he paid her mother $375k "in exchange for confidentiality" 24 years ago.

Some lucky bidder is walking home with a cool artifact from "The Wizard of Oz" ... 'cause the Tin Man's oil can just sold for $250K!

The highly sought-after can went up for auction via Kruse GWS Auctions and was expected to fetch around $200k -- but ended up snagging another $50K when it was all said and done.

Still no heart, though. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Tin Man's can -- it's a real one, btw -- was used while filming the 1939 classic, and it's one of the only original items left from the character's costume ... the rest of it's gone missing. Jack Haley, who played Tin Man, got the oil can as a parting gift after filming wrapped.

The cool memorabilia was put up for auction for the first time ever, earlier this year ... so it makes sense why it was in such high demand.

The tin can was previously on display at the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum.

As movie memorabilia collectors know, 'Oz' artifacts always garner huge interest. One of the 4 existing pairs of Dorothy's ruby red slippers once sold for $2mil!!!

Kim Kardashian isn't your average soccer mom ... at least not when it comes to the wheels she uses to chauffeur her kiddos and their orange slices to games.

Check out the inside of Kim's custom luxury Maybach van, complete with multi-color roof lighting, folding tables, seat heaters and coolers and reclining captain's chairs throughout.

That stuff alone would probably warrant the astronomical $400k Kim dropped for the ultimate mom ride, but as they say ... there's more!

The van also features leather seats with diamond stitching, and that must-have kid distraction ... TV screens in all the seat partitions.

Kim recently scooped this up from her pal RD Whittington, who owns Wires Only ... an automotive and aviation company that specializes in custom whips for celebs.

Not only did Kim buy the luxury mom-mobile through his company, but she also agreed to document the buying process on RD's hit reality show, "Million Dollar Wheels" on Discovery+. Her episode premiered this week.

We should note ... Kim's not the only one in her fam to buy one of these fancy vans. Kanye bought one from RD as well, and recently took it out while grabbing ice cream solo.

Now their kids will have equal luxury with both parents. Co-parenting at its finest ... and most expensive!!!

Speaking of Ye -- he and Kim made big progress over the weekend when they came together with their kids to cheer on Saint at his soccer game.

One famous feline is helping other animals in need ... raising $10k for animal relief in Ukraine!

Stepan the cat, whose Instagram account Loveyoustepan has 1.2 million followers, started collecting money over PayPal last week, looking to donate to 5 different animal charities in Ukraine ... as of Monday, they've raised $10,035!

The five charities -- Happy Paw, UAnimals, Mykolaiv Zoo, XII Months and Plyushka -- will help in a variety of ways, providing aid to animals in Ukraine affected by the war.

Stepan and co. have been documenting their journey, leaving Kharkiv and fleeing to France. They were woken up at the end of February to explosions that shook their windows ... seeing neighboring houses burnt before their very eyes.

Their house remained untouched for an entire week, until a shell flew into their neighbor's balcony, affecting their building. After escaping to France, they started the fundraiser, asking those able to help to donate what they could.

FYI, this isn't an ordinary cat ... he's caught the eyes of millions, including Britney Spears, who even reposted the kitty on her social media.

Stepan was rescued when he was 1 month old and has lived in Ukraine his whole life. He went viral on TikTok in 2019, appearing with his famous glass of red wine with Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" playing in the background.