Kevin Hart Check Out My New Dream Car ... I Call It 'The Dark Knight'

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NEW DAILY DRIVER

Kevin Hart just added a new car to his already impressive collection ... an upgraded 1987 Buick Grand National GNX with a badass nickname.

The comedian/actor unveiled the car this week at the MagnaFlow booth at SEMA, a famous car show in Vegas, and Kevin's calling his new whip "The Dark Knight."

We're told it took 8 months for mechanics to restore the car to Kevin's liking ... the Buick's got a new exhaust, carbon fiber hood, splitter and a custom front fascia bumper.

The interior's also been updated to look more modern ... and Kevin and his design team swapped out the Buick V6 engine for a V6 engine from the Cadillac V-Series.

Kevin's ride is still embracing its 1980s roots ... most notably the T-top.

The 'Dark Knight' won't just be sitting around Kevin's garage like the other GNX he owns ... during the unveiling he told the crowd, "I don't just sit in the cars, I drive the cars. This will be a daily driver."

Elon Musk Postpones Twitter's $7.99 Monthly Fee ... Worried It Could Affect Midterms

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Elon Musk is postponing his plan to charge Twitter users a $7.99 monthly subscription fee -- just one day after announcing the move ... and it's all because of the midterms.

Citing an internal Twitter memo, the New York Times reported Musk was putting his policy on hold -- for now -- over concerns his verification service would cause the spread of fake news across his social media platform, potentially influencing voters during the midterms.

Twitter employees had made a stink about it, insisting anyone could pay for the blue check subscription fee and create accounts posing as President Biden, members of Congress or news organizations. Scammers could then unleash false information about voting results on the verified accounts, causing distrust among citizens ahead of Tuesday's election.

Over the weekend, Musk introduced his "Twitter Blue" subscription fee to verified users and tried to appeal to other people using a celebrity sales pitch. He promised all subscribers would get a blue checkmark "just like the celebrities." He also mentioned ideas to cut ads and allow for extended videos to be posted on the social media network.

One Twitter worker -- using the internal Slack channel to communicate with fellow employees -- questioned why the company was "making such a risky change before elections, which has the potential of causing election interference."

Twitter management buckled under pressure and decided to kick the subscription fee release date to November 9, one day after the election.

Musk purchased Twitter for an eye-popping $44 billion in late October. Since then, he has fired several top Twitter executives and thousands more employees as a result of purportedly losing $4 mil per day.

'Storage Wars' Star Rene Nezhoda Drops $4K On Wham! Bass Player's Unit ... Complete Bust!!!

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"Storage Wars" stars Rene & Casey Nezhoda are licking their wounds after dropping a bundle on a unit that belonged to a member of Wham! ... 'cause it turned out to be a total waste!

Rene tells TMZ they paid $4,100 for a storage locker that had been owned by Deon Estus ... the bass player for George Michael's '80s hitmaking group. Besides Wham!, Deon had also played with Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Elton John and Annie Lennox ... plus, he had a top 5 hit as a solo artist.

So, you can see why Rene thought he scored when he nabbed the locker in Vernon, CA.

Well, instead of Wham!, it was more like Ooops!

He says it was abandoned and a complete waste of his money ... filled with dirty dishes, pillows, blankets, scarves a DVD player and receipts among other worthless items.

Rene says they did find a guitar case, but of course ... there was nothing inside. Giant swing and a miss.

Deon's stuff had been sitting in the locker since 2018. In case you didn't know, the iconic bass player died last October at the age of 65.

Coincidentally, upon opening the locker ... Rene was probably singing the title of Deon's huge 1989 hit ... "Heaven Help Me."

Powerball Jackpot Hits An Eye-Popping $1.9 Billion ... Largest Amount In U.S. History!!!

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The next Powerball winner may give Elon Musk a run for his money as the world's richest person ... 'cuz the jackpot has just grown to a whopping $1.9 billion!!!

Of course, we're just joking about Musk ... but we're deadly serious about the jackpot -- which is the largest in American history.

The staggering amount of money went up for grabs in California after lottery fans failed to snag the winning ticket in Saturday night's drawing. The winning numbers were 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and a Powerball of 20 ... for whatever it's worth now.

But don't be discouraged. There's still a chance to win the BIG bucks at the next drawing slated for Monday.

The odds of winning, though, are 292.2 million to 1. If, by chance, you hit pay dirt ... you will have the option to receive the money over 29 years or get a one-time lump sum of $929.1M.

Cross your fingers and buy your lottery tickets, folks!!

Kanye West 'White Lives Matter' Rights Price Tag ... Only $1 Billion, Owner Says

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Kanye West is going to need to shell out 10 figures if he wants any chance at owning the rights to 'White Lives Matter' ... so says one of the owners of the phrase.

Ramses Ja, who got the rights to 'WLM' last month along with his radio show co-host Quinton Ward, tells TMZ ... they're not looking to sell the trademark, but any potential buyer would have to come up with a $1 billion offer to even make them consider selling.

For Ramses, the most important thing is helping organizations fighting for Black people's rights ... so a $1 billion dollar offer would make them reconsider their desire not to sell, because they could do so much good with that kind of money.

Kanye's been stirring the pot with his "White Lives Matter" shirts for a month, but he hasn't been able to sell them in America because he doesn't own the rights.

As we reported ... the trademark was acquired by an anonymous listener of Ramses and Quinton's racial justice radio show, "Civic Cipher" ... filing it the same day Ye wore the controversial look at Paris Fashion Week.

The listener transferred ownership over to Ramses and Quinton a few weeks back ... and it covers the right to sell clothing with those words displayed.

Ramses says their lawyer would take legal action against Kanye, or anyone else if the shirts are sold ... and the $1 billion price tag would appear to be an even bigger deterrent.

Kanye's no longer a billionaire after losing tons of business partners over his antisemitic rhetoric ... and Ramses says Ye has not reached out to him about the trademark rights.

And, get this ... in order for Ramses and Quinton to retain their trademark, they need to use it in commerce, they can't just sit on it ... and based on what Ramses is telling us here, it seems like they're coming up with a unique way to hang on to the rights.

Elon Musk Verified Twitter Users ... 'You Have To Pay To Play'!!!!

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Elon Musk has made good on his promise to charge Twitter users a fee ... and he's now trying to lure other customers with a celebrity sales pitch.

Musk -- who purchased the social media giant for $44 billion last month -- has officially launched Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month to users with verified accounts.

Twitter announced the move Saturday ... and tried to make it appealing to the masses with a reference to star power.

The statement began ... "Get Twitter Blue if you sign up now. Blue checkmark: Power to the people. Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you follow."

The company then mentioned plans to cut half the ads and make the remaining ones much better. "Since you’re supporting Twitter in the battle against the bots, we’re going to reward you with half the ads and make them twice as relevant.”

It also pledged to allow users to post extended videos and give them priority rankings for quality content in the form of replies, mentions and searches.

Musk is hoping that by charging the monthly user fee he can offset the major losses he's accrued since his massive purchase of Twitter in late October.

Elon insists the San Francisco based-company is hemorrhaging $4 million a day, leading to him firing half the workforce -- or roughly 3,700 employees.

After receiving an ominous email about the pending layoffs, Twitter workers filed a class action lawsuit to try to save their jobs, arguing Musk had given them insufficient notice, which was in violation of federal and California law.

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LET THAT SINK IN

Clearly, their efforts didn't work ... but Musk eased their pain by giving the laid-off workers 3 months of severance pay, which he claimed was "50% more than legally required."

Macaulay Culkin & Brenda Song Unloading Multi-Million Dollar Estate ... For this Home, You Need A Loan!!!

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Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song can put the champagne on ice ... because they found a buyer for their Studio City estate.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the "Home Alone" star and his actress partner accepted an offer Wednesday on their 5-bedroom home, which they listed for $3,249,000.

The place is 3,711 square feet and it's not a bad place to be home alone ... the backyard has a built-in BBQ and a garden, plus a fire pit, salt water pool and spa.

The primary suite features a walk-in closet, spa and seating area. The modern farmhouse has an open floorplan, with a two-way fireplace in the living room and a gourmet kitchen with a breakfast nook and eat-in island.

Macaulay and Brenda put the place up for sale last month, after dropping $8 million for Kiefer Sutherland's longtime home in Toluca Lake. They were spotted taking their son trick-or-treating in their new neighborhood on Halloween.

The home was on the market for only 12 days before Macaulay and Brenda accepted an offer.

Craig Knizek of The Agency held Macaulay and Brenda's listing.

Nick Swisher I Predict Judge Will Sign 8-Year Deal With Yankees ... And Get Captaincy!!!

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Breathe easy, Yankees fans ... Aaron Judge will re-sign with NY this offseason for a monstrous 8-year deal -- at least, that's according to Nick Swisher.

The ex-Pinstripes outfielder made the prediction to TMZ Sports this week ... as speculation about Judge's future continues to rage on.

Because of his age (he's 30 now), and the way he turned down a mega $200-plus million deal before the 2022 season began, many think the star outfielder could move on to another team. But, Swisher made it clear, he thinks Judge will be back ... and the Yankees will sweeten the pot by giving him the big deal and the captaincy.

"Here's what I think," Swish said. "I think he signs a monster deal; 7, 8-year deal, and guess what we do? We put that C on his chest and the Yankees fans -- it makes everybody happy."

As for a dollar figure on the contract, Swisher didn't have specific numbers for us there ... though he did say it wouldn't shock him if it were somewhere around the dollar figure of Mike Trout's annual $35 MILLION salary.

Swisher clearly doesn't think the new American League HR king will regret it, either ... telling us he thinks NY will do all it can to make sure he's surrounded by a good team.

"2023 New York Yankees World Series champs, baby!" Swisher said. "Let's go!"

Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown Iconic Georgia Home Up For Sale ... Nearly $2M Big Ones!!!

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Fans of R&B and soul music could be livin' it up in a pretty monumental home ... if, of course, you can cough up a ton of cash for Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's former pad.

The 8,022-square-foot property is out in Alpharetta, GA ... hitting the market last Thursday for $1.9M -- a big chunk of change for this piece of music history.

The entrance is pretty dramatic ... fit with huge iron doors and a sweeping staircase. There's also a library, a terrace upstairs, a mahogany bar and a spa outside.

It's got the obligatory resort-style swimming pool, too ... and those views around the property are fit for legends like Whitney and Bobby.

Whitney bought the place back in 2003, ponying up $1.38M ... she sold the spot 5 years later at a loss for $1.349M. It sold just days after Whitney and Bobby finalized their divorce.

Bravo also shot Bobby's 2005 reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," at the GA property ... so the home's got some screen time under its belt, too.

Keller Williams Luxury agent Peggy Connors holds the listing.

Elon Musk Twitter Layoffs Had To Happen ... Losing $4 Million Daily

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Elon Musk is giving his justification for sending thousands of Twitter employees packing ... he says the bird app was hemorrhaging money.

Papa Elon broke his silence Friday night on the mass layoffs that happened earlier in the day at Twitter, claiming he had no choice but to cut folks loose ... he says the social media service was losing over $4 million a day.

As you know ... Elon recently bought Twitter for a staggering $44 billion, with the help of loans from Wall Street banks and big-time investors, including at least $10 million from Diddy. So he's got to find ways to cut costs.

Elon says the folks who were laid off were offered 3 months of severance pay, which he says is "50% more than legally required."

As we reported ... Twitter lost about half its staff in the cuts, with roughly 3,700 people being let go from the company.

Elon fired off a chilling memo to Twitter's workforce Thursday, informing them layoffs were coming ... and employees fired back with a preemptive lawsuit.

Musk has been on a firing spree since inking the deal to buy Twitter last month ... promptly giving pink slips to a slew of top execs.

Laid off Twitter employees are now sharing their stories on social media ... ironically posting goodbyes on Twitter.

But Elon's saying his hands are tied. 🤷🏽‍♂️

NYC Fugitive Nabbed at Disney World!!! Accused Of PPP Loan Fraud

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There's no magic at the Magic Kingdom, not for an NYC fugitive who successfully dodged the law for a year ... only to be captured at the so-called happiest place on Earth!!! 😂

Quashon Burton was reportedly kicking it at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom park in October when federal postal inspector Jeff Andre spotted him.

Eagle-eyed Jeff identified Burton by a distinctive "H" tattoo on his neck, and reported him to cops ... who caught up to Burton about an hour later. They reportedly found him with 2 family members while they were sitting at a bus stop in the park.

Cops say Burton wouldn't produce any ID and resisted arrest, so they took him down to the ground ... and later ID him with fingerprints.

Officials say Burton ran from his home in Brooklyn last year after fraudulently obtaining over $150K in forgivable PPP loans from the government, and allegedly used multiple identities to get cash out of an ATM at an NYC post office.

He's being held without bail, as NY prosecutors believe he's an "extreme" flight risk.

The lesson here -- even the mouse house can't protect ya from the feds!!!

Kyrie Irving Anti-Defamation League Refuses Donation ... Gives Back $500K

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The Anti-Defamation League is refusing to accept Kyrie Irving's donation ... with its CEO saying in a statement Thursday the org. is giving back the $500K that the Nets star donated this week.

Jonathan Greenblatt made the announcement on his Twitter page -- just minutes after Brooklyn suspended the point guard for at least five games.

In his statement, Greenblatt said that after Irving refused to specifically apologize for tweeting out a link to a film that contained antisemitic rhetoric despite having multiple opportunities to do so ... the ADL "cannot in good conscience accept his donation."

"We were optimistic," Greenblatt said, "but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions."

Irving initially made the donation on Wednesday evening ... with the Nets saying they'd match his pledge. A statement came attached to the announcement of the contribution, with Irving appearing to express remorse for his tweet.

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Dodging The Question

But, things only got worse after that -- despite having several chances to straight-up apologize or completely denounce antisemitism, Kyrie refused.

"I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from," Irving said when asked if he held any antisemitic beliefs.

He also would not explain what parts of the film he disagreed with ... saying, "I think some of the criticism of the Jewish faith and the community for sure. Some points made in there that were unfortunate."

The ADL isn't alone. NBA commissioner Adam Silver -- who is Jewish -- unloaded on Irving for his comments ... saying he was "disappointed and" would be meeting with him in person over the matter.

Irving has since been suspended at least 5 games ... with the Nets saying they're "currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

It's unclear if the ADL will accept the Nets' $500k donation that came along with Kyrie's contribution.

Irving's now had three chances to put the controversy behind him ... and only continues to dig himself into a deeper hole.

Diddy I Helped Give Elon the Bird!!!

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Diddy played a secret role in Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter ... we've learned he was among the investors who helped Elon buy the bird app.

Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... the music and fashion mogul invested north of $10 million for the social media service.

Remember ... Elon bought Twitter last month for $44 billion ... with the help of wealthy investors and loans from Wall Street banks. Some of those investors reportedly include Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

As for Diddy's 8-figure investment, we're told his strategy always revolves around having a seat at the table to represent.

Our sources say Diddy and the rest of Elon's Twitter investors believe in Elon's vision for the bird app. As for what that vision is ... our sources are mum.

Diddy and Elon have been rubbing elbows a lot this year ... they both sat in the front row of Dave Chappelle's show back in May at the Hollywood Bowl ... the show where an attacker ran on stage and assaulted Dave.

Diddy and Elon were among the celebs hanging out at Kanye West's Donda 2 experience back in February, along with French Montana and Rick Ross.

And in other Diddy business news -- according to The WSJ -- he's supposed to buy cannabis operations in NY and two other states for up to $185 million ... a move that we're told will create the largest black owned company in the world.

Diddy's 53rd birthday is today ... so it'll be interesting to see if Elon wishes him a happy birthday.

Bhad Bhabie Oxford U. Is Bhadass ... Kids Loved My Speech!!!

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Looks like Bhad Bhabie has a future in addressing prestigious debate clubs, because she crushed it at Oxford University, and the student body greeted her with thunderous applause.

Folks at the event tell TMZ ... Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, chatted it up with a chamber full of students Wednesday night, and it was standing room only. Some kids waited for hours in the rain to get their spot inside.

You can tell the crowd was thrilled to have her. Danielle took part in a Q&A with the president of the Oxford Union, where she spoke about her alleged abusive experience at Turn-About Ranch, what it was like becoming famous so young, making 50 million bucks on OnlyFans ... and her new scholarship fund.

Afterward, they opened up the floor to questions from students and, not shockingly, Ye was a hot topic. Gotta admit, she had a pretty funny response when asked about what she thinks of him -- shouting out the rapper's early 2000s hits, and then keeping it moving.

No, Ye's antisemitic comments didn't come up -- most likely due to the huge applause her answer drew.

Danielle's in pretty elite company -- one night before her, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai was at Oxford. BTW, similar turnout for both young women.

As we reported, Danielle was invited to speak back in September -- the Oxford Union prez offered the opportunity, saying "It would be an honour to welcome you to continue this fine tradition."

Soak up that Bhad Bhabie knowledge, Oxford!!!

Johnny Depp I Shouldn't Have to Pay Amber $2 Mil ... Appeals Defamation Verdict

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Johnny Depp wants total victory over Amber Heard, and he's just filed an appeal trying to get it ... claiming the jury got it wrong when it ruled in favor of his ex-wife on a single count of defamation.

You'll recall, Johnny was the big winner, by far, when the jury came back in their landmark trial, saying Amber had defamed him and had to cough up $10.35 million dollars -- but it also ruled Amber was defamed, and awarded her $2 mil.

In docs filed Wednesday in the Virginia Court of Appeals, Johnny says the jury had erroneously ruled in favor of Amber ... when it said one of Johnny's attorneys, Adam Waldman, defamed Amber by telling a media outlet she had lied while describing a blowout fight that ended their marriage.

Waldman said, "So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."

In the appeal, Johnny makes the point that his lawyer said that, not him, and he shouldn't be held responsible for Waldman's remarks. He also says Amber's team failed to prove Waldman made those comments with malice ... a requirement to win a defamation claim.

Johnny wants the court to overturn the jury on that single count. Remember, Amber has also filed an appeal of the counts she lost.

So, scoreboard review: Amber's $10.35 mil check to Johnny is on hold and, likewise, his $2 mil check to her is on hold.

Gabby Petito Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit ... Cops Should've Saved Her!!

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The family of Gabby Petito is taking the Moab City Police Department to court, filing a wrongful death suit, claiming officers could've saved her life in the weeks leading up to her death.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, say Moab PD failed to protect Gabby when police investigated the reported domestic violence incident roughly 2 weeks before she was killed by Brian Laundrie.

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WORKING WITH GABBY

You'll recall, officers interviewed Gabby and Brian on the side of the road with one officer acknowledging she was crying uncontrollably and had cuts on her face and arm.

Still, Brian told officers Gabby had just been under distress -- and officers simply separated them for the day.

The suit claims police didn't probe hard enough on Brian's side of the story ... and even claims the officers treated Brian as if he were the victim, rather than the perpetrator, of domestic violence.

In the family's eyes -- all signs pointed to Brian, and they say the cops "egregiously misinterpreted" the situation.

Her family also calls out the department for failing to train its cops for situations like this -- characterizing this case as a "vehicle for systemic change and a reckoning about how the police enforce the State's domestic abuse laws." They are seeking $50 million in damages.

The city of Moab tells TMZ ... "We feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and the painful loss they have endured. At the same time, it is clear that Moab City Police Department officers are not responsible for Gabrielle Petito’s eventual murder."

The city says it will defend itself against the suit.

As we reported, Gabby's family filed a notice of complaint in August, informing police they were planning to sue.