Money

Hollywood writers striking for fair pay and protections against artificial intelligence are getting some air support ... in the form of a funny banner flying over the major studios.

The banner reads ... "Pay the writers, you AI-Holes" ... and on Monday, a small plane towed it above Amazon, CBS, FOX, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.

On the ground, writers continue to pack the picket lines as the strike enters its third week ... with neither side showing signs of ending the stalemate.

The strike is definitely getting ugly ... in addition to the airplane banner, a massive, inflatable rat popped up outside Amazon Studios ... the huge rodent is holding bags of money, wearing a tuxedo and smoking a cigar. The messaging here is anything but subtle.

As for who is funding the plane and the banner ... we're told the money is coming from donations from various unions supporting the striking writers.

Artificial intelligence is a hot-button issue in Hollywood, with writers seeking guardrails so their jobs and livelihoods aren't negatively impacted by the recent AI innovations.

Elon Musk is having the time of his life, dancing the night away in a huge crowd in Mexico for a huge music festival -- and it looks like SpaceX, Twitter and Tesla are officially on the back burner!!!

One of the world's richest men showed off a different side of himself in Cabo San Lucas Saturday night, jamming out with his hands up to some Rüfüs Du Sol with a swarm of other ravers around him.

Elon was feelin' the music at Sundream Baja, BTW -- a 2-weekend long festival, similar to Coachella, just outside San Jose Del Cabo.

Sure, his moves might need some work, but hey ... the guy's just not known for dancing.

Kinda makes sense he headed down to Mexico for some R&R ... Elon just named former NBCUniversal advertising exec Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter last week, following months of backlash from users who weren't cool with how he was running things.

Netflix is lookin' to cash in on its hit dating show, "Love Is Blind" by making a move to lock up rights to sell new products branded with a clever twist.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Netflix is requesting the rights to sell items using the words "Love Is Wine." Cheeky and we can totally see future 'LIB' watch parties buying into it.

The streaming company's trademark application says it wants to slap the phrase on things like cake molds, glassware, napkin holders, plates, tea infusers, flasks, and several types of drinking glasses.

It's also looking to use it on things like wines and spirits, cocktail mixes, and even prepared cocktails. Given the fun name, this stuff could sell like hotcakes.

Netflix appears to be going all in on the 'LIB' craze ... also looking to secure the rights to brand bakery goods, snacks, frozen treats, pizza kits, chips, and salads. There's even mention of salt -- yes, just simple salt.

Of course, there's no doubt as to why it's full steam ahead on an idea like this -- the record-breaking series recently wrapped its fourth season and has even produced versions of the show in places like Japan and Brazil, with a handful of other locations in the works.

As we reported, millions of fans were waiting to tune into the live reunion special last month, but it never happened. Everyone ended up having to stream a prerecorded version the next day after technical glitches left fans looking at error codes on their TVs.

Ben Affleck's been having a rough go at the movies lately -- especially with his latest flick completely bombing in theaters ... whereas his wife is thriving in the streaming world.

The actor's latest offering, "Hypnotic," flailed miserably at the box office this weekend ... raking in just $2.3 million from the 2,100 or so theaters it was playing in. The Robert Rodriguez-directed sci-fi thriller wasn't released by a major studio -- two independent production companies are behind it ... and BA's the marquee talent by a mile as far as cast.

The worst part is that Ben's film reportedly cost around $65 mil to make ... so, yeah, it's coming in at a huge loss. Plus, the reviews stink. Now, his other recent film, "Air," did much better in theaters (around $85M worldwide so far) -- but that one reportedly cost about $90M to produce ... meaning it's just barely breaking even, although it fared better with critics.

Bottom line ... Ben hasn't been cleaning up in ticket sales, but Jennifer Lopez is killing it with at-home viewers. Her new movie, "The Mother," is apparently #1 on Netflix in several countries right now -- and her other recent flick, "Shotgun Wedding" did well for Amazon too.

As far as substance, both of J Lo's movies have gotten very meh reviews -- especially 'SW.' And while her flicks are cranking out good numbers for the streaming services they're released on ... it's hard to gauge what that actually translates to for a bottom line.

Streaming companies tend to keep that data to themselves ... so there's no telling if any given movie actually converts to more subscribers -- which is how they make money.

The takeaway ... it's harder to turn a profit in theaters with original flicks not tied to existing IP, and on the flip side -- it's also hard to tell if streaming success means anything. However, since there's a better spin on the latter, Ben might wanna reconsider his approach.

Raiders fans ... want to just win (baby) all the time? According to Jay Glazer, ya better hope Tom Brady gets a piece of the franchise!!!

The FOX reporter made it crystal clear to us out at LAX this week that if Brady does, indeed, complete his deal with Mark Davis to become a minority owner of Vegas' team ... he expects victories on the field to follow in bunches.

"Anything Tom touches, he's going to be successful," Glazer told us. "Any time you have Tom Brady around, it's going to help. It's not going to hurt. He's a winner."

According to reports, Brady has been working with Davis to land a small ownership stake in the Raiders for weeks ... and an agreement could be on its way soon.

While the new role reportedly would not include any final say in roster decisions or day-to-day operations, Glazer said he expects it to make a huge impact on the franchise nonetheless.

Glazer told us Brady's work ethic will rub off on everyone ... and, if the G.O.A.T.'s able to take a peek at a QB or two and offer an opinion, Glazer said that'd obviously help as well.

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are once again looking to unload their Hidden Hills property ... they just put it back on the market, only 3 months after pulling the original listing.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the famous couple's estate is now listed for $21.3 million, which is a $1.2 million price reduction.

Remember ... Sly and JF put the place up for sale back in December for $22.5 million, but it never sold, and in February they took it off the market.

We're told they took the home off the market in February because it was listed during the holidays, and after waiting a couple months they feel it's being relisted at a better time.

The 4-bedroom home is 10,460 square feet with 8 bathrooms ... and it's decked out with a pool, home theater, gym, horse barn and stables, plus a riding area.

The property rests on 2.26 acres with picturesque mountain views ... and there's also a pool house and a guest house, plus a koi pond, vegetable garden and 100+ avocado and citrus trees on the expansive lot.

The master bedroom stands out ... it comes with dual walk-in closets, a private balcony and a sitting area.

Sly and Jennifer are no strangers to L.A. real estate ... as we first reported, he sold his Beverly Hills home to Adele for $58 million at the beginning of last year, and then in March 2022 he and Jen bought the Hidden Hills home.

Our sources say Sylvester and Jennifer are selling the place because they spend the majority of their time in Florida, where they own a $35 million mansion in Palm Beach.

A super rare card that features an NBA Logoman patch from one of LeBron James' jerseys during his epic 2016 Finals series has just gone up for sale ... TMZ Sports has learned.

PWCC officials tell us they put the card on their auction block Thursday ... and it's truly a one-of-a-kind item.

It's a Panini Eternal piece that was created just after the trading card co. scored one of LBJ's jerseys from the series against the Warriors where he came back from down 3-1 to win Cleveland's first title.

Panini cut the NBA Logoman patch from the threads -- built it into the card ... making it a true 1-of-1.

No word on what it's ultimately expected to fetch when the final gavel hits ... but PWCC exec Jesse Craig called it "one of LeBron's best cards" ever.

"Outside of some rare booklet-style cards, this is the only series of cards I am aware of that included LeBron James NBA Finals-worn jersey pieces in them," Craig said.

"It's of interest to see it go to auction right now because of the playoff battle between LeBron and Curry. That 2016 Finals is the notorious 3-1 Golden State lead that LeBron and the Cavs overcame to secure their elusive championship. This card was constructed as a monument to the victory of King James."

Bidding on the card -- which is graded Mint 9 and features James holding the Larry O'Brien trophy with a short blurb about his legendary Game 5 performance on the back -- ends on May 25.

Kim Kardashian's ready for her close-up, and is one step closer to getting on camera in one of the biggest and most popular shows on TV ... 'cause she's got her lines at the ready.

Check out these photos that were taken Friday, which show KK heading into a meeting in Beverly Hills ... with something of note in her arm. That would be the script for the new 'American Horror Story' season, in which Kim has been cast as a major character.

BTW, it doesn't just look like a generic script or outline ... this appears to be the script for a specific episode in the upcoming 12th entry of the series, which has been dubbed 'Delicate.'

On a zoomed-in shot, you can see it's been watermarked as Kim's copy -- and you can even make out a bit of the title of this episode. To us, it seems to read ... "When the Bough Breaks," and it has the lead writer's name featured (Halley Feiffer), as well as the director.

As we reported ... Kim was announced as being attached to 'AHS' last month, and she'll be acting opposite Emma Roberts ... among other cast members. Her exact role hasn't been declared just yet -- but there's a hint based on the source material, a forthcoming novel.

The book that this season is said to be based on is called "Delicate Condition," by Danielle Valentine. It's described as a story about an expecting mother who becomes convinced evil forces are trying to torpedo her pregnancy ... almost in the vein of "Rosemary's Baby."

Some have speculated Kim might be playing the pregnant mom, and that Emma could perhaps play another villain-adjacent character. Cara Delevingne was also recently cast.

BTW, if you're wondering how 'AHS' is moving forward amid the writers' strike ... it would appear Ryan Murphy and co. might already have some scripts in the can. When Kim was first tied to the new season, the word at the time was production was scheduled to begin shortly thereafter ... and that a summer premiere was likely, with an exact date upcoming.

Chief Keef fans who really "Love Sosa" have a shot at some interesting items -- a guy dug through trash to recover the rapper's used double cups, and now he's looking to cash in on the buried treasure.

The used Styrofoam cups are selling on eBay... bidding started at $425 and has now reached over $10k. This is his second shot at selling the cups -- his original listing was removed after bids reached $15K ... most likely because eBay has a policy against hawking drug paraphernalia.

The new listing clarifies the items are not related to drugs at all.

Anyway, the cups' origin story is a wild one. A recent TikTok shows a die-hard fan spring into action upon seeing Chief Keef pull over in his Scooby-Doo-wrapped Lambo and dump trash into a dumpster.

Once CK drives off, the guy hops in the trash bin, scooping up the rapper's disposed goods -- a stack of used cups with "Exotic Pop" printed on them, and another blue set of cups.

He also appeared to throw out a glass bottle of Balmain Evian water.

The guy seems to have no problem dumpster diving for the cause, and now the goods are up for grabs!

Frank Ocean's Coachella performance didn't put a bad taste in Rolly Romero's mouth ... 'cause the boxer will be showing love for the singer during his fight against Ismael Barroso on Saturday!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the lightweight fighter is a huge Ocean fan, so he hit up his go-to guy, Aztek Kustoms, to create boxing shoes featuring the Simpsons-inspired cover art of his favorite song -- "Pyramids."

The finished product is dope ... you can see the Nike Machomai 2 shoes are covered in orange paint with "Channel" stitched with rhinestones on the back -- paying homage to Ocean's Channel Orange album.

There's also a portrait of the 14-1 boxer in "Simpson" form with a female on the bed -- just like the song's cover -- showing him rockin' the same fur coat he wore during his press conference with Gervonta Davis last May.

"These took me roughly 20 hours," Aztek said. "Both of the portraits are hand-painted. And, of course, they wouldn't be Rolly's without the rhinestones."

FYI, Aztek has created custom shoes featuring musicians for Rolly before -- last May, he made "Purple Rain" shoes with Prince on them for the Davis fight.

"These are both mine and his favorite pair so far," Aztek said. "Just because we had a lot more time to actually talk about the design and put more detail into them."

Aztek said the shoes were delivered a few days ago, but he's stoked to watch Rolly show off his design during the 12-round match at The Cosmopolitan for the vacant WBA super lightweight title.

The Navy veteran who claims Rep. George Santos cheated him out of cash intended for his dying dog's cancer treatment is happy to see Santos facing criminal charges ... he says George had it coming and karma's a bitch.

Richard Osthoff tells TMZ ... Santos deserves to spend time behind bars and he hopes the judge throws the book at him.

The vet says he's not the only one glad the feds busted Santos, running off a list of groups he claims have been wronged by George. While he's surprised at the timeline, Richard says he's glad Santos finally has to face the music ... and he believes more charges could be coming.

As we reported ... the FBI arrested Santos Wednesday for a variety of alleged misdeeds, including lying. He was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

For his part, Santos insists he's innocent, calling the indictment against him a "witch hunt" and refusing to resign.

Osthoff, you might recall, claims Santos created a GoFundMe campaign to pay for a lifesaving surgery for his cancer-stricken dog Sapphire ... only to see Santos make off with thousands of dollars in donations, leaving Sapphire for dead.

Kanye West has lost his appeal with a lot of people and companies ... but that doesn't mean he's stopped creating, as evidenced in a recent trademark filing.

Ye's Mascotte Holdings Inc. recently filed for "YZY SOCK SHOES." The documents, obtained by TMZ, were submitted May 4 -- and while there's not a whole lot of detail -- there is an identification that reads, "Socks; socks with leather soles."

Of course, Kanye's no stranger to shoe design ... and he was actually spotted wearing what appeared to be a sock shoe-type design back in 2019, so it's possible he's bringing the product to the masses.

As for a retail partner, that's where Ye might have some troubles ... as you know, Adidas cut ties with him after his countless attacks on Jewish people and his praise of Hitler.

He could always sell through his Yeezy brand, but it's currently unknown what sort of infrastructure still remains behind the scenes of the company.

Floyd Mayweather is returning to the boxing ring in 30 days, and when he does, there will be a few hundred special guests in attendance ... and we're not talking about the celebs that typically fill the stands when TBE fights!

They'll be there, too (more on that later) ... but even better, we're told Floyd wanted to do something nice, so he linked up with two of his business partners/friends, and they're bringing kids from the inner city to the fight.

"I have teamed up with Robert Smith and Deon Taylor with a charitable initiative attached to my upcoming fight. We are going to be hosting several hundred underprivileged kids from the inner city to come to my fight and we will have a day of fun with them and a private dinner with them during the fight week," Mayweather tells us.

FYI, Smith, a billionaire, has donated many millions of dollars to different causes, including civil rights, over the years.

Everyone else will have to pay for tickets, which went on sale yesterday and have been selling fast, according to our sources.

The June 11 scrap between Floyd and John Gotti III, the grandson of legendary mobster John Gotti, is different than a typical Mayweather fight ... it's also a top-notch concert, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Lunay and others.

We recently spoke to Lunay ... and asked him about being part of the big event.

We're told Ozuna, a longtime supporter of Money, AND Bad Bunny will also be in the building.

"I’m happy to come and support my brother Floyd Mayweather. We have been friends for many years. He is the G.O.A.T.," Ozuna tells TMZ Sports.

As for other celebs who will be in the house, we're told a bunch of star athletes will also be in the building.

It's official -- Dan Snyder is selling the Washington Commanders ... and he's handing over the reins to Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, NBA legend Magic Johnson and David Blitzer.

Both sides confirmed the move on Friday ... announcing they have entered a purchase and sale agreement.

As previously reported, the final price tag for the franchise was $6.05 billion -- shattering the record for an American franchise sale.

All NFL owners will now have to vote on the transaction ... but it's expected to be approved without issue.

Dan and Tanya Snyder said they are both "very pleased" with the outcome ... especially considering Harris is from the area.

"We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years," the Snyders said in a statement.

Magic -- who also has ownership in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sparks and LAFC, also addressed the big move ... saying, "I could not be more excited to be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders."

"Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the DMV community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase!"

Johnny Depp is being paid a record amount to be the face of Dior's Sauvage men's scent.

The actor's three-year deal with Dior is worth north of $20 million ... according to Variety. It's the most lucrative men's fragrance deal of all time.

TMZ broke the story ... Johnny signed back on with Dior in August, following his big-time legal win over Amber Heard. At the time, we were told Johnny and Dior agreed to a multiyear deal worth at least 7 figures ... and now there's more clarity on the contract details.

With his $20 million deal, Johnny overtakes Robert Pattinson as the highest-paid spokesman for a cologne. Robert set the mark in 2012, when he signed a 3-year, $12 million deal to promote Dior Homme.

Johnny's nearly tripling the amount Chanel paid Brad Pitt to be the first ever men's face behind Chanel N°5 perfume, Brad reportedly signed for $7 million in 2012 for a series of ads.

As we first reported ... Johnny's new deal with Dior was cemented last summer after famous fashion photog Greg Williams and honchos from the French fashion and cosmetics giant attended one of Johnny and Jeff Beck's rock concerts in Paris.

We were told Johnny did a photo shoot with Greg before and after the Paris show, and the content will be used in JD's new Dior ad campaign.

Johnny's got a long history with Dior ... he first signed with the company in 2015 as the face of the scent.

E-40 can officially be referred to as Dr. E-40 now that he has an honorary doctorate from the same school he attended as an undergrad way back in the '80s.

The legendary rapper was awarded the degree Friday during Grambling State University's commencement ceremony in Louisiana ... and he made sure to drop some words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating class before he left the stage.

And, it appeared to be a super special moment for 40, who's proudly continued to support the University he once called home.

As we reported, earlier this year he donated $100K to the HBCU's music department to help install a recording studio so students could follow their dreams as he did. GSU surprised him by naming it the Earl "E-40" Stevens Sound Recording studio.

For those who don't know, 40 was a Grambling Tiger in 1986 ... before he became the hip hop mogul we know today.