Michael Jackson Neverland Statues Back Up For Sale ... No Longer Package Deal

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Dozens of statues Michael Jackson displayed at his Neverland Ranch are going back up for grabs ... but instead of a package deal this time, the art is up for sale individually.

Noble Art Lovers tells TMZ ... the private collector who owns 28 pieces from the singer's infamous California estate is still trying to sell the art, and is no longer seeking $2.5 million for the collection as a whole.

Instead, the entire collection is being sold separately, with most of the statues going for five figures ... shipping not included.

Michael's bronze statues include several images of children ... one such art piece is called "Kids and Tree Swing," and it's going for $150,000. Ditto for another one depicting kids, called "Follow the Leader."

TMZ broke the story ... Noble Art Lovers put the statues up for sale back in April 2021 as a package deal for $2.5 million ... and we're told some affluent potential buyers showed interest, but no one closed the deal.

Noble Art Lovers, based out of Dubai, hopes the separately priced statues will give more folks a chance to own a piece of Neverland.

There is one exception here ... we're told the Malachite Candelabra which is being sold for $500k and the Gloria Victis statues will only be sold as a pairs ... because MJ acquired them as a set.

Ezra Miller's 'The Flash' Off to Slow Box Office Start ... Despite All the Hype

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Ezra Miller's "The Flash" has been getting hailed as the greatest comic book movie of all time -- but it seems audiences don't really care ... 'cause, so far, they're hardly going to see it.

The 1st-day box office numbers are in ... and they're not very hot. Between Thursday's previews and Friday's haul, "The Flash" has only grossed $24.5 million domestically -- which means this flick isn't even close to hitting the original estimates of $70 mil+.

At this point, 'Flash' is pegged to hit between $55-$59 million through the 3-day weekend -- which is a huge disappointment considering how much good word of mouth it'd generated. BTW, The Rock's "Black Adam" performed slightly better last year on opening day ... and that film was largely considered a flop big picture. With that in mind, this is truly a disaster.

You might've heard about the buzz over the past several months -- tons of screenings were held by Warner Bros., and some were walking away calling it one of the best DC installments to date. There was even an anecdote about Tom Cruise recently seeing it ... and calling the director to praise him and the film. Like we said, it's been the talk of the town for a while.

Despite all this favorable publicity -- outside of Ezra's personal scandals -- it would appear your average moviegoer doesn't give a rip ... but it's hard to say why at this point.

Some might attribute it to Ezra themself ... who's been mired in controversies for about 2 years now. It might also be the lack of a traditional press run the studio opted for -- there were hardly any interviews in the lead-up -- but others are pointing to James Gunn.

Of course, Gunn is at the helm of DC now ... and he's strongly suggested he's going to be rebooting the entire DCU, and sorta doing away with whatever Zack Snyder established.

"The Flash" is one of the last few leftovers pre-Gunn ... so, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't seem like anything that happens in this movie really matters -- seeing how JG is going to start from scratch anyway. In other words, little to no stakes seem to be at play.

It's gotta be a bummer for the studio heads who were hoping cameos and reprisals would drum up excitement for "The Flash." Remember, Michael Keaton came to play Batman again ... and there's been word of lots of other Batman actors making an appearance as well.

In the end, though ... it doesn't seem like people were all that into it. Plus, if you watch the movie itself (which we have) then you'll come to realize -- there's a lot of time-jumping and universe rebooting ... and it's somewhat hard to follow what the hell is really going on.

For instance, the final question of who's Batman gets teased (and left as a cliffhanger). If you thought it'd be Keaton, Ben Affleck, or even Christian Bale ... you're dead wrong.

!!!SPOILER ALERT ... WE'RE ABOUT TO SPOIL "THE FLASH" ... SO LOOK AWAY NOW!!!

Anyone 'memba this guy??? Yeah, he's back too ... but again, to what end is anyone's guess.

Time will tell what the lackluster numbers mean for DC's future. For now, WB's just gotta eat it and move on.

Bill Simmons Trashes Meg & Harry as 'Grifters' ... Amid Spotify Exit

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GIVING UP THE GRIFT

Bill Simmons called Meghan Markle and Prince Harry de facto charlatans amid their Spotify exit -- and he clearly believes they brought little to nothing to the table there.

The longtime sports media personality and Ringer founder -- who made a boatload of cash in a mega-sale to Spotify a few years back, and who oversees a sea of podcasts under The Ringer brand there at Spotify as well -- trashed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his latest podcast episodes ... where he did not mince words on how he felt about 'em.

BS launched into a quick and mini tirade about the Royal couple ... jokingly saying he wished he was part of their deal to leave Spotify, and then proceeded to call them "grifters."

Check it out yourself ... not only does Bill call them virtual phonies in the podcast game, but he actually drops what sounds like an F-bomb too. Adding insult to injury, he teases a story he says he has about trying to pitch PH a podcast idea over Zoom once upon a time.

Doesn't sound like that went well ... 'cause Bill obviously isn't a fan of them or their content.

Speaking of that content, reports have suggested that Meg and co. simply weren't cranking out enough of it to meet their end of the $20 million bargain. As such, some media outlets are saying they won't get paid out in full on their contract -- which is ... not great.

BTW, Harry and Meghan aren't the only people at Spotify getting kicked to the curb. It appears there's a lot of fat-trimming going on for pods that aren't producing -- Jemele Hill's losing her Spotify deal, and the Obamas lost theirs as well in the not-too-distant past.

As they say, capitalism prevails.

'RHONY' Alums Make Big Money For 'Ultimate Girls Trip' ... Film A Week For $250K!!!

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It pays to be a 'Real Housewife of New York,' because some of the series icons are getting a quarter million dollars each to party in the Caribbean for a week ... while cameras roll, of course.

Sources close to the cast tell TMZ ... Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Dorinda Medley and Kristen Taekman are each being paid $250,000 to film a new show on location in St. Barts.

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The 'RHONY' stars are back in action for Peacock's upcoming show ... "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy" ... and they arrived on the Caribbean island Tuesday and immediately began filming.

Don't worry, we did the math for ya ... the cast is making about $27,777 a day to party and film in St. Barts.

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Bravo's spending $1.5 million on cast salaries alone, but the content should be worth it  ... as 'RHONY' fans know, the housewives went down to St. Barts back in 2012 for season 5, a trip that went down as one of the most memorable in franchise history.

St. Barts is where Luann famously partied with a Johnny Depp doppelgänger ... and she was joined on the trip by Ramona and Sonja.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this trip. Bravo's clearly banking on more drama than usual.

Stay tuned ...

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Never-Before-Seen 2009 Letter ... Reveals Twisted Anti-Government Mindset

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Unabomber Ted Kaczynski was more than a domestic terrorist mailing package bombs around America -- he was also a staunch proponent of the First Amendment to the Constitution, at least according to the madman himself.

TMZ has obtained a never-before-seen letter he wrote while sitting in federal prison, furious the US government had seized his infamous trove of personal items from his cabin and planned to auction them off to pay restitution to his victims.

In the letter, dated April 3, 2009, the terrorist railed against the system he claimed had wronged him in his multi-year legal battle with the feds over his possessions.

He complained the government had confiscated "every copy of everything I've ever written," and, worse, the court of appeals had already greenlit the auction ... prompting him to reluctantly admit, "I've lost."

But Kaczynski also warned his case should be of "grave concern" to all Americans because it showed the federal courts totally ignored the First Amendment ... in other words, "freedom of expression," as he put it in his letter.

He went on to say something about the court's decision being politically motivated ... but didn't further explain that theory.

The convicted terrorist wrote and sent the letter to a journalist with whom he was contemplating doing an interview -- about his belongings and the First Amendment -- but he ultimately decided against discussing it any further.

Two years later, the auction took place and, when it was all over, Kaczynski's personal property sold for $190,000, which went to his victims and their family members. Among the items sold were his personal journals, his handwritten "manifesto" and his hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, as seen in his iconic police sketch.

As you know ... Kaczynski died by suicide inside his prison cell at FMC Butner in North Carolina last Saturday. TMZ broke the story ... 911 audio revealed first responders were unable to resuscitate him after he hanged himself.

Before his death, Kaczynski was serving 4 life sentences after pleading guilty in 1998 to killing 3 people and maiming 28 others during his nearly 20-year mail bomb campaign.

In his manifesto and other writings, he expressed his disgust for technology -- which he believed was destroying humanity -- and he targeted individuals he thought were advancing modern ideas.

Priscilla Presley Everything's Good With My Family ... Posts Pic With Riley & Twins

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Priscilla Presley is signaling a family truce ... seemingly showing they all made nice after the end of a bitter dispute over her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley's trust.

Priscilla just posted a photo with her granddaughters ... Riley Keough and twins Harper and Finley. It's unclear when the photo was snapped, though Priscilla says it's from the twins' middle school graduation ... and it's currently grad season.

It's a pretty strong signal from Priscilla ... remember, she was recently battling with Riley over control of Lisa's trust after Elvis Presley's only child died suddenly.

As we reported, Priscilla and Riley ultimately settled their beef ... Riley is the sole trustee and Priscilla walked away with a seven-figure payday, though her request to be buried next to Elvis at Graceland was denied.

Riley filed legal docs this week asking the court to approve the settlement ... which also calls for Lisa's ex-husband Michael Lockwood to be the guardian ad litem regarding these estate matters for Harper and Finley.

The dust appears to be settling ... and the icy relationship between Priscilla and Lisa's kids seems to have thawed.

Quando Rondo Busted For Drugs In Georgia

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Quando Rondo is starting his Father's Day weekend behind bars ... as NBA YoungBoy's Never Broke Again artist was locked up on drug charges, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to booking records in Georgia, Quando was arrested Friday and subsequently charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia's controlled substances law, 1 count of participating in criminal activity affiliated with a street gang, and 1 count of illegal use of a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal.

He was indicted along with 18 other individuals ... who are accused of conducting the drug deals between October 2022 and June 2023.

Prosecutors claim the "ABG" rapper instructed another defendant to negotiate weed prices and then traveled to Macon, GA to pay the supplier.

According to online records, Quando is currently locked up in the Chatham County jail. He clearly sensed the immediate doom because he tweeted out to his family members shortly before going in.

We reached out to his record label to see if they had any further comment on the matter. Nothing but radio silence so far.

YOUTUBER MIRANDA SINGS Losing Podcast Sponsors ... Teen Fart Stunt Backlash

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YouTube star Colleen Ballinger, best known for her Internet character Miranda Sings, is not just catching flak over a resurfaced clip from one of her shows ... she's also losing deals.

TMZ has learned at least two companies who pay for ads on Colleen's podcast have pulled their sponsorships, and it may just be the tip of the iceberg.

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AWKWARD SITUATION

Here's the deal ... Colleen is under fire for a viral clip from one of her old comedy shows, which features her calling a young fan up to the stage for an embarrassing fart stunt.

In the resurfaced footage, Colleen spreads the young fan's legs as she lies on her back on stage ... and then a fart noise blares over the speakers.

A woman who says she is the girl in the video is now speaking out ... she says she was only a teenager at the time and rips Colleen for embarrassing and traumatizing her.

She's also taken heat for asking a young fan to pretend to give birth, and for other crude comments at her shows toward minors.

Some of Colleen's podcast sponsors have taken notice and taken action ... skincare company OneSkin tells us they severed ties with Colleen, saying ... "We were made aware of this previously and have decided to cease the relationship completely. This behavior is appalling and we do not condone or support it in any form."

Another advertiser, healthcare marketplace Zocdoc, says they will no longer run ads on her podcast.

Michael Jordan Selling Charlotte Hornets ... To Group Including J. Cole, Eric Church

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Michael Jordan's run as owner of the Charlotte Hornets is coming to an end -- the basketball legend has agreed to sell the team to a group that includes several A-list stars.

The Hall of Famer will hand the reins over to businessmen Gabe Plotkin (who already owns part of the Hornets) and Rick Schnall.

The buyer group also includes rapper J. Cole and country singer Eric Church, the team announced Friday.

MJ initially bought a minority stake of the franchise back in 2006 ... and took the position of Managing Member of Basketball Operations.

He became a majority owner in 2010 ... buying the rest of the team from BET founder Robert L. Johnson for $275 million.

The two sides will put pen to paper in the next few days, according to reports.

Plotkin bought part of the Hornets back in 2019 ... a move that, in hindsight, is now considered the first step in phasing Jordan out of ownership.

Plotkin is the founder of Tallwoods Capital ... and Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private equity firm.

Jordan -- who will keep a minority stake in the Hornets -- will oversee basketball ops through the NBA Draft next week ... as well as the start of free agency in July.

Donald Trump Miami Supporters Left Hungry at Cafe After His Offer to Pay

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Donde esta la carne, Señor Trump???

AKA, "Where's the beef?" ... that's what some of Donald Trump's most fervent -- and possibly hungry -- supporters are reportedly asking after his visit to Miami's famed Versailles Restaurant.

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"FOOD FOR EVERYONE!!!"

You'll recall, shortly after his court appearance Tuesday to face the 37-count federal indictment, Trump made a stop at the Cuban restaurant, where he was greeted with cheers and "Happy Birthday" wishes. During his fairly triumphant, all things considered, pit stop, Trump yelled out ... "Food for everyone."

However, according to the Miami New Times, Trump left without picking up a single tab for anyone, outside of his campaign team. Now, it's not a "chew and screw" case, he simply never gave anyone time to order ... according to the report.

A Trump spokesperson has a much different view of what went down, or didn't, that day ... telling the NY Post, "At the end of President Trump’s visit he offered to buy food for the group of attendees inside the restaurant, but when President Trump left, the attendees followed him outside and did not place orders themselves."

Translation: You snooze, you lose! Trump was reportedly only inside the restaurant for about 10 minutes.

BTW ... Trump's senior adviser Jason Miller showed off some of the grub the campaign staff got for the road, boasting on social media, "Takeout, Versailles edition!"

Trump himself reportedly ate McDonald's later. Naturally.

All in all, nothing worth a fresh Grand Jury -- just a campaign promise that allegedly came up a little short.

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Couple's Spotify Podcast Ends ... After Just One Season

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are calling it quits on their deal with Spotify to produce their "Archetypes" podcast after one season.

In a joint statement ... the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (citing their production company, Archewell Audio) and Spotify -- a music/podcast digital service -- said they have "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together."

The New York Post reported Meghan/Harry failed to generate enough content for Spotify to payout their $20 million contract in full.

But WME, the talent agency that reps Meghan, told the Wall Street Journal ... the Duchess is continuing to crank out more podcasts for her "Archetypes" fans on a different platform. No word though on where and when we can listen to the new episodes.

Meghan and Harry launched Archetypes in 2020 after they reportedly signed a multi-year deal with Spotify to produce the show in audio form. But the podcast didn't premiere until 2022 with Meghan as the host, interviewing celebs such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton. There were 12 episodes in all, with the final one airing November 2022.

Kylie Jenner Company Sued For Nonpayment ... But Her Rep Calls BS

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UPDATE

6:20 PM PT -- A representative for Kylie Jenner's brand tells TMZ ... the model was paid before the NET 45 days per her invoice for both shoots. The rep also claims to have documentation.

UPDATE

Meanwhile, a source close to Kylie says it's possible the model's agent could have held payment from her -- which wouldn't be on Kylie.

UPDATE

The source also tells us the same model later asked the company for a letter of recommendation, which Kylie's brand did not do.

UPDATE

We're also told the model's team tried to get more work for her with Kylie's company after the 2020 photo shoots.

Kylie Jenner's company is being sued by a model who says she didn't get paid on time for a couple photo shoots ... and now she's gunning for a six-figure payday.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Kylie's company is being sued by a model named Sasha Palma, who claims she was hired for a couple photo shoots for Kylie's cosmetic products.

In the docs, Sasha claims she was first hired for a one-day shoot back in June 2020 at a daily rate of $2,000. She says she was entitled to get paid by early July but says Kylie's company missed the deadline by more than 30 days.

Sasha claims Kylie's company was certainly able to pay her on time, but she says they chose not to ... and she says that means they now owe her penalties totaling $60,000.

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In the suit, Sasha claims the same thing happened when she was hired for another one-day photo shoot in August 2020 ... she says she didn't get her $2,000 check until more than 30 days after the deadline and is thus entitled to another $60k.

You guessed it, Sasha's going after Kylie's company for $120,000.

We reached out to Kylie's company ... so far no word back.

Originally Published -- 5:55 PM PT

Conor McGregor Accused Of Raping Woman At NBA Finals Game ... He Denies Allegations

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UPDATE

12:46 PM PT -- The Miami Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports it has been investigating the allegations since Sunday -- and the probe remains ongoing.

Conor McGregor has been accused of raping a woman at Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this month ... but the UFC star says the allegations are not true.

According to demand letters, authored by attorney Ariel Mitchell, that were sent to McGregor, the NBA and the Miami Heat this week ... the incident happened just after the Nuggets had won, 108-95, on June 9 at the Kaseya Center in Florida.

McGregor played a big part in the entertainment at the game -- he sat in courtside seats  and even participated in a halftime skit where he punched a Heat mascot multiple times while promoting his Tidl Sport recovery spray.

But, according to the letters, obtained by TMZ Sports, at one point later on during the evening ... he "violently" sexually assaulted a woman inside of a men's bathroom.

In the letters, Mitchell claims that NBA and Heat security helped separate the woman from her friend ... and then forced her into a restroom that McGregor and his security guard were already inside of.

In the letters, Mitchell says "security refused to let [the woman] exit or allow anyone else, including her friend, inside the bathroom." The lawyer then claims McGregor emerged from inside of a handicap stall "and shoved his tongue in the victim's mouth and aggressively kissed her."

According to the letters, the woman was able to get McGregor off of her by telling him she had to urinate ... but then McGregor allegedly forced her to have oral sex with him.

McGregor, 34, is then accused of grabbing the woman and pinning her against the wall ... before attempting to sodomize her.

Mitchell says in the letters the woman was able to elbow McGregor repeatedly -- which gave her a window to escape. However, she allegedly fled in such a hurry, she left her purse -- which Mitchell says McGregor's security guards "held hostage" until she pleaded with them for its return.

According to the letters, the woman finally got away from it all ... and went on to report the assault to local authorities on Sunday morning. Mitchell tells us an officer then encouraged the woman to seek out an attorney.

In the letters, which were sent following the woman's meeting with cops, Mitchell said the woman is seeking settlements with the NBA, the Heat, and McGregor in lieu of litigation.

Reps for McGregor, however, said in a statement Thursday morning the "allegations are false."

"Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated," they added.

The Heat released a statement Thursday afternoon saying the org. is aware of the allegations and is "conducting a full investigation" into the matter. The NBA added in a statement of its own, "We are aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information."

The UFC also addressed the alleged incident ... saying it, too, is aware of the claims and is working on getting more information.

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SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS

"UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements."

Originally Published -- 9:41 AM PT

Antonio Brown Albany Empire Kicked Out Of NAL

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Antonio Brown's tenure as owner of the Albany Empire has hit an all-time low -- the ex-NFL star's team was just kicked out of the National Arena League.

The organization announced the decision on Thursday ... saying Brown repeatedly failed to pay his team's monthly assessments, which are used to support the league's operating budget.

In a statement, the NAL explained the Empire made its first assessment payment in April, but it was later challenged. The Super Bowl champ's team then refused to cough up the money in May.

The league says it was in contact with Brown's accountant, who claimed his client did not plan to fulfill his assessment responsibilities, nor would he pay a $1,000 fine he was handed for Conduct Detrimental to the League after recent comments he made.

The NAL held an emergency phone conference with the other team owners to address the fiasco ... and decided to give Brown until noon on Thursday to make up the payments, which he did not.

As a result, the league has severed ties with the Empire.

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WELCOME TO THE TEAM

Brown took over the team in March, and it's been nothing short of a disaster -- he faced accusations of failing to pay players and coaches, getting in heated exchanges with members of the organization and broken promises of suiting up and playing in games.

Brown's father, Eddie, was a star for the team back in the day ... and the ex-Pittsburgh Steeler vowed to be hands-on as a member of the organization.

Fans expressed their displeasure with the team ... with game attendance tanking in the process.

The Empire -- the former champs -- are 1-6 this season.

Taylor Swift Dad Reportedly Made $15M In Scooter Braun Music Sale

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Taylor Swift said she was blindsided when her music was sold over to Scooter Braun ... but a new report says her pops cashed in a huge paycheck on the deal.

For those unaware, TS' catalog was shipped off to Scooter in 2019 when Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Label Group, put his company up for sale ... Scooter's Ithaca Holdings paid $330 mil to take it all.

Sources close to the negotiations tell us Taylor was never involved in any of those calls or directly in the deal at all, but a new report is challenging how much she actually knew about Scooter's move.

The sale spawned a ton of turmoil, as well as multiple "Taylor's Version" re-records of some of her past work ... but according to Music Business Worldwide, Taylor's dad Scott Swift took home $15.1M in the monumental sale.

Despite his cashing in, back in 2019 a rep for Taylor said he didn't have knowledge of the deal before it happened -- intentionally skipping a private NDA-signed phone call about a potential deal -- so that he didn't have to withhold anything from Taylor.

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I'M GONNA WIN THIS

The rep stated, "On June 25, there was a shareholder phone call that Scott Swift did not participate in due to a very strict NDA that bound all shareholders and prohibited any discussion at all without risk of severe penalty. Her dad did not join that call because he did not want to be required to withhold any information from his own daughter. Taylor found out from the news articles when she woke up before seeing any text from Scott Borchetta, and he did not call her in advance."

A source close to the negotiations also added the shareholder meeting was held only 48 hours prior to the announcement of the sale to Scooter and since Scott Borchetta controlled 90% of the stock, the sale was a forgone conclusion.

The outlet confirms he was 1 of the 5 shareholders of BMLG at the time of the sale -- owning about 5% of the company when Borchetta unloaded it to Scooter. Quite the payday, especially considering the pain Taylor claimed the sale caused her.

Taylor's been re-recording all of her old albums ever since her music was sold off ... in order to have a version she'd be able to own.

Scooter also unloaded Taylor's master rights of her first 6 albums to an unknown investment fund for $300M in 2020, and she ripped into Scooter for them not being for sale to her.

For what it's worth, it seems like Taylor still came out ahead compared to her dad's payout -- she's been selling out shows left and right on her current Eras Tour.

Austin Reaves Signs 7-Figure Shoe Deal ... With Chinese Co. Rigorer

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Austin Reaves' hot streak continues -- fresh off his breakout season with the Lakers, the former undrafted NBA prospect has inked a signature shoe deal that's reportedly worth millions!!

The 25-year-old signed a multi-year contract with Chinese brand Rigorer that could "reach over seven figures per year," according to Shams Charania ... and it includes getting his very own sneaker, the "AR1."

Reaves talked about the business move on Thursday ... saying, "If you would have told me I'd have had a signature shoe at 18, I'd have looked at you and called you a liar."

"Honestly, I'm blessed to play basketball for a living and I just have to pinch myself sometimes to really understand what's going on."

Reaves blew up this past season ... becoming an important piece on the Lakers roster, averaging 21 points a game in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The Arkansas native's shoe deal isn't the only major source of income -- he's expected to be a big target in free agency, with teams prepping to offer him more than $50 million over four years.

The AR1s are slated to drop this summer ... so yeah, it's been a helluva 2023 for the guy.