Money

Greta Gerwig achieved something pretty great in showbiz this weekend -- she's now the sole female director to have crossed the billion-dollar line ... and it's because of "Barbie."

Indeed ... the inevitable happened Sunday, with "Barbie" raking in over a $1 billion at the worldwide box office and once again taking the top spot here domestically. That's 3 weeks in a row that the flick has dominated, and at this point ... there's no sign of it slowing down.

Now, as for Greta ... like we said, she stands alone (as a woman) in this billion-dollar club -- which is a historical feat, and something that hasn't been done before "Barbie" came along.

Yes, there are other female directors who are technically in that 10-figure category -- including Jennifer Lee and Anna Boden, who co-directed the "Frozen" and "Captain Marvel" movies, respectively, alongside men -- but GG's in a league of her own now as a standalone.

There's a very large gap between Greta and the other solo female directors with box office hits -- #2 on the list is Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman," which made around $412 mil through its run. There's an even bigger drop-off with the next tier of films/directors ... Betty Thomas' "Alvin and the Chipmunks" ($219M); Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight" ($192M); Elizabeth Banks' "Pitch Perfect 2" ($184M); Cate Shortland's "Black Widow" ($183M) ... and so on.

With Greta's milestone here ... it proves that women are pretty damn bankable, not just as actresses -- but behind the camera as well. Full circle, really, for the themes of 'Barbie.'

Considering her indie background, you could argue Greta's has had a meteoric rise over the past 5-6 years. And like we previously reported, there's currently no active plans for a sequel at this point -- which, if you know studios, is unheard of when this sorta success is had.

There's a report saying WB actually tried brokering a deal for Greta to direct 'Barbie 2' months before the film came out -- but her agents shot that down and insisted on waiting to see how it actually performed. Smart move in hindsight ... Greta can fetch a fortune now.

BTW ... Greta actually turned 40 a couple days ago, and Ryan Gosling surprised her with a flash mob performance full of Kens, complete with his signature song from the movie.

Ryan Gosling's still in Ken-mode amid 'Barbie's' continued success -- he took his real-life brood to the sandy shores of Cali ... and was leaning heavily on the matriarchy, it seems.

The actor hit up a beach near Santa Barbara Friday, and the whole Gosling household was in tow -- including his partner, Eva Mendes, and their 2 daughters. There were other adults tagging along, however ... including what appears to be somebody's mother or grandmother.

Eyewitnesses tell us Ryan was actually very focused on this older woman, helping her get through the sand in her walker ... and carefully assisting her down to the actual water.

Again, we're not sure who this woman was exactly -- but it could very well be Eva's mother, Eva Perez Suarez, who's been in ailing health of late ... according to her own daughter, anyway. We know Eva is incredibly close with her family, and also values privacy.

As for the other 2 adults ... no idea, but they were certainly rolling with Eva and Ryan, and keeping a watchful eye over the kids. Speaking of the two girls ... we're told they had paddleboards with them. And with Mama and Papa Bear -- they chatted, but no PDA.

Anyhoo, this really is an example of life imitating art. If you haven't seen 'Barbie' yet ... there's a running joke about Ken (played by RG) and his job, described as just "beach."

Seems like Ryan took that theme right off the script and manifested it in the real world -- only here, he's much more reverent of the women in his life ... unlike his onscreen character.

BTW, 'Barbie' is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office this weekend -- not to mention three-peating as the #1 movie folks are flocking to see. The crazy thing is ... there's no sequel in the works just yet, which is unheard of in this day and age.

Interestingly, Ryan and Margot Robbie didn't sign a deal for movie #2 in their OG contracts with Warner Bros. -- so if they do agree to do it at this point, they're in for a fat payday.

Taylor Swift is no stranger to signing huge deals, and we've learned there's another one on the horizon ... with camera crews following her "Eras" Tour journey throughout the world.

Camera crews have been present at just about every "Eras" Tour show thus far -- getting plenty of shots of Taylor, her fans and some behind-the-scenes content. It might seem standard for tours these days, but the scope of the crews with Taylor show she's got something more in the works.

We've spoken to sources who say there's not yet a plan for the project -- whether it'll end up on streaming or in theaters. It could be a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, a company with which she has history.

While the details are sparse on how the footage will be used, you can bet Taylor's fans will eat it up ... especially those who couldn't attend "Eras" in person.

As we reported, plenty of stars came out for the first two of 6 L.A. shows -- and Taylor had a super sweet moment Thursday night with Kobe Bryant's daughter, Bianka, when she presented her with a hat and a hug in the middle of the show.

Lisa Marie Presley's oldest daughter, Riley Keough, is now the one and only in charge of her mother's estate ... this after settling with her grandmother, Priscilla Presley.

An L.A. County Superior Court judge signed off Friday, so Priscilla is officially out of the picture.

Riley is now a substantial owner of the Elvis Presley Graceland Estate, but according to the settlement, Priscilla will be allowed to use it as her final resting place. TMZ broke the story, during negotiations between Priscilla and Riley, Priscilla wanted to be buried right next to Elvis, which would have displaced Elvis' mom and dad. Remember, Priscilla was divorced from Elvis at the time of his death.

As we reported, Riley paid Priscilla millions to back off from challenging who administers Lisa Marie's trust ... a trust which benefits Riley, along with Lisa Marie's twins, 14-year-olds Harper and Finley.

A massive set piece from Kanye West's "Donda" concerts is going up for auction ... and it's something that holds a ton of sentimental weight for the rapper.

Jason Levy, president of The Levy Recovery Group, tells TMZ … they were hired by the production company for Ye's "Donda" tour to sell the replica of his childhood home that was on display at his listening parties.

We're told the building's now sitting in a warehouse in the Chicago area, broken down into parts. The live auction's going down at the beginning of October, and the winning bidder has the option of having the production team reassemble the house for a fee.

We're told the item's so unique, there's no telling how high the bids will go. The Levy Recovery Group in conjunction with ZiffCap is running the auction process.

You'll recall, Kanye held concerts for "Donda" & "Donda 2," the first at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2021 and the second at LoanDepot Park in Miami in 2022 ... and the centerpiece was the house that he grew up in with his late mother, Donda West.

It was rumored he would take the music -- and the recreated Donda house -- on tour, but that never happened.

Drake is picking sides in the upcoming Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight ... placing a bet on The Problem Child to fall short ... and judging by the massive wager, Champagne Papi's feeling confident.

Drizzy posted the Stake betting slip on social media Friday night ... and he's risking $250,000 to win $1 million. In order for Drake to cash out, Nate has to win his fight with Paul.

Here's how Drake's explaining his bet ... "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake's switching up when it comes to the YouTuber-turned-boxer ... remember, he bet $400k on Jake to knock out Tommy Fury back in February, but Jake didn't make it happen and Drake lost.

But, Jake says Drake has won tons of money on him in the past ... though that doesn't appear to be influencing Drake's bet this time around.

The fight's going down Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas ... and Jake's a heavy favorite, though Drake is going for the underdog here.

Jake and Nate are chomping at the bit to fight ... their Thursday press conference spiraled into a massive brawl.

Sharon Tate's sister is disgusted a guy is trying to make a buck off the door to the home where her sibling was butchered ... slamming the whole sale as immoral.

Debra Tate tells TMZ ... the current owner of the door, Christopher Moore, and the auction house through which he's peddling it, Julien's Auctions, oughta be ashamed of themselves for trying to profit off the murder of the late actress, who was 8 months pregnant at the time.

It goes without saying, there's a very dark history behind this former piece of the Tate house ... and Debra hopes whoever ends up buying the front door knows this, and realizes it isn't something to gawk at or marvel over. On the contrary, she says it's morbid.

She tells us the door should be destroyed, and the only reason it's even being sold and generating interest is due to the shock factor -- something Debra laments.

Debra says while she's horrified over the sale, she's actually not all that sure it's the real McCoy. Her reasoning lies in the details ... namely the design of the doorknob.

The door was well-documented in photos, and she insists if you look at the ribbing lining the handle in the OG ... it doesn't appear to match the handle on the door being hawked.

Moore and Julien's have assured us this door is authentic ... and have documented where it's been over the years. It seems folks believe it's legit ... the bids have soared past $22k.

Betty White's former L.A. home -- where she lived for decades -- has been wiped off the map ... and now a massive new building is rising up in its place, totally changing the lot.

The late actress had a relatively modest Brentwood property -- modest for A-list celebs, at least -- but the new mansion being built on the same piece of land is a big departure from Betty's style ... as seen in photos of the new construction.

From above, the new home is starting to take shape ... there's a main house rising way above the other structures, and the early stages of a new pool and spa are coming along too.

Remember ... the new owners, a dentist and his wife, filed for a permit to bulldoze Betty's old house back in November ... and by April, her old home was practically gone.

Now, there's literally no trace of Betty's roughly 3,000-square-foot home ... which once had 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and a pool.

Betty first moved to this Brentwood address way back in the '60s, right before her Hollywood career took off ... and she lived there until her death on New Year's Eve 2021. Along the way, her home became a staple of celebrity sightseeing for tourists.

Johnny Manziel is opening up on his serious mental health battles following his NFL career ... revealing he purchased a gun and intended to use it on himself.

The former Heisman Trophy winner addressed his suicidal thoughts in Netflix's "Untold: Johnny Football" documentary, which drops next week ... saying he had his demise all mapped out -- he would blow all his money, and then take his own life.

"I think I was just running from problems," Manziel said. "It was probably a $5 million bender. Direct self-sabotage, trying to burn this thing down."

Manziel's issues on and off the field were well-documented at the time ... and he said he burned so many bridges that he felt "the ride was over."

"I had planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point in my life. Spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life. Months prior, I went and bought a gun I knew I was going to use. I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me."

It's unclear if Manziel actually attempted suicide ... but he said "the gun just clicked on me."

Johnny appears to be doing much better now ... and he's even opening his own bar near his old college campus at Texas A&M this fall.

One very lucky Post Malone fan left his concert with a kick-ass memento ... as the proud new owner of the rock star's $5K guitar!!!

11-year-old Winter attended Post's Tampa Bay concert Tuesday night, and at the end of the show, he handed over his personal blue guitar ... the same one he jams out with. Oh, and we should mention, he signed it too.

Winter's mother, Jenn, tells TMZ ... her kiddo's a massive Post fan, as is her other daughter, Brooklyn. Tampa's show marks the 5th PM show the family has attended. At past shows, Jenn says they've seen Post give away smashed guitars to fans, but nothing like this.

We're told Winter doesn't know how to play the guitar, but the rare gift might be enough to get her into learning. In handing it over, Post made the young girl promise to treat the instrument with respect, and Jenn says that's exactly what they'll do.

Winter plans to put it in a case to display on a wall in her room and will never sell it.

Don't worry, Brooklyn didn't walk away empty-handed -- she ended up with Post's sweaty shirt and socks. Not a bad consolation prize!

Aaron Rodgers doesn't just have a new football home, he's got a new crib, too ... the Jets superstar quarterback dropped nearly $10 million on a brand new, gorgeous New Jersey estate!

The $9.5 million, 8-bedroom, 10-bathroom pad is located in Montclair, NJ, according to Daily Mail, which broke the story ... and was just recently built in 2022.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. house, which sits on about 2 acres of property, is located about 10 miles from Met Life Stadium where the Jets play on Sundays.

Records indicate the home, which was originally listed for $11 million, sold at the end of June.

The "stunning and immaculate" estate is described as an "ultra-private architectural masterpiece" ... and comes complete with a gourmet kitchen, media room, wine cellar, and 3-car garage.

The home also has an incredible view of the New York City skyline.

The Jets, who traded for the 4x NFL MVP in April, started training camp a couple of weeks ago and will begin their season in early September.

Many experts have anointed Gang Green as Super Bowl contenders this season.

Themba Gorimbo's days of living in the gym are over -- the UFC fighter now has his own place to call home ... thanks to an incredible gesture from his idol, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

The movie superstar and WWE legend surprised Themba at his gym in an emotional meetup last week ... holding up on a promise he made after hearing the mixed-martial artist's story about fighting with just 7 dollars to his name.

But, as it turns out, their interaction at the gym was just the beginning of their special time together ... 'cause Themba's hero had something else up his sleeve (even though he wasn't wearing any).

Here's how it went down -- The Rock initially said they were going to meet up with his friend, Jay, at his apartment in Miami ... but once they got to the pad, Themba would soon find out there was no "Jay."

After walking around and seeing framed family photos all over the place ... Themba quickly realized he was standing inside his new apartment!!

"I was so moved by your story," The Rock told Gorimbo. "When I found out you were sleeping on the couch in the gym ... now there's no more couch sleeping. This is your house. Welcome home!"

"Now you can bring your kids here, man, your family. This place is yours. You don't have to think about anything. The only thing you think about is your family, getting them over here, getting them with you, training, and becoming a champion."

Themba was overcome with emotion ... thanking Johnson for the act of kindness.

Kamaru Usman says he's wanted to fight Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson for some time ... and with both men in need of an opponent, the former UFC welterweight champion has an idea -- fight each other!!

"I've done everything there is to do. The only guy that, to be honest, that even make sense right now is Wonderboy, 'cause he needs an opponent," 36-year-old Usman told TMZ Sports on Tuesday.

"Wonderboy's been around for so long, and he's just that name to where it's always a good fight."

40-year-old Thompson, a mainstay at the top of the 170 lb. division for years, has one of the most unique styles in all MMA (Kempo) ... and that's a challenge that excites Usman.

"His style is very, very difficult to fight. He's just one of those names, he's in my era, that I never really got to fight."

Of course, Wonderboy was supposed to fight Michel Pereira at UFC 291 on Saturday ... but the fight was scrapped after the Brazilian fighter missed weight, tipping the scale at 173 lbs.

Some fans and others around the sport have criticized Wonderboy for not fighting, despite the fact he cut and made weight, and Pereira didn't. Kamaru says those people are full of crap.

"I know everyone is crucifying [Wonderboy] for not taking that fight. But why? I don't understand that. Why?" Usman asked.

"People are like, 'He's a bitch.' 'He's scared.' 'He didn't want to take the fight.' Why? We signed on a contract, and [Pereira] said he was going to make this weight. He decided not to make this weight, and [Thompson] told him, 'Ok, I need you to go back and make this weight.' And if he's not going to try, why is that [Wonderboy's] fault? No, absolutely not [his] fault. People need to stop that."

"Wonderboy did his job. He came in there, he made weight, he trained for the fight. What more could you ask of him?"

There's much more ... we also talked to the future UFC Hall of Famer about his close friend and gym-mate Justin Gaethje's incredible KO win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, with the BMF belt on the line.

Kamaru talks about why the win was so important for his squad/coaches.

Mark Zuckerberg's training so hard for a potential MMA fight with Elon Musk that he's eating 4,000 calories EVERY DAY to avoid widening the huge size difference between the billionaires!

Zuck's been busting his ass training with some of the best UFC fighters in the world ... and even recently disclosed he installed an Octagon on his lawn!

In order to maintain his already slight stature, MZ revealed his McDonald's order on Threads, and it's a hefty amount of food for a 145-lb. guy.

"20 nuggets, a quarter pounder, large fries, Oreo McFlurry, apple pie, and maybe some side cheeseburgers for later?" Zuck said.

Assuming Zuck got two cheeseburgers "for later" (vet move), the Mickey D's alone is over 2,300 calories.

UFC fighter Mike David didn't totally agree with the nutritional choice.

"You’re in camp! No McDonalds 😂" the 10-2, 30-year-old MMA fighter wrote to Mark.

Good luck getting Zuck to stay away from the Golden Arches ... the Meta CEO responded soon after, justifying his diet choices.

"Not cutting weight so I need ~4000 calories a day to offset all the activity. And it's so delicious..." Zuckerberg explained.

Translation, Mark doesn't have to lose weight in order to fight. In fact, it's the opposite. It would behoove him to gain weight, 'cause Musk tips the scales around 230 lbs., and if the guys were to step foot in the Octagon today, Zuckerberg would be at an ~85 lb. disadvantage.

Zuck's huge caloric intake shows how hard he's been training. Just last month, he was working out with UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski. A gang of other fighters have also offered to help.

Tom Brady is racking up teams like Super Bowl rings -- the retired NFL superstar has become part owner of yet another sports organization ... this time, it's the Birmingham City Football Club.

The G.O.A.T. announced the business move in a hype video on Thursday ... saying "he's officially coming on board" the English Football League Championship squad.

"And maybe you're asking what do you know about English football, Tom?" Brady said in the clip. "Well, let's just say I've got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well."

Brady -- who joins the club's current owners, Knighthead Capital Management LLC -- will also serve as chairman of the advisory board.

"I know success starts with the work put in when the world isn't watching," Brady added. "I know a team is nothing without the city that shows up and stands behind it."

"Most importantly, I know I like being the underdog. The road's been long for Birmingham, but these fans have never stopped believing."

The Blues will hope Brady's winning will rub off on them ... 'cause the team finished 17th in England's second-tier league last season.

Birmingham City also addressed the move in a statement ... saying Brady will work directly with the team's sports science department to share his knowledge on "health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs."

"I'll see you at St Andrew's soon," TB12 added. "It's time to get to work."

Brady has clearly found a new hobby in sports ownership after retiring in February -- his collection now includes Birmingham City, the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, a Major League Pickleball team, and, most recently, an E1 World Championship electric boat racing franchise.

A couple of big Taylor Swift fans are out lots of loot and a great show ... showing up at the venue a day after the concert went down!!!

Bear Silber tells TMZ ... he snagged a pair of tickets for him and his wife months ago for what he thought was Taylor's show this past Saturday in Santa Clara, CA.

He paid $500 for the tickets, and coughed up $60 for parking. They arrived at Levi's Stadium with unbridled excitement, got through a security checkpoint and presented their tickets.

Imagine their shock when the tickets were scanned and they were told their tickets were for Friday night, not Saturday.

To say they were crestfallen is an understatement. As for who screwed up, well, Bear says he slept on the sofa Saturday night.

There is a happy ending to this story. Bear somehow snagged a second set of tickets for Taylor's show in Inglewood this coming Saturday. He has to work so he's not going, but his wife and her friend will be there. Those 2 tickets set him back $2,600. Oh, they live in Oakland so the flight will put him back another $600.