Money

Warner Bros' plan to stream new movie releases will not only rock the theater industry, but also impact the U.S. economy ... according to Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star joined "TMZ Live" Friday to break down Warner's game-changer -- streaming its blockbuster 2021 films on HBO Max, while also releasing them in theaters. He says it's a big win for movie buffs and distributors like WB.

But, he can already see how it will shift the economy as a whole because he's lived through it. Remember, "Trolls World Tour" was released on demand, and in theaters earlier this year -- and you gotta see how that ended up costing him $200. He explains why the cash is spread out to more companies when ya go to a theater, as opposed to staying home to watch a new movie.

No more how ya slice it, though ... It's bad news for movie theater owners.

The founder of Luminar Technologies -- a potential major player in self-driving cars -- is snatching the crown Kylie Jenner once wore ... now that he's the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

Austin Russell's only 25, but he's worth a whopping $2.4 BILLION after his company's stock market debut Thursday ... which saw its share price soar to $22.98, giving the company a market value of about $7.8 billion.

Russell owns about a third of that, so do the math ... and yeah, the dude's balling. Forbes dubbed him the world's youngest self-made billionaire, and his wealth is expected to climb even more Friday along with Luminar's stock price.

As you'll recall, Forbes had previously given Kylie that title in August 2018, but earlier this year -- after some forensic accounting -- determined she actually came up about $100 mil short.

Of course, Kylie's "self-made" status was also called into question, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Russell ... who dropped out of college in 2012 to start Luminar.

AR's company's pretty cool ... it makes a device called lidar scanners that use lasers to give autonomous cars a 3-D view of the road and surroundings. The company's already struck deals with Volvo, Daimler Truck and Intel’s autonomous vehicle unit ... and is projected to start raking in billions annually.

James Harden with the ultimate birthday assist ... because he just hooked up rapper Lil Baby with an insane $300,000 gift bag!!!!

Lil Baby turned 26 this week -- and to celebrate, his good pal, James, turned up with a designer Prada bag loaded with goodies.

"Prada bag 'cause he Prouda' me," Baby said of Harden's gift.

Inside, a bunch of honey bun pastries -- surrounded by a "honey bun," which is slang for $100,000 IN CASH!!!!

(Get it, honey bun -- like a bundle of hundreds?)

There's more ... Baby also pulled out a Richard Mille watch, which appears to come with a $200,000 price tag.

Harden was all smiles as Lil Baby opened up his gifts -- and man, was he stoked!!!

"Don’t Play With Him," Baby posted on IG about Harden ... "How the f*cc I get a bag full of honey buns with a honey bun an a Richard Millie!! Mannn [James Harden] brooooo wtf!! An I’m drunk."

Lil Baby and James Harden have been friends for a while -- most recently vacationing together with some pals on Turks & Caicos.

As for James, he can afford to smother his friends in luxury -- he's reportedly made more than $224 MILLION in his NBA career.

Sasha Obama already comes from a very influential family, but if she ever decides to break out on her own as an influencer ... the sky's the limit.

That's what the CEOs of 2 leading influencer-marketing agencies believe anyway, telling TMZ the former first daughter could amass 1-2 million followers on TikTok in her first week ... if not her first day.

Joe Gagliese of Viral Nation tells us, Sasha would be an overnight success story if she joined the popular social platform ... and could reach 10 million followers in a year easily if she posted content consistently.

He also says he could see her making $5-8 MILLION per year -- just off endorsements -- if she signed on with his agency, but they haven't tried to recruit her ... yet.

Joe says they'd be stupid not to try to get her as a client though, because she presents herself in a very "brand-friendly" and classy way ... which he says leads to better business deals. To top it off ... Gagliese believes the youngest Obama clearly has a lot of talent.

Likewise, Mae Karwowski of Obviously tells us, Sasha could rake in a few mil a year with the right brand deals, and she'd be able to charge top-dollar -- six figures immediately -- for pretty much any brand of her choosing.

Mae says Sasha has a cool, mysterious cache because she's kept such a low profile ... so she thinks there's a lot of pent-up interest in her that would result in high demand if she gets on TikTok.

As we reported ... Sasha's not on TikTok yet, but sent the internet into a tizzy this week just by appearing in one with her college friends.

Karwowski points out Sasha may not be ready for attention like that, or even want to seek out the limelight that comes with being an influencer ... it's her call to make.

Hannah Viverette -- the woman whose TikTok recording captured the moment a man allegedly busted into her home -- says she's now stuck between a rock and a very scary hard place due to the ordeal.

Hannah tells us the man who was arrested for stalking after entering her apartment Sunday night still lives in her building. He bailed out of jail after his arrest, and she says his eviction date is still a couple weeks away.

Hannah says she's frightened to live there and has been staying in a safe place since the incident -- but she's desperate to move out for good and find a new permanent home.

Problem is, she claims her apartment complex in Maryland won't allow her to break her lease -- and says she's already dealing with enough hardship as a single mom who lost her job due to the pandemic.

Her attorney, Symone Redwine, tells us she believes what happened to Hannah is grounds for her to immediately terminate her lease without penalty ... and she's talking to the complex to try to make that happen.

As we reported ... Angel Moises Rodriguez-Gomez was charged with 2 counts of burglary, second-degree assault, stalking and malicious destruction of property.

Hannah tells us she also filed for a restraining order a few days after the incident because she was told it would help expedite the process of him getting kicked out of the building. She says his eviction date, as of now, isn't until mid-December.

We reached out to the housing complex, but no word back so far.

G Herbo and his associates perpetrated a massive fraud to go on fancy vacations, fly on private jets and even buy "designer puppies" ... so claim the feds.

According to a new federal complaint, G Herbo -- along with his music promoter and other members of his crew -- allegedly conspired to defraud numerous businesses with stolen credit cards over the course of a 4-year period.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Herbo specifically conspired to get a private villa in Jamaica back in July 2017 by contacting music promoter Antonio Strong to arrange it and provide a stolen credit card to pay for incidentals.

What's more ... the feds allege the rapper was in cahoots with Strong to use an alias and a stolen credit card to purchase 2 "designer puppies" from a luxury pet store. The feds allege the other defendants also scored private jet charters to fly women, private yacht charters, exotic car rentals and luxury hotel and vacation rental accommodations.

Herbo's been charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 2 counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft. Antonio was also slapped with several counts, including wire fraud ... and was arrested back in September, but it's unclear if Herbo has plans to surrender.

His attorney provided a "no comment" when reached by the Chicago Tribune, which first reported the story.

The news comes on the heels of Forbes naming Herbo to its 30 under 30 list in the music category. The publication praised the rapper for his recent music success and launching a youth mental health initiative.

The old adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is ringing true for TRUE Kitchen + Kocktails ... because all's very well after its recent twerking controversy.

The Dallas restaurant's owner, Kevin Kelley, tells TMZ ... the joint's been inundated with requests to dine there since he gained some notoriety for his anti-twerking speech earlier this week.

He says TRUE's been a reservation-only business since they opened 5 months ago, and they're all booked up now for the foreseeable future. More importantly, Kelley says sales have remained strong in wake of what went down ... and he has no plans to change anything up.

The owner tells us ... "I'm glad the public has had a chance to decide what they do and don’t want in their restaurants. The effect on our restaurant has been overwhelmingly positive."

He adds that former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant's been a supporter, and says ... "We’ve received an outpouring of support that we did not anticipate online and in person. This lets us know the public believes in our vision for the restaurant and they will support a concept working to fill a void in our communities."

In case you missed it ... Kelley received both praise and backlash for his stance against twerking in his restaurant, and doubled down -- it's just something he doesn't want at his establishment.

Wanna live like the King of Rock and Roll? It's possible for whoever snatches up the home where Elvis and Priscilla Presley enjoyed their honeymoon ... but it'll cost a pretty penny.

The so-called Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs has hit the market again for a cool $2.5 million. The crib's famous because Elvis leased the pad in 1966 for a year for $21,000, which sounds like an incredible deal ... but in '66 that was a handsome sum.

It's the same house where Elvis and Priscilla were supposed to get married on May 1, 1967 ... but the press got wind of the plan so they jettisoned that plan and had a quickie-wedding in Vegas.

The newlyweds certainly kept busy in the house ... exactly 9 months after beginning their honeymoon in Palm Springs, on February 1, 1968, Lisa Marie Presley was born.

The house was really futuristic ... dubbed the "House of Tomorrow."

The home was restored in the '90s ... though it maintains clean mid-century elements like rock walls, a floating fireplace and terrazzo flooring. The 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom pad has 5,000 square feet of living space ... not to mention tons of outdoor space that includes a cool pool.

This house was on the market a year ago for $3.2 million ... and the price has dropped roughly a dozen times since it first hit the market with a $9.5 million price tag in 2014. Turns out the house was in escrow several times but none actually closed.

Scott Histed of Bennion Deville Homes holds the listing.

BTW, another fun fact ... it's believed Elvis' '1968 Comeback Special' that aired on NBC was planned during the many months the singer spent there.

Nice little Thursday for Anthony Davis ... who's expected to sign a 5-year, $190 MILLION contract to remain with the L.A. Lakers.

The 27-year-old free agent will sign the deal at some point today, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski ... putting the Lakers in a great position to repeat as NBA champs.

Davis will make $32.7 million this season and enjoy annual increases that will pay him $43.2 in the 5th year of the deal.

There was some concern Davis could leave L.A. for another market -- but in the end, the money and the opportunity to build on a solid first season with LeBron James proved too enticing.

It also helps that LeBron and Davis are repped by the same agent, Rich Paul.

Remember, those 3 went to dinner at Nobu in Malibu back in October ... presumably to talk business.

The news on Davis' deal comes after word that LeBron is signing a 2-year, $85 million extension to stay with the Lakers.

The death of ex-Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh was tragic enough, but now his family is shocked because they believe he might not have written a will for his reported $840 million net worth.

Tony's father, Richard, and brother, Andrew, are asking a Clark County, Nevada judge to appoint them special administrators of Tony's estate. No shocker there, but in the docs, obtained by TMZ, they claim he didn't have a will in place when he died the day after Thanksgiving.

Tony's fam says they're "unaware of the existence of a fully executed estate plan" and "have a good faith belief" that Tony, who was unmarried and had no kids, died without leaving a will. The family's asking for access to Tony's accounts and safe deposit box to see if there are any estate planning docs in them.

The family also says a special administrator is needed to tend to Tony's "business obligations and commitments that require funding from assets that are presently frozen."

Forbes estimated Tony had a net worth of $840 million before he retired as Zappos' CEO earlier this summer. Tony, who made his initial fortune after selling his internet advertising company to Microsoft in 1998, died last week after sustaining injuries suffered during a house fire in Connecticut.

Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi funded a lavish lifestyle with money intended for plane crash victims and now they're hiding assets with a sham divorce ... according to a new lawsuit.

The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and her lawyer hubby are being dragged into court by the law firm Edelson, which is suing him for allegedly embezzling money from a settlement intended to compensate the families of victims of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Edelson -- which also represented the plaintiffs in the Lion Air litigation -- claims Tom used the settlement money to fund his "outrageous lifestyle" with Erika.

Edelson claims Girardi also needed the money to help keep his own law firm afloat, claiming it was is in financial peril from various loans.

And, then there’s this ... Edelson also claims Erika filed to divorce Tom in order to help him hide assets, claiming it believes the November divorce is nothing more than a sham.

A Staten Island bar's ripping a page from Seattle protesters' playbook by declaring an "autonomous zone" that's defying New York's COVID-19 restrictions ... and its patrons seem willing to go down fighting.

Sheriff's deputies raided Mac's Public House and shut it down Tuesday night for defying coronavirus health orders ... it was continuing to serve customers indoors. One of the owners, Danny Presti, was arrested for not cooperating during the raid -- and his loyal customers are pissed.

As Presti was being hauled out of his pub, a dozen or so patrons gathered outside in protest ... chanting "Hands off Mac's Public House."

As the unrest grew outside the bar, State Sen. Andrew Lanza showed up in an attempt to play peaceful mediator between Presti's lawyer, angry supporters and the authorities ... while also trying to get an explanation why Presti was arrested.

It doesn't seem like it came to a satisfactory conclusion though, especially for one fan of Mac's who's trying to rally a massive demonstration Wednesday night.

The guy posted his call to action as the raid was going down, pointing out what he feels is the hypocrisy of the new lockdown rules, and says he wants a thousand people lined up in front of Mac's to protest. Referring to the government, he shouted, "If they fear you, they won't f**k with you!!!"

Things definitely could get interesting tonight in Staten Island, which by the way ... is a state-designated coronavirus hot spot.

Post Malone's easing the pain of a brutal season for his Dallas Cowboys with lots and lots of diamonds -- which won't bring back Dak Prescott, but man do they shine!!!

The rapper added to his 'boys bling collection after hitting up Angel City Jewelers in L.A. for a new pendant. This one's 14-karat gold, weighs 207 grams and, most importantly, features a whopping 29 carats of diamonds.

You can see the pendant's a tribute to America's Team and its NFL birth year ... 1960. The pendant also features an American flag, in case anyone forgets their nickname. The pendant's value is over $50k, which falls way short of the $250k he dropped for his other Cowboys chain ... but still, it's insane.

There's a nice custom touch on the back ... the words "A Star is Born July 4th" -- PM's birthday -- and the oh-so-humble title of "#1 Fan."

Tough to argue with that, though, when Post's still dropping 5-figures to celebrate a team that's struggling hard.

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields says the boxing business is straight-up SEXIST -- with promoters screwing her out of paydays for years because she's a woman ... and that's why she's jumped to MMA.

25-year-old Shields -- one of the greatest female boxers ever -- just inked a 3-year contract with the Professional Fighters League, a global MMA promotion.

And, get this, Sheilds says one of the biggest reasons she made the move is because of PFL's biggest star, Kayla Harrison -- who's already won PFL's $1 million tournament, TWICE!

"Kayla, I watch all her fights," Shields says ... "She had a chance to fight for a million dollars [in MMA] before I had a chance to fight for a million dollars in boxing and I've accomplished everything there is to accomplish in boxing."

Claressa is right -- she's won every title imaginable and is widely regarded as the top pound-for-pound female boxer in the world.

But, despite her accolades and her talent on the microphone (she's entertaining as hell) -- Shields says she's been constantly low-balled by the shot-callers in her beloved sport.

"Boxing is so sexist," Claressa said ... claiming they treat her like a charity case instead of a world champion.

"These men are fighting for multiple millions that haven't accomplished half of what I accomplished but I'm supposed to just be happy?? Like yeah, go ahead and pay me $300k and then offer me $150k for the next fight?"

So, instead of bitching about it ... Claressa simply left the sport.

She's been training like a maniac and tells TMZ Sports the promoters at PFL aren't trying to turn her career into a circus by immediately booking her to fight Kayla Harrison.

Instead, Claressa says she'll start fighting opponents with similar MMA experience and she'll move up from there.

"I'm happy that they understood that this is not a ... 'Oh, I'm just coming over here like a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather type of deal,'" Shields tells us.

"This is a 3-year deal we have together ... It's very lucrative. 160 different countries that they'll be showing my fights. I'll be able to grow my brand and just continue to be a bigger role model."

"And I'm just happy they understood that and just didn't come talking to me like, 'Hey, we want you to get in the cage and fight Kayla Harrison the first main event.'"

As for her training, Shields says she's been in the gym every day -- and has gone from bench pressing 135 pounds to 185 pounds since kick-starting her training in June.

"Just trying to get stronger and fast to be more explosive -- and really just treat my body like a temple so we can get ready to go through all these different changes we're about to go through having to be an MMA fighter."

There's more -- Shields says the MMA community has welcomed her with open arms ... and name-drops some huge stars in the sport who have offered to help her as she begins her new journey.

Times are tough for "90 Day Fiancé" star Jon Walters ... so he's making extra Christmas cash as Santa Claus.

Check out Jon's brand-new look for his Santa side hustle ... as you can see, he dyed his beard white and he's hawking video messages from jolly old Saint Nick ... for a price.

Jon's selling his Santa videos on Direct Me, a social media platform connecting celebs with fans ... it's kinda like Cameo. He's marketing video calls for $75, but if you don't wanna stick around for a chat he'll personalize a message for only $35.

And, here's a big plot twist -- this particular Santa isn't just a giver, he's happy to take too. He's seeking cash gifts of $12, $25, $50 and $100. Christmas 2020 ... kinda figures.

Ryan Seacrest doesn't spend much time in L.A. these days ... he's living in New York where he co-hosts "Live with Kelly and Ryan" ... so he's decided to sell his home and in the process pocket around $44 MILLION!!!

Real estate sources tell us, Ryan is putting the Bev Hills home he bought from Ellen DeGeneres back on the market. We've learned he's listing the estate Monday for $85 million ... amazing since he bought it for $39 mil back in 2012. He spent another $2 mil on an adjacent property.

The house is amazing and has quite the history. Ellen bought it from "Will & Grace" creator Max Mutchnick. After she sold it to Ryan, we're told Max got in touch with him and said he was never able to finish the house the way he wanted, so he offered to help Ryan redo it, and Seacrest agreed. So, Max was his designer/architect!

The estate is spectacular ... one of the great resort-like compounds in the city. It has 5 structures, set between gardens and water features. It's amazing for indoor/outdoor living.

The main house is 9,000 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 6 baths and a gourmet chef's kitchen that opens to an outdoor pizza oven.

The living room has 22-foot high ceilings, but that's just the beginning. It has a movie theatre, a spa, an incredible world-class gym and a master suite with its own meditation garden. It even has a super cool bar/lounge.

The house, and especially the pool and teak pool house, gives sunbathers a jetliner view of L.A.

Seacrest is kind of a land baron ... he has houses in NYC, Napa and Italy -- and that's just what we know of.

Ryan will still commute to L.A. to do "American Idol," but apparently he doesn't need a massive estate for the quick trips.