Money

Russell Wilson just made his teammate David Moore $100k richer ... by calling an audible pass at the end of Sunday's game to get him a fat bonus!!

Here's the deal ... the Seattle Seahawks were lined up to take a knee and finish off the San Francisco 49ers in a 26-23 win ... when Wilson decided to switch it up and hit Moore with a touch pass with 22 seconds remaining.

The announcers were confused during the broadcast -- wondering why Russ didn't just run the clock out. But, they figured it out ...

Turns out, Wilson knew Moore was 1 catch from hitting 35 receptions on the season, which triggered a $100,000 bonus ... so Russ purposely targeted his guy to get him paid!!

The play was simple -- Wilson stepped back into a shotgun, sent Moore in motion and hit him with a quick touch-pass to secure the coveted catch #35.

Watch the video ... you can see Moore smiling in the huddle after the play, along with his teammates who were clearly aware of the situation.

The superstar QB spoke about the move after the game ... saying, "It's a blessing to help his family and daughter and all stuff, so it was part of the game."

"We wanted to get him that last catch. We were able to dial that up for him on that last play."

FYI, 25-year-old Moore -- a 7th round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was reportedly set to make $825k this season ... so the extra $100,000 is a big deal!

Nicki Minaj's being sued for more than $200 million over her song "Rich Sex" ... which a Queens rapper claims she ripped off after he played it for her.

Jawara Headley -- a Queens rapper who goes by Brinx Billions -- is suing Nicki, claiming he let her hear his version of "Rich Sex" sometime before 2016. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Brinx claims Nicki told him it would be extremely marketable and become a global hit.

But, Brinx -- who calls himself a songwriter, artist, music producer, composer and rapper -- claims Nicki jacked his song and put it on her "Queen" album. Although, he's not credited as such ... Brinx insists he's the sole author/creator/composer/writer/producer of "Rich Sex."

Brinx says he's known Nicki since 2007, when they met on MySpace, but he's still pissed his pal allegedly ripped specific lyrics, such as ... "It ain't such a thing as broke and handsome." Beyond lyrics, he says her song also has similar music, musical notes, musical arrangement, musical beats and musical rhythm.

Brinx is suing Minaj, along with Universal Music Group, Young Money, and Cash Money, for more than $200 million in damages. We've reached out for comment, so far no word back.

Blake Shelton's attempt to romanticize earning a minimum wage is pissing off a lot of folks struggling to stay afloat through the pandemic.

The country star's facing backlash since debuting the song "Minimum Wage" during NBC New Year's Eve TV special. It's supposed to be a ballad for his fiancee, Gwen Stefani, but considering they're both multi-millionaires ... the lyrics are under fire.

Lines like, "Girl, your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage" just are, at best, poorly timed for a lot of Blake's own fans.

One of 'em reacted on social media ... "I love his music but the timing for Minimum Wage isn't great. With so many people out of work and struggling the song feels a little tone deaf. I'd like to hear songs that are more personal. Wish he wrote more of his own stuff because he's an incredible song writer."

Another, who is clearly not a fan, wrote ... "The irony of listening to a millionaire Blake Shelton singing about ‘love on minimum wage’ at the end of 2020 might be lost on its target audience."

Prince's death has been riddled in estate challenges for years, and now the IRS is getting into the act, claiming the folks managing the estate have grossly undervalued it.

Uncle Sam claims the estate is worth double what the money managers claim. The estate set the value at just over $80 million, but the IRS says it's worth more than $160 mil.

Obviously, the taxman wants his cut, and that's why the U.S. Tax Court is now in the picture. The IRS claims the estate shorted the taxes due by $32.4 mil ... that's double what the estate planned to pay.

There have been all sorts of figures thrown around by the various heirs -- some of whom have mounted challenges -- some estimates put the estate's value as high as $300 mil.

The IRS really wants its pound of flesh. It's also asking for a $6.4 million penalty for the undervaluation. The estate filed legal docs this summer claiming the IRS's numbers are way, way off.

Senator Mitch McConnell just got a message from constituents they are pissed off at him for not passing the $2,000 stimulus bill, and they delivered the message via spray paint.

The Senate Majority Leader's Louisville, Kentucky home was vandalized by a really poor speller who wrote the words "Weres my money" on the front door in red and white paint. There were other messages as well around the front porch.

As you probably know, although the House passed the $2k bill after Trump demanded it, McConnell has become the chief obstructionist in the Senate.

Cops say they don't know who's responsible for the vandalism.

The incident follows a similar case of vandalism at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Fran home, where the perps wrote "Cancel Rent!" and "We Want Everything" in big black letters on her door. There's mention as well of the $2k stimulus bill. But, in a scene kinda sorta out of "The Godfather," there's also an image of a pig's head and fake blood near her garage.

You know things are bad when people in Canada start fighting cops and hurling the f-word.

The violent confrontation went down in Quebec on New Year's Eve, when cops were called to a home after neighbors complained there was a party raging inside, in violation of COVID guidelines.

Cops say the homeowner lied to them and claimed there were only 2 people inside the house. The noise inside told a different story, as well as the number of cars that were parked outside.

All hell breaks loose, as people inside the home start fighting the cops. The homeowner claimed cops used excessive force, and also tore into the P.D. because one cop was not wearing a mask. A spokesperson for the department says yeah, the cop wasn't wearing one because someone had just hit the guy on the head and his mask flew off.

Cops say it's highly likely everyone inside the home will get slapped with a big fine. The Dept. is also considering assault charges against some of the people inside.

Cops in Quebec City issued 46 tickets for public health violations.

President Trump still seems to be holding out hope he'll overturn the election results and win the presidency, but his D.C. hotel suggests otherwise ... based on their rates for Joe Biden's Inauguration Day.

The Trump International Hotel D.C.’s website currently shows that it's 5 times more expensive to book a room on January 19 and 20 ... and a 2-night minimum stay is required.

To be clear, the 19th is a Tuesday and President-elect Biden's set to be sworn in on Wednesday the 20th. Politico first reported the rates for those 2 nights have hiked up to $2,225 per night ... while other nights in January are in the $400 range.

Of course, Trump's hotel could be banking on a January 6 rejection of the Electoral College results by some of his Congressional allies to help him secure a second term.

That's not gonna happen for obvious reasons, but also because the hotel's reportedly not offering any inauguration specials or planning on having any private events.

Somebody left Speaker Nancy Pelosi a very disturbing message to kick off the new year ... and it seems to be related to the ongoing financial struggles of millions of Americans.

Pelosi's San Francisco home was vandalized overnight ... most of the damage was done to her garage door and driveway. The perp or perps spray-painted "Cancel Rent!" and "We Want Everything" in big black letters on her door ... and there's also a nod to the failed $2,000 government stimulus checks.

Even more unnerving, what looks like a pig's head and fake blood were also staged in front of her garage.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... San Fran cops responded to a vandalism call at Pelosi's home around 3 AM. We're told a police report was taken, but it's unclear if they have any suspects.

As you've probably heard ... Congress has been unable to reach a deal for a $2,000 relief bill in recent weeks, and Speaker Pelosi publicly called out Sen. Mitch McConnell for claiming there was "no realistic path" to make it happen.

Instead, many Americans will receive $600 instead ... but clearly the person who vandalized Pelosi's home doesn't think any of that is enough.

A Nashville musician whose home was decimated by the Nashville blast is starting 2021 off with his cat who was missing for 6 days, and a new guitar to boot, thanks to Brad Paisley.

Buck McCoy was in his downtown Nashville apartment when the blast hit Christmas Day. The place was destroyed, and his beloved cat Molly must have freaked out and escaped.

Authorities who were conducting the investigation at the scene of the blast found the cat roaming the streets Thursday and reunited her with Buck.

Buck was ecstatic, saying, "I know she's just a little orange cutie thing, but she was everything to me ... The last 5 years she's always been there for me."

Buck lost everything in the bombing ... he shot this video immediately after the blast and it shows the devastation inside his apartment. As for why he didn't leave, Buck tells TMZ he heard gunshots -- something others heard as well but authorities say they found no evidence of it -- and then heard something coming from a loudspeaker but he couldn't understand it so he went back to sleep and was awakened by the blast.

Buck got some help from a famous Nashville resident who saw him on TV getting reunited with his feline friend. Brad called Buck and said he was sending him one of his brand new guitars so Buck could get back to work at Legend's Corner, where he plays with his band.

Buck's gonna put the guitar to immediate use when he performs Saturday at Legend's Corner.

Brad also offered Buck unlimited groceries at Brad's place, The Store, which offers food to all the people in town who are struggling.

There are certain traditions that persevere, even in COVID times, and one of them is jumping in freezing cold water on New Year's Day.

It went down per usual in the Isle of Man, where hundreds of folks said shrinkage be damned and jumped into water with temps below 50 degrees.

The tradition started back in covered wagon days ... 1983, where 4 dippers jumped in the icy water to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.

Ever since then, there's been a growing number of dippers and more charities have been included in the mix.

This time around the folks ran into the water at Peel Beach, but there were new concerns -- COVID. Obviously, no masks and no real social distancing.

The island has handled the pandemic better than most. It went into total lockdown in March, and since June they have avoided massive outbreaks and the kids are back in school.

They've also closed their borders, to further protect the 85,000 residents.

Corey Harrison from "Pawn Stars" trashed an RV he rented, essentially wrecking it ... that's what the guy who rented him the RV told police.

Corey rented a 37-foot RV two months ago through RVShare (think Airbnb but for RVs) for a trip to a desert in California. But, what was supposed to be a 3-day rental from October 20-23 turned into a week-long nightmare, so says William Villafana who rented him the RV.

Villafana says he was contacted by Corey's assistant on the 24th ... saying they were involved in an accident and were going to have the RV towed back. The RV didn't show up until the 26th and Villafana says it was wrecked.

You can see from the pics ... the body of the RV is damaged ... the awning ripped off. The inside was a mess. Villafana says it was littered with empty bottles and eggs, among other things. He estimates the damages between $20k and $30k.

Villafana claims Harrison refused to pay for the damages ... this on top of the extra 3 days the RV was in their possession. The RV owner says as a result of the damage he had to cancel 10 reservations.

Villafana filed a report with the North Las Vegas Police Department, which he says was necessary in order to go after Harrison's insurance.

The White House is scrubbing down hard to make sure the new president doesn't come down with the coronavirus like the last occupant ... and it's a pricey undertaking.

After President Trump contracted COVID-19, the feds are taking no chances with President-elect Biden ... Uncle Sam's reaching into his deep pockets for a deep clean at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... according to federal financial docs.

We've learned The White House is dropping a little over $127,000 on what's listed as "Inaugural Cleaning." It's a deeper clean than most transitions, what with the pandemic and Trump's bout with COVID and all.

Remember ... back in October, Trump quickly returned to The White House and shed his face mask after being discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he was pumped full of drugs to combat COVID-19. Uncle Sam doesn't want to see this same script play out with 78-year-old Biden, hence the deepest of cleans.

Oh, and $127,000 for the "Inaugural Cleaning" is just part of the picture ... as we first told you, the government's also spending $44k just to clean carpets at The White House. The carpet cleaning is in a separate procurement document so it seems the $44k is in addition to the $127k.

Jake Paul's putting the ol' "for sale" sign outside his Calabasas mansion -- he says he's fleeing all the distractions of L.A. so he can become a boxing champ.

The YouTube star and undefeated boxer announced Wednesday he's starting the next chapter of his life -- the biggest prizefighter in the world chapter -- and that means getting away from all the "madness" and parties.

As Jake put it, he's too attracted to all that "chaos" ... which explains some of the epic ragers at his soon-to-be listed crib.

In order to be the best athlete he can possibly be, Jake says he's gotta find somewhere more suitable to train ... pointing out he spent 4 months training in Las Vegas ahead of his knockout of Nate Robinson.

Remember ... Jake's pulling out all the stops, attempting to book a boxing match with Conor McGregor, so the dude better be serious about training.

He's been living in L.A. since he was 17, but says Cali living is no longer a good fit. As for where he's headed -- sources connected tell TMZ Sports, Jake's eyeing places in the Miami area. We're told he's down there now, and staying in a rental. No word if he's found a permanent crib yet.

Arguably, Miami's no better than L.A. when it comes to the party scene ... but it is warmer year-round.

We know this, and so does Jake ... his Calabasas neighbors will fully support his move. He says they were always pissed about his huge parties and wild YouTube shoots on the property.

As we reported ... Jake's after-party for the Nate fight pissed off the Mayor of Calabasas, and city officials were actively looking into ways to punish him.

Killer Mike is all about trees ... and we don't mean the Christmas variety.

The Atlanta rapper, activist and marijuana mogul joined us on "TMZ Live" and made the case why Black people deserve a big piece of the cannabis pie.

The way Killer Mike sees it ... ganja's popularity in America has largely been built on the backs of Black folks, so he says they deserve at least 25 percent of the industry -- profits, licenses, businesses, etc.

While legalization and decriminalization continue to gain traction at the state level, one of the criticisms is the lack of access for minorities to make money off a substance that put so many behind bars. Mike uses prohibition to explain why we're making the same mistake twice here.

Killer Mike's also pushing President-elect Joe Biden to be like Bernie Sanders and pledge to decriminalize dank ... and he shares his protest plans for April 20, the unofficial stoner holiday.

Logan Paul's reckless filming of a dead body hanging in a Japanese forest torpedoed a movie he was signed on to star in, and it cost the production company millions ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Planeless Pictures just filed suit against the YouTuber, claiming they inked a deal with him in 2016 to make a movie -- starring Logan as a fictionalized version of himself -- called "Airplane Mode," which was supposed to be a spoof on modern-day trend-setters, like the Paul brothers and other social media folks.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Planeless claims they were all set to have Logan star in, write and help produce the flick, and he'd agreed to help get other influencers on board as well, including Jake Paul, Juanpa Zurita, Nick Bateman, Amanda Cerny and others. The idea was that they'd distribute it through YouTube and other social media platforms -- via said influencers' pages -- in a new, revolutionary way to market and monetize the film.

Planeless even says Google inked a $3 million licensing deal with them for the movie -- but they claim it all came crashing down when Logan foolishly filmed himself in Aokigahara, Japan (otherwise known as the "suicide forest"), where he documented the hanging death of a man up close. You know what happened after that on his end, but according to Planeless' claim, they say his boneheaded move completely destroyed the movie deal.

Actor Noah Jupe is super fond of three-letter connections ... as in HBO = ATM.

The kid, fresh off nailing the role of Henry on the HBO hit, "The Undoing," is back to work for the network again ... this time starring in the HBO Max film, "No Sudden Move." The cast is not too shabby ... with the likes of Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro and David Harbour, and it's being directed by Steven Soderbergh no less.

Noah's clearly not intimidated by Hollywood giants ... Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant played his parents in "The Undoing." And, once again, he's getting paid handsomely ... around $840k total, plus a bunch of perks.

In the minor's contract that was filed with the court, the 15-year-old gets 2 roundtrip business class tickets for him and a family member, a 3-bedroom apartment during filming and a daily $100 per diem. They're the same perks he got for "The Undoing."

As for the flick ... it's a heist thriller set in 1950s Detroit. The film -- first working title "Kill Switch" -- once included George Clooney before he had to drop out. Ray Liotta and Jon Hamm are also in the cast.