Money

Another monster entry into the NFT space -- this time, it's gaming legend Tfue, who's dropping his very own collection ... and hoping to cash in like Rob Gronkowski.

The 23-year-old superstar -- one of the most popular Esports athletes ever -- is launching his own "NFTfue King of Gaming" collection.

NFTs -- aka non-fungible tokens -- are the newest rage in digital collectibles, built on blockchain technology.

In other words, you can buy, sell or trade them like you would a baseball card ... and the blockchain attached to each NFT essentially certifies the token as authentic (and not a knockoff).

But, back to Tfue ... who tells TMZ Sports he's stoked about his NFT collection and thinks collectors will snatch them up in record time.

The collection features custom animated videos, which Tfue considers to be legitimate works of art.

"They're pretty sick. They're not like, just like a picture like normal people usually do. We put a lot of time into this, a lot of effort into it. We wanted to make sure it was right. It's gonna come out pretty sweet. I'm pretty excited!"

Tfue says he was inspired by Rob Gronkowski who recently launched his own NFT collection and reportedly made $1.7 MILLION in sales!

In fact, Tfue says he bought one of the Gronk NFTs and hopes the NFL star will return the favor!

Deshaun Watson's attorney claims accuser Ashley Solis -- who identified herself as "Jane Doe #1" on Tuesday -- demanded $100,000 in "hush money" before filing her lawsuit.

... and Watson's attorney claims he has the emails to prove it.

Solis was the first accuser to file a sexual misconduct lawsuit against the Houston Texans star back on March 16. She used a pseudonym to protect her identity.

She came forward in a news conference alongside her attorney Tony Buzbee on Tuesday and spelled out her case against Watson -- at one point explaining, "People say that I'm doing this just for money. That is false. I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman."

But, Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin says this is absolutely about money -- claiming Buzbee approached one of Watson's reps back in February in an effort to "quietly settle the allegations the month before he filed the first lawsuit."

Hardin says he has emails sent by Buzbee associate Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey to one of Watson's representatives on Feb. 9 spelling out the demand.

"My client’s demand is $100,000" ... and ... "This offer remains open until Friday of this week."

Hardin claims Deshaun's representative pushed back against the demand in the following email response.

"We don’t believe that the alleged facts show that Deshaun did anything wrong with regards to Ms. Solis, but we are nevertheless happy to continue the conversation around a reasonable settlement figure because we believe he can learn a lesson about having put himself in this situation."

Buzbee's response to that ...

"We made a legit demand. You rejected it. We won’t be making another or bid against ourselves. We also won’t be having an extended dialogue about why you think your client did nothing wrong or how you want this to be a 'learning' experience for your 'high profile athlete,' as you refer to him. This is Houston, Texas. Perhaps you should find him a lawyer here so you can apprise both you and your client of the landscape here and who you are dealing with. Talk soon."

The lawsuit was ultimately filed on March 16 -- and 21 women have filed similar lawsuits against Watson since then.

A University of Tennessee student claims a linebacker on the football team badly injured her 6-month-old kitten ... and now, cops are investigating.

The player at the center of the probe is Aaron Beasley -- a former high school star who just wrapped up his sophomore season at UT.

Beasley played in 8 games in 2020 -- but is touted as a potential future star with a high ceiling.

The problem ... a UT student claims Beasley committed some horrific acts of violence against an innocent kitten -- injuring the animal so badly, he, required a trip to the emergency room.

The cat's owner described the situation in a GoFundMe page set up for her pet on Thursday.

"I came home this morning to find my 6 month old kitten under a dresser hiding and not letting anyone touch him."

"When I picked him up he screamed and couldn’t walk, come to find out my roomates boyfriend had hit and kicked him, locked him in the toilet bowl, and held him upside down by his tail."

"We rushed Nugget to the emergency room and he has brain damage and will now have a hard time walking, he has a bleeding hemorrhage on his kidney caused from internal bleeding from being kicked, clots in his bladder, and he is currently in an oxygen tank."

The Knoxville Police Dept. confirmed to WBIR that it received a report of animal abuse involving another student's cat and has opened an investigation into Beasley.

We reached out to the Univ. of Tennessee for comment but so far no word back.

As for the kitten, Nugget's GoFundMe has already raised more than $4,300 to help with the cat's medical care.

Amazing stuff from Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers ... the NBA superstar and his team have committed to help build yet another all-inclusive playground in Oregon.

Portland's NBA squad has been heavily involved in funding fun, all-abilities play areas in the state for kids for the past 7 years ... and 2021 will be no different, the team announced Tuesday.

This year, the Blazers and Lillard say they're passing along $25,000 to the city of Astoria -- which is about 100 miles northwest of Portland -- to aid in the building of the new playground.

The place promises to be awesome ... it'll allow typical kids to play with others that might require wheelchairs or walkers without any sort of restrictions.

And, if you're unfamiliar, these kinds of parks are SUPER important to families with special needs children because they help break stigmas and include EVERYBODY.

You'll recall ... NFL star Drew Brees helped build a similar fully inclusive playground in the New Orleans area back in 2017 -- and it turned out GREAT!

Here's to hoping the same happens in Astoria.

Kim Kardashian has joined the 10-figure club for the first time -- she's officially a billionaire ... this according to Forbes, and she can thank her massively successful makeup and shapewear lines for most of it.

The magazine estimates KK's net worth has ballooned to a cool billion bucks -- up from around $780 million last they checked in October. The Forbes team says Kim's cosmetics line, KKW Beauty and her SKIMS brand are a huge portion of the increased wealth.

By their account, KKW Beauty was bringing in about $100 mil annually since its launch in 2017 -- and when Kim sold 20% of her ownership stake in the company to beauty conglomerate Coty, that put a tidy sum of $200 mil in her back pocket. Forbes says the remaining 72% stake she still has in the company is worth around $500 million on its own.

Then there's SKIMS -- which hasn't disclosed its financials, per Forbes, but the mag still pegs her ownership stake at around $225 million.

The rest of her cash sits in cash and other investments -- including real estate. Since 2012, Forbes says Kim's been collecting at least $10 mil a year (pre-tax) from 'KUWTK,' endorsement deals and other biz ventures she waded into over time.

Kim now joins her own sister, Kylie, who became a billionaire with her own makeup empire ... plus a slew of other celebs that have gotten into the billionaires club in recent years, including her estranged husband, Kanye.

Kim Kardashian seems to be taking a page from little sister Kylie Jenner's playbook ... 'cause she's tapping into the skincare business.

Kim filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to a skincare line she presumably plans to launch ... and it looks like she's calling it "SKKN BY KIM."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, KK is looking to slap the name on a wide range of products for skin, hair and nails, plus fragrances and cosmetics ... pretty much anything people buy to make their skin and bodies look and feel good.

It's kinda hard to believe, but Kylie is the only sister with her own dedicated skincare line, Kylie Skin ... at least now.

Bethenny Frankel could soon be doing backflips into a huge stash of cash ... because it looks like she's flipping a mansion in one of America's richest cities.

'The Big Shot with Bethenny' star is listing a 5-bedroom estate in Greenwich, CT for a cool $3,375,000 ... putting the home on the market after scooping it up last year.

The two-story house is 4,698 square feet and the master suite comes with vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, seating area and a private balcony. The master bath features a walk-in shower, freestanding tub and double sinks.

There's another fireplace in the living room, which includes a couple sets of French doors opening up to a stone terrace, which overlooks the large, oval pool in the 2.1-acre yard.

Bethenny's big into real estate, and she's flipping this property apparently for a handsome profit ... she bought it back in 2020 for $2.1 million.

Bassnectar knowingly had sex with underage girls, paid them money for sex, and kept tight control over their lives in order to keep it all a secret ... so 2 women claim in a shocking new lawsuit.

The popular EDM DJ is being sued for sex trafficking and possessing child pornography by 2 women -- Rachel and Alexis -- who claim he groomed them into having a sexual relationship when they were minors ... starting in 2012.

According to the legal docs ... Bassnectar first contacted the girls via direct message on social media to start a relationship. Both women claim he encouraged them to watch the film "American Beauty" -- described as "a movie about an older man having a relationship with a young girl" -- and even referenced the theme of the film at his shows.

Bassnectar allegedly learned the girls were underage through the DM before he sent them tickets to his shows ... and then the women claim he invited them back to his hotel room for sex ... which he allegedly "mandated be without the use of a condom."

According to the docs ... the DJ paid the girls for sex in amounts ranging from $300 to $1,600, and is accused of maintaining control over their lives while directing them to keep their relationship secret.

Rachel claims she was first contacted by Bassnectar in late 2012 and began having sex with him in May 2013 when she was underage. She says he also solicited her to "take and send sexually explicit photographs of herself while naked."

Alexis claims she was contacted by Bassnectar in 2014 and he had sex with her on numerous occasions between 2014 and 2016, when she was underage.

The women are suing for damages, past and future emotional distress as well as medical expenses.

Sam Darnold has a new home ... the Jets just officially gave up on their 2018 1st-round pick, sending him off to Carolina in a huge, pre-NFL draft trade.

The Panthers announced the move Monday afternoon ... explaining they traded 3 picks -- including a 6th-rounder this year and 2nd and 4th-rounders in 2022 -- for the QB.

Carolina's team site described the deal this way ... "The Panthers landed a first-round quarterback, without waiting to see if one fell to them with the eighth overall pick in this year's draft."

Darnold was originally taken by NY with the #3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft ... but he was largely a disappointment in his 3 seasons with Gang Green, recording a 13-25 record.

The 23-year-old struggled with injuries -- missing at least 3 games in all 3 of his 3 three seasons in the league -- as well interceptions, throwing 39 in just 38 games.

Darnold, though, did flash talent from time to time ... and as a guy who could have easily been the #1 overall pick in '18 -- it seems Carolina is more than willing to take the gamble.

As for what it means for the two teams going forward ... the Jets will almost certainly take BYU star QB, Zach Wilson, with the #2 overall pick later this month.

Maitland Ward says she's feeling more powerful than ever, thanks to porn reviving her acting career ... and it helps she's also clearing SIX FIGURES with OnlyFans.

We got Maitland outside Kings Road Cafe in L.A. Sunday and she clued us in on how lucrative her career's been through her adult-themed, subscription-based account. She says six figures isn't an anomaly either ... she's consistently ranking that in every month.

The "Boy Meets World" star turned porn star says her OnlyFans account is doing more than just lining her pockets. She says it's a way to connect with her fans who find her work to be, ahem, the perfect stress reliever ... especially during a pandemic year.

The Weeknd is getting involved with the military conflict in Ethiopia -- donating a million dollars, which will provide food for people who need it there.

The singer, who is of Ethiopian descent himself, partnered with World Food Program USA -- a UN World Food Programme affiliate -- to send over a million bucks toward relief efforts in the North African country ... which has been mired with bloodshed and chaos for months.

Specifically, Abel's money will provide the equivalent of 2 million meals for citizens there who have been caught in the middle of the feuding factions ... many of whom are running out of resources, like food.

TW says, "My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction." He goes on to encourage others who can to donate as well.

If you haven't heard, Ethiopia has been embroiled in a bitter battle with its own people since November -- when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an attack on the Tigray People's Liberation Front -- the ruling party in the northern part of the region.

The PM accused them of attacking a government military base and attempting to steal weapons and artillery. Keep in mind, this all came to a head after tensions had been brewing between the two groups for quite some time, and as the country had been fully attempting to transition into a democratic system of government. Safe to say ... it's complicated.

"Never Have I Ever" star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is raking in the Netflix dough ... she made a cool six figures for the first season, and there's a substantial raise in her future.

The 19-year-old actress is off to a strong start in Hollywood after landing the starring role in Mindy Kaling's Netflix series. According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Maitreyi banked $20,000 per episode in the first season alone.

Maitreyi really hit the jackpot when Mindy selected her from the 15,000 actors who answered the show's open casting call ... because with 10-episodes in the can for the first season, she earned at least $200k.

"Never Have I Ever" has been picked up for a second season, thanks in part to Maitreyi's breakout performance ... and the contract says she's getting a 5% raise, which works out to $21k per episode.

Netflix says the upcoming second season will again consist of 10 episodes, so Maitreyi should bank at least $210k when the dust settles ... and that's before her cut from any merch deals and other compensation under the deal.

Paul Simon will be a forgotten name in the history books when scholars look back on 20th-century music and see only Bob Dylan and The Beatles standing tall -- that's the polarizing take of one NBC writer, anyway.

Jeff Slate -- a NYC-based songwriter and journalist -- penned a controversial piece for NBC Think ... titled, "Paul Simon sold his catalog to Sony for millions. He'll still end up a historical footnote to Dylan." Indeed ... it is triggering.

His subheading reads, "He was a prolific songwriter with a lucrative catalog any corporation would happily monetize. But there are only a few names our descendants will ever learn."

We know, we know ... you're fuming already. That's exactly what the internet is doing as well as it jumps to PS's defense.

You can read Slate's take in full for the big picture -- which is all about how Dylan recently sold his catalog of music and the rights to it to UMG for a reported $400 million, and how Simon followed in his footsteps by doing the same with Sony for his rights -- but the gist here is ... Paul Simon will be an "also-ran" compared to BD when it's all said and done.

In Slate's view, Dylan will perhaps be alone with John, Paul, George and Ringo and as the standout folk/rock acts of the '60s/'70s -- and that artists like Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and others will fall by the wayside, especially among younger, average-Joe listeners.

That seems to be what Slate's getting at -- and of course, A LOT of people disagree ... with some arguing Simon is just as prolific and culturally impactful as Dylan ever was. We don't have to get into a pissing contest ... both guys have scores of songwriting credits and hits under their belts. Of course, you could argue Dylan is perhaps the better-known of the two.

Lil Wayne's in luck if he ever needs to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor, because he just dropped a fortune on a mansion right by Kylie Jenner's crib.

The rapper dropped $15.4 mil for the home in Hidden Hills -- the high-profile gated community that's home to much of the Kardashian crew -- according to sources familiar with the deal.

The 12,135 sq. ft. home looks awesome -- it's a brand new custom estate with 7 beds, 7.5 baths, and a bright, open floor plan with panoramic views.

The interior comes with all the luxurious bells and whistles you can imagine -- chef's kitchen, breakfast room, refrigerated wine display, piano area, entertainer's lounge and a home theater.

Outside there's a pool, a basketball court, multiple patios with seating and a 1-bed guest house ... and it all sits on 3.26 acres.

Michael Strahan may have been joking about "fixing" his iconic gap tooth, but now lots of folks who actually want the real procedure are flocking to Strahan's doc.

Dr. Lee Gause, Strahan's dentist, tells TMZ ... he's been flooded with calls from people from all over the country who don't care if it was an April Fools' prank ... they feel Dr. Gause made Michael look way better, and they want of piece of that action. In all, more than 100 dentally-challenged people have called.

He says some prospective patients have already booked their flights to get the procedure done at his Smile Design Manhattan clinic in NYC.

The cost ain't cheap -- between $5k and $50k ... depending on how wonky the chompers. Now, it's possible people want something temporary like Mike ... the wax used to stage the joke -- a Prenew Preview -- runs a very reasonable $350.

The NBA has finally decided to take action against Kevin Durant for the homophobic and misogynistic insults he used in a private Instagram conversation with Michael Rapaport -- fining the guy $50,000.

"Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media," the NBA announced on Friday.

"Durant has acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate."

As we previously reported, Rapaport posted screenshots of recent DM conversations with Durant which the actor felt crossed a line.

"I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Durant] would be among them," Rap said.

In the messages, Durant used crude homophobic and misogynistic slurs to attack Rapaport.

KD has said the messages were not supposed to see the light of day -- and said he was "sorry that people seen the language that I used."

"That’s not what I want people to see from me. Hopefully I can move past it."

Durant has yet to publicly acknowledge that what he said is offensive -- or apologize specifically for the words he used.