Money

Alex Rodriguez is quickly learning what NOT to do as an NBA owner -- the Yankees legend's Minnesota Timberwolves were just punished over a team gathering he hosted during the offseason.

On Monday, the T-Wolves were fined $250,000 for holding a team event in Miami in September, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to a report from Page Six, A-Rod got together with his business partner Marc Lore and invited the team down for a weeklong gathering ... featuring practices and a little fun in the sun.

The report goes on to say that every player attended A-Rod's event ... and the team bonding went so well, Alex and Marc were thinking about making the Miami trip an annual thing.

The only problem -- the whole bash was NOT allowed ... 'cause under current NBA rules, teams are not allowed to organize or pay for offseason practice ... and they're also not allowed to conduct workout sessions outside of their market.

Sounds like A-Rod and co. will have to come up with some other team-building idea ... but we're sure the guy will figure it out soon enough.

Joe Exotic is getting a helping hand from somebody he once considered a mortal enemy ... and that would be Jeff Lowe, who says he's back on Team JE.

Jeff and his wife, Lauren, came on 'TMZ Live' Monday ahead of the premiere of 'Tiger King 2' -- which comes out Wednesday on Netflix -- and they told us a lot has changed.

For starters, Jeff says the GW Exotic Animal Park they operated out of Oklahoma will, indeed, be moved to a new location -- but he claims he's in the process of getting all his animals back from the feds.

You'll recall the government raided the park, confiscated the animals and evicted the Lowes, based on allegations of mistreatment and not having the proper paperwork.

Jeff claims the whole federal investigation was based on BS peddled by none other than Carole Baskin -- and as a result, he insists the feds are about to drop all charges against him.

The next step ... firing off their own lawsuits! Jeff and Lauren told us they're going after Carole, PETA and others he considers responsible for prompting the federal raid. What's even crazier is that he's recruiting Joe's attorneys to help him.

Travis Scott's latest Nike collab won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon -- the Swoosh has decided to postpone the "Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack" release due to the Astroworld festival tragedy.

The Baroque Brown kicks were slated to go live on December 16 at 7 AM ... but just minutes ago, Nike announced it will not go through with the drop.

"Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack," Nike said Monday.

The decision comes as 9-year-old Ezra Blount became the 10th concertgoer to lose their life as a result of the chaos at Astroworld.

As we previously reported, the Houston Rockets also scrapped a promotional event featuring Scott last week -- replacing "Travis Scott Night" with a moment of silence for the victims.

On top of that, Fortnite elected to remove the Travis Scott emote from its game.

Britney Spears is now in the wind-down phase of the conservatorship that has now ended, and the woman who was her personal conservator wants the post-conservatorship plan kept secret, and the reason has to do with her distrust of Jamie Spears.

Jodi Montgomery filed legal docs several days before Friday's hearing that ended with the termination of the nearly 14-year-long conservatorship. Montgomery said in legal docs, she and others in Britney's camp filed a "termination plan," which includes guidelines "for supportive decision-making to help [Britney] adjust and transition to life outside of the conservatorship."

The plan contains sensitive medical information as well as information about Britney's 2 kids. There is also information about Britney's business interests and finances.

Montgomery only wants to circulate the plan to the judge and Britney's lawyer ... but no one else. She says that limited distribution reflects Britney's wishes.

Montgomery says, "From the history of this case, it is no secret that Ms. Spears has had a contentious relationship with her family, especially her father, Mr. Spears." She goes on, "Given the history of this case, it is clear that Ms. Spears does not want her medical or other privacy rights invaded by her father or any other party in this conservatorship case."

Lamar Jackson was Gucci for his Louisville jersey retirement ceremony -- literally -- pullin' up in an $8,000 fit from the luxury line!

The 24-year-old QB was at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday to celebrate the retirement of his No. 8 jersey during the Louisville vs. Syracuse game ... and he clearly had his drip together.

LJ was Gucci-ed out head-to-toe -- you can see the Baltimore Ravens star was wearing a huge, green nylon vest with a GG jacket and Gucci t-shirt underneath. He also had matching GG canvas jogging pants.

The quarterback made sure his kicks matched his Gucci theme too ... rockin' green and red White Tiger Ace sneakers.

In total, the whole fit cost over $8k!!

Here's a breakdown (per the Gucci site):

-Down padded nylon vest -- $2,500
-GG canvas jogging pants -- $1,020
-Music shirt -- $650

The GG jacket is listed for $3,405 elsewhere ... and the sneakers have been known to carry a price tag of $690 too.

Don't worry, the 2019 NFL MVP can splurge on the outfit since he's made over $9 million in his 4-year career ... and he's expected to ink a massive new contract soon.

The "Rust" film worker who suffered horrific injuries from a spider bite on the job won't need to have his arm amputated ... and it sounds like he's going to get some workers' comp.

The film worker, Jason Miller, tells TMZ ... his left arm will be saved despite the grizzly photos of his severe reaction to a bite from a venomous brown recluse spider, which bit him while he was breaking down the movie set.

Jason, who is diabetic, says he underwent invasive surgery where doctors removed a bunch of muscle and skin from his left arm, but he's responding well to treatment and surgeries, so amputation is being ruled out after initial concerns he might lose his arm.

He says "Rust" should be held accountable for the poisonous spider bite in the wake of the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins ... and the wheels are in motion for him to get workers' compensation.

Jason claims he was getting dodged by folks at "Rust" after reaching out 6 times about workers' comp, but now his attorneys say they are working with the movie's insurance company to get him paid for his troubles.

While Jason says he greatly appreciates the wave of public support, with over $13K donated to his GoFundMe, he insists what happened to him was a freak accident ... and he wants the focus on Halyna Hutchins because he thinks her shooting death could have been avoided.

The 9-year-old boy who was trampled at Astroworld Fest and left fighting for his life has sadly died from his injuries -- making him the 10th death from the festival.

Ezra Blount passed away Sunday at Texas Children's Hospital, after being on life support since Friday, November 5, when he was among the hundreds who were injured during Travis Scott's headlining show.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, tells TMZ, "The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son. This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezra's death is absolutely heartbreaking. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But tonight we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer."

The kid was in attendance with his father, who's reported to have lifted his son up onto his shoulders once the crowd surge became unbearable. Unfortunately, Ezra's father passed out during the ordeal ... leaving young Ezra to fall to the ground during the chaos ... and be subjected to being crushed on by the panicked crowd around them.

He sustained serious bodily harm -- ones that left him with severe swelling of the brain and internal bleeding ... and since then, his family has been hoping he'd be able to recover.

Ezra's grandfather gave a heartbreaking interview to ABC13 in Houston ... recounting his son and grandson's harrowing experience at the festival. He didn't seem to lay much blame at Travis' feet, per se -- but rather, said police and security should've stepped in.

Like we said ... Ezra had been hospitalized since the horrific event, and was eventually placed in a medically induced coma -- with the hope that he would be able to heal enough to gain consciousness again ... but that never happened.

As we reported ... civil rights attorney Ben Crump was hired by the family and already filed a lawsuit alleging negligence on the parts of multiple parties -- including Travis himself, Live Nation and others involved in organizing the festival.

Crump said, "This young child and his family will face life-altering trauma from this day forward, a reality that nobody expects when they buy concert tickets."

Renée Zellweger and boyfriend Ant Anstead are getting closer ... she just moved in across the street from his Laguna Beach home, and they will soon be under one roof.

TMZ has learned the actress recently started renting a 5-bedroom home in Laguna Beach ... and it just so happens the home is across the way from Ant's place.

Our sources say Ant is getting ready to renovate his place and it will be featured on HGTV's "Property Brothers" show. We're told the plan is for Renée and Ant to live in her rental until the renovations are complete.

Renée is already getting settled in her new digs, which she's renting for $30,000 per month ... we're told her personal belongings were recently moved into the house.

The crib is 4,900 square feet and it's decked out with all the bells and whistles, including a beautiful pool and backyard overlooking the Pacific.

Meanwhile, Ant's been on the move too ... he was traveling to New Orleans the past several weekends to see Renée leading up to her move.

Living together is a big step, but it might be a trial run ... it's unclear if Renée will move into his place permanently once the renovations at his home are finished, but it sure looks that way.

Bernie Sanders reiterated his demand for the top 1% to pay more taxes -- and Elon Musk slammed him ... saying the Senator may as well be 6 feet under as far as he's concerned.

The saucy exchange went down between Saturday and Sunday -- with Senator Sanders tweeting something he usually does ... saying, "We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period." Nothing crazy there -- typical Bernie rhetoric.

What's wild is what EM tweeted in response, writing ... "I keep forgetting that you’re still alive." Oof -- definitely a harsh dig ... both at BS's age, it seems, and perhaps his gradual retreat from the spotlight since running for President in 2020.

There's more, though ... Elon added, "Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word …" That's interesting ... he appears to be touching on what he alluded to (and executed on) last week.

You'll recall -- the Tesla chief held a Twitter poll, asking followers of his if he should sell 10% of his company holdings so he could be taxed appropriately ... and in the end, the internet said yes. While it was unclear if Elon would follow through, he eventually did ... well, sorta.

Elon siphoned off about $5 billion worth of Tesla stock -- and because of that, he'll be taxed on the capital gains from that dough ... so a fair amount, no doubt. It doesn't seem to be anywhere near the full 10% he promised though ... so more stock sales may be forthcoming.

It's a weird tactic he's undertaking -- embracing calls/dares from the public (including politicians, apparently) to subject himself to being taxed more than he normally would.

Jeff Bezos is a super-smart guy, so you just can't dismiss what he says out of hand, but this one is mind-bending.

Bezos thinks planet earth is going to be more like Disneyland in the future rather than home base. In other words, he doesn't think people are going to be inhabiting the planet full time ... rather it will become more like a vacation destination.

Bezos spoke at the Ignatius Form in D.C. and suggested outer space will be where humans will live. He talked about floating space cities that are so massive ... they contain forests, wildlife, rivers, the works. He also said all manufacturing will be performed in deep space.

It's almost like he drew inspiration from William Shatner's character in "Star Trek" ... which may partly explain why Shatner hitched a ride recently on Blue Origin.

And, ever the competitor, he took a shot at Elon Musk, by saying it's way more likely these colonies will float in space rather than settle on Mars.

As for earth ... well, as he said, it will just be a place you visit ... "the way you visit Yellowstone National Park."

Bezos told the crowd, “Over centuries, many people will be born in space, it will be their first home.”

Ye has gone by a lot of nicknames throughout his career, but none have stuck quite like "Yeezy" ... and now the man who created it is naming his price for the moniker that made Kanye billions.

Philly rapper Beanie Sigel is the man Ye recently credited for the Yeezy handle ... shouting him out in a "Drink Champs" interview, and saying he's been trying for years to pay Sigel a lump sum of cash for the name.

We caught up with Beanie and former Rocafella artist Young Chris ... Beanie tells us the "Yeezy" name itself is only a tiny fraction of the brand Kanye has created ... and it's Kanye's genius and work ethic that turned the nickname into a multi-billion dollar brand. Sigel says he doesn't want Ye's money, but he'd love it if Ye could help him out in a business deal.

As for why ... Beanie says all he needs is a starter, and from there he'll work to build his own empire. You can tell it's nothing but love between the old friends.

We're told previous reports that Kanye had offered Beanie $50 million and stock options were simply based on a joke Beanie told in a club, and there was no truth to it.

Erika Jayne is eliminating one specific kind of suitor ... telling us she would be hard-pressed to date another lawyer like her estranged husband Tom Girardi.

We got the 'RHOBH' star leaving Jolie in Los Angeles and our photog asked her how her dating life is going, and if she would ever go out with a lawyer again.

Ya gotta see Erika's initial reaction ... but when we press her, she gets real ... explaining why lawyers are probably not the best fit for her going forward, albeit with one big exception.

As you know, Erika is in the middle of a rocky divorce with Tom and she's been sued for allegedly hiding assets through a "sham divorce." Tom is accused of stealing money intended for families of the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash victims.

Remember ... Erika says intelligence and money are the two most important factors in a partner, while looks and age are lower on the totem pole ... and now we know lawyers are out of bounds.

Colton Underwood is moving on from his bachelor pad ... we've learned he's selling his place in Colorado.

The former 'Bachelor' recently listed the 4-bedroom home for $1.35 million ... and we're told he accepted an offer from an interested buyer just 5 days after the home hit the market, though the deal hasn't closed yet.

It's a quick turnaround for Colton ... he only just bought the home back in December 2020.

The place is laid out with a ranch floorplan, complete with a gourmet kitchen, sprawling lawn and 2.5 car garage.

The primary bedroom is on the main floor, and it comes with an oversized closet with access to the laundry room!

The place, which is about 25 miles south of Denver, is decked out with a game room, media room and a home gym, outfitted with high-end fitness equipment.

The backyard is tricked out with an oversized gas grill built into the covered porch, plus a hot tub and a gas firepit.

We don't know where Colton is heading ... whether he's staying in Colorado or not.

Britney Spears is now a free woman, because the judge has swiftly ended her conservatorship ... effective immediately.

The judge terminated the conservatorship without requiring any further mental evaluation ... something Britney was adamant about.

The hearing started with Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, quoting Britney's June testimony ... in which she said, "I just want my life back."

The judge then went around to all the lawyers and others assembled both in court and online, asking them whether they had any objections. Not a single person -- lawyers and all -- had a problem with ending the conservatorship.

Both the conservatorship of Britney's person and the conservatorship of her estate have been terminated, with minor exceptions. Rosengart wanted the estate conservatorship to remain solely to execute the necessary documents so the assets she has in the conservatorship can be transferred to a trust controlled by Britney.

The judge then read her order ending this saga ... and it took just around 30 minutes start to finish.

This doesn't end the dispute over the way the conservatorship was handled, because Rosengart has made it clear ... he wants a full accounting from everyone involved in the conservatorship, especially Jamie Spears and business manager Lou Taylor, to show how much money they have moved from the conservatorship to their accounts. Now all that said, Rosengart said ultimately it's up to Britney on whether she wants to pursue Jamie and Lou Taylor.

Rosengart did make one thing clear ... he said after the hearing, "This conservatorship was corrupted by James P. Spears."

Rosengart believes there has been misappropriation of assets by various people in the conservatorship, at the expense of Britney. As we reported, her estate is worth an estimated $60 million ... and Rosengart believes it should be much larger and would be but for lawyers, Jamie, Lou Taylor and others taking cuts and salaries from the estate.

As for Britney, she has her life back in full, and as you know ... the decks are now cleared for her to marry Sam, have a baby if she wants and to buy a new house -- something we know they want. We're told Britney has bad memories in the house where she's lived during the long-running conservatorship.

Rosengart has put in place what he calls a "safety net" so Britney gets support on both personal and financial matters.  Her personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, has agreed to stay on and work for Britney, and Rosengart has put a financial manager in place to protect and grow her assets.

And, TMZ broke the story ... Britney wants to get back in the studio and record music, although she has not selected a producer or the material for a new album.

We're told she has no plans to perform again ... at least at this time.

The FreeBritney folks were front and center on the courthouse steps as the hearing began. They are going nuts right now ... elated with the decision.

A man replacing the roof at a house owned by Olivia Munn fell to his death ... and now she and her mom are being sued by his family.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Olivia and her mother, Kim Schmid, hired Celso Merida to work on replacing the roof at the home back in May, but on his 4th day on the job he fell from the roof and suffered a bunch of injuries.

The suit says the man died a couple weeks later, the cause of death was blunt force traumatic injuries.

According to the docs, Olivia and her mom hired an unlicensed contractor named Fernando, who in turn hired Merida ... and the late worker's family says Olivia and Kim were negligent in pawning things off to an unlicensed contractor.

The man's family also claims Olivia and her mom instructed him to work on the roof, even though the required safety guards and fall protection were not in place ... creating what the family claims was an unreasonable risk of injury.

Olivia actually featured the home in a 2014 project with Vogue.

According to the suit, Olivia and her mother did not give Merida the proper tools for him to work safely on the roof, and they didn't participate in a workers' compensation program.

The family is suing Olivia and Kim for wrongful death ... and going after them for damages.

Britney Spears is not playing her cards close to the vest ... in fact, she's wearing them on her t-shirt -- she wants out of her conservatorship, and it could happen today.

Britney and her fiance, Sam Asghari, mugs for the cam with the words, "#FreeBritney, It's a human rights movement" front and center.

It's no secret Britney wants the 13+-year conservatorship to come to an end at Friday's court hearing. That could happen, but it's by no means certain.

Terminating the conservatorship is squarely before the judge. Her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has presented his case ... that it's incongruous for someone to be under a conservatorship who is also able to work and function day-to-day. He's also alleged a slew of misdeeds on the part of conservators and others, including Britney's dad, Jamie Spears.

The key to the hearing will be whether the judge orders a mental evaluation ... something that has been regularly done and evaluated every year of the conservatorship. Britney has made it clear, she does NOT want such an evaluation, and even Jamie Spears has done a 180 and said his daughter's conservatorship should end without such an evaluation.

The judge could still order a mental evaluation, but she's given no indication which way she's leaning.

One thing is clear ... Judge Penny is sympathetic to Britney. After the singer unloaded in court last June -- laying out in detail how the conservatorship has been torturous for her -- the judge complimented her bravery in speaking out.

The hearing is set for 1:30 PM and TMZ will be all over it.