Money

Leonardo DiCaprio is becoming the king of real estate, because he just scooped up another massively expensive property.

Leo's latest addition to his sizeable portfolio -- a $9.9 million estate in Bev Hills. As we reported, he just unloaded a Malibu pad for $10.3 mil (which BTW he bought for $1.6 mil in 1998). He also owns a $13.8 million Malibu estate and a $23 million lot in the Bu as well.

As for Bev Hills, it's a 5,000-square-foot home with all the extras. It's tucked away behind walls and gates ... because we know Leo likes his privacy.

This, BTW, is not the full extent of Leo's real property investments ... he also owns a century-old English Tudor-style home in the Los Feliz area of L.A., and Spanish Colonial nearby.

But wait ... there's more.  Leo has a midcentury modern in Palm Springs, condos in NYC and a private island near Belize.

The place he seems to likes most ... a massive compound on 4 parcels in the Bird Streets (made famous by The Beatles, who were inspired by their rental on Blue Jay Way) in the Hollywood Hills.

Jimmy Buffett's hotel and restaurant chain Margaritaville is taking to the high seas, literally, turning the whole experience into a cruise ship!!!

Jimmy and team just announced the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship is set to sail for the first time in April, taking off from Florida and circling down to the Bahamas.

The cruise ship holds 685 passengers and features a Par-A-Dice Casino, a theater, spa, multiple pools and we imagine a pretty kick a** bar, too. Jimmy also had a hand in the boat's decor.

"To me, the only thing better than being on a beach by the ocean, is to be on the ocean," the singer said.

Gene Simmons is selling his Las Vegas home overlooking the strip for $13.5 mil -- turning a massive profit if he sells -- but he doesn't want just any knucklehead to live in it.

The "Kiss" Frontman joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked why he decided to sell his beautiful estate and why the price has been reduced -- originally listed as $14.95 mil.

The 11,000-sq-ft home has 6 bedrooms and has many unique features -- including a courtyard, private oasis and 11-seat theater. The singer says he bought a half-acre lot next door and planted 137 trees, so it's really like no other property seen in Vegas nowadays.

Simmons stressed that Vegas is the perfect place to live with no income, state or local tax. So, why in the world is he selling it?! He says his family doesn't want to deal with the Vegas heat or any strippers -- for that matter.

His family might share an unpopular opinion, because in recent years out-of-state buyers have flocked to Vegas, and as far as the prices of homes? Soaring!!

In fact, Simmons says he could really sell the home for nearly double its price, but insists that he doesn't just want any random knucklehead living there. Instead, he wants to meet the next tenant and for them to enjoy living there.

It's no surprise Adele's Vegas show is a hot ticket, but it's hard to imagine anyone could have predicted just how expensive resale prices would be to see the singer live.

The rollout for "Weekends with Adele" started this week -- a series of Friday/Saturday shows at Caesars Palace from January to April -- and fans were crazy to get their hands on tickets.

Unsurprisingly, presales sold out within minutes, and tickets were quick to popup on resale services like StubHub and Ticketmaster. However, fans who didn't capitalize on the initial sale were pissed to see resale prices ... which ranged from $2k to $35k!!!

One fan wrote, "Adele out her rabbit a** mind with these concert ticket prices." Another chimed in, " ... guess we're the ones paying her husband alimony."

Of course, re-sellers can decide to sell their seats at whatever price they want -- it's up to fans whether or not to spend the money -- and they'll likely take a drop ... but the opening price is crazy, nonetheless.

Adele recently performed for some of her celebrity friends in L.A. -- including Oprah, Drake and Lizzo -- and helped pull off a surprise marriage proposal.

Movie trailers are so last year ... Netflix partnered with New Balance to create a one-of-a-kind pair of sneakers using pieces of a 4.5 BILLION-year-old meteorite -- all to promote a new film.

The unique white NB 550's contain 34 fragments of the Seymchan meteorite, cut using a water jet, with the New Balance logo being made almost entirely of the Pallasite space rock.

The meteorite was discovered in eastern Russia (search 62°54’ N, 152°26’ E) in the mid-1960s, and experts believe it's likely over 4 billion years old.

The Seymchan meteorite was chosen for the project due to its similarities to the fictional Dibiasky Comet, which is at the center of the "Don’t Look Up" plot.

The film -- set to release Dec. 10 in theaters and Dec. 24 on Netflix -- is about two low-level astronomers who go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy Earth.

The flick features a star-studded cast ... Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Tyler Perry, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande, and Kid Cudi are some of the A-listers featured in the movie.

Talk about busting humps ... 40 camels -- that apparently think they're straight outta Bev Hills -- are now booted from a Saudi Arabian beauty pageant for getting Botox, facelifts and more!!!

Yep, Saudi authorities are cracking down on dozens of camels they've deemed too cute to be real for an annual competition over there. The judges are now using "specialized and advanced" technology to see which contestants went under the knife to gain an edge over the others.

Far as we've heard, none of the humped hopefuls are guilty of getting BBLs, but some are guilty of just about everything else -- getting all sorts of fillers, nips and tucks to facial features and ears ... and even hormone treatments.

The monthlong festival kicked off earlier this month with breeders parading their most beautiful camels. So, why would they cheat? Well, the winner gets $66 mil in cash!!!

Camels are judged by their head shape, dress, posture and size of their lips, cheeks, knees -- and yes, their lovely lady humps. And, cosmetic altercations are strictly prohibited.

As you know ... camels are a staple in Saudi Arabia, and breeding them is a multibillion-dollar industry.

Nicki Minaj is calling the woman accusing her and her husband of harassment a bold-faced liar -- claiming there are holes in her story that NM and co. believe totally discredit her.

The rapper's attorney filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Jennifer Hough's lawsuit from August -- where she claimed Nicki, Kenneth Petty and a gaggle of lawyers were on her case ... trying to get her to recant her attempted rape claim against Ken ... which she made in the '90s and for which KP was convicted.

Long story short ... Nicki's legal team is calling BS on Hough's allegations, going so far as to ask the court to sanction her for what they say are blatant falsehoods, which they think she hurled in an attempt to score a payday from Nicki.

The crux of their argument lies in a couple different inconsistencies they say lie within Hough's account of things -- namely, her claiming she had to change her phone number due to the alleged harassment she was receiving from Nicki, plus the claim Nicki's team had reached out to her brother with a $500k offer if she recanted in a written statement.

On the phone issue ..,. Nicki's attorney says Hough actually texted Nicki after claiming she needed to change her number and move back in June 2020 to block Nicki and her people from contacting her. Nicki says the text read "US Marshalls are asking questions!!!" The lawyer draws a conclusion from this -- Hough wasn't actually trying to hide her number from Nicki at all (contrary to what she alleges). Nicki's team thinks it makes it clear she wasn't scared and is just looking for a payday.

There's also the issue of an interview Hough gave earlier this year, which the attorney says differs from what she alleged in court docs. In the interview, NM's lawyer says Hough noted her brother told her somebody had reached out with a $500k offer if she talked to a lawyer repping Petty. NM's lawyer said the allegation in the lawsuit that Nicki was behind the offer is merely speculation that gave her a reason to try to sue Nicki.

There are probably a handful of "Happy Days" fans who are walking away from one Henry Winkler-themed auction thinking one thing ... aaaayyyyeeeeee, jackpot!!!!

Bonhams -- an auction house -- had all the Fonz goods anybody who's watched the show could ever want and put it up for sale this Wednesday, with the spoils going to the highest bidder. And boy, did people throw down.

Among the most prized items -- the 1949 Triumph Trophy 500 motorbike that Winkler (aka Fonzie) actually rode on the show, which went for a whopping $231,562. That's staggeringly more than what it was expected to fetch ... just $80k-$120k.

The sale also offered an opportunity to match the Fonz's style, down a T -- HW's actual costume from the show was also on the auction block ... going for $75,312. The outfit came with the signature brown leather jacket, 2 white t-shirts, jeans ... and a pair of black leather biker boots, which were worn throughout the first 5 years.

There was a lot more Fonzie stuff up for grabs too -- including a pair of mechanic overalls that Winkler wore on the show, an Army shirt he rocked as Fonz and cowboy boots he once donned. All those went for about $14k, $2k and $1k, respectively.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to “This Is About Humanity,” a charity run by his daughter Zoe, which raises awareness and funds for families separated at the US-Mexico Border.

The entire collection is a sight to behold, and clearly drew the attention (and wallets) of 'Happy' adorers ... who seemed more than willing to pony up for some sweet memorabilia.

The attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the great tragedies in American History -- certainly no laughing matter, but West Coast comedians dished out their best jokes to raise a healthy buck for a museum honoring the historic event ... and by healthy, we mean 7 figures.

The Laugh Factory held a virtual telethon on Tuesday -- marking the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor -- out here in Hollywood ... where comics like Paul Rodriguez, Sherri Shepherd, Dane Cook, Alonzo Bodden, Donnell Rawlings and Aida Rodriguez, to name a few, came out for some standup in the name of fundraising for the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

The museum is in Honolulu, where the siege actually occurred -- and the money raised is going straight to them, so they can keep it up and put up even more tributes to the heroes who fought and died.

Anyway, the whole thing ended up being a huge success ... with sources telling us that around $1.63 million total was raised since last weekend -- when this whole campaign kicked off. A majority of that money, we're told, was gifted by an anonymous donor ... supposedly a legend in the aviation world. On Tuesday itself, our sources say around $300k was donated.

BTW, this effort to honor vets and fallen soldiers had a special cameo -- the late Bob Hope's own daughter, Linda, was on hand to deliver a few remarks ... carrying on her father's legacy of spreading humor and joy among our armed service members.

The countdown is on -- with about 24 hours remaining until Drake and Kanye reunite as performers -- and crews for the spectacle are working 'round the clock to finish up the massive stage.

TMZ has obtained a series of photos taken Wednesday inside L.A. Memorial Coliseum where the Free Larry Hoover event is scheduled to go down. You can see a massive, elevated platform in the middle of what is usually a grass field.

Sources with direct knowledge say a crew of more than 200 workers has been going nonstop to get the stage finished. We're told the show's budget -- an estimated $10+ million -- counts for the stage construction/production, space rental, security, event staffers and more.

As for Thursday night's show, our sources say it'll be an "environmental experience," the largest ever created -- and feature incredible projections throughout. Construction crews have even been seen pouring concrete to build up the foundation.

Obviously, Drake and Kanye haven't rehearsed inside the stadium yet, but we're told they've been doing so off-site -- and a dress rehearsal will happen before the real deal Thursday.

Flavor Flav's domestic violence incident from October is all wrapped up and dealt with in the eyes of the law -- he copped a plea to a lesser charge, and is happy to close the book.

The rapper's misdemeanor domestic battery charge was dropped, and Flav pled no contest to one count of coercion. He was fined $640. He will not serve any jail time.

His attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ, "Today the domestic violence charge against Mr. William Drayton (Flavor Flav) was dismissed. Mr. Drayton acknowledged the nonviolent act of grabbing a phone during the incident in question, a misdemeanor, and the case was closed by the court."

They add, "Mr. Drayton and his family are grateful to bring an amicable close to this matter and appreciate everyone's support as he continues his one-year journey of sobriety."

As we reported ... Flav was arrested in October after out in Nevada, this after cops got a call about a domestic incident at his home.

Alex 'A-Rod' Rodriguez just unloaded one of his Miami properties for $6.3 million ... a price point that qualifies as the highest recorded lot sale ever in the area.

The home, located in the Design District, has plenty of backyard space -- with a pool and grilling area -- and inside has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms ... and a modest (at least for A-Rod) 3k-sq-ft of living space.

As you can see in the photos, the pad is just steps away from the water... but this sort of thing isn't new to A-Rod, who has lived in Miami for years.

The former MLB slugger made a nice return on the property, considering he bought it for $5.5 million back in March, he was represented by his sister and agent Arlene Susy Dunand of Coldwell Banker ... the buyer was repped by Compass agent Julianna Castro.

A-rod owns multiple luxurious homes in the Miami area ... last year, he and his now-ex J Lo bought a Massive $40 mil waterfront estate on Star island -- the super-exclusive, super-expensive area for celebs and business tycoons.

The crime spree unfolding in L.A. has got celebs acting skittish, so much so that there's a big boom in security hiring ... which might sound great for them, but isn't a good sign big picture.

TMZ spoke with two different high-profile security companies that offer services for famous folks and other VIP types -- and they both tell us the same thing ... their business is on the upswing, and it seems to be aligned with what's going on in the City of Angels.

Alfredo Moosa and AJ Moosa of 2 Deep Executive Protection -- which has worked for people like French Montana, Maria, A1 Bentley and more --  tell us they're getting booked left and right these days, especially in L.A. ... where they say they're most in demand.

Take the Tank Davis fight in town this past weekend -- the Moosa's say there alone they had 8 different clients with their guards on hand, who are being hired for way longer shifts than anything they've done in the past (17+ hours) ... emblematic of what they say is happening generally. In the past year ... they tell us they've hired 15-16 new guards.

The Moosa's also say they've seen a lot of their clients lately ditch jewelry and other bling they may normally wear -- which they think has to do with the fact people are getting jacked in brazen attacks of late. 2 Deep is also doing a lot more house calls at the moment -- we're told now, they're being asked to stick around and patrol Airbnbs their clients might stay in ... whether they're actually there or not, a shift from what they're usually asked to do.

There's also Kings Protection -- having been hired by the likes of Quavo, Lil Pump, LeBron James, etc. -- whose CEO, Jack, tells us they too are getting a spike in bookings, and everything else that comes with their offerings.

Jack says they've seen an increase in day-to-day security needs, including clients being out and about in a nightlife setting ... or even just home patrols, something they specialize in. Kings have had to hire 200 more guards this year due to the phone constantly ringing.

The Univ. of Michigan football team is honoring the Oxford H.S. shooting victims in yet another way ... this time it's auctioning off its tribute jersey patches and donating all of the proceeds to the affected community.

The Wolverines wore the special jersey logos last Saturday during their Big Ten title game against Iowa ... and they were heartwarming.

The patches featured 4 blue stars to represent the 4 victims of the tragedy ... and they also featured the jersey number and the initials of Tate Myre -- the football player who heroically tried to disarm the gunman on Nov. 30.

School officials say the patches are now on sale for $5 each ... adding that 100 percent of every penny made will go toward helping the Oxford victims.

Of course, the Univ. of Michigan has already been active in showing its support for Oxford -- which is just about one hour north of the university.

In addition to the gameday patches, the team also invited Myre's family for the coin toss at the Big Ten championship game.

Several other sports teams have paid tribute to the Oxford victims as well -- the Detroit Pistons wore Oxford Wildcat T-shirts during warmups on Monday and also had a moment of silence.

The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, dedicated a game ball to the Oxford victims after they beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday ... with head coach Dan Campbell saying those who died are "in our hearts and in our prayers."

Jamie Spears says he wants nothing more than to tie up loose ends and end Britney's conservatorship, but the people put in place on her side are dragging it out, and destroying his reputation in the process.

Spears just filed new docs in L.A. where he says he just wants a simple order ending the conservatorship, but that's been made impossible by what he calls Britney's "temporary conservators" ... whom Jamie says are only trying to continue a media circus.

He says Britney and her team mostly make "statements with no other purpose than to attack Jamie" and are trying to paint him as a "disgraced, suspended conservator."

What's more ... Jamie says he's been more than cooperative in handing over requested documents from the 13 years Britney was in the conservatorship. In fact, he says he's already handed over 58 boxes of docs -- totaling around 478,000 pages.

Former UCLA and NFL QB Cade McNown's wife is in hot water after cops say she hatched and carried out a plan to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in designer goods from philanthropist Sydney Holland.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Christina McNown was arrested after a lengthy investigation revealed back in October she allegedly lifted Holland's purses, clothing and jewelry.

Sources connected to the investigation tell us McNown had been a trusted assistant and stylist for Holland for 12 years and had easy access to her personal belongings.

We're told Holland -- who famously dated Sumner Redstone for years -- started to notice items missing here and there over the span of several months before connecting the dots to McNown.

What's more, our sources say Holland noticed some of the stolen items pop up for sale online. McNown's been arrested and charged with 4 counts of felony grand theft and is set to be arraigned in February.

Christina's husband was a major BMOC when he played at UCLA, earning All-American honors in 1998, and went on to play 4 seasons in the NFL.