Money

Mariah Carey's got the world celebrating Christmas like it's 1994 ... her classic song, "All I Want for Christmas is You," just set a record on Spotify.

Her iconic Xmas track on Christmas Eve set the all-time record for the biggest, single-day stream in Spotify history with 17.223 million streams, according to Chart Data which provides daily music stats from various sources.

Needless to say ... Mariah woke up to the news pretty stoked. She tweeted on Christmas Day and said, "I know people think I'm making "coin" (lil secret: artists make very little from streams) but the real reason I'm sitting here in astonishment & gratitude is seeing the joy this little song I wrote brings to people. THANK YOU & MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

The track was a smashing success when she dropped it in 1994 as part of her "Merry Christmas" album. While Mariah said artists make very little from streams one thing's for sure ... the track has brought her TONS of coins since its release.

Back in 2017, the song made Mariah a whopping $60 mil. That would be roughly $2.6 million per year. It's unclear if Mariah's hauling in the same amount every year ... but millions worldwide are undoubtedly still hitting play.

After all, it's a classic.

Rowdy Rebel's glowing since his release from prison, and we're not just talking bout his mood -- the diamonds hanging around his neck glow in the dark!!!

The Brooklyn rapper -- one of Bobby Shmurda's homies -- was released from prison last week and, as a gift to himself, purchased this INSANE diamond-encrusted demon chain ... which was ready and waiting fro him moments after getting out.

The demon diamond is the work of none other than NYC's authority on bling ... Eric the Jeweler. The shiny pendant features 50 carats of diamonds and 400 grams of gold ... making this extra shiny gift worth a cool $100k.

You can see when the lights go out ... the chain still commands all the attention thanks to an eye that glows blue in the dark and the inside of the demon's mouth glowing green. Gnarly.

Rowdy was cooking this up while he was on the inside ... we're told he and ETJ talked a lot over the phone, and decided he'd need a sick new pendant to to celebrate his release. The demon was initially sketched by Rowdy.

The rapper was recently seen shining like crazy while wearing the chain in NYC outside the Goose Country Jacket Store. And, with COVID being COVID ... he took no chances and masked up his demon.

He was joking. We think.

Rowdy -- along with Shmurda -- was arrested in 2014. They copped a plea deal to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. Rowdy got 6 to 7 years in prison and served almost 4 years before getting out on parole.

Tom Selleck is all about silver linings because he's figured out how to crack a smile in 2020 ... with a 2020 tip.

The "Blue Bloods" star chowed down at Elio's restaurant in NY where he chowed down to the tune of $200. So, multiple that by 10 and then some, and that was Tom's tip -- $2,020.

ICYMI ... this has become a thing. People challenging friends to plunk down a generous tip to support struggling restaurant staffers. Tom credited his co-star, Donnie Wahlberg, by saying, "I am honoring my friend Donnie Wahlberg's 'tip challenge' with my sincere hope for a better 2021."

Tom made Donnie proud, saying, "I found out that my TV dad #TomSelleck has generously accepted the #2020Tip Challenge at Elios Upper East Side! Love ya dad. I didn't start it but I'm proud to be part of it. To those who gave even the smallest extra amount this year -- THANK YOU."

Tom joins a long list of celebs who have jumped on the bandwagon. Donnie himself donated $2,020 at an IHOP. James Corden and Adele are others who have plunked down cash.

Ariana Grande's spreading the Xmas joy at home and abroad ... by surprising kids who are spending the holiday at children's hospitals in L.A. and the UK.

The singer, along with her fiance, Dalton Gomez, sent gifts from wish lists at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. Over in the UK ... Ariana dished out $135 Amazon gift cards for kids at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Ariana has shown her generosity to families in Manchester following the attack at her concert back in 2017 ... she's visited kids in Manchester hospitals, among other kind gestures.

The staff over at UCLA also got a little something ... they were all treated to pizza!

Kelli Carroll, director of the Chase Child Life program at UCLA, says, "This pandemic may have changed how we do things, but we look for the same result – to alleviate the stresses of hospitalization and bring joy to our kids."  Well, Ariana certainly did her part.

Neverland Ranch, once the home of Michael Jackson, has sold to one of MJ's former business advisors, and the price tag was 1/5 what was just 5 years ago.

Billionaire Ron Burkle scooped up the 2,700-acre compound north of Santa Barbara in the town of Los Olivos. Burkle worked with Jackson in the decade before the singer's death ... most to stave off creditors who were going after MJ for enormous, unpaid debts.

As you know, Neverland was the site where Jackson allegedly molested young boys.  Jackson went on trial for alleged molestation at the Ranch and was found not guilty. He also settled another allegation of molestation at the Ranch for $20 million.

After Jackson's death, his estate tried unloading the property for $100 million in 2015, but there were no takers. Last year it was re-listed for $31 mil, but still no takers.

MJ purchased the property for $19.5 mil back in 1987 and turned it into a childlike fantasy for himself and his visitors.

The property has 22 structures ... the main one being a 12,000 square-foot mansion. There's also a swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts, and a 50-seat movie theatre.

During its heyday, the property had a railroad track and an amusement park, complete with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. MJ also had a zoo with all sorts of animals -- even an elephant.

Dr. Dre has just laid out the prenup his wife does not acknowledge ... a prenup that literally put up a financial wall between them at the beginning of their marriage.

According to the prenup, which was filed with the court and obtained by TMZ, all property they acquired from the beginning of the 1996 marriage is separate -- what he acquires is his, and what Nicole Young acquires is hers.

The prenup also says Nicole does not waive her right to spousal support. That means even if the prenup holds up in court, Nicole can get a hefty monthly sum.

As for that monthly sum, Nicole is asking the court for $2 million a month in spousal support. But, in these new legal docs, Dre's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, says Dre has voluntarily paid all of Nicole's expenses since they split. The docs say he pays for the Malibu estate where she's staying, security and when she wants cash, a messenger delivers it. Dre says $2 mil a month is ridiculous. His CPA filed a declaration saying her actual monthly expenses total $293,306.

As for Nicole's lawyers asking for $5 million in attorney's fees, Dre is calling BS, saying he's already voluntarily paid nearly a million dollars in Nicole's lawyer's fees, and he adds the divorce wasn't even filed until June. Nicole's lawyers also have sent Dre's lawyer a letter saying they're owed another $1.5 mil to date ... something Dre says is ridiculous. According to the docs, Dre has paid Nicole's lawyers more than his own lawyers.

As for Nicole's claims of emotional and physical abuse, Dre squarely denies all of them.

Donald Trump has stunned everyone by blasting Congress for the relief bill they finally agreed on ... saying $600 checks are disgracefully low, and he wants a drastic reduction in the bill's extraneous spending.

This seemingly came out of nowhere. Trump was on the sidelines, silent as Congress negotiated the package. In fact, his aides said as late as Tuesday Trump would sign the bill.

Now, he wants $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for a couple ... amounts that were never on the table. It took Congress months to reach an agreement, and if Trump is serious about vetoing the bill there's no way relief is coming to Americans until after January 20.

However, in announcing his contempt for the bill, Trump called out Congress for filling the COVID-relief package with billions in relief to foreign countries and domestic programs that have nothing to do with pandemic losses.

For instance, $134 million to Burma, $85.5 mil to Cambodia, $1.3 billion for Egypt, $2.5 mil to count amberjack fish in the Gulf of Mexico, $3 mil in poultry production technology, $566 mil for FBI construction projects and on and on and on.

Trump's point ... spend less on that stuff, and give more to American citizens, restaurants and other small businesses.

Dems jumped on this -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said they'll bring the $2,000 direct payments to the floor Thursday for a vote by unanimous consent.

Several passengers who were on the same United jet where a passenger fell ill and died of COVID now fear they may have COVID themselves, and they're thinking about legal action.

Francois Montinat tells TMZ ... he's suffering from strong nasal and head congestion, and it's freaking him out because he had COVID back in May and those were 2 of the many symptoms he experienced.

Adding to his worries ... he can't get an appointment for a COVID test and he feels like crap and doesn't want to stand in a first-come-first-served line for hours. Montinat says he thinks United's safety protocol is deficient and he's pondering legal action for emotional distress.

Megan Hubbard and Cameron Roberts were also on the flight and they tell us ... Cameron's been experiencing symptoms since landing in L.A. He says he's developed a persistent cough and suspects he's come down with COVID.

Megan's not experiencing symptoms but the anxiety for both has reached a breaking point ... she says she's seeing a shrink to help her deal with it.  Megan feels someone should pay her medical expenses ... and you can guess who.

King Khan does have s*** on Rihanna, allegedly ... an artist by that name is suing her over a song he says she used to promote her cosmetics line.

Rihanna's being dragged to court by a German father-daughter musical duo -- King Khan and Saba Lou -- who claim she used one of their tracks in an Instagram post advertising Fenty brand accessories.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, King Khan and Saba Lou claim they created and own the music and lyrics for a song called "Good Habits (and Bad)," which they say showed up in RiRi's post.

In the docs, they claim Rihanna did not have their blessing, or legal permission, to use the tune. Their theory is she just ripped it from a music streaming platform.

The duo's going after Rihanna for damages, noting the ad got more than 3.4 million views ... and they want her to stop using their song.

Dave Portnoy's sick and tired of waiting for the government to step up and help small businesses struggling during the pandemic ... so he's injecting his own stimulus package.

The Barstool Sports founder was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and revealed he kicked in $500k of his own money for the Barstool Fund he launched last week to support small businesses impacted by COVID shutdowns. And, with more than 31,000 people also contributing whatever amount they can ... that's created a fund of more than $2 million.

Dave's been vocal against COVID restrictions in NYC forcing restaurants, bars and other small businesses to shut down. Don't get it twisted ... he says it's not about politics and he understands the country is in a terrible situation with no perfect solution.

With that being said ... Dave says the government's not giving these businesses nearly enough for them to survive. For weeks now, the government's been negotiating a new stimulus package that would include $285 billion for a renewed Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses. President Trump's on the verge of signing the package.

Dave's tired of waiting around for Washington to act, hence his relief fund -- which he knows won't be able to save every deserving business, but as he says ... something is better than nothing.

One of the restaurants being funded is New York’s Trattoria L'incontro ... which made headlines after patrons braved freezing weather to dine outside. Dave recently held one of his fan-favorite pizza reviews there too.

Russell Westbrook is already giving back in his new city ... handing out backpacks, facemasks and his signature Jordans at a holiday drive in Washington, D.C. ... and it was COVID-safe!!!

Westbrook -- who was traded to the Washington Wizards earlier this month -- partnered up with The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School for the early holiday celebration on Monday.

Nearly 300 kids from grades K through 8 came through for the drive-thru event ... where a masked-up Westbrook personally handed out the gifts -- and even took distanced selfies with lucky fans!!

Westbrook spoke about his decision to give back so early in his time in D.C., saying, "It is very important not just to come to a new place but to show that you actually care about a community."

"Because where I grew up, living in the city, being able to wake up on Christmas morning and be able to have a gift or a new pair of shoes or backpacks or whatever it was – you would be blessed to be able to have that."

Westbrook is known for helping out communities -- last month, he served over 1,000 meals in L.A. for his 9th annual Thanksgiving dinner event.

"I feel like this platform has blessed me to be able to do that."

Diddy treated his mother to a lavish dinner party to celebrate achieving 80 years ... topped off with a boatload of cash and a new whip for her too.

The music mogul threw the fancy 80th birthday bash at an L.A. mansion Monday night for his mom, Janice, culminating with him handing her a big ol' check for $1 million ... which appeared to overwhelm her.

Diddy was just getting started with the gifts fit for the rich and famous, though -- because then he walked her out to the driveway ... and there was a brand new Bentley waiting for her.

Pretty epic move by Janice's son, who also had "Happy 80 Birthday" spelled out alongside the swimming pool outside ... just for good measure.

Diddy's party was even more special because Janice shares a bday with his twin daughters, D'Lila and Jessie, who turned 14.

The only downside to the affair was the large amount of maskless people in close proximity as COVID cases surge in L.A. County. It's likely the guests were tested beforehand, so we won't be party poopers.

Adam Silver is addressing the NBA's investigation into the L.A. Clippers' recruitment of Kawhi Leonard ... saying as of right now, he has "no reason to believe" any rule-breaking went down.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a man named Johnny Wilkes filed a lawsuit last week, claiming Jerry West promised him $2.5 million to help bring the Klaw to L.A. in 2019.

While West, the Clippers and Leonard have all denied the allegations, the NBA launched a probe into the claims last Thursday to determine if the team broke league policy.

The NBA commish spoke about the investigation on ESPN's "First Take" Monday ... saying, "I have no reason to believe, based on what's been alleged so far, that there's anything inappropriate that took place."

"All I can say there is everyone's entitled to the presumption of innocent," he said. "Obviously, someone who is not known to me or the league office has made an allegation against the team."

Silver says the league will "look into it" for the sake of all 30 NBA teams ... but it's clear he ain't necessarily expecting to find anything.

Silver and an NBA lawyer also addressed the probe in a conference call with media on Monday ... saying the Clips are fully cooperating with league officials.

As for the lawsuit, Wilkes claims West addressed their relationship in an alleged voicemail from 2019 ... in which a voice sounding like the Clips exec. thanks the man for his efforts and refers to the Los Angeles Lakers as a "sh*t show."

Scott Disick's in the market for some very expensive homes ... and he dragged his girlfriend along for what could turn out to be a family real estate investment.

Our sources tell us Disick and his new GF, 19-year-old Amelia Hamlin, went and toured a massive estate in L.A. last week ... the place comes with a whopping $115 million price tag.

Here's what that kinda price tag gets you at the Owlwood Estate ... 9 bedrooms and 12,201-square-feet on a 10-acre plot in Holmby Hills. The place is decked out with a library, sunroom, full tennis court, Olympic size pool and a pool house ... and its former residents include Tony Curtis, plus Sonny and Cher. Daily Mail first reported the pair's extravagant house hunt.

We're also told Scott and Amelia -- daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin -- checked out a $65 million home, also in Holmby Hills, which boasts 9 bedrooms and 30,000-square-feet of pure luxury. Agent Tomer Fridman showed them the property.

The $65 mil mansion looks like an art gallery ... and it also comes with a 3-story guesthouse, cinema, outdoor ballroom and an entertainment complex.

Again, Scott may not be looking to buy on his own ... it's possible some of his family members might want in on a property too, if they determine it's a good investment.

Jake Paul says his $50 MILLION fight offer to Conor McGregor is "real as f*ck" -- and he's got the "proof of funds" email from the bank to prove it.

Paul says he's backed by bona fide commercial real estate billionaires -- and he's got an email from a Senior VP at Signature Bank in NY which shows the benefactors' money is legit and ready to be deployed.

The problem ... Jake says Conor has been radio silent since he made the fight offer.

"We're talking to his team," Paul said ... "[Conor] looked at my DM on Instagram. But, we're talking to his team."

Paul continued, "When we sent them the proof of funds they like put their tail between their ass … they’re like. 'This little crazy kid ain't playing.'"

Remember, Paul initially called out Conor after knocking out ex-NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson fight.

Since then, Jake's brother, Logan Paul, has secured an exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Canelo Alvarez is clearly NOT amused by Jake and Logan Paul -- saying their foray into boxing is all about money, not glory ... and it's disrespecting the sport.

Logan Paul is set to take on Floyd Mayweather -- the only man to have ever defeated Canelo -- in an exhibition match in February.

So, we asked Canelo how he felt about the event -- considering he's been calling for a rematch with Floyd for years.

Shocker, Canelo ain't thrilled about it ...

"Ya know, it’s all about the money," Canelo told us through a translator ... "I don’t think we would agree that people that are basketball players, that are YouTubers get licenses. Ya know, I don’t criticize [the Paul brothers]. This is a very risky sport, and if you go up there, it’s very risky."

With Logan's brother Jake calling out top fighters for a high-profile boxing match -- we asked Canelo if he would be down for a quick payday.

"No," Canelo said matter of factly ... "I truly believe that it’s a lack of respect. It’s all based on money. It’s all for money. I’m focused right now on other projects."

"I have other stuff going on, and I would invite him for a sparring session so that he truly knows what it’s all about."

When asked if he felt the Paul brothers were disrespecting the sport -- Canelo summed up his feelings this way: "For true fighters, I do believe it is a lack of respect."

Canelo has achieved both fortune and fame from boxing -- not only is he one of the highest paid athletes in the world, he's also shared the ring with top level opponents.