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Elon Musk says he's ponying up to Uncle Sam and then some -- paying more than $11 billion in taxes ... which he likely hopes will get some political bigwigs off his back for a while.

Tesla's CEO put his cards on the table this weekend, tweeting ... "For those wondering, I will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year." He doesn't specify where the tax money will be pulled from -- whether it's his personal cash or Tesla -- but it's a large chunk of change, nonetheless.

Of course, EM's been getting dogged by Senator Elizabeth Warren -- among other elected officials -- for not paying his fair share in taxes, and coasting on profits from the huge pile of stock and other assets he holds onto without really ever cashing out.

While Elon's honesty might seem pretty forthright and righteous ... the truth is, he was expected to pay about this much regardless -- especially since he's got A LOT of stock options that are set to expire in August, which was projected to produce a tax bill of at least $15 bil.

Of course, Congress could still come down heavy on billionaires under Biden's agenda ... so it's also possible Elon wants it known he's paying what he considers his fair share already.

Whether he did it to get ahead of the curve or not, Elon's lump sum of $11 billion-plus will go down as one of the highest tax payments in U.S. history, if not the largest. That's counts for something, we suppose.

In any case, you gotta imagine Elon's tweet was mostly for the eyes of Sen. Warren, in hopes she gets off his back about not paying taxes -- 'cause he's definitely doing that this year.

However, if you ask Warren, she likely would say she wants big taxes paid by billionaires to become a regular thing ... and come under the rules of the law.

Bradley Cooper's newest movie did abysmally bad at the box office -- and ticket sales were apparently so poor ... theaters actually started bumping BC for Peter Parker.

The flick -- titled "Nightmare Alley" and directed by Guillermo del Toro -- raked in just under $3 million over its opening weekend across a little over 2,000 theaters nationwide ... this with a reported price tag of about $60 mil to make it, and future projections looking grim.

Not just that ... but it would seem some ticket buyers had to nix their scheduled outing after getting word from the local theater that they were swapping a one-off "Nightmare Alley" screening to make room for yet another "Spider-Man: No Way Home" slot.

One person writes, "True s***. Just got an email from my theater asking if I wanted to cancel my tickets for NIGHTMARE ALLEY because they cancelled every other show to free up the screen for more Spider-Man showings."

It also appears 'NA' is getting yanked out of cineplexes pretty quickly -- if it was ever playing at all, that is -- in the wake of its terrible performance, with yet another person pointing out there's only one single screening for it this upcoming week at a Marcus Theaters location.

And where "Nightmare Alley" *was* playing ... not very many people were rushing in to see it. There are few photos online showing very empty theater rooms. Bottom line ... hardly anyone caught it. Ditto for 'West Side Story' ... which did worse this weekend than last.

Meanwhile, 'No Way Home' absolutely crushed ... pulling in over $250 million this weekend, even in the midst of the pandemic and a new variant causing COVID cases to rise again.

So the question ... what gives??? Many are lamenting the lopsided numbers -- pointing out that if Spider-Man can get asses in seats during a still-scary time ... it must mean the death of "real cinema" as we know it, with tentpole popcorn franchises fully taking over.

Jay-Z may be a rap icon, but he doesn't carry as much weight with today's average hip-hop head like he used to, especially compared to someone like Future -- so says ... well, Future.

Mr. Hendrix himself made the bold statement this weekend -- going on a little tweet spree to declare he's not only bigger than Jigga in the streets but that he'll run up a B (billion) perhaps even faster and easier than Jay did. The latter hit the mark (per Forbes) in 2019.

In addition to his Jay-Z tweet, Future had other things to say, including ... "Everything I do legendary or it want get done. Tuh," as well as ... "I’m the only one can get YE to pull up whenever wherever..tuh." And let's not forget ... "100M’s not the goal anymore."

Sounds like Future was on one for whatever reason, and wanted to puff his chest a bit. Still, that original claim of his -- that he's "bigger" than Jay -- is getting A LOT of pushback ... and at the same time, some agreement as well.

Of course, lots of users responded ... giving Future the virtual side-eye and even laughing him off. Even at Jay's billionaire status -- many say Future will never have the pull (not to mention the music bona fides) that Shawn Carter has ... and to compare is ludicrous.

One person pointed out Jay's accolades (there are many) ... while openly wondering why it's become fashionable for modern-day rappers to size themselves up against living legends.

And yet ... there's a small handful of folks who actually seem to agree with Future, saying ... yeah, the guy IS actually bigger than Jay (in the streets), suggesting HOV simply doesn't have the street cred/influence on the culture from the ground floor ... like he once did.

Interesting take ... and is obviously up for debate. Sounds like that argument boils down to relevance, and to whom it applies. We can acknowledge Future's music does tend to be popular (among the youth) today and generally performs better on the charts than recent Jay-Z releases.

Everyone says they hate the 'Island Boys' -- the Florida twins behind that train wreck of a TikTok "song" -- and it turns out lots of those haters were waiting for the boys in the crowd at Jake Paul's boxing match.

The brothers did NOT get a warm welcome Saturday night in their home state -- as soon as they entered Tampa's Amalie Arena and walked to their ringside seats, the boos started raining down.

Now, we're not saying they had targets on their backs, but Flyysoulja and Kodiyakredd's bleach-blond spiky faux locks make 'em stand out in any crowd -- and after the boos came actual booze. Several objects were hurled their way, including at least one full beer.

We all know, stadium beers ain't cheap ... so you gotta really hate to toss one of those. Then again, we present exhibit A.

The 20-year-old twins dropped their poolside freestyle back in October, which instantly went viral ... and not because people were loving it.

Still, the Island Boys persisted ... cranking out an official music video this month to go with the nonsensical bars they dropped -- and yeah, that's a viral hit too.

Marvel is putting Spider-Man fans at ease in the wake of their latest movie -- which leaves Tom Holland's future as the teen hero uncertain -- confirming ... nope, the story ain't over!

MCU Prez Kevin Feige got the word out early this week to the NYT, this during an interview alongside key Sony producer Amy Pascal -- who oversees all things Spidey for them ... as the two studios kinda share the rights to the comic book character at the moment.

On both fronts, they assured everyone ... yes, they're already working on a sequel to 'No Way Home' -- which presumably means Holland's along for the ride too.

When asked if Pascal spoke too soon last month -- when she prematurely revealed TH would be starring in a whole new trilogy -- she said, "We’re producers, so we always believe everything will work out," adding she hopes the Marvel partnership lasts "forever."

KF was a bit more direct about what was happening next ... "Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about -- yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home.' That will not be occurring this time."

That's pretty big news, but not at all surprising ... seeing how 'NWH' whooped ass at the box office this weekend, on its way to grossing around $250M in its first few days in theaters.

No question ... there was going to be a sequel eventually, but what Kev and Amy here seem to be implying is that they're going to continue the Holland storyline -- which is major ...  considering what happens at the end of his latest adventure.

As you probably know by know, the dude forges on as Spider-Man by himself -- no longer having Aunt May by his side ... and not even MJ or his pal, Ned. May dies, and the latter have their memories wiped about who he is/was completely (thanks to Dr. Strange) ... something Peter opts to do to avoid putting them in any more danger.

In other words, the guy's single again and all on his own. And, if they continue with Holland as the lead ... it's almost like everything that happened in the previous 3 movies is wiped clean ... and they can start fresh again with new romantic interests, bad guys, etc.

Eric Clapton went after a woman who was trying to hawk one of his CDs -- a bootleg one, no less -- for about $11 ... and now he's won, meaning she's gotta pay a lot more than that.

Deutsche Welle reports a judgement was filed in Clapton's favor earlier this week at a court in the Düsseldorf area of Germany ... where he'd sued this 55-year-old widow, who says her late husband bought the album years ago at a record store -- arguing she didn't know it was fake or infringing on his copyright.

The woman was reportedly trying to sell it on eBay for less than $12 -- something Eric and his team apparently caught wind of somehow, and decided to fight it tooth and nail.

Word is, they'd reached out this lady ... demanding she take down her eBay sale -- but word is, she told Eric and co. to kick rocks and to stop harassing her. The Guardian reports she even said if they were that bothered with the $11 sale, then go ahead and sue her.

Well, sue her he did ... and after her arguments of ignorance fell flat with the court following an appeal -- issuing an injunction preventing her from hawking the thing. She's also gotta pay the legal fees of both parties, which reports say amounts to about $3,800. If she keeps it up on eBay, she could be fine hundreds of thousands ... or even go to prison for half a year.

Clapton's team told the Guardian, "Germany is a country where sales of bootleg and counterfeit CDs are rife, which damages the industry and customers with poor quality and misleading recordings. Along with a number of other major artists and record companies, over a number of years Eric Clapton has, through German lawyers, successfully pursued hundreds of bootleg cases in the German courts under routine German copyright procedures."

Big Sean finally got his chance to address Kanye West saying signing the guy to a deal was the worst thing he'd ever done -- and let's just say ... he had a lot to get off his chest.

The Detroit rapper was up to bat on the "Drink Champs" podcast, and during the sprawling interview -- Ye's remarks from about a month or so ago were brought up ... which BS did not shy away from in the slightest.

For starters, Sean says he was hurt by Kanye's words ... and took the very public shot personally -- this after thinking it was funny/absurd at first. He explains why, and it basically boils down to his loyalty and dedication to Ye's label G.O.O.D. Music ... and to Ye himself.

Check it out ... dude says he's been available to Kanye on the drop of a dime over their time together, and not just that ... but was apparently also the first one to suggest Kanye run for POTUS. Eventually, he pivots to money ... citing cash he says he's owed from Ye/G.O.O.D.

The amount Sean claims he's due ... around $6 mil or so, although he notes he's not sure if this is even on Kanye's radar. Still, he says that while he thought UMG was the one screwing him at first -- he says he finally learned G.O.O.D. Music was allegedly pocketing extra profits off the success of his many albums ... the most put out by any G.O.O.D. artist, he points out.

Sean also addresses Kanye's gripe about him and John Legend endorsing other candidates while Ye was running for President last year ... but BS denies he ever did so, saying he purposely stayed silent out of respect for Kanye.

There's a lot to unpack in the 3-plus hour-long interview ... but the takeaway here is, Sean was quite angry after hearing Ye trash him so publicly. He says Kanye actually reached out shortly thereafter to reconcile, but Sean says he shot him down.

Jennifer Lopez was the main attraction in Bev Hills Friday ... but not for her singing -- rather, for her shopping.

J Lo hit up Valentino and then Dior on Rodeo Drive, and a throng of shoppers and tourists gawked as she eyed fancy dresses for possible purchases.

She also gave the once over to some glasses and coats.

She definitely wasn't in a talking mood, but still ... fans got an eye-full, even if she was partially hidden by her mask.

Interesting ... whether the 2 families will blend for XMAS, especially after Ben's interview with Howard Stern. There have certainly been combos of the 2 families ... Ben's kids and J Lo's have intermixed, but as for one big celebration with everyone -- no word on that.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben and Jen are looking for a house in L.A., but so far no deal. As they settle in, it'll be interesting to see how everything shakes out with the blended families.

Flavor Flav says his life flashed before his eyes last week when a giant boulder nearly crushed him to death on the road -- and his takeaway is ... be grateful for every day.

The Public Enemy gave us the blow-by-blow of the freaky accident from Tuesday when he was driving from Vegas to L.A., and had to cross the treacherous La Tuna Canyon ... which was pouring down rocks and debris on account of the bad weather.

Watch how FF explains the moment a 6-foot boulder graced the front of his car ... it sounds like the thing was just inches away from taking both him and the vehicle down below.

Flav tells us he's just thankful he survived the ordeal, and he's taking stock on the things that are important in life ... explaining folks should treat each day like it's their last, and tell loved ones how they feel while they're still here.

He also has some suggestions on how to avoid this type of wreck in the future for other drivers, and the first thing he wants ... some freakin' signs out there to warn people, but more importantly -- something to catch the rocks from sliding down.

Louisiana Judge Michelle Odinet has been suspended by the state's Supreme Court after a sickening video of her using the n-word went viral earlier this week.

Docs filed Friday read, "hereby is disqualified from exercising judicial functions, without salary, during the pendency of further proceedings in these matters." This means the LA Supreme Court has officially opened an investigation against the disgraced judge ... with the possibility of more action to be taken in the future.

People across the country have called for Odinet's resignation after a video, being played on a home TV screen, shows surveillance footage of a fleeing suspect apprehended by a homeowner after allegedly breaking into a car on the property.

While you can't see any faces, a male voice can be heard saying, "And Mom's yelling n****r, n****r," followed by a female voice, alleged to be Judge Odinet, laughing and saying, "We have a n****r. It's a n****r, like a roach."

Brittany Matthews finally wasn't the only one going crazy after a Chiefs win ... 'cause her BFF and Travis Kelce's GF, Kayla Nicole, joined her for the wild celebration -- with the two losing their minds following K.C.'s walk-off dub!

Patrick Mahomes' fiancee filmed it all on Thursday night ... showing the two WAGs going absolutely insane after the star QB and Kelce came back to beat the Chargers in overtime in L.A.

Check out the footage ... after Kelce caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes in the extra period to win the game 34-28, Matthews and Nicole completely lost it.

The two were up in a suite dancing and screaming their heads off -- with Matthews yelling loudly, "Let's goooooo!!!!"

At one point, Matthews turned to Nicole and asked, "How does it feel to be dating the best tight end in the league?!"

Nicole's response? Nothing but pure joy!

"Travis Michael Kelce just had the best game of his career ladies and gentleman," Nicole said. "Period!!!"

The Chiefs are now the No. 1 seed in the AFC ... and are pretty much a lock to make the playoffs.

Morgan Wallen's gotta be feeling like all is forgiven -- Lil Durk invited him to feature on a new song ... less than a year removed from the country singer's controversial use of the n-word.

The song, "Broadway Girls," was a surprise release Thursday night, and it's way more hip-hop flavored than country. Essentially, Morgan sings the hook and Durk handles the rapping ... although there are a few lines that sound like MW's dipping his toe, and attempting a little rap.

The collab is the latest sign the country superstar is fully bouncing back from the industry "canceling" him. As you know, back in February ... TMZ got video, shot by one of Morgan's neighbors, showing him using the n-word after a drunken night out with friends.

Radio stations stopped playing Morgan's songs, and he was banned from multiple award shows all year. However, his double album, "Dangerous" continued to top the charts and set sales records.

Morgan says he had no clue about the history or pain attached to the n-word, and told Michael Strahan he's learned from the controversy. Since then, he's popped up onstage at other artist's shows -- including Eric Church -- and gotten tons of applause. He's also announced a tour next year.

Todrick Hall came sooo close to winning "The Masked Singer" title, but he's not walking away empty-handed -- in fact, he's pulled off a super rare accomplishment in the singing competition.

So, if you missed Wednesday night's season finale ... Bull, aka Todrick, lost to Queen of Hearts, aka Jewel, in the closest vote in the show's history. The unmasking was pretty awesome, shocking almost all of the judges ... with the exception of Nicole Scherzinger.

Todrick and Nicole have worked together, and he told us on Thursday's "TMZ Live" ... they've actually become good friends. Still, it wasn't just his voice that gave him away. Todrick admits it was total bull scent!!!

Yes, his cologne was the giveaway, and TH gave us lowdown on which one he was rocking under that costume. Speaking of which, 'Masked' contestants always griped about producers not letting them keep the costumes -- but Todrick's clearly different.

Jackson Mahomes just got burnt to a crisp by a local bar in Kansas City ... being called an entitled, egotistic clout chaser who didn't earn his popularity after the Chiefs QB's brother blasted the establishment on social media.

The TikTokker went off on the SoT cocktail bar this week ... claiming he had awful service at the place while asking his 255k followers if they had similar experiences.

Word got back to SoT, which released an Ether-esque diss on Mahomes via its official Facebook page.

The whole thing is wild, but here are some notable lines:

"We are sorry that we set boundaries that you tried to ignore," the bar said. "Often times people with un-earned status and a sense of entitlement think they are above the rules and will lash out at the employee enforcing them."

That's one of the more tame burns.

"We survived a global pandemic, we’ll survive your ego," the bar continued ... going on to mention Jackson's recent controversies -- pouring water on Ravens fans and dancing on Sean Taylor's tribute in Washington.

"We are sorry you didn’t reach out to us first before taking to social media, but then again that is an expectation we would have from a mature and rational person, not someone who pours water on fans and dances on the memorials of tragically lost people for TikTok clout."

"We have not been fortunate enough to be born into a much more talented and much more famous family but we would like to think that if we did have that much luck- we would use our influence in more responsible ways."

"We hope our apology finds you well."

Sheesh!!!

Safe to say Jackson -- or the rest of the Mahomeses -- won't be back in a while.

We've reached out to Jackson and the bar for comment ... so far, no word back.

L.A. Lakers guard Austin Reaves came up BIG for his squad last night -- the rookie hit a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime -- and the locker room celebration was WILD!

The Lakers were in Dallas taking on the Mavericks in a back-and-forth game that came down to a last-second 3-pointer by LeBron James ... that he missed.

So, cue OT, and insert Reaves -- the undrafted former Wichita State and Oklahoma star -- who, as it turns out, has ice water in his veins .... knocking down a 3-pointer off a dime of a pass by Russell Westbrook, propelling the Lake show to a 107-104 victory.

After the game, the celebration moved from the court to the locker room ... where Lakers vet  DeAndre Jordan poured a bucket of ice-cold water on Reaves' head -- as Bron tossed him a game ball.

Megan Thee Stallion completing her college education is much more than a feather in her cap -- it's actually encouraging lots of other folks to go back for degrees ... specifically, at her now-alma mater.

Dr. Monica Rasmus, program director for Texas Southern University's Health Administration program, tells TMZ there's been an influx of one-time dropouts -- who used to study in her wing of the school -- steadily finding their way back and getting re-enrolled.

She says this is a direct result of Meg, in many cases, as she tells us former TSU students started reaching out to discuss returning after Meg went public in 2020 about completing her studies there.

She didn't have hard numbers, but Dr. Rasmus says there's certainly been a trend of interest -- and that intrigue goes beyond just former pupils, she says current students came flocking too. Rasmus says TSU undergrads and grad students started to hit up her department out of curiosity, and in many cases ... a genuine desire to pursue a degree in HA.

Perhaps the biggest way Meg has helped ... the $25k donation she made via Fashion Nova, which Dr. Rasmus says went a long way to helping students who need the dough. The feeling of appreciation is mutual, BTW -- MTS has shouted out Dr. Rasmus in recent interviews.

As we reported ... Megan walked the stage last weekend as she finally received her diploma, completing a long educational journey she'd been pursuing since 2013.