Money

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo sold millions of records together as The Neptunes but the two Virginia-made hitmakers are currently entangled in a legal war over use of the group's name.

Recently uncovered court docs show Chad opposing a trademark filing of Pharrell's company PW IP Holdings to lock up the rights to "The Neptunes" for music videos and other downloadable entertainment.

Pharrell's reps told Billboard he was simply going out of his way to ensure no outsiders got hold of the Neptunes' name, but Hugo’s attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich went as far as to declare Pharrell committed fraud by leaving his client's name off the filing ... without any input from Chad.

Mike Vrabel's got a lot more free time on his hands these days -- it is, after all, his first season out of head coaching since 2017 -- and TMZ Sports has learned he's spending at least some of it in Sin City!

Check out photos we obtained of the former Tennessee Titans honcho in Las Vegas on Thursday evening ... you can see he was getting after it on a craps table at the Wynn.

One witness tells us it didn't seem like he won much -- hence the long look on his face -- but nonetheless, a bad day in Vegas has to feel better than a bad day on the coaching headset, right?!

"Oppenheimer" is still bringing in the Benjamins ... as the Oscar winner brought in another couple mil at the box office … only this time, in Japan.

According to Variety, the period drama -- which took home the Best Picture at the Oscars -- made its long-awaited release in Japan this weekend ... 8 months after it premiered in the States.

On its face, the Japan showing certainly seemed to be a success ... as it added an extra $2.5 million to the box office record for "Oppenheimer" -- which now stands at $965 million in ticket sales globally.

El nuevo álbum de Beyoncé es un éxito en los servicios de streaming, incluyendo tal vez el más importante, alcanzando el récord del día en lo que va de 2024, lo que es bastante impresionante.

El último proyecto de la cantante "Cowboy Carter" se ha convertido en el álbum más reproducido de Spotify en 2024 a solo día de su lanzamiento el viernes y las cifras son totalmente fuera de este mundo. Según los datos de las plataformas de streaming, el disco ha sido reproducido 76,13 millones de veces desde su lanzamiento en Spotify.

Esta cifra es muy superior a la que alcanzó su último álbum "Renaissance" en Spotify en un solo día (unos 43 millones de streams en aquel momento) y es, por lejos, el mayor lanzamiento de este año.

Beyoncé's new album is a hit on streaming services, including perhaps the most important one out there ... snagging a day-of record for 2024 thus far, pretty darn impressive.

The singer's latest project, "Cowboy Carter," became Spotify's most-streamed album of 2024 in just a single day since its release on Friday ... and the numbers are out of this world. Per streaming data, 'CC' was streamed 76.13 million times since it dropped on Spotify.

That's way higher than what her last album "Renaissance" did on Spotify in just a single day -- about 43 million streams at the time -- and is far and away the biggest release this year.

Caitlin Clark's got a tough decision ahead of her -- play in the WNBA or take $5 mil to shoot in the Big3 -- but Reggie Theus tells TMZ Sports if he were the Iowa superstar, the choice would be simple ... play in the women's league.

We caught up with the 2022 Big3 Coach of the Year out at LAX this week just after it was revealed Ice Cube had offered the Hawkeyes hooper 5 Ms to play in as little as eight games … and it wasn't hard to tell he's glad he's not in Clark's shoes in this situation.

He told us on the one hand, the cash would be incredible ... but on the other, playing in the WNBA is lifelong dream material.

If Caitlin Clark does take Ice Cube up on his $5 million offer to play in the Big3, it's clear Nancy Lieberman wants dibs ... telling TMZ Sports she'll make sure the Iowa sharpshooter is ready to take down some former NBA vets!

Lieberman -- an ex-WNBA star who actually played for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team in 1981-- has been the head coach of the Big3's Power since 2018.

She called the 3-on-3 org. "super competitive," but check out the clip -- it's clear as day she thinks Clark would be able to get buckets amongst the men.

"I think her teammates would set her up for success if this is what she chose," the 65-year-old said. "I would love to coach someone like Caitlin Clark. If given the opportunity, I certainly am not afraid of the moment."

If Clark decides to take the WNBA route instead, Lieberman won't sweat it ... as she feels it might force the women's league to up its pay wages.

"I think it's gonna push our friends at the W to increase salaries or some of the things that are gonna be negotiated in the CBA," Lieberman said.

"She's changing us financially and I think everybody should applaud her."

Diddy's alleged after-hours exploits are set to be unearthed -- that is, if a new listing hyping up supposed BTS videos of him is to be believed, and more importantly ... purchased.

Here's the deal ... TMZ has been made aware of a listing on a crypto exchange site that went up by a person who purports to be in possession of a lot of Diddy footage over the years ... much of which, they claim, features him in some compromising situations.

Specifically, the listing touts itself as having "unreleased, never-before-seen private footage and photos of Diddy in his residence, private jet, studios and various other locations engaged in private activities ... and often doing and saying what appears to be very controversial things."

Philadelphia 76ers hooper Kelly Oubre Jr. and his head coach, Nick Nurse, are gonna have to write out a check to the NBA -- the two were just fined $50,000 each for going ballistic on referees after their 108-107 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.

The matchup ended in quite the controversy -- the Sixers forward drove to the basket to attempt a game-winning bucket ... and despite making contact with Paul George, a foul wasn't called.

Oubre and Nurse were irate over the no-call after the buzzer -- Oubre even flipped the bird at the officials ... and Sixers staffers had to step in to keep the two from going further.

Many believe Oubre also pointed at each official and called them a "bitch."

Tsunami Papi admitted after the game he knew a fine was coming … and he was right -- 'cause the league handed down the punishment for "verbally abusing and directing an obscene gesture" at the officials.

Nurse's fine was for "aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing game officials."

Oubre shared his regret over his actions ... saying, "I want to apologize for just losing my cool … I just ask for forgiveness. It wasn't cool, so I'll take whatever penalties come with that."

While the financial punishment is nothing to scoff at, ex-NBA player Lou Williams predicted KO would actually get a heftier fine … saying, "This is $25,000 per bitch, without a doubt."

Ice Cube will have to wait a bit longer to get an answer from Caitlin Clark on his $5 million Big3 offer ... the Iowa superstar just revealed she hasn't considered the deal yet -- as her current focus is solely on winning the NCAA tournament.

The 22-year-old spoke with reporters about Cube's proposal on Friday afternoon -- one day before she's slated to take the court against Colorado in the Sweet 16 -- and she made it clear, it's not even remotely on her mind right now.

In fact, she said she just learned of the offer this week -- at "the same exact time you all did."

Lala Kent has taken the plunge and become the latest "Vanderpump Rules" star to plunk down roots in the San Fernando Valley ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's splashed out over $3 million on a stunning new home.

According to real estate records, obtained by TMZ, Lala sealed the deal on the pad last month ... so now she's living it up in a gated estate with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and 5,109 square feet of living space.

The living room is super cool, with double-height ceilings and skylights. The entire house has an indoor, outdoor vibe.

50 Cent is going to war with the mother of his son after she publicly accused him of raping her -- which he says is a totally false claim Daphne Joy is only making in retaliation for him seeking full custody.

Daphne, the mother of 12-year-old Sire, and 50's latest drama is tied directly to one of the lawsuits filed against Diddy. As we reported, Rodney Jones' latest amendment to that suit, claimed Daphne was a "sex worker" for the Bad Boy mogul ... an allegation that immediately caught 50 Cent's attention.

After 50 reacted on Instagram by posting, "I didn't know you was a sex worker, 👀 you little sex worker. LOL 😆" -- Daphne lit him up with a post of her own, saying ... "Let's put the real focus on your true evil actions of raping me and physically abusing me."

La propiedad en Hollywood Hills que ha sido el hogar de Liza Minnelli, y más tarde de Christina Aguilera, está en el mercado por varios millones de dólares.

Esta joya arquitectónica de mediados de siglo ubicada encima del Sunset Strip es el epítome de la vida de lujo, y por un precio de $8.399.000, usted podría tener una sala de proyección a medida, un acuario de tres lados y un walk-in closet, entre otras cosas.

Se puede ver que la casa es la fusión definitiva de la vida interior y exterior, aprovechando las impresionantes vistas panorámicas de Los Ángeles y el Océano Pacífico desde su patio.

El fundador de FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, está en problemas... el juez lo ha condenado a 25 años de cárcel por estafar a clientes e inversores en su caso federal de fraude con criptomonedas.

El juez Lewis Kaplan dictó la sentencia fuerte jueves en Manhattan, y aunque no ordenó la restitución -debido al gran número de víctimas afectadas por el negocio de Sam- el juez ordenó un decomiso de más de $11 mil millones.

Explicando la larga sentencia y la multa, el juez Kaplan dijo: "Este hombre estará en condiciones de hacer algo muy malo en el futuro, y no es un riesgo trivial".

The singing these walls have heard -- the Hollywood Hills pad that's been home to Liza Minnelli, and later, Christina Aguilera is on the market for several million bucks ... but dynamic voices are not included.

This mid-century architectural gem perched above the Sunset Strip is the epitome of luxury living ... and with a $8,399,000 price tag, you're getting the whole package: a custom-built screening room, a three-sided aquarium, and a walk-in closet with built-ins to name a few.

Taking a peek at those pics you can see the home is the ultimate fusion of indoor and outdoor living, capitalizing on those breathtaking panoramic L.A. and Pacific Ocean views from its wraparound patio.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is going away for a long time ... the judge hit him with a 25-year sentence for scamming customers and investors in his federal cryptocurrency fraud case.

Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the hefty sentence Thursday in Manhattan, and although he didn't order restitution -- due to the large number of victims impacted by SBF's biz -- the judge did order a forfeiture of more than $11 billion.

Explaining the lengthy sentence and fine, Judge Kaplan said ... "This man will be in a position to do something very bad in the future, and it’s not a trivial risk.”