Money

Cate Blanchett's star-making role in "Lord of the Rings" wasn't as glamorous as one would imagine ... as the actress admits she was paid practically nothing for the fantasy flick.

The A-lister made the confession during her appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" Wednesday, where she left host Andy Cohen shocked when she hinted at her minimal paycheck for the 'LOTR' franchise.

Cate confessed she and her castmates weren't "paid anything" to appear in Peter Jackson's trilogy back in the early '00s.

Hulk Hogan can't be happy Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are doing a movie on what we're told is the "darkest period of his life," and if Ben and Matt cross the line, he's ready, willing and able to take legal action ... TMZ has learned.

B&M are producing a flick on the lawsuit the WWE legend filed and won against Gawker, after the site posted a sex tape video of Hogan and the wife of a friend. A racial epithet was captured on the vid. Hulk sued Gawker for invasion of privacy and in 2016 won a whopping $140 million verdict ... which eventually tanked Gawker.

Sources connected to Hulk tell TMZ he has no involvement whatsoever in the film project and is currently "indifferent" about it. HOWEVER, if the movie treads into territory that a jury already found was protected by his right to privacy, Hulk will not hesitate to pursue legal options ... which he's clearly done before.

Former NFL defensive lineman Brandon Mebane -- who helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII -- says he got screwed over in a deal to buy a Los Angeles mansion ... and now, he's suing to try to rectify things.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 39-year-old ex-nose tackle filed the lawsuit in L.A. County this week -- some five years after he purchased a property in Encino for $4.85 million.

Mebane says as part of the agreement he made to snag the home from the builders -- which included Roi Edery and Ofir Grushkovski -- they would handle all of the repairs he found following inspection.

OceanGate is facing a lawsuit related to their tragic Titan submersible implosion ... with the family of one victim claiming the company's persistent carelessness, recklessness and negligence led to the fatal implosion.

In documents obtained by TMZ, the family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet -- a French explorer who had traveled to see the Titanic wreck dozens of times before the implosion -- filed the lawsuit ... accusing OceanGate of gross negligence.

The family says OceanGate designed and operated Titan outside the norms of the diving community ... and, ultimately they say Paul's life was lost due to the company's gross negligence.

Blake Lively didn't have to break the bank for her Britney Spears tribute ... because TMZ found out how much she paid for a Versace dress the singer famously wore back in the day.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Blake spent a little more than $10,000 for Britney's iconic outfit from the 2002 Versace fashion show.

We're told Blake purchased the dress through Tab Vintage, a shop in Los Angeles specializing in vintage clothing. The store posted the dress on social media, but didn't include the price -- and when Blake inquired about the cost, she was surprised ... and just had to have the garment.

Miranda Kerr has bid adieu to her stunning Malibu bachelorette pad -- you know, the one she snapped up right after her split from Orlando Bloom a decade ago.

The place sold for $4,115,000 Tuesday ... a bit less than the $4.5M it was listed for in February. But hey, the supermodel still came out ahead, having bought it for almost $2.2M. Not a bad flip!

Of course, Miranda's asking price took into account all the custom upgrades she put into the place. Plus, it’s got a touch of Hollywood history -- James Whitmore, the acclaimed actor from "The Shawshank Redemption," owned it until his death in 2009.

Caitlyn Jenner is bringing her 1976 Olympic gold medal to modern times ... offering up pieces of her most prized possession in an auction on the blockchain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the superstar decathlete -- who finished first in the event at the Montreal Games nearly 50 years ago -- and her Web3 dev team created a real-world asset NFT in honor of her world record-breaking performance.

Anyone looking to get in on the action can buy a piece of the medal with tokens starting Thursday ... and owners will receive a "deed" tied to the NFT, which will be visible to everyone on the blockchain.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann are desperate to sell their mansion ... 'cause they slashed the price again -- taking another quarter-million-dollar chunk off recently.

The embattled couple's Georgia home is still stuck on Zillow ... and, they took $250K off the price Wednesday -- two months after slicking $300K off asking. The house is now listed for $3.95 million.

We've followed the house price closely ... they lopped $500K off the price in December 2023, and then a cool mil in January -- so, the market for the impressive abode just ain't there. All told, they've dropped their asking price by more than $2 million since the first listing.

The Giants and Lions are in the dog house with the NFL before the regular season even starts ... 'cause both teams were just handed hefty fines for throwing hands at their joint practice!!

The NFL confirmed the penalty on Wednesday ... stating both organizations will be hit with $200k penalties for the scuffles that popped off on the practice field this week.

A memo was also sent out to all 32 NFL teams regarding etiquette ... and any fights, like what happened between the Giants and Lions, won't be tolerated.

Meet me at the hotel room Pitbull Stadium??? That's what Florida International football fans will be saying for years to come ... 'cause Mr. Worldwide is buying the naming rights to the school's home turf!!

FIU and the popular music artist confirmed the rumors at a press conference on Tuesday ... with reports saying the deal is worth $6 million over five years.

As part of the agreement, the Grammy-winning artist will create an anthem for the school, post on his social media platforms and appear at one athletic fundraising event yearly. On top of that, his alcohol company -- Voli 305 Vodka -- will be the preferred brand available to purchase during games ... and he will get use of the stadium ten days a year.

Janet Jackson fans, get ready ... 'cause she’s gearing up for a Las Vegas return with a new residency, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Janet’s in the final stages of signing a residency deal with Resorts World. We're told the plan is for the show to kick off in December. Our sources say she's also set to ring in the New Year with a special NYE performance at the famous venue.

We’re hearing Janet’s residency at the Resorts World Theatre will be a relatively short stint ... but the final details and dates are still being hammered out.

NFL player A'Shawn Robinson's puttin' his California mansion on the market for more than 4 million bucks -- and the place is SWEET, complete with a recording studio and custom swimming pool!

TMZ Sports has learned the defensive end listed the two-story Canyon Oaks estate this week with Jordan Cohen of RE/MAX ... and it's fully loaded!

The 8,120-square-foot property, including the guesthouse, has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a huge kitchen, a living room, and a home gym.

The Kansas City Chiefs are standing behind Harrison Butker in the short term and for years to come ... 'cause the two sides just agreed to a massive $25.6 million contract extension -- months after he came under fire for polarizing comments made during a commencement speech.

The former seventh-round pick negotiated the four-year contract himself ... making the 29-year-old the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Butker is now tied to the organization through 2028 and will look to help the Chiefs in their quest for a Super Bowl three-peat.

The contract extension comes three months following his controversial grad speech at Benedictine College -- a Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas -- in which he shared his views on the LGBTQ community, abortion and women being homemakers

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott appear eager to offload their Beverly Hills home ... as the former flames have slashed the listing price once again.

The ex-couple's first home together -- which they nabbed for a notable $13.4 million back in 2018 -- hit the market again back in February ... when they asked for $17,995,000. Mind you, this was significantly less than their first attempt at unloading the property ... as they previously listed the abode for $21.9 million back in 2022.

KJ and TS didn't get any takers back then ... and it seems that's the case today, as according to online records they are now asking for $15,995,000. If math's not your strong suit, this is a $2 million drop in price ... which likely speaks to the exes' urgency of wanting to ditch the mansion.

Pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati's manhood might've blocked him from Olympic glory, but it could now help him land a girthy payday ... with an adult entertainment company offering the French athlete a whopping $250k to show off his famous junk on camera.

TMZ Sports obtained a letter from popular XXX site CamSoda ... which extended the offer to the viral track and field star after his dong got in the way and knocked down the crossbar during the group rounds over the weekend.

Ammirati failed to reach the finals after finishing 12th, but CamSoda VP Daryn Parker is looking to turn the whole thing into a positive ... saying, "If it was up to me, I’d award you for what everyone else saw, your talent below the belt."

Rafael Nadal's match-worn shirt from the 2005 French Open final against Roger Federer exceeded expectations at auction ... selling for over $113K!

The shirt is literally off Nadal's back ... a garment he wore for at least three matches during the major tennis tournament. One of those matches was a clash with fellow all-time great, Federer.

You might recall, Nadal defeated Federer -- ranked No. 1 at that time -- in the semifinal ... one of only a handful of men to defeat RF. It also happened to be Nadal's 19th birthday.

Now you can see why the piece was so desirable... even surpassing the $100K estimated auction price by the experts at Prestige Memorabilia.