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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt are both A-listers with a long list of box office hits, but when it comes to their Disney paychecks ... he gets treated more than twice as nice.

The actors are set to costar in the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" movie, but according to our sources ... The Rock's hauling in way more cash for his role. We're told he's getting $22 million to play the lead male character, Frank ... Emily's only getting $9 mil to play the lead female, Lily.

As you know ... The Rock's a mega movie star and the second highest paid actor -- just behind Daniel Craig -- known for the 'Fast and Furious' franchise, "Moana" and several other huge summer blockbusters.

But ... Blunt is Mary freakin' Poppins. She's also a Golden Globe winner and 5-time nominee, and has starred in several other hit flicks herself ... like "A Quiet Place," "Sicario," "Edge of Tomorrow" and "The Devil Wears Prada."

It seems Johnson's "Jungle Cruise" pay rate matches his quote for another one of his 2020 movies -- "Red Notice," which costars Gal Gadot -- but it's unclear if her salary will also be dwarfed by his.

Despite the pay discrepancy, it appears The Rock, Emily and fellow cast member Jack Whitehall -- who's playing Disney's first openly gay character -- all got along really well.

BTW, the gender pay gap is nothing new for Hollywood. You'll recall Mark Wahlberg got paid $1.5 million for reshoots for "All the Money in the World" early this year ... while his costar Michelle Williams did them for free.

Mark decided to donate his salary after the public outcry.

Chris Brown claims he ain't no Michael Jackson -- meaning, he doesn't own a monkey (or a chimp!) ... and claims allegations he illegally harbored an adorable simian are pure apesh*t.

We broke the story ... the L.A. City Attorney is charging CB with 2 counts of having a restricted species without a permit claiming he kept a capuchin monkey named Fiji at his L.A. home back in 2017.

The allegations are serious, Brown could face up to 6 months in jail if convicted.

The supposed smoking gun is a video of Brown's daughter Royalty playing with Fiji in Dec. 2017 -- but sources close to Breezy tell us prosecutors got it all wrong.

Brown is adamant the video was NOT taken at his L.A. home -- it was shot in Vegas ... where the monkey lived with a relative who was the REAL owner.

Authorities ain't buyin' the excuse noting the animal was taken into custody in Los Angeles.

But, we're told Brown claims his relative happened to be in town with Fiji that particular week -- and it's all just a bad coincidence that makes Chris seem guilty.

He's due in court on February 6 where he'll plead his case to the judge. Stay tuned ...

Oh, and as for Fiji ... we're told she's been in protective custody and she's doing just fine.

Safaree brings a lot more to his relationships than his famous anaconda, he's also a gentleman ... because he went out of his way to get permission from Erica Mena's mom and son before his elaborate Christmas Eve proposal.

A rep for Safaree, KD McNair, tells TMZ ... Safaree made it his mission to first ask Erica's family for their blessing, reaching out to them weeks before popping the question.

Safaree and Erica started dating this year, but their engagement wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing ... we've learned the 'Love & Hip Hop' stars first met when Erica was 17. We're told Erica's mom and son were 100% down with the proposal ... they've loved Safaree ever since he starred alongside Erica in VH1's "Scared Famous."

Safaree also wanted his mom to sign off, because she's been highly critical of the women he dates. Fortunately for him and Erica, Mom's a big fan of hers.

A gentleman who's been blessed downstairs ... sounds like Safaree is quite the catch. Way to go, Erica.

Antonio Gates disagrees with LeBron James saying NFL owners have a "slave mentality" ... 'cause the TE says players know what they sign up for and make a great living doing it.

Of course, LeBron went off on the NFL on his HBO show, "The Shop," last week, saying, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ..."

"And, it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or, we get rid of y'all.'"

When we got Gates out in Bev Hills ... he told us he ain't buying what LBJ's selling -- saying NFL players know what they're getting into when they ink their contracts.

"I don't know all the owners -- I know my owner. And, my relationship with my owner has been phenomenal. And, it's sports. You know what I mean? You get paid to play."

Gates added, "We all know what we sign up for."

As for the differences between the NBA and the NFL ... Antonio says he does hope one day his league can guarantee contracts like LeBron's -- but he still doesn't see NFL owners having a "slave mentality" at all.

12/28 6:05 AM PT -- It appears Iggy's been taking tons of heat for continuing to sing in the midst of her backup dancer having a seizure, saying, "It feels like ANY thing I do becomes an opportunity for people to tell me why I'm s***, why my music sucks, my clothes are ugly, why I don't matter or why I'm a horrible person. I'm worn down." She goes on to say, "Everyone is just trying to make it through their day. Could we be a little kinder to each other? Seeing how much people enjoy being awful to one another is depressing."

Iggy Azalea's concert in Brazil came to a grinding halt after one of her backup dancers collapsed in the middle of a song after suffering a seizure.

The scary scene unfolded Thursday during Iggy's performance at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. You see a backup dancer collapse onstage and her body shaking uncontrollably. Iggy calls for a medic, then starts singing "Black Widow" before the music stops and an eerie silence falls over the stadium.

Medics actually drove an ambulance onstage to take the woman away. Then it was back to business for Iggy.

It sounds like the backup dancer will be okay ... Iggy addressed the incident on social media, saying the lights and heat in the venue triggered the seizure, and the woman's feeling much better now. Iggy says she kept singing because she thought the dancer just fell down or twisted an ankle.

3:35 PM PT -- David Bennett of Thav Gross P.C., attorney for Franklin's Estate, says the Estate disputes the claim as Aretha paid off the vast majority of her debt before she died. He says, "The Estate is diligently working to resolve any remaining issues."

When Aretha Franklin died in August she left behind a legacy as the undisputed "Queen of Soul" ... and also a huge debt to Uncle Sam.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the IRS claims Franklin owes more than $6.3 MILLION in back taxes from 2012 to 2018, and an additional $1.5 mil in penalties.

One of Aretha's former lawyers tells us the massive tax lien is the result of several audits over the last 6 years. The weird thing ... one of the years in question is listed as 2018, and that tax year is not over.

We broke the story ... the "Respect" singer's being dogged in death by more than just the tax man -- her lawyer also filed docs in October demanding the estate pony up nearly $54k to cover bills dating back 6 years.

There's also a new lien filed by a publishing company that wants $136,000 for royalties in connection with the 1973 song "Angel."

Say a little prayer for the person managing her finances.

2:45 PM PT -- Dana White says the decision to move UFC 232 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles cost roughly $6 million.

White says he did NOT want to cancel the fight and worked to find a venue where it could happen when problems arose in Nevada.

White says once they found out The Forum in L.A. was available, they booked it and the rest is history.

Alexander Gustafsson just went off on Jon Jones to his face -- saying the guy is a "terrible" cheater who's spewing "bullsh*t" about his positive PED test.

The two exchanged shots at the UFC 232 press conference -- Gustafsson says he's convinced Jones is a cheater, but didn't want to back out of the Dec. 29 fight because he wants to beat the guy's ass.

"I'm here to fight," Gustafsson said ... "He will eat it Saturday night."

UFC 232 was supposed to go down in Las Vegas -- but was moved to L.A. after Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.

Jones has insisted he only had trace amounts of the PED in his system -- remnants of the last time he tested positive. He's adamant the Turinabol in his system is not new.

The UFC -- along with the California State Athletic Commission and other officials -- believe Jones, which is why the fight was greenlit in CA.

During the event, Jones doubled down on his claim that he's not a cheater and will eventually be vindicated by tested organizations.

Jones says it's "hilarious" that people think PEDs are the reason for his success.

This is one clever way to avoid visiting family during the holidays -- Jean-Jacques Savin has boarded a vessel in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean relying only on the current and wind.

After spending months to build a barrel-shaped capsule, the 71-year-old Frenchman jumped in his vessel off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands. His mission -- to cross most of the Atlantic and ultimately reach the Caribbean ... either Barbados or the French islands of Martinique or Guadeloupe.

According to reports ... Savin's gonna spend the next 3 months inside his vessel that's already 11 miles away from his origin. He's reportedly gone just 1 to 2 miles per hour since leaving Wednesday.

Savin -- who funded the $66k trip through crowdfunding and a sponsor -- calls the expedition a "crossing during which man isn't a captain of his ship, but a passenger of the ocean." He reportedly loaded up his 10-foot by 6-foot vessel with a bottle of Sauternes white wine and a block of foie gras to celebrate New Year's Eve. He's also got a bottle of Saint-Émilion red to celebrate his 72nd birthday in January.

Actor Forest Whitaker is ending his marriage with wife Keisha Nash Whitaker after more than 20 years of matrimony.

Whitaker filed docs Thursday in Los Angeles to call it quits. The two got married in 1996 and have 3 adult daughters together. It's currently unknown what led to the split.

Whitaker cites irreconcilable differences in his divorce petition. There are no minor children, so no custody issues. He's also asking the court to terminate any spousal support ... but this is done a lot when there's already an overriding property agreement in place.

Forest and Keisha met on the set of "Blown Away" in 1994 and started dating shortly after ... they had their wedding in Jamaica.

In an interview with Ebony a few years ago, Keisha said of Forest, “I had seen him in ‘A Rage in Harlem,'" and “Right away, I thought Forest had a gentle soul and a nice spirit.”

Christie Brinkley and Sailor Brinkley Cook traded in snow and scarves for beaches and bikinis this Christmas, and we're glad they did ... because the swimsuit models' vacation pics are the gift that keeps giving!

Christie still slays in a sexy blue swimsuit even at 64, and Sailor definitely got it from her momma ... click through the gallery for Sailor's picture-perfect beach poses in barely-there bikinis. Yeah, we're glad the photo-friendly pair spent this Christmas in a tropical location!

Christie and Sailor proved they're more than just pretty people ... hopping on paddle boards, jumping in kayaks and cruising around on the open water. Beauty and brawn!

Frank Adonis -- best known for his roles in some of Martin Scorsese's most famous films -- died after a long battle with various health issues ... TMZ has learned.

According to his wife, Denise ... the veteran actor died Wednesday night in Las Vegas. She tells us he'd been sick for a couple years, mostly kidney problems. We're told he'd been on dialysis and was on a ventilator for the past 9 days, but they waited until after Christmas to take him off it.

She adds ... "He will be missed. He was a great father and an amazing husband. He helped all his friends he could. Great writer, director and actor. He was my best friend."

Adonis had a long career in Hollywood with 40 credits to his name, including the role of Anthony Stabile in the classic 1990 mafia film, "Goodfellas."

Frank's also known for his roles in Scorsese's other legendary movies -- "Raging Bull" and "Casino." In addition, he appeared in a bunch of other popular flicks, including "Wall Street," "True Romance" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

He is survived by his wife and their 2 children, and another daughter from a previous marriage

Frank was 83.

Good news ... high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is doing well and in "pretty good spirits" after the haircut incident earlier this month -- but we've learned the family is still weighing their legal options.

Johnson has gone under the radar ever since the Dec. 19 wrestling match when referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either chop off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match.

But, a source closely connected to the family put it this way -- "Andrew is in pretty good spirits. He hopes for things to return to normal and he's looking forward to competing with his wrestling team again soon."

There are reports the family has already decided not to pursue legal action over the incident ... but sources with direct knowledge say those reports are inaccurate.

In fact, we're told the family is considering all options. One thing they want before making any decisions ... the findings of the NJ Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights. That Division is in the midst of its investigation into the incident.

Johnson's teammates at Buena Regional High School in New Jersey had a scheduled meet Thursday -- but Johnson did not participate because he's felt overwhelmed by the media attention.

Several huge stars have tried to reach out to Johnson to lend their support -- and some UFC fighters have offered to personally train him -- but it's unclear if Johnson has spoken with anyone yet.

As for the ref, sources connected to Maloney tell us he's adamant he was following the rules and race had nothing to do with the situation.

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost have a hell of a weekend update ... PDAing in Argentina's capital city the day after Christmas.

The 'Avengers' and 'SNL' stars are in the touristy town of Palermo in Buenos Aires. They were total normies ... sightseeing, holding hands and walking arm in arm. It seemed pretty intimate ... nevermind their bodyguard.

The couple spent Xmas weekend in El Calafate, where they took in the massive Perito Moreno Glacier ... a must-see when visiting the southern part of Argentina.

As we first reported ... Scarlett and Colin started dating back in June 2017 and things really heated up during a romantic dinner a couple weeks later.

DMX can see the light at the end of the prison tunnel ... because we've learned he's going to be released in exactly one month.

DMX's attorney, Murray Richman, tells TMZ ... X will be released from Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution on Jan. 27, and he's excited about coming home to his family and resuming his rap and movie career.

DMX has a huge fam -- 15 kids to be exact -- and he's anxious to see his youngest son, 2-year-old Exodus Simmons, who we're told has had serious health problems.

Despite serving a 12-month sentence for tax evasion, DMX is still a wanted man in Hollywood. We're told X has been getting offers from movie producers for a biopic.

Some good news for DMX's music fans ... we're told X has been writing lots of songs in prison -- he's got plenty of time on his hands -- and he's planning on dropping a new album when he's released!