TMZ.com Home

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz went head-to-head again Sunday night for a Verzuz rematch, and it did not disappoint!!!

The 2 founders of the super popular music competition squared off at Miami's Club LIV, and they dedicated the evening to the late DMX.

DaBaby, Nas, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Busta Rhymes and many more were on hand watching the 2 rap icons do their thing. And, Missy Elliott paid her respects to Swizz and Timbaland on video. Missy was effusive ... "First I want to say congratulations to you (Timbaland) and Swizz. And, thank y'all for creating Verzuz for us to relive some of the best moments in music." She then took sides, rooting for her fellow Virginia native, Timbaland.

The music was awesome ... songs that included collabs with Aaliyah, DMX, Missy, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Drake, Lil Wayne, and on and on. 20 rounds in all.

BTW ... Timbaland and Swizz sold "Verzuz" to Triller earlier this year ... so that had to be a nice chunk of change.

Courteney Cox isn't quite done with the whole "Friends" reunion thing ... because she partnered with Ed Sheeran to recreate one of the greatest TV dances ever!!!

If you didn't know where this dance came from it would still be awesome ... but there's history here, folks.

You recall the dance where Monica and Ross appeared on Dick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve" show? Well, Courteney hasn't lost her moves one bit ... and Ed was more than up to the task. BTW, the OG dance number was choreographed by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin ... so, those are pro moves they're putting down!

Ed reflected ... "Had a reunion of our own this weekend @courteneycoxofficial #theroutine #iknow #friends4eva #obviouslybetterthanross"

There was one small technical error ... Courteney overshot the jump into Ed's arms and they crashed to the ground. Otherwise, perfect!!!

Chadwick Boseman wanted to get Howard University students up to speed on the entertainment biz early and often, which is why he came up with a great idea for his alma mater ... one it's now bringing to fruition.

HU Prez Wayne Frederick tells TMZ ... the university is going to be rolling out a masterclass template for the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts that's actually inspired by the man himself -- who presented his concept to head honchos before he passed away last year.

Here's how it'll work ... students enrolled in the fine arts college are going to be introduced to a tweaked curriculum in the near future, which will help them get familiar with their specific fields of study. We're told they'll be working with pros, currently working in the industry, who can share real-life experiences.

Now, Howard has always had professionals come by for guest lectures -- including famous alums -- and they already have a great mentorship program too. But, Fredrick says the masterclass is going to be more structured ... weaving the guests into day-to-day learning and coursework on campus.

Frederick tells us Chadwick wanted to help spearhead the program -- he actually signed paperwork to get it started -- and would've likely been very hands-on, if he were still alive.

Frederick says there's no question that CB's own experience at HU is a big part of what made him pitch this in the first place ... including the memorable tale of Denzel Washington once paying for Chadwick's tuition back in the day.

Simon Cowell has 86'd his plan to travel to Israel for his TV franchise ... and although he isn't saying specifically why, it seems the cancellation is due in part to the recent violence.

Simon was scheduled to be a judge on "X Factor Israel" but a rep for the production announced Simon would not be part of the show. As for why, the rep would only say Simon canceled "for his own reasons" which involved "legitimate concerns" -- this according to Variety. There was no specific reference to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but it's not hard to read between the lines.

We tried reaching out to Cowell's rep ... so far, no word back.

As you know, Simon broke his back last year after hopping on his new e-bike and crashing to the ground. It's unclear if the back injury was a factor, but Simon has bounced back so it seems unlikely.

Representatives for Cowell did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A Jewish News report last week cited a source close to Cowell as saying that the media mogul was “bitterly disappointed” that he could not take part for “a number of reasons.”

Dr. Terry Dubrow says folks who want a bigger butt need to work their ass off in the gym instead of opting for a popular surgical procedure ... that actually has a good chance of killing you!!!

The "Botched" surgeon joined us on "TMZ Live" and schooled us on the dangers of the well-known Brazilian butt lift, telling us why he's NOT recommending it to his patients.

It's pretty scary ... the good doc says the BBL is the most dangerous surgery you can undergo, as far as mortality rate, and he tells us exactly why the fat transfer so often goes fatally wrong.

The BBL has been around for a long time, but Terry says folks are not being adequately warned about the dangers ... despite many doctors' wishes for the industry to sound the alarm.

As we first told you ... Tekashi's baby mama recently had a BBL and ended up having a medical scare. Based on Dr. Dubrow's warnings, sounds like she dodged a bullet.

Brandon Moreno, describe your rival, UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

“I told you, the guy's not really smart,” Moreno tells TMZ Sports ... “He's an asshole and it's fine. I don't care. He's ugly, man the guy's so ugly, my goodness!”

There’s clearly bad blood between 27-year-old Moreno and 33-year-old Figueiredo ... who fought to a draw last December -- an absolute war -- for the UFC Flyweight title.

The fighters are set to square off again as the co-main event at UFC 263 on June 12 ... and we asked Moreno what he’d say to Figueiredo before they scrap for a 2nd time.

“He try to put attention on himself and it's fine. He wants to make some money, he wants to be the next Conor McGregor and you know, I don't really care because I just wanna get title.”

Moreno -- who hasn't lost since 2018 -- says after 16 years in the sports ... it’d be “a dream come true” to be the 1st-ever Mexican champ born in Tijuana.

Before this cheerleading child was reaching sky-high levels of fame as a teenager, she was just another cute kid showing off her pom-poms in Augusta, Georgia.

This sports fan moved from the sidelines onto the main screen when she was cast as the lead role in a Disney Channel original movie ... where she gets stuck with a famous celebrity played by "Saturday Night Live's" Taran Killam. With her experience as a superhero in another Disney movie, she was able to captivate audiences when she was featured recently in a few other comic book-inspired CW shows.

Lil Yachty's so pumped for live music festivals to make their return this summer ... he's ready to dive backflip right in.

The rapper says the absence of in-person concerts over the past year has been really tough, so just the thought of taking the stage with a packed crowd gets his blood pumping.

Yachty -- who's set to perform at Portugal's Rolling Loud festival in July and at Chicago's Summer Smash in August -- tells us the connection he gets with his fans at a live show is unique ... and he expects the energy to be 50 times as intense after the long COVID break.

The hip-hop star also weighed in on one of hip-hop's biggest feuds over the past few years -- one in which he landed smack dab in the middle of ... and is still trying to do damage control.

LY reminds us why he sided with Cardi B over Nicki Minaj back in 2018, but explains why it's not nearly as controversial as it's been made out to be ... or at least that's how he sees it.

Watch the video though ... sounds like Nicki's still not over it.

It looks like these stars are ready to get the party started ... they've been on a fizzy fix lately and have been sharing all their spirited snaps!

Diplo, Stassie Karanikolaou and Chanel West Coast are just a few of the celebs that have been getting lit and they're posting pics of what carbonated booze they've been chugging!

Even more famous faces such as Arielle Vandenberg, Chantel Jeffries and Dua Lipa have been extra bubbly lately in their snaps featuring their favorite boozy drinks.

Join in on all the fun by scrolling through our gallery of stars sippin' seltzers to see who else is getting their drink on!

Naomi Osaka doesn't seem to be sweating a hefty fine she's been issued after following through on her promise to skip the media after her matches at the French Open.

The star tennis player took to Twitter Sunday in response to news that FO officials had dinged her a whopping $15,000 for refusing to hit a post-match press conference after her opening-round win against Patricia Maria Tig ... which is standard practice.

She kept it brief and somewhat cryptic, writing ... "anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable." In our minds, that means she ain't gonna bend.

That's quite a gamble for Naomi ... because organizers of the tourney say if she continues to blow off questions after playing, she risks even more fines ... and, eventually, potentially being disqualified from the French Open altogether. Not just that, but she could even be suspended from future Grand Slam tournaments -- so there's a lot riding on this decision.

As we reported ... Naomi had already given everyone a heads up ahead of the start of this that she wouldn't be participating in any media events, citing mental health concerns.

Some have praised Naomi for standing firm on this issue and speaking out on behalf of pro athletes' well-being, noting that if this is really about the sport (in this case, tennis) ... then what difference does it make if they don't talk to reporters after the fact???

A body was dumped over a bridge into the water below in northern India -- an unthinkable act that 2 people have been arrested for ... but also, a testament to the siege the country is under during a second wave of COVID-19.

This wild video surfaced over the weekend, which purportedly shows two guys chucking a cadaver into the Rapti River somewhere in Balrampur ... which sits in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Local reports say police have identified the men and arrested them.

In the clip, you see the two people here struggling with what appears to be someone in a body bag ... hoisting them up onto the ledge, and then opening whatever enclosure they're in to unleash what's inside. One of the guys doing the deed is covered in full PPE.

According to India Today, a chief medical officer ID'd the body ... reportedly saying they'd been admitted to a hospital on May 25 after testing positive for COVID, only to die a few days later. The hospital released the body to the man's family for cremation, whom officials now claim are the ones behind him being disposed of in morbid fashion.

Bodies along river banks are sadly becoming a regular thing throughout India lately -- as they continue to battle rising COVID cases and deaths during a crippling second wave that has devastated citizens there. Mass burial sites have been formed in and around the Ganga River of late, with scores of dead people being lined up ... and in some cases, burned at a pyre.

Somebody posted a promise to kill in the City of Lakewood -- which has put the community, as well as local officials, on high alert ... although it appears to be a freaky hoax.

A user that goes by u/gastonmcwhinnie posted a lengthy message on the Lakewood Reddit thread over the weekend, which stood out as a red flag and caught the attentions of concerned citizens, and at least one City Council member ... not to mention law enforcement.

The message is slugged ... "MASS SHOOTING TODAY IN LAKEWOOD" going on to describe how this individual plans to go out on Sunday and gun down "minorities" at different parts of town with an AR-15 and a Glock 18 they claim to have. The user also posted a photo of a handgun to accompany the troubling open letter, plus a clip of ammo.

It's absolutely terrifying, as the note reads, in part ... "There is only one thing that I'm certain of; I f****** hate minorities." They go on to explain that they don't know where the hatred stems from, but that it's there nonetheless and they want to finally do something about it.

The person adds, "I don't see much of a future for myself, and I have an ongoing case, so I think I'm just going to end with a bang." They go on to explain that they'll be aiming for at least 10 "minorities" ... while sickeningly saying, "the more the better." They also say they'll be targeting Council members, and ends by saying there'll be a lengthier manifesto on his computer. The message ends on an even more ominous tone, with "See you in hell."

This started spreading like wildfire, with many warning residents of Lakewood and surrounding areas to be on the lookout. Lakewood Council Member Todd Rogers responded, writing ... "We are aware of the threat against Lakewood and city officials posted on social media. Law enforcement does not believe they are credible but an investigation is underway."

There doesn't appear to be any developments from this so far, so hopefully what Rogers insists here is true. Still, even if this is a prank -- it's absolutely diabolical, to say the least.

Joe Lara -- the star of "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" -- has died after a small plane he, his wife and a few others were on crashed into a lake this weekend.

The private jet -- said to be a Cessna 501 -- took off Saturday from Smyrna Airport, just outside of Nashville, and was reportedly headed toward Palm Beach, FL ... but somehow plunged into Percy Priest Lake not too long after takeoff.

Fire and other rescue crews were dispatched to the scene -- but, after an all-night operation -- authorities say the passengers were found to be deceased ... and their families were notified. An investigation is underway to determine what might've caused the crash.

Lara was one of seven people who were killed. The others are his spouse -- Christian diet guru Gwen Lara -- Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, all of whom are locals and reported to be part of the same church.

JL is famous from his TV days, when he played the king of the jungle between 1996 and 2000 ... starring as Tarzan for a total of 22 episodes, including a TV movie that came out years prior called "Tarzan in Manhattan" -- which catapulted him into the role.

He'd been in other action/fantasy projects over the years -- including "Steel Frontier," "Sunset Heat," "Gunsmoke: The Last Apache," "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" "The Magnificent Seven," "Baywatch" and "Tropical Heat," among several others. Lara had 28 acting credits to his name.

Lara married Gwen Shamblin in 2018 -- who's famous for founding the Remnant Fellowship Church as well as the Weigh Down Workshop ... a weight loss program that was big in the '80s and '90s among churchgoers and others.

Gwen and Joe leave behind three children. He was 58 and she was 66.

Tessica Brown -- aka, 'Gorilla Glue Girl' -- is having another moment on the internet -- only this time, she isn't the one who kicked it off ... which is a huge problem for her and lawyers.

TB, through her attorney Jeffrey R. Klein, has fired off cease and desist letters to several different people/entities over a now-viral song called "Bad Idea" ... which rips her voice from her infamous Gorilla Glue video and remixes it into a song, using her own voice/lines.

The "remix" was taken off social media -- including on TikTok, IG Reels and even on streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify ... which all seems to have been started by someone named Cocoa Brown, whom posted the track -- helping it spread like wildfire.

Welp, Tessica and co. aren't too amused by the stunt -- even if everyone seems to love it -- because, frankly, she had no part in making the track ... nor is she getting any dough from it.

That's why she sent Cocoa -- and every other platform that's using the song -- to STOP immediately, and to take down the content ... as Tessica claims it's good old-fashioned copyright infringement -- both by using her image and likeness, as well as her vocals.

The letter to Cocoa, obtained by TMZ, is worded firmly. It reads, in part, "To the extent it becomes necessary, Tessica intends to seek the recovery of all penalties, statutory damages and punitive damages for such knowing infringement as applicable." So, yeah ... she ain't playing.

Now, we will say this ... the tune IS catchy, which is exactly why folks like Aniya Wayans -- Damon Wayans Jr.'s daughter -- and even Cardi B's daughter, Kulture, have posted it or recited it online ... not to mention countless other accounts who've made their own "Bad Idea" videos.

Miles Teller says the guys who pounced on him and punched him in the bathroom at a Maui restaurant were strangers, but we've learned there's a connection he may not know.

Check out the video we obtained ... it shows the aftermath of the fight as Miles is held back after getting punched. He says several times the guys who hit him are losers.

One of the men who allegedly put hands on Miles is married to a wedding planner, and the wedding planner seems to have history with Miles and his wife, Keleigh. Keleigh mentioned in a Vogue article she worked with the company to plan the nuptials.

Sources connected to the couple tell TMZ -- they claim Miles and Keleigh didn't pay their bill.

We're told the husband of the wedding planner has already spoken to cops and a criminal investigation into the incident is underway.

The couple's lawyer, Tre Lovell, tells TMZ, "It is my understanding that the altercation was a dispute over money pertaining to the couple's wedding. We are currently evaluating my clients' legal claims that may exist surrounding the incident, statements made about the incident and the parties previous business dealings."

TMZ broke the story ... Miles and Keleigh were at the Monkeypod Kitchen on Maui Wednesday eating dinner when Miles was confronted and punched.

Miles did not appear seriously injured. They left the restaurant without further incident. Witnesses said the man claimed Miles owed him and his wife $60,000 for services connected to the 2019 wedding.

Miles tweeted after our report ... "I got jumped by two guys in a bathroom. Never met them before in my life ..."

Boosie Badazz has found himself right in the middle of gun violence once again -- a shooting occurred on the set of a music video of his ... which has left one person seriously injured.

Check out this video of the moment that shots were fired while the rapper was filming Saturday in Huntsville, AL -- and you can see Boosie and everyone else around him scatter and run for their lives.

Unclear from which direction the gun was shot -- different people on set were carrying what appeared to be firearms -- but in any case ... somebody unloaded at least one round for real.

Huntsville PD tells TMZ ... cops responded to a report of shots fired around 4:30 PM, and when they arrived on the scene -- we're told they came across between 50 and 100 people making a run for it, either by foot or in vehicles. HPD says hardly anybody wanted to talk.

We're told the police found one man who was in 20s laid out on the ground with a gunshot wound. EMTs arrived and he was transported to a hospital -- we're told he's listed in critical condition. HPD says there are no suspects in custody at this time ... no motive either.

We should note ... Boosie was NOT the one was shot, nor is suspected of carrying out the shooting. Considering his recent history with public shootings like this, though, he's lucky to have dodged any direct harm this time around. Be safe out there, man.