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Taylor Swift grooved her way onto the "Dancing with the Stars" stage ... surprising contestants and the audience with a special video message for the night's theme ... "A Celebration of Taylor Swift.”

"Hey guys, it’s Taylor. I just want to say thank you so much for having this me-themed night on 'Dancing With the Stars,'” the pop star said Tuesday ... explaining she couldn't be there due to tour commitments in Brazil.

Let's not forget ... Travis Kelce has also kept her preoccupied during their whirlwind, headline-grabbing romance ... but there was no mention of him as she encouragingly told the remaining stars they were in good hands with her choreographer Mandy Moore -- not the "This Is Us" star, FYI -- with their routines.

Taylor's best chart-topping tunes such as "Lover", "Shake It Off", "Look What You Made Me Do", "Cruel Summer", "August" and "Lavender Haze" were given the dancefloor treatment ... but even the star's good vibes couldn't save Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold from elimination.

The evening was anticipated since October when pro Peta Murgatroyd let slip of the Taylor-themed evening ... with cohost Alfonso Ribeiro finally confirming the news on November 7.

The star herself has appeared on the show three times to perform ... first "Jump Then Fall" and "Love Story" in 2009, then "Mine" and "White Horse" in 2010 and finally "We Are Never Getting Back Together" in 2012.

The newfound happy times between Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann were very short-lived, in fact, just a few days after celebrating their 12th anniversary, they were at each other's throats ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ it's been about a week now since Kim and Kroy started having issues in their marriage once again. We're told the fights were intense, per usual, and revolved around their atrocious financial situation, and its impact on their relationship.

Translation: back to the common theme that prompted Kroy to file divorce docs, in the first, and second place.

We're told Kim and Kroy remained under the same roof while they verbally sparred, and things continued to bubble between them.

We're told throughout the latest period of fighting, Kroy remained in the primary bedroom and Kim was in the basement/nanny suite -- as ordered by a judge -- but that distance wasn't enough to keep the peace.

Everything came to a head Monday night when one of the estranged couple's young kids called the cops during an "extremely loud" fight between the two. Law enforcement sources tell us 3 officers and a supervisor came to the home to settle things down, but no one was arrested.

Interestingly enough, Kim and Kroy were seen out with their kids for haircuts and some Starbucks just hours before the police visit, and everything seemed calm.

The drama is 180 degrees from what the couple portrayed on social media when they celebrated their wedding anniversary on November 11 with a fancy meal and drinks ... seemingly oblivious to the massive money woes they continue to face.

Speaking of their financial troubles ... Kim and Kroy's Georgia mansion, which was supposed to go up in a foreclosure auction, is still on the market for $6 million.

Ben Affleck's diet appears to consist of Dunkin' Donuts and cigarettes -- and yet ... he's in tip-top shape, with a dad bod most of us would kill to have.

The actor was picking up his kids in L.A. Monday -- specifically, his 14-year-old daughter Seraphina and 11-year-old son Samuel -- and he was in complete Papa Bear mode ... of the big-rig variety, though, it seems.

Check it out ... while waiting with Seraphina in the parking lot, he started rummaging through a backpack and pulled out a giant carton of Marlboro cigs, which was already torn open.

Once Sam showed up and the 3 of them started heading out ... Ben had a Dunkin' coffee cup with him, and it looked pretty empty. We know Ben's a fan of the coffee/donut brand ... so it's not all that crazy to see him with one of these.

What is interesting ... the fact Ben tends to snag fast food pretty often -- including a McDonald's run he made last week, where he had a bag of grub and a tasty drink to boot.

Lop on the fact he's a regular smoker ... and it's a little surprising Ben's able to stay in as good of shape as he does. We know the guy's shredded thanks to a snap his wife, J Lo, shared on Father's Day -- so he must hit the gym regularly to keep things balanced.

One of the greatest right arms in the history of sports no longer works.

Drew Brees made the shocking revelation this week ... admitting he can't throw overhand anymore.

"Look," the future Hall of Famer said on Tuesday on ESPN Radio. "I'll let you in on a little fact. I don't throw with my right arm anymore. My right arm does not work. So, when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed."

Brees said on the show it all stems from the devastating shoulder injury he suffered while playing for the San Diego Chargers during the 2005 season.

You'll recall, following a fumble, Brees fell awkwardly on his throwing arm ... dislocating his shoulder and tearing up several important pieces of his body in the process.

Docs were able to fix him ... and he went on to have one of the best NFL careers ever with the New Orleans Saints -- but he said he's reeling from it all now.

The former quarterback said he's suffering from a "degenerative shoulder" ... as well as "all kinds of arthritic changes."

Brees then revealed if he could somehow get it to work -- he "would absolutely still be playing."

The 44-year-old added that, thankfully, he is able to be somewhat athletic with his right arm still ... saying at least pickleball isn't out of the equation at this point.

"I can play pickleball because it's below the waist," he said.

Dean DeLeo, guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, is now accused of getting violent with his wife, Jenn DeLeo, during a dispute that ended with him in handcuffs, and getting booked for felony domestic violence.

Law enforcement sources tell us Jenn took swift action after she said Dean left the house intoxicated last month ... calling cops to let them know he was driving under the influence.

We're told officers soon found the musician, pulling him over and arresting him for DUI.

While he was in custody, Jenn called the cops again, and alleged they'd been in an argument that escalated to a physical altercation before he left the house.

We're told they took a domestic violence report from Jenn, and felt they had enough evidence to book Dean again ... this time for felony domestic violence. He was also served an emergency protection order to stay away from Jenn.

But, according to cops, Dean violated that a week and a half later by attempting to contact Jenn. He turned himself in over that violation, and was subsequently released -- but, in the midst of all that drama, she filed to divorce Dean.

She previously filed divorce docs in 2018, when she claimed he was an abusive drunk who made her fear for the lives of herself and their then 6-year-old daughter.

Melissa Barrera is out of her starring role in the 'Scream' franchise, and the production company that fired her says it's due to her social media posts it deems hate-inciting and antisemitic.

The actress was set to once again assume the leading role in "Scream VII" after starring in "Scream" and "Scream VI" ... but she's reportedly been let go because of posts about Israel and Palestine.

Melissa's more controversial statements included an Instagram story where she seemingly alludes to a longstanding trope about Jewish people controlling the media.

She wrote ...  "I have been actively looking for videos and information about the Palestinian side for the last 2 weeks or so, following accounts etc. Why? Because Western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself."

In other posts, Melissa reportedly compared Gaza to a concentration camp, calling the war in the Middle East "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" ... and referring to Israel as a "colonized" land.

Variety was first to report on Melissa's firing ... and she seemed to be addressing it Tuesday with a post declaring she would rather be excluded for who she includes than included for who she excludes.

Christopher Landon, who is set to direct 'Scream VII,' reacted on social media, saying ... "Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make."

Spyglass Media Group, the production company that did make the decision, says it did so, because ... "We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."

Melissa plays Sam Carpenter in "Scream" and "Scream VI" ... but now some big changes are on the horizon for "Scream VII."

Other actresses are taking hits for statements on the war -- as we reported, Susan Sarandon was dropped from her Hollywood talent agency for a controversial speech at a pro-Palestine rally in NYC.

The Holy Grail of Elvis Presley jewelry is going up for grabs -- it's his iconic lion claw necklace, and some Elvis-crazed collector might have to drop half a million dollars, or more, to nab it at auction.

Elvis famously wore the lion claw around his neck for years, both on and off stage ... including during some of his most memorable moments.

When Elvis met Muhammad Ali at the peak of the boxer's prime, the lion necklace was dangling from the singer's neck.

Ditto for a famous photo of Elvis celebrating his daughter Lisa Marie's 5th birthday with his wife Priscilla.

Elvis took the stage at least 30 times with the lion claw necklace too, on tour and during his Las Vegas residency ... and he wore it during his post-Priscilla relationship with Linda Thompson.

The piece is bedazzled with diamonds and rubies ... and it's been on display for years at the Elvis Presley Museum, but now it's going up for auction with Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

No, Travis Kelce's play of late has not been impacted by his relationship with Taylor Swift ... at least, that's according to ex-NFLer Channing Crowder, who tells TMZ Sports the Chiefs star is too used to the limelight to be impacted by dating the pop star.

Of course, there are plenty who are ready to disagree ... as Kelce has had three straight pedestrian games in a row -- all while his romance with Swift has reached a fever pitch.

But, when we spoke to Crowder on Tuesday following Kelce's four-catch, 44-yard performance in a loss to the Eagles on Monday Night Football ... the former Miami Dolphins linebacker said there's just simply no way Swift's swayed things for the 34-year-old.

As for why ... Crowder tells us he thinks Kelce's just simply too familiar with fame to have it bother his game on the gridiron.

"He doesn't hide from attention," Crowder said.

Kelce has been with Swift for quite some time now ... and when she's been in attendance at his games, he's balled out. But, when she hasn't been around -- particularly this last month -- it's been a different story.

Crowder, though, says it's all pretty explainable ... saying defenses have been focusing more on Kelce due to the lack of other weapons on Kansas City's offense.

As for Kelce's admission this week that retirement has been on his mind a little bit -- Crowder did seem to think that was a fairly significant revelation ... telling us, "Once guys start talking about retirement, they might as well retire."

American film and television screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan was only 4 years old when he made his big acting debut playing the adorable son -- singing "Joy To The World" while in the tub -- in the 1983 classic comedy/family film "The Big Chill."

The movie has a packed and star-studded cast starring Kevin Kline as the successful business owner, Harold, Glenn Close as Harold's wife, Sarah, William Hurt as the partier, Nick and Jeff Goldblum as the journalist and bachelor, Michael Gold.

Kevin Costner and Meg Tilly also costar in the film.

50 Cent fans got some real bang for their buck as Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at London's O2 Arena ... as part of the rapper's "The Final Lap" tour.

Video footage obtained by TMZ shows 50 urging the crowd to "turn it up even more" with a massive digital box descending onstage along to the beat of Ed's "Shape Of You."

Rap fans look perplexed at the unexpected voyage into pop as the British singer's vocals are heard live in the distance -- and when 50 instructs the audience to "put their hands up," the box lifts to unveil Ed himself.

Cheers erupted from delighted concertgoers ... quickly whipping out their phones for evidence of the dynamic music collab onstage.

This isn't the first time 50 has stunned fans with a plus one on stage ... bringing out the likes of Busta Rhymes and Eminem.

A Victor Wembanyama fan is clearly believing the hype surrounding the NBA's newest phenom ... purchasing the Spurs rookie's debut jersey this week for nearly a MILLION dollars!!

The threads Wemby wore during his first-ever game with San Antonio hit the Sotheby's auction block last week ... and experts had projected it to sell for right around $100K.

But, with the lore of Wembanyama growing every time he touches the floor ... one unidentified bidder ended up locking it all down on Tuesday for a whopping $762,000!!!

Of course, while the price tag is certainly a steep one ... it could be a helluva an investment -- because Wembanyama is proving night in and night out that he's simply different.

Through 14 games so far, he's averaging 18.6 points per game as well as 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and 2.6 blocks.

Britney Spears isn't fighting a traffic ticket she got last month -- coughing up the dough to make it all go away -- and shelling out a little extra for educational driving purposes, too.

The pop star paid a $332 fine over a traffic violation she was dinged for in early October out in Ventura County after allegedly crossing over double lines while cruising.

On top of the fine itself, it looks like BS also paid around $400 for traffic school ... a common route to take to avoid gaining a point on your license.

As we reported ... Britney paid even more cash the month prior over yet another driving incident. There, we were told she got pulled over for speeding ... and was ultimately ticketed for driving without a valid license or proof of insurance.

In that case, Brit forked over more than $1,100 to put that matter to bed.

Tyrese Gibson is once again taking issue with the judge in his divorce case in Georgia ... he wants a new robe to step in, claiming the current judge is biased against him.

The actor filed new legal docs this week, obtained by TMZ, complaining about the way Judge Kevin Farmer is handling the case and saying he deserves a new judge.

Tyrese says Judge Farmer abruptly canceled a court hearing and ordered him to come up with a massive $450,000 bond within 10 days in connection with his appeal of an order in the case ... without giving him his day in court to explain how it would be impossible to come up with the cash that quickly.

In the docs, Tyrese says he was going to use the hearing to explain why he couldn't pay the $450K due to the Hollywood strikes impacting his ability to work and make money this year.

But, Tyrese says Judge Farmer scrapped the hearing only a few days before it was scheduled to go down ... which TG feels is another example of hizzoner having it out for him.

Tyrese has tried to get Judge Farmer taken off the case before ... as we first reported back in September 2022, Tyrese claimed the judge told him he thought the child support ordered in the case was appropriate and that he didn't care if Tyrese's ex, Samantha Lee Gibson, was a "greedy, gold-digging bitch."

Tyrese also claimed the judge belittled him with admonishments during his testimony.

Susan Sarandon is facing swift backlash over her pro-Palestinian and anti-Jewish rant ... because a famous Hollywood talent agency just showed her the door.

The Oscar-winning actress is no longer being represented by United Talent Agency, where scores of staffers were upset by her strong views on the Israel-Hamas war ... according to Page Six.

Susan railed against Israel during a pro-Palestine protest Friday in New York City, and said this about Jewish people in America, specifically ... "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country."

Grabbing a microphone at the rally, Susan also told the crowd being anti-Palestinian is the end result of American brainwashing that starts at a young age.

The controversial comments are making the rounds online, and drawing tons of criticism over social media ... and now Susan's facing consequences in real life.

Susan reportedly signed with UTA back in 2014 ... and this year she's had roles in two movies, "Blue Beetle" and "Maybe I Do," plus gigs on a few TV shows.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann painted the picture of a happy family during a low-key outing with their kids Monday ... a scene that drastically changed 2 hours later when cops were called to settle an explosive fight.

Both were seen together leaving a barbershop in Alpharetta, Georgia, with some of their kids in tow before making a stop at a nearby Starbucks.

On the surface, all seemed well -- but on closer inspection, Kim and Kroy were without their wedding rings again. As we first reported, not long after the errands all peace was shattered when one of their kids called the cops over their "extremely loud" argument.

Law enforcement sources told us 3 officers and a supervisor arrived at the estranged pair's mansion to try to settle the verbal domestic dispute ... eventually calming things down.

Officers are practically seasoned guests at the duo's home ... first arriving to the property in August when Kim accused Kroy of locking her out of their bedroom ... and a month later telling them she didn't feel safe in her own home.

October brought another revelation by TMZ ... with us breaking the story of a court mandate ordering them to keep their distance at home -- Kim gets the basement and nanny suite and Kroy gets the primary bedroom.

President Biden's lighting up the Internet with his fiery birthday cake poking fun at his age -- but that won't get him over the electoral hump with the young'ns ... so says a seasoned journo.

Technology reporter Taylor Lorenz -- who covers all things digital for the Washington Post -- weighed in on Joe getting a little cheeky this week to celebrate his 81st birthday ... with a jokey post that ended up fueling endless memes online.

Everybody, it seems, made cracks ... some were light-hearted, others were a little more serious -- but according to Taylor, none of it really helps the Prez in the long run for 2024.

As she put it on Tuesday's "TMZ Live," Biden and his staff are missing the mark on how to connect with Gen Z -- mistakenly thinking that viral content and memes alone will be enough to get a full base of potential voters to pull the lever for him come next November.

Lorenz says that's not gonna do it, unfortunately -- and that Joe needs to connect with young people on a more fundamental, serious level ... through policy that helps their lives.

There are a number of issues she thinks JB's out of touch with when it comes to this specific demographic -- everything from the economy to housing and healthcare ... and even the war between Israel and Hamas. On that topic, too, she says Joe's not reflecting their view.

Of course, there are also the Biden stumbles and fumbles that happen all too often -- including recently mixing up Britney Spears and Taylor Swift -- that Lorenz says aren't serving him well.

Bottom line ... TL thinks Joe's gotta sharpen up and engage 20-somethings with substance, if he wants to rely on their support at the polls ... 'cause right now, the gimmicks aren't cutting it.