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Universal Music Group wiping their songs from TikTok is going to hurt the label's smaller artists the most ... so says a musician who saw the app elevate his own artistic brand.

Mareux had his 2015 cover of The Cure's "The Perfect Girl" go viral in 2021 and it vaulted him to a Coachella performance ... an astronomical leap he feels will go away amid the UMG/TikTok dispute.

Mareux tells TMZ ... UMG saying they're pulling songs from TikTok to help artists financially is shady ... he says if UMG really cared about their artists they would beef up their contracts, not destroy their limitless opportunities on TikTok.

The way Mareux sees it ... artists getting their music integrated into TikTok posts is a great marketing tool. He says the exposure generated on TikTok can literally change an artist's career, like it did for him.

Mareux says UMG is just being plain greedy here ... and he feels bad for the lesser-known artists who were relying on TikTok to market their music ... telling us they've got to be feeling super stressed.

UMG has a huge roster ... Taylor Swift, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Ice Spice, Rosalía ... and Mareux explains how the established acts are going to be impacted too.

Mareux's a great example of what TikTok can do for a relatively unknown musician ... his 'Perfect Girl' cover was kinda floating in the abyss for 6 years until it went viral on TikTok ... and he says he wouldn't have a career now without the app.

Don Lemon says Taylor Swift could put Donald Trump through a very cruel summer ... 'cause, if she wants to, he thinks she could swing the election in President Biden's favor.

We caught up with the former CNN anchor Friday at LAX where he warned MAGA supporters to keep an eye on just how involved the singer-songwriter opts to be during this presidential campaign.

Lemon says TS wields a ton of power and influence, and while she's not exactly his generation ... he gives her all the props for fighting for her catalog and becoming a self-made billionaire.

As we reported ... members of Trump's inner circle are reportedly ready to go to "holy war" with Taylor if she decides to endorse President Biden -- as she did in 2020 -- but Don thinks it will take more than one-liners to combat her impact on the election.

Translation: underestimating her could sink DT's White House dreams.

This all falls in line with what FOX11 political reporter/anchor Elex Michaelson said on "TMZ Live" earlier this week ... warning Trump's going toe-to-toe with Swift, and Swifties, is a risky strategy.

Although, he does see a scenario where Swift ends up helping both candidates -- basically, Trump could use a Taylor endorsement for Biden to blast Hollywood elitism, and mobilize his supporters to get out and vote.

There has been a vocal minority hating on T-Swift ... even celebs like Plies, who are getting tired of seeing her all over their TVs when they're watching a football game -- so it's not far-fetched to imagine that hate motivating Trump backers.

Olivia Newton-John was apparently a Swiftie -- at least that's what her rep says, telling us the late singer would've gotten a kick out of these Taylor Swift's 'Grease' throwback photos.

Michael Caprio, Olivia's publicist of 25 years and counting, tells TMZ ... Olivia "would be tickled" to see all the childhood pics of young Taylor playing Olivia's famous character in a school production of the hit musical ... which just surfaced earlier this week.

Olivia's publicist adds ... she "had the greatest respect for Taylor as an artist and she was a fan of her talent." So, the fact Taylor was paying homage to her in her youth is kismet.

As we reported ... some old photographs of Taylor in character as Sandy is making the rounds ... it's from June 2000, long before Taylor was the biggest star in music.

Funny enough, Olivia and Taylor actually crossed paths when ONJ was still alive ... Michael says Olivia took a group of girlfriends to see a Taylor concert in Miami in 2010, with Olivia raving about Taylor's performance.

Michael recalls Olivia telling him she thought "Taylor was such a sweet, talented and smart girl."

Sounds like the feelings are mutual ... Michael says Taylor's got a vintage concert t-shirt from Olivia's 1982 Physical Tour in her wardrobe. On its face, they were big fans of the other.

Demi Lovato sang a song of hers that certainly might've seemed inappropriate at an event all about heart health -- but as it turns out ... that's not how it was received in the room.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Demi singing her track "Heart Attack" earlier this week at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert might be getting roasted online ... but it was the exact opposite from folks there in the moment.

We're told the AHA fully backed Demi's decision to belt out this tune -- in fact, they encouraged her to sing the song -- which you can see in the clip making the rounds.

As for why our Demi sources feel like it wasn't offensive or out of touch -- as many on X have suggested -- we're told it's because Demi has reclaimed this song and its meaning ... especially in light of her own health scare following an overdose in 2018.

In the wake of that, Demi has sung this song with new significance behind it ... and it's that same sentiment that was carried over in her performance Wednesday -- one that our sources tell us got rave reviews in the moment from those in the room.

We're told Demi also acknowledged her connection to the song ahead of the performance ... telling the audience: "[T]his song has many parallels for me, my journey and a reminder for all of us in the room just how strong the mind-heart-body connection truly is."

Anyhoo, this should hopefully clarify any confusion from those who were scratching their head about the song choice ... not only was it the right song, but her heart was in the right place.

Rick Harrison's family is starting an education fund for the child of his own late son, but it's not out of necessity ... it's actually to appease friends and fans who want to help.

Here's the deal ... in the wake of Adam Harrison's death last month, the Harrisons have been inundated with pleas from people far and wide who've been asking how they can support in the family's time of need.

A Harrison family rep tells us that Adam's ex-wife, Jennifer, also has had tons of people contacting her asking for ways they can help her in this difficult time.

In light of this influx of people wanting to chip in and provide assistance -- we're told the Harrisons decided to create an outlet where folks can solicit gifts if they feel so inclined ... benefitting Adam and Jennifer's son, Colton. Colton is a young kid in elementary school ... and the fund created will go toward his future educational endeavors.

The rep tells us this seems to be the best way to make sure people's goodwill and charitable efforts are put to the best use.

TMZ broke the story ... Adam tragically died from a fentanyl overdose last month. Adam's father, Rick, told us the fentanyl crisis in our country must be taken more seriously ... as it seems the drug is continuing to flow over the border.

Thousands of fans have sent their condolences to the Harrison family ... including two of Donald Trump's sons, who gave Rick a personal phone call following Adam's passing.

Jake Gyllenhaal came under a microscope this week after reports surfaced about alleged erratic behavior on a movie set ... but now, the film's director's clearing the air.

Here's the deal ... director Thomas Bidegain spoke with the French magazine Technikart last week where he discussed his movie "Suddenly" -- which, at one time, had Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby attached before both allegedly dropped out during pre-production.

The interview detailed several alleged frenzied episodes involving Gyllenhaal ... like demanding a car that was neither "red or white," rehearsing in a ridiculous accent like the Pepé Le Pew accent, and stripping down to his undies before launching himself into the freezing ocean -- all of which was being mocked and widely discussed on social media.

Ultimately though, all of it might not be true -- 'cause while Bidegain refused to comment on the validity of those stories, he did tell Variety his issue came from creative differences with JG and VK rather than any unprofessional behavior.

TB explains it like this ... the film was still very early in the process, not shooting and not even in pre-production yet like Technikart suggested. This was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the creative team had only spoken over Zoom when Thomas pitched the idea of meeting as a group in Iceland for a week to work on the project.

The French director said he thought they all were on the same page, but quickly realized their visions weren't in sync when they started breaking down the script together ... Kirby and Gyllenhaal apparently had entirely different opinions on the story's meaning and themes.

Bidegain says he peaced out on the trip after four of the seven days when he realized it wouldn't be a fruitful partnership ... with Thomas noting he'd never worked with an actor-producer like Gyllenhaal before ... and that, he says, created challenges.

Vanessa later contacted Bidegain about purchasing the script, Thomas claims, but he wouldn't sell ... instead making the movie with French actors -- as they seemed more in tune with his vision.

Thomas is more diplomatic in his response now ... saying he wanted to make the movie his own way. We'll admit though ... what he's quoted as claiming against Jake in the OG article is ... a little wild. BTW, this movie of his finally came out last year.

In any case, it's all water under a bridge, it seems ... and there's a lesson in this.

2:09 PM PT -- Ayo Edebiri stood shoulder to shoulder with Jennifer Lopez for a new 'SNL' promo that just dropped -- and it's hard to say if there's any sour feelings between them after this pod news dropped.

Check out the three promos that were just uploaded on the 'SNL' page ... it's Ayo standing in the middle with Jen to her right and Heidi Gardner (a cast member) to her left. They rattle off some lines, and the first take seems to show Jen and Ayo expressing their mutual fandom.

Like we said, there's no true way to tell if Jen's mad -- the body language is pretty neutral. It's possible they shot these before the news dropped ... so we'll see how Saturday goes!

Well, this is awkward ... Ayo Edebiri eviscerated Jennifer Lopez's talents 4 years ago -- well before she was super famous -- and now ... the 2 of them are doing 'SNL' together.

The 'Bear' star is this weekend's host, and Jenny is the musical guest -- so you gotta imagine her resurfaced comments could make it a little bit awkward during rehearsals ahead of the big show tomorrow night.

Ayo was featured on a podcast in 2020 with a woman named Laci Mosley who hosts "Scam Goddess" -- which is dedicated to uncovering "scams" in the public eye and gossiping about them. In this particular episode, she had Ayo (who, again, was not a big-time TV star yet).

Right from the get-go, they start to discuss one "scam" they perceive ... and that would be the "career" of J Lo -- their words, not ours. Ayo then trashes Jen in very harsh terms.

You can listen to her remarks for yourself -- but essentially ... Ayo and Laci are yukking it about the notion Jennifer just isn't that great of a singer, at least in their eyes -- and they believe she's fooled the masses into thinking she's this fantastic vocalist.

Ayo herself even leans into this long-standing (and unfounded) rumor that J Lo has allegedly used ghost singers in her career ... something AE runs with as fact, and just further evidence (from her POV) that Jen has fleeced the industry. Like we said, this is rough.

There are more mean comments that Ayo and Laci make, which we won't include here.

Anyway, the bigger point is ... Ayo and Jen are literally in the same building right now, and they will most certainly see each other over the next 24 hours, so it'll for sure come up.

The question, of course, is ... will they be able to play nice and get through the show?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this incident with Ayo was long ago, and that she is most certainly a fan of Jenny right now -- we're told she's excited to work with her and be in her presence. As for Jen ... our sources tell us she doesn't usually let these sorts of things bother her -- and that her mantra is about moving on and moving forward.

We're told J Lo is looking forward to working with Ayo this weekend.

Gracie Bon's leading the charge for big booty travelers everywhere ... asking for more accessible seating while 30,000 feet in the air -- doubling down on her plea from earlier.

We talked to the Instagram model on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and she absolutely torched the seat sizes on airlines as they currently exist, explaining she's comfy on trains and automobiles -- but there's barely any room for her on planes. Yes, it's a real problem ... so says GB!

As explained to us here, Gracie hasn't seen any airlines offering options to bigger people ... and she suggests putting a couple extra large seats on each plane exactly for people with a bit more junk in the trunk.

Gracie says she needed two economy seats to fly to Rome, where she called us to do the interview ... and even that wasn't comfortable for her. Check out the vid -- she's clearly doing her best, but the makeshift bench ain't supporting her big behind, the way she needs.

Harvey and Charles also asked asked Bon about some rumors/assumptions that she's had butt implants ... making the size of her caboose her choice, but Gracie set the record straight. She said she's never enhanced her ass -- instead, she just downsized the rest of her bod.

As Gracie tells it, she used to weigh 300 pounds, but she got surgeries to manage her weight in her belly and arms, so she looks small up top. When it comes to her thighs and butt though ... the good docs left all that intact.

Now, she's not hating on girls who've gotten surgery though ... saying the airlines should accommodate every passenger they can to give people of all body types the same experience.

Bon's opened up about her body to us a lot in recent days. We spoke with Gracie Thursday too, and she told us pretty much the same thing -- adding she's serious about petitioning airlines for more equitable accommodations.

3:41 PM PT -- Two of Carl's former costars have expressed condolences for the late actor.

Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a photo of them from the set of 'Predator,' and wrote ... "Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it."

Dolph Lundgren of 'Rocky' fame also posted a tribute, writing ... "I was saddened to hear the news this morning. Along with the world, I will miss Carl. He was a great actor, a terrific athlete and a good friend. I cherish many special memories of Carl, both professionally and personally. Like Apollo Creed, he had that special charm that always brought a smile to your face"

Carl Weathers -- famous from a number of movies, but most prominently as Sylvester Stallone's early nemesis in the 'Rocky' movies -- has sadly died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The beloved actor passed away peacefully Thursday while surrounded by loved ones -- this according to a statement from his family. They say, "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers."

They add, "He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend."

Unclear what ailments, if any, Carl may have been battling lately ... he'd been actively acting in recent years -- and on the surface, there didn't seem to be much wrong with him.

In any case ... it's an absolute blow to showbiz -- Carl was a titan in the movie industry, with acting credits dating back to the early 1970s when he was guest starring on shows like "Good " 'Kung Fu," "S.W.A.T.," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Cannon" "McCloud" and more.

His true big break came courtesy of Sly ... Carl was cast as the brash and bold heavyweight champ of the world, Apollo, and he was pitted against Rocky in the ring for two films.

His character stuck around for another two 'Rocky' films ... in the third one, he actually brought the Italian Stallion out of a slump and back to glory with a new type of training he'd never experienced ... making for some iconic, memorable scenes as part of a montage.

The shot of them slow-mo running on the beach, and Sly eventually pulling ahead, goes down in movie history as one of the most awesome and inspiring things caught on camera.

Apollo was killed off in "Rocky IV" -- in dramatic fashion, no less -- but his imprint in that movie franchise lives on even today ... Michael B. Jordan plays his fictional son in the 'Creed' flicks, which are still going strong -- and which continue to be cranked out in Hollywood.

Even outside of 'Rocky,' Carl's presence left an impression in just about every cult classic flick he's been a part of. Just to name a few right off the bat -- "Predator," "Happy Gilmore," "Action Jackson," "The Defiant Ones," "Braker," "Death Hunt," "Hurricane Smith," and others.

His TV credits are also quite impressive ... CW was on shows like "Fortune Dane," "Tour of Duty," "Street Justice," "In the Heat of the Night," "Brothers," "The Shield," "Arrested Development," "Chicago Justice," ... and more recently, in Star Wars' "The Mandalorian."

He'd appeared in episodes of the latter as recently as 2023. In all, he has 80 acting credits.

Outside of Hollywood, Carl was involved in noble charitable efforts -- including Lupus L.A., The L.A. Police Memorial Foundation, The PEACE Fund and The Tower Cancer Research Foundation.

Prior to his acting career, Weathers played for the Oakland Raiders from 1970-1971 ... and the team addressed the tragic loss in a statement Friday afternoon.

"Always a proud Raider, Weathers will be missed dearly by his Raiders Family and his many fans worldwide," the team said. "Our deepest condolences are with the Weathers family at this time."

He's survived by his two sons. Carl was 76.

RIP

Joe Biden's supposedly has a choice pet name for his likely 2024 opponent ... one you can't really use in polite society -- which he almost said in a speech recently!

A report from Politico released Thursday reveals the current Prez is seemingly disgusted with Donald Trump ... calling him a "sick f***" when talking to close friends and White House aides.

And, it appears he likes to double down on it too ... commenting "What a f***ing a**hole the guy is" on at least one occasion according to the premier political magazine.

While this may seem hard to confirm ... video evidence from a Pennsylvania speech early last month shows "Dark Brandon" seemingly ready to fire off his new catchphrase while railing against the former POTUS for his remarks.

JB said, "At his rally, he jokes about an intruder whipped up by the big Trump lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi's skull and echoing the very same words used on January 6 -- "Where's Nancy?" -- and he thinks that's funny. He laughed about it. What a sick--."

POTUS never finished that statement ... instead the audience laughed and Biden added he thought DT was "despicable" -- pretty clear he wanted to use a more graphic term though.

If you're wondering if the Trump campaign's concerned about Biden's words at all ... it's pretty obvious they're not. Chris LaCivita, a top campaign adviser, told Politico it's abhorrent he'd use such words to describe his predecessor -- though it's "no surprise he disrespects the 45th president the same way he disrespects the American people with his failed policies."

Bottom line ... these fellas don't like each other, and they're not afraid to show it.

Joe also reportedly gets triggered by Don's statements all the time ... with Politico saying he'd expressed distaste for Trump after comments he made about Charlottesville, Vladimir Putin and veterans.

Tech expert Brian Heater isn't buying the notion a new virtual reality headset will further isolate people from human interactions ... at least not in the short term.

Brian, an editor at TechCrunch, joined us on "TMZ Live" and gave us the lowdown on the latest offering from Apple ... the Apple Vision Pro.

As Brian explains, the fancy new device blends virtual reality with augmented reality ... presenting some really cool features, and the potential to take an already isolated society and further remove us from real life.

But, Brian's not ready to declare the Apple Vision Pro a danger to society just yet ... not while the headset comes with a $3,500 price tag.

Plus, Brian says we're already interacting through screens on Zoom calls and FaceTime ... so it's not a huge shift here with what basically amounts to a smartphone on steroids.

The real societal changes, Brian says, will be felt further in the future ... when the Apple Vision Pro and similar gadgets become more affordable and accessible to the masses.

Jason Kelce threw on his best Mickey Mouse T-shirt and had a Disney day with the fam on Friday -- and by the looks of things, the NFL star very much enjoyed his trip to Walt's World.

In Orlando this weekend for the 2024 Pro Bowl games, Kelce, his wife and his kids got away from the gridiron for a bit and made the trek over to Disney World ... and according to a bunch of people at the park, the Philadelphia Eagles center was lovin' the most magical place on Earth.

One witness tells TMZ Sports, Kelce was first spotted at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ... and plenty of people stopped what they were doing to snap pics of Travis Kelce's brother as he made his way around.

Later, others saw him helping his kids take a jaunt on the ultra-popular Mad Tea Party tea cup ride.

Of course, Jason's got a few more days of relaxation before it'll get a bit more stressful for him ... after all, his little brother is playing against the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, and he'll have to be on his best behavior in the stands as he'll almost certainly have a seat yet again next to Taylor Swift if she can make it to the Big Game.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari could be on the verge of settling their divorce, 'cause Sam just filed some information that usually signals ... the end is near.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sam's legal team turned over his financials to Britney's attorneys, including the declaration of income and expenses among the required paperwork, as well as a list of assets and separate and community properties.

It looks like he's just ready to say goodbye to this chapter once and for all -- 6 months after filing for divorce from the singer in August. Filing financial disclosures is often the last step taken in a divorce that suggests all parties are coming to an agreement.

As we reported, Sam cited "irreconcilable differences" for their split -- 14 months after tying the knot at her Thousand Oaks home. They'd been together as a couple for much longer than that, of course.

On her end, Brit reflected on the failed marriage on IG in December ... saying they'd endured many ups and downs and that it was strange being single again.

But, it doesn't seem like Sam's on Brit's mind too much recently ... she's been having a bit of a back-and-forth spat with her ex, Justin Timberlake. She hasn't uttered Sam's name in a while.

Darius Rucker allegedly had multiple substances when cops say they busted him for drug possession in Tennessee ... TMZ has learned.

As it turns out that stop happened almost a year ago, but Darius just turned himself in to cops on Thursday.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ ... Franklin police officers say they pulled the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman over -- on Feb. 19, 2023 -- because they noticed the tags on his cars appeared to be expired, a fact they say they confirmed with their in-car computer.

Officers claim they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, then asked Rucker about whether he'd smoked that evening to which they say he promptly replied "no" -- though he allegedly said he may have smoked in it the day prior.

The cops searched the car and say they discovered what they suspected was a THC pen along with 14 unmarked purple pills -- items police allege Rucker said were given to him by his GF, Summer.

One of the officers then says he informed DR he'd pat him down ... and Darius then allegedly handed him a small marijuana blunt from his pocket before the search got underway.

The police claim they later tested the 14 pills and identified them as psilocin ... a schedule I controlled substance similar to psilocybin or magic mushrooms.

Officers released him from the scene without charges, pending identification of those pills. According to the docs, a warrant was issued for his arrest in December 2023.

We broke the story ... Darius was arrested Thursday on 3 misdemeanor charges -- 2 for possession and one for driving with an expired registration. The whole booking took about an hour, and Darius was released after paying $10,000 bail.

Issa Rae has a bone to pick with Hollywood execs ... accusing them of copping out of their promises to increase diversity onscreen ... and continuing to live in the Stone Age.

The "Insecure" creator/actress lays out her thoughts about the current state of the entertainment industry to TIME ... saying she hasn't seen Hollywood so scared, clueless and at the mercy of Wall Street, and stating there are no more smart execs around anymore.

Issa's firm on her stance ... saying that many have aged out, holding onto their position with iron-clad claws and refusing to let young blood in to get that much-needed representation on the big screen. In other words, a bunch of old heads are still calling the shots -- and Issa seems to think they're screwing the pooch 'cause they're out of touch.

A main point she's trying to make is that conglomerate leaders should stay in their lane, focusing on the business side of things rather than making big creative decisions they know nothing about.

One such example -- Issa says these execs haven't caught onto the fact that social media has changed the way we consume entertainment ... saying the only people taking risks are on platforms like TikTok, adding, "That's what's getting the eyeballs of the youth. So you're killing your own industry."

Though, the "Barbie" star ain't blind to the harsh realities of keeping up with the evolving industry herself ... she's had her reality series, "Sweet Life: Los Angeles," canceled, and she also had to lay off 8 staff members amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.

But, she's staying true to her brand identity and will continue fighting to have diverse stories told on the big screen.

February's highly anticipated heavyweight clash between champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is OFF ... after The Gypsy King suffered a deep cut above his eye, forcing him to pull out of the fight.

"I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed," Fury said.

Tyson continued, even saying sorry to Oleksandr and his people.

"I can only apologize to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

It's especially a bummer for Fury 'cause he'd been training so hard for the fight ... and had his body looking better than it has in years. In fact, he's noticeably leaner now than when he fought Francis Ngannou in October 2023.

If you're a boxing fan, there's a good chance you were pumped for the upcoming bout, originally scheduled to go down on February 17 in Saudi Arabia ... until this morning's sparring sesh.

The deep cut is very close to where Fury was split open while fighting Otto Wallin in 2019 ... nearly forcing that fight to be stopped. It's unclear if that played a part in today's cut ... as scar tissue can make a fighter more apt to sustaining cuts.

A rep for Fury said the eye required immediate medical attention, including stitches, to close up the wound.

It's unclear how long Tyson will need to heal up ... but several reports indicate Usyk may not want to wait, and will instead seek out another opponent to step in on short notice.