Music

Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid let the cat out of the bag that they're dating by snuggling at a UK festival show -- but we've learned before they cozied up to music, they played their own music.

Sources connected to the couple tell TMZ ... Anwar and Dua are, in fact, dating, and things started with a mutual appreciation of their respective musical talents. We're told Anwar had relayed he was a fan of Dua -- a friend of his sister, Gigi -- and she was actually a fan of his too.

Dua is a huge pop star, and as it turns out ... Anwar dabbles in his own tunes as well. Our sources say Dua peeped his new album, "Bleach," this year and told him she dug it.

Well, we're told things really started to snowball around early June when Anwar caught wind that Dua had broken up with her BF, and reached out to her for a date. Our sources say the 2 went out, had a good time and liked each other enough to run it back.  

After that, we're told Anwar invited Dua to his 20th birthday party around mid-June -- where eyewitnesses tell us it was obvious to everyone that something was going on between them, as they looked very much so like a romantic pair.

We're also told Dua spent several days in L.A. before flying back to London, where she lives.

Fast-forward to this past weekend in London, and we saw what we're told was a foregone conclusion ... Anwar and Dua kissing in public at the British Summer Time Hyde Park music fest.

Our sources tell us prior to linking up with Dua in the U.K., he was in France for the Maison Valentino Fashion Show ... but then immediately flew to England to be with Dua. 

So far, it's looking like a long-distance relationship -- but we're told Dua and Anwar are committed to making it work ... for now, anyway. 

G-Eazy's hoping for a little less conversation and a lot more action ... leading to him landing the role of Elvis Presley in an upcoming movie about the music icon.

The rapper's not among the reported top names up for consideration to play The King in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic, but sources close to the project tell TMZ ... he's making a strong push to join them.

We're told G-Eazy's been in talks with people at Warner Bros. and even had a few meetings, including with the director ... making it clear he's throwing his hat in the ring.

Our sources say G and Baz spent some time in NYC last month, and Eazy made his pitch to show Luhrmann how serious he was about portraying Presley.

He's not been shy about his desire to nab the role of the rock 'n' roll god either -- he shared these Elvis-esque shots of himself a couple weeks back with the caption, "Don't be cruel, to a heart that's true." All he's missing are some blue suede shoes.

So far, Baz hasn't revealed who he's leaning toward casting for the part, but 5 big names -- Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harry Styles and Austin Butler -- have tested for it.

G-Eazy's clearly hoping to shake things up and land the gig as his big foray to acting, but Hollywood's tough ... and it's possible he might end up at the Heartbreak Hotel -- sorry.

BTW -- Tom Hanks is already set to play Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in the film.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello are either really, really, REALLY good friends who hold hands and embrace each other in public -- or they're freakin' dating ... maybe.

The two pop stars -- who recently collabed for their new single, "Señorita" -- were spotted Sunday leaving brunch together in WeHo hand in hand, and in lockstep with one another. They were both beaming, and sure looked like boyfriend/girlfriend.

The dating rumors have been swirling for almost two weeks now -- ever since they put out their duet ... they've been seemingly inseparable, especially through the long 4th of July weekend. SM and CC were reportedly holding hands and cozying up on the holiday itself, and Camila even crashed Shawn's concert on Friday, giving him affectionate praise.

On Instagram, she wrote ... "@shawnmendes you couldn't be more amazing. wow" 

As for whether this is actually a thing or not, the two singers have been pretty tight-lipped. Camila hasn't publicly indicated a relationship one way or another, but Shawn does appear to have denied it himself. Someone asked him flat-out during a Q&A, and he shook his head "no."

Michael Blackson's got a pretty flip response to a black music and art festival charging white people twice as much to attend -- he says this is how it should be for everything.

The comedian's just joking, of course, when we got him leaving Penthouse Nightclub in WeHo Sunday night, but his roast of Detroit's AfroFuture Fest didn't stop there. He tells us it's obviously not right for the festival to make ticket prices higher for white people, but he uses another word for white people -- the "C" word. But, not THAT one. Watch.

In case you missed it ... Blackson's making light of a situation many people didn't find funny at all over the weekend -- the fest hosted by AfroFuture Youth was offering an early bird ticket price of $10 for people of color, but $20 for "NONPOC."

It was met with serious backlash, and rapper Tiny Jag pulled out of the music festival saying the race-based ticket pricing does not reflect her views.

AfroFuture has since decided to make ticket prices equal, claiming it was "For the safety of our community, family, elders who received threats from white supremacists, & youth who were subjected to seeing racist comments on our IG pg."

Faith Evans and Stevie J are presenting a united front against all the buzz there's trouble in their marriage -- but the jury's still out based on palpable tension between them in New Orleans.

Faith and Stevie were leaving the Essence Festival Sunday when our guy asked 'em if there's really trouble in paradise ... as they approach their 1-year anniversary.

Rumors their marriage hit the rocks started swirling after the couple unfollowed each other on Instagram. Faith has since followed him back but Stevie hasn't. Adding fuel to the fire ... Stevie's cryptic string of tweets, from "Drunk people always speak their truth," and "Ones insecurities can damage them" to "All that glitters ain't gold" and "Cherish what you love just know nothing will last forever."

For what it's worth ... Faith's Instagram profile pic features the couple and Stevie's been posting videos and pics with her and praising her talent.

But, watch the video -- Stevie tries his best to show they're solid, and Faith coyly says don't believe what you hear. 

Justin Bieber is stoking the battle flames again by nominating Tom Cruise after doing the bottle cap challenge and saying the cap could be Tom's dome, if he wants to join the party.

JB threw up a video Sunday, showing himself doing the now-famous viral challenge that tons of celebs have taken part in. He tells the cameraman, "This could be Tom Cruise's head," and then does a spinning kick to fully unscrew the cap and send it flying.

In his caption, Bieber wrote ... "I nominate Tom cruise and Hailey Bieber." Besides the fact that we're likely to see Hailey's version of the challenge, it's obvious that the Biebs actually DOES want to fight ol' Tommy ... despite telling paps that he was just messing around when he sent out that bizarre tweet. 

Bieber even said at the time that TC would probably whoop his ass in a real fight, but based on what we're seeing here ... we're not so sure. Bieber's got some karate moves in the shed, it seems.

There's one person we know who would be happy to make it happen ... Dana White. He's already told us it would be the biggest purse in UFC history and could possibly go down. There's even been rumblings that Tom might actually be interested in getting in the Octagon. 

Fact is though, he hasn't uttered a peep about it ... so who the hell knows. In the meantime, put this bottle cap challenge up there with the best of 'em.  

Kodak Black has a new photo straight from the pen -- and it's not even an updated mug ... just a cheesin' KB letting us know he's hanging in there.   

The Florida rapper had someone post a fresh pic of himself Sunday from behind bars, and you can see he pretty much looks exactly the same as when he went in. Maybe longer hair, hard to tell though. He also seems to be in good spirits ... on the surface, anyway.

We only say that because Kodak added a somewhat ominous caption to his IG post -- which someone must've thrown up on his behalf while visiting. He writes, "The Streets Thin Na Cuz Everybody Gettin Hung .. Lawyers Sittin Back Suckin All A Ni*** Funds."

Unless he's griping about tax dollars that are going to the state of Florida in prosecuting his case -- hey, he might be -- it sounds an awful lot like Kodak's not happy with his defense team.

He might have a reason to be peeved -- a lot of stuff has NOT been going his way since he got arrested in May for allegedly making false statements on gun applications. He asked a judge, through his attorneys, to let him out on bail so he can deal with his other legal sitch down in South Carolina, but the court ruled in the prosecution's favor, saying he's a risk. 

The feds have also linked guns Kodak allegedly purchased with those false applications to a shooting that happened in March. His lawyers have called BS, but it looks like the case is moving forward as it stands ... which will presumably get resolved during his trial in September. 

Vanilla Ice walked into Zak Bagans' famed Haunted Museum a total skeptic ... and he walked out a believer after a bone-chilling encounter with a ghost!!!

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... Vanilla Ice hit up his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas last month, and FREAKED OUT when something blew on his neck! The spooky sensation went down inside a room containing 2 real human skeletons.

Check out the video of Vanilla's first experience with paranormal activity ... you see him sitting on a chair in the Odd Fellows room when he suddenly jumps out of his seat! Vanilla is clearly alarmed, so it's no wonder he told Zak he's never going back in that room.

The Odd Fellows room houses 2 skeletons in their original coffins, which were once used in very old, very bizarre Odd Fellows rituals. Their identities are unknown, but Zak says the remains were part of initiation rituals bringing recruits face-to-face with their own mortality. Scary stuff, for sure.

Stevie Wonder says he's putting a pause on touring to undergo surgery for a kidney transplant -- this amid rumors that he's now on dialysis. 

The legendary singer broke the news Saturday in England during his set at the British Summer Time Hyde Park music festival, explaining that he'd be doing three more shows before going on a hiatus to get the procedure done in September. 

Stevie says he's already found a donor, and assured the crowd ... "I'm all good, I'm all good, I'm all good."

People seemed shocked at first, but then erupted in applause after realizing that he was taking care of his health and would presumably be all right. He told them he came out to share his love, and wanted to get ahead of the rumor mill by announcing it himself. 

Prior to Saturday, word of Stevie's decreasing health was swirling ... as sources close to the singer told the Detroit Free Press that he was battling a "serious but manageable" health issue, and was taking steps to address it. The sources even said he's been traveling with a medical team of late.

A radio personality out of Philly claimed last month that he was suffering from kidney failure, and had already begun dialysis ... but that part hasn't been confirmed.

Cardi B wigged out during her concert in London, and she's now issued a plea for the safe return of her faux hair!!!

Cardi was amazing on Friday headlining the first night of London's Wireless Festival, and she got so amped during her performance she ripped her wig off her head and hurled it into the crowd.

Cardi continued, wearing only a wig cap.

Thing is ... she's having some regrets, and wants it back. She tweeted her plea, but the jury is out on whether the fan who caught the flying hair will return it, keep it, or cash in on e-Bay.  

So far ... radio silence. Judging from social media, the sentiment is that Cardi needs to go wig shopping before her next concert. 

We don't see Kesha out much these days, so this caught our eye.

Kesha was walking through LAX Friday with boyfriend Brad Ashenfelter, and as you see ... the platinum blonde is gone ... she's gone brunette.

She performed last week at LoveLoud in Utah ... a festival benefiting LGBTQ+ charities. She said at the time, "We need to make sure that all LGBTQ+ people feel accepted and supported and that families have the support they need."

She went on ... "It's important to try to keep families together and having positive open-minded conversations, and, for me, to be a part of something that can continue building the bridge to create a safe space for everyone sounds like a beautiful opportunity.  A place that supports all people and all love."

Common can't say enough about tennis phenom Coco Gauff, who he says is inspiring the world.

We got Common at Studio Be Gallery in New Orleans Friday and he went on and on about the 15-year-old, who just advanced to the 4th round at Wimbledon after beating Polona Hercog.

Common says he's blown away by Coco's passion and determination ... adding she's become an inspiration for young people.

It's pretty touching ... he says Coco looked to her heroes -- Venus and Serena -- and is now on the road to achieving their greatness.

Laverne Cox is super impressed Lil Nas X has come out, and she says other closeted gay hip-hop stars should take his cue. 

We got Laverne and actress Angelica Ross in WeHo Friday night leaving Delilah, and at first Laverne seems a little confused ... whether Lil Nas X came out or just insinuated he was gay. Angelica explained and Laverne then launched into how awesome LNX has handled it.  

She also made it clear ... there are closeted hip-hop stars who are afraid to own their truth. She hopes they find the strength to follow in the footsteps of Lil Nas X, but only when they're ready.

Tom Hanks doesn't play the bad guy in movies, and the wife of "Colonel Tom" Parker hopes it stays that way in the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

Loanne Parker tells TMZ ... Hanks is the perfect actor to play her late husband -- who was Elvis' longtime manager and helped him rise to superstardom -- in the Baz Luhrmann film, and she trusts him to portray the Colonel fairly.

She says she'd like to talk to Tom about the relationship between the famed singer and manager, because she feels many have the wrong perception -- that Elvis was the hero and the Colonel was the villain.

If you aren't familiar ... Parker was criticized for being very controlling of Presley's life -- both professionally and personally -- and was accused of ripping him off by taking way more than his deserved cut. He also notoriously didn't allow Elvis to perform overseas, where he could have made a fortune ... allegedly because the Colonel wasn't in the U.S. legally and was fearful he would be deported if he traveled with Elvis.

Loanne says in reality, they were both heroes and had a trusting and fair partnership ... and her husband never took advantage of "The King" as has been reported in the past.

She even breaks down some aspects of the duo's business dealings as proof, but the gist of it is ... she has faith in Hanks' integrity and believes he'll do her husband right.

However, Loanne also made a point to tell us she owns the rights to the Colonel's name and likeness, and politely suggested if Luhrmann's Elvis movie doesn't get the narrative correct about her husband ... she might look into legal options.

Colin Kaepernick isn't just an athlete with a platform -- "he's the spokesperson for the black culture" ... so says rapper Trinidad James. 

After Kaepernick reached out to Nike with concerns about their Betsy Ross Flag shoe, Trinidad says the culture immediately got behind Colin because they trust him as a leader. 

Trinidad -- the guy behind the hit "All Gold Everything" -- essentially explains why he believes Kaepernick's activism comes from a good place ... and that's why so many people are on board with his movement. 

As we previously reported, Nike felt Kap had a point with his objection to the Betsy Ross shoe (he claimed the 13-star flag has been co-opted by white nationalist groups) and pulled the kicks from stores. 

Several politicians have now gotten involved -- with people like Ted Cruz calling for a Nike boycott.

YG says he had absolutely nothing to do with a high-speed chase through the streets of Los Angeles involving an SUV registered in his name ... an incident that started with a deadly police shootout.

The Compton rapper tells TMZ ... "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the Fourth of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

Our sources say YG is the registered owner of the black Cadillac Escalade that was involved in Wednesday night's pursuit, which began with a deputy-involved shooting in Compton. The SUV had aftermarket bulletproof glass and armor. We're told the Escalade is a company car, and YG did not know the car was being used at the time.

Police say they were initially called to apprehend a reckless DUI suspect, but detectives then responded to a deputy-involved shooting after an innocent bystander was caught in the crossfire and shot dead at the scene.

Following the deadly shootout, a high-speed chase ensued and the pursuit finally came to an end in Inglewood. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says more shots were fired during the chase, with suspects shooting at deputies and a Sheriff's helicopter, which was not struck by bullets. 

Police say one deputy was shot during the pursuit and suffered minor injuries from a gunshot wound, and he was treated and released. According to multiple reports, a patrol car's windshield was peppered with bullets. 

At least one person was detained, and another suspect remains outstanding.