Music

James Corden is saying goodbye to "The Late Late Show" in 2023 ... quite the shock since the show has been hugely popular for CBS.

James said the departure has been on his mind for a while, according to Deadline. He always thought he'd do the show for 5 years and then pass the torch to someone else, but he just kept cranking. When he pulls the plug, he'll have hosted for nearly 9 years.

The show has actually been more successful on YouTube than on the network. His 'Carpool Karaoke' with Adele racked up more than 250 million views. The romp with One Direction scored 189 million views. The show's YouTube page has more than 10 BILLION views with 27 million subscribers.

CBS honchos didn't let James go without a fight. They were gunning for a 3-year extension on his contract, but Corden agreed to only one year.

JC says there are things he'd like to accomplish post-exit, like writing. He also gives thanks to his crew for being some of the most talented people he's ever met.

CBS President and CEO, George Cheeks, is singing Corden's praises, saying he took TV by storm ... and his unique segments like 'Carpool Karaoke' and 'Crosswalk the Musical' reimagined what the late-night format could bring to a modern audience.

Fresh off saving the day for Coachella by filling its headliner vacancy when Ye dropped out, The Weeknd is cashing in with his longtime label.

Universal Music Group (UMG) announced Thursday ... Abel and his XO imprint entered a long-term deal that will allow him to remain the big market fixture and globally renowned star he is today.

The label went BIG to show its love for The Weeknd -- "Most powerful man in music," Sir Lucian Grainge, XO founder, Wassim 'SAL' Slaiby, Republic Records Chairman, Monte Lipman, and Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman, Jody Gerson, all gathered to give the singer props.

He enters the new deal as popular as advertised: His 2020 single "Blinding Lights" is the record-holder for the longest-running song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at 90 weeks, his latest album "Dawn FM" set another record for most debut songs on the chart with 24, and he's sold over 75 million albums.

Sharon Osbourne is just 3 days into her new TV show, but a family health emergency has forced her to put things on hold ... Ozzy has COVID-19.

In a tearful interview with Talk TV -- the new network Sharon's joined -- she says Ozzy was only recently diagnosed, but she's "very worried" about him. Saying she'll fly back to L.A. to help him recover and "hold him and kiss him with about 3 masks on."

You can tell Osbourne is not only feeling for her husband, but also disappointed she'll need to pump the brakes on her new show. It's only the first week of her new UK show called "The Talk."

Sharon says it's the first time her 73-year-old husband has gotten COVID, so obviously, the timing is tough, but she's optimistic, saying, "It'll take me a week to get my old man back on his feet again, and I will be back in a week."

Ozzy's also been battling Parkinson's Disease ... and Sharon recently revealed he's got another surgery on the horizon.

It was last month when it was revealed Sharon would be joining friend Piers Morgan on the newly founded Talk TV.

Tekashi 6ix9ine learned the hard way he's still got a ton of enemies, taking a punch to the back of the head as he exited a nightclub with his crew.

We've obtained video from inside Pilo's Tacos Tequila Garden in Miami at about 2 AM where you can see security clear the way for Tekashi and his team. Apparently -- one club-goer wasn't a fan of Tekashi's music, snitching, or maybe even his hairstyle -- and decided to throw a punch as the rapper walked by.

It looks like the blow landed, hitting Tekashi in the back of the head, and the dude who threw the punch takes off.

As for why he was in the club, Tekashi made an appearance and performed one song from behind the DJ booth, so it appears he's trying to test the waters on how he might be received by the average joe ... apparently one guy wasn't feeling it.

Tekashi, for what it's worth, seemed unfazed by the attack and was allegedly signing autographs afterward outside the club.

Tekashi was released from home confinement in connection to his Nine Trey Gangsters trial in August of 2020. The rapper worked with law enforcement to provide information on the wrong-doings of the gang and its members, cutting himself a significant deal.

While he's released music since ... Tekashi has maintained a relatively low profile, but has recently popped up on social media.

Kanye West appeared for the first time on "The Kardashians" and he came off as the hero, as Kim Kardashian sobbed after he retrieved the hard drive containing her full sex tape video.

It's a fascinating encounter ... Kim and Kanye were going through their divorce at the time, but he seemed like family as he first interacted with a very grateful Kris Jenner before watching Kim unzip the suitcase that contained the hard drive.

Ye flew from New York to L.A. to meet Ray J at the airport, and that's when Ray presented Ye with presumably all the raw video.

As you know, there were stories floating around that another sex tape was in the offing ... something that alarmed Kim enough to sick her lawyer on whoever was about to release it.

Turns out the hard drive was proof positive, no other footage exists ... therefore, no new sex tape.

The interaction between Kanye and Kim is interesting ... they seem to have a real connection ... something that later evaporated as Kanye went in hard on Kim's new BF, Pete Davidson.

T-Pain says Travis Scott is right to get back to doing what he does best ... and his first headline spot at the Primavera Sound festival is definitely the place to rebrand his career.

We got T-Pain Wednesday at LAX ... and he thinks Travis needed a venue like Primavera to prove himself.

He makes an interesting point ... a time-out for the sake of it isn't particularly useful. As he says, plenty of folks get locked up and when they're released they commit the same crime again.

T-Pain's got no doubt Travis will be taking steps to keep the crowd safe.

The crowd will be a lot bigger than Astroworld -- upwards of 200,000 people have attended the South American festival in the past, while Houston officials estimated 50K went to Travis' fatal concert in November.

Our sources say this gig is just one of many TS has on the horizon and he'll be announcing 3 U.S. festival performances soon.

The search at A$AP Rocky's home turned up guns, multiple guns, but what's unclear ... did cops seize the gun that was used to shoot a man during an argument in Hollywood?

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives will run ballistic tests on the weapons ... to determine if Rocky was the triggerman.

We're also told cops will run background on the firearms to determine where they came from, who bought them, or if they'd been reported stolen.

As we reported, Rocky was arrested at a private LAX terminal last week when he and Rihanna returned from Barbados. Rocky was booked for assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the shooting in November in which cops say Rocky and an accomplice got into an argument in Hollywood that escalated to gunfire -- the alleged victim's hand was grazed.

TMZ broke the story ... Rocky and his legal team say they were shocked by the arrest and his alleged ties to the shooting. Rather than coordinate a voluntary surrender, cops simply nabbed him off the jet. Police say they needed the element of surprise so as not to tip A$AP off they would search his house for the weapon.

If one of the guns seized at Rocky's home turns out to be the weapon in question ... it could cement the case for prosecutors, who have yet to charge Rocky.

Donny Davis died from alcohol and fentanyl intoxication ... TMZ has learned.

The Clark County Coroner has revealed his cause of death ... after getting autopsy results back for the longtime Vegas impersonator.

As we reported ... Donny tragically died in February in Vegas, where he was found in his hotel room bed ... after partying at a nearby hotel-casino, just hours before.

The beloved impersonator was well-known in Hollywood. He performed with Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey and Chelsea Handler ... just to name a few.

He became a regular on "Chelsea Lately" -- sometimes filling in for her go-to little person sidekick, Chuy Bravo. And, he was pals with Britney Spears for years. He was even hired as a dancer for Brit's Vegas residency show when it kicked off, back in 2013.

Donny did lots of private gigs for big stars like Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham and Charlize Theron. But, his face also became familiar on the big screen ... appearing in 2017's "It's Gawd!" after being in "Pain and Gain."

Post Malone has the perfect way to celebrate the 4-year anniversary of his breakout "Beerbongs & Bentleys" album -- announce a NEW friggin' album!!!

On Wednesday, Posty let loose the official release date of June 3 for his upcoming "Twelve Carat Toothache" album.

The project's loaded with star power from the likes of The Weeknd, Doja Cat, The Kid LAROI, Roddy Ricch and Robin Pecknold ... which explains why he's been more than happy to share updates online with fans.

Just so fans know he's serious about the date, Post also revealed he launched a custom website for the record ... complete with colorful cover art.

"Twelve Carat Toothache" has some big shoes to fill ... coming off the 3x platinum "Hollywood's Bleeding," and the aforementioned 5x plat "Beerbongs & Bentleys."

Drake's doing his homie a solid -- French Montana's got a new track with Kodak Black, and Drake's blowing up the Coke Boy's comment section ... letting the world know it's got massive hit record potential.

French unleashed his Kodak-featuring "Mopstick" music vid last night and the Instagram teaser alone got Drake and several other rappers like Russ, Bandman Kevo and AB swimming in flame emojis.

Meanwhile, Drake's comment makes it clear he's hella jealous of the track.

The wild, Rook-directed visual features the 2 superstar rappers hanging with models wielding machetes ... and French is packing hardware too.

The song originally appeared on French's November 2021 album "They Got Amnesia" and given the euphoria around the music video, the title appears to be on the money.

This season of "The Masked Singer" has been plagued with security issues ... and with the season finale approaching, the team is doing everything it can to keep a lid on the show's best-kept secrets.

Our sources say fans and paparazzi have been outside the studio, trying to snap pics through cracks in the fence -- some have even climbed on top of cars to get shots over the barricade.

We're told the studio has seen an increased swarm of people at the entry gate, and it's creating headaches for producers as they try to deal with everyone trying to sneak a peek.

To avoid leaks, the set designers stepped up in a big way ... they worked closely with the 'MS' security team and used set pieces from past performances to build a makeshift barricade outside the studio!

Sounds like lugging giant sets outside and repurposing them as a blockade was an exhausting ordeal, but ended up being worth the effort. Producers were worried that one open sliver would give photogs the shots they were after ... but luckily no pics made it to the light of day.

Chris Brown and Drake's mega-hit "No Guidance" is under legal fire from a pair of songwriters who claim that track ripped off one of their recordings, but they've cut Drake a break ... dropping him from the case.

Songwriters Brandon Cooper and Timothy Valentine voluntarily dismissed Drake from their lawsuit, leaving Breezy and Sony Music Entertainment as the remaining defendants ... according to Billboard.

'Guidance' is actually a Chris track -- featuring Drake -- from the 2019 album "Indigo."

TMZ broke the story ... Cooper and Valentine filed the original lawsuit in October 2021, claiming they had a meeting with a Cash Money A&R and insisting the hit song was lifted from another track called "I Love Your Dress."

Travis Scott is officially hitting the big stage once again ... headlining his first music festival since the Astroworld tragedy where he will perform in front of more than 100,000 people.

The Primavera Sound festival will span across Brazil, Chile and Argentina and will feature names like Travis, Lorde, Arctic Monkeys and Jack White. It's the festival's first time in South America -- in the past, it's been held in Barcelona -- and upwards of 200,000 people have attended.

Travis will hit the stage in November and will play 3 shows total, in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile. Our sources say the festival is just one of many TS has on the horizon for this summer and will be announcing 3 U.S. festival performances soon.

As we've reported, Travis has hit a couple private parties in the last couple months, performing behind a DJ booth ... he's also set to host a club show in Miami in May.

Of course, those gigs will pale in comparison to the Primavera Sound show -- a massive festival -- even bigger than his Astroworld crowd.

DaBaby's legal team says folks are wrong for jumping to conclusions over a recently surfaced video of the rapper shooting and killing a man at a Walmart ... they say it actually supports the rapper's defense.

Here's the deal ... Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday from the 2018 fatal shooting in North Carolina, and the article appeared to question DaBaby's self-defense narrative.

DaBaby's lawyers, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, tell TMZ ... the video was reviewed by prosecutors back in 2018  ... and they concluded DaBaby acted in self-defense and therefore was not prosecuted for homicide.

We're told the video was even viewed by a Mecklenburg County judge in connection with a misdemeanor charge for not having the proper permits for his gun.

As for the self-defense part, DaBaby told cops the victim and another accomplice were following him around the Walmart store, and allegedly threatened him and flashed a gun ... causing him to feel the need to protect himself.

Lizzo put on a show Tuesday night, celebrating her 34th birthday with her boyfriend, and she was in the mood to clown her fans and paparazzi.

The "Rumors" singer hit up Craig's in WeHo and left on a party bus with friends. She was all smiles as she walked hand-in-hand with her man.

She's hilarious as she gets on the bus, first talking seriously about what she wants for her birthday, and then cracking an off-color joke ... well, maybe it's not a joke!!!

ICYMI, during an interview with Andy Cohen, she confirmed last week she was off the market.

Lizzo has yet to ID her boyfriend ... but the Shade Room says it's Myke Wright, an actor. She's making it clear they are very much together.

This is not a super new relationship ... Lizzo and Myke were spotted back in February ... enjoying a dinner for Valentine's Day together.

Her birthday is April 27, so she got a jump on the festivities. BTW ... she's gearing up to release her 4th studio album on July 15.

Travis Scott is going from dipping his toe in the performance pool to getting in waist deep -- the guy's first public show is booked ... and it's going down in Miami next month.

The rapper is scheduled to host on Saturday, May 7 at hotspot E11EVEN -- where he appears to be the headlining act for Race Week. There's a Formula 1 Grand Prix that'll be going down around the same time ... so it's gonna be popping in and around the city.

According to promotional flyers and E11EVEN's own website ... tickets are on sale now at a price point of $150 to $250, depending on whether you're a man or woman. Ladies get in cheaper, obviously. Page Six was first to notice the event. We have been told that it's almost sold out ... and demand is sky-high.

VIP tables are also available for reservation as well ... and those can go for a pretty penny, reportedly upwards of $100k depending on what's happening. Considering this will be Travis' first foray, musically, before a large crowd ... ya gotta imagine the cost will be higher.

This certainly isn't the first time TS has grabbed a mic since the Astroworld Fest tragedy in November, when 10 people died. He's been dabbling in smaller performances in the months thereafter -- including a limited set at a pre-Oscars party, ditto for a Coachella afterparty.

At both events, there seemed to be some enthusiasm around his presence ... but time will tell if a club like E11EVEN can muster a large crowd. The jury's sorta out on how people feel about him these days.

At first, there was a lot of anger directed at him ... as some felt he continued the show despite seemingly obvious signs folks were in distress -- but in the wake of all that, there's been different evidence suggesting he may have, in fact, been in the dark on the severity.

Still, he's in the middle of several lawsuits that have named him as a defendant ... and that'll take years to work through the court system. In the meantime, he's making a comeback -- or trying to, anyway.