Music

Here's how The Kid LAROI knows he's really made it in the biz -- dude has enough clout now to get The Wiggles on stage with him in Australia to rock out for the flashback of a lifetime.

The "Stay" singer performed Sunday night in Melbourne, and invited some of his childhood icons to join him ... original Wiggles members Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt, and Greg Page walked out and played some of their classics.

Kid LAROI was going pretty hard during hits like "Big Red Car" and "Fruit Salad," and the crowd ate it up! Remember, TKL grew up down under, and was probably raised on Wiggles bangers ... and you can see his love for the music in their onstage collab.

The rapper had to postpone his Melbourne show last week after getting pretty sick ... he promised his fans he'd come back a week later and would make it up to them. Promise kept.

Sidenote for Wiggles faithful: it was great to see Greg Page performing again after his scary experience in 2020 -- the guy went into cardiac arrest during a show in Sydney.

Michael Jackson's children, Prince and Paris Jackson, honored him in a special way ... sharing kind words as they introduced a tribute performance of his Broadway musical at the Tony Awards.

The duo introduced a performance from "MJ the Musical" -- the Broadway show all about the making of Jackson's 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

Prince told the audience, "A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever,' before adding: 'And, who are we to disagree?"

"But, what people may not know is he loved musicals, on film and on the stage. That's why we are so incredibly honored to introduce the night's first nominee for best musical, 'MJ', which, using many of his iconic hits, looks at the complexities and brilliance of our father's process."

Paris added, it was a great honor to be on stage introducing the musical performance,  along with actor Myles Frost, who plays their dad ... and the rest of the cast. The show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

One of R. Kelly's many victims thinks the feds' recommendation of 25 years in prison is too low, and instead, he should spend the rest of his days behind bars.

Lizzette Martinez tells TMZ ... Kelly's more than earned a life sentence due to the fact he's hurt so many people over several decades.

She doesn't think his abuse will ever come to an end, because -- as federal prosecutors point out -- the guy's proven multiple times he's using his power to get what he wants, and he can't be given the chance to prey on women again.

Kitti Jones, another one of R. Kelly's victims, tells us she has no issue with the prosecutors' recommendation, however ... no amount of time will give her, and others, back their time or remove their trauma.

Both women were featured in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries which sparked renewed prosecution, and ultimately, Kelly's downfall -- and they say they'll be present for his sentencing later this month.

As we reported, the U.S. Attorney's Office won a conviction against Kelly last September, and just filed its recommendation for his sentencing -- saying there's a laundry list of reasons to send him away for "in excess of 25 years."

Jennifer Hudson is in rare company today after winning a Tony award, she's joined some huge celebs who've won 4 major entertainment awards ... aka the EGOT.

The Jennifer-produced musical "A Strange Loop" took home the trophy for Best Musical during Sunday night's 75th Annual Tony Awards ... giving her the final piece of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony pie.

Jennifer had previously nabbed 2 Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Album in 2009 album and another in 2017 for Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple.

She won her Oscar in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress in "Dreamgirls" ... and a Daytime Emmy for producing the VR-animated film "Baby Yaga."

Jennifer is going down in history as the 17th person to get all 4 awards ... and she's the 3rd youngest ever to get it done, behind John Legend and composer Robert Lopez.

The former "American Idol" star's musical "A Strange Loop" follows a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer. Ya get the title now, right?

The meta-musical's been getting rave reviews since it launched off-Broadway in 2019.

ZZ Top's frontman Billy Gibbons was thrilled when he heard Dusty Hill's estate was going up for sale ... until he learned his family had nothing to do with it.

We got Billy at LAX, and he says he had some cool finds he was hoping to contribute to this weekend's estate sale, but was turned off once he found out there's a random person -- with deep pockets -- behind the event.

Billy tells us an anonymous buyer snatched up Dusty's house after he died last July ... and they went through the place, taking any cool memorabilia they could find and turning it into this weekend's big sale.

He finds the whole thing a major bummer ... he was excited to contribute his personal stuff to the estate of his comrade-in-awesome-beards -- hoping true ZZ Top fans would be interested -- but now he thinks folks should steer clear.

As for what's actually up for sale -- his guess is it's not exactly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame quality items.

Toby Keith says he has cancer, but the good news is that he's taking steps to mitigate its effects ... including every possible treatment in the book.

The legendary country star made the shocking announcement Sunday through a personal note on Twitter. He writes, "Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer."

He adds, "I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation, and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax. I am looking forward to spending this time with my family, but I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait."

Toby actually has a history of working for orgs that promote cancer awareness and aid for youths, so the fact he's now come down with the disease himself is incredibly sad.

The reason this comes off as so stunning to many is the fact that TK has been seemingly plugging along just fine in his music career of late, pumping out a new album and even performing live ... with regular social media posts, including ones that show in good spirits.

The guy recently announced he'd be playing a new concert later this year in November -- during Coachella Crossroads here in CA -- but it's unclear if that gig will proceed now.

Britney Spears' mom is weighing in on her daughter's wedding to Sam Asghari ... even though she didn't score an invitation to the affair.

Lynne Spears is obviously keeping a close eye on Britney's social media, as she left a comment on her Friday IG post about the "fairytale" ceremony. Lynne said, "You look radiant and so happy!"

TMZ broke the story ... when Brit and Sam decided to tie the knot last week at their Thousand Oaks, CA home, Britney's mother, father and sister, Jamie Lynn, were all left off the guest list.

Still, mama Spears gushed in her comment, "Your wedding is the 'Dream' wedding! And having it at your home makes it so sentimental and special!” Lynne added. "I am soooo happy for you! I love you!"

The only family member Britney invited was her brother Bryan, and although we saw him all dressed up with his date hours before the wedding ... he ended up no-showing.

As we've reported, Britney's been on the outs with her parents and sister since her battle to end the conservatorship heated up last year. The singer has threatened to sue all of them -- and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, is currently trying to get Jamie Spears to sit for a deposition.

With that backdrop, it seems unlikely Britney would be thrilled about her mother's reaction to her wedding. If you're a glass half full person, though, it could be seen as an olive branch.

There's a rare piece of Johnny Depp movie history hitting the auction block ... and the timing couldn't be better for the motorcycle he used in "Cry-Baby" to pull in 6-figures.

The bike is sick ... it's a 1955 Harley Davidson Model K ... and it's the same one used on-screen in Johnny's 1990 cult classic film.

The Harley is going up for sale through Kruse GWS Auctions and the opening bid is being set at $250,000 ... with potential buyers needing to bid in $25,000 increments if they want to win Johnny's movie ride.

If that sounds kinda steep, keep in mind the immense popularity wave Johnny's riding since winning the defamation case over Amber Heard. Fact is, all things Depp-related are commodities nowadays.

The auction house says the Harley was the "picture bike" used throughout filming in principal photography ... both on location in Maryland and also in Hollywood.

The bike's changed hands over the years, and is currently on display in a museum in Branson, Missouri following years of displays in different exhibits across the country.

Also included in the auction is Janis Joplin's mandolin, which she once gifted to Jimi Hendrix.

The instrument is hand-painted with flowers and phrases ... including "Love Thy Neighbor" and Jimi's name. The auction house says the mandolin's been in a private collection for 20 years and is on the market for the first time. They estimate that it will go for $250k.

Sam Asghari's ex-GF thinks Britney Spears landed herself Mr. Perfect ... in addition to being a great husband, she's convinced he's primed for daddy duty in the near future.

Mayra Veronica tells us Sam's never been the type of guy to flirt around behind his girl's back ... and thinks he will be a hubby that supports Britney through and through.

She says she was dealing with issues similar to Britney when she was with Sam, and he was by her side through the entire ordeal.

The singer says her management team was extremely controlling back in 2015, warning her about Sam. She clearly didn't buy what they were selling, and stayed solidly in Sam's corner.

She also thinks he's the man for the job if they're thinking about having some kids ... she describes him as a pretty protective guy that'll be there for his fam. High praise.

We got Mayra in September, right as Britney and Sam got engaged ... she had nothing but good things to say about him, admitting he hit the jackpot.

She didn't mean $$$, and she also made it clear the jackpot thing goes both ways.

Teyana Taylor's looks over the years are super sweet!

Here's a 22-year-old version of the quadruple threat showing off her natural beauty while rockin' a white jumpsuit backstage while hanging at the BET studio in New York City back in 2012 (left). She was spotted alongside other music icons like Common, 2 Chainz, Pusha T and Big Sean!

And, nearly 10 years later ... the now 31-year-old rockin' momma recently stopped for cameras while showing that same star energy at an event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California (right).

Hold up, hold up, your love is definitely not fadin', Teyana Taylor!

The question is ...

It looks like Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor are about to be officially done with the West Coast ... 'cause TMZ has learned, they sold their L.A. area house.

Property records show they accepted an offer for their house back in April, and real estate sources tell TMZ ...  they'll be closing next week, unloading it for $4 million.

Whoever scooped up the Studio City pad is getting all the bells and whistles ... including a pool, movie theater and even a waterfall. Oh, and there's a custom dog house, just in case they're any kinda dog-lover.

The master bedroom also comes with a massive walk-in closet and a meditation balcony that overlooks the serene yard.

The place is a real beaut, but we're told Teyana and Iman decided to sell it because they're spending most of their time on the East Coast these days.

And, from the looks of it ... they've been toying with the idea for a while.

The couple actually bought the home back in 2018 for a little under $3 mil, listed it for rent and tried to sell it 2 years later. They ended up taking it off the market, before relisting back in April.

Jennifer Lopez was apparently not happy to share a stage with Shakira -- and now, their respective fan bases are having a debate ... who's the bigger superstar between the two?

The question was posed through a statement on Twitter, which has since taken off and gone viral -- with tons of people chiming in with their own takes. The OG opinion read, "Shakira was never bigger than J Lo EVER in her career 😂😂😂😂😂😂 and I love Shakira."

The reason this is being discussed is due to this new J Lo doc, 'Halftime,' which premiered at Tribeca ... where Jenny expresses serious sour grapes about her Super Bowl gig.

According to reports, the BTS film documents what went into the Halftime Show that both Jennifer and Shakira co-headlined in 2020 ... and Jen is quoted as saying, "This is the worst idea in the world to have two people do the Super Bowl ... worst idea in the world."

She's further described as having some flare-ups with Shakira herself -- who, during rehearsals, stressed the importance of weaving their songs into the performance, per NFL guidance ... to which Jennifer reportedly says, "If it was going to be a double-headliner, they should have given us 20 minutes. That's what they should've f***ing done."

Her manager, Benny Medina, hits the point home in the film -- saying, "It was an insult to think that you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done."

And that's where Saturday's convo picks up ... with LOTS of people arguing that Shakira is actually the real global icon that Jen and her team seems to think she is -- at least that's what users on the bird app appear to be suggesting with some pretty fiery memes.

If you hop into the "J Lo" trend right now ... you'll see people coming out in full defense of Shakira, pointing out the accolades and record sales (globally) she has over Jen.

Some are even saying that the Jen isn't even all that famous here in the States for her music, but more so ... her beauty, body and/or significant others. Which is ... interesting.

At any rate, there's a bit of backlash toward Jennifer's brutal honesty over how she felt about being paired up with Shakira ... some are seeing it as Jen coming off as a bit entitled, and sort of a diva (in a bad way). Meanwhile, others are giving Jen props for keeping it real.

Taylor Swift now fancies herself a filmmaker, which is why she's at Tribeca talking about her short film music video ... with a little help from the stars, and a lot of love from Swifties.

The pop star touched down in NYC Saturday to a lot of fanfare, where she was scheduled for an event amid the film festival in which she'd discuss her 10-minute visual offering of "All Too Well" ... with Dylan O'Brien and Sadie Sink in the lead roles.

TS wrote, directed and starred in the film (not to mention writing/performing the song) ... and Tribeca honchos apparently invited her to discuss it at length during her own window.

Well, that was a damn good idea ... at least based on how many people showed up to see Taylor with their own two eyes. When she pulled up the entrance, a sea of fans were screaming out and trying to snap photos. It might as well have been a Taylor Swift concert.

Once inside, TayTay got serious and started talking vision, direction and execution of her film. She got into the weeds about what different scenes meant, and how she decided to shoot them ... using very film-y terms like "pan," "steady cam" and "protagonist."

She sounds like a regular Scorsese ... and you can tell a lot of thought went into every shot and frame, with Taylor describing the reasons for everything she showed, or didn't.

Later, DOB and Sadie themselves came onstage to delve in even deeper -- and at one point, Dylan started breaking down the themes he intuited, to which Taylor totally agreed.

It's interesting seeing Taylor explore a new creative side to herself -- and considering how well her short was received ... something tells us we'll be seeing a lot more movie magic from her in the future. She's already been cast in a star-studded movie that's in production.

Elvis Presley is NOT coming through in Austin Butler's portrayal of the late legend -- so says TikTok anyway ... even though the King's own flesh and blood loves the performance.

The official "Elvis" page's TikTok account posted a clip from the film -- which is due out this month -- and it shows AB as Elvis talking to another character behind the Hollywood sign ... discussing how people wanted to take him down when he first splashed on the scene.

Apparently, the "Elvis" team was trying to get some sort of viral challenge going, but instead ... they received a lot of mockery -- specifically over how some perceive Austin's look/voice.

You can take a look at some of the comments yourself ... it's a tough crowd out there. Some say he simply doesn't pass as EP by the eye test, but just as many say his accent is off -- with some (jokingly?) arguing that a Vegas impersonator might've been a better fit.

Yeah, we know ... harsh criticism for sure. But, keep in mind, this is just one snippet of the movie -- and more importantly, Elvis' surviving relatives (including his widow, Priscilla Presley) have been singing Austin's praises these past few months ... saying he nailed it.

She recently said Austin knocked the role out of the park, ditto for their daughter Lisa Marie -- who said AB deserves an Oscar for this one. Even Riley Keough (Elvis' granddaughter) was heaping on kudos ... posting a BTS clip showing Austin singing Elvis tunes himself.

So, it's clear the Presley family has cosigned this flick ... and more importantly, Austin's turn as Ol' Snake Hips himself. And, at the end of the day, that's all that probably matters.

We actually got Austin out in L.A. not too long ago and asked what it meant to have the Presley family get behind the project as fervently as they have ... and while he wasn't as chatty with us as he was on the phone, he did end up saying it meant a great deal to him.

Saucy Santana is in the throes of a would-be cancelation via Twitter -- one he's fiercely pushing back on ... and it all has to do with old tweets about Beyonce and her kid.

The Florida rapper started responding to folks who were apparently dogging him and demanding he say sorry for messages he posted/reposted about Bey and Blue Ivy from 2014 and 2017 ... ones in which he appears to insult them over their looks.

One tweet that SS responded to reads, "I just wanna be Blue Ivy," to which he wrote ... "nappy headed or ... " Another reads, "Im sorry but North West CLEARS Blue ivy. Have several Carseats Blue" -- and to that, Santana replied, "Just said this yesterday."

Both of these tweets are from the fall of 2014 ... when Blue was about 2 1/2 years old. A few years later, he agreed that Bey looked "dry" during her pregnancy photo shoot.

So, why is all this resurfacing now??? A few things -- one, Beyonce just scrubbed her profile pics across all social media ... sending the internet into a frenzy about a potential new project. Also ... Santana's performing in Houston Saturday, plus his newest song samples her.

He's taking the stage around 6:15 PM CT for Summer Jam HTX 2022 ... and in the wake of this possible Beyonce news, some have (again) called for him to make amends while in her home city. What that amounts to exactly is unclear -- but in any case, SS says screw that.

Santana swiped back at all the criticism, writing ... "Fake woke ass bitches!!!! People don't care about old tweets. The internet have this weird thing with power! Thinking they have the power to cancel someone… NEWS FLASH! You don't! Y'all be thinking y'all have someone by the balls about situations you don't give a damn about."

He went on to say his tweets are years-old, made when he was 20 ... and he even acknowledges they were childish and hateful. But, he's doubling down and refusing to bend to random Twitter warriors' will and apologize. He asks ... "To who?! To y'all?"

Santana insists that despite what Twitter (collectively) might believe, it's not nearly as powerful as those who use it think ... and he's basically telling everyone to kick rocks.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari's honeymoon looks like more of a staycation -- at least for now -- as they spent day one of their married lives tooling around Los Angeles.

The newlyweds looked like anyone else running a bunch of errands Friday -- well, except they were doing it in a Rolls-Royce covered in flowers and a "just married" sign.

Anywho ... the couple is staying at a hotel in the L.A. area, and spent the day hitting up a grocery store and grabbing food at a burger stand in Calabasas.

The blushing bride is still doing everything she can to keep a low profile. Once she left the wedding Thursday night -- Britney's been keeping out of view, and they're even using the loading dock area at their hotel to avoid crowds.

Of course, they were aware paparazzi were around, and that's when Sam and bodyguards deployed an umbrella to shield Brit's face.

One funny moment during the day, Sam -- who's still wearing his black "Britney & Sam" tee from the wedding night -- came out of a store and decided he'd had enough of the "just married" sign. He yanked it off the Rolls and handed it to a photog.