Music

Russell Westbrook is staying with the Lakers ... and is sending a message to all the haters who don't like it by posting a video of him absolutely rockin' out to Beyonce's "Break My Soul."

The 9-time NBA All-Star shared the clip of himself jammin' to Bey's new song on social media on Tuesday ... just a few minutes before ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Russ will exercise his $47.1 million option to stay in L.A. next season.

The clip is hilarious ... Russ is dancing and singing along to the track, while appearing to be in the driver's seat of his car.

The song seems to be a clear message to all of his haters ... as many Lakers fans trashed the guy and wanted him gone following a down 2021-22 season.

"You won't break my soul!" Russ sang over and over again. "I'm telling everybody!"

Wendy Williams is already putting television in her rearview, having decided podcasting is a better fit -- but she's already lining up big names to join her ... TMZ has learned.

Even though her daytime show was one of the most popular over its 13-season run, Wendy has no interest in being on TV full time right now ... according to her manager Will Selby.

Will is executive producing Wendy's upcoming podcast, and tells us Wendy recently spoke to Snoop Dogg and Fat Joe about being guests -- as she's planning to focus more on her own personal favorites from the music world.

In addition, we're told Wendy's had convos with the Kardashians, and even a member of the Trump family. Will's not saying which one, but any of them would be a huge get ... considering what's going on in Washington.

We got Wendy in NYC back in May, and she vowed she would be back on TV, but we're told that's no longer her passion. Instead, she's focused on producing a pod that's the full Wendy experience -- all about her favorite artists, fashions, food and celebs.

On the business end of things ... Will says Wendy's trying to decide if she's going to partner with a single platform -- like Spotify or Apple -- or just release it independently.

No timetable yet for the podcast debut. BTW, we're told Wendy's not swearing off TV altogether -- she'd still be open to doing appearances on talk or reality shows like "The View" or the 'Real Housewives' series.

John Hinckley -- the man who tried assassinating Ronald Reagan once upon a time -- is feeling remorse for what he did, and is and is now asking for forgiveness.

Hinckley shared his feelings Tuesday on 'CBS Mornings,' offering up condolences to the families that suffered for what he did. He struggles to recall what happened outside the Hilton hotel in D.C. back in 1981, when he shot then-President Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy and D.C. cop Thomas Delahanty.

Reagan came within a hair's breadth from dying, and Brady was shot in the head and was confined to a wheelchair with multiple health issues for the rest of his life.

Hinckley says he's glad he failed in his attempt to kill the President.

He says mental illness was behind the act, and a jury agreed ... Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. As for his mental state these days, Hinckley says he's been one of the most scrutinized people in the mental health system.

Hinckley says he'd like forgiveness from all the folks he hurt, including Jodie Foster, with whom he had an obsession and fired the shots to get her attention.

Hinckley was confined to a mental institution until 2016 and won unconditional release just this month. He says he did the interview with CBS so people could see he's not a monster.

Before this million dollar baby turned into a genius musician and actress, she was just an east coast girl with big dreams, growing up in Portville, New York.

This cute kid can play the guitar like no other and has pipes that have landed her band millions of views on YouTube. In the early 2000s, she made her television debut with "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Titus" -- and later made her way to an even bigger screen playing Mardell Fitzgerald in the 2004 film "Million Dollar Baby."

When she's not in the studio or memorizing lines, she's taking care of her beautiful new baby.

Diddy had a lot to celebrate following the 2022 BET Awards, but turned his celebration into work as well -- shooting a project with Mary J. Blige and Yung Miami.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from inside the after party -- at Diddy's L.A. mansion -- where he appeared to be directing a music video ... most likely something for his upcoming R&B album on Motown Records.

You can even hear Mary singing over the smoothed-out track as Miami raps ... a fitting kick-off to the new Love Records movement.

The backdrop for the shoot looks mighty familiar -- reminiscent of one Diddy used for his iconic "Mo Money, Mo Problems" music vid.

At one point, Diddy told onlookers to refrain from filming as he was trying to get the set-ups correct with Miami's Quality Control manager Pierre “Pee” Thomas.

It wasn't all work, though -- it's a Diddy after-party, after all -- as Chris Brown, Tiffany Haddish, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Bobby Brown, Karrueche Tran and many others showed up at his crib for the festivities.

Earlier on Sunday, celebs packed into L.A.'s Microsoft Theater to see Diddy receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards.

Britney Spears nearly came face-to-face with her ex-husband when he attempted to crash her wedding and got inside her home ... so says one of her fired security guards.

Jason Alexander is in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, and witnesses are testifying about what went down the day Britney was getting married to Sam Asghari ... and some of the testimony is terrifying.

One of Britney's security guards -- who's since been fired over the incident -- told the judge Alexander beelined it straight for Britney's bedroom after sneaking onto the property and getting inside the main house. The guard testified, Alexander tried opening Britney's bedroom door while she was inside, but it was locked.

What's more, the guard said Alexander kept repeating that he needed to talk to Britney and was looking for her, even though he was not on the guest list.

TMZ broke the story ... Alexander, who cops say was armed with a knife, live streamed himself getting onto Britney's property and up to the second level of her home, demanding to see her on her wedding day. Police arrested him before he was able to make contact with Britney.

The security guard, who got fired by Britney shortly after the incident, also testified Alexander had been spotted on the outskirts of the property multiple times leading up to the wedding ... including the day before, despite being told to stay away.

Alexander pleaded not guilty to the charges against him ... including felony stalking, plus vandalism, and trespassing battery.

Another witness, a detective with the Ventura County Sheriff, also testified Britney told her longtime agent, Cade Hudson, that Alexander was "scary."

Britney got a 3-year restraining order against Alexander after the wedding fiasco, and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, says he's doing everything in his power to make sure she's protected.

5 Seconds of Summer fans are wondering why the band's concert came to a screeching halt Sunday night, and TMZ has learned it's because their drummer had to be rushed to the hospital.

A rep for the band tells us ... "Last night’s show ended early due to a medical incident during the show. Upon experiencing physical symptoms, Ashton [Irwin] was taken to a local hospital for tests and medical review. As a result, it was advised Ashton had experienced extreme heat exhaustion. Thankfully and most importantly, he is feeling ok and recovering very well."

The band was 45 minutes into Sunday night's Houston concert, when someone came out on stage and told the audience they were taking a short break.

Shortly after the break was announced, fans were told the show was over, but to keep their tickets. Some fans were upset since the show had already been rescheduled from 2020.

The band says, "We apologize to all the fans in attendance for the show being cut short" and they're encouraging folks to check their emails for more info.

Kendrick Lamar's blinged-out crown of thorns is front and center for his biggest moments this year -- first debuting it on the cover of his 'Mr. Morale' album, and most recently at K-Dot’s headlining performance at Glastonbury Fest.

He closed his performance in the UK this weekend with "Savior" in a passionate theatrical performance ... complete with fake blood trickling down his face from the thorns.

Kendrick used the moment to slam the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade -- repeatedly yelling, "God speed for women's rights ... they judged you, they judged Christ."

Sources involved in the presentation tell TMZ Hip Hop the crown is actually "comfortable enough to run in" or, in this case, perform in ... to a crowd of 200,000 people, no less!

According to Vogue, the titanium thinking cap was designed by K-Dot, his pgLang partner Dave Free and Tiffany & Co. ... and took 10 months to complete. It's made up of 8,000 diamonds!!!

If you saw Babyface and Chance The Rapper all buddy buddy at the BET Awards and thought ... "Hmm!! That's interesting" -- you're spot on, because it turns out that was more than just a photo-op, it was quite intentional.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop Chance and 'Face have been collaborating in the studio with hopes to use the record as part of Babyface’s upcoming project.

BF has written loads of hits with the likes of Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Bobby Brown and many, many more … and we hear he keeps up with all waves of music and genuinely took a liking to Chance. It's similar to how he and Ella Mai got together for their recent track, "Keep On Fallin" … which they performed Sunday at the BET Awards.

Drake can pop champagne, because he just unloaded the main residence of his YOLO estate.

TMZ has learned the deal closed Friday, with an unknown buyer scooping up Drake's former pad for $12 million ... which is well below the $14.8 million asking price.

Remember ... Champagne Papi's YOLO estate is made up of 3 contiguous homes in an exclusive neighborhood in Hidden Hills.

Drake put the entire compound on the market back in March, drawing interest from celebs like Britney Spears and Caitlyn Jenner, before Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford dropped $11 million on the 2 smaller homes.

The main residence, which just sold, is an English Tudor ... and it's 12,500 square feet of pure luxury.

The place has all the bells and whistles ... including 6 fireplaces, a wine cellar and tasting room, plus a 25-seat theater and naturally, a recording studio.

The backyard is a total oasis ... featuring a huge swimming pool with a spa grotto, swim-up bar, waterfalls and an 80 foot long rock waterslide, surrounded by big-screen TVs.

Oh and Drake's place also has separate courts to play tennis, basketball and sand volleyball ... plus a horse stable, equestrian ring and a mechanical riding bull.

Usher inserted a major key into his mentor-mogul L.A. Reid's 66th birthday party ... in the form of a brand-spankin' new Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet!

The glitzy gift marked a full circle moment for the singer and mega-producer -- L.A. actually bought Usher the same model Porsche back in 1997 when Usher released his classic, "You Make Me Wanna" via L.A.'s LaFace Records.

One attendee told us L.A. was absolutely floored by the sentimental, and expensive, gift.

We’re told Saturday’s event was dubbed the “Bel Air BackYard BBQ" and powered by Jay-Z’s Dusse and Cyber Yachts … as you can see from the lively pics.

Around 100 of L.A.'s close friends and associates -- including T.I., Jeezy, Jacquees and several music industry bigwigs -- were in the crowd.

Justin Bieber seems to be in good spirits on his road to recovery, and he was seen in public for the first time since doctors diagnosed him with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

The pop star and his wife, Hailey Bieber, seemed calm and collected as they got off their jet in Los Angeles -- they spent the last 2 weeks on a private island in the Bahamas, so JB could rest up and recover from the rare neurological disorder.

He kept a pretty low profile, wearing shades and a hoodie but, Justin and Hailey did stop by Sushi Park in WeHo for a quick bite to eat before heading home.

As you know, Justin recently opened up about the shocking illness ... telling his IG followers he was battling a virus that caused Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which paralyzed the right side of his face.

He explained, he the condition is the reason he had to miss recent shows and told fans he needed to take some time off to work on getting better. He also told folks he would be postponing several shows, to take proper care of his body.

It's still not clear how much time the "Yummy" singer might need to make a full recovery, but he seemed certain that everything would get back to normal with time off and medical attention.

If Johnny Depp's trip to Paris has him looking like the King of France, it's because he's about to be ... and his excitement about it is written all over his face.

Johnny was still rocking that ear-to-ear smile he's had ever since emerging victorious over his ex-wife Amber Heard in their defamation case ... as he left his hotel in Paris and headed for a private jet flight.

JD was in France last weekend ... reportedly preparing for his role as Louis XV in a film called, "Jeanne du Barry."

He was clean-shaven and greeted just about everyone with smiles and handshakes ... as he made his way from the hotel to his private jet.

As for his ex, Amber Heard, she was spotted shopping at TJ Maxx last week.

Billie Joe Armstrong's had it with America after the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade -- so much so, he says he's dropping his U.S. citizenship.

The Green Day frontman unloaded his frustrations during a London concert -- he was actually onstage Friday, the same day the SCOTUS opinion was officially issued, and said he's decided the U.K.'s the place for him.

He told the crowd, "I'm renouncing my citizenship," adding the U.K. might just become his new home.

He continues, "There's just too much stupid in the world to go back to that miserable excuse for a country." The singer gives a word of warning, too -- "You're going to get a lot of me in the coming days."

The guy's been known to share his political thoughts publicly ... 2004's hit "American Idiot" speaks for itself, while a 2016 performance at the AMA's featured a seemingly-unapproved chant on live TV ... "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA."

Kanye West popped up for a rare appearance ... this time at the 2022 BET Awards ... to pay tribute to his favorite artist -- Diddy.

Kanye made a surprise appearance Sunday night, at L.A.'s Microsoft Theater ... dressed head to toe in black.

Ye took the stage to honor Sean "Diddy" Combs, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kanye gave a lengthy speech ... calling Diddy his favorite artist and talking about the impact he's had on his own life.

Kanye said, "I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices". He also let folks know he's taking a hiatus and wanted to "declare myself dead" .... but says, he wanted to make sure he was there for Diddy.

Of course, Kanye has mainly been off the grid, since April ... after pulling out of Coachella.

Moments after the intro from Kanye and Babyface, Diddy took the stage. He dedicated the moment to his ex, Kim Porter, who died back in 2018. He said, "I just want to say thank you to Kim."

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online.

The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire."

He was asked how he feels about working his way back into Hollywood, but Jussie doesn't see it that way -- he says this has always been the plan.

Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space.

Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire" ... but she was silent about her co-star during the ceremony.

Jussie still insists he did not lie about what he says was a homophobic and racist attack, because IF he had lied he'd be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.