Music

Usher has a knack for spotting famous ladies at his Vegas shows these days -- and Friday proved no different ... with none other than Doja Cat and Jessica Alba catching his eye.

The singer was doing his thing heading into the weekend, and like he normally does -- Usher made his way into the crowd as he continued to croon. Of course, he honed in on a couple of female celebs here were in the audience ... the same way he has for months now.

First, he spotted Doja ... who was celebrating her 28th birthday, and who seemed more than happy to entertain Usher -- especially as he floated along to his song 'There Goes My Baby.'

DC started dancing with Mr. Raymond ... and they even got the rest of the concert-goers to sing along as he put the spotlight on her. She wasn't nearly as timid as some other stars have been when Usher turns his sights onto them ... a little like Alba, who was next.

It's actually pretty funny how he noticed her ... 'cause as soon as he did, he scurried on over to give her the VIP treatment -- which, in this case, included a little twirl and 1-2 step!

Taylor Swift's 'Eras' film got torched by a critic who likened her movie to the downfall of society as we know it -- and all we can say about this over-the-top piece is ... holy crap.

This critique -- which is now going viral, for all the wrong reasons -- comes courtesy of Armond White of the National Review ... which is a well-known conservative outlet, so keep that in mind as we guide you through this nonsense.

White does a full-blown sociological examination of the 'Eras Tour' flick, as he sees it -- and you can tell how he views things from his headline and subheading ... "Taylor Swift's Asylum Seekers ... A movie concert promotes post-Madonna, post-Obama mind control."

You can read it all for yourself, but here's one excerpt that's getting mocked ... "The Swift circus doesn’t replace the thrill of originality and profundity that accompanied the advent of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, the Jackson Five, which Gen Z knows nothing about. Instead, Swift specializes in degraded girl-pop -- teenage solipsism, the silliness that kids will ideally outgrow. Yet her songs corrupt puppy love into jejune sophistication."

He then compares the movie's director, Sam Wrench, to Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl ... namely, making Taylor's concerts far more grand/aesthetically pleasing than they actually are in person, the way Riefenstahl did for Hitler -- at least that seems to be White's POV.

Not just this, but White actually tries to juxtapose Swfities innocently dancing in theaters to mass shooter James Holmes, intimating a connection by writing ... "The teens in TikTok clips who pitifully bounce and sing along with the film’s pre-recorded concert are the flip side of those nerds and sociopaths who lined up for 'The Dark Knight Rises' in Aurora, Colo."

If that sounds unhinged, that's because it is ... that's certainly how Twitter feels about it, anyway. They're unloading on White's hyperbole over something as benign as a concert film.

He ends his scorched-earth review this way ... "Boomer parents may want to let them have their fun — same as toying with matches and playing in the traffic. But here’s a frightening fact of the Swifties pheenom: These kids seem ready for a leader, anxious for totalitarianism. It will take a counterrevolution to repair Swift’s moral, aesthetic, and political damage."

FWIW, White is very much a man apart here ... 'cause just about every other film critic (big and small) has praised the 'Eras' movie for being what it is -- a wholesome, good time.

La película 'Eras' de Taylor Swift fue incendiada por un crítico que comparó su película con la caída de la sociedad como la conocemos, y todo lo que podemos decir sobre ello es, ¡vaya mierda!

La crítica, que se está haciendo viral en este momento por todas las equivocadas razones, es cortesía de Armond White de National Review. Este es un conocido medio conservador, así que tenlo presente mientras les contamos sobre esta tontería.

En la crítica, White hace un examen sociológico completo de la película y solo con leer el titular y los subtítulos se puede ver de qué va: "Los solicitantes de asilo de Taylor Swift, un concierto de cine promueve el control mental post-Madonna, post-Obama".

Pueden leerlo con sus propios ojos, pero aquí hay un extracto que está siendo objeto de burlas: "El circo de Swift no reemplaza la emoción de la originalidad y la profundidad que acompañó el advenimiento de los Beatles, los Rolling Stones, las Supremes, los Jackson Five, de los que la Generación Z no sabe nada. En su lugar, Swift se especializa en un pop de chicas degradado: un solipsismo adolescente y tontería que los niños idealmente superarán. Sin embargo, sus canciones corrompen el amor de cachorro y lo convierten en una sofisticación ridícula".

A continuación, compara al director de la película, Sam Wrench, con la propagandista nazi Leni Riefenstahl, diciendo que está haciendo los conciertos de Taylor mucho más grandiosos/estéticamente y agradables de lo que son realmente en persona, de la misma manera que Riefenstahl hizo con Hitler, o al menos eso cree White.

No solo eso, White intenta yuxtaponer a los Swfities que bailan inocentemente en los cines con el tirador de masas James Holmes, insinuando una conexión al escribir: "Los adolescentes en los clips de TikTok que lastimosamente rebotan y cantan junto al concierto pregrabado de la película son la otra cara de esos nerds y sociópatas que hicieron cola para 'The Dark Knight Rises' en Aurora, Colo".

Si eso suena desquiciado, es porque lo es ... Y, Twitter siente lo mismo, muy ciertamente, ya que se están desahogando con la hipérbole de White por algo tan inocente como una película sobre un concierto.

El autor termina su crítica de esta manera: "Puede que los padres de la generación boomer quieran dejar que sus hijos se diviertan, igual que cuando juegan con cerillas y en el tráfico. Pero he aquí un hecho aterrador del fenómeno de los Swifties: Estos niños parecen listos para tener un líder, ansiosos de totalitarismo. Hará falta una contrarrevolución para reparar el daño moral, estético y político de Swift".

Para lo que es importante, White es un hombre muy aparte aquí, porque casi todos los otros críticos de cine (grandes y pequeños) han elogiado la película 'Eras' por ser lo que es -un tiempo de diversión.

12:57 PM PT -- A rep for Cher reiterated her denial about the kidnapping claim to TMZ, telling us ... "Not true thanks for checking."

Cher says she had nothing to do with the alleged "kidnapping" of her adult son -- this despite the fact her daughter-in-law has claimed the whole thing was orchestrated by mom.

The singer was asked point blank about this by the New York Post, which did a new interview with her chronicling her career and legacy. During the chat, they brought up this bizarre story that surfaced last month ... courtesy of Marieangela King (aka Queenie).

In recent court docs pertaining to her ongoing divorce from Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, King made a startling allegation ... namely, that Cher supposedly had Elijah forcibly taken from his hotel room in late 2022 ... this while he and MK were attempting to reconcile.

Per Daily Mail, Elijah had been staying at a hotel in L.A. for several months at the time -- allegedly battling substance abuse -- when this staged abduction/intervention took place ... so says King in a declaration she made in court. She claims that, as they were talking in his room, four men stormed in and snatched Elijah against his will ... dragging him away.

King alleges that one of the men revealed to her that Elijah's mom, Cher, had actually hired them -- adding in her court paperwork, "I am currently unaware of my husband’s wellbeing or whereabouts. I am very concerned and worried about him." She also said she believed he was at a rehab facility at an undisclosed location ... without access to his phone.

Now, one month after all these revelations surfaced ... Cher is outright denying any involvement. She told the Post, "I didn’t do it, and if I did it, I wouldn’t say I did it."

She adds, "You never stop being a mom -- you go to the end, you go to the mattresses when you’re trying to save your children. But I didn’t do it. And if I did it, I wouldn’t care to tell you." Interestingly, this echoes what she told People about 2 weeks ago.

At the time, she said ... "I’m a mother. This is my job -- one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. But it’s joy, even with heartache -- mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them."

FWIW ... Elijah's father, Gregg Allman, died in 2017 from complications tied to liver cancer. Also, we've reached out to Cher's team for further comment -- so far, no word back.

Rod Wave is dedicated to his art -- so much so, in fact, that he recreated a perilous leap from a window live onstage for all his fans ... although, it's quite clear they didn't want this.

The rapper was performing in Lincoln, Nebraska Thursday ... and at one point in his sold-out show, he decided to play stuntman right then and there in front of everyone -- climbing on top of a set piece and reenacting something he did in one of his music videos.

Watch ... the dude scales the side of a fake building, going up the fire escape and eventually standing on the rail -- with his back turned to the audience. Guess what happens next!

RW goes crashing toward the ground below ... dropping like a sack of potatoes and eventually tearing through the stage floor itself. Indeed, it's pretty damn dramatic. It stunned the audience -- and even from the crowd, you can hear folks telling him not to do it.

The videos cut out before we can see what happens next -- but, presumably, he's alright ... on account of the fact that he was performing in Minnesota last night and is posting pics on his IG page. All's well that ends well, we suppose -- but damn, this was dangerous.

BTW, this whole fall-from-the-window thing is straight out of his music video for "Come See Me" ... which is the song that was playing when he did this. So, a little life imitating art.

Megan Thee Stallion's no longer tethered to the 1501 Certified Ent. label she railed against for years -- and Trinidad James thinks the "Savage" rapper can become an even bigger act.

TJ floated all the possibilities speaking to TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week but predicts Meg will land all right. He says there's also a possibility momentum fizzles.

Thee Stallion is gearing up to resume her career Monday with a new release after telling fans she was entering a new journey, where she'll be paying out of her own pocket to give fans the good news.

TJ tells us having a solid team is crucial to making money in the music biz and the industry is especially shady when it comes to the needs of women.

Fat Joe suele llevar una vida de lujos a su alrededor, especialmente cuando se trata de sus ruedas. Recientemente, el rapero personalizó un Rolls-Royce Cullinan, por $750K, con un montón de características fuera de este mundo.

El Don ordenó este trabajo hace cuatro meses. Fue una compra improvisada después de que viera una versión de la amplia carrocería Rolls mientras estaba fuera en Dubai.

Nos dicen que Joe, tuvo una llamada de FaceTimed con Will Castro de Unique Whips en Speedvision, el segundo que vio el vehículo y le pidió que le construyera uno.

Will le dice a TMZ Hip Hop que el trabajo resultó ser un reto para el equipo. Joe exige lo mejor y los kits se hacen por encargo y se entregan desde Europa.

En total, desembolsó $100k para el cuerpo del carro y el equipo de Will añadió 24 "ruedas y neumáticos", lo que llevó más de un mes en ser construido.

Will hizo todo el trabajo de carrocería, pintura, etc. y le entregará el carro personalmente a Joe este fin de semana. El último modelo es el tercer Rolls-Royce SUV que Will y su equipo han hecho para el rapero. Solo el año pasado, le hizo un diseño en naranja y negro.

Fat Joe keeps a world of luxury around him, and that includes his wheels ... recently snagging a $750K custom Rolls-Royce Cullinan with a bunch of sick features.

The Don ordered the custom Rolls-Royce 4 months ago -- an impromptu purchase after he saw a version of the wide-body Rolls while he was out in Dubai.

We're told Joe FaceTimed Will Castro from Unique Whips on Speedvision the second he saw the vehicle, and asked Will to build him one.

Will tells TMZ Hip Hop the job proved to be challenging for the team ... Joe demands the absolute best and the kits are made to order and delivered from Europe.

Joe's dropped $100k for the car's body, and Will and his crew added 24” wheels and tires ... the whole thing took the team over a month to build.

Will did all the bodywork, paint, carbon work and will be self-delivering Joe his new car this weekend. The latest cartraption marks the 3rd Rolls-Royce SUV Will and the team has done for Joe ... just last year, they hooked him up with a sweet RR orange-and-black ensemble.

Robin Thicke knows how to get the spooky party going; however, do you have what it takes to detect the minor switch-ups within these "blurred lines?" Twerk your way right into these two similar images ... Quick, before it's lights out!

The stylish singer looked cool and casual in L.A., recently enjoying a Halloween adventure at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights. He may have posed next to a bloody clown, but can you get down with the discreet changes without getting your hands wet? 🤙

"You know you want it!"

Dee Snider is cool with politicians on both sides using his band's anthem on the campaign trail ... but he's drawing a line when it comes to anyone spewing QAnon conspiracies.

We got the Twisted Sister frontman at LAX and our photog asked him where he stands on politicians playing "We're Not Gonna Take It" ... now that campaign season is about to heat up.

Dee says Republicans and Democrats have his blessing to play the song at rallies, appearances and in ads ... but says the same does not hold true for any candidates who go full QAnon.

The issue with QAnon for Dee ... it's all a bunch of lies and BS, and he feels there's already enough of that in the world.

Dee's made his feelings on QAnon well-known on social media over the years ... and he's doubling down here.

We also asked Dee how he feels about the U.S. military using the song as a battle cry now that another war has erupted ... and he explains why the armed forces are more than welcome to rock out to Twisted Sister.

NLE Choppa's mom is worried sick for her son, saying she hasn't heard from him in hours ... and asking anyone who may have contact to get in touch with her ASAP.

Choppa's mom, Angela Potts, posted the concerning message Friday, writing, "Y’all help me pray over my child. He plans on moving back to Cottonwood where we worked hard to get out of just for a mixtape SMH! I ain’t talked to this boy in hours and he usually doesn’t do this. One thing I know about my son is that he doesn’t go ghost for any reason."

She continues with a message to her son, "Whatever your working on I pray GOD is guiding you. If y’all hear from him PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP ! To the fans he wants to please thanks a lot."

What's unclear is whether or not NLE gave Angela -- who is also his manager -- a reason to believe he could be in trouble, or if he's just faced a lot of pressure in keeping up with his own career.

We should note ... a message on NLE's Instagram story (posted by management) also encouraged fans to reach out to Angela if they see the rapper.

DJ Envy's ex-business partner Cesar Pina was arrested on fraud charges Wednesday ... but reports that federal officials raided the iHeartRadio offices and removed electronic equipment are not true ... this according to federal law enforcement sources.

Envy's lawyer Massimo D'Angelo tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the reports are yet another example of the "continued sensationalization" in the media to attach his client's name to this story ... even though he insists Envy is one of the victims, not a perpetrator, of the alleged fraud.

Law enforcement sources tell us the same, and a source iHeartMedia also confirmed to us that no equipment was removed from the building.

We're told the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI all had a part in investigating the case and officials were at the offices to alert Envy that Pina had been arrested.

Pina was charged with one count of wire fraud ... and pleaded not guilty before being released on a $1 million bond.

He's not allowed to leave the state and is restricted to electronic monitoring.

Britney Spears and Wade Robson had a much deeper affair than what Britney claims in her memoir, so says Britney's former songwriting partner ... who tells us Justin Timberlake found a long breakup letter Britney wrote to Wade which blew the whole thing up.

Annet Artani -- who helped write "Everytime" with Britney in 2003 -- appeared on TMZ Live Friday ... and she dropped a bombshell.

While we know Britney confesses to cheating on JT in her "Woman in Me" memoir, saying she and Robson made out at a bar while she was still dating Justin ... Artani remembers things much differently.

The songwriter says things were much more serious with Britney and Wade than just a one-night makeout sesh. In fact, she claims Britney had written a 14-page breakup letter to Robson which she hid in her makeup bag.

As Annet says ... you don't write a lengthy letter to someone you only kissed.

Shockingly, Artani claims, Justin ended up finding the breakup letter before Britney could give it to Wade ... and Justin learned all about their affair, calling it quits with Britney a short time later.

Britney Spears y Wade Robson tuvieron un romance mucho más profundo de lo que Britney afirma en sus memorias, según dice su ex compositora, quien asegura que Justin Timberlake encontró una larga carta de ruptura de Britney a Wade que incendió las cosas.

Annet Artani, quien ayudó a escribir "Everytime" con Britney en 2003, apareció en TMZ Live este viernes y reveló la primicia.

Aunque sabemos que Britney confiesa haber engañado a Justin en sus memorias "Woman in Me", en donde cuenta que ella y Robson se besaron en un bar mientras todavía salía con Justin, Artani recuerda las cosas de manera muy diferente.

La compositora dice que las cosas fueron más serias que solo un par de besos. De hecho, dice que Britney habría escrito una carta de ruptura de 14 páginas a Robson que escondió en su bolso de maquillaje.

Como dice Annet, nadie escribe una larga carta a alguien que solo ha besado.

Sorprendentemente, Artani afirma que Justin terminó encontrando la carta antes de que Britney se la entregara a Wade. Se enteró de todo el romance y puso fin a su relación con ella poco tiempo después.

Want to dress like "Tayvis" for Halloween? You're in luck ... 'cause Travis Kelce himself just doled out tips on how to make the costume authentic!!

The topic got brought up at Kelce's media availability on Friday ... when a reporter made the Chiefs star aware that plenty of people across the U.S. are planning to dress as him and his new girlfriend, Taylor Swift, for the October holiday.

Kelce said his side of the getup must include a couple things in order to look just right.

"The mustache is slowly starting to disappear but I tell you what man, that 'stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic for a little bit," Kelce said, "and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time."

"So I guess my 'stache and then maybe ... maybe a bracelet or something, I don't know."

Kelce -- who signed a $57.25 million extension in June -- also spoke with media members about his surprise return to "Saturday Night Live" last week in New York City ... and he explained his funny part in the Swift skit wasn't actually his idea.

"They asked me if I kinda wanted to end the skit that was about me and Taylor's takeover of the NFL games which was hilarious," he said.

"I loved every bit of it."

We're sure he's also loving how the Chiefs are currently on a five-game winning streak ... and are the favorites to make it six in a row against the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

¿Quieres vestirte como "Tayvis" para Halloween? Estás de suerte porque el mismo Travis Kelce acaba de compartir algunos consejos para crear un traje auténtico.

El tema salió a colación en una rueda de prensa de Kelce el viernes, cuando un reportero le dijo a la estrella de los Chiefs que un montón de gente en EE.UU. está planeando vestirse como él y su nueva novia Taylor Swift para la fiesta de octubre.

Kelce dijo que, por su parte, el atuendo debe incluir un par de cosas para que quede bien.

"El bigote está empezando a desaparecer poco a poco, pero te digo una cosa... ese bigote y la camiseta del 87 fueron bastante icónicos durante un tiempo", dijo Kelce, "y yo lo tenía cuando conocí a Taylor por primera vez".

"Así que supongo que mi bigote y tal vez un brazalete o algo así, no lo sé".

Kelce -que firmó una extensión de 57,25 millones de dólares en junio - también habló con los representantes de los medios sobre su sorpresivo regreso a "Saturday Night Live" la semana pasada en la ciudad de Nueva York y explicó que su rol en el sketch de Swift no fue exactamente su idea.

"Me preguntaron si quería terminar el sketch sobre mí y la toma de Taylor en los juegos de la NFL, que era hilarante", dijo.

"Me encantó cada pedacito de ella".

Estamos seguros de que también está amando la racha ganadora de los Chiefs, con cinco victorias consecutivas, y muy probablemente seis este domingo, ya que son los favoritos en el partido contra los Chargers en el Arrowhead Stadium.