Music

East Coast artist Vanessa Carlton was only 22 years old when she shot to stardom after her debut single, "A Thousand Miles," hit the airwaves in early 2002 ... and thanks to the catchy piano hook and dreamy vocals, it made its way into the ears and hearts of the world.

The debut single has been featured on movies, television shows and commercials ... and it opened the door for her first studio album, Be Not Nobody, that included Vanessa's next hit, "Ordinary Day."

Although Carlton continues to create incredible music (like her 2020 album, Love Is An Art) her most beautiful creation since "A Thousand Miles" is her daughter, Sidney.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's mega-hit "WAP" has had a Disney parody makeover ... and it's the famed princesses and characters like you've never seen them before!

In what some have described as "childhood ruining," more than 50 Disney films were edited in a mashup to the super sexually-explicit song.

The comedic timing is spot-on from start to finish. Over the "park that big mack truck" line of the song, a clip from the movie "Cars" plays. And, for "extra large and extra hard" Pinocchio's growing nose hilariously fits the part.

And, of course, Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" biting her lip to Stallion's verse is ... a whole new world frankly.

The mashup was directed by Melissa Scultz and edited by Jonathan Schultz. Posted to YouTube on Saturday, the video has more than 300,000 views.

Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper certainly put their money where their mouths are ... and the loot's going a long way to help hundreds of people from all walks of life who are in desperate straits.

As we reported ... Justin and Chance announced a surprise collab Thursday -- teaming up to dole out $250,000 on CashApp to people affected by these hard times, to say thanks for the support on their musical collab, "Holy."

Thousands of fans shared their stories online -- along with their $cashtags -- with the hope of receiving some money, and the singer and rapper spent the day giving ... in $500 increments.

We did some digging, and the winners include students, teachers, artists, cashiers, people who lost loved ones to COVID, people taking care of sick parents, people dealing with immigration issues, and in general ... people who help people, people who need help, or both.

For example ... Cortney -- a teacher looking to buys supplies for her class after suffering damage in an apartment fire earlier this year, during the pandemic.

Megan -- a young woman whose father's dying from kidney failure and is trying to pay for him to have his eyesight improved during his final days.

Tiffany -- a cashier who lives paycheck to paycheck while also supporting her parents, who are out of work due to COVID and health reasons.

Ty -- a young handyman who hustles on the side as a freelance photog, but is still struggling to pay rent and the bills. Ty tells us he's going to use $400 of what Justin sent him for living expenses. He'll use the remaining $100 to give back to the homeless.

And finally, there's Sakinah, a young woman who does nails ... asked the fellas to support her business. She struck gold, because she received $500 from BOTH the Biebs and the Rapper.

Kanye West has made his way to Haiti ... celebrating with locals without a trace of Kim Kardashian or the kids.

Ye, fresh off a visit to Jamaica, touched down Friday at the Hugo Chávez International Airport in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien. He was met by Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who gave Ye a guided tour.

Kanye didn't say why he traveled to Haiti, but he did post some tweets early Saturday ... "Haiti is where our people started the first revolution that freed us from slavery."

You see Kanye in the video dancing with the locals in a full-throttle celebration.

Missing from the action ... the fam. Kanye's been kind of a wayward soul recently, traveling all over the place and, as far as we can tell, not spending much time at all at home in L.A.

Travis Scott had permission from the GOAT to shoot visuals for his newest track ... getting a personal blessing from Michael Jordan to make it happen at his famous Illinois mansion!!!

Cactus Jack just dropped his new hit, "FRANCHISE," with Young Thug and M.I.A. this week ... and His Airness' Highland Park home is heavily featured in the music video.

TMZ Sports has learned ... 29-year-old Travis -- who takes pride in his creativity -- thought the NBA legend's $14.8 MILLION pad would be the perfect set for his vid ... so he hit up MJ to get his approval.

We're told the decision was a complete no-brainer ... with Jordan giving his thumbs-up "without hesitation."

The connection is pretty organic -- Travis has released several signature colorways for the Air Jordan 1, 4 and 6 sneakers via his lucrative deal with Nike ... and has been loyal to the Swoosh for years.

As for the video, the place is recognizable off the rip -- the "23" being displayed at the gate is a dead giveaway.

On top of that, the indoor court's "Jumpman" logo featuring MJ's kids' names is seen during the vid ... as well as the epic backyard with pool and putting greens.

And, good news for those who fell in love with the house from the video -- it's currently for sale!!

Talk about good advertising.

Alan Jackson -- one of the OG kings of country music -- is ready to get dethroned ... from his castle-like pad, that is, 'cause he's selling his massive estate.

The two-time Grammy and 16-time CMA Awards winner has listed his majestic hilltop estate in the countryside of Franklin, Tennessee for a whopping $23 million. The 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom crib also has 4 half bathrooms. The house is 22k square feet on just over 4 acres.

The estate is super private ... surrounded by 120 acres of green space. The monumental stone house has a private gated entrance manned 24/7. It's also perfect for a little honky-tonk action. Party in the grand public rooms, sumptuous suites and expansive outdoor living areas ... where you'll find a pool, pool house, outdoor kitchen and terraces.

No barn here, but those with lots of horsepower should get a load of the heated and cooled garages ... big enough for 15 whips. Saddle up!!!

DaBaby's alleged beating victim says he's on the verge of possibly needing back surgery to fix nerve damage ... this according to the man's lawyer.

Anthony Werbin of Downtown L.A. Law Group is repping Cristofher Pocasangre, and tells TMZ his client's now suffering through structural damage to his back and spine ... on top of previously diagnosed nerve damage from the incident with the rapper.

The lawyer says Cristofher has unbearable pain on a daily basis since DaBaby allegedly put a beatdown on him in a Bev Hills hotel last December. He's also getting injections to his back to help ease the pain ... according to Werbin.

If Cris's pain continues, Werbin says he might need to get back surgery in the next couple of weeks.

We got a photo of the alleged injuries ... and though it looks minor on the outside, Werbin says the internal injuries are excruciating. On top of that, Pocasangre claims the incident took an emotional toll on him, saying he was embarrassed and humiliated after the video started circulating on social media.

To that point, Chris' lawyer says friends have been taunting Chris for not standing up for himself against DaBaby. Truth is ... he says he was scared when it all unfolded.

As we reported, Pocasangre sued the rapper -- who he says used to be his fave artist -- claiming DB went on a violent rage when he snapped a selfie with him.

Tory Lanez is making lots of enemies with his album release, slash denial about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion ... because now he's also beefing with the boss.

Rick Ross and Tory exchanged jabs on social media Friday ... with Rick throwing the first punch by questioning the timing of Tory's new music, saying he thinks it shows a lack of respect for Black women.

Rick said Tory made a "poor decision" by ripping Megan the same week the cops who shot and killed Breonna Taylor were not charged with murder. Ross says it's not the way to address allegations about shooting a Black woman, and he reminds Lanez, "we gotta respect these sisters."

Tory just responded, saying he marched 9 days in a row protesting Breonna's death in Miami and didn't see RR in the streets once. He also rips Ross for plugging wine companies in his initial diss, saying Rick also made a "poor decision."

As you know, lots of people are coming at Tory right now ... before Ross, NBA player J.R. Smith called Lanez a "clown" and a "lil ass boy" in response to mentioning his name on the album, and KeKe Palmer's also pissed.

Adding fuel to the fire, TMZ broke the story ... Megan's team is accusing Tory's reps of orchestrating a smear campaign against her ... which Tory's camp denies.

Michael Jackson's cousin claims to have his last IV drip -- the one that delivered the fatal dose of Propofol -- and she's ready to part ways with the macabre memorabilia.

The IV setup includes the tubing and the bag used to administer drugs, and even has bloodstain from the King of Pop ... according to his cousin, Marsha Stewart, who claims she took it from his bedroom shortly after his death.

Marsha says she swiped the IV from the rented Holmby Hills mansion where Michael died. She claims she saw it near Michael's bed, and that there was a "white milk fluid" -- an accurate description of Propofol -- inside the bag, which has since dissolved.

Still, Michael's cousin says traces of his blood on the device caught her eye and made her want to put it in her purse to take home.

Now, the IV drip is going up for auction through Memorabilia Expert Auctions in Sin City, and the auction house is looking to get at least $2,500 for this gruesome piece of MJ history.

As for the validity of the item? It seems odd to us that police would not have collected the IV as evidence at the scene. We're reaching out to MJ's Estate to see what their take is on it.

Megan Thee Stallion's got more beef with Tory Lanez ... her camp is accusing him of launching a smear campaign against her as retaliation for her accusing him of shooting her.

Megan's team alleges Tory's camp is creating fake emails in an effort to plant false stories about MTS in the media. Her attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ ... "We have been made aware of manipulated text messages and invented email accounts that have been disseminated to the media in a calculated attempt to peddle a false narrative about the events that occurred on July the 12th."

TMZ has received some of the allegedly doctored texts and emails to which Spiro is referring.

For instance, Megan's camp claims Tory's reps sent one to several media outlets posing as a promoter at LIV Nightclub in Miami. The email falsely claims her management at Roc Nation influenced the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against Lanez, claiming the rapper went on a menacing attack in the club.

Roc Nation denies any involvement in that lawsuit.

Another email, from a phony Gmail account, pointed the media to a YouTube video of a man claiming to be Tory's ex-bodyguard, who said he'd never seen the rapper get violent with women. However, he also admitted he had no clue what happened with Megan, because he wasn't there the night of the shooting.

As you know ... Megan is adamant Tory pulled the trigger and shot her during the wee hours of July 12 after a night of partying in the Hollywood Hills.

Tory had been silent about the incident until he released new music last night. In the lyrics, he accuses her team of "framing" him for the shooting, and also questions whether Megan was even shot at all.

A rep for Tory says they "strongly deny sending emails or otherwise creating a false narrative. The only commentary which has been made on this topic was the creative output on the album. We are investigating who could be sending these false emails and intend to take action against them.”

As for the shooting investigation ... our sources say police have the bullet that was taken from Megan's foot -- and you'll recall, she posted pretty gruesome pics of her injuries.

Princess Love just sucked the air out of Ray J's love-still-in-the-air moment ... saying their marriage is now beyond saving.

We got Princess Love Thursday in WeHo, walking into Catch ... and wanted to get her take on what her estranged hubby said on "The Real" earlier this week. ICYMI ... Ray J told the panel he spent all weekend with his kids and Princess Love and realized they still have "a really, really good thing." When the panel asked if he'd now be down for counseling ... Ray J said he would be up for it and whatever it takes to keep both parents together.

Well, it's all news to Princess Love, who made it crystal clear -- Ray J's last-ditch effort falls way short. And, she seems to be okay with moving on ... acknowledging she's happy and hopes the same for Ray J. Ouch.

L.A. Lakers guard J.R. Smith is clapping back at Tory Lanez after getting DISSED on his latest album ... calling the artist a "clown" and a "lil ass boy."

A bit of a refresher -- the NBA vet was outspoken after Megan Thee Stallion accused Tory of shooting her in July ... saying, "This clown shoots a female and ya’ll listening to his music."

"TF Tory Lanez," J.R. added. "You a straight clown. Facts. And tell whoever to hit my line. It’s whatever.”

Fast forward to Thursday night ... when Tory addressed ALL accusations and negative comments made against him since the alleged incident -- including Smith's jab -- on his track, "Sorry, But I Had To..."

Here are the lyrics about Smith:

"J.R. Smith, it's the pot that piss ... And you the last cat that should talk about some shots that hit."

"'Cause your performance and percentage, player ... Rollin', ridin' benches, n***a, I'm from the trenches, n***a."

"You the type to buy a chick a eighty and ya still won't get a inch up in her."

Smith -- fresh off the Lakers' 114-108 win over the Denver Nuggets -- heard Tory's bars loud and clear ... and fired right back on his Instagram story.

"i got time today too! 🤣🤣," J.R. said. "bout to get real 🌶🌶"

There's more ... "He not even 30 stay in ya place lil ass boy."

"bust ya gun at a female you all types of 🤡"

FWIW -- 5'3" Tory also denies Meg's shooting claims ... but we know where Smith stands on that issue.

Tory Lanez finally broke his silence about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion, but only in song -- he dropped a new record that includes a full denial.

The rapper released a 17-track album Thursday night called "DayStar," and nearly every song seems to be about the altercation with Megan back in July when they were out partying with Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills.

Megan has accused him of shooting her, but Tory's basically calling her a liar on his opening track, "Money Over Fallouts." The lyrics include, "How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?"

He continues ... "How the f*** your team is trying to pay me in some whole millions? / 
I just lost like 10 million dollars because this cold business
 / But I got like 10 million followers that’s gon' roll with me / 
Fans that support me because they know my heart."

Along with poking holes in Megan's account of what went down between them on July 12, he suggests she's been influenced to lie about him. On other tracks, he hints that he hopes to speak with Megan again and even reconcile ... but also that he's moved on with a new GF.

Tory's new album also addresses rumors Kylie was the reason he and Meg were fighting that night -- a theory Megan's firmly denied. Still, Tory raps, "Me and Kylie still off in the pool / We was chilling, kicking s**t was cool / Both of us didn’t know you was tripping / Even though I got a crush on Kylie, I woulda left with you if I knew you was dipping, for the simple reason / You invited me, but I can’t act like shawty didn’t excite me."

Earlier Thursday, Tory apologized to his fans for his silence and implied he'd be opening up about things at 9 PM PT -- when his album dropped. Many thought he'd own up to shooting her and apologize. He went in the other direction.

After weeks of speculation and uncertainty about what went down back in July before police swarmed Megan and Tory's SUV and she walked out with bloody feet ... Meg flat-out accused Tory of shooting her in an August 20 video, stating she was tired of the lies from his side.

Megan said the 2 of them -- along with her friend and Tory's driver -- were all arguing in the vehicle after leaving Kylie's house in the Hills after 4 AM, and she tried to get out and walk home. That's when she alleges Tory started shooting at her out the window, hitting her feet.

As we've reported ... Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon -- a handgun was under his seat -- and Megan was taken to a hospital and treated for a "gunshot injury."

Though Tory's finally broken his silence publicly on the incident, TMZ previously learned he'd texted Megan an apology about 15 hours afterward, saying ... "I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart."

Demi Lovato won't be walking down the aisle with Max Ehrich ... TMZ has confirmed the singer and actor called off their engagement.

Demi and her former fiancé have officially called it quits, splitting just over 2 months after he popped the question on the beach in Malibu.

A source close to the singer tells TMZ ... "It was a tough decision, but Demi and Max have decided to go their separate ways to focus on their respective careers."

The source adds, "They have respect and love for one another and will always cherish the time they spent together."

Demi and the "Young And The Restless" actor started dating back in March, just as quarantine was beginning, and their relationship moved quickly. He proposed in July and slid a huge rock on her finger.

At the time of their engagement, Demi said she knew she loved Max the moment she met him and was "ecstatic to start a family and life" with him.

The timing of the split is interesting ... coming only 10 days after Max allegedly got thirsty on social media over Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. Demi had defended him, though, claiming screenshots of his alleged messages were faked.

Regardless, they're no longer getting married. People first reported their split.

Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper are feeling the love for their new collab ... so they're paying it back in the form of cold hard cash.

The Biebs and the Rapper just announced they're giving away a total of $250,000 Thursday on Cash App ... to people who've been affected by these hard times.

That's the only stipulation required to apply for their money, but they are encouraging folks to share their stories if they feel comfortable and drop their $cashtag and the hashtag #JBChanceHoly.

We know of at least one winner so far who received $500 ... she says her family home suffered damage during Hurricane Laura last month. Obviously, there's a lot more winners to be chosen.

"Holy" is Justin's new single featuring Chance, which has already racked up nearly 34 million YouTube views in a week since its release.

Just as the song was taking off last week ... Justin surprised a local youth gospel group working on a dance routine to his song by dropping by to show support.

Selena Gomez is not hiding her scars anymore ... she's showing 'em off and is damn proud.

The singer revealed Thursday ... ever since she got her kidney transplant she's made every attempt to hide the scar it left behind ... but no more. Selena posted a picture on Instagram showing off the scar ... calling it body empowerment.

She captioned the photo, "When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through."

Selena also tagged a swimsuit company promoting inclusivity and added, "All bodies are beautiful."

As we reported ... Selena underwent a kidney transplant in the summer of 2017. She was on the verge of death ... before her BFF Francia Raisa stepped in to save her. Later that year, Selena said she couldn't ask anyone to sacrifice a kidney, but Francia wasn't having it ... she stepped up and volunteered.