Music

Theater fans rejoice ... Broadway is set to reopen at 100 percent capacity on September 14 after a year and a half closure, so says New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo just made the surprise announcement days after revealing Broadway was not in the state's May 19 reopening plan. He'd stated theaters would need more time to properly get folks back in seats due to the logistics of producing shows at the venues ... but now he says they'll be back in business before fall.

By Sept. 14, it will be 18 full months after Broadway shut down on March 12, 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic became a harsh reality in America.

Both Gov. Cuomo and The Broadway League had previously targeted September as the reopening month ... but now there's an official date.

Britney Spears is itching to talk to the judge in her conservatorship case next month, but not to end the conservatorship ... it's all about giving her dad his walking papers.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney does not feel trapped in the 13-year-old conservatorship. As one source put it, "She has 99% of the freedom she'd have if she weren't in a conservatorship, and the only thing she's prevented from doing are crazy things, like buying 3 cars at a time [something she tried to do back in the day]."

Our sources say Britney has been free to travel -- she goes to Hawaii fairly often -- and lives her life in L.A. without real restrictions.

We're also told Britney is aware her life was out of control before the conservatorship was put in place, and it created a structure and also replenished her dwindling assets. As one source put it, "She's taken care of and she knows it."

Britney's problem is Jamie. We're told the two don't even speak anymore, and she's been angry at him for a long time over business issues and certain people Jamie embraced on the team ... people Britney doesn't like because she feels they were motivated not by her self-interest but theirs.

We're told Britney wants Jamie out as the co-conservator of her estate, managing her business affairs, and that's what she wants to talk to the judge about. She has no problem with the current conservatorship of her person. As we reported, Jodi Montgomery is now the permanent personal conservator of Britney, and the two get along.

Britney has said she will not perform again as long as Jamie is part of the conservatorship. That said, she's given no indication she wants to go back on stage and, in fact, has said she has other priorities.

Silento insists he has a constitutional right to a reasonable bond in his felony murder case ... insisting he's not a flight risk.

The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper filed legal docs in DeKalb County, GA requesting the court set his bond at $25k. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Silento says he's “not an extraordinary bail risk and will not jeopardize the safety of the community if released on bail.”

He also assures the court that if the judge lets him out he won't flee or go into hiding. He promises to obey all court orders. Silento says denying him bond is not only unjust -- it's unconstitutional.

We'll soon know if the judge agrees with Silento ... a bond hearing's been set for later this month.

As we reported ... the rapper was arrested on February 1 for his alleged role in the death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. Silento was charged with felony murder.

Cops said they found Rooks shot to death in the street on Jan. 21 ... and found 8 bullet casings at the scene. Silento's rep asked for positive thoughts for the rapper ... claiming he's been suffering from various mental health issues for several years.

Paul Phillips, the former lead guitarist for Puddle of Mudd, claims he could have trouble making music and making a living ... due to some shoddy care he allegedly got at a hospital.

Paul is suing Florida's Baptist Medical Center of the Beaches and a couple doctors for medical malpractice ... claiming their treatments left him with a brain injury and serious seizure condition that might affect his ability to rock out.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Paul claims his brain hasn't been the same since he was admitted to the hospital back in November 2019 after complaining about an altered mental status and possible seizure.

Paul, who played in the band from 2001 to 2005 and 2009 to 2011, claims initial tests showed he was suffering from low sodium levels, but he says doctors did a poor job monitoring the situation and gradually bringing the levels back to normal, claiming the levels rose too quickly during his time at the hospital.

In the docs, Paul claims he was discharged from the hospital before being rushed back 3 days later due to a seizure. He says MRI exams on his brain showed brain damage, which he claims was caused by the treatment he received during his prior hospital stay.

Paul, who is being repped by Morgan & Morgan, claims he's still having seizures and other neurological issues, which he says are requiring treatment at the Mayo Clinic. He claims the brain issues will continue indefinitely and says it's hurting his ability to make a living.

Marilyn Manson getting sued for sexual assault has investigators in L.A. planning to reach out to the alleged victim to determine if Manson should also face criminal charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the lawsuit filed by "Game of Thrones" actress Esme Bianco last week against the shock rocker is definitely on the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's radar -- and it could become part of an ongoing criminal probe.

As we reported ... Bianco claims she was drugged, tortured and raped by Manson over a period of time from 2009 to 2011, and her allegations include him cutting her with a "Nazi knife" during sex, without her consent.

Bianco's suing for sexual assault and sexual battery, but her suit didn't say if she reported the alleged abuse to authorities ... but our law enforcement sources say they are going to speak with her now about it.

As we first told you ... cops began digging into abuse allegations against Manson in February following his ex, Evan Rachel Wood, going public with her claims of abuse and manipulation. Up to this point, Manson has not been charged with any crime.

Madonna's just like any regular soccer mom ... attending a game to cheer on her son, accompanied by her boyfriend, who's a lot closer in age to the players on the field than he is to Madge.

The Material Girl and her family hit up the pitch Sunday in Hidden Hills, CA to support her 15-year-old son, David Banda ... and her 27-year-old beau, Ahlamalik Williams, appeared to revel in the role of soccer "parent."

It was a pretty rare public outing for Madonna, but she arrived in style with a black-and-white getup complete with a cowboy hat with a whale on it ... and it looks like they all had a whale of a good time.

At one point David came over to the sideline and shared a hug with Ahlamalik, so it's pretty clear they're cool too.

If ya didn't know ... Madonna began dating the professional dancer -- 35 years her junior -- about 2 years ago, and hasn't been shy about expressing her affection for him.

Just a week ago for his 27th bday, Madonna wrote ... "Happy Birthday My Love...... Thank you for opening my eyes. How can I explain how I feel? Let's get Unconscious........" referring to lyrics in her 1994 hit "Bedtime Story."

Quando Rondo and his entourage were caught in a hail of gunfire at a convenience store in Georgia, and one man in his entourage was wounded.

According to law enforcement sources, the shots rang out around 3:20 AM Sunday in Blackshear, while Quando and his crew were in a parking lot off the highway. Cops believe the shooter opened fire from across the road or from the highway.

Our sources say police aren't aware of any bullets striking Quando, because he was not at the scene when cops responded, but we're told he was in the parking lot before the shooting.

The rapper was traveling with a large entourage, and we're told one man in the group was shot in the hand and got treatment at a local hospital.

It's interesting ... law enforcement says it appears Quando and his crew weren't at the convenience store long before shots rang out, and cops believe they were making a quick stop when the shooting started.

As we reported ... cops say Quando Rondo's crew was involved in a November shootout with King Von's entourage outside an Atlanta nightclub, which left Von dead. One of Quando's crew members was arrested for felony murder.

Nothing says things are getting back to normal in the U.S. like a packed concert in Los Angeles ... where Prince Harry helped drive home the point of the night: ending the worldwide pandemic.

The visual is a little jarring at first -- thousands of people, all fully vaccinated, gathered Sunday night at SoFi Stadium for Global Citizen’s "Vax LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World" charity show. The Duke of Sussex got a huge ovation as he delivered an impassioned speech about everyone working together in this "defining moment" to end wipe out COVID-19.

Harry and Meghan Markle are serving as campaign chairs for Vax Live, and teamed up with some huge musical acts to put on the free charity concert for 47,000. Some of the performers included Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin, H.E.R. and Jennifer Lopez ... who was joined on stage by her fully-vaxxed mom for a loving embrace.

Harry, making his first appearance back in America since Prince Philip's funeral in England -- told the crowd, "Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world."

President Biden also addressed the audience -- via recorded message -- and other special guest speakers included Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn and David Letterman.

Chris Hemsworth threw one helluva soiree down under ... and got his pals like Matt Damon to dress right white for the occasion.

The "Thor" star and wife Elsa Pataky showed off what looked like an incredible shindig Sunday in Australia's hot town of Byron Bay. The star-studded affair was a white-themed party, so everyone showed up in their best duds.

That included Matt, who showed up in a white hoodie and white jeans. Matt's in Australia filming alongside Chris in the new 'Thor' film.

Chris' other famous brother, Liam, was also there ... in tow with his model GF, Gabriella Brooks. Elsa posted video of her and Chris arriving at the party busting moves as they walked into the bash. She captioned the video, "With those dance moves how could I say no! #whiteparty."

The Melbourne folk band The Teskey Brothers provided the night's entertainment.

Chris' other brother, Luke, also showed. Ditto Luke's wife, Samantha and Matt's wife, Luciana Barroso. It should come as no surprise an invite was extended to his personal trainer, Luke Zocchi. Chris' stunt double, Bobby Holland Hanton, also hit up the party.

Billie Eilish might as well be a human butterfly -- because she's undergone a metamorphosis for the cover of British Vogue ... and looks absolutely incredible for the final product.

The pop star shed her green wig and baggy sweaters and swapped them for something a little more skimpy and steamy for the upcoming June issue ... and it's just about the most jaw-dropping thing we've seen in a good while.

BE looks like a pinup model from the '20s and/or '50s -- and yes, there are big-time echoes of Marilyn Monroe here ... at least in our eyes. Indeed, she's achieved bombshell status.

Now, we've seen Billie without the green hair of late and even without the loose clothing too -- but we haven't ever seen her quite like this ... where she's showing off her physique for a magazine shoot. There's something to be said there too, which Billie did in her interview.

She talked about body image issues -- and not necessarily ones she had for her herself ... but ones the media placed on her as she was thrust into the spotlight over these past couple years. Billie posted a quote of hers from the Vogue issue, and she talks about the freak-out that some outlets had when Billie stepped out in anything other than her signature look.

Billie says, "Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore. If I am, then I’m proud." She adds, "Me and all the girls are hoes, and f*** it, y’know? Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin -- or not -- should not take any respect away from you"

In other words ... her message seems to be, do whatever the hell you want, and look however the hell you want, regardless of what others expect. Good advice right there.

Travis Scott touched down in Miami in a brand-spanking-new private jet ... and it's ridiculously big!!!

Travis came back from Nassau, Bahamas where he was celebrating his 29th birthday on a yacht. He goes big by sea and by air!

He apparently got the jet last Xmas, but just looking at it now ... well it's so big it looks like he's flying commercial.

Travis got some goodies for his birthday ... including this humungous Hermes bag!! You can't say he doesn't travel in style.

Now, it's not like it's a competition ... BUT, it looks like Travis' jet might be bigger than Kylie Jenner's, and that's saying something. She reportedly plunked down $72.8 million for her flying machine.

Jack Harlow was feet away from what turned out to be a fatal shooting in Kentucky this weekend -- and TMZ's got video of the moment shots were fired ... and Jack scrambling.

The rapper -- who hails from the Louisville area -- was partying at a place in town called Vibes Restaurant and Ultra Lounge ... which was throwing a shindig in honor of the Kentucky Derby, something Jack himself had attended earlier in the day Friday.

Later that night, he stopped in at Ultra Lounge ... where he was filmed vibing out near the stage. Check out the video though -- it looks like an altercation unfolds with a woman and at least one man ... who then start leaning into each other before falling over in a scuffle.

Right at that moment, you hear what sounds to be a gunshot go off ... and everyone starts making a run for it, including Jack. It doesn't appear he was injured -- but we got calls in to his rep to make sure.

While it's unclear what exactly led up to the violence or who shot ... it sadly ended with someone losing their life. Police have said a woman was found dead from the shooting and a man was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Jennifer Lopez was hanging out with Ben Affleck this week, setting the Internet on fire with proclamations they're back together. Not so, and we have an explanation.

True ... they spent time together, but we're told they're strictly friends. Fact is, they've been friends for a long time following their difficult breakup. There's no such thing as "never," especially in Hollywood, so it's always possible something could be rekindled, but there's no evidence of that now.

J Lo seems to have an M.O. in relationships gone south -- keep it friendly. She's also spent time with both ex-fiance Alex Rodriguez and ex-hubby Marc Anthony since her breakup with A-Rod. Maybe part of it is getting comfort from those she knows, but whatever it is she doesn't drop people like hot potatoes when the romantic thing doesn't work out.

Marc Anthony is a special case, since they share 2 kids. Again, it was a tough breakup but ultimately things got repaired so they could have a civil relationship and co-parent.

What's more, J Lo has maintained business relationships with some of her exes ... notably Marc Anthony and A-Rod.

As you know, J Lo and A-Rod called it quits after 4 years of dating and getting engaged in March 2019. They dodged a bullet ... were it not for the pandemic, they probably would have married.

Diplo's going after an ex-fling in a new lawsuit ... claiming she's dangerously unstable because she won't stop harassing him or his family with explicit and racist messages.

The famous DJ filed docs claiming Shelly Auguste is a "relentless and unstable fan who manipulated herself into" his life years ago, but won't take no for an answer after he rebuffed her.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Diplo claims Auguste's gone to extreme and dangerous lengths to harass him ... like creating fake social media accounts and flooding the DJ and his family with sexually suggestive messages.

Diplo, who says he had a brief consensual relationship with Auguste in 2019 before things went south in 2020, claims she bombarded him with 44 messages that included videos and voice recordings involving Diplo.

What's more ... Diplo claims she also sent sexually explicit photographs and videos of him to his friends and family. He also claims she'd show up unannounced to his house ... and he became so fearful about her erratic behavior he says he was forced to sell his house last month.

As if things couldn't get any worse ... Diplo claims Auguste sent his baby mama racist and disturbing messages earlier this month, saying things like, "ugly dark skin bitch" and "Go kill yourself I know I see right through you you're not gorgeous."

As we first reported ... Diplo got a restraining order against Auguste back in December. At one point, she also got a temporary restraining order against him after making her own allegations of revenge porn, which Diplo denied ... that restraining order was eventually tossed.

He's now suing for stalking, trespassing and distribution of private materials ... or revenge porn. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, tells TMZ ... "As this Complaint makes clear, my client and his family have been harassed, stalked and abused by Ms. Auguste for far too long -- and it’s time for the courts to step in and put an end to her appalling and dangerous behavior."

Esme Bianco -- best known for her role as Ros on "Game of Thrones" -- claims she was drugged, tortured and raped by Marilyn Manson in a bombshell new lawsuit.

According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the actress met the shock rocker in 2005 through his then-fiancee and he expressed interest in casting her in some film projects ... then she says he hit her up again after his divorce in 2007.

Bianco claims this is when he made his first "sexual overtures" toward her by requesting nude photographs, but he played it off as a joke. According to the docs, Manson flew her to L.A. in early 2009, purportedly to film a music vid for his song, "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies" ... and this is when years of abuse began.

The actress claims upon arrival she learned there was no film crew, just Manson, and she was expected to stay with him, be on call 24/7 and wear lingerie as her "costume." She alleges she was given drugs and alcohol and subjected to threats of violence and rape, and according to the docs ... was tied to a prayer kneeler and beaten by Manson with a whip he told her was utilized by the Nazis. She claims Manson also electrocuted her.

Bianco claims she was manipulated into believing this was all part of the music video shoot, and he assured her it was being edited. She says he then visited her in May 2009 in London and they began a sexual relationship, though she claims he was controlling and degrading.

According to the docs ... Bianco claims they kept a long-distance relationship going until 2011, when Manson convinced her to move to L.A. to live with him and promised her film roles. She claims during this time she endured constant abuse, including sleep deprivation, verbal abuse and tantrums if she expressed discomfort over the "violent and sexually graphic films" he allegedly played in his apartment.

She claims Manson once chased her around the home with an ax, and on another occasion "cut Ms. Bianco with a Nazi knife during sex, without her consent, and photographed the cuts on her body." She says he also posted the photos online without her consent.

Bianco says Manson used a pattern of using "drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce sexual acts" from her on multiple occasions, and claims he raped her around May 2011.

She also accused him of sexual battery during her time with him in L.A. in 2011. According to the docs ... "These acts include spanking, biting, cutting, and whipping Ms. Bianco’s buttocks, breasts, and genitals for [Manson's] sexual gratification," and all without her consent.

Bianco's lawsuit does not say if she reported the alleged rape or abuse to police. We've reached out to Manson's camp ... no word back yet.

Jay-Z's 6-year flip of Tidal's streaming service is complete -- he just closed the deal to sell the majority of the company to Square for $350 million ... a pretty good return on his initial investment.

Square, the financial services company owned by Jay's pal, Jack Dorsey, is now firmly in the music streaming biz. Jack had announced back in March that he planned to take Tidal off Jay's hands, but sources familiar tell TMZ they just closed the deal Friday morning.

Remember, Jay-Z launched Tidal back in 2015 for $56 million in a partnership with several artists, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris, Chris Martin and others.

For its $350 mil ... Square gets 80% ownership of Tidal, along with licensing deals with the major record labels and all the artists/owners will remain with the company too.

We're told Jay and Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, who helped broker the deal, will both remain on board to help run Tidal.

Over the last year we've seen Jay and Jack hanging out several times -- sometimes sipping wine together in the Hamptons -- and now we know what they're discussing ... major tycoon stuff.

Jay's made serious bank of his Tidal investment. He'd previously sold 33% of it to Sprint back in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.