Music

MLB superstar Mookie Betts is officially a married man -- the Dodgers slugger tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Brianna Hammonds, at an oceanside wedding in California on Wednesday ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!!

The ceremony in Rancho Palos Verdes looked amazing -- with 29-year-old Betts rocking a green suit and Brianna in a stunning white dress.

Betts' Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, and teammates Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Joe Kelly, Kenley Jansen and more came through for the monumental moment ... as well as rapper Nelly and Heisman winner Eddie George.

The reception looked like a blast -- with all the players and their WAGs partying it up all night.

Taylor also had more to celebrate -- he just inked a 4-year, $60 million deal this week!!

As we previously reported, Betts and Hammonds got engaged in January 2021 after 15 years of dating. They have a baby girl, Kynlee, together.

Betts -- a 2-time World Series champ -- already had two rings ... and now he's gotta do some rearranging for number three!!

Diddy is swooping in to try to save his namesake brand ... and he's got grand plans to breathe life back into Sean John.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the music and fashion mogul's company recently bid $3.3 million to buy the clothing line's assets out of bankruptcy.

Diddy founded the fashion and lifestyle brand way back in 1998, but as it stands now, the brand management firm, GBG USA Inc., which owns 90% of Sean John, is currently in bankruptcy.

The company has reportedly been looking for someone to come in and buy the brand since May ... and now Diddy is stepping up and looking to be the winning bidder.

Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... he is very excited about the prospect of reacquiring Sean John and if successful, he plans to reinvigorate the brand.

Britney Spears got a jump on her big 4-0 ... courtesy of her fiance.

Brit and Sam Asghari boarded a private jet for parts unknown ... and the celebration got underway even before they fastened their seatbelts.

The plane was adorned with bouquets of roses, but that was just the beginning. There was a pretty incredible birthday cake ... white meringue if you want to know. Her reaction was, "Oh my God!' as he sang happy birthday. There were birthday cards and when they landed there was a big smooch for their big exit.

It was all followed by fireworks ... and if you look closely you see 2 lounge chairs, so it seems they're at some sort of beach resort. Britney's go-to is Maui, so that would be an excellent guess.

Sam posted this ... "I call you Lioness because I admire your relentless strength, I'm inspired by your beautiful heart, I celebrate your smile that lights up my world ❤️ Everyday is your birthday my queen 👑 Happy 1st birthday to my wife."

It's interesting he referred to her as his "wife" ... don't read too much into it. He's said this before. There are things that have to happen before they tie the knot ... like a prenup.

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know who Drake is?!?

The last two people who don't might've ended up courtside next to the megastar at the OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game on Wednesday ... and the interaction is priceless!!!

The "Certified Lover Boy" was sitting in the front row as the Rockets were set to take the court in OKC ... and when cameras started showing Drizzy at his seat, the old guy sitting next to him seemed to ask if he was someone of importance.

Drake was clearly amused by whatever was said -- he starts cracking up and calls for the camera to focus on his new friend ... as Rumble, OKC's mascot, comes over to join in on the fun.

After the interaction, Drake and his new friends even posed for a selfie ... captioning it, "My new parents."

BTW -- Drake was at the game to support fellow Toronto guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ... who chatted it up with him after scoring 39 points in the 114-110 loss.

Wrestling star Cody Rhodes got a HUGE assist from T-Pain during his AEW match Wednesday -- getting a steel chair from the artist that he used to smash his opponent with!!

The wild scene all went down during Rhodes' insane "Dynamite" match with Andrade ... when Rhodes spotted Pain in the Atlanta crowd.

Rhodes -- who's buddies with the "Buy U A Drank" crooner -- went over to embrace the musical genius mid-match ... and that's when Pain handed over his steel chair to help him get an edge on Andrade.

Rhodes took the ringside furniture and proceeded to whack his opponent in the back with it -- causing Andrade to wince in pain.

Of course, it was all legal as the two wrestlers were fighting under "street" rules -- but the craziest thing is the whole interaction wasn't even the highlight of the match!!

Cody's wife, Brandi Rhodes, later entered the ring and poured gasoline on a table that had been set up ... and then lit it on fire.

Rhodes then hit Andrade with a sick reverse DDT through the flaming table ... sending the raucous crowd into a frenzy.

Neighbors of Clarence and Jacqueline Avant have been alarmed by the crime wave in Beverly Hills and L.A. ... so much so they hired armed guards before Wednesday's fatal home invasion.

Residents in Trousdale Estate tell us just last week a bunch of neighbors got together and hired a private security firm. Law enforcement tells us there has been a spike in home and vehicle burglaries in Trousdale ... and it's got residents scared stiff.

Our source tells us the neighbors pooled cash and hired the security company ... problem is, the guards hadn't started patrols yet.

Some residents are so concerned after Wednesday's home invasion ... they've individually hired armed guards. And, on top of that, sources at the Beverly Hills PD tell us they will be measurably increasing patrols in the area. The PD has also hired a private security company to make sure the area is adequately covered.

Our BHPD sources tell us as far as they can see there is no connection to the smash-and-grab robberies in Beverly Hills and L.A. Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue were both hit recently in Bev Hills.

TMZ broke the story, Avant was killed in her home early Wednesday morning. We know at least one suspect made their way into the home where Jackie was shot in the stomach ... she was awake and alert when paramedics arrived, but later died at the hospital.

T.I. and Isaac Hayes III might have helped to end Felicia Moore's shot at being Atlanta's next mayor by spreading fake news about her and strip clubs ... at least according to the candidate herself.

Moore, who just lost ATL's runoff race against Andre Dickens, tells TMZ ... T.I. and Hayes have been spreading "lies" about her and her proposed policies, which likely helped to tip the scales against her in the final days leading up to election day. Now, she's calling them out over it and thinks others should too.

The misinformation Moore thinks they spread is a made-up smear against her based on an article they screen-grabbed and reposted -- its headline read, "Woman Running for Atlanta Mayor Promises to CLOSE ALL STRIP CLUBS!!!"

Neither Tip nor Hayes -- son of late, great soul singer Isaac Hayes -- attached the OG source, but the story can be easily found with a search.

The article posted an out-of-context clip of Moore from years ago -- talking about special use permits for certain businesses -- which had nothing to do with strip clubs.

Instead, it was about recording studios -- Moore says she never mentioned strip clubs during the campaign, and thinks T.I. was well aware of that when he showcased the bogus headline. She says the rapper's been outspoken against her, so she sees this as just another attempt to make her look bad.

Chicago born artist Skee-Lo (real name Antoine Roundtree) was only 20 years old when his height-based single "I Wish" became the summer jam of 1995 and even landed at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 ... and opened the door for his debut album to be released later the same year.

Along with the '64 Impala and aspiring basketball skills song -- which even got a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance ... Skee-Lo's "I Wish" album also included the second single "Top Of The Stairs."

Skee-Lo continued to make music and created two more albums ... but never had the same commercial success as his wishful first release.

The Pussycat Doll is taking the stage for the first time on "The Masked Singer" ... Nicole Scherzinger is getting out from behind her judge's table and grabbing the mic.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Nicole will perform on the FOX singing competition show after 6 seasons of fans begging to see her show off her pipes.

It sounds like this will be a duet ... we're told Nicole will join the stage with the Queen of Hearts.

While the performance is a long time coming, our sources say it wasn't exactly easy to pull off.

We're told Nicole wanted to make her debut extra special -- ya can't blame her after 6 seasons sitting back and judging everyone else -- so she had 3 outfits to pick from and did 3 wardrobe changes during rehearsals, asking production to rehearse the song 3 times before settling on her look.

Clarence Avant, a legendary music exec who was just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a tragedy at home Tuesday night ... a home invasion where his wife of 54 years -- Jacqueline Avant -- was shot and killed ... TMZ has learned.

It happened in the Trousdale Estates ... a high-end area neighboring Beverly Hills. Law enforcement tells TMZ, Beverly Hills PD got a call at 2:30 AM for a home invasion. The caller told the dispatcher someone had been shot. By the time they arrived, Jackie had already been rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A family source tells us the people who broke into the house fired shots and hit Jackie. Clarence was home at the time. We do not know if he was hurt.

Jackie and Clarence's daughter is Nicole Avant, who is married to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.

Clarence is known as the Godfather of Black Music. He's been regularly celebrated by the likes of Jay-Z and Diddy, L.A. Reid and Babyface. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in October.

Jackie served as the President of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group that focused on child care. She was also on the Board of Directors of UCLA's International Student Center.

Jacqueline was 81.

RIP

Kenny G says he's not sweating the heavy criticism in a new documentary about his music career ... because he knows some real jazz legends are in his corner.

The famous saxophonist joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about his reaction to the new HBO doc, "Listening To Kenny G," which is not always flattering.

Kenny says the director actually warned him about the first 12 minutes because they were anything but kind ... but he says he can roll with the punches because he's been hearing the same critiques for years -- that he's not a great saxophonist and just puts out a bunch of records -- and he's confident in his body of work and almost numb to the noise.

This also helps ... Kenny says he's comforted by the fact folks like Miles Davis enjoy his art, and those opinions definitely outweigh anything coming out of a critics' mouth.

Kenny also takes us back to the time he famously helped Kanye West with a surprise Valentine's Day gift for Kim Kardashian, when the estranged couple was still going strong.

He's not wading into their divorce, except to say they are some of the nicest celebrities he's ever been around.

Travis Scott offered to pay for burial costs for the deceased of Astroworld Fest -- but more families of those who died are giving him the cold shoulder ... turning down his cash.

TMZ has spoken to attorneys repping the families of 14-year-old John Hilgert and 27-year-old Danish Baig -- both of whom perished during the event. In each of their cases ... the families have opted to snub TS, with one family suggesting it's a slap in the face.

Attorney Michael Lyons -- who's representing Baig's family in a civil lawsuit against Travis and others -- tells us ... "We received a written offer from Travis Scott's attorney Dan Petrocelli indicating that he would pay $7,500 in funeral burial costs and my clients are rejecting that."

As for why ... Lyons says the Baig family wants Travis nowhere near their son's burial, adding ... "[Y]ou can infer that when a parent has to bury their child that they're not really interested in people who may have contributed to that being involved."

Ditto for the Mithoff law firm, which is representing Hilgert's family in a similar lawsuit against Travis -- although, they didn't explain why they're rejecting the offer -- only saying they turned it down. No word on whether it was also in the amount of $7,500.

Speaking of these lawsuits, we asked Lyons what he and the family hope to gain going forward (besides damages) -- and he tells us his clients are hopeful for legislative reform so that this can never happen again.

As we reported ... the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount also rejected Travis' offer for burial costs. While it's unclear if any family has taken him up on the offer -- we wouldn't be surprised if all of them forgo his dough.

Tupac Shakur's right-hand man/bodyguard has a treasure trove of Pac-related gems that are seeing the light of day for the first time ... and are expected to fetch a pretty penny.

The late rapper's ex-bodyguard, Frank Alexander -- who has also since died -- once had a computer hard drive in his possession that's said to contain an unspoken amount of content covering all things Tupac ... including unseen photos, unheard music and legal docs giving new insight into his life.

The 83 GB drive -- which is being auctioned off by GottaHaveRockandRoll.com starting Wednesday -- will have an opening bid of $10,000 ... but we're told by people in the know that auction heads think someone will throw down way more for it -- about $600k or beyond.

Why's this thing so dang valuable, you may ask??? It's pretty simple actually ... especially when you get a gander at what's inside.

Among the digital files ... a sea of pics showing Pac and his pals behind the scenes, either hanging out and/or working on music and other projects.

Not just that, but we're told there's also a plethora of legal docs that pertained to Tupac that Frank owned ... such as depositions he gave, lawsuits he was named in, among other paperwork. Bottom line ... it's a very valuable collector's item for any hardcore fan.

Britney Spears made a pit stop during a cruise around Los Angeles ... stopping at a gas station and using the restroom.

Britney was tooling around town in her white Mercedes-Benz when, apparently, nature called ... and she went inside the Shell station to grab the bathroom key.

As you can see, Britney's not wearing her engagement ring from fiance Sam Asghari ... instead, there appears to be a different band on her ring finger.

Britney also seemed to take her iPhone with her into the bathroom ... who among us can't help but scroll around while sitting on the toilet.

It feels like Britney's been driving more and more ever since her conservatorship ended after 13 years ... and she's definitely going out in public more than before.

Aaron Carter thinks his family is actively working to place him under a conservatorship ... and he claims they've been going behind his back and talking to his now-ex to do so.

Aaron tells TMZ ... he was FaceTiming with his friend Monday and was told his fiancee Melanie Martin regularly communicates with his twin sister, Angel Conrad, a revelation that felt like betrayal.

Remember, Aaron is estranged from his family -- in 2019 Angel got a restraining order against him after claiming he threatened to send hitmen to her door -- and he tells us Melanie knew he did not want her talking to his fam.

Aaron and Melanie have an on-again-off-again relationship, and every time they broke up he claims his family would reach out to her and see if she was OK ... but he thinks they weren't being nice, there were ulterior motives.

The way Aaron sees it ... his family is trying to gain an ally in Melanie as part of a plan to get a conservatorship over him, using her to gather information for the case.

However, Melanie tells TMZ .. she doesn’t believe his family is trying to get a conservatorship and they never grilled her on info.

Aaron says he confronted Melanie after Monday's FaceTime and claims she denied talking to his family initially, but then admitted it was true and copped to communicating with them.

Sources close to Aaron's brother, Nick Carter, tell TMZ … Nick and his wife, Lauren, have no part in wanting to put Aaron under a conservatorship, and they haven't talked to Melanie because they have no relationship with Aaron or Melanie.

We're told people close to Nick see this as another way of Aaron trying to bring Nick and his family down.

As we reported ... Aaron and Melanie split early Tuesday morning, only one week after the birth of their son.

Aaron says Melanie wouldn't tell him what she's been talking to his family about ... and that's why he decided to end their relationship. With a newborn baby, Aaron says the timing of the split is unfortunate ... but he says it's his life and he feels like he's being taken advantage of.

Sorry, Chase Claypool ... there will be NO dancing at practice anytime soon ... so says teammate Cam Heyward, who's adamant music is the last thing Pittsburgh needs to get back to their winning ways.

CC made the interesting suggestion after the Steelers got blown out by the Cincinnati Bengals, 41-10 ... telling reporters having tunes blaring would help Pittsburgh practice better.

"We have music in the warm-ups and that, so it's fun," Claypool said Monday. "People are dancing, having fun. So, I think maybe music would make practice more fun and a little more up-tempo."

And, what's Heyward think of that idea??

"I hope he was kidding," he told Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on Tuesday, "Because as soon as he said it, I was literally about to rip the speaker out."

"That is not what we need right now. It’s Xs and Os and it’s execution."

Of course, it's bad news for currently injured receiver and TikTok star JuJu Smith-Schuster, who absolutely LOVES to dance.

Heyward says he hopes Claypool was joking ... and when the guys on the show made it clear the guy was serious, the All-Pro defensive end brought the young star back to reality.