Music

Jamie Spears says he wants nothing more than to tie up loose ends and end Britney's conservatorship, but the people put in place on her side are dragging it out, and destroying his reputation in the process.

Spears just filed new docs in L.A. where he says he just wants a simple order ending the conservatorship, but that's been made impossible by what he calls Britney's "temporary conservators" ... whom Jamie says are only trying to continue a media circus.

He says Britney and her team mostly make "statements with no other purpose than to attack Jamie" and are trying to paint him as a "disgraced, suspended conservator."

What's more ... Jamie says he's been more than cooperative in handing over requested documents from the 13 years Britney was in the conservatorship. In fact, he says he's already handed over 58 boxes of docs -- totaling around 478,000 pages.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are finally back from Mexico after celebrating her big 4-0 birthday for nearly a week in Cabo ... and turns out their festivities included a third and fourth party!

Brit and her fiancé's private jet touched down Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, and they had quite the disem-barkment. Yes, the singer was holding one of her dogs, while an assistant carried the other off the plane ... and Sam trailed behind.

We didn't realize Lacey, a Maltese, and Hannah, the Yorkie, were with the couple during the birthday celebration. Good to see Brit kept the whole family together during the vacay.

As we previously reported ... the pop star's dogs were taken away from her briefly during the summer, because her housekeeper believed the pups were being neglected.

Jacqueline Avant's family believes she was awake at home when an intruder shot and killed her, as Clarence was nearby in the couple's bedroom ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell us Clarence was asleep during the break-in last week at their Trousdale Estates home, but his wife was already up just after 2 AM -- as she typically is -- in another room.

We're told she and the suspect unexpectedly came face-to-face ... the family believes they startled each other and that's when he opened fire.

Our sources tell us security was patrolling the front of the house and the suspect appears to have entered from the side yard.

We're told a guard heard a gunshot from inside, raced over and then the suspect fired at him too ... before fleeing the scene.

As we reported ... cops took a man named Aariel Maynor into custody about an hour after the crime, and say he's the guy responsible for killing Jacqueline. They allege he was attempting yet another burglary in the Hollywood Hills, where he apparently shot himself in the foot.

The police say he's the sole perpetrator in the Avant killing, and they also say he used an AR-15 style weapon.

Maynor has since been charged with murder, attempted murder, felony with a firearm as well as 2 counts of residential burglary with a person present ... all in connection to the Avant shooting. We're told he's scheduled to have surgery on his foot Wednesday, so he won't be arraigned until after that.

LaMelo Ball or high-flying Miles Bridges didn't make the most spectacular play of the Hornets game ... that honor belonged to hip-hop star DaBaby, who saved Gordon Hayward from taking a nasty spill!

The North Carolina native was on hand Monday night to take in some NBA action ... as his hometown Hornets battled the 76ers in an Eastern Conference showdown.

It's not uncommon for the "Baby on Baby" rapper to sit courtside at the Hornets game ... he's a big supporter and always puts on for the city of Charlotte.

But, last night he was way more than just a spectator in the crowd.

Hayward attempted to save a ball before it went out of bounds ... and his momentum carried him into the first row of the stands, sending Gordon tumbling into DaBaby's arms.

After helping the hooper get stead on his feet, DaBaby jumped back into fan mode, pumping up Hayward as he returned to the court.

That wasn't the only memorable moment from the Hornets-76ers game ... minutes after Hayward's spill, Kelly Oubre Jr. blew a wide-open layup with the game tied at 119 in overtime.

Despite the blunder, Oubre finished the game with 28 points ... shooting 6-10 from 3-point range.

A substitute teacher in Texas was given the boot after "treating" his students to a karaoke version of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

The sub was "teaching" students at Bowie High School when he dimmed the lights and broke out the karaoke machine which he brought with him from home. He then unleashed a light show and exercised his vocal cords.

It did NOT go well. Honchos at the school gave him the boot, saying he wasn't following "best practices." Unclear whether that meant not singing at all or singing "...Baby One More Time."

Hilarious that the school district noted the teacher was not arrested!!!

Also hilarious ... a school district spokesperson said, "I've heard worse Britney Spears covers, but the lights are a bit much."

Pete Davidson and his pal Machine Gun Kelly are talking about the potential elephant in the room -- namely how they landed smoke show GFs -- and they're doing it in their undies.

The duo stripped down Monday night during a takeover of Calvin Klein's IG live -- Pete's got a deal with CK -- and the buddies, who are famously dating Kim Kardashian and Megan Fox, brought penis jokes aplenty.

While still fully clothed, PD joked he'd have been willing to kiss MGK on cam or even touch penises if CK upped the budget for their appearance -- and then they decided to flash their tightie whiteys.

After dropping trou, Pete checked out MGK's manhood and remarked, "Nice stuff, by the way, I get it now. Good for you. Good for you, dog." Kelly replied, "I would’ve put an extra 2 socks in there and blew the world’s mind."

Pete was more self-deprecating, saying ... "I’m not really a grower or a shower. It’s actually the same small and hard. It’s actually a scientific wonder."

Of course, the buddies are leaning into what everyone's been buzzing about -- how Pete, in particular, has hooked up with not only Kim, but Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, and Kaia Gerber.

Ariana's famously made very flattering comments re: Pete's manhood ... and last night, MGK said Pete's name is now synonymous with BDE. Pete sheepishly said, "That’s insanely embarrassing, but it’s true."

The man cops say is responsible for the shooting death of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of Clarence Avant, has been charged with murder ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County District Attorney's office announced the charges of murder, attempted murder and felon with a firearm as well as two counts of residential burglary with person present against Aariel Maynor Monday, less than a week after Avant was killed.

George Gascón, the D.A. says, “Mrs. Avant was a treasured member of our community. Her generosity and good will touched so many lives.”

TMZ broke the story, Maynor allegedly broke into the family home around 2:30 the morning of December 1. He then shot and killed Jackie and opened fire on a security guard. Both Clarence and the guard were uninjured.

As we reported, Maynor was arrested the night of the murder when he was found in a backyard 6 miles from the Avant home in the process of committing another crime. Somehow, Maynor shot himself in the foot with the same weapon it's believed he used to kill Avant.

Maynor's motive is currently unknown, but it's possible the Avants fell victim to a random attack at their Trousdale Estates home.

Clarence, known as the "Godfather of Black Music" is a music legend, with a career and influence spanning decades. He and Jacqueline were regulars at public outings, and after her death, tributes poured in across the entertainment and political world.

Britney Spears’ big birthday bash is far from over -- although the pop star turned 40 last week, she and Sam Asghari are keeping the party going.

Brit and her fiance were enjoying a Monday morning by their hot tub at the resort where they're staying in Cabo San Lucas.

As you can see in the photos, Mexico agrees with Britney! She's relaxing in a red bikini with shades on ... and Sam, with his super-toned bod, is right by her side.

Last week, the pair hopped on a PJ filled with roses and a special birthday cake, to begin the singer's birthday festivities.

Hey, the 4-Oh is a BIG one, worthy of a LONG celebration!!!

Drake won't be partaking in the upcoming Grammy Awards -- despite being nominated -- because the guy just pulled his submissions ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper has withdrawn his 2 Grammy nominations -- one for Best Rap Album in "Certified Lover Boy" and another for Best Rap Performance in "Way 2 Sexy" -- after having gotten nods about two weeks ago.

A source close to Drake tells us the decision was made by Drake and his management team,  and the Grammys board respected it. Variety was first to report Drake's withdraw.

He's obviously no stranger to the award ceremony -- having racked up multiple wins over the years, including one in 2019 -- but Drake has also publicly noted he isn't a fan of accolades like this ... saying they're virtually meaningless.

He was also one of the first to speak up after The Weeknd was snubbed by the ceremony, saying, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards."

Of course, this move might have more to do with his involvement in Astroworld Fest than his stance on awards -- the guy's been relatively low-key since the tragedy, especially since he's been named in a few of the lawsuits that have surfaced thus far.

Travis Scott doesn't believe he should be tied to litigation when it comes to the tragedy that happened at Astroworld ... which is why he's asking a judge to nix one of the lawsuits against him.

The rapper just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, denying the claims against him by a guy named Jessie Garcia, who's alleging he was in the crowd at the festival. Trav's asking that his suit be dismissed with prejudice ... specifically, as it pertains to TS himself, his company (Jack Enterprises) and his foundation/label (Cactus Jack).

Travis is issuing a "general denial," which is a legal term in civil suits that allows one to submit one blanket response to all the allegations against them.

In other words, Travis is making clear that the deaths and injuries are not his responsibility, and he's asking the judge to toss the suit against him and his entities.

BTW, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is planning to issue a similar response for every civil suit against him -- and trust us, there are many. He might be able to do it in one fell swoop though -- last week, there was a motion filed to combine all 275 cases that have been filed thus far into one "multi-district litigation," which would consolidate many of the suits.

The reason for the ask is because a lot of the claims are eerily similar ... so just for efficiency, they're asking one judge be assigned to the case. The court has yet to rule.

Lil Wayne allegedly pulled an assault rifle on one of his own bodyguards during a dispute at his home, and now police are looking into the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the rapper's guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy's Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm.

We're told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that's when Wayne dramatically escalated things.

We've spoken with a source close to Wayne who strongly denies the incident even happened ... and tell us Wayne doesn't even have a gun.

That's not however, what the guard told cops ... our sources say the guard claimed Lil Wayne pulled out an AR-15 ... and that's when the guard booked it out of the house to the gated community's guard shack, where he called police.

We're told cops went to Weezy's place to get his side of the story, but he was already gone. The guard told police the fight started with Wayne accusing him of taking photos and leaking them to the media.

Other law enforcement sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... cops have issues with the guard's story, and they say he did not have any marks on his body or injuries from the alleged physical confrontation.

We're told the guard also does not want to press charges against Wayne -- and while police have doubts about some of the allegations, they will nevertheless investigate.

DaBaby is putting his Sin City battery case behind him -- we've learned the charges against him have been dismissed.

According to online court records, the misdemeanor battery charge was dismissed with prejudice ... meaning the case is over and done, and can't be refiled.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... the charges were dismissed because DaBaby satisfied everything prosecutors asked him to do in order to resolve the case, including paying the alleged victim $7,500 and staying out of trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... a driver in Las Vegas came forward with allegations against DaBaby back in February, claiming the rapper attacked him during a ride in November 2020. DaBaby's camp described the allegations at the time as a "money grab."

DaBaby's attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ ... the rapper denied the allegations and was prepared to fight the case in court.

The calls for Justin Bieber to scrap his Saudi Arabia performance appear to have fallen on deaf ears -- because the guy just went through with it ... this despite mounting criticism.

Bieber just hit the stage Sunday all the way over at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in SA, where the F1 Grand Prix is taking place ... and where he was scheduled to headline among a slate of other performers, with his name by far being the biggest.

Sources tell us JB was hired by F1 to do the event, but he wasn't the only act to perform ... David Guetta, Tiesto and A$AP Rocky all had shows -- and Lewis Hamilton won the race.

JB seemed pretty pumped for the performance ... with videos of him backstage surfacing online. Looks like he was shaking off some pre-show jitters, as you can hear the roar of the crowd just beyond the curtain.

Eventually, he made his way out to adoring fans, pointing at them for the grand entrance ... with at least one cameraman in tow. He was rocking a red outfit, apparently a jersey of some sort.

After that, he ran through a number of his songs ... including "Deserve You," "Somebody," "Hold On" and more. Unclear how long his set ran -- but it's pretty obvious the spectators were satisfied with the performance ... as Bieber seemed to give it everything he had.

BTW, he doesn't appear to have taken this long trip solo -- there's video of him and his wife, Hailey, moseying around on Saturday ... a day before showtime. Hailey was masked up and wearing a hat, seemingly trying to go incognito ... while JB just bared his face in full.

Of course, Justin's decision to carry on with the gig is disheartening to many -- especially those who were actively campaigning for him to nix the whole thing altogether ... including the widowed fiancee of one Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote an open letter for him to reconsider.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are, indeed, legitimate love birds -- something that's called into question via a leaked magazine story, which suggests the exact opposite.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... KJ and TS are 100% together at the moment -- meaning they're romantically involved and, presumably, exclusive too. Not just that, but we're told they were a full-blown couple when this whole profile was coming together for W Mag.

The article/accompanying shoot seems to have been whipped up in early November.

Their relationship, as described to us now, is characterized quite differently in the latest issue of W -- for which Kylie and Travis were supposed to share the cover in a big feature story and photo spread ... but was scrapped in the wake of the Astroworld Fest tragedy.

W Mag scrambled to yank hard copy issues that had been mailed out -- but, clearly, some of them made their way to people's homes. TMZ obtained a copy, including the content inside -- and the author claims Kylie and Travis aren't actually together as a traditional couple.

The author writes, "Travis and Kylie seemed very comfortable under the sheets, but even though they will soon have two children together -- their daughter, Stormi, is 3 -- they are not a couple, and haven't been in two years. They're the modern family!"

W goes on to say Kylie seems to be following in the footsteps of her sisters, some of whom had kids with men ... without necessarily ever marrying them.

Like we said, the way W chronicles their relationship is pure speculation -- per our sources -- and you can tell as much because neither Kylie nor Travis is ever quoted directly about defining it or framing it. The writer just states it as fact, which is incorrect.

Cardi B partied at the Maxim Saturday night in Miami at Art Basel.

She started her night pouring Whipshots at the Good Time Hotel then hit up the SLS hotel in Miami Beach for the Maxim Art Basel Party. She showed off some serious Cardi moves ... as the crowd clapped and cheered.

She made the rounds ... several parties in town were rocked by CB. And here's the thing ... unlike so many celebs who tend to just hang with each other, Cardi loves interacting with everyone ... you see from the video, she just loves the company of everyone. A refreshing change.

At the Maxim party, she was there with Offset, just kinda hangin' with him and drinking Dano's Tequila. Teyana Taylor and Karrueche Tran were also there. Best part is when Cardi and Offset leave ... she just started busting a move as she headed for their car.

There is also a video of Cardi and Offset arriving at a club in Miami and Cardi appearing to tell the bouncers to let the black women in.

Cardi's had a big week ... Playboy just announced she'll be its first Creative Director in Residence ... which she calls "a dream come true."

Daymond John told us on "TMZ Live" Friday this was a super brilliant move for Playboy to become relevant again.

Billie Eilish knows this lesson all too well ... you want to make your fans happy, but there's a line they can't cross.

Billie arrived at JFK Airport in New York Saturday, and some overzealous fans got way too close and frenetic. Her 2 bodyguards had to stave them away ... as the singer traversed her way through the terminal.

Billy's only 19, so the drill isn't old hat ... it's really a dance. When do the bodyguards step in and when do they leave fans to interact?

There were other forms of protection as well, in the form of face masks ... something folks are required to wear in airports ... btw, with the new variant, masks aren't going away any time soon.

Billie's definitely got protection issues ... she's gone to court for a protective order against a man she claims has been harassing her and is potentially dangerous. She claims the guy has been lurking at her L.A. home and bombarding her with threatening letters.

According to the docs, Billie says she got a note from the man saying ... "You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me ... You will know that soon the water will rise, and you might very well die ... You will die."