Music

Dave Grohl just took up an awesome challenge from a drumming prodigy who's only 10 -- and he also put the ball back in her court ... which means there's more rockin' to come.

The Foo Fighters founder was called out by 10-year-old Nandi Bushell -- who's a bit of a percussion sensation across the pond. She did a cover of FF's "Everlong," taking care of Dave's drum section with incredible precision and flair. She then kicked it over to him.

Welp, Dave saw the challenge ... and picked up the baton. He did the same song digitally on his end with an assist from his daughter's drum set ... it's hard to say who won. Obviously, Dave's the OG and is just about flawless, but Nandi certainly held her own.

Anyway, the challenge didn't end there -- Dave dared her to try an older track he did with a supergroup he formed in 2009 called Them Crooked Vultures, featuring Josh Homme on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass and Dave, obviously, on drums.

Kanye West's looking to expand his empire in the Cowboy State ... so his family's horsies have more room to roam.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the rapper and presidential candidate has visited the Double Doc Ranch in Cody, Wyoming and expressed interest in buying the property.

The ranch -- which serves as a horse boarding, breeding, training, lessons and events facility -- is already home to 3 of the West fam's horses.

Back in June ... Kim Kardashian said they had 14 Friesian horses on their ranch while introducing her followers to North's new one. We're told the rest of their horses will be moving to Double Doc soon as well.

The 76-acre horse ranch was on the market up until a few months ago for $3.39 million, but it doesn't seem it's been sold yet. It's still listed under the longtime owners on the property records.

If Kanye does buy it, it will be his 3rd ranch purchase near Cody in the past year. As you'll recall ... he dropped $14 million on The Monster Lake Ranch in September 2019, then as we first told you, paid another $14 million in November for a property called the Bighorn Mountain Ranch.

Ye recently got approval to build a 52,000 sq. ft. mega-mansion on the lakeside ranch ... so all signs point to Wyoming being the place he calls home, home on the range for a long time.

Josh Groban can breathe a sigh of relief for the next 5 years ... 'cause that's how long his restraining order against an obsessed fan will last.

The actor/singer had previously gotten a temporary restraining order, but according to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge has now granted him a permanent order against an obsessive female fan named Shawna Marie Laing. The restraining order will last until August 27, 2025.

TMZ broke the story ... Groban beelined it to court back in June to get a restraining order against Laing, who had allegedly been sexually harassing and threatening the singer since he canceled a date with her nearly a decade ago.

As we reported ... Laing was allegedly drowning him with texts, emails and direct messages since 2011. He also claimed she contacted his family members and his current girlfriend in recent years.

Groban says some of the messages -- as recent as May -- were very sexual and graphic in nature, including one that read ... "I came at approximately 7:09 PM this evening with the thought of your d*** between my t*** and your warmness against my ribcage." That was just the tip of the iceberg.

A British street singer made an elderly woman's day by crooning an oldie but goodie by none other than The King -- and both of their performances are an absolute treat to watch.

The guy's name is Jason Allan -- an independent artist and judge on BBC One's "All Together Now" -- and he busks throughout different parts of England in his spare time. Recently, he ran into an older fan, a woman named Daphne, who had a very special request.

She wanted to hear Elvis, so Jason obliged and covered one of Elvis' most famous songs, "Can't Help Falling in Love." You gotta watch the rest yourself ... seriously.

For starters, Jason's singing puts Daphne into a trance -- she starts swaying and dancing right then and there ... no shame to her game. You can tell it was a hit in her time, and hearing it again probably made her feel like a young lady all over again. It's just awesome.

Now for Jason, who's a helluva singer. The guy knows all the lyrics down to a T ... and his voice is incredible. Everything he sings/covers is pretty good frankly, but this one just hits special ... especially with how he interacts with Daphne.

Part of the clip went viral online, so Jason threw up the full thing -- thank God -- and he's quite grateful for the support. He writes, "This video is currently at 7.2 million views on TikTok and I’m overwhelmed at how such a simple video can be loved and shared by so many people!" He says he's trying to find his muse too, adding ... "Mark my words I’m trying my best to find Daphne and let her know how much joy she has spread around the world."

Welp, it's finally over for Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez -- they will not be buying the NY Mets.

The couple was in a serious battle with hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen to buy the team from the Wilpon family, but they officially dropped out of the running Friday night.

"Alex and I are so disappointed," Lopez said in a statement.

"We worked so hard the past 6 months with the dream of becoming the first minority couple and the first woman owner to buy her father’s favorite Major League Baseball team with her own hard-earned money. We still haven’t given up!!"

J Lo and A-Rod had put together an ownership group which included sports drink billionaire Mike Repole and NFL stars Travis Kelce and DeMarco Murray.

The group issued a statement saying, "The consortium led by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez has informed the Mets that they are no longer pursuing the acquisition of the team."

"The consortium said that they are disappointed to not be part of the revitalization of New York City and provide an exhilarating experience for the fans and wish the Wilpon family and the entire Mets organization well."

J-Rod had just toured Citi Field earlier this month -- and just this week, Jennifer went on Barstool Sports' "The Corp" podcast and talked about how special it would be to have a woman as an MLB owner.

Steve Cohen has now reportedly entered "exclusive negotiations" to buy the team and should have it all wrapped up in the next few days.

The final price is expected to be somewhere north of $2.6 billion.

Leonard Cohen's legendary song "Hallelujah" was not approved to be used at the Republican National Convention -- though it was, twice -- and now the late singer-songwriter's team is speaking out ... and threatening legal action.

Reps for both Cohen's estate and the publishing company say they rejected requests by the GOP to play or perform his song at the RNC, but President Trump's party ignored this and did it anyway.

Cohen estate’s lawyer, Michelle L. Rice, says they were surprised and dismayed the song was used at the RNC despite their declination, and described the move as a "brazen attempt to politicize and exploit" one of his most famous songs.

Rice also got a dig in at Trump, adding ... "Had the RNC requested another song, 'You Want it Darker,' for which Leonard won a posthumous Grammy in 2017, we might have considered approval of that song." She says the estate is now exploring legal options.

Likewise, Cohen's publishing company, Sony/ATV Music, also claims it was contacted about using "Hallelujah" on the eve of the RNC's final night, and said no, but they were ignored.

ICYMI ... a version of "Hallelujah" by Tori Kelly was played during the fireworks following Trump's Thursday night speech, and was then performed live in an operatic rendition by Christopher Macchio.

Remember, it was earlier this month when Neil Young sued the Trump campaign for using his songs "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Devil's Sidewalk" before rallies, after previously warning him not to.

Justin and Hailey Bieber are land barons in L.A., with multiple, multi-million dollar mansions in the same city ... and the latest is a major upgrade.

The singer and his model wife just dropped a whopping $25.8 million on a massive home in the rich and star-studded Beverly Park, an insanely exclusive Beverly Hills gated community ... where they'll live right across the street from Magic Johnson.

The 11,000-sq. ft. mansion comes with 7 bedrooms and TEN bathrooms, sitting on a 2.5-acre estate up high in the Bev Hills mountains.

Among the highlights -- besides the obvious -- checkerboard stone floor in the foyer, a chef's kitchen, a library that opens up to a garden, a master suite with its own patio, a home gym, a movie theater, an outdoor fireplace, and infinity-edged swimming pool, a koi pond ... and a full-size tennis court.

Along with Magic ... some of their other new neighbors include Sofia Vergara, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Rod Stewart and Denzel Washington.

The Biebers still own a 6,132-square-foot, 5-bed, 7-bath Beverly Hills property they bought in 2018 for $8.5 million. However, like we first told you, they were quickly looking for a new place in L.A. to plant roots ... and Justin casually posted about selling it in October.

New mom Katy Perry's got sushi-on-the-brain now, but she effectively booted it from her diet during her pregnancy by adding a few new faves to her takeout orders.

KP called on the good folks at Postmates 25 times while she was carrying Daisy Dove and almost half of those orders included some sort of salad. Baby needed her greens, and got plenty.

Postmates is dropping the deets on Katy's orders for its blog series The Receipt ... and we got a preview, which was glaring for what it did NOT include. Her soft spot for sushi is no secret -- in fact, the delivery app says she ordered a massive sushi meal from Katsuya in Hollywood months before the big announcement.

However, she quit sushi cold turkey in March when she announced she was pregnant. Y'know, the whole risk of mercury and bacteria makes it a major no-no for the expectant mother.

Katy didn't just ease up on raw fish, she also swapped out coffee. King's Road Cafe lattes are her most ordered item, but she had a newfound love for strawberry banana smoothies during pregnancy.

As for her sweet-tooth cravings -- Katy's top urge was for Pinkberry. Her go-to frozen yogurt -- a small original with two servings of Fruity Pebbles and Milk Chocolate Crunch. Yum!!!

Make no mistake, though -- now that Katy and Orlando's little girl is here, Mama's already said she's got her heart set on ... "All of the sashimi!!!"

Jennifer Lopez says owning the NY Mets would not only be "amazing" for her ... but extremely beneficial for MLB to have a strong woman in a position of power.

Both J.Lo and Alex Rodriguez have been laser-focused on trying to buy the team from the Wilpon family -- raising millions of dollars from high profile investors in the hopes of closing a deal.

Jen's main competition is from Wall Street titan Steve Cohen -- who reportedly made a $2.6 billion bid ... though word on the street is the Wilpons would rather sell to J-Rod's group if they can get close to that number.

Jennifer appeared on Barstool Sports' "The Corp" podcast -- where she was asked about the latest developments with the ownership pursuit.

"Listen, in this day and age, that would be something that would be so amazing," Lopez said.

"We don’t, I don’t have anything to report on that end right now. But, I think in every field, especially in institutions like Major League Baseball that are so American in this moment in time, it is important for diversity and it is important for women to have positions of power that they’ve earned and deserve and can contribute in a way that is just as good as any man on the planet."

She adds, "So of course I am for it."

There are currently zero women listed as a principal owner of a Major League Baseball franchise.

Also, Lopez wouldn't just be a silent partner -- she has a reputation as a savvy self-made businesswoman who's made a fortune over the years ... and she's not afraid to speak her mind.

So far, a bunch of NBA and NFL stars have joined the J-Rod investment group including Travis Kelce, DeMarco Murray and Brian Urlacher.

R. Kelly got a taste of jailhouse justice -- a frustrated inmate went on the attack and jumped Kelly in his cell ... TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources with direct knowledge tell us the incident recently went down inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago where Kelly was sitting on his bed when another inmate walked in his cell and started punching the crap out of Kelly.

Our sources say the inmate went on the attack because he was angry about the detention facility being placed on lock down a couple of times largely due to Kelly protesters outside the jail.

We're told the fight didn't last long, and it's unclear if another inmate or guards broke it up. Our sources say Kelly was examined by a doctor, who determined the singer was okay ... no broken bones or serious injuries.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau Of Prisons tells TMZ ... it cannot comment on an individual inmate's conditions of confinement or medical status due to privacy and safety reasons. We also reached out to Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, for comment but he declined to discuss the incident and said Kelly's been a model inmate.

The 11th time was not a charm for Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon ... his request for parole was once again rejected.

The infamous killer had another interview with the Board of Parole last week in New York, and just like his 10 previous attempts ... the Board was unmoved.

Chapman will now have to wait 2 years before he can get another hearing with the Board ... he's scheduled to appear again in August 2022.

He was last denied parole in 2018 because the Board determined his release would be "incompatible with the welfare and safety of society."

He was given nearly the same reason in 2016 and 2014, but his requests to get out of prison date back to 2000. There was no explanation this time around .. at least, so far.

Lennon was shot and killed by Chapman on December 8, 1980, as he was walking into The Dakota by Central Park, where he lived. Earlier in the evening, Lennon had signed a book for Chapman.

The words of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion came head-to-head with the word of the Lord on a city sidewalk -- and it sounds like the former might've beaten out the good book.

Check out this video of an older guy reading aloud from the Bible on a sidewalk, not too far from a masked young woman also reading from her phone, rattling off lyrics to "WAP." Try as he did, the gent got drowned out by the tune ... then again, the camera's further from him.

It's a funny scene though -- and a testament that blindly preaching to kids these days isn't a good way to reach 'em. Maybe reciting lyrics to Justin Bieber's "Baby" would've been more effective.

Speaking of, if you're wondering what sparked this ... it was a pro-choice rally that clashed with anti-abortion demonstrators, which seems to have gone on for at least 2 days. Both groups had signs touting their beliefs and were keeping a somewhat respectful distance away from each other. But, one secret weapon the young crowd had with them that the holy group didn't ... condoms!

Kanye West is pulling out all the stops to get on the ballot in a crucial swing state that he sorta needs to have half a chance at this thing ... and it's home to the Grand Canyon!

Sources tell TMZ ... Ye and his campaign are doing a full blitz to get his name in front Arizona voters' eyes come November, and a big part of that will lie in what KW and co. are willing to spend to get it done. Brace yourself ... we hear they'll drop half a mil if needed.

The devil's in the details ... we're told the 3rd-party petitioning group Ye has hired to gather signatures, Let the Voters Decide, is sending upwards of 100 people into the Copper State over the next week to try and gather 37,769 names ... the required number to get in.

Our sources say petitioners on the ground are getting paid $8 for every signature collected, so if you do the math ... that adds up quick. Ye's got money to blow though, obviously. Fact is ... Kanye needs Arizona considering he's been booted off nearly as many ballots he's on.

If you've been keeping counts ... Ye has qualified to appear on November ballots in eight states thus far, and he's been nixed from seven others. Arizona's a major swing state, so he's gotta lock this down if he seriously wants to contend. He's almost breaking even here.

New York rapper Mims (real name Shawn Maurice Mims) is best known for dropping the earworm single "This Is Why I'm Hot" in 2006 ... but it wasn't until the spring of 2007 that Mims became a household name after the rap jam caught fire and went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts and opened the door for his debut album Music Is My Savior which included the songs "Like This" and "Just Like That."

Mims has switched from the music business into the tech industry and now puts his creative energy into apps.

Kanye West took advantage of a tech company to advance his Yeezy brand and launch his popular Sunday Service, then left them high and dry ... according to a new suit.

MyChannel, Inc. says it's a black-owned business specializing in video and e-commerce technology. The company claims it linked up with Kanye in Spring 2018 to help Ye maximize revenues for his Yeezy merchandise.

MYC -- repped by attorneys Ben Meiselas and Michael Popok -- alleges Kanye got the company to work around the clock for him for 6 months based on a series of business promises -- including a future $10 MILLION investment -- and estimates it put in 10,000 man-hours and invested $7 mil of its own into the Yeezy project.

According to the suit ... MYC even moved its headquarters -- once to Calabasas and once to Chicago -- all to please Kanye and make the partnership work.

However, after the 6 months, MYC claims it became clear Kanye had no intention of following through on his promises and he cut ties ... but not before allegedly jacking its technology for his newly-launched Sunday Service.

The company alleges Kanye's promises of a partnership were just an effort to fuel his Yeezy brand and steal confidential tech to make millions on Sunday Service ... so now they're suing him over it.

Joey Fatone says it's game if 'NSYNC and Backstreet Boys ever square off in a battle of the boy bands ... and he thinks it wouldn't even be close!!!

We got Joey out at LAX Monday and our camera guy asked him about the possibility of 'NSYNC and Backstreet battling it out on Verzuz, the Instagram Live pandemic phenomenon usually reserved for rappers. So far, it's seen showdowns between Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, Lil Jon and T-Pain, and Snoop Dogg and DMX.

Joey tells us how he really feels ... he says 'NSYNC would win in a landslide no matter what!!!

A potential Verzuz showdown would be a huge hit, but Joey says there are some huge hurdles before the two bands ever go toe-to-toe.

Joey's giving 'NYSNC the edge, but he tells us why Backstreet could give them a run for their money, depending on the ground rules.