Super Bowl

Usher has been in direct talks with Justin Bieber about sharing the stage during the Super Bowl Halftime show, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Usher reached out to Bieber about performing. We're told there were no handlers involved on either side ... they talked directly to each other.

Our sources say they do not know the outcome of the talks, but Usher definitely wants Bieber to join him for what promises to be the most-watched Super Bowl in history.

As you know, Usher mentored Bieber when the latter was 13 years old and helped guide his career, along with manager Scooter Braun. The 2 have been close ever since.

Justin has pulled back from performing on tour. He stopped his "Justice" world tour in 2022 -- officially canceling the tour in March 2023 -- after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. He has performed at one-off events, including a performance at NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto this past weekend.

We know Usher will be joined by Lil Jon and Ludacris. There's some rumblings Alicia Keys will also perform.

Travis Kelce did NOT host a big shindig in Sin City a couple nights before the Super Bowl, despite his name being on the invitation for a house party ... TMZ has learned.

There was an invite going around social media Thursday promoting "The Kelce House Party" later that night in Las Vegas ... with Travis' name prominently displayed above the RSVP. Of course, many quickly wondered ... is TK partying his off just a few nights before the game???

Understandable -- on its face, the invite made it seem like Travis was hosting the party with his brother, Jason, which was billed as an event for their 'New Heights' podcast ... and there were even some reports going around claiming Travis was hosting this thing.

However, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Travis didn't host any parties in Vegas last night, and more importantly ... he isn't hosting any ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, period.

For the non-sports fans out there thinking the players on the Super Bowl teams will be having fun in and around The Strip before Sunday's Big Game, our sources say that's just not the case ... and players are basically having zero fun in Sin City before the SB.

Thing is ... we're told Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs players have some pretty loaded schedules, plus a curfew. They start their days early and the day is filled with meetings, practices and training.

They have a strict curfew at midnight every night ... and our sources say if Travis or any of the players get caught anywhere near The Strip, they aren't going to be playing in the Super Bowl.

By the way, the Chiefs are staying far away from the glitz and glamour ... the team hotel is The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, about a 40-minute drive from The Strip.

Sounds like Travis missed out on a fun party with his brother ... the invite says, "You're invited to come through the Kelce House, grab a beer (or 20, alright nah), kick back in the living room, take in an electric set from Cleveland's own DJ MEEL, play some pong on the deck, and all that. Be cool, have a good time, and above all - DON'T tell mom!"

Now, on the question of whether this 'Kelce House Party' is legit -- our sources tell us it is ... but that Travis himself was never explicitly tied to it. It was basically a bash put together by people who help run his podcast ... and we're told upwards of 400 individuals got an invite.

Unclear if Jason showed up or not -- he's a cohost of 'New Heights,' after all -- but we know for a fact ... Trav was nowhere near this thing on Thursday.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

Although Kanye West's 'Vultures' didn't drop at midnight like everyone thought it would, he still held an album listening party ... and the live stream event was abruptly cut off after he mentioned "antisemite" in one of his lyrics ... 😬

In Super Bowl LVIII news ... the food options inside this weekend's million-dollar price tag suites were revealed and celebrities are raking it in with heavy paydays for Super Bowl ad appearances, with Ben Affleck pulling in $10 million for his 'Dunkin Donuts' spot!

Kaskade will replace Tiësto in the DJ booth on Super Bowl Sunday, after he suddenly canceled due to a family emergency.

Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good are still thriving living in NYC following his assault trial conviction, even taking a cross-country trip together.

Plus, Larry David's "attack" on Elmo during his 'Today' show appearance upset actor Wil Wheaton, who said it triggered old traumas.

Subscribe to The TMZ Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

A Travis Kelce le pidieron que terminara una de las letras de Taylor Swift, de cara al Super Bowl y pareciera que no se la sabía muy bien, lo cual es interesante.

El jugador de los Chiefs estuvo hablando con los medios el jueves en Las Vegas, donde le preguntaron mucho sobre su novia, incluyendo una pregunta que lo comparó a él y a Tay Tay con la versión americana de los Royals. Sí, sin duda una gran adulación.

Luego, la misma periodista le preguntó por qué cree que la gente está tan fascinada con ellos como pareja y Travis respondió que la gente ama los "valores" que ellos representan, etc. Respuesta legítima y probablemente cierta, pero ¿sabes qué más les encanta? Las letras de Taylor y ahí es donde este intercambio se puso interesante.

El reportero le pidió a Trav que completara una línea de una canción MUY conocida de Taylor "Karma", que cualquier fan podría recitar.

Y, sin embargo, Travis parecía torpe, mientras se reía y le pedía a la reportera que pasaran a la siguiente pregunta.

La letra en cuestión es: "Karma is the guy on the screen // Coming straight home to me".

El reportero le dijo: "Karma is the guy on the".... y Travis añadió con confianza, "Chiefs", un guiño al cambio de letra que hizo Taylor durante su concierto en Argentina el año pasado y que el jugador de los Kansas City presenció desde la multitud.

No está claro si se da cuenta de que esa no es la letra original. Por cierto, tampoco fue capaz de terminar el resto de la letra.

Travis Kelce got asked to finish a Taylor Swift lyric this week ahead of the Super Bowl -- and it sounds like he might not have known it off the top ... which is interesting.

The Chiefs tight end was talking to media members Thursday in Vegas, and yes -- he was getting asked about his girlfriend a lot, including a question from one journo who compared him and Tay Tay to the American version of the Royals. Yep, major sucking up, no doubt.

She then asked why he thinks people are so fascinated with them as a couple -- and he said people love the "values" they stand for, etc. Legit answer, and probably true ... but ya know what else they love? Taylor's lyrics, and that's where this exchange got interesting.

The reporter asked Trav to complete a line from a VERY well-known Taylor song, "Karma," and she lobbed up the lyric even a mild Taylor fan could recite.

And yet ... TK appeared to fumble on the play, as he chuckled and asked the reporter to jump to her next question.

The actual lyric in question is, "Karma is the guy on the screen // Coming straight home to me."

The reporter gave him, "Karma is the guy on the" ... and Travis confidently added, "Chiefs" -- a nod to the lyric change Taylor made while he was in the crowd for one of her Argentina shows last year.

It's unclear if he realizes that's not the OG lyric. BTW, he wasn't able to finish the rest of the lyric either.

Jason Kelce is ready to follow in his lil' bro Travis' footsteps ... telling TMZ Sports if "Saturday Night Live" wants to make him a host, he's giving an emphatic HELL YEAH!!

The elder Kelce bro is no stranger to Studio 8H -- he famously made a cameo appearance during Travis' debut back in March 2023, even lending his talents during a skit.

So when we caught up with the Philadelphia Eagles great out in Las Vegas during Super Bowl week, we asked if he'd ever want to get his own shot at headlining the sketch comedy show ... and the dude couldn't be more on board.

"Of course, I love 'SNL,'" 36-year-old Jason said. "It's one of the shows I grew up watching, an iconic show of great proportions and hilarity. Yeah, I would obviously do it."

"I was fortunate to watch Travis do it last year and really see what all goes into it. I came away beyond impressed with all the people involved in making that show work and all the talent that was there."

The billing would make a ton of sense -- the Kelces are household names (partially thanks to the Taylor Swift effect and shirtless antics on gameday) and are some of the most charismatic players in the NFL.

We reached out to our 'SNL' sources ... and they couldn't say enough good things about Jason, and would love to have him back in some capacity in the future.

In fact, we're told that could even mean giving him the hosting gig ... which is something he wouldn't take lightly.

"It would be beyond an honor to participate in something like that, for sure," Jason added.

Tech N9ne's not worried about his bank account ... 'cause he just tossed up a small fortune to show appreciation to a few exotic dancers for their moves.

All eyes were on the rapper at the pre-Super Bowl party he hosted in Las Vegas Thursday night at Crazy Horse 3 -- a very popular strip club just across the street from Allegiant Stadium.

Sources tell us ... T9 made a fashionably late entrance, pulling up to the club at around 2 AM early Friday morning -- and he quickly made up for lost time, walking onstage with an absolute bag and chucking bills up in the air as the ladies danced to his song "Hood Go Crazy."

It didn't take long for the entertainers to realize where the money was at ... and soon we're told 11 dancers were all shakin' their asses near Tech.

Apparently, N9ne was loving the attention so much, we're told he had a member of his entourage running to bring him more ones -- which Tech threw in the air for the next 15 minutes.

All told, our sources say Tech unloaded $25,000 ... a pretty nice payday for the ladies working the club last night who we're told took nearly half an hour to count and divide all the catapulted cash.

We broke the story ... Tech coordinated with the club to turn the venue into a money snowglobe -- a deal that included about $20,000 in singles to throw as well as 10 magnum bottles of 10 tequila with 5 bottles of Clase Azul and 5 bottles of Don Julio 1942.

BTW while this was a particularly big day for the entertainers ... our sources say they've been absolutely raking in the dough recently with so many tourists in town for the big game.

Tech's a Chiefs fan -- with a popular KC anthem to boot -- and he seems to have bucks to burn, so we'll see if he shows up to the Super Bowl at Allegiant on Sunday. Lord knows, those tickets are pricey.

Ben Affleck está recibiendo su última alegría de parte de su querida Dunkin' Donuts, esto, después de los cientos de memes que se ríen de él por promocionar tanto la marca.

Resulta que el ganador del Oscar se embolsó 10 millones de dólares por el anuncio que hizo para el Super Bowl del año pasado, según CNN. Recuerden que Ben apareció como un trabajador de Dunkin en un clip de 30 segundos que benefició mucho a la marca.

Al parecer, la empresa vendió más donuts al día siguiente del Super Bowl que en cualquier otro día de su historia. Aprovechando ese gran éxito, Ben firmó como portavoz oficial y aparecerá en otro comercial para ellos durante el Super Bowl de este año.

Pero Ben no es el único que ha hecho mucho dinero en el Super Domingo. Larry David también se enganchó $10M por su ahora controvertido anuncio para FTX y CNN dice que al menos otras dos celebridades de la lista A están ganando $5M este año por aparecer en cámara durante menos de 20 segundos en los anuncios.

Hay que tener en cuenta que las empresas también desembolsan 7 millones de dólares por emitir un anuncio de 30 segundos.

En cuanto al nuevo anuncio de Ben, los publicistas de Dunkin han hecho que este se ría de sí mismo por sus "miserables" expresiones en los Grammy del año pasado.

Ben Affleck's definitely getting the last laugh over his undying love of Dunkin' ... after thousands of memes mocked him for reppin' the coffee and donut shop so hard.

Turns out the Oscar winner raked in a staggering $10 MILLION for his Super Bowl commercial last year, according to CNN. Remember, Ben appeared as a Dunkin' drive-thru worker in the 30-second clip, and his star power was a major treat for Dunkin'.

The company reportedly sold more donuts the day after the Super Bowl than any other day in its history. Capitalizing on that smash hit, Ben then signed on as an official spokesperson -- and will appear in another commercial for them during this year's SB.

But, it ain't just Ben who made major bucks on Super Sunday -- Larry David also snagged $10M for his now-controversial FTX ad ... and CNN says at least 2 other A-list celebs are making $5M this year for appearing on-camera for less than 20 seconds in ads.

Keep in mind, companies are also dropping $7M just to air a 30-second spot!

As for Ben's new SB spot ... Dunkin's ad men have him trollin' himself for his "miserable" expression at last year’s Grammys.

Too Short is living up to his lyrical billing by throwing dollar bills at Vegas exotic dancers, and covering the floor with greenbacks ... all while his strip club anthems are blaring.

The "Money On The Floor" rapper hit up Crazy Horse 3 in Las Vegas Wednesday night into Thursday morning, rolling up with a crew of 20 people, including fellow rappers Tech N9ne and X-Raided ... and if ya thought it was raining hard in L.A., ya gotta see what went down on The Strip.

Our strip club sources -- yep, we got those too -- tell us Short requested a table in the VIP section right next to the main stage and, naturally, he was immediately swarmed by more than 30 strippers. As they say, game recognize game!

His crew ordered 2 magnum bottles of Don Julio 1942 Tequila, nothing but top shelf, and they threw $15,000 in singles ... and as you can see, the club brought him the first $5k in singles in a lighted-briefcase as Short had 2 strippers on his lap.

Naturally, Too Short took the greenbacks up to the main stage and started throwing money everywhere ... spreading it over a dancer's back as she twerked in front of him. Textbook move.

The most baller part ... Too Short's "Money On The Floor" is playing while he drops fat stacks on, and above, the stage where a dancer's flashing her pole skills to his jam.

Crazy Horse 3 seems like the place to be leading up to Super Bowl LVIII, which will be played just across the street at Allegiant Stadium.

Tech N9ne was back Thursday night to host and rain $20K on the performers. While several NFL players were expected, too -- it's a safe bet they were NOT the centers of attention.

Even though 49ers wideout Ray-Ray McCloud has deep roots in the music industry, he won't try to rub elbows with Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl ... telling TMZ Sports, "This is football."

Many have wondered if the receiver would attempt to get in TayTay's ear at some point at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday ... because, after all, the guy's a musician who just recently became the CEO of entertainment agency Legend Tribe Entertainment.

But, he said out in Vegas this week there's no chance he fraternizes with Travis Kelce's girlfriend at the Big Game ... saying flat-out, "Hell nah!"

"I'm a big fan of greatness," he told us. "She's great at what she do. She big time. But, hey, this is football. We don't care about no album coming out. We don't care about none of that."

"Congrats to her on the Grammy thing she did, but we don't care about none of that, man."

Instead, Ray-Ray says he's locked in on the game ... although he did at least tell us he'd try to have some kind of ear on Usher's halftime show.

While the 27-year-old will absolutely not sneak out of the locker room to catch it -- "I'm trying to get a ring first," he said -- he told us he hoped the "Let It Burn" crooner would play "Superstar" and "Confessions" during the performance.

Before this handsome fella lookin' spiffy in his suit turned into a Super Bowl champion, he was just a little New Yorker -- who came from a family of athletes -- playing hockey, basketball, baseball and of course FOOTBALL!

Being one of the greatest tight-ends of all time helped lead his team to Super Bowl wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. He may not have played for the Chiefs or the 49ers, but now being an NFL analyst ... he's had plenty to say about this year's Super Bowl.

Need on more clue ... just ask his quarterback BFF TB!

Antes de que este joven con traje se convirtiera en campeón del Super Bowl, no era más que un pequeño neoyorquino de familia de atletas que jugaba al hockey, al baloncesto, al béisbol y por supuesto, ¡al FÚTBOL!

Ser uno de los mejores tight-ends de todos los tiempos ayudó a llevar a su equipo a ganar el Super Bowl en 2015, 2017, 2019 y 2021. Puede que no haya jugado para los Chiefs o los 49ers, pero ahora siendo analista de la NFL ha tenido mucho que decir sobre el Super Bowl de este año.

Si necesitas más pistas... ¡Pregúntale a su mejor amigo que es quarterback!

Kaskade will be in the DJ booth when Super Bowl LVIII kicks off on Sunday ... stepping in at the last minute to replace Tiësto, who backed out of the gig due to a sudden family emergency.

As we previously reported, the "Godfather of EDM" was originally set to spin tracks throughout the entire game ... but was forced to return home hours before the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers take the field.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Kaskade is taking the reins from Tiësto -- making him the league's first-ever in-game DJ in the history of the Super Bowl.

Kaskade spoke about the news on Thursday ... saying, "As a kid who grew up in Chicago watching the Super Bowl every year with my family this chance to actually be part of it is absolutely mind-blowing."

Moving forward with Kaskade is a no-brainer -- he's one of the biggest names in the industry ... and has had residencies at pretty much every big venue in Sin City, most recently at Zouk nightclub at Resorts World.

"Las Vegas has been my second home for the past decade, as an architect of creating a landscape that includes House and Dance Music residencies as part of its destination," Kaskade continued.

International star Tiësto just announced he will not be performing at Super Bowl LVIII after all ... saying he will miss the big game due to a "personal family emergency."

The "Godfather of EDM" shared the update with his fans on Thursday ... just days before he was slated to hit the 1s and 2s for the 49ers vs. Chiefs matchup at Allegiant Stadium.

"Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning," Tiësto said via the X app.

"It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first."

This would've been the first time the NFL had an in-game DJ for the Super Bowl ... and Tiësto -- who sold more than 36 million albums -- was honored to take on the role.

"Thank you to the @NFL for the collaboration," the 55-year-old DJ said ... adding he still plans to work with the league on something "incredible" at a later date.

La estrella internacional Tiësto acaba de anunciar que no actuará en el Super Bowl LVIII, debido a una "emergencia familiar personal".

El "Padrino de EDM" compartió la actualización con sus fans el jueves, apenas unos días antes de su aparición para el encuentro entre los 49ers y los Chiefs en el Allegiant Stadium.

"Yo y mi equipo hemos estado preparando algo realmente especial durante meses, pero una emergencia familiar personal me obliga a volver a casa el domingo por la mañana", dijo Tiësto a través de la aplicación X.

"Ha sido una decisión difícil perderme el partido, pero la familia siempre es lo primero".

Esta habría sido la primera vez que la NFL tenía a un DJ en el juego para el Super Bowl, y Tiësto, que vendió más de 36 millones de álbumes, tuvo el honor de asumir el papel.

"Gracias a la @NFL por la colaboración", dijo el DJ de 55 años, agregando que todavía planea trabajar con la liga en algo "increíble" para una fecha posterior.