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Britney Spears and Elton John have hit #1 on the streaming charts in more than 40 countries, but next, they'll have their sights set on smashing music video records too ... cuz they've got one in the works.

Sources close to Britney and Elton tell TMZ ... a music video for "Hold Me Closer" is underway in some fashion -- we don't know what it would look like and whether they're even in it.

The single has been hugely successful, once again bringing Britney to the forefront of music industry conversation. In fact, we're told she was invited to this weekend's MTV VMAs -- but had to turn the show down because of a scheduling conflict that keeps her in Los Angeles.

Of course, the project with Elton has Britney fans already begging for more music.

At this time, our sources say there's not a plan for Britney to release any additional songs, or to join Elton on stage to perform the hit during his current tour ... but Britney certainly appreciates all the love.

TMZ broke the story, Drew Barrymore and Britney exchanged some super-hyped-up video messages Friday after the song's release.

Former collaborators Freddie Gibbs and Benny The Butcher’s hostility toward one another is reaching nuclear levels … and fans couldn’t be more disinterested 😴!!!

The 2 rappers have been trading shots all week after Benny posted himself wearing a “G” chain -- presumably snatched from Freddie’s girlfriend’s neck during the Buffalo melee back in May, but the overwhelming reactions on social media have been negative towards both MCs.

Both Benny and Freddie enamored fans with guest appearances on each other’s 2020 projects … but things went downhill when Benny got shot in Houston later that year and they started exchanging disses on social media.

Benny's taunts prompted Freddie to make fun of the Griselda rapper's 2020 shooting injuries … and that just had more fans putting faces in palms.

Bottom line -- they ain't havin' it!!!

Despite instigation from Akademiks, fans are overwhelmingly calling them too grandpa-like to for the social media hijinks.

Benny also took extra heat by leaking nudes of Freddie’s girlfriend … getting defensive with fans while clarifying why he was spamming Freddie’s DMs from a couple of years ago.

TMZ Hip Hop uncovered the footage back in May ... Freddie and his entourage fended off dozens of attackers inside a Buffalo establishment while Benny allegedly looked on.

Offset’s legal filing against his ex-label Quality Control has opened up a can of worms … and they’re crawling in every direction!

Quality Control CEO Pierre "Pee" Thomas reacted to the breaking news that Offset was suing for solo independence with disdain — calling the estranged Migos rapper’s complaints "lame."

Offset — and his wife Cardi B sharply fired back at Pee … Offset claiming Pee had him blackballed for the past two years without even communicating.

Cardi echoed the lawsuit’s details … Offset paid QC millions to obtain his solo rights as an artist, but when he released his “5,4,3,2,1” single last week, he says QC tried to claim ownership, effectively ticking him off in the process.

Idris Elba says his own kid auditioned to play his onscreen daughter in his latest movie -- a part she didn't get ... even though her old man could've presumably pulled some strings.

The actor was recently on "The Breakfast Club" with producer Will Packer, plugging their new flick "Beast" ... which just hit theaters. During the convo, IE revealed that his 20-year-old, Isan, actually read for a part ... one of the two daughters featured in the film.

He says she didn't end up getting it because the chemistry just wasn't right ... and, as a result, Isan didn't talk to her dad for about three weeks. So, yeah ... some sour grapes.

In the end, though, Isan did make it to the premier and actually posed with Idris -- so it seems it's all water under a bridge now. Still, though ... the fact Idris didn't just make it happen simply because she was his daughter is getting some kudos in the film community.

Packer actually elaborates on this a bit more in the interview, telling the hosts that Idris insisted that Isan get put through the normal process that every other actress was going through ... and to judge her on merit. Packer says she was close to landing it -- but in the end, they went with Leah Jeffries and Iyana Halley to play Idris' children.

Apparently, Isan took the news gracefully ... and Will says Idris' anti-nepotism stance was appreciated by all who worked on the film. He's even getting props on Twitter right now.

BTW, Isan's actually got her own IMDb page ... it looks like she's only got one acting credit thus far -- a short film called "Crimson Ties" -- but something tells us she might be getting some more looks now that Idris has spoken out on her desire to get into the movies.

Holden Caulfield is a whiny little brat who's more of a punk than he is a literary hero ... this according to Jahkara Smith, who's got one helluva hot take that's got Twitter fired up.

The "NOS4A2" star posted a video this week that analyzes the lead character from J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" -- honing in on one scene in particular, where she says HC got what he deserved ... and that the kid actually sucks if you look at him big picture.

Jahkara explains Holden has idealistic views of women, but when it comes to getting busy, he's not actually up for it -- evidenced by an encounter with a prostitute, which he ends up paying for. JS POV ... serves him right, as he was wasting that working woman's time.

She goes on to suggest that he's actually the blueprint of a modern-day school shooter ... because as soon as he gets roughed up, he has visions of killing the hooker/pimp.

There's a lot more to her book review, so watch for yourself -- but let's just say, a handful on the bird app aren't taking too kindly to her analysis of what's considered an American classic. We'll spare you all the tweets, but basically ... some argue she's being simplistic in her breakdown of the character, and dissecting him without some much-needed context.

For starters, people are in her mentions defending Holden ... saying that he's obviously a troubled youth who's dealing with major trauma (death of brother) and likely sexual abuse.

Unclear if Jahkara processed that, but in any case ... she seems to think the novel just isn't all that it's made out to be. In fact, there are a decent amount of folks who actually agree with her -- saying the premise of this teen trying to preserve innocence is ... kinda lame.

The book has fallen under a lot of scrutiny in recent years -- with a lot of people claiming 'Catcher' is problematic at its core. That might be true ... under a 21st-century lens, that is. Remember, this thing was published in the '50s ... a very different time in America.

Big Time Rush is in big time trouble -- at least on Twitter -- because users are outraged over the title of an old song, which some label as ableist ... now invoking Beyoncé and Lizzo.

Here's the deal ... the one-time boy band of the 2010s has recently reunited to put out new music -- and one of their fan fave vault songs that they're itching to release is called "PARALYZED," which has been leaked before, but never officially included on an album.

Now, they're saying they're gonna do it for real ... and have been teasing their fans with when and under what circumstances they'll do it.

On Saturday, they tweeted ... "We’re so happy to see that everyone across the globe are now able to enjoy all our music. But the real question. How badly do you want us to release PARALYZED?" They encouraged their followers to get "PARALYZED" trending before they put it out ... but so far, haven't. The track's only on Sound Cloud (in an unofficial capacity).

If you listen to it and read the lyrics ... it's a fairly straightforward, seemingly innocuous song about a girl who's got the boys stunned and frozen, AKA paralyzed, because of how attractive she is. Essentially, they're smitten ... but they're playing up the paralyzed angle.

They even stutter some of the words they're singing, and that's where things turn problematic.

Some argue the song in general is an issue and offensive to paralyzed people -- and it's here where Bey and Liz are getting roped in ... with accusations of racism flying.

Hop into the "Lizzo and Beyonce" trend right now, and you'll see all the discourse going on. Basically, some say that those who were up in arms over the female artists using the word "s***" in their songs and demanded they remove it should be doing the same for BTR.

The argument boils down to ... some in the ableist community and/or their allies are actually just racist -- because they made a big stink when 2 Black women innocently used the term -- which was popular and in regular use pre-2010s, frankly -- but when a bunch of white/white-passing dudes are more on the nose ... there seems to be crickets in terms of indignation.

Not everyone is buying that though -- because, yes, it's very accusatory and makes a lot of conclusions based on ... nothing but perceived reactions on Twitter, which is kind of silly.

The point ... some see a double standard between Lizzo/Beyonce and Big Time Rush -- and are apparently mad that there isn't more of a push to get BTR to change or nix their song entirely. Whether that double standard is actually real or not is in the eye of the beholder.

Chris Brown has no problem getting cozy with fans -- female ones, especially -- during meet-and-greets ... even when they want some pretty suggestive pics.

The singer defended himself after a handful of photos went viral showing him in different poses with women who'd paid for a VIP package to get a little face time with their favorite singer. Some of the shots are a bit eye-opening, but CB says it's all kosher.

He writes, "PSA!!! When artist (everyone) do concerts, they all have something called a VIP package. I haven't done meet and greets in over 7 years..."

Chris adds, "I have the coolest fans on the planet... I appreciate the f*** outta them. These are memories that will last with them forever. Unlike most of the lame ass artist that won't make eye contact with the people who made it possible to even have a career. I only exist because these fans saw something in me I never thought was possible... So Ima go all out for my fans!!!"

It's unclear where and when these specific photos were taken, but Chris is currently on tour with Lil Baby ... promoting his new album, "Breezy," with stops all over the country.

One thing we'll say is ... the women look to be having a good time -- so ya gotta imagine all of this was done with their sign-off, and perhaps even at their request. Chris, it seems, doesn't have a problem using hands, or whatever else they want in the shots.

These VIP moments can reportedly cost upwards of a few thousand dollars for any given artist ... so folks are paying good money for the one-on-one experience.

Ana de Armas has gotten buzz over her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in a forthcoming flick -- but some can't get over her in-character voice ... which still leans very Spanish-sounding.

Here's the deal ... ADA is starring in this Netflix movie that's coming out in September called "Blonde," which is an NC-17 depiction of some of Marilyn's life -- albeit through a hyper-stylized lens (it's based on a fictional book exploring MM's struggles, plus rape/abuse, etc.)

We'll get to the graphic content in a bit -- because there's outrage over that too -- but first, we gotta get into people griping about Ana's still-there accent ... which came to light in Netflix's latest trailer for the movie that came out this past week. It's got Twitter in a tizzy.

As you can see (and hear) for yourself, there are still pretty noticeable traces of Ana's native language coming through in her performance. She's from Cuba and came to the States in adulthood ... and pretty much all of her movies thus far feature her natural accent.

The problem here -- at least for bird app users -- is that it feels somewhat distracting, seeing how Marilyn had a typical American accent. Some say Ana not perfecting it for this Oscar-bait role is strange, especially since so many actors these days (international and otherwise) do accent crossover roles all the time, often to rave reviews and much fanfare.

Plus, Ana said early on that she underwent 9 months of professional dialect training for this part -- but now, a handful of people are wondering what she's got to show for it.

Of course, many are defending Ana as well -- saying any criticism of her accent is misplaced and misguided -- and perhaps teetering on xenophobic territory. Some say that there are tons of examples of American actors butchering foreign accents, but no one minds them.

There's also some who feel like the accent isn't make or break -- arguing it shouldn't be the single element that snaps folks out of their suspension of disbelief, especially since we do it all the time for superhero movies. In other words, Film Twitter is divided over this one.

While that debate rages, there's also a convo about this film potentially exploiting Marilyn's story and legacy ... all for the sake of shock value in depicting her suffering tremendously on camera, which many see as gross -- especially with the free reign of an NC-17 rating.

Taylor Swift is getting torn up after everyone learned her private jet has been getting used A LOT, but one fan tried deflecting the outrage ... by posting an apparent false claim.

A self-described Swiftie threw up a couple tweets Friday that got a ton of traction online ... this as the backlash against TayTay continues to mount amid news that her jet has been dumping CO2 emissions all over the place for several months now ... just the latest celeb to be called out for what many label a massive carbon footprint being left on the environment.

The woman -- who goes by Britt, with the handle @taysrep89, and devotes a majority of her feed to singing TS's praises -- wrote, "TAYLOR SWIFT JUST OFFERED TO DONATE 10K TO MY ENVIRONMENT ORGANIZATION?? THIS IS BIGGER THAN ALL OUR DONATIONS FROM THE PAST 3 MONTHS THANK YOU SO MUCH @taylorswift13."

BTW, Britt claims she's the head of an environmental charity of some sort called the National Environmental Protection Agency -- which, as far as we can tell, doesn't exist. The EPA sure does, but there aren't a lot of legitimate hits with the word "National" at the front.

In any case, the woman doubled down on her claim that Taylor had sent her/her supposed org $10,000 ... not just showing a screenshot of what appears to be a DM from the singer ... but going on to post more interactions that seemingly show the convo continuing.

This gal said, yes, this is real ... but her tweets since suggest the whole thing's a hoax. Tweets she posted Saturday allude to some sort of lie, and how she can't be held accountable. And, if you dig through her replies, you'll see people acting shocked to learn this was all a prank ... with this woman apparently confirming that, albeit sorta cryptically.

If you look at her responses and tweets from today, you'll see she apparently doesn't mind if folks are calling her out for putting forth a false narrative about Taylor ... because this fan thinks she's actually doing Taylor a huge favor by playing crisis PR manager on her behalf.

Lamar Odom says his former management team is refusing to turn over access to his social media accounts ... and now he's calling them out.

Lamar says he changed managers recently but claims his old team has highjacked his social media pages and he's telling his old handlers to do the right thing and stop posting as him.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Lamar left his old management July 19 and asked them through his attorney for all the login info for his Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages, but still doesn't have access.

We're told Lamar's old management changed all his passwords back in the day and Lamar doesn't know any of the login information ... and his former team has not released any of his accounts back to him, continuing to post as if it is him.

Our sources say Lamar has deals with companies where he's required to post on social media, but he can't do so right now and is losing about $8,000 per post.

We're told Lamar has about 15 deals right now ... including car, weed and clothing companies, plus restaurants, hotels and beverage lines ... but he's not able to promote them on social media.

Our sources say Lamar and his new team are working with Meta Legal to gain access back to his accounts, working on reaching reps at TikTok and Twitter as well.

Keke Palmer is getting the side-by-side treatment with Zendaya on Twitter after her starring role in Jordan Peele's new movie -- sparking a conversation about colorism in Hollywood.

Here's the deal ... Keke made a splash this weekend in "Nope" opposite Daniel Kaluuya, with some arguing this is her breakout moment in the mainstream. Yes, she's worked in TONS of movies/shows for years -- but prior to this, she wasn't really a known household name, generally ... JP's flick has put on her on the map like she's never been before.

That's where Zendaya enters the chat (metaphorically) ... someone on the bird app said Keke deserves the same hype and adulation Zendaya typically enjoys these days. And from there ... folks started talking about why one might perhaps have ascended earlier than the other.

Before we write this off as pitting two women of color against each other, let's just entertain the subject matter and substance of the argument ... because, frankly, it's an interesting one.

Someone floated the theory that colorism was why Zendaya has experienced more mainstream success than Keke has at this point in their careers -- even though they're around the same age, both have a Disney background ... and despite one having way more acting credits than the other (Keke>Zen), Zendaya's the name/face we know more in 2022.

Of course, there's backlash to the fact this is being discussed at all ... with Zendaya fans coming to her defense in what they say feels like a personal attack against their idol, but others say they're missing the point entirely -- and that this isn't about Zendaya, per se.

You can hop into the "Keke" or "Zendaya" trends and see for yourself how this discussion is taking shape -- but long story short, there seems to be a good majority who feel like Zendaya, through no fault of her own, has greatly benefited from her mixed-race heritage.

We should note ... Zendaya herself has acknowledged this on multiple occasions, saying she wants to help her community, the Black community, get on the same level in showbiz.

There's no easy answers here -- and we're sure this debate will continue. As for Keke, we'll say this ... she has indeed been killing it since forever, but "Nope" truly is something else. Star-making roles come about every so often, and this is certainly one of them. 🛸

We're sure we'll see a lot more of Keke very soon.

Kid Rock canceled his concert Friday night in North Dakota due to bad weather ... triggering an angry backlash from fans who trashed the venue.

KR was supposed to take the stage around 9:30 PM at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot ... following a 2 1/2 hour performance by his opening act, Night Ranger.

We're told a storm was brewing on the outskirts of town with some wind and lightning, but no rain, which kept delaying KR's show.

By the time 11 o'clock rolled around, lots of folks in the 18,000-strong audience were pretty drunk ... and pissed because it seemed as if the storm had passed.

An officer from the Ward County Sheriff's Department then walked up to the mic and announced the concert was canceled.

The crowd went berserk and turned the place upside down, throwing beer cans at the stage.

One guy climbed onto the stage and took a threatening stance before security tackled him.

Another man was handcuffed and led away by the police.

Social media has made it possible for a new center of attention to emerge during sometimes serious events and broadcasts ... Thursday night was the man dubbed "Clark Kent's look-alike" at the Jan. 6 hearing, but he's not the first person in the background to steal the show.

Remember "Left Shark?" The costumed character, who we were first introduced to during Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime show in 2015, was trending on Twitter and has become a pop culture staple over the years.

There was also "Fiji Water Girl," who was simply tasked with holding the bottles for celebs at The Golden Globes back in 2019, but became something more by appearing in more red carpet shots than previously thought possible.

Before "Clark Kent" there was "Hot Debate Guy" who stole the spotlight during the Republican debates in 2015. Turns out he was Gregory Caruso, the 24-year-old son of now L.A. Mayoral hopeful, Rick Caruso.

Not even the Royal Family can escape background scene-stealers, Prince William and Kate Middleton's flower girl in 2011, Grace van Cutsem, showed the world her true feelings when the two kissed.

Historic moment on "Jeopardy!" ... as all 3 contestants are LOSERS, at least in the eyes of Taylor Swift's legion of fans, who are destroying the competitors for missing a clue about the singer.

Yes, Taylor became the star of Wednesday night's episode when returning champ Matt Mierswa selected a $400 clue in the category, "Title That Completes the Rhyme."

The clue itself was pretty entertaining as Ken Jennings stiffly read, "And I'm just like oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh, you need to just stop, like can you just not, step on my gown?"

Matt and the other 2 contestants were dumbfounded ... no one buzzed in, and you could almost hear the Swifties screaming at their televisions!!!

DUH!!! Obvi the answer is: What is "You Need To Calm Down?"

Welp the outrage was, pardon the pun, swift as Swifties lost their collective minds on social media ... ripping into the contestants for the "triple stumper." One even demanded they "shut the whole show down."

Matt, as reigning champ, took most of the heat and, no, Swifties didn't care that he eventually took the W again.

Drew Brees has found himself a job ... the retired superstar QB and former football broadcaster just bought a pickleball team, the Mad Drops, and now joins an ownership group that includes L.A. Lakers co-owner Jim Buss.

"I’m stoked to be the newest team co-owner for Mad Drops Pickleball Club in Major League Pickleball! Our 12-team co-ed league represents an incredibly competitive & exciting brand of Pickleball," Brees said when announcing the purchase.

The Mad Drops play in the Major League Pickleball league. Gary Vaynerchuk (Vee) also owns a team in the league.

Pickleball, if you aren't familiar, is essentially a mix between tennis, badminton and ping pong. Players use a paddle to hit a plastic ball over a net, onto a court.

Brees -- who played 20 seasons in the NFL -- retired after his 2021 campaign, trading the huddle for the NBC broadcast booth.

In May, the Super Bowl-winning QB had some fun with fans speculating what his future held ... and he actually mentioned Pickleball.

"Despite speculation from media about my future this fall, I’m currently undecided," Brees wrote on Twitter. "I may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy."

"I may train for the pickleball tour, senior golf tour, coach my kids or all of the above. I’ll let you know," he continued.

Brees' Mad Drops will begin their quest to win a championship in Newport Beach, CA on Aug. 5-7 ... and Drew's pumped!

Elon Musk has bigger fish to fry than the Twitter lawsuit right now ... like getting his hands on some SPF during his trip to Mykonos, where he's doing the yacht thing with famous friends.

The richest man in the world also looked to be one of its most fair-skinned as he took a dip in the Aegean Sea. His pal Ari Emanuel, CEO of William Morris Endeavor, was waiting to hose him down with some fresh water when he got back on the deck of their yacht.

Elon looks to be third-wheeling it -- Ari's new wife, Sarah Staudinger, was also lounging on the boat with the guys.

BTW, Musk is kinda hanging himself by his own petard here. You might recall, back in April, he jabbed at Bill Gates by tweeting a photo of BG side-by-side with the emoji of a guy with a big belly.

What's that saying about multi-billionaires in glass houses? Just sayin' ...