Becky G & Coachella People Pissed She Has Key to City ... Mayor Stands By It!
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Becky G is catching major flak after it was announced she'd be honored with the key to the city of Coachella, but the mayor is coming to her defense with a list of reasons why the singer's well deserving.
Becky's getting the metaphorical keys to the desert kingdom Saturday ... the day after her performance at Coachella's second weekend. While it's a huge honor, some online couldn't help but scratch their heads.
Folks are sounding off in the comments of the city's announcement, calling it the "stupidest thing ever." Another irate citizen said Becky doesn't "do anything for the community plus they are not local" -- and some are even calling for Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez to get the boot.
Despite all that, Mayor Hernandez still thinks it's a fitting move -- he tells TMZ, "Becky has been incredibly supportive of the farm worker community through her work with Celebration Nation who held an event at our Veterans’ Memorial Park yesterday distributing food and other staples to our residents in need."
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He goes on to say the Latin-American artist continues to honor her culture and is a big advocate on behalf of women everywhere. He adds he's also stoked to bring a little bit of the music festival to the people of the city by hosting Becky's ceremony.
Doesn't sound like Mayor Hernandez is backing down from his decision -- we'll see if that brings some of that desert heat down a notch.
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Jimmie Allen Splits with Wife ... She's Pregnant with Couple's 3rd Child
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Country star Jimmie Allen and his wife, Alexis Gale, have decided to go their separate ways after 3 years of marriage, 2 kids together ... and another on the way.
Sources close to the now-former pair tell us they've been off and on for the last few months, but have come to the decision it's best for their family that they separate.
Jimmie and Alexis currently have 2 kids together, and we're told Alexis is currently pregnant with the couple's 3rd ... he has another child from a previous relationship. It's unclear when either will file divorce docs.
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Jimmie and Alexis got hitched back in 2020 during a secret wedding ... and have regularly shared photos and updates about their family over the years with Jimmie's fans.
Alexis posted to Instagram, "Our number one priority is and always will be ensuring that our children are healthy, happy and loved, and we remain committed to co-parenting with love and respect for one another."
Interestingly enough, Alexis shared a rather ominous message on social media Friday, writing, "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
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Travis Barker Crazed Fan Rams Car Through Security Gate ... In Attempt to Meet Drummer
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3:34 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us the woman believed she was talking to Barker on social media, and the person behind the account told her to come and visit ... only problem, it wasn't really Travis. The woman was booked for trespassing.
A scary situation just unfolded outside Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's home ... after a crazed fan who was desperate to meet him drove her car through his neighborhood security gate.
Sources close to Travis tell TMZ the woman made multiple attempts to access the star's gated Los Angeles neighborhood Friday. We're told she tried at least 4 times to come in, but was turned away each time. Finally, on the 5th attempt, she took matters into her own hands ... driving through the security gate.
From there, our sources say the woman was intercepted by Travis' private security and held until police arrived. Law enforcement sources tell us the woman has been arrested.
Lucky for Travis, he wasn't home when the whole thing happened. In fact, we're told he'd been rehearsing with Blink for the band's massive headlining gig at Coachella coming up this Sunday, and was actually on his way back home when the whole thing went down.
Our sources tell us Travis' security team told him to stay put while they got the whole thing under control. He plans on getting a restraining order against the woman.
4/14/23
As for the whole Coachella thing ... Blink killed it during Weekend 1 of the festival, and were tapped to fill Frank Ocean's vacant spot this coming weekend for what promises to be an incredible show.
Originally Published -- 2:58 PM PT
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Morgan Wallen Where There's Smoke ... I'm Gonna Fall!!!
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Morgan Wallen is having zero problems filling stadiums with fans wanting to see him on his new tour ... his onstage navigation, however, is a whole other issue.
Wallen was in Louisville, KY at the KFC Yum! Center Thursday night during a stop on his One Night at a Time World Tour. In video, obtained by TMZ, Wallen's belting out his hit "Heartless" -- one of the final songs in his set -- when he takes a nasty spill.
It's pretty clear how it happened, you can see a ton of fog near Morgan's feet ... likely making it next to impossible to see where he was walking. On top of that, people at the show tell us there were some technical issues with the lighting along the bottom of the stage as well.
Lucky for both Morgan and the rest of his fans with tickets to his upcoming shows -- he almost immediately bounces right back up -- and seemingly without any injuries ... not to mention, he didn't miss a note.
Of course, Morgan's not the only one to take a spill onstage in the last few months ... remember it was Post Malone who went down back in September, causing him to cancel at least one show after some gnarly injuries.
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Michael Blackson Frank Ocean Needs Redemption ASAP ... But I Get the Broken Leg Thing
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Michael Blackson isn't one to let bombing onstage overshadow his reputation as a top entertainer, and he's advising Frank Ocean to take the same approach ... that is, if he's physically able!!!
We caught up with Michael Thursday afternoon leaving Martin Lawrence's Hollywood Star unveiling, and grilled him about Frank's much-maligned performance.
TMZ Hip Hop broke the story, Frank's bowed out of Coachella Weekend 2 after suffering an ankle injury on festival grounds, but Michael's hardly busted up about it -- he admits he's not really checking for the R&B recluse!!!
Nonetheless, Michael says bad sets in any performance arena deserve a second shot at greatness ... something he's learned from experience along the way.
One thing he made clear, though, is broken bones will keep him off stage, too -- so, he does have some empathy for Frank's current situation ... fan or not!
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Kanye West Gets Up, Dances At Fashion Show ... To One of His Tracks
4/19/23
Kanye West was jammin' at designer Jerry Lorenzo's fashion show ... bopping his head near the front of the audience as they played one of his hits during the night.
Ye appeared to be alongside his wife Bianca at Jerry's Fear of God show at the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night -- getting up when his track, "Feel the Love" played while his pal Pusha T was onstage.
Clearly, Kanye was digging the shout-out from Jerry, and some audience members reacted to the rapper dancing -- even without seeing his face, everyone knew it was him. Both Ye and Bianca were wearing his trademark full-head masks. Him in black, her in yellow.
Jerry's remained a public supporter of Ye -- even through all the antisemitism -- and posted in January that Adidas just wasn't the same without him.
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As for the Fear of God show, Jerry showed off some collabs with Adidas, but with the event being an invite-only affair ... it's clear he's still backing Ye.
Rare these days ... for obvious reasons.
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Aaron Carter Fiancée Wants 2nd Investigation Done ... Lingering Suspicions Surrounding Death
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Aaron Carter's cause of death -- drowning as a result of being under the influence -- doesn't add up for his fiancée, which is why she wants a second opinion as to how he died.
Melanie Martin -- who shares a child with Aaron -- tells TMZ ... she's not satisfied with the findings of the L.A. County Coroner's Office -- which ruled Aaron's death an accident based on an autopsy following his sudden death last year.
The reason ... she says there are still elements surrounding the circumstances of his passing that don't quite make sense to her -- like the fact he was partially clothed in the bathtub when his body was found ... suggesting to her he was lucid before he died ... which could point to someone else being involved.
Another thing ... there was mention in Aaron's autopsy of a small abrasion on his left eyebrow and another one at the base of his septum. MM tells us that's a red flag to her and a sign of a possible struggle.
Because of these lingering doubts -- which Melanie says she and her son are entitled to have addressed -- she's mulling over the possibility of having Aaron's case examined a second time by a private investigator and medical professional ... only this time, private ones hired by the family.
Melanie also says she wants the additional investigation to give her peace of mind and closure ... as she believes Aaron himself would want no stone unturned.
Here's the reality ... Melanie tells us she simply isn't sure if she'll be able to pull the resources together to do it all. As you might imagine, it's very expensive, and she says she's not equipped at the moment to get it done. Still ... she's considering her options.
Fact is, Melanie is on the same train as Aaron's mother, Jane Carter -- who recently told us the death scene photos that surfaced screamed foul play ... a theory she doesn't think investigators looked into seriously enough.
Melanie says she's even tried doing a little investigating on her own -- going door-to-door for surveillance footage ... but coming up empty. She tells us she wants the homeless housekeeper who was staying with him to get a second look by cops ... not to mention drug dealers she claims had it out for Aaron, and who might've been supplying him.
In the meantime ... it seems L.A. County officials have closed the book on his death case.
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Frank Ocean Drops Out of Coachella After Fracturing Ankle
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3:16 PM PT -- Blink-182 will reportedly fill the Sunday night headliner position.
Frank Ocean will not return to the Coachella stage for the festival's second weekend, dropping out after sustaining two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.
In a statement provided Wednesday to TMZ, Frank's reps say, "After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity."
They continue, "On doctor’s advice, Frank is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg."
Frank tells us, "It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon."
TMZ broke the story, Ocean allegedly hurt his ankle on the festival grounds leading up to his show, causing some last-minute set changes ... so it appears things were much more serious than initially thought.
As we reported, fans were disappointed by the singer's performance at the festival Sunday night as he started an hour late -- there was also awkward pauses, fans could barely see Frank, and he didn't sing some of his most popular stuff. He also didn't sing some songs live, with a vocal track playing while he moved around the stage ... though the busted ankle might help to explain a few of those issues.
4/14/23
Now the question ... who will take his spot. As we reported, Blink-182 had a hugely successful return to the stage during the group's Friday show.
Calvin Harris also drew a massive crowd to the main stage when he hit the festival Saturday night.
Originally Published -- 2:48 PM PT
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Moonbin Of K-Pop's Astro Dead At 25
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K-pop star Moonbin, of the popular boy band Astro, has died.
Astro's label Fantagio shared the tragic news with fans Wednesday ... saying the singer "left us and became a star in the sky." The company says it's "deeply mourning" the shocking death alongside his family, droves of fans, and fellow artists.
Fantagio says the family will hold a private funeral with close family, friends, and colleagues.
An official cause of death has yet to be revealed, but South Korean police reportedly found him dead in his apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul after allegedly not showing for a recent rehearsal.
Fans of Moonbin know he started working as a model in 2004 when he was just a child ... then transitioned into acting, first grabbing a role in 2009 on the Korean drama "Boys over Flowers."
He then debuted with Astro in 2016 with 5 others -- MJ, Jinjin, Rocky, Cha Eun-woo, and Yoon San-ha. They went on to come out with some hits, including "Candy Sugar Pop" and "Baby." Rocky left the K-pop group in late February of this year.
Moonbin took a brief pause from the band in 2019 due to health-related reasons but made his return the following year. The group had a concert scheduled for mid-May, but that's reportedly been canceled.
He was only 25.
RIP
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Aaron Carter Drowned After Taking Xanax, Huffing ... Autopsy Reveals
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2:36 PM PT -- Aaron Carter's ex-fiancée and mother of his child tells TMZ ... "The results of the autopsy are not closure for me. It claims death is by drowning but also adds he was wearing a t-shirt and necklace in the bathtub which doesn't make sense, why would he be in a bathtub with clothes on? I am still in shock and still miss Aaron every day. I don’t understand the chain of events and this report only has us asking more questions."
Aaron Carter took prescription pills and huffed before his death, according to the autopsy results ... TMZ has learned.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner says its findings show Aaron drowned in the bathtub of his Lancaster home, but he took alprazolam -- generic Xanax -- and inhaled compressed difluoroethane ... which is the propellant used in cans of compressed air.
The report says he became "incapacitated while in the bathtub due to the effects" of the drugs and the huffing ... and, ultimately, he slipped under the water and drowned. Aaron's death is officially ruled accidental.
TMZ broke the story -- Aaron was found dead last November. Aaron's family claimed the coroner had told them there was no water found in his lungs, and they believed he had died of a drug overdose.
According to the autopsy report, there were multiple cans of Surf Onn compressed air found in A bathroom and bedroom. Additionally, authorities found several prescription bottles in the home.
Several clothing items were found near the bathtub -- including a beanie, sweatshirt and pants. A nozzle tip to one of the compressed air cans was found in a front pocket of that sweatshirt.
Aaron's fiancée, Melanie Martin, told us she thought drugs were what killed him -- you'll recall, he had a serious substance abuse problem in the years leading up to his death. As we previously reported, cops found cans of compressed air and prescription pills in Aaron's bedroom and bathroom.
Melanie told us there was a text exchange on Aaron's phone, saying he owed someone $800 for an unknown substance ... submitting the exchange to authorities for further investigation.
His mom, Jane, revealed a series of photos in early March from Aaron's bathroom the day he was found, believing it wasn't an overdose -- instead, calling it a crime scene and speculating that her son may have been a victim of foul play.
Jane said she had support from Aaron's family and friends to put the pics out there, wanting to bring the spotlight back to the case.
We covered it all in the recent episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!
Originally Published -- 2:16 PM PT
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Taylor Swift Concert Lights Mistaken for UFOs ... In Florida, Anyway!!!
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is so big she might have aliens in on the act -- that's what some folks in the Tampa area were thinking, as lights from her show led to UFO sightings!!!
TayTay performed at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium for 3 days at the end of last week, but lots of Floridians got a show even outside the stadium ... where they whipped out phones to document strange activity in the sky.
It's funny now, but you can hear the panic in the voice of one concerned resident, who posted a video to TikTok, showing a wide band of lights shifting across a cloudy sky. Ya gotta see it ... she repeatedly screams, "Bro, what the f***???"
Now, all the sky gazers seem aware T-Swift was playing nearby that night ... but they're completely convinced the lights in question are not from her concert, and instead something otherworldly.
At one point, a woman in the vid exclaims "that is NOT Taylor Swift!"
Of course, the lighting effect they were staring at was 100% from her show, but with all the recent UFO buzz -- from politicians and military leaders -- hard to blame these folks!
Maybe 😂😂😂
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Coachella $117K Fine For Breaking Curfew
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Coachella is cutting a check because Frank Ocean wasn't the only one performing late into the night ... the music festival is being dinged six figures for going past curfew.
A rep for the City of Indio, where Coachella is held, tells TMZ ... fines for curfew violations over the first weekend totaled $117,000.
ain’t no way Frank Ocean showed up an hour late just for him to say he had a curfew 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Z6lhSPkiJt
— futuro (@futurexo) April 17, 2023 @futurexo
We're told curfew is 1 AM on Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday, and Coachella missed the cutoff time on all three nights ... going over by 25 minutes Friday, 22 minutes Saturday and 25 minutes Sunday.
City of Indio officials say the fines are part of its agreement with Goldenvoice ... with the contract calling for a daily fine of $20,000 for the first 5 minutes past curfew, with another $1,000 tacked on for every minute after.
As we reported ... Frank Ocean cited the curfew during his Sunday headlining set. He showed up late, starting his show at 11 PM and wrapped his performance with an unenthusiastic one-liner ... "Guys I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show."
The $117,000 in fines goes into Indio's General Fund, and we're told the city uses the money for operating costs, including public works and the police and fire departments.
Coachella's current contract with Indio has been in place since 2013 and runs through 2050, but the curfews were earlier in past agreements ... the previous contract called for a midnight curfew on Fridays and Saturdays, and an 11 PM curfew on Sundays.
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Chris Cornell's Widow Settles Legal War with Soundgarden ... Both Parties Pleased
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Chris Cornell's estate -- which is run by his widow, Vicky -- appears to finally be on the same page, legally, with his old band, and it seems like there's even new music on the way.
A statement was issued through Chris's official IG page, and it reads ... "Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution."
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It goes on ... "The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden's incredible legacy as well as Chris's indelible mark on music history."
The update comes after years of acrimonious legal battles between Vicky and the band since Cornell's death.
From what we know ... she'd actually sued Soundgarden twice -- once in 2019 over royalties and 7 unreleased tracks and again in 2021 regarding the value of his stake in the band ... and there were even complaints to a judge about COVID protocols amid all this drama. It's been a lot.
Now, it seems like they've all buried the hatchet -- which presumably means both lawsuits have been settled. And that's gotta be great news for Chris' fans around the world.
His suicide rocked the music industry in 2017, and that wound was only getting deeper as the infighting continued between his bandmates and his wife behind the scenes.
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Frank Ocean Hits All The Wrong Notes ... During Coachella Headlining Performance
Frank Ocean was the hotly anticipated Sunday night headliner at Coachella 2023, but he put on a lackluster performance that left many of his fans disappointed.
Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the singer kicked things off on a sour note, arriving for his first concert in years an hour late at 11 PM to close out the first week of Coachella. Complicating matters, Frank was hard to see on the dimly lit stage and the low-hanging lighting fixtures often blocked him from the view of the audience, who watched most of his show on large screens.
Things continued to go downhill from there. We're told Frank was lethargic throughout his limited set, so much so he couldn't sing at times. His pre-recorded vocals would play over the sound system, but he couldn't bring himself to mouth the words.
And, for some reason, Frank didn't play his most famous tunes, such as "Thinkin Bout You," cranking out other songs that were less recognizable.
Overall, it seemed, the show was disorganized with plenty of downtime and gaps of awkward silence, leaving the crowd annoyed.
Frank even wrapped up his one-hour performance with an unenthusiastic one-liner ... “Guys I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show.”
Needless to say, his fans were unhappy. And some people were overheard grumbling about how Frank had let them down as they exited the music festival in Indio, California.
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Kendall Jenner & Bad Bunny Spend The Day Together At Coachella ... Gettin' Close, Too!
Kendall Jenner and her guy Bad Bunny are clearly enjoying each other's company ... because they were spotted getting pretty close to each other as Coachella wrapped its first weekend.
The model and Puerto Rican rapper seemed to be in great spirits Sunday in Indio -- Kendall was all smiles as she kicked it with BB, who was rocking a bandana over his mouth.
The couple got tons of looks from the massive festival crowd while walking the grounds.
They're clearly beyond the point of denying dating rumors, even though we'd already seen plenty of evidence for the last month that they were an item.
As we reported, Kendall was looking like Bad Bunny's number 1 fan Friday night during his headlining performance ... dancing like no one was watching, which of course, they were.
They've been spotted out for sushi together in WeHo, at an Oscars after-party and even riding horseback together -- now after their fun weekend in the sun we can say the lovebirds are Coachella official.
We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!
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Will Smith Hits Coachella to Support Kids ... Just a Face in the Crowd
Will Smith is happy to be just another fan in a sea of 'em at Coachella, having a damn good time cheering his 2 youngest kids -- Willow and Jaden -- who were performing at the festival.
Will proudly showed off his view of the stage Sunday ... he was smack in the middle of the packed crowd there to see the dynamic Smith duo inside the Mojave Tent.
He was grinning from ear to ear as 22-year-old Willow performed her solo set, and her 24-year-old brother joined her onstage.
It was a really cute moment for the siblings, who had a huge embrace before rocking out together. Jaden even rocked a "Willow's brother" shirt underneath his leather jacket.
Of course, this is one of the first times we've seen Will in a huge crowd of folks since the infamous 2022 Oscars. Much better outcome this time around.
While Willow's probably most known for her 2010 pop hit "Whip My Hair," she's also fronted a pop-punk band with drummer Aaron Haggerty, guitarist Liso Lee, and engineer Zach Brown since 2021 -- so, big moment for her at Coachella, and papa Smith wasn't gonna miss it.