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Britney Spears posts a lot of naked photos of herself these days -- and if you're wondering why, now you have an answer straight from the horse's mouth ... or book, rather.

A new excerpt from Brit's forthcoming memoir leaked to the New York Times, and they cite a quote from her in there that addresses this issue head-on ... which has been cause for a lot concern, but also a lot of ridicule.

BS writes ... "I know that a lot of people don’t understand why I love taking pictures of myself naked or in new dresses. But I think if they’d been photographed by other people thousands of times, prodded and posed for other people’s approval, they’d understand that I get a lot of joy from posing the way I feel sexy and taking my own picture."

So there you have it ... it sounds like it's yet another act of rebellion after being under a microscope -- not to mention the control of a conservatorship -- for well over a decade.

Brit's nude dumps are sorta par for the course for her social media patterns of late -- which also include dancing videos, sporadic rants and other random musings of hers. But her dressing down has turned off a good handful of folks ... especially her two sons.

Jayden and Sean Preston made a big public stink about their mom's nudes in interviews over the past year and change -- and they've also refused to see her in a while ... which seems to be her reality in the foreseeable future, considering they bounced to Hawaii with their dad.

Brit has expressed regret over not having her boys around as much as she'd like -- but she also hasn't put up much of a fight to regain custody of them either post-conservatorship.

Anyway, it's just the latest revelation to surface from her book, 'The Woman in Me' -- which hits the market on Tuesday.

Bad Bunny took over 'SNL' Saturday night in a big way, hosting AND performing as the musical guest, with lots of celeb firepower behind him.

His opening monologue was hilarious ... Pedro Pascal served as a "translator" for BB, who, true to form, delivered his monologue en Español. Bad Bunny has said repeatedly, he does not pander to English audiences. He says he thinks in Spanish, eats in Spanish and sings in Spanish.

Pretty funny ... Pedro asked Bad Bunny to show an embarrassing pic of him but BB replied, "Nothing could be found."

Bad Bunny brought his GF, Kendall Jenner, to 'SNL' .... she didn't appear on the show, but they were super tight during the after-party.

BB, Kendall and the cast, along with guest stars Pedro Pascal, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga, all hit up L'Avenue in NYC after the show.

Bad Bunny and Kendall were dressed casually... she was wearing a leather jacket and boots as they walked hand in hand into the bash.

Gaga's entrance was revelatory. She was also hand in hand with her ex, Michael Polansky. The 2 have been spotted together recently but it seems pretty clear ... they're giving it another try.

Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Ed Sheeran treated themselves to a Saturday night performance of U2's out-of-this-world "Sphere" Residency ... and we caught the trio rockin' out like there was no tomorrow.

The A-listers were watching Bono and Co. crank out their hit "It's a Beautiful Day" onstage inside the humongous planet-like arena created for the band's three-month Las Vegas Residency called "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere," which kicked off in late September.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ  ... Tom and his wife, Rita, are standing side by side in an elevated seating area, while Ed is hanging out nearby. All three are engrossed in the show, bopping to the beats of the tune.

Suddenly, the song hits a crescendo and Tom/Rita go totally nuts, putting their dance moves into high gear and singing along to the lyrics.

Turns out Tom, Rita and Ed are just the latest in a long line of Hollywood's elite to enjoy the iconic rock group's Vegas Residency.

Sisqó has nothing but love for his fellow R&B maestro Mario -- but thinks his self-appointed spot on "the Mt. Rushmore of R&B" needs an immediate reality check!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Dru Hill frontman at LAX and the Song" creator just couldn't believe his eardrums. If you recall, Mario recently fixed his lips with the utmost confidence to tell us he deserves to be immortalized alongside Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Beyoncé!!!

Quite the lofty claim -- a little too lofty for Sisqó's tastes, who thinks Mario needs to have a couple of seats behind him -- in addition to the other legends he named!!!

Sisqó and Mario both hail from Baltimore a generation apart ... but Sisqó tells us he's clearly the big man on the harbor and questioned if Mario's catalog even came close to outselling his.

Record sales don't measure the complete scale of an artist but as a platinum-selling soloist and group member ... we're confident Sisqó has the upper hand here. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Sisqó says he and Dru watched Mario come up and it's all 410 love at the end of the day ... but won't stand to be succeeded without the proper credentials!!!

Elsewhere, two of Sisqó biggest music favs just experienced a collision course -- Drake and the late Michael Jackson are now tied for No. 1 hits amongst male artists.

Usher has a knack for spotting famous ladies at his Vegas shows these days -- and Friday proved no different ... with none other than Doja Cat and Jessica Alba catching his eye.

The singer was doing his thing heading into the weekend, and like he normally does -- Usher made his way into the crowd as he continued to croon. Of course, he honed in on a couple of female celebs here were in the audience ... the same way he has for months now.

First, he spotted Doja ... who was celebrating her 28th birthday, and who seemed more than happy to entertain Usher -- especially as he floated along to his song 'There Goes My Baby.'

DC started dancing with Mr. Raymond ... and they even got the rest of the concert-goers to sing along as he put the spotlight on her. She wasn't nearly as timid as some other stars have been when Usher turns his sights onto them ... a little like Alba, who was next.

It's actually pretty funny how he noticed her ... 'cause as soon as he did, he scurried on over to give her the VIP treatment -- which, in this case, included a little twirl and 1-2 step!

Dee Snider is cool with politicians on both sides using his band's anthem on the campaign trail ... but he's drawing a line when it comes to anyone spewing QAnon conspiracies.

We got the Twisted Sister frontman at LAX and our photog asked him where he stands on politicians playing "We're Not Gonna Take It" ... now that campaign season is about to heat up.

Dee says Republicans and Democrats have his blessing to play the song at rallies, appearances and in ads ... but says the same does not hold true for any candidates who go full QAnon.

The issue with QAnon for Dee ... it's all a bunch of lies and BS, and he feels there's already enough of that in the world.

Dee's made his feelings on QAnon well-known on social media over the years ... and he's doubling down here.

We also asked Dee how he feels about the U.S. military using the song as a battle cry now that another war has erupted ... and he explains why the armed forces are more than welcome to rock out to Twisted Sister.

Britney Spears and Wade Robson had a much deeper affair than what Britney claims in her memoir, so says Britney's former songwriting partner ... who tells us Justin Timberlake found a long breakup letter Britney wrote to Wade which blew the whole thing up.

Annet Artani -- who helped write "Everytime" with Britney in 2003 -- appeared on TMZ Live Friday ... and she dropped a bombshell.

While we know Britney confesses to cheating on JT in her "Woman in Me" memoir, saying she and Robson made out at a bar while she was still dating Justin ... Artani remembers things much differently.

The songwriter says things were much more serious with Britney and Wade than just a one-night makeout sesh. In fact, she claims Britney had written a 14-page breakup letter to Robson which she hid in her makeup bag.

As Annet says ... you don't write a lengthy letter to someone you only kissed.

Shockingly, Artani claims, Justin ended up finding the breakup letter before Britney could give it to Wade ... and Justin learned all about their affair, calling it quits with Britney a short time later.

Taylor Swift and her girl squad were out in force in the City of Angels ... grabbing sushi with her fellow A-list ladies, Selena Gomez and Zoë Kravitz.

The ladies took to the highly recommended Sushi Park in West Hollywood Thursday night, and apparently, a good time was had by all -- as they were seen laughing and smiling as they left the joint.

As you know, Selena and Taylor have been pals since 2008, when Taylor was dating Joe Jonas and Selena was with Nick Jonas -- so ya, they've been through it together.

Zoë has also worked with Taylor in the past, as one of the songwriters credited on Tay's song, "Lavender Haze" ... part of her 2022 album, "Midnights."

BTW, it looks like Taylor passed up a night with her boo, Travis Kelce, for some time with the girls instead -- but he's got a game coming up in Kansas City this weekend, so there's a good chance he'll be locked in at practice for the next few days.

It's unclear if Taylor will make it back to Missouri for the game this weekend, but if she does, you can be sure both Taylor fans and NFL honchos alike will be happy to have her ... she's definitely brought some new eyes to the game.

We've also learned the Chiefs tight end bought a new pad in Kansas City for just under $6 million -- looking to get a lot more privacy as their relationship really heats up.

Britney Spears is certainly the subject of a LOT of conversation this week, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her ... cruising SoCal without much worry at all.

The former pop princess was spotted in her white Mercedes Thursday taking a short drive around her neighborhood ... wearing sunglasses and her hair tied back.

It's less than a week until Britney's memoir, "The Woman in Me" officially releases, but there's been a ton of scoops to drop from the book the week. Everything from her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and their difficult decision to get an abortion to the private details around her conservatorship are shared in the book.

Obviously, the book excerpts have been major talking points for Britney fans, and it's already catapulted to the top of Amazon.

Don't expect Britney to do any sit-down TV interviews for further book promotion, though, we were first to report she made the decision she didn't want to do any more press outside of an email-correspondence interview with People Magazine.

Britney Spears is NOT singing about her pregnancy with Justin Timberlake or her abortion in the hit song "Everytime" ... so says the woman who wrote the song with Britney.

Songwriter Annet Artani tells TMZ … she worked with Britney on the song back in the day, and while Britney contributed, it was about their respective breakups ... and mostly Annet's.

Annet says when she was writing the lyrics she was coming off a fresh split from Britney's musical director ... and the song is mostly about Annet's relationship ... not Britney's unborn child, as some fans now suspect in the wake of Britney's recent bombshell.

Britney had been broken up with Justin for about 9 months at the time, and the song came out after he released "Cry Me a River" ... but Annet says Britney never mentioned a baby or an abortion during the writing process, and neither topic served as inspiration for the track.

Annet tells us she and Britney would sit at the piano together working on the song ... they were friends and were sharing pain, and they were both sad and would play piano together.

As we reported ... the famous lyric that has fans thinking Britney was secretly referencing her abortion is "I guess I need you, baby."

But, Annet says the tagline was just something she wrote about her own experiences with her relationship. To be even clearer, she says it's NOT a reference to an unborn baby.

As for the song's chorus ... "And every time I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me. I guess I need you, baby" ... Annet says Britney came up with "haunting," though she says they were simply trying to find words with rhymes.

Annet's kind of leaving the door open to the new Britney fan theory though ... she says she was not involved in the music video or the imagery of a woman giving birth, and that was all Britney, so it's possible that visual correlates to the decision she and Justin made to terminate her pregnancy.

Colombian artist Maluma has a baby on the way -- making the announcement in a big way with his new music video.

Maluma shared the happy news in the video for "Procura," Thursday night at his concert in Washington, D.C. ... and while the vid focuses on his romance with his girlfriend, Susana Gomez, the final minute is where he drops the baby bombshell.

The 2 see their little one for the first time through an ultrasound, with Maluma and Susana overjoyed. They also let family members know about the exciting addition, showing their heartwarming reactions.

The vid also shows the couple's baby shower and gender reveal -- which confirms they're having a girl!

It also looks like the kid's name will be Paris, based on Susana's necklace and the name of the cake.

Maluma and Susana were spotted leaving Central Park in NYC at the beginning of this month ... likely after filming all "Procura" footage ... and you can definitely see the baby bump.

Pink is taking some time away from her tour ... she says she's suffering from a respiratory infection and is postponing a couple more scheduled shows as a result.

The singer shared the health update Thursday on social media, revealing her diagnosis and saying a doctor advised her to take a step back from performing.

Pink says she's postponing her upcoming Friday and Saturday shows in Vancouver ... and wants to reschedule for another date when she's feeling better.

As we reported ... Pink previously postponed two shows in Washington state earlier this week, explaining "family medical issues require our immediate attention."

Now, Pink's postponed four shows altogether this week ... and she's not indicating when she may be back onstage. After Vancouver, her next scheduled gig is Wednesday in Denver, followed by a pair of shows in Kansas City.

Pink's also got a ton of tour dates in November ... and then she's got a scheduled break for the holidays before picking up the overseas portion of her tour in February when she goes to Australia.

Britney Spears won't do a TV press tour to promote her new memoir ... the singer has made the decision to skip any sit-down interviews to help boost book sales.

Sources close to Britney tell TMZ ... she's passing on doing any televised promos for her upcoming memoir, "The Woman in Me" -- same goes for any other additional interviews moving forward.

There have been rumors that Britney was getting asked to appear on "60 Minutes," an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, and other shows ... we're told none of those will happen.

In case ya missed it, Brit recently chatted with People Magazine about her much-anticipated memoir, but our sources say those questions were all answered over email.

The call to skip TV was all Britney's, BTW ... and we're told her book is gonna sell off its own power alone. Those around her also understand it would open up a lot of problematic doors if she were to jump back into the interview game, getting hit with personal questions.

As we reported, snippets of her tell-all have already revealed a LOT about her past -- including her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake ... whom she says got her pregnant and pushed for her to get an abortion when they were just 19.

Nobody does Halloween quite like K-pop stars ... putting their creative costumes on display for their fans to go wild, and we're taking a look at some of the best fits from year's past.

BLACKPINK certainly shows out ... Jennie's rocked a custom "Nini" sailor 'fit, and Rosé previously went as a nerdy "student of the month."

Jisoo and Lisa also teamed up for an impromptu photo shoot -- with the former dressing up as her groupmate's "LALISA" cover look ... and the "Money" rapper electing to go with the "Red Light, Green Light" doll from Squid Game.

The Pinks have some competition though -- Kevin from The Boyz went as creepy Cruella, and Stray Kids' Hyunjin had a Harry Potter-themed getup that would make Draco Malfoy jealous. They really got the villain look down!!

Giselle from Aespa and I.N. from Stray Kids were on the same wavelength ... as both did their best Harley Quinn -- and they crushed it!!

Disney's been a theme, too -- (G)I-dle's Miyeon was the perfect Snow White, and Karina from Aespa decided on the Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland." Felix from Stray Kids also went the Mickey Mouse route with his Elsa from "Frozen" ... and now we're dying to hear him cover "Let It Go."

Billie Eilish is showing off the full version of her massive back tattoo, a piece she's teased before ... and fans are pretty mixed on their thoughts.

The singer posted a pic Wednesday as part of a larger October photo dump -- and in it, she's laying on her stomach at what appears to be a tattoo shop. Billie's got her bare back exposed, showing some sort of intricate design that runs down her spine -- and it looks fresh.

Unclear if this is a shot that she's had in her camera roll for a while ... we've seen glimpses of this tat before, but have never seen the entire thing. This is either Billie showing that she's gotten more work on it recently, or just a flashback to when she first got it done.

In any case ... the tattoo here looks a little smeared and incomplete. There've been mixed reactions to the ink online -- some dig it, others aren't big fans.

FWIW, this is just one of a handful of tats she has ... Billie has one on her chest that reads "Eilish," another one of a dragon on her thigh and yet another showing fairies on her hand.