Taylor Swift I Just Beat The Beatles!!!
Taylor Swift has a message for the most popular group in music history ... roll over, Beatles!!!
Taylor has topped the Fab Four by making chart history with the re-release of "Fearless." Here's the chart history part ... the album hit #1 Friday in the UK, and with that Taylor has racked up 3, number-1 albums in 259 days. The albums ... "Fearless," "Folklore" and "Evermore." The Beatles hit #1 with 3 albums in a row, but it took them 364 days.
Mind you ... this was not a fleeting record. The Beatles were top of the heap with this record for 54 years! Many have tried, but none of them succeeded, until T.S.
Taylor thanked her fans on Twitter for the honor, which, BTW, is awesome.
Taylor's "Fearless" was first released in 2008 and became a huge success thanks to "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me."
Taylor's re-record is her way of re-capturing her music ... the rights to which she gave away when she was very young. The reclaim has, by all measures, worked super well for her.
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Morgan Wallen Working On Myself After N-Word Video Won't Perform This Summer
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Morgan Wallen says he's taking time to work on himself after he was seen casually dropping the n-word while out with friends ... and that means he won't be performing live any time soon.
Wallen posted a handwritten statement Tuesday, saying he's taken a couple months away to sit back, reflect and work on being a better person. Morgan says it's been nice to take some time away from music and performances. He's not doing that work, because he says he needs even more time ... so he's not planning any summer tour dates.
Morgan says the time off is helping him find out what he needs to do to improve as a person, and he says he can't wait to see the growth he makes in the next 5 years.
TMZ broke the story ... Morgan was recorded by a neighbor after a rowdy night out in Nashville back in January casually calling a friend the n-word.
JANUARY 2021
After the video was published, radio stations, merchandise websites and award shows banned Wallen -- but his album sales still skyrocketed and now he's thanking his fans for being in his corner, even though he admits "it hasn't been the most popular one to stand in recently."
Visual proof of that support is plastered all over Nashville right now -- 6 billboards are pushing for him to win Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards this coming weekend ... even though the Academy barred him from the competition.
Morgan says he's still figuring out his mistakes, is sorry and is making his amends ... but he says "I am still very proud of who I am and the man I am becoming."
Stay tuned.
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DMX's Family Warns of Scammers Raising Cash ... We Have Funeral Covered
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DMX's family is NOT strapped for cash, and is NOT asking the public to chip in for burial expenses -- and if you see anything online saying otherwise ... it's total bunk.
X's direct family members tell TMZ ... there's been a lot of unfounded rumors circulating after DMX's death last week, including a particularly absurd one -- namely, that his inner circle is raising money to help pay for his upcoming funeral.
This one's pretty easy to throw water on, because we're told family members are absolutely not raising money, and they actually want the public to know any campaigns suggesting the contrary are completely bogus, and not connected to the fam at all.
The family says it's aware there is any number of flat-out scammers out there soliciting money in X's name ... and they just want fans to be wary.
Here's another thing folks should be on the lookout for ... our sources say X's family is also NOT selling any DMX merch at this time, so if you're seeing stuff hitting the market now -- his family didn't authorize it, and they're not profiting from it.
Jay Z is doing another legendary act for the culture of hip hop.
— Phenomenal Reporters (@PhenoReporters) April 10, 2021 @PhenoReporters
Jay Z and Beyonce are buying back DMX's masters for $10,000,000.00 and will give to his 17 kids for free. pic.twitter.com/5PwwdREbai
One last wild theory that's been floating around -- you might've heard Jay-Z and Beyonce bought DMX's masters for a cool $10 mil with the idea of making sure his kids can reap the profits down the line. Yeah, the family's also setting that record straight, and ... it's BS.
The family says X's masters aren't in play with Jay and Bey at all. Yes, some are still under Def Jam control -- but not owned by Jay outright.
Thus far, X has been honored in a few unofficial ways since his passing -- fans created a makeshift memorial outside the hospital he was being treated, and there was also a prayer vigil held a few days before he died.
We also know X will be honored in some capacity in his hometown of Yonkers, where the Mayor suggested the fam hold a public memorial at its famous raceway. Like we said, a public and private service are currently in the works, and plans are being finalized this week.
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Grimes I'm Out of this World ... Huge 'Alien Scars' Tat Unveiled
Grimes might not be of this planet ... that's one possible theory after dissecting her massive new back tattoo, which she describes as "beautiful alien scars."
The Canadian musician unveiled her body art Sunday, a painful-looking assortment of tangled lines that at first glance ... make you think her tattoo artist was just a little high.
Instead, Grimes says it was planned this way from the get-go... with white ink and some help from the "alien computer brain" of another designer.
She says this is the best photo she has so far because "it hurts too much and I need to sleep," adding ... "it’ll be red for a few wks , but gna be beautiful alien scars."
It's all right on brand for Elon Musk's partner and mother to their child, whom they initially named X Æ A-12 Musk ... Grimes explaining the X stood for "the unknown variable."
They later had to change the A-12 to A-Xii due to California law not allowing numbers, but were still able to keep the theme of their son's name ... which also includes aspects of artificial intelligence and their favorite aircraft.
It's all stuff we've come to expect from Elon and Grimes ... though her tat is still pretty shocking.
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'Drivers License' Singer Olivia's Tough Lesson ... Now I Get Parking Tickets Alone!!!
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What Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" giveth, it also taketh away -- at least from her bank account -- because the singer just got nailed with a parking ticket!!!
Rodrigo catapulted to the top of the charts with the single earlier this year ... but just learned one of the harsh realities of driving in Los Angeles and just about every other big city -- no matter how hard you try -- eventually, you're gonna get hit with a parking violation.
While it's not clear just what Olivia was ticketed for -- in L.A. there's street sweeping, restricted zones, parking meters, parking passes, we could go on all day -- it appears Olivia is at least having some fun with it.
The singer posted a photo of her ticket with the caption, "Damn, this driving s**t ain't all fun and games." You're tellin' us!!!
As for her next single ... might we suggest "Uber Driver?"
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Swizz Beatz 'Long Live the King!!! DMX'
Swizz Beatz eulogized his old friend and music partner, DMX ... saying he lived to help others and made their pain his.
Swizz, who collabed with X on "Ruff Ryders" ... recorded a moving tribute to his longtime friend, calling him a prophet ... a unique individual who never flashed the trappings of wealth because that wasn't important to him. Swizz says X's purpose in life was to comfort people, despite his own, unrelenting pain.
He says DMX suffered every single day from the time they met. And, Swizz says there's a reason ... "He took everybody's pain and made it his."
The tribute is heartbreaking -- Swizz says, "He would go to jail to escape his pain. That's how much pain my brother had every day... He would win an award an American Music Award, you name it and didn’t understand why he deserved it because he knew and he felt that other people deserved it more than him. He never lived for hisself."
And, there's this ... Swizz says DMX never sold out, not even close -- "Everybody threw millions of dollars. You could not buy DMX. You couldn’t buy him, he was never for sale. His loyalty for who he loved was never for sale. His family was never for sale. His integrity was never for sale. You might learn something from him. He taught me a lot."
Swizz says he cried 50 times before delivering his message ... a message to a man who was a true humanitarian. And, unlike many celebs, "He did more charity than probably every artist I know. The only difference with his charity was he never talked about it."
And, Swizz ends by saying he's comforted to know DMX's pain is gone forever and he's at peace.
It's super moving ... worth the watch.
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Kid Cudi Rocks Dress on 'SNL' ... For Kurt Cobain Tribute
Kid Cudi paid homage to the later rocker Kurt Cobain -- who died almost 27 years ago to the day -- by wearing a dress almost identical to one worn by the Nirvana frontman.
Cudi was the musical guest Saturday on "Saturday Night Live," and he first paid respects to fallen 'SNL' star Chris Farley by wearing a t-shirt with Farley's image emblazoned on it as he sang "Tequila Shots."
Cudi also performed "Sad People," and for that, he wore a white, spaghetti-strapped floral dress ... check it out -- it's a spitting image pattern of Cobain's. Folks on social media almost immediately picked up on the significance of the dress. It was an awesome moment and tribute and the messaging is multi-layered. Pretty awesome.
Kid Cudi pulling the ultimate Kurt Cobain tribute on #SNL on the week of this death. @KidCudi all about love and suicide prevention and awareness!!! pic.twitter.com/m4DOUC5eFF
— Danny Armstrong (@DArmstrong44) April 11, 2021 @DArmstrong44
As you probably know ... Cobain died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound April 5, 1994. There were all sorts of theories about his death, but it was ultimately ruled a suicide. He was 27.
Lots of musical acts do their thing but there's not a lot beyond the music. There certainly was here.
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Dolly Parton New Ice Cream a Hot Commodity ... $1k for a Pint, Anyone???
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The launch of Dolly Parton's new ice cream flavor had folks screaming for a scoop, but not quite enough to drop a grand on it ... despite the efforts of online hucksters.
Here's what's going down -- the country music legend teamed up with Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams to create her very own flavor, Strawberry Pretzel Pie, and it created pandemonium this week ... both on Jeni's website and at its actual store locations.
Because so many customers and Dolly lovers were clamoring for her new ice cream, those who apparently managed to get their hands on some tried to cash in ... by listing pints on eBay for $1,000!!!
Talk about rich ice cream!
As beloved as Dolly is, nobody was desperate enough for the Strawberry Pretzel Pie to shell out that kinda dough for ice cream in the mail (delivered on dry ice) ... but that didn't stop people from trying to hook a buyer.
That's not all -- other eBay users were hawking the "Specially made for Dolly Parton" ice cream posters from Jeni's ... but at a much more modest $35. Some of those actually sold.
To those of you trying to order Strawberry Pretzel Pie online, we are so sorry. This sucks. The flavor is NOT sold out. Our website issues have lasted longer than expected, but we are working on it and will let you know via email and social media when we’re back up and running.
— Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (@jenisicecreams) April 8, 2021 @jenisicecreams
ICYMI ... Dolly's flavor was released April 8 to benefit Imagination Library, a program she founded to gift free books to children from birth to age 5.
Jeni's said it was only making 10,000 pints, which apparently turned out to be way too few to satisfy everyone's appetite ... and technical difficulties didn't help either.
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DMX Will Be Honored In N.Y. Hometown ... Could Host Memorial Too
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DMX could soon have a statue or a street named after him in his hometown ... but first, the city of Yonkers, NY is welcoming the late rapper's family to hold his memorial service there, if they so choose.
A source close to X's family tells us there will be both a private and public memorial, and a meeting Monday to work to finalize possible plans, but Mayor Mike Spano tells TMZ ... he's in favor of DMX's family holding the memorial service at Yonkers Raceway, the city's largest outdoor venue, and wants to help make it happen.
Spano says X's hometown wants to ease the burden on his family, and the door is wide open for them to use the grounds of the horse racing facility, if they want to do so.
Yonkers Raceway has a seating capacity of 7,500, but under the state's COVID guidelines they'd be limited to 20 percent of that number. Mayor Spano says it would be fitting for folks to say goodbye to an icon like X in the city where he was raised.
A rep for the raceway says they've not had any official requests to host a memorial, and haven't had any large events since COVID-19 struck, but they're currently operating at 25% capacity.
As you know, DMX died Friday after he was hospitalized in a coma for a week ... following an overdose that cut off oxygen to his brain for about 30 minutes.
Regardless of where the family holds the memorial, we're told Yonkers will honor DMX with a lasting gesture ... Mayor Spano says that might mean a statue like another famous Yonkers native, Ella Fitzgerald, or a street mural or street naming.
Of course, the Mayor says it will largely depend on what X's family wants to do.
Bottom line ... Yonkers wants to make sure DMX's memory lives on in the city, so the next generation can be inspired.
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DMX Fan Credits Rapper ... You Helped Me Forgive My Dad Over Addiction
Tributes have been pouring in since DMX took his last breath Friday ... and one fan credits him with forging an understanding about her own dad who was gripped by addiction.
The woman wrote, "DMX is the reason I forgave my father after he passed for his years of addiction. We met in 2017 after I heard him from my room in the hallway of my hotel. It was all divine intervention. I ran to the hallway & met him. We spoke for 15 mins."
She goes on ... "We spoke about addiction & he encouraged me to forgive my father for what he couldn’t control. He said 'forgive him.' I needed to hear that. Of all people, it came from someone I grew up listening to bc of my dad ... Sometimes in the moment you don’t understand the significance of a moment until it’s passed. To this day, I credit X for helping me learn forgiveness. I am praying that he gives himself grace — in this lifetime and beyond. His words and impact have left a deep legacy."
DMX struggled with addiction over the years, but always tried to rebound to sobriety. It was a constant struggle and he slipped a number of times, but always tried ... and sometimes that's the best a person can do.
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DMX Fans Not Slippin' ... Create Memorial at Hospital
After rallying for DMX all week, his fans are still pouring out their emotions, and showing him love in the hours after his death.
Almost immediately after the news of X's passing ... a makeshift memorial wall was started just outside White Plains Hospital in New York. The hip-hop icon's loyal followers are lighting candles, leaving flowers and stuffed animals ... and writing notes of love and support for X and his family.
Someone left 3 large mylar balloons to spell out DMX on the fencing.
Meanwhile, nearby fans are playing his music and break dancing to honor the 50-year-old rapper who died Friday after his organs started shutting down Thursday night.
TMZ broke the story ... DMX fell into a coma after an overdose last Friday. Doctors said his brain was deprived of oxygen for nearly 30 minutes, and the outlook was grim from the start.
While he lay in a coma this week, DMX's family -- including his 15 children -- were all able to see him before he passed, and fans took time to give him his flowers, literally and figuratively.
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DMX Dead at 50
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DMX has died -- a week after suffering an overdose ... TMZ has learned.
TMZ broke the story ... X had virtually no brain function after he was deprived of oxygen for nearly 30 minutes following his overdose. Brain function never returned, and by Thursday his organs began failing while he remained on life support in a New York hospital.
Many people in X's family were at the hospital over the last week, including his mom, fiancee and many of his kids.
A rep for his family tells TMZ, "We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days. Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end."
The statement continues, "He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX. We will share information about his memorial service once details are finalized.”
DMX got his start in music back in the '80s, performing with Ready Ron -- while simultaneously serving time behind bars ... until he finally dedicated himself to music full-time in the '90s. He eventually got signed to Columbia Records' Ruffhouse imprint, and appeared on records with Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mase and even the rock band Sum 41.
It wasn't until '98 that he truly broke out, when he released his Ruff Ryders debut studio album "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" to critical and mainstream acclaim ... not to mention he added his new canine persona.
'IDAHIH' produced 4 singles, including the well-known "Get At Me Dog," "How's It Goin' Down," "Stop Being Greedy" ... and the track that might perhaps his best known, the "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," which became to be the song everyone played to get hyped.
'Ruff Ryders'' has gone down in history as one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever, and it ended up making it on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
He followed up that success quickly with a 2nd album later the same year -- "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood" came out in December of '98, and ended up hitting #1. At the time, he was the second rapper to release back-to-back albums in the same year ... the first being Tupac.
At that point, DMX had cemented himself and his sound ... abrasive, rough around the edges, but also catchy and great for parties and getting amped. His third album hit that last point home with his single "Party Up (Up in Here)" ... another one of X's notorious songs that helped him get major play on radio, in clubs and in movies.
Speaking of movies, X himself made his feature film debut in 2000's "Romeo Must Die," which starred Jet Li playing a version of Romeo opposite Aaliyah.
He went on to star in a number of memorable flicks after that as the 2000s rolled on -- "Exit Wounds" and "Cradle 2 the Grave" come to mind ... so do "Never Die Alone" and "Last Hour." Safe to say, X was making a name for himself both in and out of music ... but of course, he was fighting legal battles in the background at the same time.
Over the years, he got rung up on many charges -- weapons, drugs, DUI and later tax evasion. He served time for some of those cases, but always continued his music career.
As he struggled with the law, X continued to crank out hits ... including the memorable "X Gon' Give It to Ya," "Where the Hood At?" and "Lord Give Me a Sign" as well as "We in Here."
He really seemed to turn his life around in 2019 after ending a 12-month sentence for tax evasion. DMX had long battled substance abuse and it was at this point that he did his last rehab stint.
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Afterward, he was looking better than he had in years and made his return to the stage in December 2019 when he hit Hakkasan in Las Vegas, chatting it up and taking photos with fans before he hit the stage.
In another sign of just how beloved he was by fans and the industry ... DMX, of all people, created a new Christmas classic in 2012 when he freestyled his own version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It had all the charm his audience had come to love about the man.
In July 2020, fans worldwide watched as legends DMX and Snoop Dogg faced off in a Verzuz battle with over 500,000 viewers on Instagram Live.
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The rappers complemented each other as they spit some of their most iconic tracks, like when DMX hopped on and joined Snoop for 'Ain't No Fun.' Snoop also got down with "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Gin and Juice" while DMX spit "Where My Dogs At" and his megahit-song "X Gon' Give It To Ya," which brought Snoop out of his seat.
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The last time our cameras caught him out was in July 2019 ... and DMX talked to us about the importance of being safe on movie sets when doing action scenes/stunts.
DMX is survived by his 15 children. The youngest was born in 2016 to his fiancee, Desiree Lindstrom.
X was 50.
RIP
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Justin Bieber Private Show for Students & Staff At L.A. School
Justin Bieber's scheduled to begin touring again this summer, but it looks like he's already rehearsing ... to the delight of some lucky kids.
JB held a private mini-concert Thursday for students and teachers at an elementary school in L.A. ... performing a few of his latest songs, including "Holy."
Justin's wife, Hailey, was also in attendance ... it seems this was their fun daytime activity before hitting up the star-studded party in WeHo that night with their old pals Drake and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
It's appears Biebs' school show was planned in advance for Baby2Baby -- a charity to help children living in poverty -- and the young crowd was definitely lovin' it. Talk about great timing to be back in school!
As we've reported ... Justin's been showing up at some unexpected places lately in L.A., including a visit to the California State Prison to spread the good word.
Looks like it's got him feeling so holy, holy, holy.
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DMX Organs Failing Family Says He's in Final Hours
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8:48 AM PT -- We have more information, X's liver and kidneys have virtually shut down ... as has his lung function. Sources with direct knowledge tell us the family is now meeting with doctors, but the expectation is X might not make it through Friday.
DMX's health is rapidly deteriorating as he remains on life support, with not much more doctors can do ... and he's experiencing significant organ failure.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... as of Friday morning, X's "organs are failing by the minute" ... a sign, under the circumstances, indicating end of life. We're told friends and family have been told to fly in immediately to be with DMX and his loved ones.
As we told you, X's mom, fiancee, kids, ex-wife and mother's of his children have become a tight unit over the last week, staying and praying together ... holding out hope, although hope is clearly waning.
TMZ broke the story ... DMX, who remains in a coma, underwent a series of brain function tests Wednesday, and sources told us the results were "not good." He has not improved since he was rushed to the hospital with "little brain function." Our family sources say the final decision, if and when it happens, to take X off of life support will be made by his mother, Arnett.
Originally Published -- 8:32 AM PT
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DMX Still on Life Support ... Mom Nears Difficult Choice
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DMX's family is still holding out hope for a miracle, and while he remains on life support with no improvement in brain function -- the grim circumstances are bringing his fam closer together than ever.
As of late Thursday night, the rapper's manager and close friend Steve Rifkind told TMZ ... his condition has not changed. However, sources close to his family tell us, X's mother, Arnett Simmons, his fiancée, Desiree Lindstrom, his ex-wife, Tashera Simmons and his baby mama, Yadira Borrego, along with his children, have become a tight-knit group over the last week while praying for improvement.
We're told his loved ones have been staying at his home and friends' homes in the area ... never too far from White Plains Hospital where DMX remains in a coma.
While the women in DMX's life have never had beef in the past -- we're told X made sure he kept everyone cordial -- the trauma of the last 7 days has strengthened their bond.
They'll all need each other's support in the days ahead, because they may soon be faced with an agonizing decision -- perhaps as soon as Friday -- about whether to withdraw life support. If and when that choice needs to be made, we're told X's mom will have the final word.
As we first told you ... the battery of tests performed on DMX Wednesday showed no signs of improved brain activity since he was first hospitalized late last Friday night. Multiple sources, including Rifkind, have told us the prognosis is not good.
Still, his family members -- like millions of fans -- remain prayerful, and in full support of his mother, Arnett.
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Chris Brown Porsche Crunched in Valet Crash!!! He's Totally Cool About It
Chris Brown is a way more chill guy these days, and everyone saw it when his sports car got busted up with the valet -- although maybe he was just happy everyone was okay after the gnarly collision.
CB was inside The Nice Guy in WeHo around 1 AM Friday when the crazy scene went down outside on the street -- we're told a driver slammed into the back of one of the valet parked vehicles ... triggering a domino effect.
As you can see ... it was a pretty alarming accident with one guy's airbag deploying and several whips getting damage, some more than others.
Breezy's charcoal, yellow and white striped Porsche was among them ... and appeared to sustain some damage to both the front and the back.
He wasn't too worried about it though, telling us when he left the restaurant it was all good because, "I got 10 of these." Chris was still able to leave in his car.
LAPD tells us this was a standard traffic accident involving one vehicle slamming into multiple cars. We're told no injuries have been reported and no arrests have been made ... but the crash is still under investigation.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
It's kinda funny as far as Chris is concerned -- he had every reason to be pissed about what happened to his ride with the valet ... but played it super cool. He's come a long way since a very similar incident in 2018.