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Taylor Swift grooved her way onto the "Dancing with the Stars" stage ... surprising contestants and the audience with a special video message for the night's theme ... "A Celebration of Taylor Swift.”

"Hey guys, it’s Taylor. I just want to say thank you so much for having this me-themed night on 'Dancing With the Stars,'” the pop star said Tuesday ... explaining she couldn't be there due to tour commitments in Brazil.

Let's not forget ... Travis Kelce has also kept her preoccupied during their whirlwind, headline-grabbing romance ... but there was no mention of him as she encouragingly told the remaining stars they were in good hands with her choreographer Mandy Moore -- not the "This Is Us" star, FYI -- with their routines.

Taylor's best chart-topping tunes such as "Lover", "Shake It Off", "Look What You Made Me Do", "Cruel Summer", "August" and "Lavender Haze" were given the dancefloor treatment ... but even the star's good vibes couldn't save Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold from elimination.

The evening was anticipated since October when pro Peta Murgatroyd let slip of the Taylor-themed evening ... with cohost Alfonso Ribeiro finally confirming the news on November 7.

The star herself has appeared on the show three times to perform ... first "Jump Then Fall" and "Love Story" in 2009, then "Mine" and "White Horse" in 2010 and finally "We Are Never Getting Back Together" in 2012.

The Holy Grail of Elvis Presley jewelry is going up for grabs -- it's his iconic lion claw necklace, and some Elvis-crazed collector might have to drop half a million dollars, or more, to nab it at auction.

Elvis famously wore the lion claw around his neck for years, both on and off stage ... including during some of his most memorable moments.

When Elvis met Muhammad Ali at the peak of the boxer's prime, the lion necklace was dangling from the singer's neck.

Ditto for a famous photo of Elvis celebrating his daughter Lisa Marie's 5th birthday with his wife Priscilla.

Elvis took the stage at least 30 times with the lion claw necklace too, on tour and during his Las Vegas residency ... and he wore it during his post-Priscilla relationship with Linda Thompson.

The piece is bedazzled with diamonds and rubies ... and it's been on display for years at the Elvis Presley Museum, but now it's going up for auction with Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

Britney Spears isn't fighting a traffic ticket she got last month -- coughing up the dough to make it all go away -- and shelling out a little extra for educational driving purposes, too.

The pop star paid a $332 fine over a traffic violation she was dinged for in early October out in Ventura County after allegedly crossing over double lines while cruising.

On top of the fine itself, it looks like BS also paid around $400 for traffic school ... a common route to take to avoid gaining a point on your license.

As we reported ... Britney paid even more cash the month prior over yet another driving incident. There, we were told she got pulled over for speeding ... and was ultimately ticketed for driving without a valid license or proof of insurance.

In that case, Brit forked over more than $1,100 to put that matter to bed.

Post Malone dropping in unexpectedly at an Irish bar in New Zealand and singing with a band -- if that sounds like the makings of a really good time to you, this video proves you're damn right!

Check out this footage TMZ obtained ... Posty is singing "What I Got" by Sublime at a tiny venue -- relative to the arenas he normally plays --. and we're told the performance was a total surprise.

Folks who were there say Post showed up around 9:30 PM Sunday at Danny Doolan's Irish pub in Auckland. He arrived with a few friends and stayed for the next 4 hours, partying with everyone at the bar.

You know where this is going ... bar patrons kept encouraging him to grab the mic and sing with the live band, cheering him on until he ultimately hopped on the stage.

In addition to covering a Sublime song, he also sang "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers. Two solid choices, no doubt.

Taylor Swift is a real-life Barbie doll, straight from the big screen, 'cause she mimicked something Margot Robbie did in the film ... and, for a moment, she had all eyes on her heels and feet.

The singer was performing Monday night in Rio de Janeiro -- making up for the concert she postponed after a fan's death -- and during the show, T-Swift had some footwear problems that forced her to walk with a limp.

After a little while, she straight up broke off the bedazzled heel to her boot and chucked it into the audience ... and then proceeded with the concert as if nothing had happened.

We mean that literally, 'cause TayTay was walking around with her right foot still arched -- as if the heel was still magically there, and it's pretty damn impressive.

Of course, this reminded a lot of people of the 'Barbie' movie ... specifically, when Margot's character starts to lose her doll magic and starts to become human -- which causes her to lose the ability to remain standing in a high-heeled pose ... something TS did here.

Whereas 'Barbie' ended up going flat-footed (like the rest of us would), Taylor seems to have maintained the shoe magic and apparently stayed upright throughout the rest of the show.

BTW, some lucky fan in the crowd was able to snatch up Taylor's thrown heel -- posting a photo online, which appears to show them with it tucked away in their bag.

Nice little memento, for sure ... and just another surreal moment from the "Eras" tour.

AJ McLean's pit stop on the Vegas Strip -- during the Formula 1 Grand Prix festivities --  had A-listers doing laps around the glitzy event, and got AJ onstage with The Chainsmokers.

The Backstreet Boys star put the pedal to the medal inside XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas Thursday night, as the trio performed a special rendition of his band's mega-hit "Everybody" -- but not before F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton and Will.i.am kicked things off at the exclusive invite-only opening ceremony the night before.

On Friday, TikToker Alix Earle jumped into the DJ booth with Swedish House Madia at XS ... while Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Michael B. Jordan, French Montana, and Saweetie partied in VIP.

The whole weekend was packed with celebs in town for the main event ... Saturday night's race, where RiRi and her man A$AP Rocky immersed themselves in the action. No doubt, it was a nice break from reality for the rapper, ahead of his courtroom appearance Monday in his shooting case.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's parents are putting their plans to meet for the first time on the back burner, due to a change in the popstar's schedule.

As we expected, Taylor will not be able to attend the Chiefs vs. Eagles game Monday night, which is where the families were going to meet. Instead, she'll be performing the Rio de Janeiro concert that was originally scheduled for Saturday night ... the one she postponed for the "safety and well-being" of fans amid soaring temperatures.

The schedule shift means Taylor can't play "Meet the Fockers" in Kansas City, and sources familiar with the situation tell us it just didn't make sense for the parents to meet with Taylor absent and Travis busy on the field.

Remember, we were told last week the plan was for Andrea and Scott Swift and Donna and Ed Kelce to be under one roof at the same time. The plans weren't set in stone, perhaps because everyone realized Taylor's schedule could change.

It would have been a fitting family get-together with Travis's Chiefs, and his bro Jason Kelce's Eagles meeting in a Super Bowl rematch -- and, of course, the Eagles used to be Taylor's fave team and her dad's too. Both of their loyalty seems to be swaying now that she's dating Travis.

Usher broke down into tears while bidding a public goodbye to his longtime friend and drummer Aaron Spears ... the Grammy-winning musician's life and memory were honored following his untimely death.

Usher weeps while crediting Aaron as an "amazing force" at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden Worship Center last week in Maryland ... also thanking his Musical Director Valdez Brantley for introducing and bringing them together.

Continuing to wipe away tears, the mourning artist adds that Aaron would forever be in his thoughts ... and pledged to love his devastated family members like his own.

Despite his grief, Usher fondly shares a glimpse into his friendship with Aaron ... "He follows me everywhere I go, and I was like, 'Man, you caught that?! ... you cold bro! You the worst'," he says with a touch of humor.

Tear-stricken Usher props his shades back on ... wrapping up his eulogy by reflecting on Aaron's unwavering encouragement, saying, "He would say man you gonna be alright ... he would say tonight is going to be the most incredible night ever!"

As we reported, Aaron's death was announced by his wife on Oct 30 on IG ... and alongside Usher, the likes of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande left heartbreaking tributes.

Shakira decided not to fight the fight in a courtroom in Spain ... she has settled her tax fraud case with the government and agreed to pay millions in fines.

She cut a plea deal in the case after failing to pay $15.8 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014 -- the singer is set to receive a suspended 3-year sentence and a fine of $7.6 million ... as well as the taxes, plus interest. All told, she's in for about $19 million now.

Shakira showed up for the trial Monday in Barcelona, but before anything official happened the parties announced a settlement.

The fine is actually somewhat of a victory for the singer ... prosecutors wanted more than double that. Also, she can certainly afford it ... her net worth is significantly north of $200 million.

Shakira seemed upbeat when she entered the courthouse ... blowing kisses to her fans.

As for why she settled, she said in a statement it was "to spare my children seeing their mother sacrifice her well-being."

She went on ... 'I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career."

She's still pissed, going after the Spanish government for targeting athletes and other high-profile folks.

The judge asked her if she accepted the charges against her and she simply said, "I do." The judge said the fine would end the case ... i.e., no prison time.

Taylor Swift returned to the stage in Brazil after a hiatus due to the sizzling heat -- and seemingly paid tribute to a fan who recently died at one of her shows.

The pop superstar put on an emotional performance Sunday at Estadio Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where just two nights earlier Ana Clara Benevides passed away during a heat wave before Taylor’s Friday show began.

Ana was feeling ill before she was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her cause of death has not been disclosed.

On Sunday, Taylor hit the stage again in Rio, but this time the temps were much lower than the previous two nights, which forced her to postpone Saturday’s concert.

During last night’s performance, Taylor sat at her piano and poured out her heart, playing her song, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky.”

Some of her “Swifties” jumped on X, speculating Taylor chose that tune to honor Ana and giving her major props.

One fan wrote, “singing #biggerthanthewholesky was a beautiful way to honor Ana and we can know it by hearing Taylor’s voice.”

Another fan posted a series of photos, including one of Ana, and pointed out, @taylorswift13 did a beautiful job honoring all Swifties taken too soon.”

A third Swiftie said, “I already have immense respect for @taylorswift13 but after tonight’s surprise song, it’s tripled.”

Britney Spears has been laying low since releasing her bombshell memoir last month -- but now, she's stepping out in public again ... and gotta say, she looks pretty damn happy.

The pop star (and now author) was snapped out and about Saturday afternoon in West Hollywood, where she hit dinner at the Chateau Marmont with her manager, Cade Hudson. She also had a furry friend tagging along ... and even got in the driver's seat as they left.

Like we said ... Brit's radiating here, flashing a huge grin as paps fired away -- and walking along with a lot of confidence, this while rocking a bright orange outfit, boots and shades.

From the looks of it, you could say she might be quite pleased over the fallout of "The Woman in Me," which came out about a month ago now ... with tons of juicy nuggets.

We're not gonna rehash all of it here again, but let's just say ... she gained a lot of extra sympathy and support as people processed her stories and claims -- which is interesting, 'cause you could argue she'd, perhaps, been losing a little steam post-conservatorship.

Now, however ... Brit has the public back in her corner -- and she seems to know that. Of course, there's also the fact she's getting a nice cut of the net sales of the book -- and so far, it's been a hot-ticket item ... with over 1.1 million copies sold in the first week!

So yeah, she's cleaned up nice and then some in the aftermath of all this.

As far as the driving, well -- here's hoping she slows her roll and can stay between the lines on the road. She's already gotten hit with a couple traffic tickets over the past year or so.

Taylor Swift was seemingly gasping for air during her sweltering hot concert in Brazil, freaking out some of her fans.

The pop superstar performed for hours in nearly 100-degree heat Friday night at Estadio Olímpico Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro -- and the video shows how much the soaring temperature impacted Taylor.

Keep in mind, this was the same night one of Taylor's fans, Ana Clara Benevides, died right before the show kicked off.

Video of Taylor’s scary moment was posted to X … it starts with Taylor wrapping up a song with her back to the packed crowd. She then turns to the audience, huffing and puffing as if she’s struggling to breathe. The 12-second clip ends with Taylor closing her eyes.

Her worried fans responded to the video post, sharing their concerns. One wrote, "OMG… this breaks my heart in so many levels. She’s so professional but watching her like this, my best wishes go to her.”

Another pointed out, “She is only 33 and in incredible physical shape. That she was struggling that much is really scary," while a third person remarked, “Taylor was struggling to breathe as well!!”

Due to the extreme temps, Taylor announced she was postponing her Saturday concert in Rio because the “safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”

Benevides complained she wasn't feeling well right before Friday night's show began, and was reportedly taken to a hospital where she died. The official cause of death hasn't been determined.

Jimmie Allen's marriage to his estranged wife, Alexis Gale, might not be lost after all ... 'cause his lawyers want to pull out of the divorce case, believing the couple is trying to work things out.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, Jimmie's attorneys filed a motion in court last month asking to withdraw as his counsel in the divorce case -- claiming they've "lost communication" with their client.

That's not all ... his lawyers say they're under the impression Jimmie and Alexis "are attempting to reconcile," and they call the potential to keep representing Jimmie "unfeasible."

The judge is set to hear the motion next week.

TMZ broke the story ... sources close to the estranged couple told us they came to the decision in April to separate, following months of being very on and off. She was pregnant at the time with their 3rd kid, too ... and she had Cohen Ace James at the end of September.

Taylor Swift is postponing her second show in Brazil this weekend after a fan died the day prior and amid scorching temperatures there in the city that she deems too dangerous.

The pop star announced the decision Saturday, not long before she was scheduled to take the stage there at Rio de Janeiro's Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos -- where she had just performed Friday ... and where a young fan lost her life ahead of curtain call.

Taylor says she's hitting pause for her performance tonight -- which would've marked night #2 of a 3-show stop there in Brazil -- and says her fans' safety comes first before anything.

She says, "I'm writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight's show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first."

No word on whether she's going to proceed with Sunday's show -- for now, it looks like Rio's expecting a high of 84 degrees ... whereas it's in the 90s today, and hit 88 with high humidity yesterday.

Of course, she's being praised for this move ... as many were wondering how she could possibly go forward after the tragedy from Friday night, which Taylor obviously addressed as well. She said she was heartbroken over it, but also said she wouldn't talk about it onstage.

The fact that she was apparently just going to proceed with her regular show and not address the fan's death in person -- despite already having done so online -- didn't sit well with some -- and it seems Taylor/her team realized that ... wisely opting to stop down.

It appears that even before Taylor became aware of the fan's death -- which has been speculated to be over a heatstroke of some sort -- she already suspected something was wrong. There's footage of her at Friday's show demanding that the fans be handed water.

Taylor Swift is grieving over the death of a concertgoer in Brazil ... saying the tragedy has left her devastated with a "shattered heart."

The pop star took to Instagram and posted a heartfelt letter after her Friday night "Eras' tour show at Estádio Olimpico Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Taylor wrote, “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this."

She then said there was little information about what happened, except that her admirer was female and "so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”

Taylor also pointed out that she would not speak about the death when she hits the stage Saturday night because she is “overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.”

Taylor wrapped it up by saying her heart breaks for the fan's family and friends, noting this tragic event was the last thing she wanted to bring to Brazil.

Meanwhile, during Friday's 3-hour performance, Taylor made sure all of her so-called "Swifties" in the crowd were given plenty of water to keep them hydrated in the 100-degree heat.

Drake didn't hesitate to voice his frustrations towards his friend-turned-foe Kanye West on his new project -- and voice them he did with charged-up aggression.

As you know ... Drizzy dropped yet another album Friday -- and on his new song "Red Button," Drake roasts Ye for constantly backsliding on their friendship over the years ... most recently being the 2021 Larry Hoover Benefit concert that did little to end their beef.

"Every time you need me for a boost, I never hesitated/Every time that Yeezy called a truce, he had my head inflated/Thinkin’ we gon’ finally peace it up and get to levitatin’/Realize that everything premeditated!!!"

If you recall, J. Prince organized the event and told TMZ he convinced Drake and Ye they were doing their part in helping criminal justice reform ... as well as mending their beef, which it clearly did not!!!

Drake later stated his only competition in the music game is Taylor Swift ... she can make him move a release date but not the rest of you bums!!!

He goes on to praise her success on the charts -- "Taylor Swift the only n**** that I ever rated/ Only one could make me drop the album just a little later/ Rest of y’all I treat you like you never made it/ Leave your label devastated/ Even when your pad the stats, period, I never hated."