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Jennifer Lopez looked like a tourist in Times Square to plug her new album -- 'cause there's no better way to let folks know you're the one and only ... than by posing with yourself!!!

That's exactly what J Lo did Friday as she had a photog follow her around the famous NYC stop standing in front of a bunch of billboards that were promoting her latest project -- not to mention the visual treatment/movie ... plus, a doc coming out too that's all about her.

Like we said ... Jen very much so comes across like an out-of-towner here, standing in the heart of the Big Apple cheesin' as she points and goofs around in front of the giant ads.

This is the sort of thing a normie would do in Times Square -- and yet, here's a bona fide A-lister doing it ... with no shame to her game. Jenny's got an album to promote, dammit!

BTW, Jennifer didn't confine her self-referential poses to the big billboards hanging up against all the skyscrapers -- she brought her feel-good vibes down to the street level as well ... leaning up against a van at one point that also had her face plastered across the side.

There, too, Jen was smiling ear to ear ... happy to pimp her image for as much pub as possible. On its face, it seems to have worked ... 'cause here we are talking about it!

We'll say this ... Jen's new album, 'This Is Me... Now,' is actually getting a ton of love among fans -- who say it's a throwback to 2000s R&B ... and one of J Lo's best projects yet.

Etterlene DeBarge -- gospel singer and matriarch of the legendary DeBarge family -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The mother-of-ten passed away peacefully in her sleep at Berkley Post-Acute in Woodland Hills Friday morning -- this according to her daughter Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge. A cause of death has not yet been announced, but sources tell us EDB was ill and battling dementia.

Bunny broke the news online -- posting a short message to social media, simply announcing her mother's death to fans of the group ... noting she was in a better place now.

Etterlene met Robert DeBarge -- her future husband -- back in 1952 and married him the following year. They built a huge family, complete with 10 different children  ... seven of whom went on to play in the Motown super group DeBarge.

The Grammy-nominated group was active from 1979 to 1989 before the lure of solo contracts for Bunny and El DeBarge helped lead to the group splitting up. There were other factors that ultimately ended the family band.

Etterlene and Robert divorced in 1974, and Etterlene chronicled their marriage and her children's rise to fame in the book "Other Side of the Pain." She married George Rodriguez in 1980 -- a pairing that lasted the rest of her life.

Etterlene is survived by George, eight of her children, and numerous grandchildren. One of her sons, Robert DeBarge Jr., passed away in 1995 while Tommy DeBarge passed away in 2021. Obviously, her legacy and impact in music lives on through her children.

Etterlene was 88.

Jennifer Lopez is letting us in on some very raunchy details about her marriage with Ben Affleck -- singing about their sex life in one of her new songs ... and yeah, it's raunchy.

Things get hot and heavy in the sultry new tune "Greatest Love Story Never Told" from her new album, "This Is Me… Now." Listen to these NSFW lyrics ... "Missing your body, Climbing on top of me, Slipping inside of me, Way that I ride it, Bodies aligning, Look at our timing."

Yeah, there's clearly no such thing as TMI when it comes to J Lo ... at least not these days.

The song isn't entirely X-rated though ... she also sings of how it was "destiny" they "found each other twice in one lifetime." Just another example that she and Ben are deeply in love.

Listeners were diggin' the emotionally charged tune ... some self-proclaimed hopeless romantics said they could totally relate to it, and that it was their favorite from her first album in a decade, which was trending heavily on X Friday.

While Ben obviously served as a major inspo on the new album, he also got involved personally -- lending some background vocals for "Not Going Anywhere." Yep, he's credited.

After their famous relationship ended in the early 2000s, J&B got back together in 2021, with plenty of cozy sightings, including some nostalgic yacht trips, of course -- and thankfully, the singer has made it clear they're much more secure now than they were previously.

So much so, in fact, that she made an album that heavily touches on their relationship.

One thing's for sure: she's into her hubby -- and, as we've learned, he's really into her too!

J Lo's killing it right now -- not only is her new album being well-received by fans, but this film of hers is being praised as well. There's a separate doc coming soon too ... "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," which is hitting Prime in due time.

Taylor Swift opened up her wallet to help the family of the woman who was killed during the Kansas City parade shooting -- forking out six figures as she started her Australia shows.

A GoFundMe had been set up Thursday for Elizabeth "Lisa" Lopez-Galvan -- specifically, to assist her loved ones in setting up a proper memorial for her, as well as general financial assistance. She left behind a husband and two kids ... and the goal set was $75,000.

Taylor gave an assist and then some -- chipping in a total of $100,000 just from herself alone -- which came in the form of two different $50k contributions, which she put in her name.

She also left a sweet note along with her donations, writing ... "Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss. With love, Taylor Swift."

The cash offerings generated overnight, just ahead of Taylor's first concert in Melbourne -- where she's been the past couple days to prepare for a string of shows there as her "Eras" tour ramps up again. Taylor did not address the shooting during her performance.

Still, this donation speaks volumes ... and makes clear, she's well aware of what happened.

Two of Matisyahu's recent concerts got canceled ... and he's theorizing the cancelations might've been caused by some workers making a political statement against Israel.

The singer-songwriter joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... telling us his sold-out show in New Mexico was canceled just hours before the curtain was set to go up -- something he learned about very last minute.

As Matisyahu -- a very vocal supporter of the Israeli cause in Gaza -- explained it ... a fan approached him after he'd already performed a sound check in the Meow Wolf venue and said they had received an email saying the concert was called off because of security threats.

When his team approached the event organizers about it, Matisyahu says they told him workers were afraid to come to work because of possible protests outside the building and that they wouldn't have time to hire more staffers for the event.

BTW ... the protest didn't exactly take off -- with just about five people showing up, apparently, to voice their displeasure according to Matis. So, hardly a threat, really.

It's not the only show that's been canceled, as it turns out ... Matisyahu says his show tonight in Tucson, Arizona, is also not happening because employees there are also allegedly calling out.

The possible reasoning behind this ... Matisyahu says he thinks workers might've realized the event would have to be called off if they decided not to arrive for work -- adding social media posts of some of the New Mexico staff made it clear they stood against Israel.

Matisyahu insists he's not pushing his politics at his shows ... admitting he sometimes makes statements against Hamas but keeps political division out of his performances for the most part.

If boycotters are hoping to discourage Matisyahu ... it's not working so far, with him saying he's willing to play at any venue willing to host him and his group. He even mentioned his cousin who goes to school in Tucson -- and said he'd put on a show at a frat house if they're interested!

Of course, tensions have been especially high between Israeli and Palestinian supporters since a surprise attack by Hamas on a music festival on October 7 sparked a full-on war in the region.

Major key alert ... DJ Khaled got pulled over by police while driving around his Miami neighborhood ... where he came across a little Fred Flinstone-y in a golf cart.

The "We The Best" mogul was tooling around in his golf cart Thursday morning when a cop on a motorcycle lit him up on the road.

As you can see, Khaled pulled off to the side of the road and it looks like the motorcycle cop may have ended up writing him a ticket -- although it's unclear what exactly happened.

Fact is, we don't know for certain if Khaled got dinged here or for what, if anything ... but it does appear he isn't wearing a seatbelt in any of the photos ... and in one shot he's got one hand on the steering wheel and a phone in the other hand.

Oh, and Khaled's barefoot here BTW ... so, that's an interesting tidbit. The good news for Khaled, whatever this was seems to be pretty minor -- so no harm, no foul really.

Kanye West is firing back at Taylor Swift fans who are trying to block him from a top spot on the music charts ... telling them he's not an enemy, though not exactly a friend either.

Here's the deal ... Swifties are calling on other Swifties to buy and stream Beyoncé's new country music to block Kanye's new music from getting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kanye's seen the "SWIFTIE EMERGENCY" on social media and now he's firing back ... and making some interesting counterpoints.

Ye says Swifties shouldn't be coming after him because, in his mind, he's been far more helpful than harmful to Taylor's career. Kanye's views in Wednesday's post jibe with what he's rapped about before ... namely, "I made that b**** famous."

Of course, T-Swift and Kanye have beefed ever since he crashed her 2009 VMA win to say Beyoncé had a better music video ... although, Ye is of the belief the longstanding drama has actually elevated Taylor's profile.

Here, Kanye also points out he was on Taylor's side when Scooter Braun bought her master recordings of which her dad reportedly made $15 million from ... and he says TayTay and Beyoncé are actually big inspirations to all musicians, including himself.

Kanye name-dropping Taylor on his new "Vultures" album seems to have opened up some wounds ... but he says the album is actually super positive and fun.

Taylor Swift has finally arrived in Australia ahead of a string of shows -- and as she landed around midnight (locally) ... she had a bunch of fans waiting for her right outside.

The pop star's private jet landed in Melbourne early this morning -- this after she went from L.A. to Hawaii, and then continued on down under overnight -- and as she touched down at the airport ... there were onlookers ready to greet her with a warm welcome.

Take a peek yourself ... as the plane hit the runway, paps and fans alike were perched and prepared to get a glimpse -- heck, there were even airport workers out there lining the fence!

More interestingly, though, was the fact that a decent-sized crowd had formed not too far from Taylor's jet ... basically, it was a bunch of kids/teens with signs for her -- and they were out there cheering on the fact she was stepping foot onto their turf.

Clearly, Swifties are international and all over the place -- and there's no shortage in Australia.

This marks the first major move Taylor's made since her big Super Bowl weekend -- where she partied the night away with Travis Kelce all over Vegas following the Chiefs' win.

While Travis' season might be over ... Taylor's work life is kinda just beginning after a major hiatus through the holidays. She's got a crap ton of shows lined up in the coming months -- and this stop in Melbourne is the first of many to come.

There's already been reports that Travis is going to accompany Taylor for at least some of these shows ... but it's unclear if he's gonna head out to Australia himself in the coming days.

He did say last week that he'd love to go visit down undah if he got the chance. After his Super Bowl parade in Kansas City today, he'll have nothing but time on his hands.

Selena Quintanilla didn't cut Yolanda Saldívar out of her life after her father accused Yolanda of embezzling from Selena's clothing boutique ... because they jetted to Mexico together.

That's what Yolanda's family is claiming, saying they have airplane tickets showing Selena and the woman who would later kill her flew first class to Monterrey only a week after Abraham Quintanilla confronted Yolanda about missing funds.

The shocking allegation is featured in the upcoming Oxygen docuseries, "Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them."

In a clip from the series, obtained by TMZ, Yolanda's family discovers first-class United Airlines tickets for Selena and Yolanda on March 17, 1995 ... only 8 days after Yolanda was accused of embezzlement.

Yolanda's family says the previously unknown trip raises new questions -- like, why would Selena continue her business relationship with Yolanda after her pops made serious allegations?

Selena's dad fired Yolanda on March 9, 1995, after accusing her of embezzling money from the Tejano star's clothing company, which was planning to open a boutique in Monterrey.

Yolanda ended up shooting and killing Selena 2 weeks after their flight to Mexico ... and now she's serving a life sentence, though she's eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.

In an interview from prison, Yolanda claims Selena would not accept her resignation and wanted to keep her around to run the clothing line and oversee things down in Mexico.

Selena's father has blasted the doc, telling us it's a slap in the face to his family. He also says Yolanda's story is packed with lies.

A small-town Oklahoma radio station is under fire after a listener accused it of purposely barring Beyoncé's new country songs -- but the whole thing has been totally warped, and in fact, it's now resolved.

Here's the deal ... someone on X hopped online Tuesday, claiming KYKC -- a local country station in Ada, OK -- had told him they refused to play Bey's 2 new country singles when he requested them, because they "do not play Beyoncé."

There was a lot of context missing here, obviously, but the user ran with this as what he characterized as blatant racism ... suggesting the station was purposely trying to box her out.

He wrote, "I requested Texas Hold ‘Em at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, i received an email from the radio station." He posted a screenshot of the KYKC response, which notes they're a country music station, and that's why they wouldn't play Beyoncé.

Again, on X, the user didn't explain (or show proof of) the exact wording of his original request to KYKC, but he was calling for people to boycott the station -- and, as you might expect, lots of Bey's fans have their pitchforks out.

Welp, TMZ got to the bottom of this, and the station might be off the hook.

We contacted the X user, who told us his original request to KYKC was ... "Please play the new song, 'Texas Hold 'Em' by Beyoncé." In his eyes, he says it should've been obvious to the station he was requesting a country song, as it's already been labeled as such on major streaming platforms.

We also reached out to KYKC, and a staffer told us the station hasn't received Beyoncé's new songs -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- yet, and that's why it's not playing them. Another Oklahoma country station -- KECO in Elk City -- told us the same ... they don't have the tracks yet.

In terms of whether KYKC was even aware Beyoncé had dropped 2 country songs -- with a country album on the way -- the answer seems to be no.

We obtained further correspondence between the X user and KYKC that strongly suggests the station just was not aware of Bey's new drops. Fact is, if its programmers weren't on social media Sunday night, or watching the Super Bowl when Beyonce's Verizon commercial aired ... it makes sense they'd have no clue.

But, the Beyhive can fall back. Due in no small part to all the attention the X user's post got today ... KYKC tells TMZ it played "Texas Hold 'Em" for the first time Tuesday afternoon. Problem solved.

As of right now, Bey's new songs are not charting on Billboard -- they were just released 2 days ago, so they won't appear on Billboard's charts until next week, at the earliest. However, "Texas Hold 'Em" is doing very well on streaming charts, and we suspect KYKC listeners will be hearing it plenty in coming days.

There's been a lot of discussion -- online and IRL -- about Beyoncé breaking into country, and, on its face, it feels like some have preconceived notions about the country music scene.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

We caught up with Kanye West at LAX fresh on the heels of 'Vultures' hitting #1 on the charts, and he told us that he can't be canceled, and stands by his antisemitic statements.

Katy Perry revealed on "Jimmy Kimmel: Live!" that the upcoming season of "American Idol" will be her last, while subtly teasing new music.

Tom Cruise reportedly has a new girlfriend, and the two are "growing closer" according to insiders.

Plus, Beyoncé released two new country genre singles from her upcoming "Renaissance: Act II," despite receiving backlash at the 2016 CMAs.

Subscribe to The TMZ Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Jennifer Lopez says Ayo Edebiri delivered an emotional apology on the "Saturday Night Live" set after trashing her vocal skills on an old podcast.

J Lo told Variety about what the 'Bear' star said to her in the wake of these old, ugly comments surfacing the same week they were scheduled to be on 'SNL' together -- and according to her, Ayo had tears in her eyes when she came to Jennifer's dressing room.

Ayo was apparently "mortified and very sweet" and said she felt "terrible" ... that's how Jen's characterizing it anyway. She says AE apologized for calling J Lo's career a scam, full-stop.

Remember ... Ayo was a guest on a podcast in 2020 -- long before she was a big TV star -- when she threw tons of shade at J Lo, particularly ripping her vocal skills in the booth.

The comments bubbled back up literally right before Ayo was set to host 'SNL' earlier this month, the same night Jenny was the musical guest ... when they'd be crossing paths.

Interestingly, Jen now says Ayo actually apologized after she did her soundcheck ... meaning Ayo had the chance to listen to J Lo performing live. Talk about irony, right?

Jennifer says Ayo told her, "I'm so f***ing sorry, it was so awful of me."

Following the dressing room apology, Ayo used a skit to issue a public mea culpa. She didn't mention J Lo by name but said, "It's wrong to leave mean comments or post mean comments just for clout, or run your mouth on a podcast and you don't consider the impact because you are 24, and stupid, but I think, I speak for everyone when I say that from now on, we're gonna be a lot more thoughtful about what we post online."

While it sounds like J Lo appreciated the apology, it seems like the whole situation was a bigger drag on Ayo ... J Lo explains that the mean comments didn't affect her because she's heard similar things said about her throughout her career.

Dolly Parton says she feels no ill will toward fellow country singer Elle King for butchering a birthday tribute song for her -- despite fans being adamant Dolly would be mortified.

It was all captured on camera ... country singer Elle forgot a bunch of lyrics to Dolly's "Marry Me" while onstage in Nashville, with the performance quickly descending into a drunken, expletives-ridden mess. But the icon says it's no biggie ... putting Elle's behavior down to her navigating some hard things lately.

Dolly actually had nothing but gushing words for Elle ... telling "Extra" Elle's a great artist and a great girl who had just a little bit too much to drink.

She's also urging us all to "forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause [Elle] felt worse than anyone ever could."

That might be, but the Grand Ole Opry audience that night certainly didn't care how Elle was feeling at that moment ... as the singer resorted to hurling foul language, and mocking fans for purchasing tickets.

Many vented their anger on X ... complaining their evening was ruined by her horrible, drunk, and profane performance.

Her antics were deemed so outrageous that even the Grand Ole Opry said they "deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used."

Lupita Nyong'o's Academy Award-winning lips appear to have found a new target to land on -- and that would be R&B star Brent Faiyaz's face, which he's showing off in a new video.

We got our hands on a new video clip featuring Lupita and Brent going over a table read where the "Clouded" singer openly admits his attraction to her has become a distraction. BTW, this is a scene from Brent's new music video/short film 'Wy@,' which will be out tomorrow.

Anyway, watch the clip -- Lupita checks him about professionalism in the workplace ... but the 4th wall appears to break under the pressure of the apparent sexual tensions.

With just a day before Valentine's Day, ya gotta wonder how Lupita's real-life BF, Joshua Jackson feels about it. Remember, they made their relationship public back in December -- and as far as we know, they're still together.

Don't worry folks, this is just a really good promo to highlight all the many nuances of a romance ... in other words, it's acting!

The sensual clip is just a taste of Brent's booty call anthem from his most recent project, "Larger Than Life".

Brent's been teasing Lupita's role for some time now and the full vid, directed by Mark Peaced drops tomorrow on the Lover's Holiday.

Katy Perry just made a stunning announcement ... she's dunzo with "American Idol."

The iconic singer appeared on Monday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" dropping the bombshell after 7 years as an 'Idol' judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Jimmy kicked things off, asking Katy point blank if she was going to continue with the show.

At first, Katy didn't answer the question directly, responding that she was looking forward to performing in Brazil's Rock in Rio music festival this fall.

Then she delivered the 'Idol' shocker ...  "I think this will be my last show, my last season for 'Idol.' I love 'Idol' so much, it’s connected me with the heart of America. But I feel like I need to go out to feel that pulse of my own beat."

Many in the audience sounded bummed by the news, but Katy handled it like a seasoned pro with her smiles and upbeat demeanor, turning the mood back to a positive vibe.

Yet, Jimmy seemed a bit startled, pressing Katy on what her fellow judges -- Lionel and Luke -- thought about her exit.

Katy replied, "Well, they'll find out about it tonight," indicating the two were only aware she had some new projects in the works.

Her last season is scheduled to start on February 18 as the singing competition TV series hits the 22-year mark.

Beyoncé's decision to go country -- for at least one album -- is stirring fan excitement, but within country music, perhaps no one's more thrilled about it than CMT host Cody Alan!

The 38-year-old, who also hosts SiriusXM's "Highway Mornings," tells TMZ he's all for the pop/R&B icon opening the Beyhive to a new genre with Super Sunday surprise drop of "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" ... 2 singles on her upcoming "Renaissance Act II" album.

Cody says having someone as big as Beyoncé shine the spotlight on country music is a big deal -- and he's totally embracing it.

A turn to country appears to be a bit of a trend recently as Cody reminds us of the success rapper Jelly Roll has had going back to his country roots -- and while Cody isn't certain Queen Bey's country foray will translate to the masses, he thinks it super cool she's even giving it a go.

Alan also notes that the music biz usually categorizes artists -- but it's a genius move on Beyoncé's end to step out of the box 'cause that's usually where the best music is found.