Taylor Swift's Dad Scott New Angle on Pap Incident Still Hard to See What Happened

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Bad Blood With Dad

New footage of Taylor Swift's dad coming face to face with paparazzi in Australia has surfaced -- and while it shows more of the incident ... it's still hard to tell what happened.

In the video ... Scott clutches his superstar daughter's hand as she walks along while covering her torso with an umbrella. Chaos quickly ensues ... with Taylor's security detail attempting to create a clear path to an awaiting vehicle for the father and daughter ... who had just left a yacht after arriving from Homebush.

Taylor is seen blindly crawling into the back of the vehicle as paparazzi attempt to get a perfect shot. That's when you can see Scott go around toward the back of the vehicle -- where other paps are -- and some kind of scuffle appears to unfold behind the door.

Again, it's impossible to tell from this shot what went down -- but you do see some activity back there ... and Scott is in the vicinity, as are other security guards.

As we reported ... Scott has been accused of getting physical with one photographer in particular -- identified as Ben McDonald -- in an alleged altercation that the pap has characterized as assault. He went to cops there, and they're investigating this.

A rep for Taylor told us that more than one individual was "aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor" ... and claimed people were grabbing her security team, and threatening to throw a female into the water.

Taylor's camp didn't specifically address the allegation against Scott by the photog.

The cops in Australia note the alleged victim did not require medical treatment after the encounter with Scott. So ... perhaps the whole drama will be shaken off before it turns into something more serious. McDonald doesn't seem inclined to let this go, though.

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Time will tell if anything more serious comes about.

Stay tuned ...

JENNIFER LOPEZ CELEBS REJECTED CAMEOS IN MY MOVIE ... Taylor, Ariana & Snoop!!!

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Jennifer Lopez's new flick "This Is Me ... Now" is buzzin' with some major guest stars ... but it could've been a whole different ball game -- that's if some other big shots hadn't passed on it.

The star spilled the tea on the casting journey in her newly dropped Prime Video doc, "The Greatest Love Story Never Told" ... where she and her crew first reached out to big shots like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. But, Tay was busy with her "Eras" tour, and AG was filming "Wicked" over in London. Bummer!

That wasn't all ... Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Lizzo, Vanessa Hudgens and even Snoop Dogg all passed 'cause they were unavailable.

And get this, Khloé Kardashian was supposed to pop in for a cameo, but she pulled out at the eleventh hour -- something J Lo chalked up to the reality star being scared to put herself out there.

SZA, Bad Bunny, and Anthony Ramos rounded out the list of A-listers who also passed. Imagine the star power if they'd all signed on!

But, J Lo's all about keeping it real ... and during a candid chat with her manager Benny Medina she acknowledged that no one wanted to turn her down ... but as someone who's been in the biz for a long time, she knows that people will pass on a project if they don't think the script is up to par. It's just how the game goes, and J Lo gets it.

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But, J Lo didn't let those rejections get her down ... she bounced back big time by rounding up a stellar crew including Sofia Vergara, Jane Fonda and Trevor Noah.

They all jumped on board to play zodiac signs in her imaginative Zodiac Council. It's like their involvement was written in the stars or something!

Madonna Scraps Vandross From AIDS Tribute ... At Request of Estate

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Madonna is nixing a photo of Luther Vandross from the AIDS tribute she puts on during her "Celebration" tour .... because, as his estate has clarified, he shouldn't be there at all.

The Material Girl has made a point to pay tribute to her late friends and famous peers -- including Herb Ritts, Freddie Mercury, and Keith Haring, all of whom died from AIDS-related complications -- with a photo montage amid her performance of "Live to Tell."

During Saturday night's tribute at Madge's Sacramento concert, a photo of the late soul singer was included -- despite the R&B singer's 2005 death previously being attributed to complications from a prior stroke.

In fact ... Luther was actually defensive about this rumor about him while he was alive ... once even going after a British magazine back that tried to pin his weight loss in the mid-80s to the virus. So yeah, it's a sensitive topic.

While Luther's camp acknowledged Madonna's effort to honor those who've lost their lives to AIDS ... they emphasized to Page Six that the late soul singer was never diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus, and it sounds like Luther's estate kindly asked her to exclude him.

Madonna has since scrapped the photo from the tribute ... after Luther's estate reached out to her management team, so all's well that ends well. Seems like an innocent mistake.

For those wondering ... Luther's sexuality has long been speculated on -- but he never came out as anything other than heterosexual ... although, close friends of his have commented on this in the years since and suggested he may have been part of the LGBTQ+ community.

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In any case, his team clearly doesn't want the AIDS narrative to be attached to him, and Madonna has respected their wishes.

North West Takes Private Jet Home Back to L.A. After Paris 'Vultures' Gig

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North West is living the good life ... jetting back home in a private jet after performing her chart-topping collab with Kanye West in Paris.

Kanye and Kim Kardashian's oldest daughter touched down Monday in Los Angeles aboard a PJ, hustling back home after doing her thing Sunday at a "Vultures" listening event halfway across the world.

North's traveling party included her nanny and at least one bodyguard ... and it looks like she did some shopping in Paris, because they walked off the plane with bags from Chanel and Celine, two French luxury fashion houses.

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The private flight home caps off a big week for North and her pops ... all 16 tracks from Kanye and Ty Dolla Sign's "Vultures 1" album cracked the Billboard Hot 100, including North's feature on the song "Talking."

North's little brother is doing big things too -- the same day North was performing in Paris, Saint West escorted soccer star Lionel Messi to the field at the Inter Miami vs. L.A. Galaxy match.

Time to reboot that ol' TV show ... (rich) kids do the darndest things!!!

Taylor Swift Aussie Fans Rolling with Regular Bags ... Gun Laws Praised

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Taylor Swift's Australia bag policy is pretty noticeable compared to the States -- her fans can walk in without having to visibly show what they have inside ... and the reason is gun laws.

People have been reacting to the fact all these Aussies going to Taylor concerts over the past couple weeks have been strolling into the stadiums with regular shmegular bags hanging from their shoulders ... and the reason it's getting attention is because America is very different.

Take a look for yourself ... these shots of Swifties down under have stirred a conversation about the contrast between Australia's gun laws and the USA's -- which are way more strict.

Fact is ... these youths are able to come in with concealed bags because their national laws surrounding firearms are almost night and day compared to the States. You can own a gun in Australia, but you gotta jump through a ton of hoops to obtain one -- and concealed carry is not a thing out there. Semi-automatic weapons are also completely banned there, period.

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Why No Clear Bags?

Compare that to photos of American Swifties who were going to her "Eras" shows last year ... and you'll see, they had to bring clear, see-through bags that exposed everything inside.

Hardly anyone thinks a Taylor Swift fan would ever bring anything dangerous to one of her concerts -- but the truth is, in America, you just never know. That's the reality these days.

Australia pivoted to harsher gun control laws in the mid-90s after an awful mass shooting that claimed upwards of 35 lives and injured many others. After that, they swiftly enacted these stringent regulations over owning guns ... and there haven't been many mass shootings since.

There are other things about Australia that are also on a tighter leash -- which has led some to accuse the country of being overbearing -- but bottom line ... they're experiencing fewer shootings than us.

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Take it for what it is, we suppose. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Beyoncé Uncle Butch Dead At 77

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Tragedy has hit Beyoncé's family ... the megastar's uncle has passed away.

Bey's mom, Tina Knowles, delivered the news on Instagram just hours ago, revealing her brother, Rowland Martin Buyince, who went by Butch, died over the weekend. No word yet on how what happened.

Tina uploaded a black and white photo of Butch in a United States Air Force uniform with a caption honoring his memory.

She called Butch her "Beautiful big brother" who was now with God in heaven, while expressing she'll miss him "so much."

She described Butch as a handsome "career Airforce man” who had a passion for riding motorcycles and was a black belt in karate.

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Tina noted Butch's "beautiful green eyes," while emphasizing that he was a "great story teller" and was beloved by his incredible wife Jeanette, daughter Dana, and two grandchildren Yvette and Roland.

So far, Bey has not commented on Butch's passing ... but we expect something from her to down the pike.

As you know, Bey's been making headlines lately with her recent pivot to country music, releasing the hit country song, "Texas Hold 'Em."

Butch was 77.

RIP

Britney Spears Thanks Janet Jackson on Social Media ... Shot at Justin Timberlake???

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Britney Spears is showing some love to the great Janet Jackson on Instagram ... while her feud with Justin Timberlake rages on.

The singer-songwriter wrote a loving tribute to JJ in a since deleted Instagram post, thanking Janet for breathing continued life into her dreams while saying she's always looked up to her.

She wrote the emotional message on a screengrab of Jackson' self-titled album, "Janet" released back in 1993.

While it might have just been an innocuous tribute post to another music legend, Britney's got some common ground with Janet ... in that Justin Timberlake won't apologize to either of them.

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no apologies given

Remember ... during a show in New York City at the end of last month, Justin told the crowd he was going to apologize to "absolutely f***ing nobody" before singing "Cry Me A River" -- a clear dig at Brit, but Janet fans assumed that meant her as well.

Justin and Janet will be forever linked for their fateful 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show where Justin ripped Jackson's costume revealing one of her breasts to the crowd -- something he chalked up to an accident at the time.

However, he apologized to both Britney and Janet back in 2021 ... after the documentary "Framing Britney Spears" aired on Hulu, saying he had inadvertently benefited from misogynistic institutions and felt he needed to say sorry for that.

Of course, Britney and Justin have been on especially bad terms after the fake-out apology ... with Spears basically calling Timberlake a crybaby in a basketball-related post.

Maybe Britney's trying to collect allies in her war with JT ... or maybe she's just sending love to a fellow artist.

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Either way, Britney's post certainly got fans' eyebrows raised.

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THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND

Stay tuned ...

Flavor Flav Miley Slapped Me For Calling Her Gwen ... All in Good Fun!!!

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Flavor Flav got corrected quickly by Miley Cyrus when he accidentally called her Gwen Stefani ... getting a swift slap to the face -- but one all in good fun he says.

The Public Enemy rapper talked about the incident on a recent episode of "Just B with Bethenny Frankel" ... where he revealed he ran into her several years ago when she and Gwen apparently had similar haircuts.

Flav said he got super excited to meet Gwen and ran up to her ... only to find himself accidentally speaking to Miley instead.

He says MC played it super cool, just going along with it during the convo as he lauded her for all of GS' work ... an embarrassing moment for FF when his friend later told her it was actually Miley.

Flavor Flav says he went right up to Miley to apologize, adding of course he knew her and her dad Billy Ray ... which is when he got the smack right across his face.

He says the moment didn't create any animosity ... instead, he and Miley laughed off the moment, and the two even met up backstage of the Grammy Awards this year.

But, Miley couldn't resist giving Flav a little bit of guff over the past mistaken identity.

A video went viral from their meetup which showed the two hugging it out while Miley joked he always used to call him Gwen ... so, clearly this is still stuck in her mind.

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Glad to see things are good between Flav and Miley ... but, he may want to take his signature shades off to avoid future mix-ups.

Taylor Swift Fan Hmmm ... Should I Go To Her Concert ... Or Get My Kidney Transplant?

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Some Taylor Swift fans are so fanatical they'll put their health on the line just to go see her live on stage.

Take Tamara Gray who says she thought about skipping her kidney transplant to attend Taylor's show Friday at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Seriously.

In an interview with 9 News, Gray said she was heading to the arena when she received a phone call from hospital staff telling her they finally found her a kidney.

Gray had been one of the many people registered for kidney transplants in Australia – never thinking she would receive a donor.

But she was wrong. In fact, the 35-year-old Queensland mother said she was at the Gold Coast Airport waiting to board a plane for Sydney when she got the call around 8:30 AM.

Gray said, "I won't lie, there was a split second that I considered saying no [to the kidney], but, you know, I'm not crazy." Yes, a different decision would make her certifiable.

Meanwhile, Taylor just said her goodbyes to her hunky beau, Travis Kelce, who flew to Sydney to support the singer at her concert and spend quality time with her at the zoo.

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Travis boarded a flight last night, jetting out to Las Vegas to party with Patrick Mahomes and their Kansas City Chiefs teammates. The team still has a lot to celebrate after their big win against the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl.

We'll be talking all things Taylor on the new "TMZ Swift-Tea Podcast" -- available on all podcast platforms.

Taylor Swift Showing The Love To Travis Kelce ... Changes 'Karma' Lyrics Again For Him

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Taylor Swift is really digging her boyfriend Travis Kelce ... so much so she's changing her lyrics AGAIN on stage for him.

Taylor was performing Friday night at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia -- and Travis, of course, was front and center showing his support for the pop superstar.  Travis' sidekick and fellow Kansas City Chiefs player, Ross Travis, was right beside him enjoying the show.

In the middle of her hit tune, "Karma," Taylor again replaced some of the original lyrics with expressions of love for Travis, singing, "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me."

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"THE GUY ON THE CHIEFS"

The original lyrics were "Karma is the guy on the screen coming straight home to me" -- and Taylor has pulled the ol' switcharoo before at her concert in Argentina.

Video captured the moment of pure affection in Sydney. Check it out for yourself ... you can see Travis dancing with his back to the camera and waving his arms in the air as Taylor does her thing on stage.

Translation: Travis and Taylor are clearly head over heels for each other. The big question is where will it all lead?

After Friday's show, Travis said his goodbyes to Taylor and hopped a flight back to Las Vegas, where he's going to party with Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs. The team is continuing to celebrate their 2024 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor, meanwhile, will be traveling the world on the international leg of her 'Eras' tour.

During his short stay in Sydney, Travis enjoyed some quality time with Taylor at the zoo. Staying connected, though, might prove to be a challenge for the couple in the future considering their busy schedules.

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TMZ has a 1-hour special Monday night on why this relationship works so well yet the others did not. There are actually answers to that!  Check out "TMZ Investigates: Taylor and Travis: Ultimate Love Story" airing Monday night, 9 PM/8 Central on FOX.

Travis Kelce Hits Up Taylor's Sydney Concert Smooch After the Show!!!

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Travis Kelce was front and center for his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, as she took the stage down under anew ... and she showed her appreciation for him afterward with a little sugar.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was among thousands of people in attendance Friday at Accor Stadium in Sydney -- where T-Swift kicked off a fresh round of performances heading into the weekend. Just like at other shows of hers he's been to ... the fans went wild.

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Lots of videos are floating around on X that show TK making his way to his spot in the stadium -- and as he passed a bunch of Swifties ... they were losing their s*** screaming.

Travis soaked up all the attention ... clapping and waving at all the young'ns as he passed them -- with security flanking him on all sides, of course. He had a buddy with him too -- Ross Travis -- who's a former Chiefs player ... and who's randomly accompanying Travis on this Aussie trip. Taylor's dad, Scott, was also in the mix as Trav went to his VIP tent.

BTW ... there were other famous people at this show -- namely, Katy Perry and Rita Ora ... and Travis snapped a photo with the latter. Indeed, he's got his friendship bracelet on! After the concert, he was there to greet Taylor -- and lingering fans saw her plant one on him.

As Travis and co. looked on ... Taylor was onstage doing her thing, and put on a helluva show like she normally does. Lots of highlights from that -- all captured in photos, no less.

When it comes to Travis -- the dude is obviously committed to the relationship -- he's already traveled internationally for Taylor before this ... and he did it again here in Australia. He hasn't missed a beat either with Taylor since arriving -- going from plane to zoo date ASAP.

It's no small feat. As we reported ... Travis' long trip to see Taylor again began Tuesday night when he jumped on a private plane from L.A. after having dinner at Nobu Malibu.

He first jetted off to Hawaii for a short stay and then flew to Sydney, where he was pictured walking off the aircraft and climbing inside an SUV. A long trip, no doubt -- and yet ... he powered through and went right to the Sydney Zoo with his gal, playing a good sport.

This marks the 2nd time Trav has traveled around the world for Taylor ... but don't worry, she's done the same for him. Remember, she flew from Tokyo to catch the Super Bowl in Vegas -- and was there on the sidelines cheering for him as he and the Chiefs won it all.

Some wondered if they'd be able to keep the momentum going post-football season -- and so far, it appears they have ... you don't just jet off to Australia if you're half in on a relationship.

We know Trav will be there through the weekend ... but the question is, will he be her roadie through the rest of the tour? She's got shows in Singapore next as the "Eras" tour rolls on.

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Whether he does or doesn't ... he's there now, and we're sure they're enjoying each other.

Katy Perry Sings 'Bad Blood' at Taylor's Show ... Old Feud Dead & Buried!!!

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Katy Perry's old feud with Taylor Swift is dunzo -- something we already knew, but which was double confirmed by the fact KP crashed her Aussie show ... and sang a certain song.

The pop star was one of a handful of famous people on hand Friday for T-Swift's first Sydney concert -- where she was hanging in the VIP tent with Rita Ora and, of course, Travis Kelce ... who flew on down to be with his girlfriend.

Katy's presence was interesting though ... on account that she and Tay Tay used to beef.

That's why her singing "Bad Blood" -- which has always been rumored to be about Katy -- was fascinating to see ... as Taylor belted out the tune onstage, she was being recorded singing along down in the crowd. It's the ultimate irony ... and proof they're all good now.

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Katy even posted a picture with Taylor after the show ... and they look very chummy.

If you're unfamiliar ... the whole saga dates back to 2014 or so, when Taylor was first releasing "Bad Blood" -- during which she alluded to a rift in a friendship ... and most everyone assumed she was referring to Katy, explaining it was a personnel issue.

Taylor talked about it at the time without naming KP ... "She did something so horrible. I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’ And it wasn’t even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour."

TS added ... "She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational – you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It’s awkward, and I don’t like it."

Katy ended up responding with her own diss track, of sorts, and went on to say that their feud was all about backup dancers -- namely, Katy hiring some of Taylor's own staffers.

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In the end ... they ended up making up by the time Taylor dropped her song/video for 'You Need to Calm Down' -- in which Katy made a cameo ... and was clearly cool with her again.

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Now, they're buddies, it seems, and all that bad blood has turned into water under a bridge.

Speaking of water ... there was a lot of it at Taylor's Sydney show -- albeit, well before curtain call. Some fans got caught in a brief downpour as they were filing into the stadium

They didn't seem to mind though ... and it definitely didn't deter them. There wasn't much rain during Taylor's concert itself ... so yeah, definitely worth powering through it.

Justin Timberlake Nixes London Show ... I Caught A Nasty Bug

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Justin Timberlake has caught the flu ... forcing him to back out of his concert in England.

In a video posted on X, the singer/actor delivered the bad news from what appeared to be a hotel room while sounding as if he had a frog in his throat.

JT started off by saying it was "unfortunate" he had to send out this video before telling fans he was canceling Friday's performance at The Roadhouse in London. He said he was gutted by the decision to nix the show because he had been in town all week prepping for it.

But, as JT explained, he's been battling a bug and, while he felt better at one point, he then took a turn for the worse.

As you know, JT has been on tour promoting his upcoming record, "Everything I Thought I Was," recently announcing shows in the UK and throughout Europe.

He also just released a new song, "Drown," which was a follow-up to the first track off his forthcoming album, "Selfish."\

Last month, TMZ obtained footage of JT dazzling a packed crowd for 90 minutes at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee. He sure gave everyone in his home state a real treat that night.

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After JT gets rid of that nasty illness, he'll be right back onstage cranking out his tunes. Feel better, JT!!!

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Kim K, Pharrell, Diplo, Bella Hadid Hollywood Rockin' Cowboy Hats ... Beyoncé Sets The Trend!!!

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Hollywood is collectively saying "howdy" to cowboy hats ... hopping on a trend that's being fueled by Beyoncé's transition to country music.

With Queen B playing some poker on the charts, celebs lately are going full country ... and busting out their Western wear ... particularly above the shoulders. Kim Kardashian, Pharrell Williams, Diplo and Bella Hadid are among the stars being lassoed in to this latest look.

Of course, the poster child for the cowboy hat resurgence is Beyoncé. She's been rocking these 10-gallon hats a lot in recent months ... and we gotta say, she wears them well.

Bey incorporated the look into her "Renaissance" tour, but it's really catching fire now that she's galloping into country with two new songs ... "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages."

Some celebs are really going all in, like "Selling Sunset" stars Emma Hernan, Chelsea Lazkani and Chrishell Stause ... pairing their cowboy hats with cowboy boots and chaps, plus a riding bull to boot!!! Safe to say, the cowboy/cowgirl look is all the rage.

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Check out the gallery ... stars from all walks of life of entertainment are tipping their caps to Beyoncé ... giddyup!

Pamela Anderson Joins Madonna Onstage For 'Vogue' ... Minimalist Beauties Here!!!

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Madonna brought out a special guest for her concert north of the border, playing to the crowd with a fan favorite and national treasure ... none other than Pamela Anderson!!!

Madonna was performing in front of a sold-out crowd Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver -- when Pamela, the hometown hero, joined her onstage.

The two icons hugged and kissed on the cheek before sitting down together for Madonna's hit song, "Vogue." TMZ has it all on video ... Pamela and Madonna act as judges as models turn the stage into a runway, strutting their stuff and striking a pose in front of them.

As you can see, Pamela and Madonna are holding up scorecards as they judge the fake pageant on stage ... and it's mostly 10s across the board.

Madonna's obviously in full hair and makeup for her "Celebration" tour, but Pamela was fresh-faced and au naturel ... hey, no complaints here!!! BTW, this all-natural look is actually something Pam has been rockin' a lot lately -- it's kind of her new thing, in fact.

She's got a new skincare line out called Sonsie ... and the whole idea here about her products is that it's all about promoting minimalist beauty -- something PA is sticking to out in public. She's not wearing any makeup these days ... even when she's next to Madge!

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Anyway, check out the clips ... pretty cool team-up, if you ask us!

Darius Rucker Beyoncé's Country Music Is Great ... I Hope She Wins AOTY!!!

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Darius Rucker is a big fan of Beyoncé joining his genre ... saying he's loving her new country music, and hopes it finally lands her a coveted Album of the Year Grammy.

The legendary singer-songwriter -- who's one of the few Black artists who's broken through into country successfully -- was at LAX Wednesday when a photog asked him about Beyoncé's latest offering, "Texas Hold 'Em."

Darius is fairly brief and succinct in his review -- but he's clear ... he's digging Bey's twang.

He says 'THE' is a great song and even throws good luck her way over the prospect of Beyoncé's foray into country music finally earns her a Grammy award for Album of The Year ... something that's still missing from Bey's mantle.

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SHE DESERVES MUCH MORE

Remember ... Jay-Z made a big stink about Beyoncé's lack of an AOTY award during a speech at this month's Grammys, so lots of folks are wondering if a country album will get Bey over the hump ... Darius included.

Of course, Beyoncé's going to have to beat out Taylor Swift -- and others -- to win AOTY ... Taylor's got a new album coming out too, and Darius actually addresses Taylor too here.

The cameraman asks Darius if he thinks Taylor should go back to country -- something that another bystander next to DR actually weighs in on before has a chance to. As for Darius, he says Tay Tay should crank out whatever type of music she wants ... ditto for Beyoncé.

One last thing Darius addressed here about Bey and country ... namely, John Schneider's ugly remarks about her last week -- when he likened her to a dog marking its territory.

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HAVE TO MAKE THEIR MARK

Like many people ... he agrees that John's words were laced with a racist undertone -- and he says gatekeeping country music is absolutely silly. On the question of whether Beyoncé is a "lightning rod" ... Darius scoffs at that notion as well in this interview.

Long story short ... Darius is all for Beyoncé getting into country music -- he's definitely a fan.

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Here's hoping his cosign quiets down the haters who are riled up ... 'cause there seems to be a lot of 'em, and in Darius' eyes -- they're making a big fat fuss over a whole lotta nothing.