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Rihanna seems to be putting an age-old theory to the test ... finding out if blondes really do have more fun -- 'cause she's rocking a short, light new hairdo!

The singer-songwriter stepped out in Santa Monica Friday, and her new look was instantly noticeable -- RiRi's usually lettin' her long locks flow, but now ... she's trimmed most of it off.

Just check out the pics ... her hair's not even touching her shoulders at this point -- a pretty sharp contrast to the Rihanna we normally see these days ... who lets her hair fall all the way to her hips. That's the 'do she's been sporting lately, anyway.

Also, peep the jewelry ... Rihanna's iced out with a necklace, earrings and bracelets -- shining bright like a diamond while on her way to an important meeting. It definitely accentuates the blonde hair up top ... and we gotta say, she's pulling the whole look off and then some.

Rihanna's look is noticeably different from one of the last times we spotted her ... as she was leaving Mukesh Ambani's son's pre-wedding bash in India with a swag bag and at least $6 million for her performance on the special day.

No word on how A$AP Rocky feels about the fresh cut ... but when your lady's RiRi, it's hard to imagine you can criticize much about her -- 'cause she's a beauty through and through.

Celine Dion's proving she can still rock by jamming out to Bon Jovi at a Boston Bruins game ... and the heartwarming video also makes it clear she's not letting her health challenges stop her from living life to the max.

Check out the clip -- Celine didn't hold back as she started singing along to the rock band's classic "Livin' on a Prayer" Thursday night at the Bruins game against the NY Rangers ... a rare public appearance amid her ongoing Stiff-Person Syndrome battle.

Celine's right in the thick of the action at Boston's TD Garden alongside her twin sons Nelson and Eddy ... when the camera zeroes in on her as she pumps her fists in the air and claps along while singing along to the catchy tune.

Her inner rockstar comes alive in the X clip shared by fan account @celinebible ... she rises from her seat to unleash an air guitar solo that's pure magic.

You can take the girl off the stage, but you can't take the performer outta her!

Celine wasn't just there to watch the game ... she and her sons got the royal treatment from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, who introduced them to the team for a legendary line-up read.

The icon's ice hockey antics came hot on the heels of her heartfelt tribute on International Stiff-Person Syndrome Awareness Day ... where she thanked her family, team, and fans for all their love and support since her diagnosis.

Celine was diagnosed with SPS in 2022, and she's been fighting tooth and nail to cope with the autoimmune disorder, even pulling the plug on her tour to prioritize her health.

The truth is ... she has her good days, and bad ones too during this battle. Her sister has said at times Celine is suffering and completely immobilized.

Ricky Martin says his dad was all for him living his truth out loud ... telling him he needed to come out publicly -- this while his professional team tried to talk him out of it.

The singer sat down for an interview on Sirius XM's "Andy Cohen Live" when he opened up about deciding to come out as gay -- and he says not everyone was in alignment on whether or not he should let the world know.

Martin told Andy his professional team told him it wasn't a good idea to reveal himself as an openly gay man ... in fact, he says they were quite certain it could kill his career.

But, Ricky goes on to explain his dad understood the importance of coming out and pushed him to tell the world after his two sons were born in 2008 ... with his pops saying RM couldn't start out by teaching his children it's better to lie than be yourself.

In any case, Martin says he took his time formulating a letter to tell the world he was gay and then tweeted it out ... and he said he felt instant relief -- sobbing tears of joy.

Of course, Ricky's since had some very public relationships with men ... including his high-profile marriage to Swedish artist Jwan Yosef from 2017 ... until their divorce last year.

Shakira's all about that single life ... straight-up saying being married weighed her down, and put a damper on her music career.

The Colombian singer was with soccer player Gerard Piqué for 11 years before they separated in 2022 amid infidelity rumors ... and she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that with Gerard outta the picture, she's now got a compulsive urge to work and make music like never before.

Shakira's singledom ain't all sunshine and rainbows though ... she's also keeping it real about the challenges of being a single parent to her sons, 11-year-old Milan and 9-year-old Sasha.

The "Hips Don't Lie" queen, who made the move from Spain to the U.S. post-split, dishes that her 2 kiddos are leaning on her big time ... and with no hubby in the picture, she's holding down the fort all by herself.

This ain't the first time Shakira's gently lashed out about how Gerard negatively impacted her career -- she also told the Sunday Times she sacrificed her music-making journey in the name of love.

But, Shakira's back in action ... after 7 long years, she's dropping her much-awaited studio album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" (Women Don't Cry Anymore), this Friday!

Taylor Swift can not only rock the house, she can rock the earth itself -- something proven by the fact that her fans caused a mini earthquake last year ... which is insane.

A study was conducted by Caltech and UCLA, which monitored just how much the ground was shaking during one of Taylor's concerts in 2023 -- specifically, one of her six L.A. shows at SoFi stadium ... and as it turns out, the Swifties that day made the needle move.

Seismologist Gabrielle Tepp -- who oversaw this study -- says data shows that her Aug. 5 "Eras" concert, which hosted upwards of 70,000 fans, registered notable seismic activity.

Tepp and co. monitored each song from her long set list with remote stations that were within 5.6 miles of the stadium and he says their records show that her performance of "Shake It Off" clocked in at the highest point through the night, with a peak magnitude of 0.851.

He notes that the seismic stations recording this were capturing the dancing and jumping going on from fans -- and the reverberations from the music itself isn't included in this. Tepp says her performance of "Love Story" that night also left a notable impression on the meter.

All in all, Tepp says the L.A. show movement caused tremors that equated to a magnitude-2 earthquake -- which is relatively small ... but still pretty impressive from the Taylor fan base!

Her Seattle fans reportedly caused similar waves earlier last summer as well ... earthquake levels.

Jimmie Allen's estranged wife is breaking her silence, saying lies can't remain secret forever -- a very thinly veiled reference to the country singer announcing he's had 2 more kids with another woman.

Alexis Gale posted a video Tuesday addressing the controversy ... while making it seem pretty clear she's totally done with Jimmie amid all of the indiscretions.

Check out the video ... Alexis can't even seem to find the words at first, before laughing and telling her nearly 40k followers that lies will always catch up to you -- and actions performed in the dark will eventually see the light.

AG says she's putting her faith in God, and says she's done talking specifically about her situation with Jimmie ... but couldn't help saying people will always expose their true colors given long enough.

Gale ended on a positive note ... explaining she planned on getting on with both her day and her life it seems without giving Jimmie's newborn twins another thought.

That being said, on Wednesday she posted text reading, "character is who you are when no one's watching." Now who could she be talking about??? 🤔

ICYMI ... the country singer shared photos of ALL his kids Tuesday -- including a pic of the twins who were born to a different woman last year.

While the kids were born during divorce proceedings between Jimmie and Alexis, they were seemingly conceived before he and Alexis announced their separation.

He apologized to Alexis last May, basically saying he was sorry he embarrassed her by cheating on her, and they actually reconciled in October -- about a month after their own son Cohen was born.

The transgender woman who took a serious beating at Kanye West's Rolling Loud set last week is blasting the attack as transphobic ... while also explaining what exactly led up to it.

Blu Linares -- the 22-year-old who was seen in a wild brawl last week while Ye performed here in L.A. -- tells TMZ that she believes the violence she endured that night is directly connected to her gender identity.

She says she feels the men she sparred with singled her out for unintentionally bumping into them -- explaining that in the mosh pit-like environment, she was getting pushed around -- despite plenty of other concertgoers packed in the tight space doing the same thing.

Once she inadvertently made contact, Blu tells us the guys hurled transphobic remarks at her ... while trying to paint her as the aggressor when they were the ones to pounce first.

Blu shows us some of the injuries she suffered during the melee -- one deep gash between her eyebrows is especially bad, as you can see. Despite everything, she says she's OK.

Moving forward, Blu's planning to meet with some attorneys to weigh her options ... but also notes she most likely won't be taking any legal action. Blu emphasizes to us she wasn't the one starting the fight -- instead, she says she was being bullied and stood up for herself.

You'll recall ... Kanye West's set at Rolling Loud descended into a violent mosh pit, with Blu bloodied and battered in the midst of it all. While she got thrashed, she also held her own.

Some *NSYNC fans think all the other guys are at Justin Timberlake's beck and call these days amid these little mini collabs they've been doing... but Joey Fatone says that's BS.

We got the boy band singer at LAX on Monday and asked him all about their recent gig with JT in L.A. amid his latest album drop -- where there's a song that features *NSYNC, serving as just the latest team-up they've done in the studio ... with fans wanting the real thing.

Of course, our photog asked about the prospect of a proper reunion for *NSYNC ... and Joey gave us the standard line of not-now-but-maybe-one-day, which we've heard for months.

Basically ... Joey says everyone's busy, so there's no official coming-together happening in the near future -- but does acknowledge that if they were to get in the studio again for brand new music in 2024, it'd probably sound something very much like their new track "Paradise."

He also says that *NSYNC doesn't mind coming together for JT when they can. Although, when our camera guy asked if they're on call for Justin these days -- as some online have suggested -- he shot that notion down entirely ... saying that's not the dynamic here.

Joey tells us he understands why some might draw that conclusion -- remember, not only did *NSYNC cameo on JT's new album, but did the same for his new 'Trolls' movie too -- he assures us that the group has turned down Justin's requests before ... many times, in fact.

As our camera guy puts it ... the *NSYNC guys are NOT Justin's industry booty call -- despite what some might assume. Joey makes it very clear ... they're all booked and busy in their own respective careers, so when they collaborate ... it's only 'cause it works for everyone.

Cola Boyy, the pop singer and songwriter who collaborated with the likes of The Avalanches and MGMT despite his spinal issues, passed away Sunday ... and his family is reeling from the loss.

The musician's father, Joseph Urango Jr., is now speaking to TMZ about the heartbreaking chain of events leading up to the passing of his son, a.k.a, Matthew Urango. He says it was Matthew's twin brother who made the devastating discovery -- he'd gone to check on Cola in bed and found he wasn't breathing.

Joseph says paramedics were called, but it was, tragically, too late and Cola Boyy was pronounced dead at the scene.

We're told CB was on oxygen while at home, and he was still hooked up to it when his brother found him.

His family believes his passing was related to his health issues. IYDK, Cola Boyy was born with spina bifida, scoliosis, and kyphosis, but he never let his health hold him back ... proudly referring to himself as the "disabled disco innovator."

The coroner is now investigating to determine the cause of death.

Joseph emphasized the magnitude of losing his son ... adding he had a deep love for his fans, bandmates, and especially his family.

Cola Boyy's label, Record Makers, was first to announce his passing, describing him in their tribute as "quite a soul, a man with no age, a childlike spirit with the musicality of an old legend."

He had an undeniable stage presence right from the start when he began releasing music in 2018. He had also just wrapped up work on his next album and was gearing up to share it with the world this summer.

Most importantly, Cola Boyy was a trailblazer for disability-rights advocacy ... telling TMRW Magazine society wanted disabled people to be timid and docile, which at times weighed him down but never stopped him from achieving his dreams.

He was 34.

New Beyoncé music is coming at the end of the month -- and based on what she's describing in terms of possible features ... a lot of folks think Taylor Swift will appear.

The singer made a big announcement Tuesday -- dropping the release date for her forthcoming album, "Cowboy Carter," as March 29 ... and adding a lengthy caption to describe the process that went into making this one.

She starts out by thanking everyone for blowing up her two new singles -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- and goes on to say she's excited to trot out this new era of hers.

Bey writes, "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

She also notes she faced criticism when she first broached the country music scene -- something that was well-documented at the time with her track "Daddy Lessons."

With all that, Beyoncé says this ... "I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound."

She finishes by saying "Cowboy Carter" isn't a country album, but rather ... a Beyoncé album -- which is obviously exciting, but her suggesting some legendary acts are on this project has seriously piqued people's curiosity ... including the Swifties.

Fact is ... a Beyonce and Taylor collab would be one the biggest musical team-ups in recent memory -- and the fact that Taylor got her start in country isn't lost on anyone either.

Plus, we know T-Swift and Bey are already friendly -- having attended the other's respective movie premieres last year ... so we know for a fact they respect and support each other.

Also, remember ... music producer Killah B -- who came up with the beat for "Texas Hold 'Em" -- played coy with us when we asked him point blank if there was a possibility Taylor might appear on this record of Bey's. Worth noting ... he didn't outright deny it at the time.

Bruno Mars doesn't owe millions in gambling debt to MGM Resorts -- despite what a recent report claimed ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for MGM Resorts International tells TMZ ... the singer doesn't have a $50 million gambling tab on the books with them -- even though some recently alleged the opposite. Instead, MGM came to Bruno's defense ... calling the allegation he owes a massive sum completely false.

In fact, the Las Vegas hot spot is super excited to collaborate with the Grammy winner again in the future -- not exactly the tone someone would take with a dude who's got a fat bill.

They add ... "We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno's partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests."

This update comes shortly after a report began circulating this past week that claimed MGM basically owned Bruno over an alleged gambling bill that was worth tens of millions. While Bruno has yet to address the gossip, MGM made it clear that there is nothing shady about their business relationship. BTW, Bruno's got an upcoming residency there at the resort.

Bruno previously opened up to James Corden in 2016 about being a card shark before hitting worldwide fame. In a "Carpool Karaoke" appearance on 'The Late Late Show,' he explained that he used to play poker to help pay his rent in L.A. ... so the dude does like to gamble.

Alicia Keys and Roc Nation came to the rescue of a 7th grader who's raising money for an NYC school's performing arts program ... and she's a lot closer to doing that now.

12-year-old Tennyson Artigliere got a huge boost from Alicia and co. to help out a GoFundMe she started in an attempt to keep the Professional Performing Arts School main program alive and kicking ... this amid budget cuts that threaten to close it for good.

The kid had a high goal of $102,000 -- which would help keep the Performing Arts Program open -- even if only for a little bit longer. Alicia -- who attended the school -- caught wind of the fundraiser, along with the rapper's entertainment company, and decided to intervene ... chipping in a whopping $60,000 toward her goal.

Alicia and Roc Nation's contribution adds to money they'd already raised ... around $50k.

Alicia and Roc Nation aren't stopping there -- as they have also vowed to help raise money for the program every year until the city is able to fund it themselves. Jeremy Allen White -- another alumni -- has also donated to the cause, pushing out the GFM link on his IG.

Tennyson couldn't be more grateful for the celebrity assistance, especially from such a notable alum like Alicia. Apparently, Tennyson's classmates couldn't believe it when she revealed that Alicia would be stepping in to save their performing arts program.

She added ... "We still talk about her legacy every single day."

Celine Dion is bouncing back from her debilitating health issues, posting a photo on Instagram that shows her looking strong with her three sons by her side.

On Friday night, the iconic singer uploaded the happy pic to her IG account, which captured Celine with a beaming smile, while standing with her arms around two of her sons as the third sat before them.

The siblings, Rene-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy -- were also grinning ear to ear, seemingly indicating their mom is feeling better.

In the caption, Celine provided an update on the prognosis for her disorder, Stiff-Person Syndrome, after first recognizing that it was SPS Awareness Day.

Celine wrote that she was diagnosed with SPS in 2022 and has been trying to overcome the autoimmune disorder ever since, highlighting that it's one of the hardest experiences of her life.

But she gave hope to her millions of fans, saying that she is determined to one day return to the stage to perform and to "live as normal of a life as possible."

She also expressed deep gratitude for the love and support she has received from family members and other supporters. She ended with words of love and encouragement for anyone impacted by SPS, vowing to beat the disease together.

You may recall ... Celine was forced to pull the plug on her tour after she made a video announcement that she was suffering from SMS at the end of 2022. Her condition has prevented her from being able to perform.

However, she was met with a standing ovation last month at the Grammys when presenting Album of the Year -- an award that went to Taylor Swift.

Madonna called out a woman in a wheelchair for not standing up at one of her concerts -- and while everyone gave her s*** for it ... the lady herself really isn't sweating it.

Vanessa Gorman -- who was the woman Madge called out in Vancouver last month -- tells TMZ ... she was pretty shocked by the concert callout at Rogers Arena -- 'cause she says she was in a bright pink wheelchair and figured Madonna could see it clear as day.

She also says she initially didn't think that Madonna was talking about her when the singer asked why she wasn't standing -- but when it became clear, she was kinda star-struck ... which you can see in this video from her angle, obtained by TMZ.

Watch ... Madonna is seen singling out Vanessa -- who was seated on the floor right by the stage. While the spotlight was technically put on her, Vanessa says she was unfazed by the attention ... and responded by simply shouting her love for the singer. So, no outrage.

Looking back on the exchange, Vanessa -- who is a paraplegic from a motor vehicle accident in 1999 -- doesn't think Madonna was being mean ... defending her idol by saying it was clearly a mistake. For anyone wondering, she is absolutely not offended by the situation.

She adds ... "Some people are in wheelchairs and can stand -- she had no idea I was paralyzed."

The fan applauds Madonna for apologizing right away and into the mic so that everybody could hear it. FWIW, Vanessa says that she went on to enjoy the rest of the concert.

Unfortunately for Madge, this was just the latest headline her world tour has made in recent months. Remember, Madonna was called out by Luther Vandross' estate after the singer was mistakenly included in the AIDS tribute that plays during her performance of "Live to Tell."

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar says Riley Strain only had one drink while at their establishment last week -- denying overserving claims and other narratives that have been floated.

A rep for the TC Restaurant Group and Luke's 32 Bridge tells TMZ ... they quickly provided cops with any and all pertinent information in helping track Riley's whereabouts when he first disappeared last Friday -- including handing over all the surveillance footage they had.

They go on to say they also forked over receipts, transaction records and time stamps to prove what exactly he drank while in the building ... and as it turns out, they're saying he only purchased and was served one alcoholic drink.

In addition to the boozy beverage, Luke's 32 Bridge says Riley was also given two waters.

Despite this, they say their security team made a decision around 9:35 PM that Riley needed to go -- based on their conduct standards, they say -- and the muscle escorted him to the front of the venue ... where they say he was accompanied by one person in his party.

They also claim the dude who came downstairs with him did not exit with Riley, but instead ... returned upstairs without him. This is different than what Riley's family has said in interviews ... where his father seemed to suggest his friends had been blocked from leaving.

Ryan Gilbert, Riley's dad, told FOX17 ... "He was put out of the bar by himself, and there was a time that went by that his friend wasn’t able to get out. We believe they were taking care of the bar tab or whatnot. By the time they got outside, he just wasn’t there any longer."

On its face, it would appear the dad was putting some blame on the bar -- and even when police first relayed what had allegedly happened ... they said they'd been told Riley was overserved, something Luke's 32 Bridge is now explicitly refuting with their information.

Of course, this comes on the heels of the TABC opening an investigation into claims that the bar gave him one drink too many -- with a misdemeanor charge on the table. They made clear that it's against the law to serve someone alcohol who is visibly intoxicated.

That seems to be the lingering question here ... was Riley obviously drunk to the bar staff?

Luke himself has already addressed the tragic story in the wake of Riley's week-long disappearance -- he posted a message asking for prayers and noting his bar was cooperating with the authorities. Officials have scoured the Nashville area looking for Riley, with no luck.

Cops are asking anyone with reliable information on Riley's whereabouts to call 615-742-7463.

Kim Kardashian and Bianca Censori were once again in the same space -- as they both descended upon Kanye West's Rolling Loud set ... where young North was in the mix.

The Kardashian-West family was looking very blended and kumbaya Thursday evening, where Ye and co. were scheduled to perform at the L.A. music festival ... and where North was also set to do her thing for the 'Vultures' song she's on with her dad, called "Talking."

Just like a few days ago in San Francisco -- Kim was there for North ... rolling into the event in an SUV, where she was riding passenger ... similar to how Bianca arrived in her own car.

There's no visual evidence thus far that Kim was standing next to BC the way she was on Tuesday for the SF listening event -- where they were shoulder-to-shoulder -- but there's no doubt they were within reach of one another ... as they obviously had backstage access.

Speaking of North, she was getting the A-list treatment the whole night -- shaking hands with fans of hers (yes, including adults) with her entourage of friends behind her.

There's another video that shows North seemingly doing an interview with someone behind the scenes -- and as she's answering questions ... you can see Kim looking on not too far away. So yes, Mama Bear is keeping a watchful eye over her and Kanye's daughter.

Obviously, Ye himself is deeply invested in North right now -- she recently announced she has her own album coming out ("Elementary School Dropout") ... and we've heard she's hard at work in the studio with Kanye guiding her. Sounds like they're all taking it seriously.

It's interesting that Kim continues to show up for her daughter -- ya gotta figure she might feel somewhat conflicted over all this ... on account of Kanye's many controversies.

Despite that, however, she's out here backing up North -- and in doing so, she's rubbing shoulders with Bianca -- who's now the stepmother of all her children with Ye. There's no indication there's any bad blood between Kim and Bianca ... on its face, they're civil.

One thing we know for certain, though ... Kim definitely isn't as bold a dresser as Bianca -- and we're sure she wants to keep it that way. BC's been in some pretty wild outfits lately.

In any case ... KK and Bianca showing up near each other is becoming a regular thing -- and with North diving into music ... that's probably their reality for the foreseeable future.