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Billie Eilish might be responsible for crystalizing what you could call "sad girl" pop in this day and age ... an argument that's got fans of Fiona Apple, and others, up in arms.

Here's the deal ... a fan account that chronicles Billie music news tweeted Saturday that the Recording Academy -- which, of course, is responsible for the Grammys -- credited BE with creating the above-mentioned genre ... also employed by Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, etc.

They're referencing an article from the Recording Academy that was written a few days ago, titled ... "The Psychology Of "Sad Girl" Pop: Why Music By Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo & More Is Resonating So Widely."

While the Billie fan account isn't quite accurate in characterizing what the article actually says -- namely, that Billie has more or less popularized "sad girl" pop into its own subgenre, especially for a new generation -- it does sorta capture the spirit ... which seems to be giving artists like Billie and all the other Gen-Zers a bit more credit than they perhaps deserve.

That's where Fiona fans are coming out in force against this narrative ... dive into the "Fiona Apple" trend on Twitter right now and you'll see what we mean. They're sour over this.

A lot of them are pointing out that musicians like Fiona and Alanis Morissette are the actual trailblazers that the Recording Academy thinks Billie, Olivia and other young'ns are -- and there are other names getting thrown in the mix too as pioneers.

There's Lana Del Rey ... who's been in this lane for years. Others who've been mentioned as stalwarts of "sad girl" pop -- Michelle Branch, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Marina Diamandis, Lorde, Hope Sandoval ... and even older acts like Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.

It's a sign of the times ... a glass door shattering was enough to turn the Vegas strip into full-blown panic.

Tourists heard loud sounds Saturday night on the Strip, which they mistook for gunfire ... and it created a domino effect, sending hundreds of terrified folks running for their lives.

Turns out it was just a glass door shattering, but that was enough to send people scrambling. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said, "There is no evidence of gunfire in the area and the event is under investigation."

People ran out of the MGM Grand and New York-New York. One person suffered minor injuries after falling during the stampede out.

One person was detained ... the one who broke the glass door. That individual was stopped on suspicion of destruction of property. Unclear if there were any arrests.

It's really a scary situation ... you see cops descending on the area with guns drawn as they try to figure out if there is indeed an active shooter.

The World Series of Poker was interrupted by the incident but the gamblers soon returned.

"The Office" star Craig Robinson had to pull the plug on his comedy show moments before going on stage, after a gunman began shooting inside the comedy club.

Gunshots rang out at around 9 PM Saturday night at the Comedy Zone in North Carolina ... and Craig's fans beelined it out for safety.

The gunman flashed his gun as he entered the venue and, demanded that everyone leave, and according to cops, then fired at least one round. Thankfully no one was injured.

Robinson left the venue as well, and headed over to the Metro Credit Union Amphitheater where Big Time Rush was mid-concert. The Amphitheater is a stone's throw from the comedy club.

Craig says, "I’m safe. I’m cool. It was wild I was in the green room and they’re like ‘everybody get out!’ It was a moment for sure."

Kanye West may have been hit by the supply chain crisis, because his floor-to-ceiling renovation of his Malibu home is far from completion.

Ye paid just a skosh over $57 million for the Malibu beachfront home. He's using a famous architect ... Tadao Ando, but even he can't seem to accelerate the process. Then again, Kanye is famous for coming up with a plan and then changing it until it's exactly to his liking.

The home is 4,000 square feet ... which is huge by Malibu standards for beachfront property ... thus the hefty price tag. BTW, when Kanye bought it it was listed for $75 million.

It's pretty austere ... which is Kanye's thing. The house he designed for his family -- which Kim Kardashian now owns -- is also minimalist.

Dave Chappelle getting an Emmy nomination for a stand-up special some call transphobic is emboldening the transgender community -- but not so much in the way you might think.

We spoke to Ashlee Marie Preston in L.A. to get her reaction to the comedian getting a Primetime Emmy nod for Netflix's "The Closer" -- which, as you know, was the subject of much controversy last year ... and even spurred Netflix employee walkouts in protest.

Preston -- who isn't a Netflix employee, but still helped organize the walkout -- tells us she and other members of the transgender and queer community have an action plan ... the details of which she's purposely keeping under wraps, but promises we'll see soon as a response.

Give the clip a watch ... it sounds like Ashlee and Co. are about to roll out a campaign or an announcement of sorts that advocates for LGBT-friendly content -- something she says the industry needs more of to help combat the POVs Dave expressed in "Closer," which she considers harmful.

Preston also tells us that instead of focusing on Chappelle ... she encourages anyone who supports their cause to turn their attention to Emmy nominees who help tell their story -- folks like Bowen Yang and others, who are also up for awards this year.

It's also interesting to hear Preston's approach this time around -- rather than being triggered and reacting in haste, she and her colleagues appear to be going about the response much more strategically.

Amber Rose knows Kanye West, and she opens up about his divorce from Kim Kardashian ... short story, she's not surprised at all.

Amber sat down with Raquel for the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast and Amber -- though circumspect -- seems to know of what she speaks. She makes it clear ... she saw the divorce coming, and it's all based on her experience with Kanye.

Amber acknowledges she had her own issues with Ye, but she's still wished him nothing but the best. Amber, who's always been rock solid, says she's focusing on her own life and not what her exes are doing.

Amber and Kanye dated from 2008 to 2010 ... before he moved on to Kim a year later. So, she had a fresh look at Kanye's new relationship with lots of experience to lay odds. And, her odds are that it just wouldn't last.

Raq makes a point of saying Amber and Kim share the same birthday and therefore they have something in common, but Amber makes it clear ... the birth date is where similarities end.

Kodak Black's weekend is off to an unfortunate start … the "Super Gremlin" was arrested after cops say they found a bunch of oxycodone pills in his car.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Kodak was traveling in a Dodge Durango Friday in Ft. Lauderdale with what cops believed was an illegal window tint.

After pulling the rapper over, cops say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and eventually searched the car. Officers claim they found 31 oxycodone pills and $74,960 in cash during the search.

Our sources say Kodak's license and tags were also expired.

Kodak was then arrested and hauled off to Broward County jail.

Felice Herrig has turned her tootsies into cash cows -- the combat sports star tells TMZ Sports she's raking in the dough ... by selling her used socks and pics of her feet on OnlyFans!!

Yep, you read that correctly -- the newly-retired MMA fighter and current Bare Knuckle FC fighter tells us she's living very comfortably by snapping shots of her lil bulldogs ... and it's now given her the freedom to fight at her leisure.

Felice tells us all her fans with foot fetishes have asked for some up-close looks for a while now ... and she's more than happy to fulfill their requests.

But, some folks out there even want to possess some of her USED socks ... which she's shelling out for $150!!!

Pretty sweet gig, huh??

The money Herrig is making now has allowed her to fight whenever she wants ... unlike how things were previously in her long career.

As for her new transition over to BKFC, Felice tells us it's the perfect fit for what she's truly passionate about in fighting -- admitting her heart wasn't in MMA.

"Now, it's coming full-circle," Herrig tells us. "I get to go back to doing what I love. And actually, boxing has always been my number one."

This week's Summer Hot Shots is coming from the warm sands of Brighton where European model Jude Guaitamacchi brought some serious heat while hanging shirtless on the shores of the United Kingdom.

When the non-binary hottie isn't baking the beaches of the U.K. with their good looks ... they can be spotted being featured in Vogue, doing TEDx talks, public speaking and raising awareness around equality and inclusion of trans and non-binary people.

Send Judes!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Blake Jenner, one of the stars of "Glee," has a legal battle on his hands after cops hauled him in for an alleged DUI ... TMZ has learned.

The Burbank Police Department tells TMZ ... officers pulled over the 29-year-old actor when they noticed he failed to stop at a red light around 11:30 PM.

During the traffic stop last weekend, officers felt Jenner -- no relation to the you-know-whos, BTW -- was showing signs of intoxication, so they put him through the paces of field sobriety testing.

That didn't go so well for him, according to cops at least. Blake was arrested and booked for misdemeanor DUI. He was released shortly thereafter with a citation, and will have to appear before a judge at a later date.

Behind this swooped-out scramble is a wifey who never gets jealous and is always romantic. As a former Miss World pageant queen, this mixed-up celeb made her acting debut in the early 2000s and became even more well-known when she starred in the Drama/Romance film "Fashion."

She is known for supporting and vocalizing social causes, such as women's rights and gender pay gap. When she's not being a boss lady, you can find her sharing Instagram pictures with her "Sucker" of a husband.

Senator Ted Cruz seems to be telegraphing what many believe the Supreme Court might do next -- namely, overturn legalized gay marriage ... this on the heels of Roe v Wade.

The Texas legislator expressed his own personal disapproval of the landmark decision in Obergefell v Hodges back in 2015 -- a ruling that made gay marriage legal throughout the entire United States ... and which some worry might be on the chopping block soon.

Watch ... during a recent appearance on 'The Cloakroom' podcast via Verdict+, Cruz says he thinks the High Court overreached in its authority back then, ushering in a new right that isn't explicitly stated in the Constitution -- TC, of course, is a strict constructionist.

While he doesn't go further to say anything but his viewpoint on the matter -- saying that it was the wrong decision -- the Twitter-sphere is, no doubt, up in arms after seeing this.

The theory ... the Supreme Court isn't going to just stop at abortion -- that the Justices might try and overturn a lot of old cases tied to privacy -- including Obergefell, if not more. Of course, in order for that to happen ... a case touching on this must be brought forth, of which there doesn't seem to be any right now on the court docket in the near future.

Still, the fact a case could potentially make its way to SCOTUS is a very real possibility ... and with this current Justice lineup, they might be inclined to undo years of precedent.

Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly said he thought the court had a duty to go back and overturn a number of cases that were in the same legal ballpark as Roe ... and it sounds like Senator Cruz is onboard with that.

Tristan Thompson is about to be a new dad again -- but instead of being in L.A. for the imminent birth ... he's halfway across the world, living it up with some lovely ladies.

TMZ has obtained footage of the NBA star at a club called Bonbonniere in Mykonos, Greece very early Friday morning (2:30 AM) -- where we're told he was surrounded by friends, plus, some female company ... a handful of women seemingly hanging around near him too.

The clip here isn't great lighting-wise, but we've brightened it up and slowed it down ... and sure enough, there's Tristan. Of course, he's also been photographed strolling around Mykonos the past few days -- so yeah, TT's in Europe right now.

As you can see, there's about four different women around him -- two of whom seem to be focusing their interactions on him specifically -- and even more hotties roaming about.

While you don't see any explicit PDA here in the footage, eyewitnesses tell us Tristan appeared to be getting cozy with at last one gal that was in the mix, and getting a little handsy throughout the night.

Of course, it's the dude's prerogative to do this. As we all know, he's officially unattached -- this after Khloe Kardashian dumped him amid yet the latest cheating scandal with Maralee Nichols, whom he also impregnated -- and they strictly have a co-parenting relationship now for True.

That's all fine and good, but as TMZ first reported ... this new baby is about to be born any day now, if it hasn't popped out already -- which it may well have by now.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's rift with the Royal Family is so much deeper than anyone imagined -- at least according to a new tell-all book, which has the alleged tea.

Famed author Tom Bower -- known for his biographies about the Royals, most of which are not sanctioned by the subjects -- has a forthcoming project hitting shelves called "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors" ... and, boy, does he get into it.

Per Bower ... there were subtle shots taken between both parties behind closed doors and several dust-ups these past handful of years ... which seems to have stemmed from Meghan's Vanity Fair cover in 2017, the first time she publicly acknowledged the relationship.

It was a relatively small part of the article, with Meghan saying ... "We're a couple, we're in love," and going on to say they'd eventually come forward and tell their story in full. But, of course, VF's headline was all about their relationship -- "She's Just Wild About Harry!"

Apparently, according to Bower, the Royals were pissed -- because they'd specifically instructed Meghan NOT to talk about Harry. At the time, they'd been seen together publicly, but neither had spoken to the press. Meghan, in turn, reportedly got up in arms with her PR agency ... telling them to demand VF pull the quote and change their angle. Vanity refused.

That doesn't seem to have left a great impression with Buckingham Palace -- as we know, tensions only grew as time went on ... reaching a boiling point with the Oprah interview.

The aftermath of that sit-down proved to be devastating, so says Bower -- evidenced in Queen Elizabeth II allegedly saying something to the effect of ... "Thank goodness Meghan is not coming," when Prince Philip died a month after the interview aired. MM was pregnant again at the time ... and only Harry went to the funeral, but even he was said to have been antsy while there.

Of course, when Lilibet was actually born ... there were reports that Meghan and Harry sprung the name (Liz's actual nickname) on the Queen -- which Bower also apparently confirms in his book.

Finally, there's the drama that was quite obvious at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this year -- when Harry and Meghan were more than arm's length from the rest of the family pretty much throughout their entire time there ... especially for the coveted balcony seating.

As it turns out, according to Bower, MM and PH were dead set on getting a spot next to the Queen -- this, Bower claims, in return for what they thought they were owed for bringing the kids out there in the first place -- but Prince Charles shut it down ... and the Queen quietly cosigned by not granting their wishes. As you know, Harry and Meghan left soon afterward.

There's also the issue of Prince Harry's interview with Hoda Kotb, where he kinda dissed his brother and dad -- while making it seem like he and nana were perhaps even closer than she was with any of her other children/grandkids. The Royals resented this too, Bower claims.

A rambunctious emu that lives on a farm in Florida won't let his owner film any TikToks -- a hilarious back-and-forth that has taken the internet by storm ... and for good reason.

The bird's name is Emmanuel, a resident of Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida -- where one of the workers, a female, has time and again tried educating the public about their animals and work there ... only to be interrupted by Emmanuel's long stride and fierce peck.

Check it out ... somebody got a little compilation together from the farm's TikTok account, and they may as well be Emmanuel's highlights -- because he steals the show every time.

The camera person gets pestered each time, scolding Emmanuel for once again foiling her plans to film an informative TikTok -- but you can tell it's part of the gag ... the real content is Emmanuel's antics, which are freaking gold.

Each time he walks by her phone, he seems dumbfounded by the device -- and goes in for a closer look, often knocking the entire thing down onto the ground and staring in. As the owner puts it, Emmanuel wakes up and chooses violence ... to her bewilderment.

BTW, it seems there are other animals at Knuckle Bump that like to be disrupters just as much as Emmanuel. There's Ellen, his apparent sister, and Princess the deer ... who bites.

NASCAR driver Bobby East was fatally stabbed this week by a drifter during a bloody altercation at a California gas station, police and media reports say.

Tattoo-faced Trent William Millsap is being sought by police in connection with East's murder, which occurred at a 76 gas station around 6 PM Wednesday, according to Deadline.

East reportedly got into a war of words with Millsap while the racecar driver was pumping gas. It wasn't clear what sparked the argument, but Millsap allegedly plunged a sharp object into the chest of East.

Cops were called to the scene and reportedly performed life-saving measures on East until paramedics arrived. East was then rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Millsap, who had an outstanding parole warrant, is a drifter who frequents motels in the usually safe and crime-free Westminister area. He is considered armed and dangerous.

East was a three-time U.S. Auto Club champion who snagged the USAC Silver Crown Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Bobby was 37.

RIP