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Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell's flirty behavior on and off set of their new rom-com is very real -- real strategy, that is, cooked up for one purpose ... according to a guy who's a pro in this department.

Celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev -- who's written books on this topic -- came on "TMZ Live" Monday to break down what he thinks has been going on between Syd and Glen, lately. What we've all seen is a lot of sexy body language, and some not-so-happy significant others ... creating speculation their on-screen romance is now an IRL romance.

Check out his take ... essentially, Sehdev suspects this is just good old-fashioned public relations and organic viral marketing -- courtesy of the stars, their teams and the studio behind their film, "Anyone But You."

He makes compelling points. For starters, neither is a huge movie star, at this point ... and having them colead a seemingly run-of-the-mill "hard-R" rom-com probably isn't a recipe for the success Sony's hoping for at the box office.

Yes, they're both hot and on the come-up, but, according to Sehdev, the powers that be probably realized they need a little extra juice to get people interested in the flick. Think "Don't Worry Darling" drama ... but, this time, it's about 2 costars turned would-be-lovers.

If that is, in fact, what's going on ... Sehdev says SS and GP are going about this game all wrong. In his eyes, fans and potential viewers demand transparency these days -- and he feels being more forthcoming about the sitch would go a long way.

The strange thing about this theory is the movie won't come out for a while, as they just wrapped filming. So, any buzz for it now will almost certainly have died out when it eventually hits theaters.

Here's Katy Perry, Austin Butler and Sia making fashion statements worthy of a Met Gala appearance ... only they're not in New York, they're at a Bev Hills mansion party.

The guest list for a Sunday dinner party at investor Michael Kives' $14 million Bev Hills estate rivaled Anna Wintour's annual fundraiser ... with Katy, Austin and Sia being just the tip of the Hollywood icon iceberg. The party was to celebrate the start of Milken Conference, which is a big deal in the finance world.

Oprah and a very colorfully-dressed Gayle King were in the house ... breaking bread with Kris Jenner, Jimmy Kimmel and Chris Pine.

Austin had supermodel Kaia Gerber on his arm, and they were a bunch of other celeb couples ... we're talking Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, plus Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld.

Michael's party, celebrating his investment firm, also welcomed L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ... plus Bill Maher, Nicholas Braun and Matt Bellamy.

Most of the celebs walked out with what appeared to be SKIMS gift bags ... which makes sense, because Kris Jenner helped host the party.

Ice Spice will be fully "in ha mood" at this year's Met Gala ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned she got a special invite from the one and only Anna Wintour!!!

Sources involved in the Met's production inform us Ice was invited by Anna as a guest of Vogue, and will be strutting her stuff in a custom Balmain piece.

The "Gangsta Boo" rapper will also be partnering with Vogue and eBay for a special behind-the-scenes look into her journey to the Met ... which caps a hip hop megastar career-in-the-making in just a few months!!!

Ice's newest "Princess Diana" duet with Nicki Minaj recently shot to the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, which follows the platinum plaque she earned from her "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" collab with PinkPantheress.

Vanessa Bryant is remembering her daughter on what would have been her 17th birthday ... penning an emotional tribute to Gigi on social media.

"Happy 17th birthday, baby girl," Kobe's widow wrote on Instagram. "I love you and miss you so much, sweet Angel."

Bryant also shared several snaps of Gigi ... showing her smiling from ear to ear at Disneyland and other vacations.

"Te Amo Mambacita ❤️," she added. "We love you to the moon and back infinity +1. Forever & Always. ❤️."

Vanessa's friends showed love as well ... including Candace Parker, La La, Taraji P. Henson and more.

Gigi's birthday marks the release of the Kobe IV Protro "Mambacita" ... a special colorway of the NBA superstar's signature shoe that will benefit the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Francia Raisa is tossing serious shade toward her former friend, and kidney recipient, Selena Gomez ... dodging questions any way she can about whether they're still on good terms.

The "How I Met Your Father" star was taking her dogs for a walk Sunday in Studio City when she was asked about her relationship souring with Selena -- but she repeatedly, and not-so-subtly, changed the subject.

It was a nonstop dodge fest ... Francia refused to even touch on whether she'd be willing to follow back SG on social media. She was also asked if she'd be up for organ donation again -- but it sounds like she's more into talking others through the process.

For those unaware, Selena and Francia were longtime friends ... first meeting back when they were child actors, and getting so close Francia agreed to donate her kidney in 2017 when Selena's failed due to her battle with lupus.

They were thick as thieves after that, with Selena constantly thanking Francia for saving her life. That all seemed to change in November, however ... when Selena told an interviewer the only person she was close to in Hollywood was Taylor Swift.

Those words went viral, with Francia commenting "interesting," and unfollowing Selena ... who later defended herself, saying, "Sorry I didn't mention every person I know."

Selena seemed to turn around in March, saying she'll "never ever, ever, be more in debt to a person than Francia" ... but it doesn't sound like Francia's on the same page.

Roman Polanski and his child rape victim, who's now an adult, are telegraphing just how tight they are now by posing for a very cheery photo ... almost 50 years after he drugged and molested her.

The infamous director posed with Samantha Geimer in a pic that was shared over the weekend by his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner ... who actually interviewed Geimer in a piece that ran in the French publication Le Point, where Geimer says she's over the whole saga.

In the article, Geimer said Polanksi has "paid his debt to society." She also says the encounter with Polanski in '77 -- when she was just 13 -- was "never a big problem" for her, and she laments it dragging on as a scandal for this long.

This is something Geimer has repeated publicly for quite a while now -- however, she did sue Polanski over the rape back in the '90s, which was reportedly settled out of court.

In the years that followed, Geimer has said the rape doesn't define her ... nor does she think Polanski should continue to be dogged over it, let alone be wanted by the authorities here in the States. He's attempted to get the fugitive warrant revoked, but it hasn't worked out.

As you might know ... Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor at the time, but fled the country before he could be sentenced, and has never returned. He has won Oscars since then, though.

Daz Dillinger is fully denying Suge Knight's allegation Dr. Dre cheated Tha Dogg Pound producer straight outta his rightful credit for Snoop's "Doggystyle" -- and, it's a very aggressive denial, at that!

Daz posted a video calling Dre the "best producer in the world," and suggested Suge was still salty over Snoop's purchase of his once beloved Death Row Records.

Suge recently spoke to TMZ Hip Hop and claimed Dre approached Daz right before "Doggystyle" was released, and convinced him to sign over his writing/producing rights ... so, the album would be better promoted with Dre's celebrity attached.

Daz says he never signed any contract and also accused veteran music industry exec Alan Grunblatt of shady business. Alan was president of eOne Entertainment when the company acquired Death Row ahead of Snoop's buy-in and Daz claims they were all fumbling the bag.

Tha Dogg Pound legend swore on "the streets" Suge was lying and also called for him to get beat up ... presumably by a fellow inmate in the CA state prison where he's serving out a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

Gisele Bundchen is going to the Met Gala tonight -- and she'll be going by herself in what we're told will amount to a major fashion statement since her split with Tom Brady.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the supermodel will join the annual pageant in NYC, dressed to the nines with all the other celebs streaming into the museum. We're told she'll be wearing Chanel in honor of its late creative director Karl Lagerfeld.

Karl and Gisele had a long relationship, and our sources say her appearance will be a nod to their working history ... which might have reached its peak when Gisele was tapped to be the face of Chanel N°5 perfume almost a decade ago.

Gisele's return to the Met's a big deal for a couple reasons. One, it's her first time since divorcing Tom Brady. Secondly, it's her first time going as a single woman since 2006.

The ex-power couple attended together for years, but as many know, Gisele had a history of showing up and owning the moment well before she ever got with Tom -- and we're told she'll be returning to fashion first mode with tonight's appearance.

The last time Gisele went was in 2019 ... on Tom's arm -- but tonight she'll have the spotlight all to herself.

Of course, one can't help but wonder about her new may-bae -- the jiu-jitsu instructor, Joaquim Valente, with whom she's spent a lot of time in Costa Rica. Our sources have insisted they're not romantically involved whatsoever, but even if they are secretly dating ... it sounds like he's gonna have to sit this one out.

Stagecoach, one of the biggest country music festivals around, has come to a close, and it wasn't just your average Joe's in the crowd ... celebs took it all in, too!!!

Jasmine Goode, Amanda Stanton, and Nick Viall are just a few of the familiar faces gettin' down to the likes of Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, ZZ Top, and Kane Brown in Indio this weekend, living it up on the same festival grounds where Coachella wrapped just 1 week before.

Sophia and Aurora Culpo were all smiles out in the desert, putting some yin-yang balance to their matching cowgirl fits!

Scheana Shay and Brock Davies were having a great time, too -- posin' for the camera as the festival went on late into the night.

A woman got so turned on by a performance from the Los Angeles Philharmonic that she had a "loud and full body orgasm" right there in her seat ... at least according to a new report.

The L.A. Times reported what went down during Friday's X-rated show! The concertgoer was watching the Philharmonic crank out Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, when she apparently became sexually aroused.

One witness seated near the woman told The Times ..."I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she ... had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her. It was quite beautiful.”

Another attendee tweeted the woman was having a “loud and full body orgasm" to the sounds of the music, and the band carried on.

A third person said the woman's apparent moment of pleasure was “wonderfully timed” to a “romantic swell” in the melodies. He added, “One can’t know exactly what happened, but it seemed very clear from the sound that it was an expression of pure physical joy."

More evidence of the climactic moment surfaced online in an audio clip. You hear someone in the throes of a loud orgasm as the symphony plays the 5th's second movement.

But, one concertgoer poured cold water on the orgasm theory. The witness took to Twitter, claiming that the woman had a "breakdown of some sort" and everyone in the packed crowd was "worried it was a medical emergency."

The Times was unable to ID or locate the woman in question to get her side of the story and the L.A. Philharmonic has yet to comment on the incident.

WWE star Carmella -- the Princess of Staten Island -- announced Monday she and her husband Corey Graves are expecting a child ... after previously suffering two miscarriages last year.

The 35-year-old former WWE Smackdown Women's Champion shared the exciting news by posting pics of her and Graves together, showing off her growing baby bump.

"After every storm there is a rainbow 🌈 our little miracle is due this november and we couldn’t be more thrilled," she wrote on Instagram.

Carmella -- whose real name is Leah Van Dale -- told "Good Morning America" she's been trying to main a positive mindset now that the couple is expecting after experiencing miscarriages in September and October last year.

"It's just all been such a whirlwind," Carmella said. "I think because of my past, it was hard to get excited off the bat about this one, but I was cautiously optimistic."

In February, Carmella revealed on Corey's 'After The Bell' podcast with Kevin Patrick that she had to step away from WWE because she had an ectopic pregnancy.

Carmella said she was "in a deep depression" for a while because she didn't know if she'd ever feel healthy enough to compete again. However, support from Stephanie McMahon kept her grounded and gave her the confidence she needed to return to the WWE.

Despite feeling nauseous and more tired than usual, Carmella told GMA this pregnancy has "been really good." Still, her excitement is mixed with apprehension because of her recent medical scares.

Meanwhile, Graves was "shocked" and "surprised" when Carmella told him their family was increasing, but the 39-year-old WWE commentator is excited to be a father!

Ralph Yarl, the teen who was shot when he accidentally rang the wrong doorbell, now has a personal invite from Alicia Keys ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Alicia has a concert scheduled in Kansas this July, and Lee Merritt, attorney for the Yarl family, tells us the singer asked Ralph to come out to the show and meet her.

As if that wasn't big enough, we're told Roc Nation also reached out to him ... letting Ralph and co. know the company wants to help out too, in any way possible.

Ralph's fam has been feeling the love from folks all over the country, and they've set up a trust fund for all the donations. We're told writer and social justice advocate Shaun King helped the Yarl family find someone to map out the financial assistance.

As we reported, Ralph's GoFundMe picked up serious steam -- it's already passed $3.4 million raised -- and while there's no set plan for the money yet, the trust ensures it will be there for Ralph when he needs it.

BTW, Ralph's mom Cleo also got emotional support from Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones ... who's also repped by Merritt. We're told she encouraged Cleo to lean on prayer, and reminded her victims, like her son, hold the power.

Meanwhile, 84-year-old Andrew Lester -- who shot Ralph 2 times -- was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.

Lizzo looked as happy as ever pullin' up to Anna Wintour's pre-Met Gala dinner, but it's an awkward situation, considering Lizzo had some harsh words about last year's event.

The singer was all smiles Sunday night in NYC, walking into Wintour's private pad ... for dinner with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Penelope Cruz and many other A-listers.

While she looked thrilled, she might have been gearing up to face the music. ICYMI, Lizzo went on Instagram Live and totally trashed 2022's Met Gala last May ... complaining about everything from the booze to the photogs snapping pics.

She filled her fans in on how unglamorous fashion's biggest night really is, at least to her ... first complaining about the "long f***ing line" she had to wait in. She added there was no place to sit, either -- saying "B***h? Can we get some chairs or some drinks or some hors d'oeuvres?"

It didn't stop there, though ... once she finally got in, a waiter told her they only had red or white wine, which sent her through the roof while looking for some tequila. BTW, she was supposed to rock a flute solo during her red carpet debut but claims she only did part of it -- adding the paps were heckling her.

The Met Gala's going down Monday night, and since she went to Anna's party ... ya gotta imagine she's also going to the Met.

So, the world's dyin' to know -- will Lizzo get served some tequila, or will she bring her own?!

Aerosmith doesn't wanna miss a thing -- including an opportunity to tour as a unit while they still can ... which is exactly why they're hitting the road one last time.

The band announced its farewell tour Monday, titled 'Peace Out' -- a 40-date slate that kicks off on Sep. 2 in Philly and runs through the end of January to finish in Montreal ... with a lot of stops in between, including their hometown of Boston.

The reason they're saying goodbye forever is two-pronged -- they wanna celebrate their 50-plus years together ... but, more importantly, they want to capitalize on their ability to jam together ... which Aerosmith candidly admits won't last forever, especially as they get older.

Joe Perry made a telling point ... "You never know how much longer everybody’s going to be healthy to do this," adding, "It’s been a while since we’ve actually done a real tour. We did that run in Vegas, which was great. It was fun, but (we’re) kind of anxious to get back on the road." Of course, he's referencing their recent Vegas residency.

The five founding members, who've all been there pretty much since the beginning, are all over the age of 70 ... with frontman Steven Tyler being the oldest at 75.

While everybody's still kicking/rocking -- as evidenced in their recent stint in Sin City -- Perry might have a point about getting in one last shot at what very well may be their last window to perform in tip-top shape. The Aerosmith guys have endured their fair share of health scares over the years, especially of late -- ST's bout of a mystery illness comes to mind.

A farewell tour for Aerosmith has been getting teased for years now, but it sounds like this could actually be the final time you can catch them live. It's unclear if they're going full international -- or if they're just sticking to North America.

English rugby player Michael Allen was tragically killed in a horrifying mass stabbing incident outside of a popular nightclub on Sunday morning, police announced.

He was just 35 years old.

According to Devon & Cornwall Police, the attack happened at 3:15 AM -- just minutes after attendees had poured out of Eclipse Nightclub in Cornwall.

Police said when officers arrived on the scene, they found eight people, including Allen, suffering from stab wounds. Cops said Allen was pronounced dead at the scene. The seven other victims, which included both women and men, were rushed to a nearby hospital. Five have since been released.

No motive for the stabbings has been publicly revealed yet ... but cops said they arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with the attack.

Tributes for Allen, meanwhile, have poured in from all over ... including from his Bodmin Rugby Club -- which called him "a big part of our squad."

"His humor and kindness has left a mark on us all and we will miss him dearly," the team said in a statement, adding Monday that a memorial for the slain player has been set up outside of their club. "Our thoughts are with Mike's family at this devastating time."

Allen's family said in a statement of its own, "Mike was simply a much-loved son, brother, grandson, and uncle who loved his dogs. His family would like to respectfully request privacy at this time."

Paul Stanley says we're confusing our kids by teaching them about gender identity and sexuality at too young of an age -- which he thinks is dangerous, and not to be trifled with.

The KISS rocker took to Twitter Sunday with an unprompted statement about this topic -- a culture war hot-button issue that has largely consumed the country and seems to only be getting more contentious by the day.

He writes, "There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it."

PS adds, "There ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice but turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister’s clothes or a girl in her brother’s, we should lead them steps further down a path that’s far from the innocence of what they are doing."

Lastly, "With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the ‘fun’ of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad."