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Britney Spears is certainly the subject of a LOT of conversation this week, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her ... cruising SoCal without much worry at all.

The former pop princess was spotted in her white Mercedes Thursday taking a short drive around her neighborhood ... wearing sunglasses and her hair tied back.

It's less than a week until Britney's memoir, "The Woman in Me" officially releases, but there's been a ton of scoops to drop from the book the week. Everything from her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and their difficult decision to get an abortion to the private details around her conservatorship are shared in the book.

Obviously, the book excerpts have been major talking points for Britney fans, and it's already catapulted to the top of Amazon.

Don't expect Britney to do any sit-down TV interviews for further book promotion, though, we were first to report she made the decision she didn't want to do any more press outside of an email-correspondence interview with People Magazine.

Britney Spears is NOT singing about her pregnancy with Justin Timberlake or her abortion in the hit song "Everytime" ... so says the woman who wrote the song with Britney.

Songwriter Annet Artani tells TMZ … she worked with Britney on the song back in the day, and while Britney contributed, it was about their respective breakups ... and mostly Annet's.

Annet says when she was writing the lyrics she was coming off a fresh split from Britney's musical director ... and the song is mostly about Annet's relationship ... not Britney's unborn child, as some fans now suspect in the wake of Britney's recent bombshell.

Britney had been broken up with Justin for about 9 months at the time, and the song came out after he released "Cry Me a River" ... but Annet says Britney never mentioned a baby or an abortion during the writing process, and neither topic served as inspiration for the track.

Annet tells us she and Britney would sit at the piano together working on the song ... they were friends and were sharing pain, and they were both sad and would play piano together.

As we reported ... the famous lyric that has fans thinking Britney was secretly referencing her abortion is "I guess I need you, baby."

But, Annet says the tagline was just something she wrote about her own experiences with her relationship. To be even clearer, she says it's NOT a reference to an unborn baby.

As for the song's chorus ... "And every time I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me. I guess I need you, baby" ... Annet says Britney came up with "haunting," though she says they were simply trying to find words with rhymes.

Annet's kind of leaving the door open to the new Britney fan theory though ... she says she was not involved in the music video or the imagery of a woman giving birth, and that was all Britney, so it's possible that visual correlates to the decision she and Justin made to terminate her pregnancy.

Colombian artist Maluma has a baby on the way -- making the announcement in a big way with his new music video.

Maluma shared the happy news in the video for "Procura," Thursday night at his concert in Washington, D.C. ... and while the vid focuses on his romance with his girlfriend, Susana Gomez, the final minute is where he drops the baby bombshell.

The 2 see their little one for the first time through an ultrasound, with Maluma and Susana overjoyed. They also let family members know about the exciting addition, showing their heartwarming reactions.

The vid also shows the couple's baby shower and gender reveal -- which confirms they're having a girl!

It also looks like the kid's name will be Paris, based on Susana's necklace and the name of the cake.

Maluma and Susana were spotted leaving Central Park in NYC at the beginning of this month ... likely after filming all "Procura" footage ... and you can definitely see the baby bump.

A woman says she spent 15 years getting payback from a man who spit on her friend long, long ago ... doing everything from spoiling shows to torpedoing his wedding.

TikToker Linda Solley Hurd says it all started a decade and a half ago at a comedy show, where one of her friends accidentally spilled a drink on the guy -- claiming he called her a "stupid fat b****" and spit on her for additional bad measure.

Linda was out for revenge! She found his Facebook page ... and after some digging, discovered his favorite shows were "The Walking Dead" and "Breaking Bad" -- 2 shows that you'd never want spoiled, right?

She decided to torture the dude by creating fake accounts and spamming him with spoilers as soon as each episode would drop.

It didn't stop with the Rick Grimes & Walter White rage ... she says she ended up in the same class as him not long after, getting more info on him and doing even MORE trolling.

Linda says she backed off for around 8 years ... but then learned the guy got engaged to a friend of a friend of hers, so she came out of trolling retirement for more revenge.

She gave the guy's fiancee the tea on what he had done to her friend, and apparently, that was enough for her to pull the plug on the wedding.

It's enough to make you stop drinking.

Scores of Israeli citizens who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during their deadly terrorist attack are still alive, according to the Israeli military.

As many as 200+ people were kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 attack. More than 20 of those captured are under the age of 18, while another 10 to 20 hostages are over 60.

Israeli military officials would not say precisely how many they believe are still alive -- only that a majority have survived over the past 2 weeks.

At least 2 hostages have been confirmed dead ... a 13-year-old Israeli girl, and her 80-year-old grandmother.

7:11 AM PT -- Breakbeat's Dave Mays tells TMZ Hip Hop, “As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th year, more than ever the hip-hop community needs a media platform that they can trust to bring a truthful and authentic perspective on so many important things happening in our world. I’m proud that Breakbeat provides this essential and valuable medium."

He adds, "And I'm so excited to be able to enlist the help of my longtime friend and one of hip-hop’s most formidable, pioneering, and fearless leaders to help Breakbeat continue to achieve this goal. 'Collect Call With Suge Knight' will awaken hip-hop fans worldwide and build bridges across multiple generations.”

Suge Knight might be locked up, but that doesn't mean his voice will remain behind bars ... cuz the Death Row mogul is starting a podcast from prison.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first intro to "Collect Call With Suge Knight" -- his new podcast with Breakbeat Media CEO and The Source magazine founder, Dave Mays.

Dave tells us they've already stashed about 5 episodes containing half-hour conversations each ahead of the pod's official Halloween '23 launch.

As for topics covered -- we're told Suge won't leave much unturned when it comes to hip hop -- responding to the legions of artists/hip hop pundits who have been using his name for headlines and expanding on his thoughts of Snoop Dogg owning the Death Row brand.

Remember, Suge's got history with everyone from Master P and Wack 100 to Warren G and Akon ... so they're essentially all on notice.

Dave says the pod's not only about slinging mud -- Suge wants the younger generation to benefit from his experiences -- good and bad -- and will be looking to connect them with older artists and also fielding questions from the audience.

Breakbeat will be dropping podcast episodes weekly ... audio on Thursdays and video on Fridays on all major platforms with a sneak peek of the first convo coming on Oct. 24.

Suge called into TMZ Live not too long ago and told us he had no intention of snitching on Keefe D after his arrest in connection Tupac Shakur's murder ... so don't count on that happening on the podcast.

So ya, maybe the saying is true ... just about everybody DOES have a podcast.

Jussie Smollett's timing to enter rehab is peculiar ... at least according to the Osundairo brothers, whose testimony was critical in convincing a jury to convict him.

Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo tell TMZ ... if Jussie really had a problem that required treatment from rehab, he could've checked himself in a long time ago ... but he waited until an appeals court was ready to rule on his conviction for faking a hate crime.

Ola and Bola believe Jussie realizes his chances of having the conviction overturned are remote, and he may be trying to create sympathy so he serves time under house arrest and not in jail.

Jussie appears to be in rehab for substance abuse other than alcohol. He was spotted Monday with a fresh haircut ... clutching a "Narcotics Anonymous" book.

Bola had previously admitted he scored Jussie drugs but denied he ever sold them to the actor.

Regardless, the bros are hoping Jussie gets the help he needs ... but Bola adds, "Truth will set him free."

As we reported, Jussie was sentenced to 150 days in jail after being found guilty of lying to police about an alleged attack by 2 Trump supporters in 2019 -- he was released shortly after he began serving his sentence, pending the appeal.

Since then, he's been spotted working on set in California and even hanging out with his former "Empire" costar Taraji P. Henson.

President Biden is urging Americans to support the war efforts in the Middle East and Ukraine ... he says we all have to come together to help defeat terrorists and tyrants.

The Prez just made his case for Congress to approve billions more in military aid to help Israel fight Hamas and Ukraine fight Vladimir Putin ... selling Americans on the battle between good and evil.

In a rare speech Thursday from the Oval Office, Biden says Americans must put their petty differences aside and unite against the bad guys ... he says if the U.S. gives up the fight in Gaza and Ukraine, it will only embolden our enemies across the globe.

POTUS says he's going to ask Congress to approve more military aid to help fight wars overseas ... while reiterating he won't send American troops to fight Russia.

We haven't seen a lot of rah-rah speeches from Biden in office ... and he's pretty animated here, at least by his standards.

The Prez says it's all part of keeping up with America's calling as a global leader ... and he says the world is watching and counting on us to save the day.

These Hollywood couples have unzipped their day-to-day attire only to dress up in their finest Halloween costumes. All gussied up ... they fully showed OUT, so you better show UP in this little game of "Guess Who!"

Swipe through our gallery of the cutest couples who absolutely nailed their Halloween ensembles, and see if you can guess which celeb duo is on top of their costume game!

Guess to impress, and keep your eyes peeled as you embark on Lover's Lane, where you'll stumble upon A-list pairings dressed up in all the classics, like "Sailor Moon," "Home Alone," "Barbie" and lots more!

There's only one man breathing who has been in an Octagon with Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev -- Gilbert Burns -- and now "Durinho" is breaking down the highly anticipated UFC 294 co-main event!

37-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... and having shared the cage with both title contenders, he told us where each man has the advantage.

For Khamzat, Burns says it's a plus he had a full camp -- even though he was training for a different opponent in Paulo Costa. Still, Usman didn't have any camp ... save for a few days before he left for Abu Dhabi.

When it comes to Kamaru, Gilbert believes his vast array of experience can't be discounted. Usman has been in virtually every situation ... and that can't be said for Chimaev (this will be his 7th UFC fight, and Kamaru's 18th in Dana's promotion).

Two of those fights came against Burns.

Kamaru and Gilbert's scrap was the main event at UFC 258 in February 2021 ... a fight Usman won by 3rd round TKO. The fight was very competitive, especially early, until KU took over, and ended things, retaining his title.

Khamzat and Gilbert fought a year and change later at UFC 273 in April 2022 ... a fight Chimaev won by unanimous decision. Despite the judge's scorecards, many believe Burns actually won the razor-close fight. It was without any doubt the first time Borz was pushed ... and while he certainly bent, he didn't break.

Burns breaks down much more about the looming fight ... touching on everything from speed and punching power to strength and ability on the ground.

Usman, who took the fight on 10 days notice, is a sizeable underdog ... around +250 at most sportsbooks (wager $100 to win $250, whereas you'd risk around $300 to win $100 on Chimaev).

Gilbert didn't exactly pick a winner -- at least not straight up -- but given his expertise, and the odds ... he had this to say.

"I think you should put a lot of money on Kamaru Usman," Burns said.

Before this sweetie pie posing next to her jack-o'-lantern was up on the big screen, she was just hangin' on the front porch in her red sweater, becoming a successful kid model and growing up in Ontario, Canada.

Making her dreams come true ... she starred on the hit show "Pretty Little Liars", and you may also recall her in "Mother's Day" alongside Julia Roberts and Jennifer Hudson. When she's not working on her YouTube channel "Shaycation", she's a doting mother to her two kiddos.

Need one more clue? Emily Fields!

Matthew McConaughey has been granted a 5-year restraining order against a woman he claims has been bothering him for years ... most recently showing up at his book event.

A judge granted the order Thursday in court -- the woman was not present and asked for a continuance but was denied because the judge had already granted her more time and didn't find any good cause to delay the hearing further.

As we reported, Matthew claimed in legal docs that he was bombarded with "unhinged letters, emails, and frivolous lawsuits designed to lure me into court" by the woman since April 2022. She also allegedly believed the two were in a relationship.

The actor said things escalated last month when he learned she'd bought a ticket to a photo op event in Los Angeles for his children's book, "Just Because." Matthew claimed it was alarming she'd planned to travel hundreds of miles just to see him.

Sources close to Matthew say he knew children and families would be at the event, and he wanted to keep everyone safe ... so that's why he finally decided to file for the restraining order. Turns out, she did show and was promptly greeted by cops and escorted out.

Welp, she didn't come out and fully say it ... but Ali Krieger just gave about as strong an indication as any her wife, Ashlyn Harris, cheated on her with actress Sophia Bush.

The Gotham FC star just took to Instagram, posting a series of shots of herself playing soccer with the caption, "Preparing for playoffs while in my Beyoncé lemonade era."

If you didn't know ... Beyoncé's "Lemonade" album chronicles the singer's relationship with her husband, Jay-Z, after she discovered he cheated on her. So ya, it appears Ali is the Beyoncé of the situation ... accusing Ashlyn of being the Jay-Z.

What's more, Ali's brother, Kyle Krieger, commented on the post with Beyoncé lyrics from the song "Don't Hurt Yourself" off "Lemonade" ... writing, "This is your final warning, you know I give you life. If you try this s*** again, you gone lose your wife." Kyle also wrote, "Love you and so proud of you!! These hoes ain’t loyal!! But me and your fans are!"

As we reported ... Sophia and Ali were spotted posing for pics, laughing and being extra flirty months before either filed for divorce.

The two participated on a panel in Cannes back in June, where Sophia was seen grabbing Ashlyn's arm, and Ashlyn later wrapped her arm around the actress in a photo.

Sophia didn't file for divorce from her husband, Grant Hughes, until August ... and Ashlyn only filed for divorce from Ali last month. Ashlyn and Ali have two small kids together. Ali posted a pic of herself with the kiddos ... so she hasn't missed a beat in the mom department.

Lupita Nyong'o and her boyfriend are no more, the actress just announced her split with Selema Masekela -- saying he's totally lost her trust -- and sharing the news on the heels of a night out with recently divorced Joshua Jackson and friends.

In a lengthy statement posted Thursday, Lupita starts out by sending her thoughts to those suffering around the world before diving into the breakup. She states, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…"

She continues, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, "Whatever, my life is better this way." But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."

Lupita adds she's sharing the news to keep things open and honest with her social media followers, saying, "And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass."

Lupita ends her message by saying she hopes it'll help someone else "experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it."

Fans became skeptical after photos surfaced of Lupita out with Joshua Jackson at a Janelle Monáe concert in Los Angeles Wednesday, wondering if she had moved on from Masekela.

Sources with direct knowledge told us Lupita and Jackson are just friends and attended the show with a group. However, it was soon noticed she'd also deleted all her photos with Masekela from her Instagram page ... raising more questions as to what happened.

Pink is taking some time away from her tour ... she says she's suffering from a respiratory infection and is postponing a couple more scheduled shows as a result.

The singer shared the health update Thursday on social media, revealing her diagnosis and saying a doctor advised her to take a step back from performing.

Pink says she's postponing her upcoming Friday and Saturday shows in Vancouver ... and wants to reschedule for another date when she's feeling better.

As we reported ... Pink previously postponed two shows in Washington state earlier this week, explaining "family medical issues require our immediate attention."

Now, Pink's postponed four shows altogether this week ... and she's not indicating when she may be back onstage. After Vancouver, her next scheduled gig is Wednesday in Denver, followed by a pair of shows in Kansas City.

Pink's also got a ton of tour dates in November ... and then she's got a scheduled break for the holidays before picking up the overseas portion of her tour in February when she goes to Australia.

Yung Bleu is accused of attacking a woman, an incident at the center of an alleged custody dispute involving a 10-year-old child.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office in GA tells TMZ Hip Hop ... officers responded to a 911 call from a woman on October 15 to a home, and when deputies arrived they say the woman told them Bleu (real name Jeremy Biddle) had shown up at the residence unannounced with the intent to take the 10-year-old child with him.

The woman says an argument ensued, and she told deputies Bleu picked her up and threw her to the ground, causing injuries to her right arm and hip.

She says the "You're Mines Still" rapper left with the child but returned shortly after ... and then left again. We're told the EMS crews evaluated the woman for any injuries, but she refused to be transported to the hospital.