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Kanye West is asking major players in the music industry to respect his decision to go by his legally changed name "Ye" ... TMZ has learned.

In a letter obtained by TMZ ... Kanye's chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, fires off a strong message to big players in the music industry -- including streamers, publishers, lyric websites and more -- with a demand that the rapper be referred to as Ye moving forward.

As Milo puts it ... Kanye didn't come to the decision to change his name lightly, as he is aware he's sacrificing brand value that comes with "Kanye West." Still ... the Grammy winner considers it a "slave name" and wants to ditch the moniker across all platforms.

He adds ... "Ye is a Black man in America who wants the right to full self-determination just like everyone else."

Remember ... Kanye officially changed his name to Ye back in October 2021. The artist had a judge sign off on him adopting his longtime nickname as his legal moniker years after speaking in favor of the name's Biblical ties.

Kanye told radio host Big Boy in 2018 that he preferred Ye since it was the most commonly used word in the Bible -- which wasn't actually an accurate statement, FWIW.

Still, Ye isn't the first artist to change their name ... as Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Prince, Bow Wow and Ke$ha have all switched up their public personas in the past.

Lindsay Lohan's a leading lady once again, and the Irish are celebrating ... 'cause they're hoping her new flick is the lucky charm they need to boost tourism in that country.

A rep for Tourism Ireland -- an official arm of the Irish government -- tells TMZ ... their team is super excited that Lohan's new movie "Irish Wish" came outta the gates #1 on Netflix, and they've got fingers crossed that it inspires people to travel to the Emerald Isle.

We're told they think their homeland looks magnificent in the film, and they appreciate how the directors added some iconic locations -- like Killruddery House and the Cliffs of Moher -- to the movie.

Tourism Ireland is also looking at the impact other movies and TV shows have had on tourism in the country. They note the spike their neighboring nation of Northern Ireland got after "Game of Thrones" filmed there -- and tons of people apparently hit up Inis Mor and Achill Island to see "The Banshees of Inisherin" locations.

Kate Middleton has come out with what has really been happening, and it's so sad ... and, the Ohtani scandal is riveting, don't you think? So we gotta ask ...

Comeback SZN 2.0 could be on the horizon ... 'cause there's one organization clamoring to get Johnny Manziel to suit up once again -- the Arena Football League!!

That's right -- the AFL is relaunching in 2024 under new leadership ... forming 16 teams for a 10-game season.

TMZ Sports spoke with new AFL commissioner Lee Hutton III -- the first black pro league commish in United States history -- on the exciting times for the country's favorite sport ... and he's eyeing some big names to join in.

"Absolutely," Hutton said. "Some of them have received personal [direct messages] from me. I reached out to Johnny Manziel. So, Johnny, I'm a Texas guy. So, if you're ready to come back and indoors -- because you did very well -- we will take you. We will find a spot for you."

31-year-old Manziel was one of the most electric players on the gridiron once upon a time ... winning the Heisman in 2012 and eventually going in the first round of the NFL Draft two years later.

But things fizzled out ... and the former Texas A&M superstar bounced around to the CFL and other leagues before walking away from the sport for good.

Manziel has been open about his struggles with addiction and mental health ... but it appears he's doing much better and is on a good path, so perhaps he gets the itch to give it another go??

Regardless of whether Manziel hops aboard the AFL ship, Hutton -- an attorney for high-profile cases and celebrities -- said there are exciting times ahead for the org ... and they're expecting to satisfy fans' hunger for football throughout the year.

Hutton added he's been picking the brains of former owners, coaches and commissioners of the AFL ... and everyone's been super helpful as he transitions into the new position.

Yes, you can find 50 Cent "In da Club", but can you locate the discreet changes in these two shots of him outside the club? In order to notice the differences, you may wanna adjust your lens.

Celebrating Dr. Dre's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this week, the iconic rapper hit up "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" with Snoop Dogg and Dre. And, of course he was decked out in "a lil' bit of this, a lil' bit of that" ... but his bling ain't ringing true.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go shawty!"

It's the weekend, and what better to unwind than touch base on our TV show topics?!

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where the biggest news of the day dominated our entire show -- namely, the fact Kate Middleton publicly announced she'd been diagnosed with cancer ... and was now undergoing preventative chemotherapy ... this after weeks of speculation.

Next up, we have "TMZ on TV," where the gang talked about conservative firebrand Candace Owens getting fired from the Daily Wire -- this amid claims she'd embraced antisemitism.

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports," where Babcock and Mojo talked about Shohei Ohtani.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

There's a fresh floral scent in the air, so sharing these pretty pics of celebs with cherry blossoms is only fair! Budding light pink, dark pink and white flowers, there's been a bunch of famous blooming beauties bragging on the 'gram!

Just beneath these beautiful blossoms, famous faces like Kim Kardashian buddied up with Chicago in the flower's native land of Japan, TikToker Benji Krol sprung into a cherry-packed selfie, and last bud not least, Christina Milian and hubby Matt Pokora snapped a cherry tree selfie in Paris.

Nicole Eggert -- who's battling cancer herself -- says she can sympathize with what Kate Middleton is now going through herself ... telling us there's a lot to juggle on this journey.

We talked to the actress Friday and she weighed in on Kate's announcement -- where she revealed she'd been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving preventative chemotherapy. Nicole, who has breast cancer, tells us there's a lot she can relate to with her own diagnosis.

For starters, NE says there's a lot of pressure having to weather this storm for public figures -- and perhaps even doubly so for someone like Kate ... who's a senior Royal.

Nicole says the public should lend her some grace during this time and not scrutinize as much as they have been ... because Kate will undoubtedly go through some changes in the near future, some of which she might not want to share with everyone despite the curiosity.

There's another element to this as well, and that includes how to deal with parenting her three young children as she and William navigate these choppy waters ... something Nicole tells us will be no easy task.

Take a listen to how she describes this -- NE says Kate not only has to process her diagnosis and manage how her body feels throughout this ... but she'll have her children to worry about as well, which is why a solid foundation at home and help will go a long way.

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.

Dolph Lundgren's not against recasting an iconic character -- telling fans to give David Corenswet's Superman a chance ... even if he's not entirely sure who he is.

We talked to the action movie star in Los Angeles Friday, and asked him all about the DC Universe coming to an end -- 'memba, Dolph starred as King Nereus in the 'Aquaman' films -- and he says he's sad to see it go 'cause of his great time working on the flick.

DL name-drops a few of his costars from the flick before moving on to the outrage surrounding Henry Cavill being dropped as Superman for Corenswet.

Lundgren says he isn't familiar with David -- by name or reputation -- but he says fans always get up in arms when one of their fav characters ends up being played by someone else ... and they need to give the guy a chance to flex his superhero muscles.

It seems like Dolph doesn't know Corenswet's work very well -- and yet, he's very positive here, saying he's rooting for DC's newest Man of Steel ... which is pretty awesome.

That said, Dolph's very clear there's one character he doesn't want recast ... Apollo Creed, played by the late great Carl Weathers.

Karen Huger was swaying and had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath following her frightening crash Tuesday night in Potomac, MD ... this according to the police report.

According to the report, obtained by TMZ, officers noted the 'Real Housewives of Potomac' cast member also had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes when they arrived on scene -- and they say she didn't answer when cops asked her twice how much she had to drink.

Officers also noted she had 2 closed bottles of the alcoholic beverage Stella inside her vehicle.

The report adds that while cops thought Karen appeared to be intoxicated ... she declined to undergo a field sobriety test or a breathalyzer.

Fire rescue, which also responded to the scene, tried to get her to sit on a stretcher -- but the report says she refused both the stretcher and any medical care.

According to officers, Karen also made it clear she did not wish to be recorded when officers told her she was on their bodycam footage.

She was ultimately arrested for DUI, and driven to the police station where she was issued citations ... and later released to her husband, Raymond.

As we reported ... cops told us Karen hit the median and a street sign late Tuesday night while driving her 2017 Maserati -- and a security guard in the neighborhood called the police after witnessing the whole thing.

Huger hasn't addressed the charges yet.

BTW, we spoke with Karen's 'RHOP' costar Candiace Dillard Bassett ... who filled us in on the folks showing her tons of support following her crash -- as well as what it might mean for Karen's future on the series.

Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty were accused of ambushing a security guard with violence a couple years back -- and it appears they ignored his lawsuit ... 'cause they now owe money.

The rapper and her husband had a default judgment entered against them Friday in L.A. County Superior Court -- this after a judge says they failed to respond to the lawsuit.

As a result, Nicki and Kenneth now have to pay up -- in the amount of $503,318.02.

We broke the story ... Nicki and Kenneth were sued by a guy named Thomas Weidenmuller -- who alleged Petty and Minaj roughed him up in 2019 at a concert she did in Germany.

At the time, Weidenmuller claimed Nicki had berated one of his security guards working under him, and he says he went to her to address it -- at which point, he alleged she threw a shoe at him. He says he dodged it -- however, the guy alleged Kenneth was waiting in the wings.

Weidenmuller claimed Kenneth socked him in the face and broke his jaw ... and he alleged he had 8 different surgeries to fix the damage. He sued in 2022 for hefty medical bills.

Kate Middleton's cancer announcement came too little, too late and was completely mismanaged by Kensington Palace -- so says a reporter who knows all about social media.

We talked to Taylor Lorenz Friday on "TMZ Live," where she analyzed the effect Kate's health news might have online -- where all the conspiracy theories and speculation about her condition and whereabouts have been running rampant for weeks now.

Taylor says a reckoning of sorts is happening on social media after Kate came out and told the world about her cancer -- with a lot of people deleting their tweets and posts that were mocking the whole saga. Her coming out has certainly tamped down the speculation.

With that said, TL tells us there are still people that'll have their doubts about all this -- even in the wake of the health update -- and the reason, she says, is because the Palace has botched the rollout of this news ... something she says they should've just started with.

The fact that Kensington Palace appears to have tried to keep this secret and under wraps for as long as they did -- with missteps along the way, including the Mother's Day photo -- has only given skeptics more reason to lean into the theories and gossip about Kate.

The home where Erik and Lyle Menendez brutally murdered their parents just sold for big money ... and coincidentally, the transaction closed on a case-related anniversary.

According to the Los Angeles Times ... the mansion sold for $17 million on Wednesday just a couple months after being put on the market in December.

The home contains seven bedrooms, a pool, a tennis court, and a two-story guest house. It was purchased for $3.7 million in 2001 -- a pretty impressive ROI for the previous owner. Realtor.com reports the house sold for under its prevailing market value -- perhaps unsurprising given the grisly events that took place there.

As we said -- the sale of the house just so happened to fall exactly 28 years after the Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, with a shotgun. They were convicted on March 20, 1996.

Of course, the Menendez case received a whole bunch of media attention last year after the release of the docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" in which a member of the band Menudo claimed Jose Menendez had raped him while he was a teen.

Erik and Lyle's attorney Mark Geragos was pushing for a new trial based on the claim ... and, though that hasn't happened yet, it definitely renewed interest in the case.

Amanda Bynes isn't interested in talking about her child star past -- especially for the doc about Nickelodeon -- because she simply didn't have a bad experience ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … both Amanda and her parents -- Rick and Lynn -- were approached about telling their stories on "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," but we're told they all opted not to participate.

Our sources say Amanda -- whom we're told did not watch the documentary -- declined to sit for an interview on account that she felt she just didn't have anything to share that would further their cause. In other words, she didn't go through what the 'QOS' subjects did.

On the contrary, our sources tell us Amanda is grateful for what she was able to do with her Nickelodeon start -- as we're told she acknowledges that it launched her career back then.

As for her parents ... our sources say they're private people and wanted to stay out of the spotlight for this. Unlike Amanda, we're told they actually watched the documentary and were both saddened and disgusted by the allegations.

But again, we're told the family unit as a whole hadn't experienced what these other child actors did while at the network ... which is why it didn't make sense for them to sit for it.

As we all know, Amanda starred on "The Amanda Show" from 1999 to 2002 alongside Drake Bell -- who revealed he was abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck. Peck was credited on some episodes of 'TAS' as well.

Some of Drake's former costars -- like Josh Peck who also appeared on "The Amanda Show" -- have come out in recent days ... saying they watched the documentary and are lamenting the horrors their costars claim they dealt with.

BTW ... one of the 'Quiet On Set' episodes focuses heavily on Bynes, including how she was discovered at the Laugh Factory in the mid-90s -- so, it does seem a little odd that Amanda isn't interested in peeping the series at all ... especially since she's a focal point in it.

Of course, it goes without saying ... Amanda's been through her own personal saga -- conservatorship, etc. -- and in the aftermath of that, it's clear she wants to leave the past in the past and focus on other ventures ... including her burgeoning cosmetology career.

Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis may be the one thing that can bring Prince Harry and Prince William back together after years of growing apart ... so says a Royal correspondent.

Sean Mandell -- creator of the "Spilling Royal Tea" podcast -- shared his insights on "TMZ Live" shortly after Kate's health revelation Friday ... saying the silver lining in the devastating news may lie in the small window of opportunity for the two to finally patch things up.

Mandell reminds us Harry actually used to be quite close with Kate -- in fact, he practically third-wheeled loads of her public engagements with William ... this before Meghan Markle came along, which created an undeniable divide between the trio.

However, SM tells us that something of this magnitude has the potential to melt any icy feelings between Harry and William -- and he suspects there may be a reconciliation.

As we reported ... Harry and Meg sent their well-wishes to Kate Friday, not long after she revealed she was battling cancer. Unclear if any future visits across the pond are planned.

While Mandell believes Harry will reach out to Kate personally -- which may lead to some fence-mending between him and his sibling -- it's hard to tell if the 'Fab 4' will get back together the way they used to be pre-Megxit ... there's been a lot of bad blood since.

In any case ... Sean says the Royals will pull together one way or another -- especially on the issue of Royal duties. Lots of other Royals are stepping in, and he thinks even Harry might get back into the mix now that both his father and sister-in-law have fallen ill.