Universal Music Group Sued Over Mary J. Blige ... 'Real Love' Ripped My Sample!!!

Universal Music Group is facing a new lawsuit ... and it all has to do with Mary J. Blige's most famous song -- which someone is now claiming illegally sampled an old jam.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a company called TufAmerica, Inc. -- which owns Tuff City Records -- is suing the music publishing giant, claiming it sampled their song "Impeach the President" in MJB's "Real Love" without getting permission.

"Real Love" allegedly uses an uncleared sample from "Impeach the President" in both a sound recording and the musical composition. Tuff City claims they've reached out to UMG over the issue, but Universal hasn't addressed their concerns ... so, now they're suing.

K-Pop's LE SSERAFIM We're 'Friends Of The NBA!!!' ... Promoting League In Asia

The NBA has a new partner ... and it's none other than K-pop group LE SSERAFIM!!

Adam Silver's organization announced the big collaboration this week ... saying the quintet of musicians will headline the NBA's celeb and influencer operation in Asia.

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The Association hopes the group's popularity will help expand its fanbase overseas ... similar to what it did when it enlisted BTS' Suga as an ambassador.

It seemed like a pretty "Smart" move -- especially considering Chaewon, Yunjin, Sakura, Kazuha and Eunchae are quite the hoop heads.

In fact, the group hit up a Laker game in customized jerseys back in November ... and briefly got to meet NBA legend Magic Johnson during their time at Crypto.com Arena.

The ladies also took a break from promoting their new project, "Easy," to tune in to the All-Star Game from a cellphone in February ... and recently posted a video of them showing off their choreography while decked out in numerous teams' merch.

With the collab, it's safe to say fans will see a lot more of LE SSERAFIM at games in the future ... and they can expect a ton of new content on socials.

The group made its debut in 2022 ... and has exploded in popularity ever since.

In fact, they're slated to rock the stage at Coachella later this month ... so yeah, big year for the ladies!!

99 Cents Only Stores Closing Up Shop, Across Country ... Bye Bye Cheap Crap!!!

The 99 Cents Only stores are all going out of business, and they'll be shutting their doors across the country in due time ... which has caused many to be up in arms.

The parent company announced the big news Thursday, saying they were going to begin a nationwide wind-down of all of their locations in the U.S. ... a whopping 371 locations, all of which will be shuttered in waves over the coming months.

Specifically, there are 4 states that currently host 99 Cents Only stores -- California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas ... and yes, they're all going bye-bye.

Shohei Ohtani Fan Upset With Dodgers ... Claims Team Pressured Her Into Giving Up HR Ball

The Dodgers fan who caught Shohei Ohtani's home run on Wednesday night is now upset with her favorite team ... claiming officials from the org pressured her into giving it up for a low-ball offer.

Ambar Roman scooped up the memento in the seventh inning of LA's tilt with the Giants at Dodger Stadium -- after Ohtani blasted it some 430 feet from home plate into her seat in the right field bleachers.

It was Shohei's first-ever dinger as a Dodger ... and, initially, Roman was fired up to score the treasure. She was seen on the game's broadcast going crazy -- but just minutes later, she said things turned very stressful.

Angelina Jolie Claims Brad Pitt Abused Her ... Pre-2016 Plane Incident

Angelina Jolie is floating new allegations against Brad Pitt -- claiming he'd roughed her up before the plane incident that ended their marriage ... but we're hearing a different story.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Angie's attorneys levied a heavy accusation against her ex -- namely, that he'd allegedly physically abused her before their incident in the sky in September 2016 ... which Angelina has maintained involved Brad putting hands on their kid.

We know Brad's denied that, and that the authorities cleared him of wrongdoing -- but Angelina has continued to insist it happened ... including here, where her attorneys say the abuse AJ claims to have endured via Brad actually pre-dated whatever happened in 2016.

Angelina Jolie Afirma que Brad Pitt abusó de ella... Antes del incidente de 2016

Angelina Jolie está reflotando nuevas acusaciones en contra de Brad Pitt, esta vez alegando que la habría maltratado antes del incidente del avión que puso fin a su matrimonio. Aunque estamos escuchando una historia diferente.

En los documentos judiciales obtenidos por TMZ, los abogados de Angie lanzaron una fuerte acusación en contra de su ex, esto es, que supuestamente habría abusado físicamente de ella antes del incidente aéreo de septiembre de 2016, en el que Angelina ha mantenido que Brad puso las manos sobre su hijo.

Sabemos que Brad lo ha negado, y que las autoridades lo absolvieron de haber hecho algo malo, pero Angelina ha seguido insistiendo en que sucedió, y sus abogados dicen que el abuso que habría soportado de Brad habría ocurrido antes de lo sucedido en 2016.

Serena & Venus Williams Mansion They Bought Mom Up For Sale

The L.A. area mansion Serena and Venus Williams purchased years ago for their mother is hitting the market ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the tennis superstars grabbed this Woodland Hills property for their mom/coach, Oracene Price, back in 2005 ... just as their careers were skyrocketing. Oracene lived in the mansion up until 2019, when it was reportedly sold for just under $2 million.

Now the property is going back on the market, and our real estate sources tell us it will be listed for $4,649,000 starting Friday.

GENE SIMMONS READY TO ROCK OUT AS DIGITAL PIXELS!! Embracing AI KISS Show

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YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!
TMZ.com

Gene Simmons ain't lumping himself in with other musicians threatened by the emerging use of AI in the biz -- in fact, he's leaning into it, and is ready to live on as a hologram in music.

The KISS singer spoke to us on "TMZ Live" Thursday about the band's upcoming digital avatar residency ... saying he and his bandmates are ready to rock out as digital pixels for years to come, because if they don't they'll just become yesterday's news.

Gene tells us despite his band never touring as KISS in the flesh again, things for them are only just beginning -- this after selling their entire music catalog, name, and likeness to Pophouse Entertainment for about $300 million.

GENE SIMMONS ¡LISTO PARA ROCKEAR EN EL MUNDO DIGITAL!

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"no podrán creer lo que están viendo"
TMZ.com

Gene Simmons no se siente amenazado por el uso emergente de la IA en el negocio, de hecho, se está inclinando hacia ella y está listo para vivir como un holograma músical.

El cantante de KISS habló con nosotros en "TMZ Live" el jueves sobre la próxima residencia avatar digital de la banda, diciendo que él y sus compañeros de banda están dispuestos a rockear como píxeles digitales en los próximos años, porque si no lo hacen solo se convertirán en noticias de ayer.

Gene nos dice que a pesar de que su banda nunca volverá a girar como KISS en carne y hueso, las cosas para ellos no han hecho más que empezar, esto después de vender todo su catálogo de música, nombre y semejanza a Pophouse Entertainment por unos 300 millones de dólares.

Logan Paul, KSI Sign Aaron Judge To Prime Sponsorship Deal!

Logan Paul and KSI continue to take a proverbial Louisville Slugger bat to the beverage market ... with PRIME inking a sponsorship deal with one of the biggest stars in baseball (in many ways), Aaron Judge!

The 31-year-old NY Yankees slugger now joins K.C. Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes as a Prime ambassador ... meaning the energy and hydration drink company, which only launched in 2022, now counts arguably the world's best baseball and football player as part of their roster of athletes.

Add to #99 and #15, combat sports stars Terence Crawford, Alex Volkanovski, and Israel Adesanya, and international soccer superstar Erling Haaland ... and that's not too shabby!

Prime and KSI made the big announcement Thursday morning on social media, writing, "All Rise for the newest member of the Prime Team ⚾️ @thejudge44 x @drinkprime," along with a dugout photo of the trio.

“It’s such an honor to team up with legends like Logan Paul and KSI,” Aaron Judge said of the partnership.

“PRIME has been my go-to for both fuel and recovery since it was first released and it’s a pleasure to officially sign on as a PRIME Hydration athlete. This collaboration comes just in time as we kick off our next season and with PRIME by my side, it's slated to be one of the best ones yet.”

FWIW, this checks out. The Yanks are off to a blazing fast start, going 6-1, including a road sweep of the rival Houston Astros, and a series win in Arizona. In fact, Judge came up big on the eve of the Prime announcement, blasting a 2 run home run on Wednesday, and driving in a critical run in extra innings.

As you'd expect, Prime's pumped, too.

“Aaron Judge is nothing short of a professional baseball icon and legend. Watching his career grow into what it is today has been inspirational and these are the types of athletes we can only hope to partner with,” co-founders Logan and KSI said.

“Aaron and team, welcome to the PRIME family and good luck this season! We will all be cheering you on.”

Something tells us despite the superstar-laden roster, Prime isn't done yet.

Adin Ross Hooks Sean O'Malley Up W/ Car ... Custom 'Suga' Candy Paint Low Rider!!!

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ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES
Youtube / Adin Live

Sean O'Malley's proving it pays to be one of the UFC's biggest stars ... especially when you've got friends like Adin Ross, who just hooked the MMA champ up with a custom "Suga" candy paint low rider!

The streamer surprised the bantamweight title holder weeks after Sean defended his belt against 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299, his 18th win as a professional.

When it came time to gift O'Malley the whip, he was in pure shock when he removed the blindfold, revealing the hot pink 1975 Chevy Caprice, and he (justifiedly) went crazy!

"No way!" O'Malley yelled. "What?! Bro! Haha! That's crazy!"

O'Malley took the car for a spin straight away ... moments after he secured the keys and got a tutorial on how to raise and lower the ride with the hydraulic suspension.

The car's sick ... from the deep, rich, metallic paint to the chromed-out suspension.

Of course, the low rider -- from the High Class Car Club in Glendale -- fits O'Malley's personality perfectly ... as he's known for his vibrant hair color and style.

Ross -- who went forward with the gift despite receiving an ass whoopin' in the cage during a sparring sesh earlier in the day -- also said he has an Audemars Piguet luxury watch for Sean.

"You're a legend!" Ross said. "You're a champ!"

KISS Sells Catalog, Likeness for $300M ... To ABBA Hologram Co.

KISS just sold their entire music catalog -- not to mention their entire image -- to a company that puts on hologram shows for legendary music acts ... and they did it for a pretty penny.

The iconic rock band struck a deal with Pophouse Entertainment, selling off not only their music but their name and likeness for upwards of $300 million, per reports. BTW, this is the same company they were already set to do a full digital avatar residency with.

Pophouse is also the same company that's been doing those hologram ABBA shows -- and like we said, KISS is already teaming up with them anyway ... so this move makes sense.

Kiss Vende su catálogo por $300M... A empresa de hologramas

El legendario grupo KISS acaba de vender todo su catálogo de música, por no hablar de su imagen, a una empresa que realiza espectáculos de hologramas de músicos legendarios, y lo hicieron por una tremenda suma de dinero.

La emblemática banda de rock ha llegado a un acuerdo con Pophouse Entertainment para vender no solo su música, sino que también su nombre y su imagen por la generosa suma de 300 millones de dólares. Por cierto, se trata de la misma empresa con la que ya habían acordado una residencia digital completa.

Pophouse es también la misma empresa que ha estado haciendo esos espectáculos de hologramas de ABBA, y como hemos dicho, KISS ya se había asociado con ellos, por lo que este movimiento tiene sentido.

WNBA Coach Stephanie White On Caitlin Clark ... I Think She Turns Down Big3 Offer

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WNBA Will Continue Momentum
TMZSports.com

Sorry, Big3 fans ... WNBA coach Stephanie White believes you will NOT see Caitlin Clark in the 3-on-3 league this year -- this despite the obvious temptation of Ice Cube's $5 MILLION offer.

The Connecticut Sun head coach told Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday she feels the legacy Clark can build in the WNBA will ultimately trump the Big3's cash when it comes time to make a decision.

Of course, Clark has yet to mull everything -- she said last week she wants to wait until Iowa's run in the NCAA tournament comes to an end before she chooses her next move.

Rebel Wilson My Agents Preferred Me 'Fat' ... Roles Paid Much Better!!!

Rebel Wilson is once again stirring the pot -- this time taking shots at her talent agency, claiming her team preferred her when she was plus size.

The actress gets into the weighty subject in her new memoir, "Rebel Rising" ... which has already sparked controversy over claims against Sacha Baron Cohen and Adele. Now, she's coming for her agents, saying they preferred her when she was heavier ... as that meant banking "hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission for each film where [she] played the fat funny girl."

According to Rebel, this left her feeling trapped since there was "a multimillion-dollar pigeonhole" over her body size. Remember, she already claimed, while on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she was contractually obligated not to lose weight while filming the "Pitch Perfect" franchise.

Rebel Wilson Mis agentes me preferían gorda... Pagaban mucho mejor!!!

Rebel Wilson está agitando las cosas una vez más, esta vez disparando contra su agencia de talentos tras alegar que su equipo la prefería en una talla más grande.

La actriz abordó el tema en su nuevo libro de memorias "Rebel Rising", que ya ha desatado polémicas por sus denuncias en contra de Sacha Baron Cohen y Adele. Ahora, ella está tras sus agentes, diciendo que la preferían más grande, ya que eso significaba "cientos de miles de dólares en comisiones por cada película en la que [ella] interpretaba a la gorda graciosa".

Según Rebel, esto la dejó sintiéndose atrapada, ya que había "un encasillamiento multimillonario" sobre su tamaño corporal. Recordemos que durante el podcast "Call Her Daddy" ya afirmó que estaba obligada por contrato a no adelgazar durante el rodaje de la franquicia "Pitch Perfect".