Music

Paula Abdul claims one of the "American Idol" executive producers, Nigel Lythgoe, sexually assaulted her multiple times while she was judging 'Idol' and "So You Think You Can Dance" ... according to a new lawsuit she's filed.

Paula filed the lawsuit Friday in L.A. County ... and in the docs, obtained by TMZ, she alleges the first assault happened during "one of Idol's initial seasons" while they were on the road for regional auditions. Paula claims she and Lythgoe got into an elevator at their hotel, and once the doors closed he shoved her against the wall and grabbed her genitals and breasts ... and tried to tongue-kiss her.

In the suit, Paula says she tried to push him away, and then ran to her room once the elevator doors opened. Paula says she immediately called one of her reps to inform them about the alleged incident -- but fearing she'd be fired in retaliation, she decided to keep quiet.

She says the second alleged encounter happened after she signed a new contract in 2015 to be a judge on 'SYTYCD' -- which was also executive produced by Lythgoe. According to the docs, at some point during her 2 seasons on the show, Lythgoe invited Paula to his house to discuss work opportunities ... and she says she accepted because she thought it was a professional situation.

However, she claims the evening ended with Lythgoe forcing himself on top of her while she was on a couch ... and trying to kiss her. In the suit, she says he was telling her they would make an "excellent power couple." Paula says she pushed him off of her, said she was not interested and immediately left.

Paula alleges there was another instance during her 'SYTYCD' that happened in 2015 -- she claims she witnessed Lythgoe grope one of her assistants.

Aside from the disturbing allegations of assault, Paula also claims Lythgoe "taunted" her by calling her at some point to say they should celebrate because it had been "7 years and the statute of limitations had run."

More broadly, Paula alleges she was the victim of harassment and discrimination -- in terms of compensation -- during her time judging 'Idol.'

She is suing Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia North America for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.

Paula says she's coming forward now due to California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act ... which gives plaintiffs a window to file claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.

El conductor que estaba al volante del camión que atropelló fatalmente a Laura Lynch,  una de las fundadoras de The Dixie Chicks, la semana pasada está siendo investigado por posibles cargos criminales.

El sargento Eliot Torres, del departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas, le dice a TMZ que debido a que se perdió una vida, están trabajando para determinar si el conductor estaba bajo la influencia de alguna sustancia en el momento del accidente.

Nos confirman que el conductor se hizo exámenes de sangre en el hospital para las pruebas de drogas y alcohol y que los resultados solo se darán a conocer por el hospital una vez que un juez firme la citación elaborada por los investigadores.

Si los resultados son positivos en drogas y/o alcohol, los investigadores potencialmente presentarían cargos contra el otro conductor.

El conductor también podría ser acusado de otros delitos como la conducción temeraria o arriesgado cambio de carril después de analizar la escena y hablar con los testigos, pero todo depende de lo que la investigación arroje.

Como hemos informado, un testigo ocular ya habló y detalló el momento en que el camión entró en el carril de Laura para intentar adelantar otros 2 carros. En esa maniobra, golpeó su vehículo de frente en la carretera 62 a las afueras de El Paso.

The driver behind the wheel of the truck that fatally struck Dixie Chicks founding member Laura Lynch last week is being investigated for potential criminal charges.

Texas Department of Public Safety PIO Sgt. Eliot Torres tells TMZ that because a life was lost, they're working to determine whether the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident.

They confirm the driver had their blood drawn at the hospital for drug and alcohol testing ... and the results will only be released by the hospital once a judge signs off on the subpoena drawn up by investigators.

If the results come back positive for drugs and/or alcohol, investigators will potentially seek charges against the other driver.

The driver could also be charged with other offenses like reckless driving or unsafe lane change after scene analysis and speaking to witnesses -- but it all depends on what the investigation yields.

As we've reported ... an eye witness has already spoken out ... detailing the moment the truck entered Laura's lane while trying to go around 2 other cars and struck her vehicle head-on on Highway 62 outside of El Paso.

Zac Brown is definitely out of the honeymoon phase -- 4 months after he and Kelly Yazdi tied the knot, they're now separated ... TMZ has learned.

Zac and Kelly tell TMZ in a joint statement, "We are in the process of divorce. Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”

We broke the story that the pair secretly tied the knot on Aug. 31 in Coweta County, Georgia ... a little over a year after the model/actress was spotted wearing a giant engagement ring.

Speculation the newlyweds had split started when fans recently noticed Kelly had disappeared from IG ... and when she reactivated her account, she took Brown's name off her bio.

She also stopped following Zac on Insta, and took down all posts and photos that included him.

This was Zac's second stab at marriage -- he was previously married to Shelly Brown for 12 years until 2018, and they share 5 kids.

El guitarrista Frankie Sullivan, miembro fundador de la banda Survivor, sufrió un robo en su casa de Los Ángeles y la policía dice que los ladrones se llevaron unos relojes de lujo que cuestan una tonelada de dinero.

La policía le dice a TMZ que los ladrones entraron a principios de este mes a su casa de San Fernando Valley, ubicada en las colinas, a través de la ventana del guitarrista de "Eye of the Tiger". Se llevaron un montón de relojes avaluados en más de $300.000.

La policía cree que fue obra de un grupo de ladrones sudamericanos que vuelan al país para asaltar casas caras -varias de ellas pertenecientes a famosos- y que supuestamente utilizan caminos de herradura en las montañas para acceder a las propiedades de lujo.

Los oficiales están instando a colocar cámaras de vigilancia en las propiedades, a asegurarse de que la zona esté bien iluminada y a poner alarmas en las puertas correderas de cristal y en las ventanas del segundo piso. Dicen que así es como los ladrones están entrando a las casas.

Como informamos, la casa de Keanu Reeves también fue asaltada a principios de este mes, y fuentes policiales nos dicen que el arma robada de su propiedad era una pistola Glock.

Guitarist Frankie Sullivan -- a founding member of the band Survivor -- had his L.A. home burglarized ... and cops say the thieves made off with fancy watches worth a ton of dough.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... burglars smashed their way through the window at the "Eye of the Tiger" guitarist's San Fernando Valley home in the hills earlier this month, taking a bunch of timepieces, worth more than $300,000.

Cops think it was the work of a South American burglary crew that flies into the country to hit expensive homes -- several belonging to celebs -- and they allegedly use fire roads in the mountains to access the luxury properties.

Law enforcement is urging folks to put trail cams around their property, make sure the area is well-lit ... and put alarms on sliding glass doors and second-story windows. They say that's how the burglars are getting into the homes.

As we reported, Keanu Reeves' home was raided earlier this month, too ... and law enforcement sources now tell us the gun stolen from his property was a Glock pistol.

2023 fue un año de altos y bajos ... y, por desgracia, algunos de los puntos más bajos vinieron de la mano de algunas de las estrellas más grandes del mundo que perdieron trágicamente su vida, muchos demasiado pronto.

Matthew Perry conmocionó al mundo cuando fue encontrado inconsciente en su jacuzzi en octubre, al igual que Sinead O'Connor, quien fue hallada en su piso al sur de Londres a finales de julio.

Angus Cloud, la estrella de "Euphoria" de 25 años, fue encontrado sin vida en la casa de su familia en Oakland, California, también a finales de julio. Esto, poco después de que el actor perdiera a su padre. El forense dijo que el actor murió de una sobredosis accidental de fentanilo, cocaína y metanfetamina.

Tina Turner, conocida como la "Reina del Rock 'n' Roll", murió a los 83 años en mayo después de luchar contra una "larga enfermedad" en sus riñones. La cantante se había lamentado de no haber cuidado mejor sus riñones apenas unos meses antes de su muerte.

Jerry Springer, de 79 años, murió en su casa de Illinois en abril después de una batalla contra el cáncer de páncreas, algo que lo mantuvo fuera del ojo público. Un representante de la familia de Springer nos dijo que estaba enfermo desde hace meses y que mantuvo la enfermedad entre sus cercanos para no preocupar a los demás.

Paul Reubens, conocido por muchos como Pee-wee Herman, murió a los 70 años en julio y también luchó en privado contra el cáncer por años. En una disculpa a sus fans escrita antes de morir, Paul dijo: "Los he querido mucho a todos y he disfrutado haciendo arte para ustedes".

Otros que ya no están, pero que desde luego no han sido olvidados, son Jacky Oh!, Bob Barker, Jimmy Buffett, Raquel Welch, Heather Armstrong, Alan Arkin, Andrea Evans, Tony Bennett, Clarence Avant y Diane Feinstein.

Que en paz descansen.

2023 was a year of highs and lows ... and unfortunately, some of the lowest points came from the world's biggest stars tragically losing their lives -- many of whom died way too soon.

Matthew Perry shocked the globe when he was found unresponsive in his hot tub in October ... as did Sinead O'Connor, who was found at her flat in South London at the end of July.

25-year-old "Euphoria" star Angus Cloud was found dead at his family's home in Oakland, CA, also at the end of July ... not long after the actor lost his father. The coroner said he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Tina Turner, known as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," died at 83 years old back in May after battling a "long illness" regarding her kidneys ... and the singer opened up about regretting not taking better care of her kidneys in the months before she passed.

79-year-old Jerry Springer died at his Illinois home in April after his battle with pancreatic cancer -- something he kept out of the public eye. A rep for Springer's family told us he was sick for months, and kept the illness close to not worry others.

Paul Reubens, known to so many as Pee-wee Herman, died at the age of 70 in July ... and he also privately battled cancer for years. In an apology to fans written before he died, Paul said, "I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

Others who are gone but certainly not forgotten include Jacky Oh!, Bob Barker, Jimmy Buffett, Raquel Welch, Heather Armstrong, Alan Arkin, Andrea Evans, Tony Bennett, Clarence Avant, and Diane Feinstein.

RIP

Slipknot está siendo llevado a los tribunales por su fallecido baterista Joey Jordison. La empresa que gestiona su patrimonio afirma que la banda está sacando provecho de las pertenencias de Joey, exponiéndolas en un museo itinerante.

Según los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, la empresa que gestiona la herencia de Joey está demandando a la banda, alegando que utilizó la muerte de Jordison en 2021 para aumentar las ventas de su álbum "The End, So Far", de 2022.

La demanda afirma que el álbum no se estaba vendiendo tan bien después de la muerte de Joey en 2021, por lo que los miembros del grupo, Corey Taylor y Michael Shawn Crahan le dijeron a los fans que el álbum estaba dedicado a Joey y que la "toma de conciencia de que Jordison realmente había fallecido 'se coló' mientras lo hacían".

Es más, la compañía afirma que Corey y Michael mintieron cuando dijeron a los fans que se pusieron en contacto con la familia de Joey para expresar sus condolencias tras su muerte.

Parece que la disputa se remonta bastante lejos aquí. La compañía afirma que los compañeros de banda de Joey abruptamente lo echaron del grupo a través de un correo electrónico mientras él estaba luchando contra la mielitis transversa aguda, una condición que le hizo perder el uso de su pierna izquierda.

Según la demanda, Joey y Slipknot acordaron posteriormente devolver todas las propiedades de Joey, incluyendo su equipo musical, pero la compañía afirma que eso nunca sucedió, diciendo que "al menos 22 artículos" permanecen en posesión del grupo, incluyendo cosas como las máscaras de Joey, su icónica batería Pearl y sus zapatillas Adidas.

La demanda dice que algunos de esos artículos son parte de la exposición en el museo itinerante de la banda, conocido como Knotfest.

Tras la presentación de la demanda, Slipknot respondió con sus propios documentos legales, negando las afirmaciones y pidiendo al tribunal que desestimara a demanda.

Slipknot is being hauled into court over its late drummer Joey Jordison -- the company managing his estate claims the band's cashing in off Joey's belongings by displaying them in a traveling museum.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the company running Joey's estate is suing the band, claiming it used Jordison's death in 2021 to boost sales for their 2022 album, "The End, So Far."

The lawsuit claims the album wasn't selling as well following Joey's 2021 death, so band members Corey Taylor and Michael Shawn Crahan told fans the album was dedicated to Joey and the "realization that Jordison had passed away really 'crept in' while making" it.

What's more, the company claims Corey and Michael lied when they told fans they contacted Joey's family to express condolences in the wake of his death.

It looks like the beef goes back pretty far here -- the company claims Joey's bandmates abruptly booted him from the group via email while he was struggling with acute transverse myelitis -- a condition that caused him to lose the use of his left leg.

According to the suit, Joey and Slipknot subsequently agreed to return all of Joey's property, including his musical gear and equipment -- but the company claims that never happened, saying "at least 22 items" remain in the group's possession, including things like Joey's masks, his iconic Pearl drum set and his Adidas sneakers.

The lawsuit says some of those items are part of the display in the band's traveling museum, known as Knotfest.

After the complaint was filed, Slipknot responded with its own legal docs ... denying the claims and asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

John Legend puede ser un ganador del EGOT, pero ¿puedes igualarlo y descubrir los cambios menores en estas dos fotos? Ven a dar un paseo con John en el parque ... Quizá quieras ponerte la chaqueta, ¡hace frío aquí fuera!

A principios de semana, el cantante se abrigó en Nueva York y demostró sus habilidades futbolísticas. Puede que te esté tomando el pelo con los discretos cambios, pero, ¿te alegras de ver a John con el balón bien agarrado?

John Legend may be an EGOT winner, but can you win over the minor switch-ups in these two shots? Come take a stroll with John in the park ... you may wanna throw on your jacket ... it's cold out here!

Heading into the New Year in style, the singer bundled up in NYC earlier this week and showed off his footballin' skills! He may be stringin' you along with the discreet changes, but .... orange you glad to see John with a firm grip on his ball?

Madonna is NOT pushing pause on her big tour again, despite a huge ticket provider claiming she's postponing upcoming shows.

Here's the deal ... a message popping up on Ticketmaster is claiming Madonna's upcoming shows in Boston are postponed, and now her fans are freaking out.

However, a rep for Madonna tells TMZ ... the shows are not postponed or canceled and she'll be in Boston Jan. 8-9 for her two scheduled shows at TD Garden.

It's unclear why Ticketmaster is giving a pop-up notice that reads, "The Event Organizer has had to postpone your event." We reached out to Ticketmaster ... so far no word back.

As we reported, Madonna announced "The Celebration Tour" back in January 2023 ... it covers her long discography -- spanning over 4 decades.

The 35-city megatour was set to begin in July, but had been postponed for several months in June after Madonna fell ill with a terrible bacterial infection ... something she later revealed put her in a coma for 2 days.

Madonna's been touring since October ... and there have already been a few highlights... like when she gave Santa Claus a holiday lap dance at last week's show in D.C. -- and the man with the bag, aka Jerry Wise, took a rough tumble while on stage. Saint Nick let us know he's doing just fine after the spill.

Boosie Badazz is scolding his oldest child for constantly wearing a ski mask, or a "Pooh Shiesty" as it's known in the streets ... and it's based on concerns for his son's safety.

The Louisiana rapper's fatherly instincts kicked in during an IG livestream session after peeping his son Tootie Raw wearing the mask, for what Boosie claims, was "two days straight."

Boosie says he's from the old school and anyone wearing those masks back in the day was 100% guaranteed to be up to no good.

Pooh Shiesty, who's currently serving a 5-year prison sentence for gun conspiracy charges, popularized the masked-up look when he blew up back in 2020 ... but Boosie doesn't consider it a fashion statement.

He warned Tootie that the right kinda guys might get the wrong impression of him and his friends and they could potentially attack first ... because that's exactly what he would do.

Boosie echoed maturity like this when we spoke to him earlier this year alongside Freeway Rick Ross.

Rihanna's fangirling just scored her a new BFF ... and it's Kyle Richards!!!

The singer -- who's been open about loving 'Real Housewives' -- finally got to meet Kyle during a shopping trip Thursday in Aspen ... which turned into a stroke of good luck for both of 'em.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rihanna was shopping at Kemo Sabe -- after hours in a private room, because that's how she rolls -- and that's when Kyle strolled in to do her VIP shopping.

When a store employee mentioned RiRi was there, Kyle asked if they could meet ... and we're told Rihanna excitedly responded, "F*** yes!!!"

After all, our source says the whole reason Rihanna was shopping at Kemo Sabe in the first place was because she'd seen Kyle go there on 'RHOBH.'

We're told Rihanna and Kyle hugged it out and had a fun conversation ... then Mauricio Umansky and their daughters came up and met RiRi and A$AP Rocky.

Both families ended up hanging out inside the store for close to an hour ... and Kyle gifted Rihanna an $895 turquoise beaver hat.

Rihanna and A$AP had their kids in tow too as they did some big-time shopping -- we're told they bought a ton of items, including hats, boots, belts, and buckles ... plus the brown cowboy hat she wore out of the store.

Aspen's full of celebs this time of year, but it's pretty incredible when they run into each other, and they're both such big fans of each other -- like Kyle and Rihanna -- and they're not afraid to show it.

Cardi B llegó al punto de no poder más con sus fans por sus opiniones sobre ella y Offset, ¡¡¡y no le importaron sus cuerdas vocales cuando les gritó a todo pulmón!!!

La última crisis de Cardi ocurrió de la nada este viernes, apenas unos días después de que ella y Offset parecieran haber arreglado las cosas tras ser vistos durante una salida en Nueva York y de disfrutar las fiestas de fin de año con sus hijos toda la semana.

Cardi dejó claro que ella y Offset no habían vuelto a estar juntos cuando fue anfitriona de un chat X, más que todo fue solo ella la que habló a grito pelado.

La rapera de "Bongos" prometió dejar de seguir a todos sus principales fans al mismo tiempo que propinó su clásica amenaza de ¡¡¡borrar sus cuentas en redes sociales!!!

A Cardi recientemente le gustó un post que destacaba/ sugería que ella y Offset aún seguían separados, pero al parecer cayó en saco roto.