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Taylor Swift is pulling a Donna Kelce in the BS department -- telling her fans that she had a backup plan to announce her album if she didn't win at the Grammys ... OK, Tay Tay. 🙄

The singer relayed this sentiment to her Tokyo fans Wednesday night during performance #1 of her 4-show slate -- and yes, she claims she would've saved the news for Japan if things hadn't worked out for her at the award show this past weekend.

Taylor explains she'd only told a select few people about her album at that point -- including her producer, Jack Antonoff -- and then said ... "OK, if I’m lucky enough to get up there and win one thing tonight, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna announce my new album."

She may well be telling the truth here ... but if we're being honest, it sounds like she's being a little insincere in the sense that she makes it seem like her winning at the Grammys wasn't a sure thing ... 'cause truth be told, it absolutely was, and T-Swift probably knew it.

In other words, Taylor is overplaying the modesty card -- which she actually channeled on Sunday night when she won Album of the Year for "Midnights" ... seemingly feigning surprise.

Anyway, TS continued to lay it on thick during Wednesday night's show ... telling the audience, "And luckily enough, that ended up happening ... thanks to you and your support, I was lucky enough to win a Grammy and tell you about it onstage at the Grammys. And now we can talk about it afterward, we can do like a debrief tonight."

Of course, her fans ate it up and cheered her on -- but again, this is very much so in the same vein as what Donna suggested just earlier in the day ... that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl, and that she didn't think she'd be in a private suite.

BTW, Travis himself seems to be on this train too ... he made it seem like he didn't know what country Taylor was performing in ... before correctly saying it was in Tokyo.

Taylor Swift recently unloaded one of her private jets -- and at least one of the new owners is linked to a well-known company ... specializing in cars.

Here's the deal ... FAA records show that Taylor sold a Dassault Falcon 900 jet that's been in her possession for years -- since 2009, in fact -- and the transaction was completed at the end of last month ... with a new owner listed as some mysterious, soulless LLC.

As it turns out, however, this LLC that now owns Taylor's jet isn't so random after all ... it appears to be linked to CarShield -- specifically, a bigwig of the auto protection company.

The LLC in question is called Triangle Real Estate, and it's incorporated in Missouri -- dating back to 2006 -- with a man named Nicholas Hamilton named as a former officer of the company.

On its own, that info might not reveal too much about the new owner -- however, the FAA has the new owner's address listed as a CarShield call center out in St. Peters, MO.

And, as it turns out ... Nick Hamilton is the CEO of CarShield.

So, just to recap ... the new listed owner of Taylor's jet is an LLC linked to CarShield's CEO -- and the new listed address of the current jet owner goes right to a CarShield office. Coincidence??? Something tells us it ain't. One thing, though, Nick has a partner in the LLC ... so, she'll likely be enjoying some PJ flights, too.

The actual sale price isn't disclosed publicly, but a new one of these jets goes for around $40 million on the open market.

Brett Favre says he was concerned for his good pal Toby Keith in the days leading up to the country music star's death ... telling TMZ Sports that after speaking recently with the musician, he could tell the guy was simply exhausted.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback said he gave Keith a ring just two weeks ago to check in on him ... after he noticed the 62-year-old didn't look so hot following some December performances in Las Vegas.

Favre -- who told us he would call Keith every three-or-so months following his stomach cancer diagnosis -- said the "Red Solo Cup" crooner complained about the damage chemotherapy had done to his body during ... before adding that Keith seemed fatigued.

"I think in the end," Favre said, "he was just tired."

"He did say that to me when we had our conversation," the Hall of Famer continued. "He said, 'Brett, whatever happens, I'm OK with it.'"

Keith ended up passing away days later, on Feb. 5, while surrounded by his family.

Favre -- who first befriended Keith at a concert near Lambeau Field back in the 90s -- was heartbroken over the news ... though he was clearly proud of how Keith battled in his final days.

"He handled it with grace and faith and family," Favre said, "and stood up to the cancer about as good as you can."

Favre then recalled some of his favorite memories with Keith -- which included several fun trips around golf courses.

"I can't remember a good or a bad shot he hit," Favre said of one of their outings, "I can just remember him smiling, and had everyone hooting and hollering and having a lot of fun."

Usher's biggest hit single, "Yeah!" almost didn't happen, if not for his label boss L.A. Reid threatening him like a mob boss ... at least, that's how producer Rico Love remembers it.

The decorated singer/songwriter was a recent guest on Home Grown Radio where he looked back at his first big break -- writing the "Throwback" song on Usher's chart-topping "Confessions" album, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Rico says he was on hand when Usher first heard the demo to "Yeah!," written by Sean Garrett, which initially failed to impress the R&B megastar ... who flat-out refused to record the track.

Rico admits he also thought the song was corny -- he says the opening lyrics, "Up in the club with my homies/Tryin' to get a little V.I./Keep it down on the low-key" ... made him fall on the floor laughing.

On the other hand, Reid -- who was the President of Arista Records at the time -- heard a hit and demanded Usher push the song out ahead of the original first single, "Burn."

When Usher pushed back further, Rico says Reid didn't give him much of an option and told him to "do the f***** song" and hung up on him immediately after!!!

The tough love paid off in plaques ... "Yeah!" topped the charts for 12 weeks straight, and "Confessions" went on to be certified Diamond. Rico calls it great A&R'ing.

Britney Spears just posted a throwback photo of herself and Ben Affleck from the summer of 1999 -- a time during which she claims they locked lips, which is ... random as hell.

The pop star threw up a pic of her, Ben and Diane Warren hanging out at a party -- one reported to have taken place in either June or July of '99 to celebrate her album '...Baby One More Time,' which came out that January.

No harm, no foul -- this photo of them has been circulating for years -- but Brit's new description of what she claims happened that night is interesting ... namely, that they kissed.

She writes, "Cool pic of me and Ben Affleck and Diane Warren years ago!!! He’s such an amazing actor. Did I fail to mention I made out with Ben that night … I honestly forgot ... damn that’s crazy !!!"

Britney continued ... "Wish I could tell you guys the story that happened before that !!! Oh dear, I’m just being a gossip girl. Psss I actually forgot!" She has since deleted the post.

Unclear why she took it down so quickly, but it raises eyebrows for obvious reasons. For one ... a love connection between herself and Ben has never been claimed by either one of them until now, and it's truly coming out of nowhere -- with no evidence to back it up either.

Fact is ... Britney spilled her guts in her memoir last year on everything from an abortion she says she had, to alleged infidelity and lots of other stuff about Justin Timberlake.

If this did in fact go down as she suggests ... wouldn't she have put it in the book???

Tech N9ne is gearing up for his Kansas City Chiefs to play in the Super Bowl ... by hosting a party at a famous Las Vegas strip club across the street from the football field!!!

The Strange Music co-founder is working with Crazy Horse 3, kicking off their Super Bowl party lineup Thursday night at a special event -- and they're making sure he's all set to do his thing for the big weekend ... and yes, the specifics are very stripper-friendly.

Our sources say Tech N9ne's contract calls for him to get $20,000 in singles to throw in the club. Yeah, it's gonna be raining greenbacks in there ... and Tech's gonna be tossin' cash.

Tech N9ne's deal also includes a supply of 10 magnum bottles of 10 tequila -- those are the big boys -- with 5 bottles of Clase Azul and 5 bottles of Don Julio 1942. Nothing but the best for Tech.

The guy's a massive Chiefs fan and his "Red Kingdom" song has kinda become the unofficial team anthem ... so we're guessing the crowd is gonna favor KC.

NFL players expected to appear include ... Dallas Cowboys wideout KaVontae Turpin, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Britney Spears acaba de publicar una foto retroactiva de ella y Ben Affleck del verano de 1999, tiempo durante el cual ella afirma que se besaron... lo cual es bastante bizarro.

La estrella del pop publicó una foto de ella, Ben y Diane Warren pasando el rato en una fiesta, la cual supuestamente tuvo lugar en junio o julio de 1999 para celebrar su álbum "...Baby One More Time", que salió ese mes de enero.

Esta foto ha estado circulando durante años, pero la nueva descripción de Brit de lo que ella afirma que sucedió esa noche es interesante... según ella, se besaron.

Escribe: "¡¡¡Una linda foto de mí con Ben Affleck y Diane Warren hace años!!! Es un actor increíble. Me olvidé de mencionar que me besé con Ben esa noche... Honestamente lo olvidé ¡¡¡Maldita sea eso es una locura!!!".

Britney continuó: ¡¡¡"Ojalá pudiera contarles la historia que pasó antes de eso !!! Oh querida, estoy siendo una cotilla. Psss en realidad se me olvidó!" Desde entonces ha borrado el post.

No está claro por qué lo borró tan rápido, pero genera sospechas por razones obvias. Por un lado, una conexión de amor entre ella y Ben nunca ha sido reclamada por cualquiera de ellos hasta ahora, y no hay pruebas que lo respalden tampoco.

El hecho es que Britney lo dijo todo en su libro de memorias el año pasado, desde un aborto, hasta la supuesta infidelidad y un montón de otras cosas acerca de Justin Timberlake.

Si esto sucedió como ella sugiere... ¿no lo habría puesto en el libro?

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have their choice of Vegas wedding venues if they get engaged at the Super Bowl ... their latest offer is from a weed operation and it's pretty blunt.

Some folks think Travis is gonna pop the question after the Big Game, and while everything we've reported says that's a long shot... one wedding venue is throwing up a Hail Mary.

Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings is offering Taylor and Travis a complimentary weed wedding after the Super Bowl ... trying to sell them on the idea of getting hitched at a grow house.

Now, this isn't any old weed operation ... Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings says they marry people at the world's largest dispensary, Planet 13.

Taylor's favorite number is 13 ... hey, just saying.

LVCW owner Maxine Fensom would officiate the wedding ... she's an ordained minister.

Again, it's a long shot and, as we've told you, Taylor and Travis have already been offered a free wedding at the famous Little White Wedding Chapel ... not that they would accept that offer either.

Couples who aren't the celeb type are getting offered a deal here too ... Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings plans to offer $87 cannabis-themed nuptials for the first 100 couples if Travis' Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

The $87 weed weddings, priced after Travis' No. 87 Chiefs jersey, are only for Valentine's Day ... and there's a Taylor connection here too, because T-Swift once starred in a movie called "Valentine's Day."

If Taylor and Travis don't get engaged, they've also got an offer on the table from a famous Vegas strip club.

Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce tienen algunas opciones para casarse en Las Vegas si deciden comprometerse durante el Super Bowl y su última oferta es de un dispensario de cannabis y es bastante contundente.

Algunas personas piensan que Travis le va a hacer la proposición a Taylor después del Gran Juego, y aunque les hemos informado que esa posibilidad es remota, un lugar de bodas está haciendo una jugada de último minuto.

Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings le está ofreciendo a la pareja una boda de hierba después del Super Bowl, tratando de venderles la idea de que se casen en una casa de cultivo.

Ahora, esta no es cualquier operación de marihuana. Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings dice que casan a la gente en el dispensario más grande del mundo, Planet 13.

El número favorito de Taylor es el 13 ... hey, solo digo.

El dueño de Las Vegas Cannabis Wedding, Maxine Fensom, oficiaría la boda, pues es una ministra ordenada.

De nuevo, es una posibilidad remota y como les hemos contado, la famosa capilla Little White Wedding ya le ofreció a Travis y Taylor una boda gratis. Aunque bueno, tampoco es que vayan a aceptar esta oferta automáticamente.

A las parejas que no son celebridades también se les ofreció un descuento aquí. Las Vegas Cannabis Weddings planea ofrecer nupcias con temática de cannabis por $87 para las primeras 100 parejas si los Kansas City Chiefs de Travis logran vencer a los San Francisco 49ers en el Super Bowl LVIII.

Las bodas de cannabis a $87, valoradas en ese precio por la camiseta No. 87 de Travis en los Chiefs, son solo para el Día de San Valentín y hay una conexión con Taylor aquí también, porque T-Swift una vez protagonizó una película llamada "Día de San Valentín".

Si Taylor y Travis no se comprometen, también tienen una oferta sobre la mesa de un famoso club de striptease de Las Vegas.

Everybody's talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce ahead of the Super Bowl, but they're getting associated with a different kinda bowl -- a toilet bowl, to be exact -- before the Big Game ... with Dude Wipes launching new ads inspired by the superstar couple.

TMZ Sports has learned -- the popular wet wipe company came up with a cheeky way to get in on the Traylor craze while promoting its product in Las Vegas this weekend ... by whipping together some silly slogans to feature on the massive Resorts World display.

Some of the ads include pretty timely Swift-related mentions ... including a nod to her new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which she announced at the Grammys just days ago.

One sign reads, "If you're living in the Tortured TP Department, welcome to the Wet-Wiping Era" ... with another channeling the singer's "Anti-Hero" hit -- "It's me. Hi. I'm the solution. It's Me. Not TP."

But one in particular addresses the relationship that's taken over the world ... with "We love a clean tight end, too" shown in big white letters above a package of Dude Wipes.

The company teamed up with Max O'Neil at Clear Channel and the Curiosity agency to execute the campaign ... which will be seen by millions throughout Sin City this weekend.

Of course, Taylor has taken over the Super Bowl this year ... with her presence being felt all over -- including countless Swift-related questions during media availability, themed parties, and a free wedding ceremony offer from a local venue.

It appears Taylor Swift might not be at the Super Bowl after all ... 'cause Travis Kelce just seemed to tell reporters he's unsure if his girlfriend will make it.

The Chiefs star dropped the nugget on media members just minutes ago at a news conference in Las Vegas ... when answering a question about whether or not Swift has given him a championship "pep talk."

Swift's boo explained with a laugh that she hasn't ... telling a crowd full of microphones that she's currently focused on entertaining the masses at her latest "Eras Tour" shows out in Japan.

Then, he added, "The Super Bowl, we'll worry about if she can make it" -- implying that it's nowhere near a foregone conclusion that she'll be in attendance on Sunday when he takes on the 49ers.

Swift, of course, is slated to be in Tokyo performing until Saturday ... but most have thought she'd be able to jet off to Sin City in enough time to catch Kelce's kickoff at Allegiant Stadium.

Clearly, though -- at least in the eyes of Kelce -- that's no sure thing.

It'd obviously be a pretty big blow for Chiefs Kingdom -- she's been at every single one of their playoff games so far this postseason ... and K.C.'s won them all.

Kelce was also unsurprisingly peppered with a few other Swift questions while on the podium Wednesday, and he hilariously said he never would've thought his Swift shoutout on his "New Heights" podcast over the summer would've led to all this.

But, he sure seemed pleased it worked out ... even if she somehow won't be able to join him Sunday.

Parece que Taylor Swift podría no estar en el Super Bowl después de todo, porque Travis Kelce acaba de decirle a los periodistas que no está seguro si su novia podrá llegar

La estrella de los Chiefs dejó caer la pepita hace apenas unos minutos en una conferencia de prensa en Las Vegas al responder a una pregunta acerca de si Taylor le había dado ánimos antes del juego.

Swift está en estos momentos deslumbrando a todo el mundo en Japón, ya que está en pleno "Eras Tour".

Luego agregó: "Es el Super Bowl, nos preocupa si logrará llegar". Estamos cruzando los dedos para que Taylor pueda ver el domingo el juego contra los 49ers.

Swift, por supuesto, tiene programado estar en Tokio hasta el sábado, pero la mayoría cree que sería capaz de volar a la Ciudad del Pecado para ver el saque inicial de Kelce en el Estadio Allegiant.

Sin embargo -al menos para Kelce- eso no es seguro.

Obviamente, esto sería un gran golpe para los Chiefs, ella ha estado en cada uno de sus partidos de playoffs en lo que va de la postemporada y los Chiefs los han ganado todos.

Kelce también fue acribillado con más preguntas sobre Swift, mientras que el miércoles dijo hilarantemente que nunca habría pensado que hablar de Swift en su pódcast "New Heights" en el verano habría llevado a todo esto.

Brad Pitt showed up to the Bob Marley movie premiere in L.A. this week -- and it ain't just 'cause he's a fan of the legend ... the guy's one of the producers on the film.

The actor was all smiles at the Regency Theater Tuesday at the debut screening of the new Bob Marley biopic, 'One Love,' ... and he was hobnobbing with the cast and others, totally down to pose for pics too.

Pitt posed with Bob's son Ziggy and the movie's star Kingsley Ben-Adir ... flexing that easy grin and low-key energy we've come accustomed to seeing from the 60-year-old A-lister.

The reason he was even there ... his production company, Plan B, helped make the movie behind the scenes -- so a Brad appearance for a movie this big certainly makes sense.

Other stars at Tuesday night's premiere ... Stevie Wonder, Shaggy, Lilly Singh, RZA, Talani Rabb, Kylie Minogue, Mystic Marley, Daymond John, and a whole lot more.

As for Brad ... he normally serves as the star, but he seems comfortable playing producer too.

Brad Pitt apareció esta semana para el estreno de la película de Bob Marley en Los Ángeles, y no solo porque es un gran fan de la leyenda musical, sino que también porque es uno de los productores de la película.

El actor estuvo súper sonriente en el Teatro Regency este martes en el estreno de la nueva película biográfica de Bob Marley, 'One Love,' codeándose con el elenco y otros presentes, y totalmente dispuesto para posar para las fotos.

Pitt posó con el hijo de Bob, Ziggy, y la estrella del filme Kingsley Ben-Adir, desplegando esa sonrisa natural y energía sencilla que nos hemos acostumbrado a ver a sus 60 años.

¿La razón por la que estaba allí? Su productora Plan B ayudó a hacer la película detrás de escenas, por lo que su presencia para el estreno tiene sentido.

Otras estrellas que estuvieron presentes la noche del martes fueron Stevie Wonder, Shaggy, Lilly Singh, RZA, Talani Rabb, Kylie Minogue, Mystic Marley, Daymond John y muchos más.

En cuanto a Brad, quien normalmente hace el papel de estrella, parece cómodo jugando el rol de productor también.

Jackass star Steve-O joins this episode of The TMZ podcast to discuss the day's trending topics!

Kanye West was spotted out with wife Bianca Censori, who was wearing a VERY revealing clear poncho and nothing else. 👀

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has responded to the backlash the organization has received for their heavy Taylor Swift coverage ... saying the "Taylor Swift effect" has had a positive effect on the season!

Plus, Lil Jon has an upcoming album and it's not what you're thinking! After prioritizing fitness and wellness in his life he's decided to release his very own meditation album! 🧘‍♂️

Subscribe to The TMZ Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Chrisean Rock's facing a legal battle on the civil front ... she's on the receiving end of a lawsuit for an alleged assault, one that allegedly took place during a Tamar Braxton show.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ ... TV personality James Wright is suing Chrisean, claiming she attacked him at a club show back in November -- an incident he says led to multiple face lacerations and two broken teeth.

ICYMI ... James Wright was reportedly hospitalized following Tamar's show in Downtown Los Angeles around this same time. Tamar talked about the alleged incident during an IG Live where she said Chrisean thought she was supposed to have a bigger role in the show ... and apparently became agitated when she was told that wasn't the case.

We obtained video showing Chrisean breaking up a prayer circle before the show ... but eyewitnesses on the tour told us that had nothing to do with the alleged incident.

Anyway ... in the suit, James, who sang backup for TB, says he told Rock she was supposed to only come onstage for the twerk portion at the end of the night. He says he told her she was not in the properly designated area and that’s when she allegedly hit him.

Wright claims Rock stuck him several times using a hand with "large champion style rings" that caused the lacerations and broken teeth. He also claims she called him a homophobic slur in the aftermath of the alleged assault.

Wright says he was sent to the hospital and also had to consult with a dentist and plastic surgeon in the aftermath of the alleged incident.

Now, James is taking Chrisean for assault, battery, and emotional distress … and he’s seeking compensation for his medical bills, among other damages.