Music

Here's Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson all set to portray the King of Pop on the set of the upcoming MJ biopic -- and we gotta say, he's the spitting image of his late uncle.

Jaafar was in full hair, makeup and costume Thursday on location in the Encino area of Los Angeles, where cameras were rolling for "Michael" ... the first official film to tackle the MJ's life on the big screen.

JJ is Jermaine Jackson's son, BTW, and he looks eerily similar to his famous relative here.

Lionsgate, the studio behind the upcoming biopic, dropped the first look at Jackson as MJ earlier this week ... a photo replicating Michael's 1992-1993 Dangerous Tour. In that promo pic, too, Jaafar was seriously channeling MJ ... passing as a dead ringer for the entertainer.

Now, we're getting a slightly different view of Jaafar as Michael ... this time, he's a bit more formal with a white button-down shirt and a tie -- and we can really see how he looks.

Nia Long joined Jaafar on set here on Thursday ... remember, she's playing Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson. She's also fully transformed -- and pretty unrecognizable.

Like Jaafar, Nia's also a doppelganger for her character ... not very different than what we saw last week when she, Colman Domingo (playing Joe Jackson) and other actors portraying the younger Jackson 5. All of them were fully immersed in their roles, and looked great.

Jaafar, of course, is the star ... and from the looks of it, he has become Michael Jackson.

The highly-anticipated biopic won't hit theaters until April 2025 ... and everything we've seen so far seems to be hitting the mark, at least visually.

Chilli isn't letting Usher's bombshells ruin her good mood -- 'cause she's moved on with Matthew Lawrence, and couldn't care less about her ex's harsh feelings over a rejection.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the TLC singer-songwriter isn't giving a second thought to a new story that came out today, where Usher revealed he proposed to Chilli way back in the day -- while they were still dating -- and instead ... she's enjoying a vacay in Jamaica with her new man, celebrating his 44th birthday.

We're told Chilli and Matt are down in Sandals Dunn’s River where they hit up local hot spots, enjoying the island's natural beauty and even partaking in an intimate candlelight dinner. Check out these videos, obtained by TMZ, that shows 'em cuddling, laughing and even smooching ... clearly, these two are very much in love.

More importantly, her mind is a world away from all this Usher stuff. Speaking of which, our sources tell us that Chilli, generally, takes marriage very seriously ... and she's not just going to hop into a commitment like that until she's totally convinced she and her partner are both ready for marriage.

So, even when it comes to Matt -- who she's been with for a couple years now -- it's pretty obvious she takes her time and won't just say yes to anyone.

Clearly, she didn't feel Usher was the one to say "I do" ... 'cause he told People he got his heart smashed by Chilli two decades ago after she rejected him when he asked for her hand in marriage -- something he said gave him trust issues when it came to women.

It seems Usher's over those issues though ... as tied the knot with his longtime partner Jennifer Goicoechea on Super Bowl Sunday with his mother acting as a witness.

As for Chilli ... she and Matthew Lawrence are pretty dang serious at this point -- with Chilli telling us last March that she was really hoping to marry ML ... but they ain't there just yet.

Cardi B pasó San Valentín con su separado esposo Offset, y aunque no se ven muy separados aquí, todavía tienen que confirmar que están definitivamente juntos de nuevo.

La rapera ha tenido a los fans adivinando sobre el estado de su relación con su maridito últimamente. Pasó tiempo con él en fechas clave como Navidad y Año Nuevo e incluso ha dejado que todo el mundo se entere de que han estado pasando tiempo juntos, a pesar de que anunciaron su separación a principios de diciembre.

Bueno, este es solo el último episodio de su confusa montaña rusa y este miércoles, para San Valentín, estuvieron enviando nuevamente señales mixtas tras aparecer en el restaurante Carbone de Miami Beach para celebrar el día del amor.

La pareja llegó al restaurante italiano juntos y Offset entró unos minutos después.

Él claramente se estaba tomando su tiempo para saludar a los fanáticos y curiosos, incluso compartiendo un abrazo con uno de ellos. Al final, salieron pasada la medianoche y Cardi estuvo firmando algunos autógrafos antes de dirigirse a su vehículo juntos.

Así que, sí están juntos, no hay cuestionamiento en este punto, especialmente en el día V.

Por supuesto, sabemos que Cardi se enfureció con los fanáticos que estaban especulando sobre ellos. La rapera ha hecho descargos en línea, a veces sugiriendo que NO están juntos. Sí, todo es muy confuso y ellos no han proporcionan mucha claridad.

Lo que sea que esté pasando, obviamente, significa que están en buenos términos, o al menos lo suficientemente bien como para pasar juntos un día tan especial como San Valentín. Así que pueden sacar sus propias conclusiones.

Cardi B spent Valentine's Day with her estranged husband, Offset -- and while they don't look very estranged here ... they have yet to definitively confirm they're back together.

The rapper's been keeping fans guessing about her relationship status with her hubby lately --- spending time with him on key dates such as Xmas and New Year's ... and even letting everyone know they've banged as of late -- despite having announced their split in early December.

Well, this is just the latest confusing curveball -- they were at it again with mixed signals for Valentine's Day ... hitting up Carbone in Miami Beach for the lovey-dovey holiday Wednesday.

Check it out, the pair arrived at the Italian eatery together ... and Offset went inside a few minutes after Cardi, seemingly trying to stagger themselves.

He was clearly taking his time to greet fans/onlookers, even sharing a hug with one of them. In the end, however, they emerged together after midnight, with Cardi holding her phone up to her face while signing some autographs before they headed into their vehicle together.

So, yeah ... they're together -- no questioning it now at this point, especially on V-day.

Of course, we know Cardi's gone off on people speculating on where things stand between them -- she's gone on online tirades on Twitter randos, at times suggesting they are NOT, in fact, together. Yes, it's all very confusing -- and they haven't provided much clarity.

Whatever the hell is going on -- obviously, they're on good enough terms to hang on a very special day in the year that's for lovers ... so you can draw your own conclusions.

Dos de los últimos conciertos de Matisyahu fueron cancelados y él está teorizando que las cancelaciones podrían haber sido causadas por algunos trabajadores que hacen declaraciones políticas contra Israel.

El cantante y compositor se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el jueves, diciéndonos que su espectáculo con entradas agotadas en Nuevo México fue cancelado apenas unas horas antes de que el telón estuviera listo para subir, algo de lo que se enteró a última hora.

Como Matisyahu -un partidario muy vocal de la causa israelí en Gaza- lo explicó, un fan se acercó a él después de que ya había realizado una prueba de sonido en el Meow Wolf, y dijo que había recibido un correo electrónico diciendo que el concierto fue cancelado debido a las amenazas de seguridad.

Cuando su equipo se dirigió a los organizadores del evento, Matisyahu dice que le dijeron que los trabajadores tenían miedo de ir a trabajar debido a posibles protestas fuera del edificio y que no tendrían tiempo de contratar a más personal para el evento.

La protesta no exactamente multitudinaria, solo alrededor de cinco personasestaban ahí para expresar su descontento, de acuerdo con Matis. Así que en realidad no fue una amenaza.

No es el único espectáculo que ha sido cancelado, Matisyahu dice que su show de esta noche en Tucson Arizona tampoco se llevará a cabo porque supuestamente los emp´leados están cabreados.

Matisyahu dice que los trabajadores podrían haberse dado cuenta de que el evento tendría que ser cancelado si decidían no llegar a trabajar, añadiendo mensajes en las redes sociales de algunos de los empleados de Nuevo México que dejaron claro que estaban en contra de Israel.

Matisyahu insiste en que no está empujando su política en sus espectáculos, admitiendo que a veces hace declaraciones en contra de Hamás, pero mantiene la división política fuera de sus actuaciones en su mayor parte.

Si los boicoteadores tienen la esperanza de desalentar a Matisyahu, no está funcionando, y dicie que está dispuesto a tocar en cualquier lugar dispuesto a acogerlo a él y a su grupo. Incluso mencionó a su primo, que estudia en Tucson, y dijo que daría un concierto en una fraternidad si estaban interesados.

Por supuesto, las tensiones han sido especialmente altas entre los seguidores israelíes y palestinos desde que un ataque sorpresa de Hamás en un festival de música el 7 de octubre desató una guerra total en la región.

Two of Matisyahu's recent concerts got canceled ... and he's theorizing the cancelations might've been caused by some workers making a political statement against Israel.

The singer-songwriter joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... telling us his sold-out show in New Mexico was canceled just hours before the curtain was set to go up -- something he learned about very last minute.

As Matisyahu -- a very vocal supporter of the Israeli cause in Gaza -- explained it ... a fan approached him after he'd already performed a sound check in the Meow Wolf venue and said they had received an email saying the concert was called off because of security threats.

When his team approached the event organizers about it, Matisyahu says they told him workers were afraid to come to work because of possible protests outside the building and that they wouldn't have time to hire more staffers for the event.

BTW ... the protest didn't exactly take off -- with just about five people showing up, apparently, to voice their displeasure according to Matis. So, hardly a threat, really.

It's not the only show that's been canceled, as it turns out ... Matisyahu says his show tonight in Tucson, Arizona, is also not happening because employees there are also allegedly calling out.

The possible reasoning behind this ... Matisyahu says he thinks workers might've realized the event would have to be called off if they decided not to arrive for work -- adding social media posts of some of the New Mexico staff made it clear they stood against Israel.

Matisyahu insists he's not pushing his politics at his shows ... admitting he sometimes makes statements against Hamas but keeps political division out of his performances for the most part.

If boycotters are hoping to discourage Matisyahu ... it's not working so far, with him saying he's willing to play at any venue willing to host him and his group. He even mentioned his cousin who goes to school in Tucson -- and said he'd put on a show at a frat house if they're interested!

Of course, tensions have been especially high between Israeli and Palestinian supporters since a surprise attack by Hamas on a music festival on October 7 sparked a full-on war in the region.

DJ Khaled fue detenido por la policía mientras conducía por su barrio en Miami, donde se encontró con problemas relacionados a un carrito de golf.

El magnate de "We The Best" estaba dando vueltas en su carrito de golf el jueves por la mañana cuando un policía en una motocicleta lo iluminó en la carretera.

Como se puede ver, Khaled se apartó a un lado de la carretera y parece que el policía de la motocicleta puede haber terminado escribiéndole una multa, aunque no está claro qué pasó exactamente.

El hecho es que no sabemos con certeza si Khaled rompió alguna ley realmente, en todo parece que no lleva el cinturón de seguridad en ninguna de las fotos y en algunas capturas se le puede ver con una mano en el volante y un teléfono en la otra mano.

Además, Khaled está descalzo, así que hay un par de faltas menores que podría tener que explicar. La buena noticia es que al no haber daño, no hay falta en realidad.

Major key alert ... DJ Khaled got pulled over by police while driving around his Miami neighborhood ... where he came across a little Fred Flinstone-y in a golf cart.

The "We The Best" mogul was tooling around in his golf cart Thursday morning when a cop on a motorcycle lit him up on the road.

As you can see, Khaled pulled off to the side of the road and it looks like the motorcycle cop may have ended up writing him a ticket -- although it's unclear what exactly happened.

Fact is, we don't know for certain if Khaled got dinged here or for what, if anything ... but it does appear he isn't wearing a seatbelt in any of the photos ... and in one shot he's got one hand on the steering wheel and a phone in the other hand.

Oh, and Khaled's barefoot here BTW ... so, that's an interesting tidbit. The good news for Khaled, whatever this was seems to be pretty minor -- so no harm, no foul really.

Jennifer López dice que ella y Ben Affleck no terminaron el día que pospusieron su boda en 2003, sino que se separaron un tiempo después, como consescuencia de ello.

La cantante y compositora habló con Zane Lowe para una entrevista de Apple Music y reveló que la pareja podría haber optado por romper cuando decidieron cancelar su boda, pero se quedaron juntos un tiempo más para intentar seguir siendo una pareja.

JL dijo que el retraso de la boda provocó dudas en ella y Ben Affleck sobre su relación y hacia "dónde iba" y, a pesar de que sabía que quería estar con él para siempre, sintió que su matrimonio no iba a hacer que eso funcionara.

López explicó que no eran lo suficientemente "maduros" para que su relación tuviera éxito a pesar de sus repetidos intentos y agregó que tenían la impresión de que la gente se separaba cuando "las cosas se ponían difíciles", por lo que tomaron diferentes caminos.

Menos mal, porque Lopez dice que ambos necesitaban encontrar el amor y formar una familia con otras personas antes de que pudieran trabajar realmente en ser una pareja.

Recuerden, después de que "Bennifer" terminaran y antes de que se reconciliaran nuevamente, López se casó con el cantante Marc Anthony y tuvo dos hijos, y Affleck se enganchó con su coprotagonista de "Daredevil" Jennifer Garner y tuvieron 3 hijos.

López dijo que ella y Ben se sentían más seguros como personas cuando volvieron a estar juntos y esta vez la relación parece permanente, pues se casaron en 2022.

Jennifer Lopez says she and Ben Affleck didn't break up the day they postponed their wedding in 2003 ... instead, they split well into the aftermath of the stunning delay.

The singer-songwriter spoke with Zane Lowe during an Apple Music interview and revealed the couple may have been headed down the path to breaking up when they called their wedding off, but they stayed together for a while later ... trying to make their coupling last.

JL said the wedding delay sparked doubt in both herself and BA about "what our relationship was and where it was going" and -- even though she knew she wanted to be with him forever -- she felt their marriage wasn't going to make it the distance.

Lopez explained they weren't "mature" enough to make the relationship work despite their repeated attempts ... and she added they were under the impression people broke up when "things get hard" -- so they went their separate ways.

Good thing too ... 'cause Lopez says they both needed to go find love and make families with other people before they could really work at being a couple again.

Remember ... in the time after "Bennifer" broke up and before they reconciled, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony and had two kids while Affleck hooked up with his "Daredevil" costar Jennifer Garner leading to a trio of children.

Lopez said she and Ben both felt more confident in themselves as individuals when they got back together ... and this time the relationship seems permanent with the two officially tying the knot in 2022.

Kanye West is firing back at Taylor Swift fans who are trying to block him from a top spot on the music charts ... telling them he's not an enemy, though not exactly a friend either.

Here's the deal ... Swifties are calling on other Swifties to buy and stream Beyoncé's new country music to block Kanye's new music from getting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kanye's seen the "SWIFTIE EMERGENCY" on social media and now he's firing back ... and making some interesting counterpoints.

Ye says Swifties shouldn't be coming after him because, in his mind, he's been far more helpful than harmful to Taylor's career. Kanye's views in Wednesday's post jibe with what he's rapped about before ... namely, "I made that b**** famous."

Of course, T-Swift and Kanye have beefed ever since he crashed her 2009 VMA win to say Beyoncé had a better music video ... although, Ye is of the belief the longstanding drama has actually elevated Taylor's profile.

Here, Kanye also points out he was on Taylor's side when Scooter Braun bought her master recordings of which her dad reportedly made $15 million from ... and he says TayTay and Beyoncé are actually big inspirations to all musicians, including himself.

Kanye name-dropping Taylor on his new "Vultures" album seems to have opened up some wounds ... but he says the album is actually super positive and fun.

La aparición de Justin Bieber en el show del Super Bowl estuvo muy cerca de haber ocurrido, pero simplemente no estaba en las estrellas, por lo que dice Lil Jon.

Hablamos con el rapero en TMZ Live el miércoles y nos dice que Justin Bieber en realidad estuvo considerando subir al escenario junto a Usher, su antiguo mentor para la gran actuación, pero al final decidió pasar porque significaba mucho para él.

Lil Jon añade que todos querían que Biebs estuviera en el show, pero los ensayos, la responsabilidad, el tiempo y los ojos puestos en él no eran algo que quisiera enfrentar en este momento, y como todos vimos, optó por relajarse en el público con su esposa Hailey.

Por supuesto, los fans estaban deprimidos de que no le hubiera dicho que sí a Usher.

Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris y will.i.am terminaron subiendo al escenario junto a Lil Jon, así que no es que los fans no tuvieran artistas de la lista A durante su actuación de 13 minutos. Y aunque Justin no estaba allí, Lil Jon dice que igual estaba apoyándolo.

Sin embargo, no se puede negar que este dueto habría añadido una capa extra de magia al espectáculo, sobre todo porque fuimos los primeros en contarles que estaban en conversaciones directas para llevar a cabo el momento que habría sido recordado por muchos años.

Por si no lo saben, Usher ayudó a catapultar a Bieber a la fama y este ha estado trabajando desde entonces, así que por su parte, parece que todavía necesita un descanso de las actuaciones.

Priscilla Presley está siendo llevada a los tribunales por una mujer que dice que se asoció con ella para ayudarla a salir de dificultades financieras, las que ella afirma dejaron a la ex esposa de Elvis en bancarrota.

Según documentos legales presentados en septiembre de 2023 obtenidos por TMZ, Priscilla está siendo demandada por una mujer llamada Brigitte Kruse, quien afirma que se asoció con Priscilla en 2022 para formar una compañía llamada Priscilla Presley Partners.

La idea -dice Kruse- era administrar sus negocios y asuntos personales y "evitar la ruina financiera y la vergüenza pública de Priscilla", esto según la demanda.

Kruse afirma que en ese momento, Priscilla estaba al borde de la insolvencia frente a casi $700K en deudas tributarias no pagadas sin garantía de ingresos futuros. Alega que Priscilla estaba a unos 60 días del colapso financiero.

Kruse dice que ha gastado una cantidad significativa de dinero y tiempo en el desarrollo de proyectos para lanzar en conjunto con la película "Priscilla" de Sofia Coppola que se estrenó recientemente, pero afirma que Priscilla cortó abruptamente toda comunicación alrededor de agosto de 2023 y la dejó fuera en el frío de todo el dinero que podría haber llegado desde entonces.

Kruse está demandando por incumplimiento de contrato y la búsqueda de daños y perjuicios no especificados.

Priscilla ha presentado una moción para desestimar la demanda, alegando que trató de salir del acuerdo después de que se enteró de que "Kruse y su socio estaban tratando de apropiarse indebidamente de los activos de la Sra. Presley y estaban participando en otros actos de mala conducta".

Marty Singer, el abogado de Priscilla también le dice a TMZ que las afirmaciones hechas contra ella en la demanda carecen completamente de mérito.

Y añade: "Mi cliente hizo reclamaciones significativas contra PPP y sus directores Brigitte Kruse y Kevin Fialko por apropiación indebida de cientos de miles de dólares mucho antes de que se presentara esta demanda engañosa. Anticipamos plenamente que mi cliente será reivindicado y obtendrá una sentencia contra ellos".

Justin Bieber's Super Bowl Halftime appearance could've very nearly happened ... but it just wasn't in the stars, so says Lil Jon.

We spoke to the rapper on TMZ Live Wednesday ... and he tells us JB was actually considering taking to the stage for his former mentor Usher's big performance ... but ultimately decided to sit it out 'cause it was just a lot for him to take on.

LJ adds they all wanted Biebs in the show ... but all the rehearsals, responsibility, time, and eyeballs on him apparently wasn't something he wanted to tackle right now ... and as we all saw Sunday, he opted to chill in the audience with his wife Hailey.

Of course, fans were bummed he didn't say yeah to Usher.

Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris, and will.i.am ended up hopping onstage alongside Lil Jon, so it's not like fans were deprived of an A-list line-up during Usher's 13-minute-long performance. And while Justin wasn't up there ... Lil Jon says he was still supporting him.

Still, there's no denying that the hyped-up JB/Usher collab would've added an extra layer of magic to the spectacle ... especially since we were first to break the story they were in direct talks of executing the moment that would've been remembered for years to come.

In case you didn't know, Usher helped catapult fresh-faced 13-year-old Bieber to massive fame back in the day ... and he's been working overtime ever since, so from his end, it looks like he still needs a break from performing.

Travis Kelce appeared to be just a wee bit drunk at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade Wednesday ... slurring his way through a rendition of "Friends In Low Places" -- before Patrick Mahomes had to snatch the microphone away from him.

The hundreds of thousands of Kansas City supporters in attendance at Union Station couldn't wait for the tight end to hop on the mic at the championship celebration -- and, initially, it looked like he was going to deliver a speech for the ages.

The 34-year-old started to lead the crowd in a chant that accompanies the Tomahawk Chop ... before he called an audible, and tried to get everyone to sing Garth Brooks' hit song along with him.

Quickly, however, it became apparent Kelce was a little too overserved to get through the whole tune ... as he mixed up words and stumbled repeatedly.

He tried to make things right by going to his phone for the lyrics ... but even that didn't seem to do the trick.

Ultimately, Mahomes bailed him out by singing the song's chorus ... before he gave up -- and handed the microphone off to the show's host.

Up until that point, most of the rest of the Chiefs seemed fairly composed -- Mahomes spoke to the crowd about getting back to this point next season ... while star defensive end Chris Jones guaranteed he won't be moving on from Kansas City in free agency.

As for where Kelce goes from here, it's unclear ... as his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is in Australia -- while he's obviously in need of some water and a nap.

Priscilla Presley is being taken to court by a woman who says she partnered with her to help her get out of some financial difficulties ... ones she claims left Elvis's ex-wife broke.

According to legal docs filed back in September 2023, obtained by TMZ, Priscilla is being sued by a woman named Brigitte Kruse, who claims she partnered with Priscilla in 2022 to form a company called Priscilla Presley Partners.

The idea, Kruse says, was to manage her business and personal affairs and "prevent Priscilla's financial ruin and public embarrassment" -- this according to the lawsuit.

Kruse claims that, at the time, Priscilla was on the brink of insolvency ... facing nearly $700K in unpaid tax debt with no assurance of future income. She alleges Priscilla was about 60 days away from financial collapse.

Kruse says she's spent a significant amount of money and time developing projects to launch in conjunction with Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" movie that came out recently ... but claims Priscilla abruptly cut off all communication around August 2023 and left her out in the cold on all the money that may have come in since then.

Kruse is suing for breach of contract and seeking unspecified damages.

Priscilla has filed a motion to dismiss the suit, claiming she tried to get out of the arrangement after she learned "Kruse and her associate were attempting to misappropriate Ms. Presley's assets and were engaging in other acts of wrongdoing."

Marty Singer, Priscilla's attorney also tells TMZ the claims made against her in the lawsuit are completely without merit.

He adds: "My client made significant claims against PPP and its principals Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko for misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars long before this specious lawsuit was filed. We fully anticipate that my client will be vindicated and obtain a judgment against them."