Music

Katy Perry has defended her decision to involve Dr. Luke in her upcoming album ... noting the music producer was one of many to help bring the new project to life.

The singer was asked to address the controversy on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast after fans called her out for working with him again ... after his lengthy legal battle with Kesha -- who infamously accused DL of rape and abuse years ago.

For the record, Dr. Luke has vehemently denied the allegations and even sued Kesha for defamation. Luke and Kesha agreed on a settlement last year.

Elton John is on the mend ... from a severe eye infection he says has left him with limited vision in one eye.

The "Rocket Man" singer shared a health update Tuesday on social media, revealing he's been dealing with an eye issue for some time now and is slowly healing.

Elton says his road to recovery has been "an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye."

The love story between Taylor Swift and the National Football League is back for a second season ... because the NFL is promoting the pop star more than the game's best player.

The NFL just released a promo video for the 2024 season ahead of Thursday's opening game, and Taylor has the lion's share of screen time ... making five appearances in a 28-second clip.

Taylor is shown more than any player in the league, and the NFL doesn't show Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes until the very end ... when he's seen hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Sid Wilson's first show back with Slipknot barely a week and a half after suffering severe burns all over his body -- which left the poor dude bedridden -- was painful and freakin' scary … but it also kicked major ass, he tells TMZ!

As we previously reported ... the DJ and keyboardist severely burned his face and arms when a burn pile blew up in a mishap at his home in Iowa ... but he made it clear from the jump he was determined not to let his condition get in the way of touring with the iconic heavy metal band.

And, that is exactly what Sid did ... explaining to TMZ that his first show back was super uncomfortable physically, and mentally taxing ... but thanks to his determination -- and his partner Kelly Osbourne acting as his private nurse -- SW was back spinning over the weekend.

Beyond the pain and serious threat of infection ... Sid tells us new skin growing on his hands is tightening his digits ... and he kinda needs those to work perfectly ... so there is a lot of stretching going down.

His doctors are not thrilled he is out touring … but SW tells us he is taking the risks seriously and doing more than what is required to protect himself … slathering on twice as much ointment and changing bandages more often than necessary.

Sid totally rocked his mask ... but since there is no way he can currently wear black stage makeup underneath ... he is also donning a hood.

Taylor Swift appears to really be entering into her offensive coordinator era ... Travis Kelce just confirmed she is, in fact, drawing up Chiefs plays!!

The popstar's boyfriend broke it all down on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Tuesday -- just days after his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, said Swift has been working on some X's and O's on the whiteboard.

Kelce revealed his boo takes everything she does seriously -- and that includes her football fandom -- so she is, indeed, learning how to move chess pieces around the gridiron.

Cardi B and Offset put on a friendly front at their son Wave's birthday bash this weekend ... but TMZ has learned the rappers are still very much broken up.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cardi and Offset's divorce is still on and moving forward, despite their recent reunion at DreamWorks Water Park inside American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ.

We're told the divorce remains an amicable one ... which is why they're OK being in the same space while celebrating their children -- including daughter Kulture, son Wave, and an unborn little one on the way.

Sabrina Carpenter's runaway "Espresso" hit song has brewed into a No. 1 album for the singer in a photo finish -- only beating Travis Scott's "Days Before Rodeo" retro release by 600 units!!!

The Billboard 200 officially released the nail-biter results for this week on Tuesday -- after a down-to-the-wire delay due to the Labor Day holiday.

Sabrina had previously promised a victory to avenge Nicki Minaj against Travis -- his 2018 "Astroworld" album versus Nicki's "Queen" album was a showdown for the ages -- and you can see just how close Sabrina's "Short n' Sweet" narrowly got the job done!

11:52 AM PT -- James Rosemond Jr., Ice Spice's manager, says he spoke to Cleotrapa's manager after her posts went viral ... they both agree Cleo handled the situation poorly, especially since she doesn't understand industry politics!!!

Ice Spice has lost yet another BFF, who's claiming to being used as a loop in her BB Belt -- and her enemies just might be teaming up!!!

Rapper Cleotrapa used her Labor Day Weekend to completely unload on Ice Spice ... dropping a 45-minute TikTok video where she accused the "Munch" rapper of being a fake friend ... and claiming she experienced less-than-VIP treatment as the opening act on Ice's Y2K Tour.

According to Cleo, she had to foot the bill for her own hotels and meal per diem ... and was forced to use stinky bathrooms as her dressing rooms.

Paris Hilton is putting blood, sweat and tears into her new music video ... catching a bloody knee injury on set after her recent catastrophic trailer fire.

The heiress gave a glimpse into her latest challenge shooting the "Bad Bitch Academy" music video ... which included a cut to her knee that required medical attention ... before filming could resume.

Watch the vid ... Paris is seen taking a closer look at her blood-covered knee, asking those on set if there's glass inside the wound -- the foreign object turns out to be a rogue sequin ... likely detached from her shimmery silver outfit on the shoot.

Gwyneth Paltrow is flaunting all the summer fun she had with her family -- and one of her famous best buds -- actress Reese Witherspoon.

Paltrow posted a carousel of photos on Instagram Reels, showing her amazing summer with her 2 kids -- Apple, 20, and Moses, 18 -- as she traveled all over the world, touching down in exotic locations.

The 3 are seen walking through the mountains, checking out tourist attractions and flying through the clouds. In the pics, Gwyneth and Company are swimming, paddle-boarding and enjoying artwork and some great food.

Forget Super Bowl rings, Peyton and Eli Manning are chasing Tony Awards now ... 'cause the two NFL legends dropped a hilarious "musical" in honor of their hit "Manningcast" show -- and the cast is chock-full of big names!!

The quarterback bros showed off their singing chops in the 10-minute promo for their upcoming Omaha Productions' "Monday Night Football" broadcast season (they've won Sports Emmy's each year) ... but they weren't alone on stage -- enlisting football faces like coaches Andy Reid, John and Jim Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll to get in on the magic.

There were a number of players sprinkled into the clip as well ... including Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Gardner Minshew and Ja'Marr Chase.

Lady Gaga made a sparkling entrance at Monday’s Venice International Film, showing off her huge diamond engagement ring with her fiancé Michael Polansky right by her side.

The singer/actress and the tech entrepreneur embraced in a passionate kiss after they stepped out of a car in Venice, Italy for the opening of her new movie “Joker: Folie à Deux.”

While their lips were locked, Gaga’s hand gripped Polansky’s arm — flashing the glittering rock on her finger.

Jason Momoa is taking his band back to his roots ... playing their first concert in his native Hawaii.

The "Aquaman" star and his rock band, ÖOF TATATÁ, jammed out Sunday night at Maoni Waikiki in Honolulu ... and TMZ has video of the performance.

Jason told the crowd how meaningful it was for him to be rocking out at the famed International Marketplace in Waikiki ... seeing as he's from the area.

Ed Sheeran's giving his fans with poor hearing some grief ... telling one of them she's probably on a watchlist 'cause she misheard an iconic line in a song.

Here's the deal ... in the song "Thinking Out Loud" Sheeran croons he will love an unnamed person "until we're 70" -- a line meant to convey a long-lasting love.

However, fans have been giving the pop star guff ... 'cause what happens to the love when a person in the couple turns 71, they ask. This has sparked a viral trend of people jokingly flipping off the camera -- POV of what happens when ya age out by Ed's standards.

Roger O'Donnell -- the longtime keyboard player for The Cure -- has blood cancer ... revealing the startling news a year after he was first diagnosed.

The musician took to X Sunday for Blood Cancer Awareness month ... and, he says he wants to make sure people are having dialogues about these deadly diseases.

O'Donnell reveals he was diagnosed with lymphoma -- a type of blood cancer -- in September 2023 ... saying he'd ignored his symptoms for a while before finally going to see a doctor when he found out about the cancer.

Cardi B doesn't hold any grudges against Offset, or at least she's not showing it, because the 2 reunited over the weekend for a special occasion.

Cardi and Offset hosted their now 3-year-old son's birthday party at DreamWorks Water Park inside American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ. It looks super amicable ... Cardi's dancing as she holds Wave.

She also posted a video of Offset bending down so he could see Wave eye-to-eye as they danced.