Wynonna Judd's Husband Has Leg Amputated After Motorcycle Crash

Judd's rep tells us, "Judd and Moser appreciate all of the quick medical and police responders as well as the hospital staff and well-wishes from family, friends and fans." more on this story

Nicki Minaj Close To Making American Idol Judge Deal?

Nicki Minaj is close to making a deal to become a new judge on American Idol, according to a report by a leading entertainment magazine.

Us Weekly reported on Monday that two sources confirmed to them that Minaj will be joining Mariah Carey as a new Idol judge, replacing the departed Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez with their "insider" telling them "A few more slight things to sign off on but it is happening."

The fate of Randy Jackson as the third American Idol judge remains a mystery but Us also reports that a source has told them that Jackson will be assuming a "mentoring role" on the show. Read the Us Weekly report here.

Phyllis Diller Dead at 95

(TMZ) Comedian Phyllis Diller -- who paved the way for today's female comics -- has died, TMZ has learned. Sources close to Diller tell us the comedian died at her L.A. home, surrounded by family. She was 95.

We're told Diller had recently fallen, hurting her wrist and hip, and her health had been on the decline ever since. She had been living in hospice care at her home.

Diller suffered a heart attack in 1999 and was later fitted with a pacemaker.

Phyllis began her career all the way back in 1952 -- and rose to fame with her TV specials alongside Bob Hope in the 1960s.

Later that decade, Phyllis starred in her own show called "The Phyllis Diller Show" ... as well as a variety show called "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show." She was also a regular on "Laugh In."

She also posed for Playboy -- but the pics were never published.

Diller remained spunky to the very end, famously appearing in the 2005 movie "The Aristocrats," telling an x-rated joke ... better than comics half her age.

Joan Rivers recently appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" and said, Diller "broke the way for every woman comedian." more on this story

Juvenile Arrested For Hotel Brawl

(TMZ) Rapper Juvenile was arrested for disorderly conduct at a Miami hotel Sunday night after allegedly participating in a crazy brawl ... TMZ has learned.

Juvenile -- real name Terius Gray -- had just reunited with Lil Wayne on stage at LIV nightclub earlier in the evening ... when something went wrong.

Juve and Wayne -- who were in the Hot Boys together back in the late '90s -- had a long running beef when the group broke up ... and last night was the first time they have been on stage together since the feud.

But around 7AM, cops say Juvenile -- who's listed at 5'11, 150 lbs -- was involved in a fight that began inside the nightclub and spilled outside to the front of the hotel.

Security told police the people involved in the fight were "creating a threat to life and property as well as the overall safety of the patrons inside."

Miami Beach PD responded to the scene and arrested Juve -- he was hauled to a nearby station where he was booked. He is still in custody. more on this story

Police Question Lindsay Lohan About Burglary

(TMZ) Lindsay Lohan was interviewed by police yesterday regarding an apparent burglary at a Hollywood Hills home Sunday night -- but Lindsay insists ... she had nothing to do with it.

According to sources, Lindsay slept over at the home in question Sunday night after a small get together -- along with several guests -- and when everyone woke up this morning, the owner of the home claimed expensive jewelry had been stolen from the property.

Law enforcement sources tell us, police were called to the home and interviewed everyone inside, including LIndsay.

We're told Lindsay was very cooperative -- but claimed she had nothing to do with any missing jewelry.

As of now, Lindsay is NOT considered a suspect. The investigation is ongoing. more on this story

Usher Held In Contempt

(TMZ) A judge has ordered Usher to REOPEN his ex-wife's Saks Fifth Avenue credit card in his name ... after the singer closed the account last year.

The closed Saks card was just one of Tameka Raymond's many grievances in her ongoing custody fight against Usher -- and now, the court has taken her side ... holding the singer in contempt for pulling the plug on her fancy charge account.

Tameka claims she needs the account to do her job as a stylist. As for the other grievances -- Tameka said Usher owed her cash for the nanny bill ... and continually failed to keep her in the loop about where and when he traveled with the kids.

The court agreed ... and awarded Tameka $1,300 for the nanny. The judge has yet to determine the ex-couple's custody and support issues. more on this story

Tony Scott Suicide Footage Being Shopped

(TMZ) Tony Scott's fatal leap off an L.A. bridge was captured on tape by multiple cameras ... one showing Tony crouched the moment he began to jump ... and TMZ has learned the shots are being vigorously shopped around ... for a price.

Multiple people reached for their cell phone cameras when they noticed a man climbing over a fence on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro in the middle of the day ... and continued to roll as he jumped off and plummeted to his death.

Some people took photos ... some recorded video. The footage was also captured by a surveillance camera from a nearby business.

TMZ has seen the footage ... but we did not purchase the material. It's unclear if another media outlet has taken the bait. more on this story

Jason Aldean Sets New Album Release

Jason Aldean has set an October 16th release date for his new 15 track album, "Night Train."

Night Train's lead single, driving country/rocker "Take A Little Ride," sold more digital downloads in its first week than any male country artist in history. Currently approaching the Top 10 on the Billboard country songs chart in just its fourth week, the song was Aldean's highest chart debut to date.

"I feel really great about the songs we recorded for this album," said Aldean. "There are some surprises on there that might raise a few eyebrows, and there's also some more traditional stuff too. I don't like being put in a box, and I think with every record, we've had a lot of variety…'Night Train' is no different. I got to do a cool uptempo song with Luke (Bryan) and Eric (Church), who've both been out with me over the last two years. I love collaborations like that, and I think the fans dig it when artists get together…it keeps it interesting." more on this story

Jon McLaughlin Plans So Solo Tour

Jon McLaughlin will embark on his So Solo Tour headlining run of North American in October.

The tour kicks off on October 6th in Ames, IA and wraps on October 28th in Madison, WI.

McLaughlin will be touring in support of his most recent album Promising Promises, which was released by Razor & Tie earlier this year. more on this story

Rihanna Talks Sex Appeal With Oprah

(popmusiclife) Rihanna was the featured guest on the latest edition of "Oprah's Next Chapter" where Oprah sat down with Rihanna on her home island of Barbados to talk about a variety of subjects, including her sex appeal.

In 2011, Esquire magazine named Rihanna the Sexiest Woman Alive and described her as the "indisputable champion of carnal pop."

"I don't even know what that means," said the singer about the 'carnal pop' reference. "I really do not think about things like that. That's not my goal."

As for the Esquire title, she says "It's flattering. It's inaccurate, but it's flattering. I definitely was undecided about that but I thought it was cute." Read more and watch the video clip here.

Lien Placed On Chad Johnson's Home

(TMZ) Chad Johnson's domestic problems extend beyond his recent arrest ... because a guy who worked on CJ's Florida home claims Chad owes him $130,000 and has filed a lien against Ocho to get his money.

According to docs filed in Broward County, FL on August 7, Jacinth Preston claims Chad owes him the chunk of change for work done on Johnson's home ... the same home where the alleged domestic violence incident with Evelyn Lozada occurred.

Preston claims the money stems from providing "salary, car insurance, cleaners, landscaping, decorating."

According to the lien, if Johnson doesn't pay off the debt soon, his house could be foreclosed on.

Of course, Chad is in danger of moving into a much bigger house soon if things don't go his way with the Lozada domestic violence case. more on this story

Tone Loc Not Paying Child Support?

(TMZ) Tone Loc works all week, 9 to 5 for his money ... but his baby mama claims he doesn't give her any of it and owes her thousands of dollars in back child support, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs filed by Eilise Sharkey, Tone has fallen behind on payments to her to the tune of $40,512. Sharkey points to a child support order that came down last October, ordering him to pay $3,376/month for their son.

Sharkey claims Tone should have no problem getting the money, saying he gets $5,000 per show and "he has several shows monthly."

Sharkey and Loc have a heated history -- he pled no contest to spousal abuse not long before the child support order came down. more on this story

Earth, Wind & Fire Founder Denies Owing Late Producer's Estate

(TMZ) The creator of Earth, Wind & Fire is ADAMANT ... he did not bilk his late-friend out of THOUSANDS in music royalties, despite what the children of his estate claim.

As TMZ first reported, Maurice White was sued by the estate of late music producer Charles Stepney, who died in 1976. The estate claimed EWF and Sony music failed to fork over any royalty payments for the last four decades ... all based on an alleged oral agreement Stepney had with White.

White has now fired back in court docs and is claiming there WAS NO oral agreement and he doesn't owe Stepney or his estate squat. White says EWF already paid Stepney in full for his services waaaaay back when he worked for them and never agreed to shell out for royalties.

White also claims that Stepney's estate (comprised of his children) has no right to sue over some alleged oral agreement that neither Stepney himself norr Stepney's late wife ever chose to sue over.

White is asking the lawsuit be dismissed entirely.

A judge has yet to rule. more on this story

Junior Seau Completely Sober When He Died

(TMZ) Junior Seau was completely sober when he shot himself in the chest back in May ... and his cause of death has been ruled as a suicide ... this according to the San Diego medical examiner.

TMZ obtained the autopsy report, filed by Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Nelson ... which shows Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on May 2, 2012.

The report also shows "No alcohol, common drugs of abuse, or other medications were detected."

However, a small amount of Zolpidem (aka ambien) and Naproxen (an anti-inflammatory) were detected ... but the M.E. says test results were "consistent with therapeutic use."

The report notes that Seau's brain tissue was sent to the National Institutes of Health at the request of his family. more on this story

Kris Humphries Reported Ex Myla Sinanaj Denies Everything

(TMZ) Kris Humphries ex-girlfriend says Kris was just a friend whom she never even texted ... and she denies Kris paid her off to keep her quiet ... TMZ has learned.

Informed sources tell TMZ ... Myla Sinanaj -- who was deposed by Kim Kardashian's lawyer today in New York City -- testified she didn't date Kris, she was never pregnant and she never got any money from him. As for whether she had sex with Kris, Myla's lawyer instructed her not to answer the question.

Myla also said she never considered filing a lawsuit against Kris for telling the FBI she tried to extort him. Tell that one to Myla's former lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who drafted a 26-page defamation lawsuit on her behalf.

Myla insisted she was not paid off. By the way, we're told she no longer works at the New York hotel where she had been employed. more on this story

Dark Knight Massacre Victims Hire Casey Anthony's Attorney

(TMZ) Casey Anthony's old defense attorney is seeing double after the "Dark Knight" massacre in Aurora, CO -- TMZ has learned, Jose Baez has been hired by a second victim of the shooting.

41-year-old Marcus Weaver -- whom James Holmes shot twice in the upper shoulder during the tragedy -- tells TMZ, "Over the past 30 days of agony, along with very careful thought and consideration, I have hired Attorney Jose Baez as my legal counsel."

TMZ broke the story ... Baez has already been hired by a woman named Shirley Wygal -- whose 32-year-old daughter was shot and killed by Holmes.

Now, Weaver says, "I felt that the night of the incident, that the security at the theatre was lacking from the time I entered. I want answers, we ALL want answers. And I know Attorney Baez will do what ever he can to help with the fullest extent of the law."

He adds, "Every day, early in the morning or at night, I have a movie in my head of what happened. I wake up every night with nightmares. I don't think it will ever go away."

Weaver finally underwent surgery last week to remove the bullets, which were then taken by police as evidence. It's unclear whether he plans to sue the movie theater. more on this story

Lady Gaga Promoting Fame In Times Square

(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga's new perfume, Fame, is getting a high-visibility boost with a huge billboard in New York City's Times Square.

The image is identical to the brand's first print ad, which features Gaga holding the perfume while stretched out naked, covered only by a black latex mask over her eyes and dozens of little men crawling all over her.

Fame, will be available next month. You can see a photo of the Times Square billboard here.

Lauryn Hill Also Faces State Tax Trouble

(TMZ) Lauryn Hill didn't just drop the ball on a $1.8 million tax bill from the federal government -- she also failed to pay $440,000 in taxes to the State of New Jersey ... so says the State of New Jersey.

A civil judgment was entered against Hill on June 14th by a Jersey court -- finding the Fugees singer is responsible for $446,386 in unpaid state taxes.

A week before the judgment came down, Hill was charged with failing to file FEDERAL tax returns in 2005, 2006, and 2007 ... a federal crime. She pled "guilty" and now faces 3 years in prison.

But lucky for Hill, the state tax situation hasn't become a criminal matter ... yet.

Hill is scheduled for sentencing in her federal tax case in November. more on this story