TMZ.com Home

David Bowie's famous photo on the cover of his 1973 "Aladdin Sane" album is being used to spice up a hotel's decor, but without the permission of the guy who took the pic ... according to a new suit.

The estate of late photographer Brian Duffy -- which claims to be the sole owner of the legendary image -- says the Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs, CA has plastered copies of it all over ... including its front entrance and in the guestrooms.

The portrait artwork might give the place a cool rock 'n' roll vibe, but according to the docs ... the hotel never licensed the photo from Duffy or got his permission to use it.

Duffy's estate's suing the Hard Rock for damages and any profits made from using the artwork. We reached out to the hotel ... no word back so far.

Rita Ora talked about pitching in on Hurricane Harvey relief, then walked the walk by chipping in at a donation center.

Rita was in Dallas and said early Wednesday she wanted to do something to help out before leaving Texas. Hours later, the singer was dressed down -- in t-shirt and sweats -- and filling boxes with donated items for evacuees.

A long list of celebs have given big money -- notably Leonardo DiCaprio donated $1 million, and Houston Texans star J.J. Watt's relief fund is well over $7 mil.

We don't know if Rita gave dough, but it's cool to see her giving the old-fashioned way -- time and effort.

Leo DiCaprio is the winner in charitable donations for Hurricane Harvey relief ... he's just cut a check for $1 million.

Leo's foundation gave the money to the United Way Harvey Recovery Fund ... it will be used for both short and long-term relief.

United Way says the entire amount will go to help victims of the epic storm.

This is the first donation to the newly established United Way fund to help victims of the hurricane.

It's finally over ... Magic Johnson's month-long European vacation on a super pimped out mega-yacht is ending -- and all it cost him was about $3 MILLION!!!

As we previously reported, Magic flew his fam out to the Amalfi Coast on July 31st (on a private jet) and set sail on a super-yacht called the Siren ... which runs about $700k per week.

After touring the coast of Italy and hitting some of the best restaurants and shopping districts in the world with his wife, Cookie, and BFF Sam Jackson ... the Lakers legend is finally heading home.

But not before gifting the crew that helped him with custom Lakers jerseys!

Magic's known for being a super generous guy, so we're guessing there was some cash tips to go along with the Lakers swag ... at least judging by the smiles in the pic.

Now, Magic will fly back to the US ... where he'll have to readjust to reality -- in his insane L.A. mansion.

... until next summer.

Taylor Swift fans got duped hard into thinking she was following up her record-breaking single and music vid debut with a live performance, but someone pulled a fast one ... TMZ has learned.

Fans thought Taylor was appearing on 'GMA' Thursday morning due to a DIRECTV search of her name which brought up 2 movies and 'GMA.' Yes, Taylor was in the 'Hannah Montana' movie and 'The Lorax' -- but NO, she will absolutely not be on ABC Friday morning.

Our sources at the network say Taylor's not scheduled to perform or sit down for an interview. It's unclear why 'GMA' was included in the search results, but feel free to adjust your DVRs.

We're guessing she'll pop up somewhere soon though when and if "Look What You Made Me Do" hits #1, as it's expected to do.

Lisa Rogers is living in a leaky trailer on top of a hill so she can give comfort to one of her beloved rescue horses.

Lisa runs Amazing Grace Acres Equine Rescue & Rehab. Among her brood ... 12 horses, 2 donkeys, 1 mule, 1 pony, 1 potbellied pig, 22 cats and 3 dogs. All of the animals are with her as she tries to figure out her next move.

A significant portion of the rescue effort is now being devoted to saving and caring for displaced animals.

The photo below is Billy Hutson from Austin who came to Houston to help rescue animals.

J.J. Watt's relief fund for Hurricane Harvey victims just cracked $7 MILLION -- and he ain't stoppin' there!

Watt's crowdfunding campaign started with a target of $500K on Sunday ... and quickly climbed into the millions with generous donations from star athletes like Chris Paul.

Now, the Houston Texans star is steppin' it up even more -- setting a new goal of $10 million ... the same amount donated by Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander.

FYI, Watt shared his plans for the cash when he hit $6 mil -- saying his team is filling up semitrucks to distribute water, food and other supplies throughout Houston.

Ethika Underwear will have Houston's back and front covered -- thanks to a massive shipment of sports bras and underwear that's headed to Texas.

Ethika announced Wednesday it had sent 14,000 pairs of men's, women's, and kids underwear to George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston to hook up more than 8,000 evacuees there in the wake of Harvey.

CEO Matt Cook says, "I started thinking about the people in Houston and the fact they were displaced from their homes and missing basic necessities, including clean underwear, and it just made sense to help out."

The donated underwear amounts to more than $250K in retail value.

Not to worry guys, you don't have to be as gifted as The Game to rock these briefs.

DMX says he's opting to check outta house arrest and into rehab -- taking full advantage of a judge's decision ... TMZ has learned.

X says, "House arrest wasn't working for me, so I made the decision to do something positive and better for myself." Our DMX sources tell us he's getting treatment for substance abuse at a facility in New England.

We broke the story, a judge approved DMX breaking his house arrest for tax evasion ... specifically to enter a rehab program. He can even go without wearing a GPS ankle monitor.

X's manager, Pat Gallo, tells us the rapper's already been working with recovery coach Joseph Griffin, and has made "great progress." He recently took a community outreach trip to a firehouse with his rehab group.

Flavor Flav's still fighting the powers that be, even when those powers include fellow founding Public Enemy member Chuck D ... according to a new suit that rocks the legendary group.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Flav says he and Chuck have a long-standing agreement to share profits from their music, live concerts and merchandise -- but he hasn't seen a royalty check in several years. Flav says he co-wrote more than 50 of the group's songs, and he's especially pissed because Chuck's still getting paid.

What's worse ... the rapper claims his voice and image were used without his consent on the new PE album, "Nothing Is Quick in the Desert" ... released in June. Flav says he requested $75k for the record, but only got $7,500. He thought he was going to get the remainder later, but it never came.

Flav's also going after producer Gary G-Wiz for making a deal to create action figures of Public Enemy without his knowledge. In the suit, Flav says Gary got cash from the toy company, but he got zilch.

Flavor Flav's suing Chuck, Gary and several other PE managers and producers for lost profits and to stop using his mug to make a buck. We reached out to Chuck, but no word back.

Richard Simmons will appeal the devastating ruling on his transgender defamation lawsuit, TMZ has learned, and that could establish whether people are allowed to say someone's gay or transgender without fear of lawsuit.

Simmons' lawyer, Neville Johnson, tells TMZ, if the ruling becomes final he will absolutely challenge by filing an appeal. As we reported, Simmons filed a defamation lawsuit against American Media for a National Enquirer story claiming the fitness guru was transitioning to a woman ... which he says is a lie.

The judge in the case just gave a tentative ruling, saying misidentifying someone as transgender does not inherently expose someone to "hatred, contempt or ridicule," adding "the characteristic may be held in contempt by a portion of the population, [but] the court will not validate those prejudices by legally recognizing them."

Johnson scoffs at the logic, telling TMZ, "Transgenders can't joint the Air Force, they can't go to the bathroom" ... in other words, it's ridiculous to say there is not significant scorn and ridicule in the U.S.

The DEA nixed a happy ending for 5 people busted for pushing candles ... shaped like penises and made outta meth.

The federal agency tells TMZ ... 4 men and 1 woman were arrested last week in New Jersey for trafficking and conspiring to distribute more than1,300 pounds of wax candles laced with meth. TMZ obtained photos of the haul which show the knickknacks could totally double as dildos.

Agents grabbed 27 boxes in all. We're told the DEA got a whiff of the plan when one of the suspects drove an undercover agent to the warehouse where they planned to store and convert the candles to crystal meth. The DEA, along with the NYPD and Homeland Security, swooped in to make the arrests.

Each suspect faces 10 years to life in prison.

Prince William and Prince Harry honored Princess Diana by visiting a new garden dedicated to her ... where members of the public had already left tributes and flowers for their mother.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, joined her husband and Harry at the White Garden at Kensington Palace in London Wednesday ... on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Diana's death.

The trio toured the grounds -- formerly known as the Sunken Garden -- to pay tribute to the Princess of Wales ... who died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. William and Harry were 15 and 12 at the time.

The White Garden -- inspired by memories of Princess Di -- has been open since spring and includes some of her favorite plants.

The Houston telethon TMZ just revealed will be held in 3 cities, hosted by huge stars, many of whom have deep roots in Houston.

Houston legend Bun B tellsl TMZ, the Sept 12 telethon will be fronted in 3 cities ... L.A., New York and Nashville.

As we reported, it's being organized by Bun B and the folks who organized the Ariana Grande One Love Manchester concert. Bun says Scooter Braun, who was a driving force behind Manchester, is at the helm.

As for the hosts, Bun says Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton will host from Nashville. The L.A. portion will be hosted by Jamie Foxx and tentatively Hilary Duff, who was born in Houston. As for New York, we're told Michael Strahan -- also born in Houston -- will host and organizers are trying to lock in Kelly Rowland, also born and raised in Houston.

We're told one of the people organizers really want is Jim Parsons, from "The Big Bang Theory," who was also born and raised in Houston.

Rescue efforts in Houston are in full swing ... and, no, people aren't forgetting the 4-legged victims.

This tortoise was rescued Wednesday on a tugboat by Aaron Jayjack during historic flooding in the city. He looks a bit discombobulated ... albeit safely aboard and secure.

As we reported ... Harvey will have an enormous impact on pets as they become displaced and separated from their homes and owners.

This big guy might be a shell of his former self after the storm ... but at least he isn't turnt up in the water.

Richard Simmons just suffered a potentially devastating loss in his lawsuit against American Media -- which claimed he was transitioning to a woman -- because the judge just said calling someone transgender is NOT defamatory.

The National Enquirer published a story saying Simmons had undergone hormone treatment and was in the process of sexual reassignment. Richard says it's a lie and sued for defamation.

The judge just said being misidentified as transgender does not inherently expose someone to "hatred, contempt or ridicule... ."

The judge went on to say, "While, as a practical matter, the characteristic may be held in contempt by a portion of the population, the court will not validate those prejudices by legally recognizing them."