Billy Ray Cyrus Beyoncé CMA Snub Surprises Me ... Album, Single Were Great

Billy Ray Cyrus is defending Beyoncé over her lack of CMA Awards nominations ... he says she's so accomplished she doesn't need their validation anyway.

Billy Ray says he's surprised Beyoncé got completely overlooked by the Country Music Association judges, saying her "Cowboy Carter" country album was "brilliant" and her "Texas Hold 'Em" single "ruled."

Beyoncé's first country album is getting some love from the Grammys -- she's got 11 Grammy nominations -- and with all the success she's had over the years, Billy Ray says she doesn't need a trophy from the CMAs, or their permission or approval to feel good about her work.

Kyle Richards Didn't Try to Ride Cowboy Costner ... Sutton Stracke Was Joking!!!

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JUST A JOKE
TMZ.com

Kyle Richards says she didn't try to get it on with Kevin Costner ... saying the rumors she made a pass at him are total BS -- and, her castmate Sutton Stracke was just joshing.

We caught up with Kyle at LAX Wednesday ... and, we had to ask her about the wild story that she attempted to hook up with the "Yellowstone" star while at her vacation home in Aspen.

Richards says there's zero truth to the rumor ... claiming she's only met KC two times -- and spoke with him for about a minute total.

Young Thug Welcome Home Jeff ... Time To Pay AEG $5 Million!!!

Young Thug's welcome-back honeymoon from the longest trial in Georgia history has just been interrupted ... music artist touring giant AEG says he still owes them money -- and they're looking to kickstart their old lawsuit against him now that he's no longer behind bars.

According to legal docs filed on Thursday, AEG's attorneys are pushing through with their civil lawsuit -- originally filed in 2020 -- in which they're seeking around $5 million in damages for the YSL Records rap star's alleged breaching of their touring agreement.

Back in 2017, AEG says Thug turned his back on their exclusive touring agreement and tried to cut several backdoor deals.

French Montana New Documentary ... Love Letter to Immigrant Mothers

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A MOTHER'S LOVE
TMZ.com

French Montana's paying tribute to all the immigrant moms in America who sacrifice for their children ... telling his story in his new documentary -- but, he's really shining a light on his own mom and her struggle.

The rapper stopped by "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss his documentary "The French Montana Story: For Khadija" -- released on Paramount+ yesterday -- and, he says it really focuses on immigrants coming to the U.S.A. to forge better lives for themselves.

Montana says he came to this country from Morocco at 13 years old with his mom, dad and siblings. The family overstayed their visas ... and, after his dad started several failed small business, the family was in deep trouble.

Charlie Hunnam Killer Transformation Into Ed Gein!!! 'Monsters' S3 Underway

Charlie Hunnam’s officially gotten the full Ryan Murphy treatment -- he was spotted on set for the first time filming as serial killer Ed Gein for the third installment of Netflix’s "Monster" anthology.

Peep the pics from Tuesday -- Charlie’s transformation into Ed was spot-on in a red plaid jacket over a brown plaid shirt, perfectly channeling the 1950s, when the notorious murderer went on his killing spree in Wisconsin.

Ed infamously mutilated his victims, fashioning skin into masks, gloves and furniture, and making bowls out of skulls -- his crimes were so disturbing the press slapped him with nicknames like "The Plainfield Butcher" and "The Plainfield Ghoul."

Diddy Real Estate Mogul Makes Offer on L.A. Home ... Half the Asking Price!!!

Diddy's got an offer on the table for his L.A.-area mansion ... with a major realtor and his company offering $30 million for the pad -- a fraction of the asking price.

Bo Belmont and his company, Belwood Investments, announced they've put in an offer for the property, which Diddy bought back in 2014 for just a hair under $40 million.

Belmont says he wants to remove the stigma from the 17K-square-foot home ... and focus people's attention on how beautiful the actual property is.

Kim Kardashian Hands-On With Tesla Bot In Bizarre Photo Shoot!!!

Kim Kardashian’s got a new boo... and he’s fully charged -- her brand new $30K Tesla robot took the spotlight as they posed away in a wildly bizarre photo shoot.

Just peep the reality queen doing the absolute most on her IG Tuesday -- she posed topless under a puffy jacket and black stockings, casually appearing to straddle the bot’s lap in the driver’s seat of a Tesla Cybercab.

Kim was fully in her cyber-queen era during this nighttime shoot -- she amped up the tease factor by holding hands with her Tesla bot to give off some serious "date night" vibes.

Killer Mom Susan Smith Denied Parole ... After Tearful Plea to Board

Killer mom Susan Smith will not taste freedom after her plea to a parole board was unanimously denied following an emotional hearing.

The controversial convict, who has spent nearly 30 years behind bars for the drowning of her sons, Michael and Alex, appeared before a parole board in South Carolina via a video call Wednesday ... tearfully begging those hearing her case to let her go free. Michael was 3 years old and Alex was 14 months old when Smith killed them.

As Smith relayed in her testimony ... she now knows what she did "was so horrible" and claims she'd "give anything to go back and change it."

Laken Riley Jose Ibarra Guilty of Murder ... life without parole

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GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
CNN

UPDATE

10:44 AM PT -- Jose Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

The judge in the case just issued the sentence ... Ibarra was found guilty on 10 charges, including malice murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. Both the defense and the prosecution had opted for a bench trial, with a judge deciding Ibarra's fate, forgoing a jury trial.

The prosecution did not seek the death penalty in the case.

Jose Ibarra -- the man standing trial for nursing student Laken Riley's murder -- has been found guilty.

The verdict was announced minutes ago ... with a Georgia judge deciding Ibarra is guilty after the prosecution and defense agreed to a bench trial instead of a trial by jury.

Video and audio evidence played a key role in this trial ... with video of Ibarra unable to tell cops how he ended up with fresh scratches and marks on his arms just hours after Laken's death played in court earlier this week.

Zach Bryan Sorry Brianna, It's Not All About You ... Screaming 'Exes' Lyric Part Of My Act

Zach Bryan has some folks thinking his onstage outburst while singing about "exes" was a direct shot at Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia ... but it's been part of his act since long before their nasty split.

The country star -- who has been at the center of a contentious breakup with the Barstool Sports personality -- hit the road for the next leg of his "Quittin' Time" tour, making his first stop since August in Edmonton, Canada over the weekend.

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No Chill
TikTok / @shayleebreanne

All eyes were on Zach during the show, as the crooner has been noticeably tight-lipped amid Brianna's many claims of abuse and infidelity in the weeks following their breakup.

Pete Davidson Looking Happy and Healthy ... Courtside at NBA Game After Rehab Rumor

Pete Davidson isn't keeping a low profile after inaccurate rumors about his personal life circulated on the Internet ... including a false claim he was in rehab after suffering a heartbreak.

Check it out ... the "Saturday Night Live" alum was all smiles while sitting courtside at the Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center Tuesday evening. Dressed in a brown Lehigh Athletics sweatshirt, white beanie, and jeans, Pete looked to be in high spirits ... which may've been because his mom, Amy, was by his side.

The Nets had a good game, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 116 to 115 in the Emirates NBA Cup face-off. So, Pete had plenty to smile about Tuesday night.

Alec Baldwin Pushes Stroller in NYC No Invite, No-Show at 'Rust' Premiere

Alec Baldwin was absent from today's "Rust" premiere, hanging out instead in NYC this week -- as the film's opening focused on honoring cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who tragically lost her life on set of the movie in 2021.

Just days after Kazimierz Suwała, the director of the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Film Festival, explained they didn’t invite Baldwin in order to avoid distractions ... the premiere in Toruń, Poland, went down without a hitch Wednesday -- Baldwin-free and drama-free.

It’s unclear if Baldwin would’ve attended even if invited, but he certainly looked off the clock, spotted pushing a stroller in NYC Monday. Regardless, Suwała made it crystal clear to The Hollywood Reporter the event wasn’t about Baldwin at all -- it was all about honoring Halyna.

New 'Rust' Cinematographer Fans Can See World Through Halyna Hutchins' Eyes ... Emotional Tribute at Premiere

Moviegoers will get a chance to see the world from Halyna Hutchins' point of view when they go see "Rust" ... so says the new cinematographer brought on to finish up the flick.

Bianca Cline -- the new director of photography brought on to finish the film -- spoke alongside director Joel Souza at Camerimage Film Festival in Poland Wednesday before the movie's world premiere ... telling the audience it's amazing so many people came out to support Halyna's vision.

Cline says all filmmaking is about being vulnerable, especially when it comes to cinematography ... explaining that, by watching the movie, viewers will really get a chance to see the world how Halyna saw it.

Liam Payne's Funeral Coffin Arrives At London Church ... Harry Styles, One Direction Members Attend

Harry Styles and members of One Direction arrived at a London-area church on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Liam Payne ... just over a month after the singer's death.

The private service is taking place at St. Mary's Church in Amersham -- not far from Wolverhampton, the city near Birmingham where he was born.

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SOMBER ARRIVAL
BACKGRID

Liam's coffin arrived in a horse-drawn carriage carrying floral tributes spelling out "Daddy" and "Son." Another floral display showed a bowling ball crashing through pins ... reportedly a nod to the star's love of the game.

Miley Cyrus Leave Chappell Roan Alone ... Fame Is 'Hard,' Y'all!!!

Miley Cyrus is speaking out in defense of fellow pop star Chappell Roan ... who has faced an immense amount of backlash since skyrocketing to fame this year.

The former Disney Channel star addressed Chappell's bumpy road to stardom in a new cover story for Harper's Bazaar ... where she urged her fans to treat the newcomer with kindness, noting it's "really hard coming into this business."

As Miley put it ... she wished "people would not give [Chappell] a hard time," since being a celeb in the social media age is particularly tough.

Logan Paul Sends Dop-Paul-gänger To Q&A ... To Face Crypto Accusations

Logan Paul pulled a switcheroo on a news outlet looking to do a deep dive into his cryptocurrency practices -- sending a look-alike to take part in an interview in his place.

It's all laid out in BBC's new documentary titled "Logan Paul: Bad Influence?" ... which claims to have "new evidence" to back accusations the internet superstar promoted crypto projects without disclosing to his fans he had a stake in them -- resulting in big paydays.

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LOGAN LOOK-ALIKE
BBC

In the project, Matt Shea said his team tried to get Paul to sit down with them for months with no luck ... before he finally caved and agreed to host a Q&A at his gym in Puerto Rico.