The Oscars

Maitland Ward says the adult film industry's awards show is far superior TV than anything the Academy Awards is offering ... and she thinks it boils down to who's doing the voting.

We got the former "Boy Meets World" actress-turned-porn star in Bev Hills and asked why she thinks traditional awards shows like the Oscars are losing interest and viewers.

Maitland says the folks voting for the Oscars are way too old and aren't in touch with the country ... and she thinks the nominations this year once again show a lack of diversity.

On the flip side, Maitland says porn is rife with female directors and performers from all walks of life ... and she thinks the AVN Awards does a better job reading the room and going with the most deserving candidates, with no politics involved.

While awards shows are mostly losing viewers year after year, Maitland has an idea for how the Academy Awards could get a shot in the arm and a ton more eyeballs with a new category ... yep, she wants to see someone win an Oscar for having sex on camera!!!

Maitland has won seven AVN awards since joining the porn industry in 2019, including Best Leading Actress this year.

Ke Huy Quan has just about everyone in Hollywood in his corner as he roars toward the Oscars -- not to mention his old 'Goonies' pals ... including one Corey Feldman.

The former child star -- who acted alongside Ke in the 1980s classic -- told Page Six that he'll be rooting for KHQ come Sunday, when he'll be watching from home and hoping his former costar can pull out a win for Best Supporting Actor, for which he's nominated.

He says, "I see Ke as a winner, he’s never stopped being one to me … The Goonies are family. People don’t really realize the depth of that blood, it runs deep."

Feldman goes on to say that he's kept up with Ke through the years, and notes that while he may have stepped back from acting for a time ... the guy stayed working in showbiz, even if it was just tangentially at times, and that he'd done great stuff in his own right.

Now that Ke Huy is back in the spotlight with his movie, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' Corey's all for it. He says he saw 'EEAAO' and knew it was special ... adding that he gave Ke some advice -- namely, "keep your head up and don’t let them get to you."

Welp, Ke Huy's taken that in stride ... winning just about everyone over with every award show appearance (and win) of late. He's also been taking a TON of selfies along the way, documenting his journey ... which most think will end with a statuette tomorrow.

BTW, other 'Goonies' stars have been wishing Ke well along the way -- Josh Brolin has chimed in via his reps, and so has Jeff Cohen (Chunk), Kerri Green and Martha Plimpton.

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh seem to have moved past their rumored movie set beef a year later -- 'cause they went to the same party this weekend ... but weren't together, per se.

The two actresses were among many celebs who attended CAA's pre-Oscars party Friday night in L.A. ... and while it's interesting to see them in the same space -- this after they reportedly squabbled while making "Don't Worry Darling" -- it's possible things are still icy.

Fact is, there isn't a photo of them posing together or even hanging around the same group of people at any given time during the shindig -- which was star-studded and packed. That kinda jibes with what they were doing at Venice last year ... namely, keeping distance.

It could mean nothing, of course. However, by the same token, it could also mean they're still not that cool with each other ... and choose not to fraternize, even now.

Not to kick up the Team Flo/Team Wilde camps again, but it was quite clear there was friction at the time.

In any case ... they seem to be able to play nice in the same building, which is all you can really ask for, we suppose. BTW, they were far from the only famous faces on the scene.

Other stars in attendance ... Pedro Pascal, Zoe Kravitz, Cate Blanchett, Allison Janney, Andrew Garfield, Halle Bailey, Rita Ora, Taika Waititi, Miles Teller, Chloe Grace Moretz, KiKi Layne, Elton John and husband David Furnish, Sandra Bullock and Brian Tyree Henry.

All the others ... Demi Moore, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Maria Sharapova, Amy Adams, Vin Diesel, Hailee Steinfeld, James Corden, Richard Madden, Trevor Noah, Lily James, Paul Mescal, Jon Hamm, Zooey Deschanel, B.J. Novak, Danny DeVito, Simone Ashley, HAIM, Ana de Armas, DeWanda Wise, Eiza Gonzalez, Ariana DeBose and lots more.

Some of Hollywood's elite hit up a pre-Oscars party Friday night ... and they celebrated in old-world style at a Bev Hills mansion where an all-time classic movie was shot.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Sandler, Austin Butler, Travis Kelce, Brooklyn Beckham and Nina Dobrev were just some of the celebs on hand at "The Beverly Estate", where director Francis Ford Coppola filmed the famous horse's head scene for "The Godfather."

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ, showing the celebs mingling and chatting with drinks in hand at the William Morris/Endeavor soiree.

Leo, of course, went incognito with his baseball cap pulled down over his face. No surprise there.

Adam and Travis had a little convo off to the side.

Brooklyn was hangin' out with some people and just chillin'.

Nina stood out from the pack, looking glamorous in her red dress.

Bill Maher was more subtle than usual Friday night ... tipping his hat to evolutionary social change and asking everyone to chill if things aren't perfect RIGHT NOW.

The "Real Time" host used Oscars weekend to make his point -- that even in liberal Hollywood there's a learning curve on the scales of social justice.

He points to 1973, when Marlon Brando snagged the Oscar for "The Godfather" and sent a surrogate in his place to accept -- Sacheen Littlefeather, who got up onstage to talk about injustices against Native Americans. She was met with boos and even tomahawk chops from people in the audience.

Today, BM says, she'd clearly be met with cheers, not jeers ... and that, he says, is progress.

Bill then broadens out his point ... Reagan was late on AIDS, but he came around. Obama was late with gay marriage, but he too came around. And, Bill wishes, Biden or his successor will step up and advocate the legalization of weed.

Being late doesn't make people bad, Bill says. Progress tends to be evolutionary, but it happens.

Check out what he says about a very famous movie that was shot just a few years back -- populated by diehard liberals in Hollywood. If that movie were made today, they'd be skewered.

Donnell Rawlings says there are no winners in the Chris Rock and Will Smith beef ... and he's hoping Chris' recent response will finally put an end to the saga.

We got Donnell at Gelson's Tuesday and asked him about Chris finally addressing the Oscars slap in his Netflix special, which Donnell says should even the score.

Donnell, who is super close with Chris, is slamming the folks who didn't like the way Chris joked about the incident ... claiming it was old news by now. He says no one has the right to put a timeline or restrictions on how comedians can respond.

Of course, some folks are pissed at Chris ... like The Root senior writer Candace McDuffie, who feels Chris had the slap coming to him following years of jokes she feels targeted Black women like Jada Pinkett Smith.

Donnell thinks anyone who has a problem with Chris' jokes is insane, because as they say ... they're just jokes. He's also not buying the theory jokes incite violence on any particular group.

As for Will, DR says he should be able to take a joke because Chris was able to take the slap.

While Donnell tells us Chris and Will have yet to speak to each other, he's hoping they can both get closure on the matter ... after Chris' verbal "clap back."

Chris Rock can, and should, joke about whoever he wants -- especially after being slapped by Will Smith -- even if some feel it's at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense ... according to 2 fellow comics.

We talked to Bill Bellamy and Jeff Dye Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and both defended CR's right to joke about the sitch, even if he did so somewhat mercilessly during his latest Netflix special ... which is now drawing the ire of some Black women.

Candace McDuffie, a senior writer for The Root, went so far as to suggest Chris actually had the slap coming to him after years of jokes she feels targeted Black women.

That's not how Bill and Jeff feel about it, though ... they're squarely on Chris' side, with BB telling us the dude used his own platform and creativity to address it as best he could, without violence.

Plus, there's the financial benefit -- Netflix paid a boatload for his "Selective Outrage" special.

But, even on the issue of whether Chris has it out for Jada and/or Black women ... Bill says he doesn't believe that to be the case. He says Chris takes shots at everyone, and sometimes certain groups might catch a stray.

It's nothing personal, just the business of being funny ... that's Bill's perspective anyway.

Now, Jeff -- who's hosting our new game show, "Who the Bleep Is That?" -- was a bit more forceful in his repudiation of suggesting Chris deserved what he got ... saying such a notion is insane, and disavowing the idea of anything or anyone being off-limits in comedy.

Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars last year, and he may even be due for another round -- so suggests one writer who focuses on Black issues.

The Root's Candace McDuffie -- a senior editorial staffer for the G/O Media-owned online publication -- came on CNN to discuss the aftermath of Chris' Netflix special ... where he eviscerated Will and Jada Pinkett Smith for the hit seen around the world in 2022.

According to her, Chris was simply being held accountable by Will at the time for attacking a Black woman -- which McDuffie says is part of a larger pattern in this country, and which she says Chris has been guilty of in his comedy even before targeting Jada's alopecia.

As for how she feels about Chris' response nearly a full 365 days later ... well, the way she's talking here -- it almost sounds like she's just as angry with Chris yet again, saying he called Jada out of her name (he didn't once say her name, but did call her a "bitch" and refer to her as a "predator" in the special). In McDuffie's eyes, CR hasn't learned his lesson.

Don Lemon ever-so-gently pushed back on McDuffie, asking how she would respond to people who might say she's advocating for violence with this take ... and that Chris should, perhaps, be afforded a pass since he was going after Jada/Will in a stand-up comedy environment.

Her final thought is this ... as much pain as Will was in during the Oscars slap -- which Chris also addressed -- McDuffie feels like Chris was hurting just as much during his own special. She says there was more rage and resentment than there was humor ... from her POV.

Of course, this view isn't exclusive to McDuffie. There are many online who feel like Chris had the slap coming -- and even more who aren't happy that he continued to tear Will/Jada down for the sake of retribution and a laugh. On the flip side, just as many loved it.🤷🏽‍♂️

Jeff Ross says Chris Rock is walking away with the 'W' in the Will Smith Oscars slap saga -- and he commends his friend doing so without using his hands, just a silver tongue.

We got the comedian Monday in L.A. after he'd flown back from Chris' live special in Baltimore ... and he said the whole event was just as epic as it looked and sounded on TV.

Jeff, the famed roast master, says Chris got the better of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the end ... and he's pretty high on how Chris handled it, even if it did take a year to address. However, he points out the special touched on a lot more than just the Smiths ... and he was impressed by its overall message.

He did have a fave bit, BTW ... the one about Beyonce and Jay-Z, which he says might be the joke of the year. We can't do it justice here -- you gotta see the special -- but it's basically about Bey being so hot she could get Jay no matter what her job was. Not so much for him, though.

Rock addressed the elephant in the room Saturday night during his live Netflix special, "Selective Outrage," leaving no doubt that he's still pissed at Smith for smackin' him on live TV as the world watched.

The comedian launched into the segment this way...“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by 'Suge' Smith, everybody knows, everybody f--king knows. I got smacked like a year ago… And people are like ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”

But, don't ever ask Rock to sit for an interview with Oprah Winfrey or Gayle King 'cause he ain't doing it. “I’m not a victim baby, you will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it…. It’s never going to happen. F--k that s--t, I took that s--t like Pacquiao" -- a reference to boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Rock also compared his situation with Smith to David and Goliath. He said Smith was a lot bigger than him and even played Muhammad Ali in a movie. "You think I auditioned for that? I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’ I played a piece of corn in ‘Pootie Tang,'" Rock joked.

Then Rock skewered Smith's wife, Jada, accusing her of doing something "f--king lowdown" by having an affair with her son's friend -- and then discussing it with her husband on her Red Table Talk.

Rock said, "We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on. None of us has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television… Why the f--k would you do that s--t? She hurt [Will] way more than he hurt me."

Continuing along those lines, Rock said, "Everybody called [Will] a bitch. And who’s he hit? Me! A n**** he know he can beat. That’s some bitch ass sh--!”

Rock said he didn't strike Smith back "because I’ve got parents! And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people!”

The funnyman wrapped it up with...“They say, ‘words hurt.' You gotta watch what you say because ‘words hurt.’ Anybody who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face."

Sounds like Will still has more work to do to patch things up with Chris.

Chris Rock is set to talk about the Oscars slap tonight in a new comedy special, but some of his material appears to have already leaked ... including a joke about watching Will Smith suffer on film -- which, if the internet is to be believed, he'd be wise in avoiding.

Here's the deal ... we all know Chris' live Netflix show is going down tonight, and everyone's expecting him to discuss the slap at length for the first time, publicly, on his own terms. The problem ... he's been working out his jokes on this topic for months, and one particular bit he recently did about Will was widely reported this week ... and Twitter ain't feeling it.

The Baltimore Sun came out with a story about a comedy show Chris did there in mid-February ... where he reportedly touched on the Oscars and said to the crowd, "The other day, I watched 'Emancipation' just so I could watch him getting whipped."

Of course, he's referring to Will's character from the film -- a runaway slave named "Whipped Peter" who was infamously depicted in a photo from the 1800s with scars on his back.

That quote has made the rounds these past few days, and now ... Chris Rock is trending for all the wrong reasons, because it seems a good majority of folks have turned on him.

Whereas he had sympathy in the wake of the slap -- especially for how he handled it -- a lot of time has passed ... and a lot of people have aired their grievances about Chris since then ... including the notion that he might've had it coming -- harsh, but it's a POV out there.

Now, in light of this new joke that may or may not make the special ... even more people are groaning, especially if he actually works it in. It appears some feel like leaning in the way he seems set to do is overkill -- and not just that, but many feel him exploiting the ugly moment a full year later is cringeworthy. And yet, Chris is powering forward ... as is Netflix.

Time will tell what Chris does onstage. Like we said, this is live -- but if he cares about public opinion (which he usually doesn't) he might wanna peep Twitter right quick.😬

Chris Rock is finally ready to talk all about the infamous Oscars slap -- he'll address it during a live comedy special ... which, coincidentally, comes just as Will Smith accepts an award for the first time since that night.

The comedian's Netflix special will be live-streamed Saturday night, and The Wall Street Journal reports when Chris did a set to prep for the event ... he opened up about Will's infamous attack.

Chris said, "The thing people want to know ... did it hurt? Hell yeah, it hurt. He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie!" -- referring to each of their respective roles in "Ali" and "New Jack City."

Of course, it's unclear how much of those specific words will end up in the final product, because Chris is performing his set live ... but even Netflix says he'll talk about the incident.

Talk about odd timing -- as promos for Chris' special are everywhere, Will was on stage Wednesday night in Beverly Hills for the African-American Film Critics Association Awards. He accepted the Beacon Award with "Emancipation" director, Antoine Fuqua.

Will made no reference -- joking or otherwise -- to the Oscars incident, and instead spoke only about playing the escaped slave, "Whipped Peter," and said it was the "most difficult film of my entire career."

The folks over at the Oscars have gone all "Zero Dark Thirty" ... creating a "crisis team" in case someone goes all Will Smith during the ceremony. Thing is ... what the hell will they do?

According to Academy honchos, "We have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place. We've run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen."

The idea is that the crisis team can quickly assemble and decide what action they'll take if someone or something gets out of hand.

It seems the idea might be to yank someone off the stage or boot them from the auditorium if they do something really untoward. As a matter of fact, the Prez of the Academy recently expressed regret her org didn't take some sort of action when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.

We're guessing the idea might be to order Will out of the building quickly ... it was super embarrassing the Academy let Will ride out the show, and accept an Oscar to the applause of many.

But here's the deal ... these moments happen quickly, and to expect a committee of any sort to reach a decision in minutes or, more appropriately, seconds during a live TV broadcast is a giant stretch.

Viola Davis just joined an exclusive club in the world of entertainment ... becoming the 18th EGOT winner in history, this after snagging a Grammy and giving a helluva reaction.

The actress was up for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for the narration on her memoir, "Finding Me," which was just selected as the winner during the pre-broadcast show that's underway right now.

She went up there for her acceptance speech and got a roaring applause when she said emphatically and quite simply, "I just EGOT!" Indeed, she did ... and now, she's on the list.

Viola joins 17 others who came before her, including two other Black women ... Whoopi Goldberg, who received the honor in 2002 with her Tony award, and Jennifer Hudson -- who hit that milestone last year with her own Tony.

Other EGOT recipients include John Legend, Mel Brooks, Audrey Hepburn, Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Jonathan Tunick, Marvin Hamlisch, Scott Rudin, Mike Nichols, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Robert Lopez, Tim Rice and Alan Menken.

Viola, of course, won an Oscar for her work in "Fences," two Tonys for "Fences" (the theatrical play) and "King Hedley II," an Emmy for "How To Get Away with Murder" ... and now this.

Emmett Till's family is saddened and stunned the Motion Picture Academy overlooked the film about this tragic and pivotal story in American history ... and it did so in every Oscar category.

Emmett's cousin and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, Deborah Watts, tells TMZ ... the family is extremely disappointed the movie "Till" and its lead actress Danielle Deadwyler -- who plays Emmett's mom -- received zero nominations.

Deborah says Danielle "embodied and delivered the true essence of our cousin, a loving and courageous mother, Mamie Till Mobley. She reached deeply and poured her heart and soul in this role as she embraced us intimately like no other, while transforming into Mamie and bringing her true essence and story to life."

As you know, the film tells the story of Emmett's 1955 abduction and lynching in Mississippi ... which sent shockwaves across the nation when a photo of his brutally beaten body was made public.

The family's sentiment about Danielle being snubbed falls in line with a social media trend -- folks pointing out no Black women were nominated in the Best Actor category ... and this wouldn't be the first time.

Some users noted Viola Davis was another worthy contender for her performance in the box office hit, "The Woman King".

Going forward, Deborah says "The Emmett Till Legacy Family and community of supporters will ensure Emmett and Mamie's legacies and story will continue to be told with or without any awards."

Danielle has yet to react publicly -- we reached out to her reps, but the reality is, actors rarely say anything about snubs.