George Strait STAR-STUDDED TRIBUTE AT CMAs

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TRIBUTE TO A GREAT
ABC

All hail the King of Country Music ... George Strait got his flowers at the Country Music Awards ... with a star-studded tribute and some impressive hardware.

George was honored at Wednesday's award show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award ... with Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Parker McCollum and Jamey Johnson tipping their cowboy hats with a tribute performance.

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ACCEPTING THE HONOR
ABC

The gang played one of George's biggest hits, "Troubadour" ... and the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he grabbed the mic.

2024 Country Music Awards Fashionable Arrivals

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars are descending on Nashville for this year's Country Music Awards ... and they're dressed to the nines on their way into the big event.

Kacey Musgraves, Shaboozey, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan are among the country music stars showing off their fashionable looks Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena ... and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are in the house too ... looking like a super cute couple.

CMA Awards Biggest Moments Through The Years

The CMA Awards are set to bring out the biggest stars in country music ... with Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning hosting the major awards show in Nashville Wednesday night.

Like in years past, a number of stars are expected to hit the stage as presenters, winners, and performers ... with this year's lineup already including Post Malone, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, and Kacey Musgraves, among others.

They follow in the footsteps of several greats, who've graced the CMA Awards stage with their superstar presence. In fact, with the awards show only hours away, we can't help but reminisce about some of the show's most iconic moments.

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.

2024 Governors Awards Stars Come Out In Force ... Kidman, Lopez, Gomez, Hanks!!!

Hollywood’s most famous stars lit up the 2024 Governors Awards Sunday night — and the eye-popping guest list included Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman and Selena Gomez.

But, the three A-listers were just the tip of the iceberg … a truckload of celebs arrived in their classiest outfits on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Feast your eyes on the other names in attendance … Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Demi Moore, Kate Winslet, Pamela Anderson, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson, Zoe Saldana, Sharon Stone, Andrew Garfield, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Daniel Craig, Barry Keoghan, Jesse Eisenberg, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson and many more.

Conan O’Brien I'm Hosting The Oscars!!!

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Tune in !!!

Conan O’Brien’s got some big news -- he’s making his Oscars hosting debut!

The talk show legend shared a hilarious clip holding the iconic Oscar trophy, pretending he'd snagged a major movie award -- until someone yanks it away, leaving him awkwardly realizing he’s actually the new host of the 97th Academy Awards.

His acting in the clip might not win him an Oscar anytime soon, but his wit was on point -- he joked in the caption that America’s demand for him as host rivals the love for Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme.

Drake & Chris Brown We Didn't Need 'Guidance' Selling 10 Million Records!!! 💎

Drake and Chris Brown squashing their beef back in the day has resulted in a shiny new accolade -- a Diamond-certified plaque for their "No Guidance" duet!!!

Tuesday, Breezy was showered with several new certifications from the Recording Industry of America, with the 10 million sold from his 2019 Drake duet being the biggest.

Chris celebrated the win by echoing his mantra as of late -- keeping his head down and remaining humble!!!

The plaque rings of Diamond but in all actuality, they sold 11 million units so far.

Rita Ora Emotional During Liam Payne Tribute ... 'Take A Moment to Remember Our Friend'

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REMEMBERING LIAM
MTV EMA's

Rita Ora could barely contain her grief while tributing Liam Payne at MTV's European Music Awards Sunday ... choking up as she lauded her late pal for his positive personality.

The singer-songwriter -- who hosted the show in Manchester, England -- took the stage during one break and highlighted Liam, who passed away after falling from a hotel balcony last month.

Rita starts out by saying the team behind the EMAs just wanted to take a minute to remember Liam ... a great friend to MTV and her personally.

MTV European Music Awards 2024 America Ain't the Only Place w/ Awards Shows ... Shawn Mendes, Rita Ora, More Celebs

America isn't the only place that loves a good award ceremony ... Europe clearly enjoys one too -- 'cause they brought out some big stars for the MTV European Music Awards.

Stars flocked to Manchester, England Sunday night ... for the annual event -- including Shawn Mendes who belted out a couple songs onstage at the newly opened Co-op Live.

Rita Ora handled hosting duties for the evening stunning in a futuristic outfit that showed off a ton of skin ... including her tight midriff. And, Jodie Turner-Smith presented an award in a low-cut, black dress.

Kendrick Lamar 'Not Like Us' Drake Diss Big Deal For Grammys 2025!!!

The 2025 Grammy Nominations were announced Friday and as expected, Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is being considered for some of the biggest honors!!!

Kendrick's monster diss record against Drake raked in 5 nominations ... Song and Record of The Year, Best Rap Song and Performance, and Best Music Video -- the last nom being a double win for K. Dot.

He co-directed the visual with Dave Free!!!

It's no surprise Kendrick is set to headline next year's Super Bowl halftime show ... "Not Like Us" is the No. 1 song on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart with 21 weeks at the top ... in addition to debuting on top of the Hot 100.

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IT'S ALL ART
TMZ.com

It's wild to think Kendrick could go down in history for calling Drake a pedophile on digital wax -- but, if you remember, we caught up with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. right after the song took off and he had a hunch Grammy voters would be leaning toward it.

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SUPER BOWL SNUB???
TMZ.com

The Grammys go down Sunday, Feb. 2 in L.A. -- a week before Kendrick takes the Super Bowl stage.

He's already the frontrunner for 2025 Rapper of the Year -- and it hasn't even started!!!

Ariana Grande 'Wicked' Grammys Snub!!! Dua, Doja & More Shocks

The 2025 Grammy nominations gave props where they're due, but also had some jaw-dropping snubs -- including of Ariana Grande.

The singer's seventh album, "Eternal Sunshine," got the cold shoulder in the Album of the Year category -- a major miss that kinda steals the spotlight from her 3 other noms. But, with all the "Wicked" movie buzz this year, she was probably too busy to go full throttle on promo, so that might’ve played a part.

It wasn’t just Ariana -- Dua Lipa, a Grammy darling since her 2019 Best New Artist win, also didn’t snag a single nomination for her album, "Radical Optimism."

J. Cole 'Deleted' Kendrick Diss But Not Entire Project ... Earns Best Rap Album Grammy Nom!!!

J. Cole's work effort is being vindicated after taking a lot of lumps from the hip hop community after releasing his recent album "Might Delete Later" ... it's nominated for Best Rap Album at the Grammys!!!

Friday, the stage was set for Cole to face off against the category leader Eminem, as well as Common and Pete Rock, Kendrick Lamar's top pick Doechii, and Future and Metro Boomin's trouble-causing "We Don't Trust You."

Cole released the album in April but soon shied away from promoting the album after removing the "7-Minute Drill" diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar ... and apologized for its lameness at his Dreamville Festival in May.

Beyoncé Gets Major Country Love ... Finally!!! Breaks Record With Grammy Noms

Beyoncé's country crossover has really paid off -- she’s finally getting some award season love for "Cowboy Carter" ... 'cause she's infiltrated some major country categories in the 2025 Grammys!

After Queen Bey's massive award season snubs earlier this year, she’s just bagged a whopping 11 Grammy nominations, making her officially the most-nominated artist this year -- and of all time.  Among the big nods -- Best Country Performance for "16 Carriages," Song of the Year for "Texas Hold 'Em," ... and, most impressively, Album of the Year.

Beyoncé's "Tyrant" didn't quite make the cut for Best R&B Song this year, marking her only submission that didn't earn a nomination. But with all her others, it’s safe to say it's a pretty spectacular Grammy season for her -- with all the country love a long time coming.

Taylor Swift Don't Rain on My Grammys Parade ... Beats Out Barbra Streisand for Honor

Taylor Swift has made history with her latest Grammy nomination ... becoming the first female artist to be nominated for Album of the Year 7 times.

The pop star was previously tied with music legend Barbra Streisand for the honor ... as they both previously achieved 6 nominations in the top Grammys category.

However, with the release and critical success of her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," Swift nudged past Streisand.

WSJ Innovator Awards A-List Actresses Roll Into Gala ... Hayek, Cruz, Grande Lead The Charge

It was a big night for Hollywood actresses at the Wall Street Journal Magazine's 14th Annual Innovator Awards.

Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz led a wave of female celebs who rocked the red carpet in their glamorous gowns at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Check out the photos ... Salma and Penelope look amazing as they pose hand in hand for the paparazzi.

Rock & Roll HOF Induction Cher, Ozzy & Mary J.'s Big Night!!! Zendaya, Dua & Julia Roberts Surprise Crowd

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions aren't just about music anymore -- as greats like Cher, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews and Ozzy Osbourne entered the Hall ... A-list super fans and racy outfits were also front and center.

The ceremony went down Saturday night in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- and Cher's iconic hit, "Believe" kicked things off, as she performed it with Dua Lipa.

When it came time to induct Cher, Zendaya did the honors while rocking a barely-there gown that looked like she borrowed it directly from Cher's closet.