Awards / Awards Shows

Whatever money The Academy's saving by bailing on a host this year is apparently being put to good use -- beefing up security to ensure there's not a terrorist attack or other act of violence ... or Oscar hijinks.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Academy is plunking down close to $150,000 on around 190 additional uniformed police officers to patrol the 91st Academy Awards Sunday at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre. We're told cops will be stationed at posts all around the venue, and LAPD will utilize cameras, plain-clothed officers and help from the feds.

Our sources say another focus will be stopping trespassers and people trying to sneak into the show with false credentials -- there's a zero tolerance policy and anyone busted will be charged with trespassing.

Cops will also be on the lookout for Oscar thieves ... to avoid any sort of fiasco like Frances McDormand dealt with last year.

You'll recall ... the actress had her Oscar stolen off a table at The Governor's Ball afterward, and the guy posed with and kissed the award on video. He was quickly caught and booked for felony grand theft.

All of this might explain why Vanity Fair is also spending big bucks -- according to law enforcement -- for its annual Oscars party. We're told the cost for the magazine to shut down streets, hire cops and cover lost parking meter revenue is almost $83k.

Robert Kraft's facing charges for allegedly soliciting a prostitute in Florida, but he doesn't seem too concerned ... because he's on the opposite end of the country living it up.

We got the New England Patriots owner as he was leaving Barry Diller's pre-Oscars party Saturday afternoon in Beverly Hills ... he hurried to his ride and was mum on being implicated in a prostitution sting Friday.

As we reported ... Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr announced that the 77-year-old Kraft will be charged with 2 counts of "soliciting another to commit prostitution."

Kraft is accused of soliciting a prostitute on at least 2 separate occasions at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Florida roughly a month ago. Investigators say they have videos of the men who paid for sex at the massage parlor -- including Kraft -- and the footage is graphic.

A spokesperson for Kraft has denied that he engaged in any illegal activity.

The artist behind a Meghan Markle painting Beyonce and Jay-Z used during the Brit Awards says they never got his permission, nor did they pay him a cent -- but he's letting it slide.

Tim O'Brien tells us ... he was shocked and honored to see his piece behind the Carters at Wednesday's award show. Bey and Jay recorded their acceptance speech for Best International Group -- and Tim's homage to the Duchess of Sussex was prominently displayed.

The speech was a recreation of their "APES**T" music vid ... but instead of the Mona Lisa behind them, it was "Queen Markle."

Tim says no one from Jay and Beyonce's camps hit him up for permission. He explained why he's also certain they didn't buy the portrait from him online. It costs $75 so ... yeah, they can afford it.

This kinda sitch typically leads to big fat lawsuits, but Tim's willing to give 'em a pass. Well, at least this time. Watch ... it's pretty clear he's happy for the publicity, but he'd be way happier with a check.

WWE legend X-Pac understands why people are upset Chyna is going into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of D-Generation X ... and not individually ... but he insists it's still a VICTORY for her.

"I totally understand where they're coming from," Sean Waltman tells TMZ Sports ... "Of course, she deserves to go in by herself."

But, Waltman -- who was engaged to Chyna in real life in 2003 -- says the WWE only has a limited number of people they can induct each year, and he believes they're doing the best they can.

WWE announced on Monday the main members of DX (as a group) will be included in the H.O.F. class of 2019. Meaning, Chyna will be enshrined with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and, of course, X-Pac.

But, a swell of wrestling fans feel Chyna was such an important figure in WWE -- the first and only female Intercontinental champ -- that she shouldn't have to share the honor with anyone.

X-Pac says he understands the frustration -- but says Chyna would still be thrilled with the honor.

"I hope that the people who think this about her are still grateful that she's going in, because this is a win and sometimes we should take the win."

As for himself, X-Pac says he's grateful to be included -- and can't wait to get the gang back together!!!

Cardi B did not get flowers from the great beyond -- as she insinuated by thanking Tom Petty for a Grammys bouquet she received -- but, TMZ has learned who REALLY did the honors.

Sources tell us ... celebrity florist Annie Wonderlich, owner of Art Fleur, sent the bouquet wishing Cardi luck at the award show. We're told Cardi is one of her clients, and Annie also delivered a Grammy arrangement to Lady Gaga.

After getting the flowers, Cardi looked at the back of the card -- which contained a Petty lyric -- and thought they were from him. She thanked Tom on social media ... prompting the internet to quickly point out that would be pretty freakin' amazing (as in, impossible) since TP sadly died nearly 2 years ago.

Although, we're sure Ghost Tom's probably a Bardi fan.

The sender's true identity was there the whole time ... because the other side of the card had a note from Annie reading, "Cardi B! Wishing you LOVE, LIGHT & LUCK tonight at the Grammys! All the best! XOXO, The Art Fleur Team."

We're told Annie's company has TONS of celeb clients, including Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift, and every special delivery comes with a card quoting someone famous -- like Oscar Wilde, Claude Monet, David Bowie, and in this instance, Petty.

As for the flowers ... we're told the $600 arrangement is dubbed "Ms. B" and stands 3 and a half feet tall!!! There are 250 vendulas, orange crush and garden roses ... and monster leaves painted with 24-karat gold!!!

Smokey Robinson is outraged at all the people who are slamming Jennifer Lopez for representing Motown at the Grammys, and he thinks confining the Motown sound to African Americans is a "stupid philosophy."

Smokey thinks people who think there's something wrong with a Hispanic woman showcasing Motown completely misses the point ... that Motown is about breaking all color barriers. The man who was pivotal in turning the label's sound into a world force acknowledges it represents black culture, but he's quick to add it also represents other cultures ... Hispanic, Asian, everyone.

Smokey posted a tribute to J Lo Tuesday, saying she did an awesome job ... calling out critics, saying, "So now you're gonna try to diminish the scope of Motown and narrow it down to just music for Black people and you call yourself defending the image of Motown. Well you're trying to set us back a hundred years."

He has a big job ahead of him Tuesday night ... he's cohosting the big Motown 60th Anniversary show in downtown L.A.

Childish Gambino is being called a "house slave" by an artist who claims his own tune was ripped off for Gambino's latest Grammy-winning work. Warning ... VERY hot take ahead.

Jase Harley explained to us Monday in NYC why he was upset with CG walking away with 4 Grammys for his monster hit, "This Is America" -- which took home Record of the Year among other top accolades during Sunday night's award show.

It's a bit tough to follow Jase's logic, but he apparently feels Gambino set black culture back by not attending the show and speaking on behalf of the racial issues he raises in the song ... and, perhaps most importantly, not acknowledging Jase as an inspiration.

This was a thing a few months back when the song first dropped -- people accused Gambino of ripping Jase off, 'cause 'TIA' sounds a lot like Jase's track, "American Pharaoh."

At the time, Jase appeared to be chill with the whole situation ... and even said he was "extremely humbled" that 'Pharoah' might've served as an influence for Gambino.

Well, it looks like all that is out the window now -- 'cause Jase makes a very controversial analogy that invokes slavery.

A$AP Rocky just declared himself the best music video director of his generation ... humblebrag much?

We got the rapper out Monday at LAX, and Rocky kinda jokes -- we think -- about how he needs a Grammy for Best Music Video. In case you missed it ... Childish Gambino got the statue Sunday night for "This is America."

And, in case you didn't know ... Rocky does direct a bunch of his own videos, so he knows a thing or two about what goes into making them. Our photog jokingly tells Rocky he shoulda ran up onstage and snagged the award, and this image had Rocky laughing at the idea of busting a Kanye.

Jennifer Lopez hit it outta the park with her Motown tribute at the Grammys ... and anyone who disagrees is missing the point about music and race ... so says Whitney Houston's sister-in-law.

We got Pat Houston out Monday morning at LAX and got her take on the criticism J Lo faced before, during and after she honored Motown ... in the middle of Black History Month.

J Lo, of course, is of Puerto Rican descent and the Internet's been teeing off on her and the Grammys -- but Pat has a different view, which is ... there is NO color when it comes to music.

Many, many Motown fans disagree, saying things like ... "Sorry everyone, but I agree. She's a great performer, but they should have chosen someone else. No doubt Latinos would be upset if they had a black soul singer doing a tribute to Latin music."

As you know ... J Lo hit the stage with Motown legend Smokey Robinson and Ne-Yo. Houston's not the only one supporting her -- Tyler Perry admits he was skeptical, but adds J Lo won him over.

J Lo has said Motown producer Berry Gordy was thrilled she was involved in the tribute. Count Pat in that category too ... based on her rating for the night's most talked about performance.

2:20 PM PT -- BET is making it clear the tweet targeting Nicki was unauthorized. The network says, “BET loves Nicki Minaj. We have supported her from the very beginning of her career and will continue to do so moving forward. Nicki has paved the way for so many performers and has solidified her place as one of the most powerful figures in the music industry."

The statement continues ... "Unfortunately the respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written. The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values. We deeply apologize for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation."

BET also says, "We are also conducting an internal audit to assure these types of posts are not published again. We have apologized to Nicki and her team. The post has been removed and we have taken additional appropriate action. We understand Nicki’s position and look forward to continuing our dialogue with her. Finally, we apologize to all of her fans. This should have never happened.

BET's social media team thought it was a good idea to make fun of Nicki Minaj on Twitter when Cardi B won at the Grammys... and now Nicki's getting a little payback against the network.

The "QUEEN" rapper announced Monday that she and her label, Young Money, would not be part of the BET Experience later this summer -- which is a concert series she and Cardi were booked to co-headline just days before the BET Awards in June.

Sources connected to Nicki tell us she did, in fact, cancel the gig in direct response to BET's crass joke -- and she made that quite clear with her follow-up tweets.

People were putting BET on blast, saying they owed Nicki an apology since the comment was a low blow. Nicki seemed to agree, saying ... "Meanwhile, BET is being dragged by their lacefront," adding a laughing emoji for good measure.

It's unclear who, if anyone, at the network green lit the controversial tweet, but Nicki clearly doesn't care. If she and Young Money stick to the boycott ... it's a big loss, because it means Lil Wayne's also pulling out of the BET Experience concert.

You'll recall, Nicki and Cardi have had a salty past, getting into it at a NYFW party last September -- but both women said they were squashing the beef. It sounds like Nicki's just pissed about the jab at her, not so much about the celebration of Cardi.

Originally Published -- 12:12 PM PST

9th Wonder says XXXTentacion absolutely deserved to be part of the Grammys' In Memoriam segment, because the guy left a musical legacy that's bigger than life.

The legendary hip-hop producer made no bones about it Monday at LAX, where he told us Grammy producers missed an opportunity to include someone who gave a lot to the industry and changed lives ... adding that every big artist deserves recognition in death.

9th -- who's worked with Jay-Z, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and MANY other giants -- says X's impact on the culture is undeniable ... citing even his own son as proof the controversial MC was making waves before his tragic murder.

He suggests X's exclusion might have something to do with older Recording Academy members not knowing X -- but adds there were plenty of far less famous people honored on screen.

Our photog raised the issue that's reportedly the real reason X didn't make the cut -- his many legal issues and allegations of domestic violence.

After the 2019 Grammy Awards, all the biggest names in music dispersed to various after-parties -- the question ... whose party was the most poppin'???

At least five different get-togethers were going down at the same time late Sunday night all over L.A. Republic Records had a shindig, as did Universal and Sony. Even Mark Ronson threw something himself ... and don't forget the LiveXLive bash.

Each party had its fair share of big fish from the awards ceremony. Republic was able to lure a diverse crowd in Zedd, Paris Jackson, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner as well as Scottie Pippen. UMG's rager featured Earth, Wind & Fire, Eve, Kacey Musgraves and Terry Crews ... and Sony was able to bring in folks like Usher, John Mayer, Maren Morris and Miguel.

Ronson's party was a who's who too -- artists like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry swung by. And, the LiveXLive function had Charli XCX, Rick Ross and Sheck Wes there.

Just two Super Bowl champs hangin' out in Hollywood ...

Julian Edelman and Russell Wilson found each other at a pre-Grammy bash at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday -- and seemed to get along really well!

So, what did they have to talk about? Both guys are Super Bowl champs -- Wilson led the Seahawks to a victory over Peyton Manning's Broncos in Super Bowl 48.

And, Edelman has rings from Super Bowl 49, 51 and 53 ... also, the Super Bowl MVP from 53.

Obviously, Edelman was at the Grammys to present an award and Wilson was there to support his R&B star wife, Ciara.

They weren't the only athletes on hand ... Chris Bosh was also at the party. He's got 2 NBA championship rings.

2/11 8:25 AM PT -- More visual -- graphically visual at that -- evidence of the reunion ... Offset posted a promo video for his upcoming album, and it includes what looks like actual footage of Cardi giving birth to Kulture.

The punchline is a shot of Offset looking shell-shocked in a corner of the delivery room.

8:26 PM PT -- Cardi just won Best Rap Album -- beating out Mac Miller and others -- and she brought her hubby, Offset, onstage with her to accept her award. She even referred to him as her husband, and thanked him in what amounted to a hilariously sweet speech. Yeah ... they're back together, no doubt about it now.

It was certainly an emotional moment ... so much so, apparently, that somebody actually collapsed on the stage right after Cardi delivered her remarks.

A source at the show tells us the person who fainted was a female member of the pit area.

Cardi B and Offset are officially a red carpet couple again -- 'cause they just publicly reunited for the first time since their split last year.

The rappers showed up Sunday at Staples Center dressed to the nines -- especially Cardi, who was clearly paying tribute to designer Thierry Mugler's Fall 1995 collection. She wore a pink dress that looked more like a flower blooming with Cardi in the middle.

And, just to make sure we knew they were definitely back together, Cardi and Offset did this. Nothin' says we're a couple again like some good old-fashioned tongue.

Cardi and Offset were seen hanging out together at a club in Atlanta last weekend after apparently patching things up over the holidays, following a rocky 2018.

Looks like they're a lot closer to being all the way back now. Good for them.

2/11 -- A rep for Drake now says the rapper's speech wasn't cut off and interpreted a pause as the speech's conclusion. The rep added, "Producers did speak with Drake following his speech and did offer him to come back onstage to finish whatever his thoughts were." Drake declined ... saying "he was happy with what he said and had nothing else to add to it."

Drake had a lot to say after winning his latest Grammy -- but, apparently, he went a little too long ... 'cause the show cut him short before he was done with his remarks.

Drizzy accepted his award for Best Rap Song Sunday night -- taking the prize for "God's Plan" -- and toward the tail end of his acceptance speech ... it appeared he was cut off by the showrunners, who sent the telecast to a commercial break.

The timing was slightly awkward. Drake was downplaying the importance of awards, telling his fellow artists that as long as people were shelling out for their shows ... they were already winning, 'cause that's all that matters at the end of the day.

He seemed to be done with that train of thought and took a long pause, but then suddenly ... he tried launching into a new subject with a "but."

Unfortunately, the cameras had already started to zoom out -- signaling that the show was going to cut a break. Drake didn't get to finish his thoughts ... at least not on the air.

Also interesting ... Drake reportedly declined to perform at this year's award show, but was willing to show face to collect his hardware.

Here's a guy who REALLY misses football already -- Kacey Musgraves' producer Shawn Everett who decided to grab some full WR shoulder pads and rock 'em to the Grammys.

Everett is a stud producer -- he's worked with huge stars like John Legend, Alabama Shakes, The Killers, Weezer and more. He's kind of a big deal (which is why he was onstage while Musgraves accepted Album of the Year).

He's also got an interesting sense of style ... and went full CTE chic to the award show -- dressing up his shoulder pads with a full-length skirt, corset, gloves and boots.

As for the pads -- we found 'em online (in case you're looking to recreate the look) -- Adams VS500 Varsity Football Shoulder Pads ... and you can get 'em for around $80.

Of course, Everett ain't the first star to fuse football pads with fashion -- the WWE's legendary tag team Legion of Doom was rockin' the look back in the '90s!