Awards / Awards Shows

Brian Dennehy -- the veteran actor whose career spanned 5 decades on the stage and screen -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Dennehy died Wednesday night in Connecticut ... we're told he passed of natural causes and there will not be an official autopsy.

The actor's career began in the '70s with a run of small guest roles on TV shows like "Kojak," "M*A*S*H," "Lou Grant" and "Dallas" ... before landing a recurring role on "Dynasty" in 1981.

That led to his big breakout movie role the following year -- playing Sheriff Teasle in Sylvester Stallone's Rambo action flick, "First Blood."

He'd go on to star in several films in the '80s and '90s, including "Silverado," "Cocoon," "The Belly of an Architect," "Best Seller," "Presumed Innocent" and "Romeo + Juliet."

Brian's most notable comedy role came in 1995, when he played Big Tom Callahan in the classic Chris Farley-led laugh-fest, "Tommy Boy."

In more recent years, he voiced the character Django in "Ratatouille" and appeared on the hit show, "The Blacklist." All in all, he has nearly 200 film and television credits to his name ... and he won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in 2001 for the TV movie, "Death of a Salesman."

Dennehy was also an accomplished theater actor, winning 2 Tony Awards for Best Actor ... his first for "Death of a Salesman" a couple years before his TV role, and the second for "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in 2003.

In fact, the last time we saw him in 2013, he was in L.A. doing a play ... and he had some good jokes.

Brian's survived by his wife and 5 children. He was 81.

RIP

Rob Gronkowski didn't just host WrestleMania 36, HE WON A CHAMPIONSHIP BELT!!!

The ex-NFL star dropped the mic and took out his homeboy, Mojo Rawley, on Sunday night to win the coveted 24/7 championship belt ... and man, was he PUMPED!!

FYI, the 24/7 title is ALWAYS on the line -- the titleholder can be pinned by ANYONE, any time, any place. And, if a ref busts out a 3 count, it's over!

So, during Sunday's Part 2 of Mania from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando ... Gronk saw an opportunity and pounced.

Mojo had only won the title on Saturday after pinning R-Truth in a sneak attack during Part 1.

And, while he was trying to run away from challengers on Sunday, Gronk decided to jump off of a perch and crushed several wrestlers ion the process ... knocking Mojo out cold and getting the pin!!!

Wasn't this dude supposed to have a bad back?!!

So, hail to the new victor, WWE CHAMPION ROB GRONKOWSKI!!!

Darren Sproles says he deserves a bronze bust in Canton someday ... straight-up telling TMZ Sports he's a Hall of Famer.

"I feel like I am," Sproles says. "But it's not for me to choose."

FYI ... Sproles' ex-teammate and All-Pro OL Brandon Brooks couldn't have agreed more with the former Eagles RB while the two were out in LA this week, saying, "Bro, there is no doubt."

Sproles has a solid case ... the 36-year-old played in the NFL for 14 years and is considered one the best utility backs that's ever touched the gridiron.

The 5-foot-6, 190-pound NFLer rushed for 3,552 yards in his career, added 4,840 more receiving yards and piled up more than 10,000 punt and kick return yards as well.

It's unclear if he'll ever get in -- the Hall doesn't have too many util guys in it -- but Darren is eligible for the honor starting in 2025, having retired after this past season.

Dr. Phil has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame now, and he's using the momentous occasion to thank some, and stick it to others ... including his own father!!!

The famed TV doctor was honored Friday by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, not only for all the years starring on his daytime talk show ... but for the many other hats in entertainment he wears, as well.

Dr. Phil says he obviously didn't get all this success by himself -- he specifically thanked his wife of nearly 44 years, Robin, numerous times -- and wished he could share the star with many others. Ya gotta see it though, 'cause of course he said it in a way only Phil could.

It wouldn't be a Dr. Phil speech, though, if he didn't share a story. This one was a shout-out to people who doubted him along the way, and he didn't hesitate to call out his dad. It's a mic drop moment, for sure.

The ceremony also featured speeches by Tyler Perry and country singer Ronnie Dunn. Tyler dropped a pretty solid joke ... as his most famous character.

John Travolta sharing a stage with Pitbull at a Latin music awards show definitely sounds like a dream, but pinch yourself, 'cause it really happened ... and it was kinda glorious to see.

The rapper emceed Premio Lo Nuestro 2020 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami but playing host wasn't all he was up to that night. He also performed a medley of his greatest hits ... and among his performances included "3 to Tango."

Travolta, of course, stars in the "3 to Tango" music video ... which only shows the back of John's head most of the time until the big reveal at the end. So, when Travolta joined Pitbull on stage, the crowd naturally ate it up.

It wasn't quite "Saturday Night Fever" but Travolta still danced his ass off, and even stuck around and grabbed a mic for Pitbull's "Get Ready" performance.

Pitbull -- winner of 7 'PLN' awards -- also brought out Chesca and Lil Jon to perform "Cinco de Mayo."

The confusion, or even contempt, over Blac Chyna being a guest at the Oscars proves the award show still has a big problem with people of color -- that's how she feels, anyway.

A rep for Chyna tells TMZ ... what should have been a magical and dream-fulfilling moment for her has turned into a demeaning instance of "black lash," with multiple media outlets unfairly asking, "Why is SHE there?"

In Chyna's view, she more than deserved to be there not only because she contributes to the entertainment industry as star of her own reality show, but as a black woman who "finds inspiration in supporting her friends, mentors, and other talent that has helped provide a blueprint for her career."

Chyna's rep says her Academy Awards attendance was no different from many other entertainment professionals who attended, despite not being nominated or involved in film in any way. The biggest difference, according to Chyna's team, is her background and skin color.

"Whether it be the fact that she is a reality star, a single mother, or the inevitable reminder that she was a former stripper ... it does nothing to change the narrative that just maybe the Oscars indeed are 'so white'" ... says Chyna's rep.

The rep adds, all the buzz over Chyna's attendance "further highlights the fight that many African Americans in the Entertainment Industry face; yes, even during Black History Month."

Ya get the point. Chyna's incensed and feels she's the victim of systemic racism.

We're told she still feels it was worth it to take a stand and be a role model, showing young people of color what they can achieve.

BTW, we're told she went with a music producer but secured her own invitation.

Sean McVay says there WILL be a bronze bust of Eric Weddle in Canton someday ... telling TMZ Sports the safety is a no-brainer Hall of Famer!

"He's a special person -- one of the smartest players I've ever worked with," McVay says. "He's had a great career. He's a Hall of Famer."

Of course, Weddle just announced his retirement last week ... and debates over his HOF candidacy are already pouring in.

Some say the dude didn't do enough to earn a space in the Hall ... but when we got Weddle's old coach with the Rams out at Catch in L.A. over the weekend, he said Eric belongs.

As for Weddle's case ... he could easily prove McVay right -- the 35-year-old was a 6-time Pro Bowler in 13 NFL seasons and he racked up 29 career interceptions.

"Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho is a man of his word -- or so it appears after we caught the Oscars' biggest winner partying deep into the night.

The entire "Parasite" cast was still feeling it right around 2 AM Monday when we saw them rolling out of SoHo House in West Hollywood. Joon-ho's masterpiece earned 4 Academy Awards, out of 6 nominations, Sunday night.

After accepting the Best Director trophy, he vowed to "drink until the morning" as he walked off stage ... thinking it was time to start the celebration. Of course, he wasn't done yet ... since he was back a few minutes later to win Best Picture.

Still, based on their mood at closing time, we're guessing Joon-ho and co. kept that drinking promise. Although, we can't say for sure -- admittedly, our camera guy should've utilized their translator more.

However, the film's stars and the director were posing with random strangers, and their Oscars. Kang-ho Song -- the Kim family dad, if you've seen it (and you should) -- looked particularly festive as he happily took pics with fans.

They all loaded into 2 Sprinter vans with a tight grip on their Oscars. Sure, they could've gone back to their hotel rooms after this ... but watch the clip. We're betting they emptied their mini-bars.

To the winner go the spoils!

The Oscars might have had surprise winners, but it's no surprise that everyone -- win or lose -- is still in the mood to party the night away at the huge after-parties.

Netflix scored the most Oscar noms for a studio this year with 20, and celebrated 2 victories at the San Vicente Bungalows in WeHo. Laura Dern, who won Best Supporting Actress for "Marriage Story," attended and was joined by a couple other Netflix movie big shots ... Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. Marty came away empty-handed for directing "The Irishman."

Jennifer Aniston was also there, no nominations, but she's Jen ... and that's enough.

Meanwhile, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson and Donatella Versace were among the attendees packing into Vanity Fair's shindig at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Bev Hills.

But, Jay-Z and Beyonce's after-party at the famed Chateau Marmont might take the prize for the most celebs -- like Kourtney Kardashian leaving little to the imagination with serious sideboob in her sparkly dress.

Brad Pitt just won his first acting Oscar ever, and his acceptance speech -- not to mention the trajectory of his life -- has truly proven good guys win in the end.

BP was named Sunday as the Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." When he took the mic ... he touched on politics, his kids and Hollywood in general, making sure to acknowledge the little people -- like stuntmen and women.

BTW, Brad plays a stuntman in Quentin Tarantino's flick. So good on him for the shout-out.

When it comes to politics, Brad cracked that he only had 45 seconds up there ... which is 45 seconds more than the U.S. Senate gave to John Bolton to testify in Trump's impeachment trial. Of course, DT was acquitted of wrongdoing last week. No witnesses testified.

He also made sure to mention his costar, Leonardo DiCaprio, in his speech ... saying he'd be happy to ride his coattails to success anytime. Brad also dedicated the win to his kids ... something he didn't do during his big Globes win, but for good reason.

All in all though, the speech and the win is emblematic of the idea that, really, you can't put a label on someone over a moment in time. Brad's been through a lot over the past several years -- including a divorce, getting sober and reclaiming his clout professionally.

With this, he's managed to conquer all three ... and couldn't look better doing it. Congrats, bud. You've come a long way!

It's Oscars night, and the stars have started to arrive looking like a million bucks and then some ... with a wide palette of fashion choices that should please everyone.

Some of the stars who've shown up so far to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles ... Laura Dern, Bong Joon-ho, Harvey Keitel, Mindy Kaling, Regina King, Sigourney Weaver, Mario Lopez, Zazie Beetz, Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, John Cho, Diane Warren, Blac Chyna, Erin Lim, Billy Porter, America Ferrera, Chrissy Metz, Idina Menzel, Kelly Ripa and more.

Spike Lee showed up as well, rocking a purple and gold suit with the number 2-4 emblazoned across his collar to honor Kobe. Spike's a big Knicks fan ... so it's a big deal.

Sam Mendes will be THE big winner at the Academy Awards -- at least that's what an ad that ran for a play he's directing wanted folks to think ... before it was called a mistake.

Here's the deal ... Mendes is signed on to direct a play called "The Lehman Trilogy," which hits Broadway in about a month from now. 'Lehman' already has got its own Instagram page, and on Sunday ... the account ran an ad calling Mendes the winner of Best Picture and Best Director for his "one-shot" war flick, "1917," which has gotten tons of love this award season.

FYI ... the Oscars haven't started yet, and the winners certainly haven't been made public. At least it appears they haven't, anyway.

The ad -- which was active on IG for at least a few hours -- read in part ... "From Sam Mendes, winner of the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his WWI epic '1917,' THE LEHMAN TRILOGY opens on Broadway March 26. Previews begin March 7."

Now, we talked to a spokesman for the 'Lehman' play, and a rep tells us the whole thing was a mistake, and that the ad is being taken down ASAP. We're told nobody at 'Lehman' knows the results, and they're simply hoping for Sam to win big.

Reading between the lines ... it appears somebody on the social team prepped an ad in anticipation of these results, and got ahead of themselves in running it prematurely.

We've reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So far, no word back.

The guy who made the foreign flick that's the talk of the town doesn't care if it wins big on Sunday -- he's tired of all the hubbub ... and just wants to get behind a camera again.

We got director Bong Joon Ho at LAX over a one-month time span, during which his Korean film, "Parasite," has been snowballing in popularity and positioning itself as a legit favorite in the Oscar race ... even for the top prize of Best Picture, which would be a huge deal.

You wouldn't know the importance though by the way Bong talked Tuesday about his chances at the Academy Awards. Dude seems like he's gassed from all the press he's been having to do ... not to mention all the other award shows where he's been killing it.

Just a month ago in January, he was just as humble with us ... saying he's not sure if "Parasite" will be a game-changer in helping foreign films break out with mainstream American audiences, but if it does ... he says it'll be incremental. A bit modest if you ask us.

Fact is ... "Parasite" is actually a fantastic movie, and if it wins BP on Sunday, it would truly open the door for other international projects to crossover and have widespread appeal.

Brad Pitt's string of hilarious acceptance speeches rolled on across the pond for the BAFTA Awards where he brought up Prince Harry and Megxit ... in front of Prince William.

BP didn't make it to the ceremony Sunday night in London, so his costar, Margot Robbie, accepted his BAFTA (it's like the British Oscars) for Best Supporting Actor, and read the speech he'd written.

Margot said, speaking as Brad, "I'm gonna name this Harry, 'cause (Brad) is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words, not mine. Thanks!"

The line killed ... most people seemed to laugh, and then the camera cut to Prince William and Kate Middleton in the front row. They clapped and smiled, appropriately, but watch ... they clearly knew they were on camera. BTW, Will is the President of BAFTA ... so it's kinda his show.

Of course, it's no surprise Brad went for a timely punchline in front of an audience. He's been on a comedy tour of sorts these past few weeks, joking about his single status.

Looks like that material got a bit stale, and he tried something new and decidedly British.

While the NFL world goes crazy deciding if Eli Manning belongs in Canton, the retired QB ain't stressin' AT ALL ... so says his famous dad.

We spoke to Archie Manning outside of Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami where he had just dined with his sons, Eli and Peyton.

It's obvious Archie believes his son belongs in the Hall of Fame, but we wanted to know if Archie is bothered by people like Deion Sanders who says he just ain't worthy.

"I don't think it bothers him at all," Archie said ... "He's fine. Very content."

"Eli's just finished up a long career ... [he's] looking forward to doing some things with his family."

Eli has a pretty good resume -- 2 Super Bowl rings and 2 Super Bowl MVPs in his 16-year career. He started 210 consecutive games over 13 seasons, the 3rd longest streak in NFL history.

As for the NY Giants, Archie still has mad love for the G-Men ... praising the organization, the new coach and the QB who took Eli's job.

"[Daniel Jones is] a great young man," Archie raved ... while predicting playoffs for NY in the near future.