Awards / Awards Shows

Affion Crockett is remembering late actor Sidney Poitier as a "king" ... and thanking him for kicking open the door and paving the way for Black entertainers.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked how he's remembering Sidney ... and Affion says he wouldn't have a platform today without Poitier changing the landscape of how Hollywood viewed Black men.

Affion says Sidney was more than a trailblazer ... also remembering him as a prolific actor and orator, and marveling at the way he carried himself and represented his craft.

As we reported ... Sidney died at the age of 94, and tons of tributes are pouring in for the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor.

The Golden Globes are, indeed, happening this year -- but there'll be some major changes ... including where you can catch it, and who will (or won't, rather) be there to bear witness.

A release Tuesday states the Globes are going to be livestreamed this year, where winners will be announced for their respective categories. The big difference, of course, is that NBC will not be carrying the broadcast ... nor will any other major network.

There also won't be a large audience or any celebs in attendance.

You'll recall ... the NBC decision came down last year after some diversity controversy caused by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which many felt hadn't done enough by 2021's show to nominate more people of color -- something they vowed to fix and work on going forward. It even became a running (awkward) gag throughout last year's ceremony.

They've made some strides since then ... but not nearly in enough time to find another home.

During the show, Kyle Bowser, Senior Vice President of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau will break down the "Reimagine Coalition," a movement to increase diversity across the entertainment biz. The coalition is a five-year initiative.

Of course, there will still be COVID precautions in place for the few who are able to attend and present, including proof of vax AND booster as well as a negative PCR test.

Besides that, we're told it'll be host-less and spectator-less ... this despite the fact there are some huge names up for awards. Some notable ones ... Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali, Nicole Kidman, just to name a few.

However, the main focus of the show will be on the orgs the HFPA has worked with and sponsored over the years.

Jean-Marc Vallee, the director of "Dallas Buyers Club," "Sharp Objects," and "Big Little Lies," has died ... and it was both sudden and unexpected.

Vallee passed near Quebec City, at his cabin.

His producing partner, Nathan Ross, said ... "Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy. Everyone who worked with him couldn't help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me. The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on."

Vallee was acclaimed in his field, and the awards underscore his achievements. He received an Oscar nom for editing "Dallas Buyers Club," and snagged 2 Emmys for directing and producing "Big Little Lies." "Sharp Objects" was nominated for Emmys 8 times over.

Vallee's big break came with "C.R.A.Z.Y.," which he directed and wrote.

Vallee is survived by sons Alex and Emile.

He was 58. RIP

Britney Spears is reminding fans what kinda voice she has -- and while she's looking forward to using it again in a studio, she's not ready to let go of her past anger at her family.

Britney posted a video Wednesday standing in front of her mirror and singing at the top of her voice -- not many lyrics, mostly an R&B-style vocal run. Her caption, though, is pure venom for her family ... she wrote, "I just realized this today guys … after what my family tried to do to me three years ago … I needed to be my own cheerleader 🤷🏼‍♀️ !!!! God knows they weren’t."

She posted a bunch of her accomplishments, apparently after a little Googling, she found she's sold 100 million records, 33 million albums and logged billions of online streams. That's the good news.

On the other hand, she says, "I’m here to remind my white 'classy' family that I haven’t forgotten what they did to me nor will I ever forget !!!!⁣"

As for what happened 3 years ago, Brit's likely referring to when her family allegedly put her back into rehab in 2019. Remember, she was just about to start her Vegas show, but needed to postpone it ... and her dad, Jamie Spears, had become very ill.

Britney also teased fans, saying ... "Pssss new song in the works … I’m gonna let you know what I mean 😉 !!!!!"

7-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is now Sir Lewis Hamilton -- the racing superstar just received his knighthood from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle!!

36-year-old Hamilton first learned of the honor last December -- after matching Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 7 championships.

In case you're not up to speed on the honors, a knighthood is an award and title given to someone by the royal family for high achievement and service to their country within their respective industry.

Of course, the Mercedes driver has won more races than any other in F1 history ... and was on his way to securing a record-breaking eighth title this past Sunday, had it not been for a controversial decision at the end.

Hamilton had a lead wiped out when a safety car was deployed after a late crash ... allowing Max Verstappen to eventually catch up and pass him.

According to reports, the British racing star was heard saying, "This has been manipulated, man," on his car radio, but Hamilton later congratulated Max and his team after the race was over.

Wednesday's ceremony hopefully helped ease the loss -- Hamilton attended with his mother, Carmen, who watched as her son became just the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to be knighted.

Sonya and Dell Curry's relationship is still clearly fractured, 'cause Steph's parents sat in completely opposite sections for their son's record-breaking night Tuesday.

Dell had a seat near the hardwood at Madison Square Garden in NYC for the Warriors star's big game against the Knicks -- while Sonya sat in a different part of the arena several rows back.

The two never appeared to speak to each other, or even look at each other for that matter, despite Steph breaking Ray Allen's mark for most 3-pointers in a career early in the evening.

To his credit, Steph was able to find both of his parents following the record-setting shot ... handing the game ball to his pops and then going in another direction to share a long embrace with his mom just off the court.

As we previously reported, Sonya filed for divorce from Dell earlier this year ... and court docs showed the two did not have a clean breakup at all.

Both parties accused each other of cheating ... with Dell saying Sonya began dating a former New England Patriots player while they were still together.

And, if their actions toward each other Tuesday were any indication, it's obvious things still haven't been repaired between the two.

Kim Kardashian took home the Fashion Award at the 2021 People's Choice Awards last night ... and she thanked her ex, Ye ... YAY!!!

Last year's winner, Tracee Ellis Ross, presented the award to KK, who wore a skin-tight black jumpsuit, gloves and sunglasses -- as she sauntered down a long runway to accept.

The Kardashian was full of gratitude and said she felt honored to receive the award from Tracee. But, the nod to her estranged husband, Kanye, was by far the most interesting moment.

Kim said she felt inspired by so many people. But, she made sure to give her ex all his flowers ... "To Kanye," she said, "for really introducing me to the fashion world"

Kim explained she started off as a closet organizer and a stylist, so getting the honor felt like a "pinch-me moment" ... "I fell in love with fashion and I'm so inspired by so many people but again, this is like a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things and take a risk."

It's pretty amazing ... Kim went from working behind the counter at the Dash store to launching her shapewear brand, Skims, which was valued at over $1 billion. And, of course, there's her beauty brands -- KKW BEAUTY and KKW Fragrance.

Balenciaga is clearly her thing ... you'll recall her all-black jumpsuit, gloves, and long pleated train that covered her from head to toe at the MET Gala -- yes, even her face.

Drake won't be partaking in the upcoming Grammy Awards -- despite being nominated -- because the guy just pulled his submissions ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper has withdrawn his 2 Grammy nominations -- one for Best Rap Album in "Certified Lover Boy" and another for Best Rap Performance in "Way 2 Sexy" -- after having gotten nods about two weeks ago.

A source close to Drake tells us the decision was made by Drake and his management team,  and the Grammys board respected it. Variety was first to report Drake's withdraw.

He's obviously no stranger to the award ceremony -- having racked up multiple wins over the years, including one in 2019 -- but Drake has also publicly noted he isn't a fan of accolades like this ... saying they're virtually meaningless.

He was also one of the first to speak up after The Weeknd was snubbed by the ceremony, saying, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards."

Of course, this move might have more to do with his involvement in Astroworld Fest than his stance on awards -- the guy's been relatively low-key since the tragedy, especially since he's been named in a few of the lawsuits that have surfaced thus far.

The island of Barbados is now an independent republic, and one of its leaders' first orders of business is crowning homegrown jewel, Rihanna ... a national treasure.

Monday marked an historic milestone for the Caribbean nation, as Queen Elizabeth II was removed as the head of state there and Barbados became its own independent body for the first time. It also served as an induction, of sorts, for RiRi -- who was dubbed an official national hero.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley -- who serves separately from the newly elected President, Sandra Mason -- bestowed Rihanna with the title, saying she had "commanded the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence with her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth."

Rihanna has done a lot for Barbados in several capacities -- not only does she rep her home in her music and elsewhere, but she's also served as an ambassador since 2018. Besides this latest honor, they've showered her with other accolades and gestures over the years -- including naming a street after her.

She's just the 11th Barbadian in history to be deemed a national hero.

Meanwhile, the rest of Barbados was celebrating the fact it no longer has to operate under the monarchy going forward, which was a long time coming. The island declared independence from the U.K. back in 1966, but remained one of its Commonwealth Nations.

For what it's worth ... the Royal Family was fully in support, sending Prince Charles down to make a speech praising Barbados' freedom -- a move that got mixed reactions due to the history of slavery and exploitation established by his ancestor, King James I, in 1625.

Barbados will continue to operate within the Commonwealth.

Bebe Rexha might not be your regular Grammy darling -- but she doesn't need any of the trophies to confirm the most important thing in this biz ... namely, people love her music.

Here's the deal ... BR has three songs that have now broken a billion streams each -- including her hit with G-Eazy, "Me, Myself & I" -- which clearly means fans dig the content and then some -- but as Bebe herself noted, she doesn't have the hardware to prove it.

That's what we talked to her about this week at LAX ... where we asked why she thought the numbers don't necessarily translate to awards, even when the consensus among listeners is overwhelming.

Watch what she had to say ... in Bebe's eyes, there's a lot more at play behind the scenes when it comes to collecting accolades -- including politics and money, and it sounds like she thinks her music, for whatever reason, doesn't sway the powers that be.

No matter, though ... 'cause Bebe tells us she's got everything she needs to be happy -- including enough dough to take care of her family, and the love and support of her label/team ... not to mention her adoring fans, which is all that matters to her.

Great perspective here, and it might actually be a trickling down philosophy courtesy of Champagne Papi ... who's been snubbed many a time at award shows.

Floyd Mayweather may not be WBC champ anymore ... but his face will forever be part of the organization's famous green championship belt, 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the undefeated fighter's portrait was permanently added to the strap.

WBC prez Mauricio Sulaiman tells us the World Boxing Council has permanently added Mayweather's portrait to every future belt ... joining Muhammad Ali.

The belt above is Tyson Fury's ... hence why the Gypsy King is on the strap.

Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis -- both great former WBC champs -- also have their portraits on the heavyweight belts (other divisions have other legendary fighters).

The belt also features a photograph of José Sulaiman ... Mauricio's late dad.

Of course, the WBC is one of the 4 major organizations (IBF, WBA, WBO) that sanction professional boxing matches.

In other words, being WBC champ is a big deal ... and having your face on the belt for the rest of time is absolutely awesome.

Why Floyd? Well, he held WBC belts across multiple weight classes for many years ... and at 50-0, is regarded as one of the greatest boxers ever.

Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle both grabbed Grammy noms -- despite their individual battles with "cancel culture" -- a signal maybe "canceling" people is on the wane.

The Academy announced its picks Tuesday ... Louis received a nom for Best Comedy Album and Chappelle for Best Spoken Word Album. Of course, Twitter was quick to react, mostly full of people who have had it up to HERE with C.C.

One user wrote, "Louis CK just got nominated for a Grammy, in case people wanted to keep clutching their pearls about the long-term effects of cancel culture." Another said, "only one grammy nom each for dave chappelle, kevin hart, and louis CK!! cancel culture strikes again!!"

It was back in 2017 when Louis C.K. admitted to exposing himself and masturbating in front of women or during phone convos. We saw a glimpse that things were turning around for him when he got a standing ovation at a show in 2019 before COVID closed venues across the country.

As we reported ... Dave's had his recent share of controversy as well -- especially from some in the LGBTQ+ community -- after his most recent Netflix special, "The Closer" almost entirely was centered around transgender and gay people.

Iman Shumpert is a champion once again ... and just like coming back from a 3-1 lead, it was a shocking upset win.

The former Cavs guard -- who made history when he became the first former pro hoops player to advance to the finals of "Dancing with the Stars" last week -- took home the Mirror Ball trophy with his partner, Daniella, after a freestyle dance that had all of social media talking.

It was a nail-biter 'til the end ... and a lot of folks thought Siwa was going to take it all. But, there can only be one winner, and it was the 6'5" hooper crowned champ.

Shumpert is the first NBA player to ever win it all ... joining other pro athletes like Emmitt Smith, Shawn Johnson, Hines Ward and more who have come in first.

Shump's fellow Cavs champ LeBron James gave a big shoutout to Iman after the win ... saying, "Congrats bro!! That's so (fire emoji)"

As we previously reported, Iman's wife, Teyana Taylor told us before the show the NBAer had an advantage after spending countless hours at her dance rehearsals -- and it clearly paid off!!

Shumpert tasted victory in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers ... becoming the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win it all.

Jennifer Lopez was in bridal mode this weekend, and although it was probably more PR than where her heart is at the moment -- it had to get Ben Affleck's attention!!!

J Lo was one of several solo acts Sunday at the American Music Awards, and her wardrobe choice was interesting ... opting for a full-on wedding dress, complete with an elaborate veil.

She did a quick outfit change while singing "On My Way" from her new feature film, "Marry Me" -- which is all about her getting hitched to Owen Wilson -- so, the dress was clearly intended to plug the upcoming movie.

Still, it could be seen in another light ... especially considering how well things are going between her and Ben. They've been public for about 6 months now, and are never too far apart from each other for too long.

With that in mind -- you could totally see this bride's showcase as a hint to something more. And, when you consider what Jen told the Today Show just last week about the possibility of getting hitched again ... all the more reason to believe she's ready for marriage #4.

She told Carson Daly -- when asked about the prospect of walking down the aisle anew -- that she wouldn't rule it out, y'know ... seeing how she's a classic romantic and all.

Age ain't nothing but a number -- and 105-year-old runner Julia Hawkins is full proof of that after setting a world record in the 100-meter dash run in her age group!!

Hawkins -- better known as Hurricane -- made history with a 1:02:95 time in the race at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games last weekend.

Hawkins is the first female track and field athlete and American to set the 100-meter record in her 105+ age group.

"The older you get, the more passions you ought to have," Hawkins told USA Today, "Keeping active is one of my most important passions."

"I believe in magic moments, thinking of things that you see and do and feel that more than just usual. They're absolutely out of this world, they're so unusual. And wonderful."

Hawkins added, "Every time I race it's a magic moment."

This isn't the first time Hawkins has made history on the track --- in 2017, she ran the fastest 100-meter for age group 100-104 in the National Seniors Games.

"People say that they want to be just like me when they grow up... And I think if I can please people and give them hope, then it's worth living longer."

The former middle school teacher got into the sport when she was 100 ...  after her four kids registered her shortly after she gave up 8-10 years of biking ... and she loves it.

"When I started running, I found it was a pleasure. I enjoyed doing it," Hawkins said.

"I felt that would be a neat challenge to run the 100 [meter] dash, at 100, in under a minute."

The Louisiana games is a qualifier for the National Senior Games in Florida in May 2022 -- and Hawkins is still debating if she'll go this year.

LL Cool J isn't just receiving his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he's also giving back to the org by donating something special ... with horsepower to spare.

You might've seen clips of the Queens-born rapper doing his thing on stage when he got the huge honor this past weekend, but what you didn't see is LL hooking up the HOF with a red Audi that's near and dear to his heart.

The whip was featured on the cover of his second album, "BAD" -- which came out in 1987 -- and LL sought out the help of custom auto body shop Unique Rides in NYC to restore it for the Hall.

The shop's owner, Will Castro, tells TMZ ... LL approached him about this last year during the pandemic, asking if the UR crew could help him out.

Little back story on the ride -- it was one of LL's first big purchases after signing his initial Def Jam record deal ... which explains why he held on to it after all these years. Castro says it was being stored at LL's grandma's house in NYC for nearly 3 decades!!!

He says it was in pretty bad shape -- it's an '87 Audi 5000, after all, and as you can see, it was pretty torn up from the inside out.

We're told the tweaks made include ... new bodywork, a fresh paint job, installing a custom 2-tone black leather interior with red piping, a full stereo system with Blaupunkt cassette deck (truly old school), amps and subs, red lighting, putting in OG BBS wheels and a full engine rebuild.