Awards / Awards Shows

Big Willie Style was in full effect after Will Smith won an Oscar and slapped Chris Rock on live TV ... Will was dancing to his famous hit and holding his award at an after-party.

Ya gotta see this video of Will on Oscar Sunday ... no, not the one where he slaps Chris for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith ... this one, where he's dancing to his song, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party in Hollywood.

There's a huge circle around Will, and a ton of cameras in his face ... and it certainly doesn't look like he's bothered by what went down on stage with Chris ... cutting loose on the dance floor, singing his own lyrics and showing off his Oscar for his work in "King Richard."

Former NBA star Charlie Villanueva, who's famously battled Alopecia, ripped Chris Rock for his Oscars barb about the autoimmune disease ... adding that he's "proud" of Will Smith for defending Jada Pinkett Smith.

Villanueva took to Instagram to express his thoughts on the Smith-Rock altercation at Sunday night's Academy Awards ... saying as someone who's had to deal with Alopecia, he knows what Jada is going through.

And, he said he can understand why Smith reacted the way he did following Rock's "balding" G.I. Jane quip.

"She voiced that she struggled with [Alopecia], and Chris Rock thought it was cool to crack a joke," Villanueva said. "We are not with Jada everyday to know the level of the struggle, but Will does."

"As I don’t condone violence, Im proud that Will Smith stood up for his wife."

Villanueva added, "As a fellow Alopecians, I stand with Will and Jada."

Villanueva -- an ambassador for National Alopecia Areata Foundation -- also took to Twitter to send a personal message to those battling Alopecia as well as to Jada ... writing in a tweet, "Remember, you have Alopecia, Alopecia doesn't have you. Don't give up on yourself. Life is just as beautiful as you."

According to The National Library of Medicine, Alopecia affects 1 in every 500-to-1,000 people in the United States ... and can affect men and women equally of any ethnic background.

Villanueva wasn't the only sports figure to praise Will for his reaction Sunday ... former UFC star Tyron Woodley also said on social media that he supported Smith's slap -- saying, "i fight over women, especially the women in my family, Sisters, & Daughter."

Shaquille O'Neal and Steph Curry just added some more hardware to their incredibly decorated trophy rooms -- the two NBA legends just won Oscars for their roles in "The Queen of Basketball" documentary.

The short film was a production of The New York Times, which Shaq and Curry helped produce, about Lusia "Lucy" Harris -- one of the greatest women's basketball players ever.

The film earned the Academy Award on Sunday night for best short subject documentary.

Shaq and Curry helped make the 22-minute doc ... highlighting Harris' incredible achievements on the hardwood -- which included her being the first woman to score a point in the Olympics as well as the first woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team.

Of course, the two are not the first NBA players to win the coveted Hollywood award ... Shaq's former teammate, Kobe Bryant, famously won an Oscar in 2018 for best animated short film, "Dear Basketball."

Kevin Durant and Mike Conley also won in 2021 for producing "Two Distant Strangers," the winner in the best live action short film category.

Chris Rock is NOT going to file a police report -- at least for now -- against Will Smith after the latter smacked him squarely across the face ... but the window is still open.

LAPD brass said Sunday night that they were aware of an incident during the 94th Academy Awards between two individuals ... in which one person slapped the other. Obviously, they're referring to Will and Chris -- but they also note ... CR declined to press charges.

They add ... if Chris wants to file an investigative report at a later date, he can do that -- and they'll be all ears.

Now, as for how exactly the cops got involved in this has been a bit of a mystery until now -- namely, nobody really knew if they were called or if they actually spoke to Chris directly. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were LAPD officers on site during the actual incident, whom we're told witnessed the hit -- and then approached Chris' team thereafter.

Essentially, they watched what they believed to be a crime ... otherwise, they wouldn't have approached him. Since Chris said he wasn't interested in pursuing it, it's routine in a case like this for cops to stand down.

Presumably ... Will could be dinged on assault and battery, but at the moment -- it doesn't seem he's going to face any repercussions for what he did. It's also unclear if the Academy will hold him accountable.

As you know by now, Will struck Chris on stage during the live broadcast following a joke the comedian cracked about Jada Pinkett -- which was about her shaved head ... a direct result of the alopecia she suffers from.

Jay-Z's after-party for the Oscars was definitely one to remember ... 'cause some of Hollywood's biggest names had to make their way through angry protesters to get inside.

The mogul threw his Gold Party at the famed Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, where folks like Rihanna, Saweetie, Kim Kardashian and Diddy were greeted by frustrated former employees of the hotel ... who claim they were mistreated by management.

Other guests included Winnie Harlow, Jon Hamm, Khloe Kardashian, French Montana, Zoe Kravitz and Troy Kotsur -- the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar.

Check out the video ... angry protesters raised their voices and signs, claiming they worked in a toxic work environment with racial discrimination and the owner, André Balazs, abandoned more than 200 fired employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

Will Smith certainly hijacked the Oscars by smacking Chris Rock in the face, but the question ... was he justified??? You be the judge.

Will Smith's got people in his corner following his on-camera altercation with Chris Rock ... getting a big hug from Trevor Noah at the Vanity Fair after-party, having a long, and private, conversation.

Will was still emotional when he got to the party Sunday night in Bev Hills, taking pictures with tears in his eyes ... which is when Trevor came up to the Best Actor winner.

They embraced for quite a while -- more than 1 minute -- clearly trying to have a conversation over the loud music blaring in the room. When it was all said and done, they smiled at each other and posed for some photos.

There's no doubt what they were discussing for so long ... Will slapped Chris Rock after his "G.I. Jane 2" jab at Jada Pinkett Smith.

The crowd, and even Chris, was stunned ... things got more real after Will continued to shout "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth" from his seat.

Trevor tweeted after the slap heard, and seen, 'round the world ... saying, "Wtaf????? That wasn’t scripted?????"

Safe to say he had some questions, and maybe got them answered when he and Will hugged.

Will went to the after-party with the whole family surrounding him -- Jada, daughter Willow, and sons Trey and Jaden.

This year's Oscar nominees have nearly $140,000 in gifts at their fingertips -- but before they claim their loot ... they might wanna consider Uncle Sam, who'll want his cut.

Every year, actors who get a nod from the Academy are also afforded a sweet goodie bag that's worth a bundle -- and this year is no different, with marketing company Distinctive Assets offering up a ton of prizes that, if claimed in full, are valued at $137k and change.

The gifts up for grabs include everything from an all-expenses-paid trip to Scotland with a 3-night stay at a fancy castle ($50k), free construction for a home renovation ($25k), a comped 4-night visit to a luxury spa resort ($15k), a plot of land in the U.K. and a noble title, free lipo ($12k) ... among lots of other perks in the form of services/experiences, or pricey objects.

Might sound cringe -- indeed, it has sparked outrage for a variety of reasons -- but here's the kicker ... the more gifts they claim from the lot, the more they pay down the road.

Yep, we're talking about taxes here ... and all signs point to a hefty bill if a majority of these gifts are accepted and/or used. Everything the nominees claim will be viewed as taxable income -- and some experts speculate that they can be taxed at a rate of 50% or higher!

Of course, that probably isn't lost on the stars themselves ... who may not take up any of the offerings being presented. In fact, Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary explains that just about $5,000 of the swag bag is made up of actual stuff they can take home ... the rest are services/trips. So, if a majority of the gifts go unclaimed, the bag isn't worth as much.

Still, the fact they're trotting out these gratuitously expensive carrots for the nominees at all -- something that's been going on for years, BTW -- has made some wonder... what's really important right now?

We're not saying they're dropping like flies, but COVID is getting in the way of the Oscars ... at least as far as Lin-Manuel Miranda is concerned.

The "Hamilton" mastermind is staying home Sunday night, after his wife tested positive for the virus.

He said ... "Made it to Hollywood … This weekend, my wife tested [positive] for COVID. She's doing fine. Kids & I have tested [negative], but out of caution, I won't be going to the Oscars tomorrow night."

Nonetheless, he was cheering on "Cheering for my Tick, Tick... Boom!" ... which could end up with some hardware ... Andrew Garfield is up for Best Actor.

There are a lot of nervous actors ... to gain entry into the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, they have to produce proof of vaccination and not one but 2 negative PCR tests. There are exceptions -- performers and presenters don't have to show proof of vaccination, which is weird, right?

Denzel Washington's look has the world wondering ... is it always "Training Day"?!

Here is 30-year-old Denzel from his days on "St. Elsewhere" looking professional and fresh -- playing the iconic Dr. Philip Chandler back in 1985 (left).

And, 37 years later the actor recently flashed his bright white smile while attending a celeb-packed event earlier this year (right). With two Oscar wins under his belt, he may just clinch his 3rd tonight. Denzel is nominated for his lead role in "The Tragedy of Macbeth" -- starring as Macbeth himself.

The actor may have ditched the stache, but his good looks continue to grow.

The question is ...

Sean Penn is backing Amy Schumer's idea of having Zelensky beam in to the Oscars ceremony -- going so far as to say if it doesn't happen ... the show should be boycotted.

The award-winning actor -- who's got two statuettes of his own -- made the bold suggestion Saturday during an interview on CNN, which was delving into the humanitarian work he and his crew are doing in Europe as they work to offer relief and aid to fleeing Ukrainians.

Toward the end of the chat, anchor Jim Acosta asked SP what he'd like to see from the Academy Awards Sunday -- and the guy didn't hold back with his thoughts.

Check it out ... Sean is firmly behind the idea of having Zelensky and/or other Ukrainian leaders make an appearance during the telecast, saying there is nothing more important that Hollywood could do in a time like this.

He said some have argued politics should be left out of shows like this, and while he says he might agree with that in some respects ... he suggests the war transcends grandstanding.

Sean also says he's heard the Oscars producers have actually elected to NOT feature Zelensky -- something this year's Oscar co-host, Schumer, alluded to in a recent interview, this after she apparently floated it -- and goes on to say if that's the case ... he'll be pissed.

LeBron James was a big winner Saturday night ... singled out for his work in a big-budget movie -- cause he won some Razzies!!!

LeBron was bestowed with the honor of "Worst Actor" Saturday during the 42nd annual Golden Raspberry Awards celebrating the worst in movies.

LeBron's trophy was an acknowledgment of his work in "Space Jam: The Legacy," in which he played himself ... well, sorta.

But wait, there's more. LeBron also won for "Worst Screen Couple" and "Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel."

Fear not, LeBron, because worse movies were made ... like "Diana the Musical" on Netflix, which snagged Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Director.

While it was a common theme in the show, the "Space Jam" remake wasn't quite as popular as "Diana the Musical" scooping up five trophies.

Jared Leto also scored with Worst Supporting Actor in "House of Gucci."

And, get this ... there was a special category for Bruce Willis ... Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie! It's for "Cosmic Sin" ... in case you're interested.

Emotions always run high for nominees ahead of the Oscars ... but fear is in the air especially this year, as attendees wait nervously for their COVID test results.

Everyone who wants entry to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood must show proof of a negative COVID test and proof of vaccination -- well, with the exception of the presenters and the performers. For some reason, they don't have to show proof of vaccination ... just a negative test.

There's a lot riding on this ... the folks nominated want to attend -- badly -- and the nervousness surrounding testing has its own catch phrase ... swab sweat.

For some reason, the celebs who are required to be tested have to get not just one negative PCR test, but 2. This is way more restrictive than L.A. County's current guidelines.

Best Director nominee Kenneth Branagh is sweating it for sure ... he tested positive for COVID and is self-isolating. Unclear if he'll make the show..

Quavo, and presumably Migos, are off the Grammys and onboard with J. Prince's idea to protest the awards by putting on a hip hop concert to compete with it on the same night!!!

We talked to Quavo Wednesday at LAX, and he told us the Grammys don't mean a thing anymore. Take a listen, he says it's time to start "our own awards ... that appreciate the real s**t going on in the streets."

He thinks the way the Recording Academy classifies his genre is out of touch, calling it an "old language" ... especially because rappers like Quavo are the ones doing the creating, not them.

As you'll recall, Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince called for artists like Ye, Drake and Nicki Minaj to put the Grammys on notice with their own Vegas concert on April 3, the night of the award show. The idea is fully in response to the Academy banning Ye from performing due to "concerning online behavior."

Prince says the only way to make change is prove Grammy ratings will drop when hip hop's biggest artists jump ship to do their own show instead.

We also got New Edition's Ronnie DeVoe and he says statements like this are necessary, because traditional award shows aren't exactly known for inclusivity.

"L" is for the way you look at me ... so says Jennifer Lopez as BF Ben Affleck longingly admires her during the singer's acceptance speech.

J Lo was onstage at the iHeart Music Awards Tuesday night, accepting this year's Icon Award. While thanking her fans for their support over the years, the crowd went nuts, including Ben -- with his 10-year-old son Samuel and her 14-year-old daughter Emme by his side.

His look says it all ... the two have been going through some changes together -- including putting around $55 million down for a massive estate -- so his excitement for a future with her really shows.

TMZ broke the story, the couple is in escrow for a 10-bed, 17-bath home, with a theater, multiple kitchens, and a pool. After scoping out the house this weekend, the two were off to McDonald's, chowing down on some value meals after the big purchase!

Damon Dash isn't here for the Grammys yanking Kanye West from its performance lineup ... insisting the Recording Academy has no place judging him or any other hip-hop artist.

We caught up with the rap mogul Tuesday at LAX, and he's so pissed about the Ye-Grammys situation that he says it's time to kick the whole award show to the curb ... telling us, "We make our own Grammys."

Remember, even though he can't perform, Ye can attend the show -- so, we asked what he thinks would happen if he wins and gets on stage to accept his Grammy. DD says it shouldn't ever come to that, because he's encouraging Ye to skip it altogether.

Damon's embracing the theory the Grammys are outdated and out of touch with hip hop -- and tells us he didn't go either when he was nominated.

He's clearly over Academy execs judging who's hot and who's not in the industry.

As Dame puts it, "They gotta respect our culture."

As we reported, Kanye was barred from performing at this year's award show, due to his "concerning online behavior" ... ya know, his online attacks against ex-wife Kim Kardashian, her new bf Pete Davidson and a slew of others.

Lots of folks have jumped to Ye's defense, including Grammys host Trevor Noah -- at whom Kanye fired some online shots -- saying he wanted the rapper to get counseled, not canceled.

Damon's idea is picking up steam. On Tuesday, J. Prince called on hip-hop artists -- including Ye, Drake and Nicki Minaj -- to protest the award show, and get together to perform an anti-Grammys concert.

He's going for the Recording Academy's neck, too ... he wants to do the concert in Las Vegas on April 3 -- the same night and location of the Grammys.