Awards / Awards Shows

Keegan-Michael Key joined a very lucky group on the TMZ Celebrity Tour ... offerin' up advice on how award shows can evolve so comedy bits don't drag people down.

Keegan hopped on our bus in Bev Hills ... and as his wife and writing partner Elle kicked it on the sidewalk, he offered up some tips on cringe-worthy humor during these awards shows.

KMK put it plainly -- you can make a killer joke that has a positive message ... but bringing someone down should be out of bounds.

He's pretty clearly referring to last week's Emmys ... where Jimmy Kimmel was dragged for "passing out" on stage as Quinta Brunson accepted her award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

After finishing his TMZ Tour "Ted Talk," he entertained passengers with a throwback from 'Key & Peele' ... breaking out his substitute teacher character that he debuted a decade ago!!!

The Las Vegas Aces were poppin' bottles, twerkin', and making beer angels in the locker room after winning their first WNBA title!

The party went down after the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun, 78-71, in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at the Mohegan Sun Arena Sunday ... winning the championship.

It's the team's first title ... as well as the first 'chip for head coach Becky Hammon -- who made history as the first coach to win a title in their first season at the helm.

So, the Aces had A LOT to celebrate!

And, Aisha Sheppard -- a 2nd round pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft -- enjoyed the beer showers by dropping to the floor and making a beer angel (she's from D.C., she knows a thing or two about snow).

While Aisha was enjoyin' the drizzle, Kelsey Plum was hilariously interrupting Chelsea Gray (the Finals MVP) and A'ja Wilson's press conference ... with her boombox.

Plum -- who had 15 points in the deciding game -- also shared her championship meal on her IG ... a salad. But, don't ask her if it was good.

"They gave the team pizza, okay?! Look what they gave me," the point guard said, "I'm so faded I can't even taste this."

Yeah, the Emmy Awards are all about taking home one of those statues, but it's not a total loss if ya don't get one ... 'cause there's always the after-party!!!

Netflix hosted their Emmy night affair at Milk Studios and some of the winners who pulled up to celebrate included Julia Garner and Jason Bateman from "Ozark" and Kim Ji-yeon and Oh Young-soo from "Squid Games".

"Squid Games" star Lee Jung-jae took a moment to flick it up with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos ... while still clenching his Emmy for Best Male Actor in a drama, the first Asian actor to do so.

"Stranger Things" creator Matt Duffer and star Charlie Heaton were also at the Netflix bash, even though most of the show's cast skipped the award show.

The HBO Max after party, held at San Vicente Bungalows, was just as popping.

"Succession" star Nicholas Braun and "White Lotus" producer David Bernad hit up the reception ... as well as Maude Apatow and Sydney Sweeney from the hit series "Euphoria".

Braun's costars -- Jeremy Strong and Matthew Macfadyen were also looking to cut loose ... after all the "Succession" cast scored the Emmy for Best Drama.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" stars Larry David and Cheryl Hines also made sure to celebrate the night with HBO.

The 2022 Emmys are over, and it's clear a memo went out before the affair kicked off -- wear black or white, and most of the attendees fell in line.

We're joking about the memo, but it's true celebs were all smiles Monday night at the Microsoft Theater in downtown L.A., and also all kinda matchy.

Those on theme included Reese Witherspoon and Laura Linney, Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun, Andrew Garfield and Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein, Seth Rogen and Julia Garner ... and a lot more.

A lot of the gents in the room wore simple black and white tuxes -- so in many ways, it was a pretty traditional fashion affair, but the number of people in straight-up black and white definitely caught the eye.

Everyone looked great, and obviously brought out their best 'fits. It just seems they all hopped on a conference call together, 'cause very few people broke the unofficial dress code.

Jennifer Coolidge punked the Emmys in spectacular fashion Monday night ... when she defied the orchestra that was trying to get her off the stage and turned the whole thing into a dance party!!!

Jennifer won the richly-deserved award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series and at first, seemed a little flummoxed ... she says she swelled up after taking a lavender bath ... so much so she barely got into her Emmy getup and had trouble speaking.

She was hysterical ... seemingly rattled as she ticked off the people she wanted to thank.

Then, the dreaded orchestra started to play her off, but Jen wasn't having it. She made it clear this could be a "once-in-a-lifetime" moment and wasn't about to go quietly.

The band then pivoted to more lively music, and rather than taking the hint, she busted a move that sent the audience into an uproar of laughter. It was Ferris-Bueller-like as other celebs in their seats started to feel the beat in solidarity!

Steven Spielberg has done it again -- his latest flick got a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend ... and the Oscar buzz is so loud you'd think it was a chainsaw.

The iconic moviemaker got a packed room of ticketholders at TIFF Saturday to rise to their feet once the credits started to roll at the conclusion of his newest offering, 'The Fabelmans,' which is inspired by his own life and family ... and story about how he got into filmmaking.

According to critics and journos who were there ... it's being considered a masterpiece, and perhaps one of SS' best projects to date -- which is saying something, of course.

The premise is about a kid growing up with a creative mother who's into the arts and feeds her son's passion for filming -- while the father is more grounded and pushing the boy into a more stable career. Supposedly, it's part dramedy, part biopic ... and most say it's fantastic.

Essentially, it's Spielberg's love letter to cinema -- and based on the response it's getting so far ... some feel a frontrunner at the Oscars has emerged, including on the acting front.

Michelle Williams is getting rave reviews for her stellar performance -- and Paul Dano, too, is receiving kudos for a job well done. Considering the Academy's long history of loving/voting for movies about movies, this one is sure to do well come awards season.

Murray Bartlett is going up against his own guys at the Emmys this year -- and while you might think he'd be a little competitive ... the guy's just here for a good time.

We got the Aussie actor -- who's the lead star of HBO's hit limited series, "White Lotus" -- just as he was arriving in L.A. for Monday's television award show ... and our walk-and-talk interview with him is absolutely awesome.

Check it out ... MB is radiating pure joy as he leaves LAX with a baggage handler in tow -- telling us he's super excited to be nominated, even if it means fellow 'Lotus' actors beat him.

If you didn't know, Jake Lacy and Steve Zahn -- who also appears in "White Lotus" -- are nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series as well ... but Murray's just as happy for them as he is for himself. We tell him he's the favorite to win, and the dude is completely humble.

Murray tells us he and the rest of the cast are out to party it up and celebrate the show's success, regardless of who wins. Fact is, at least one of them is due to walk away with a statuette -- because the series was so popular ... and the performances were top-notch.

We also think we might've learned what Murry's secret to success is ... and it seems to come down to what he's munching on. The old adage is true, and then some!

Adele and Eminem are on the cusp of becoming EGOT winners, because they just snagged a crucial letter in the acronym ... a couple of Emmys, respectively.

The artists won awards Saturday during the 2-day Creative Arts Emmys ceremony in Los Angeles. Adele's 'One Night Only' show -- where she was singing at the Griffith Observatory last year -- took home five Emmys, in fact ... including for Outstanding Variety Special.

As for Em ... he too won for Outstanding Variety Special, although his was for the live version (Adele's was pre-recorded). As we reported ... him, Dre and the rest of the SB gang are all Emmy winners now for their Halftime Show performance earlier this year.

With Shady, that means he's just a T away from EGOT. His longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, noted that on Twitter.

Just for a refresher -- Eminem has won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Lose Yourself" ('8 Mile), tons of Grammys, and now ... an Emmy for his Super Bowl gig. Adele has also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Skyfall," Grammys galore, and now this as well.

The Tony is by far the hardest award to win for entertainers who don't normally do theater work (like these two) ... but there's ways to earn one without having to necessarily perform.

They could each write songs for Broadway shows and win that way, or contribute to the musical arrangement of an original song -- which is well within their wheelhouse. Both could easily do something like that and potentially win a Tony, assuming they're interested.

If they each won EGOTs, they'd join a relatively small and prestigious list of past winners -- including Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Rita Moreno, Mel Brooks and a handful of others.

For now, though, they're on the list of 4-award winners, sharing company with Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte.

Not a bad crowd!

The incredible Super Bowl Halftime Show got a big score Saturday night ... an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special, and some very big names took home some hardware.

Dr. Dre, who produced and performed in the show, won along with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent.

The halftime shows are always big, but this is the first one that was honored with an Emmy.

Now get this ... Eminem is now one award away from an EGOT ... all he needs is a Tony and he joins a very small group.

Everyone in the group except Snoop has also won a Grammy.

The show was electric, with iconic songs like "California Love," "No More Drama," "Lose Yourself" and "Still D.R.E."

Some other Emmy winners -- Adele for "One Night Only," and The Beatles "Get Back" documentary.

Congrats!!!

Johnny Depp's brief cameo at the VMAs was embraced by some, but it's stirring up outrage as well -- specifically from Amber Heard's sister -- who went in on MTV.

Whitney Henriquez posted a screenshot of MTV's award show logo, but she placed an ominous letter at the front ... a big capital D. So now, on Whitney's page, it reads DVMA -- which alludes to domestic violence.

She writes, "@MTV YOU'RE DISGUSTING AND CLEARLY DESPERATE! I REALLY HOPE THAT NONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT MADE THIS CALL HAVE DAUGHTERS... #DVMAS #ISTANDWITHAMBERHEARD."

There's also a photo of Amber superimposed on Whitney's mock-up -- so yeah, the Heard family is clearly not happy with the network's decision to feature JD right from the top.

As you'll recall ... Johnny's face was digitally shown inside the Moonman costume that was floating above the stage as soon as the broadcast began. He had a corny little monologue, referencing the fact that he's in need of work ... and available for just about any gig now.

Johnny Depp just made one small step in his Hollywood resurgence ... because he's returned to TV sets, appearing on MTV at the Video Music Awards in an astronaut suit.

The movie star just made his debut as the network's famous Moonman -- recently dubbed the Moonperson -- dressing up and showing his face Sunday to kick off the award show broadcast. But that's all that was shown ... literally just a video of his mug in the suit, which appears to have been pre-recorded. He said he "needed the work," and that was that.

The real McCoy wasn't actually there for the show, it seems. Still, pretty cool!

As we first told you... Johnny was tabbed for a surprise appearance at the VMAs, and it come on the heels of both the recent announcement of his return to film plus his new deal with Dior to continue being the face of the Sauvage fragrance line.

Johnny's won 5 MTV Movie Awards in his career, including Best Villain, Global Superstar, Best Male Performance and 2012's Generation Award.

Dave Foley sorta bit the hand that feeds a bit this weekend -- taking a shot at the streaming company that's hosting his old sketch show ... claiming Amazon is ruining planet Earth.

The comedian/actor was on hand Sunday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, where the HCA TV Awards were underway and handing out trophies for shows ... both on traditional TV and on streaming. He won for his newest season of 'Kids in the Hall,' which was revived for a 6th season this year on Amazon Prime -- this after the OG show's been off the air for decades.

During his acceptance speech for Best Streaming Variety Sketch Series, DF thanked a bunch of people in very off-the-cuff remarks -- and along the way, remembered to thank Amazon.

Watch ... Foley sarcastically mentions Amazon, saying despite polluting the planet/ruining the environment -- they make some great TV, so yippee! It's kinda funny, but big picture ... it's a little cringeworthy ... especially when you consider Dave literally has a working relationship with them now, as they're financing/producing the new season(s) of his series.

'KITH' originally ran from 1988 to '95 over the course of 5 seasons, which aired in a variety of places ... from HBO to CBC TV and, eventually, CBS. You can now stream the old episodes for free on Amazon Prime ... as well as Pluto and The Roku Chanel.

Peyton Manning is taking his talents to the stage yet again -- the NFL legend has been tapped to host another awards show ... it was just revealed he and Luke Bryan will lead the 2022 CMAs in November!!!

The Country Music Association and ABC confirmed the news on Monday morning -- saying Manning and Bryan will be hosting the 56th annual awards ceremony on Nov. 9.

"When I was asked if Peyton Manning was someone I would consider co-hosting with I didn’t hesitate," said Bryan, who hosted the show alone in 2021.

"We have become great friends through the years and what he brings to the table is gonna make it even more of a blast."

The former NFL quarterback joked he got the co-host spot because of his vocals ... sharing a video on his social media page of him singing along on a stage recently with Bryan.

"My @cma Awards audition tape must have been a hit!" Manning said.

This will be Manning's first time ever hosting the Country Music Awards show -- though it certainly ain't his first on-stage rodeo. You'll recall, Manning also hosted the ESPYs in 2017.

The show will go down in Nashville -- a familiar area for the former Volunteers QB -- and he said he's pumped for it all.

Klay Thompson took several moments out of his ESPYs Award acceptance speech Wednesday night to pay homage to Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- and the words were so powerful, Vanessa Bryant thanked him for them shortly afterward.

The Golden State Warriors guard -- who accepted the trophy for Best Comeback Athlete of the Year at the ceremony -- gave the nod to the Bryants after thanking his family, his teammate Steph Curry and the Warriors for having faith in him.

"I don't know if Vanessa is out there watching, but to Vanessa and her three beautiful girls, we think of Kobe and Gigi every day," he said.

"I read Mamba Mentality every day during rehab and those are the best memories of my life, watching him play and he inspired me to be the athlete I am today."

Vanessa was clearly watching -- and responded to Thompson's nod to her late husband and daughter with a thank you message on her social media page.

"We are BG!"

Steph Curry -- flanked by WNBA superstars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith -- paused the joke-telling and award-presenting for several moments at Wednesday night's ESPYs to deliver that Brittney Griner-themed message ... and it was powerful.

The four-time NBA champion wore Griner's Phoenix Mercury jersey for the speech, and alongside Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith, he called for the WNBA star's release from Russia.

"It's been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,'' Diggins-Smith said. "All throughout that time, we've kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain't nearly enough to bring her home, y'all."

"She's one of us," Curry added, "the team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict."

As we've reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after she was accused of illegally bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport.

Griner -- who's since pleaded guilty to the charges -- is now facing up to 10 years behind bars in the foreign country in the case.

In his speech Wednesday, Curry made it clear he believes if Americans continue to raise awareness of her case, it could expedite her return to U.S. soil.

"We cannot stop fighting for her, we cannot stop believing for her and we will not stop hoping for the day when we can welcome her home safely," he said.

U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe also used several moments of her award acceptance speech later in the night to echo Curry's sentiments.

Hours after the awards show, however, a spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S.'s "wrongfully detained" characterization of Griner ... and urged the country to allow the legal process to play out.

"If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was smuggling drugs, and she does not deny this, then this should be commensurate with our Russian, local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to the Associated Press.

Tristan Thompson was put on BLAST at the ESPY Awards by Lil Rel Howery, as he told one Olympian with a Kardashian-sounding name to steer clear of the guy.

The ESPYs were full of laughs from athletes Wednesday night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and Lil Rel didn't hold back when he got on mic and congratulated snowboarder and 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim.

He says he knew she'd be successful just because her first and last names are the same as 2 of the Kardashians ... he gave her some advice, too -- "Watch out for them Tristans, that's all I got to say."

The crowd burst into laughter, as he responded, "Yeah I said it! Y'all thinkin' it," obviously referring to the guy's cheating streak.

Lil Rel's callout comes as Tristan and Khloe Kardashian await the imminent birth of their newest addition -- although it may have already happened. TMZ broke the story around the same time the basketball player was in Greece partying it up.