Awards / Awards Shows

Alan Arkin, the Oscar and Tony-winning actor, most famous for playing Edwin the grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine, has died.

Alan's sons confirmed the actor died Friday morning at his home, telling People, “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”

The legendary actor started as a stage performer, joining Chicago's Second City comedy troupe as an early member before making his Broadway debut in 1961 in "From the Second City" ... picking up a Tony 2 years later for his work in "Enter Laughing."

Alan's worked consistently through the decades -- most notably in films like "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance ... as well as other projects like "The In-Laws," "Argo," and "Little Miss Sunshine," for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

His lengthy list of credits also includes projects like "The Kominsky Method," "Inspector Clouseau," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Rocketeer," "Will & Grace," and "Glengarry Glen Ross."

TMZ broke the story, he suffered a stroke in 2015, although there was no major damage.

He was 89.

Tiffany Haddish's rap career appears to be back in full swing -- evidenced by a pair of new songs she previewed last night ... one featuring E-40 and the other with Lil Jon.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of the superstar comedian showcasing her new jams at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards over the weekend from inside The Beverly Hilton ... make no mistake, there's nothing funny about her music, it's the real deal.

Lil Jon opens his track, urging everyone to drink and party until the club closes. Yeahhhh!!!

The E-40 track kept the same energy, sounding like an ode to big butts as the legendary rapper instructs listeners to look over their shoulder to peep both right and left cheeks.

We must admit that Tiffany holds her own on the track with her playful lyrics.

The HU awards brought out the likes of Babyface, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Law Roach, Muni Long, and Eric Bellinger. The outlet's founder, Jason Lee, tells us the turnout was nothing short of opulent ... as he thinks the culture is in critical condition.

Well by the sounds of her latest venture, Tiffany is doing everything she can for a cultural revival.

Lil Uzi Vert and his City Girls girlfriend JT got into a heated argument during the BET Awards ... with many fans believing Ice Spice is to blame for the fight.

Video circulated of JT from the show Sunday night whacking Uzi Vert with her phone multiple times, accusing him of being a "groupie."

Fans speculated she was pissed about Uzi's performance during the BET Awards where he shouted out Ice Spice, rapping, "I got a nice wife/Wig came off twice/She got a little afro, she looks like Ice Spice."

Sources inside JT's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop her blowup with Uzi had nothing to do with Ice  ... she had become frustrated when she lost her seat after the audience shuffled around. We're told JT loves Ice and there's not even a shred of beef between them whatsoever.

A fan recount of the altercation appears to confirm the musical chair's confusion. Ice can also be seen explaining her side of the situation.

Uzi and JT left the building together without another scene ... seemingly confirming they're good.

Angel Reese just keeps stackin' up trophies ... the LSU hoop star and 2023 NCAA champ just won a BET Award -- and she was hyped!

The annual ceremony went down Sunday at the Microsoft Theatre in downtown Los Angeles ... where some of the top rappers, singers, and entertainers won awards.

That included 21-year-old Reese, whose squad won the 2023 NCAA championship, beat out female stars like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Candace Parker, for the Sportswoman of the Year award.

"Thank you BET!" Reese said on Twitter after the announcement. "So sad I couldn’t be there but I really appreciate this! This means a lot!"

The 21-year-old forward couldn't be in L.A. to receive her award in person ... 'cause what else -- she was hooping.

"I’m at USA basketball right now trying to win a gold medal when I could be at the BET awards," Reese tweeted to a fan.

Reese was named to the Team USA roster for the 2023 women's FIBA AmeriCup, a tournament held every two years with top female players from around the globe.

The US women's first game is against Venezuela on July 1.

When it comes to male athletes, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took home BET's Sportsman of the Year award, beating LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, Aaron Judge, Gervonta Davis, and Bubba Wallace.

Tina Turner got the tribute treatment at the BET Awards from Patti LaBelle -- but it seems the R&B legend didn't know the late icon's own lyrics onstage ... and it played out live.

The singer was doing an homage to Tina Sunday night during the broadcast ... undoubtedly a huge moment in the show considering TT passed away last month. Patti was a natural choice to sing her songs -- but in the middle of her performance, she stumbled.

Check it out ... while PLB was cranking out Tina's classic hit "The Best," she paused for a bit and said she couldn't see the words. It got a laugh from the crowd, and Patti carried on as best as she could. However, her confession definitely spurred a lot of head scratches.

On its face, it looked like Patti was reading the lyrics somewhere off in the distance ... and hadn't actually memorized them. That was later confirmed to be true by BET itself.

A rep for the org says, "It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege."

They tried covering for her, adding ... "Due to the crowd's enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment."

Like we said, no true harm or foul -- and it ended up being a funny moment big picture. But, truth be told, some were kinda disappointed in Patti for not being better prepared ... especially in a big tribute to another musical great on such a grand stage.

BTW, this ain't the first high-profile mishap Patti's suffered ... remember back in the '90s when she was singing for the Clinton White House, and her whole "backup singers" fiasco??? Yeah, that one wasn't really her fault ... but this sure does have echoes of that.

Rap royalty descended on the 2023 BET Awards Sunday night ... and the celebratory event went off pretty much without a hitch and everyone seemed to be having a blast.

The bevy of stars hit up the Microsoft Theater in L.A. to pose for photos in their fancy getups before heading inside to enjoy the show.

Major attendees included Ice Spice, T.I., Quavo, Offset, Busta Rhymes, Yo Gotti, Master P, Latto, Chrisean Rock, Angela Simmons, Moneybagg Yo, YTB Fatt, Sexyy Red and Brooklyn Nikole.

Behind the scenes ... the hip hop greats were yukking it up and partying their butts off, which we're sure lasted long into the night around town.

During the awards ceremony, there were a few surprises -- one of which came when the two surviving members of Migos -- Quavo and Offset -- paid tribute to their slain bandmate, Takeoff.

Another memorable moment was when Busta teared up while giving an acceptance speech after receiving a lifetime achievement award.

Then there was Patti LaBelle, who initially botched her tribute to the late singer Tina Turner, forgetting the words to Tina's smash hit, "The Best." But Patti made a quick recovery and ended her performance on a high note.

All in all ... it was a fabulous night with terrific music.

The Migos reunited at the 2023 BET Awards Sunday night ... but the trio was now a duo, and they honored their late bandmate, Takeoff, with an emotional performance that brought the house down.

Quavo and Offset surprised everyone when they hit the stage an hour into the event at the Microsoft Theater in L.A. to pay tribute to Takeoff, who, as you know, was fatally shot at a bowling alley last November. The alleged killer, Patrick Xavier Clark, was indicted last month for Takeoff's murder.

Decked out in all-black leather, the two Migos kicked things off by diving into "Hotel Lobby," a song produced by Quavo and Takeoff, as the crowd went wild.

Special effects sent the show to the outer limits with a spaceship appearing on a large screen, which eventually took off as flames shot up from the stage. A massive image of Takeoff then morphed onto the screen behind Quavo and Offset while they were singing and dancing.

The pair then cranked out the Migos biggest hit, "Bad and Boujee," which rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for best rap performance at the 2018 Grammys.

By any musical standard, it was a memorable moment and the first time Quavo and Offset appeared onstage together since Takeoff's death.

Question is ... will Quavo and Offset carry on the Migos torch as a duo?

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Actor Frederic Forrest, who costarred with Bette Midler in the highly acclaimed film, "The Rose," has died.

Midler announced Forrest passed away Friday night, tweeting ... "The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months."

She continued ... "He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace."

Forrest's cause of death was not disclosed.

The Oscar-nominated actor first hit it big in 1979 when he scored the part of Jay "Chef" Hicks in the Francis Ford Coppola war movie classic, "Apocalypse Now."

That same year, Forrest was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dyer in "The Rose."

He went on to perform in dozens of movies throughout the '80's, '90's and early 2000s, including "The Two Jakes," "One From The Heart," and "Falling Down."

Forrest was 86.

There's now really no way Michael Malone ever forgets this year's NBA championship ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Nuggets head coach just got a tattoo on his shoulder commemorating the title!

The 51-year-old newly crowned champ hit up Mike Diaz's Triple W Tattoos shop in Colorado on Tuesday to get the work done ... ensuring he'll always remember his 2022-23 squad.

The piece is hilarious ... it features an image of the Nuggets' first-ever mascot, Maxie the Miner, holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

And, check out Malone's smile after he sat for the tat -- he loved it!!

Diaz tells us ... the body art is Malone's second-ever -- and the first one he's gotten in a couple decades -- proving this was not a decision the Nugs' head man took lightly.

Malone, though, wasn't the only member of the NBA champions to put title ink on his skin Tuesday ... Diaz also tatted the same Maxie image on Denver assistant video coordinator Connor Griffin. The artist says he's planning to tat up assistant coach Ryan Bowen on Wednesday as well.

As for how the Nuggets coaches got a hold of Diaz -- he went viral earlier this postseason when he offered Denver fans $52.80 flash tattoos (in honor of the Mile High City) during the team's series against the Lakers ... and Malone and his guys clearly appreciated the support.

Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg's 2010 ode to West Coast women, "California Gurls" is now a certified Diamond classic.

News of the breezy collab crossing the 10-million sales mark rang out on Tuesday ... fresh off its 13th anniversary of reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

The track was a production collab from studio heavyweights Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Benny Blanco ... and the results clearly matched the résumés!!!

It's Snoop's first Diamond record but the 'CG' nod gives Katy her 4th Diamond single behind "Firework," "Roar" and the Juicy J-featured "Dark Horse" ... pushing her past Lady Gaga for most Diamond hits amongst women artists.

Ice Spice's dominance in the hip hop game cannot be denied this year, and there's some impressive new data to back that up.

The Bronx-born rapper hit 1 billion Spotify streams as of Tuesday ... a fitting honor considering her "Like...?" EP is the top performing hip hop project to drop in 2023.

The EP birthed the gold-selling hits "Munch (Feelin' U)" and "In Ha Mood" and her guest features have been even more successful.

Her "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" duet with PinkPantheress is now Platinum and "Karma," the remix collab she released with Taylor Swift back in May is still holding strong in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 at #9!!!

Ice has even more opportunities to run up her numbers this week -- she and Nicki Minaj are releasing another track this Friday for the "Barbie" soundtrack that's already huge ... in the controversy department.

Rapper Jason Martin (formerly known as Problem) accused Nicki of swiping the track from him and Saweetie after they previously worked on the buildup behind the scenes.

It seems like conservatives have just learned the Oscars will be different going forward -- namely, having new inclusivity rules for eligibility ... and, yes, the outrage is in full swing.

Here's the deal ... the Post ran a story citing unnamed Academy voters who are apparently angry about AMPAS's forthcoming rule change for Best Picture contenders. Starting in 2024, there are certain requirements films will have to meet to be considered for the category.

As the article notes ... there are revamped criteria for Best Picture nominees starting next year, not to mention every year after that. Those rules, in a nutshell, include -- 1) having a lead or significant supporting character from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; 2) having a main storyline that focuses on an underrepresented group; or 3) at least 30% of the cast must come from underrepresented groups (be it ethnic, LGBTQ+, disabled, etc).

There's more to it -- which you can read on AMPAS's site -- but essentially ... this is what the new classification boils down to. Movies have to reflect a diverse melting pot and POVs.

Right on cue, several right-wing media/Twitter personalities jumped on this news (which isn't actually new, but more on that later) and started to accuse the Academy of going "woke."

One such dude, Darren Grimes, writes ... "So it's no longer Best Picture then. It's now the film that appeases diversity tsars the most that wins. Award ceremonies are meaningless, Hollywood has slaughtered them on the altar of woke." Clearly, he isn't on board.

Another conservative figure, Charlie Kirk, reflected this position himself ... "Under new rules for the Academy Awards, no film can win Best Picture unless it hits arbitrary diversity quotas. Under this rule, The Godfather, Lord of the Rings, or Saving Private Ryan would all be ineligible.  This is what they mean by 'diversity' but it’s the opposite of diversity. They want a uniform, politically correct monoculture devoid of any creativity or free expression."

If you hop into the 'Best Picture' trend that's on Twitter right now ... you'll see more takes like this -- anger, indignation, outrage ... and on and on. Strangely enough, word of these changes have been reported on for a few years now ... so everyone's late to the party here.

As to their point about former Best Picture winners not being eligible under these new guidelines -- yes, that is technically correct. Whether that helps or hurts the film industry, at large, though is certainly debatable ... and we're sure this convo will continue as we get closer to the 2024 award show. Ya gotta figure ... AMPAS's heart is in the right place here.

BTW, a few notable celebs have actually sounded off on this issue too of late -- including one Richard Dreyfuss ... who was recently asked about it on a PBS-ran program.

The guy didn't bite his tongue on how he felt -- however if you listen to his response closely ... it becomes clear he either misunderstood the question or conflated it with another topic in Hollywood ... namely, accurate casting. In any case -- RD isn't a fan of this either.

Flavor Flav isn't shy about his Taylor Swift fandom. After going super viral for attending her concert in Detroit, the Public Enemy legend says he can't wait to see Taylor live again.

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with Flav Thursday on the heels of his grand appearance at Taylor's 'Eras' show. The 64-year-old couldn't understand why people were so surprised to see him enjoying the sounds of TS in person.

As far as Flav is concerned, Taylor's a mega-popstar who's sold over 100 million records ... so of course he's gonna appreciate her greatness!

Flav and Taylor first linked up at the iHeartRadio Awards in March, and he tells us he was bumping her music wayyy before that ... as he's a fan of all genres.

Flav says iHeart's invited him and Chuck D to perform as Public Enemy at their upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival in September ... and Flav says the group's got a new album on the way.

The project will mark album #16 from the legendary act, and Flav says they've enlisted the services of their OG production team The Bomb Squad for the beats.

Outside the studio, Flavor says his recent trip to Harvard inspired his life for the better and he owes his newfound energy to 3 years (and counting) of sobriety.

Flav and Chuck will also be at the Rock Hall on June 29 to kick off the HipHop50 Exhibit.

Busta Rhymes' 30-year career in the rap biz will be honored in full at an upcoming event, presented by Netflix.

The veteran rapper will be receiving the Icon Award at the 7th annual Culture Creators Innovators and Leaders Awards Brunch ... which won't have a shortage of star power in the spotlight this year.

Chloe x Halle will be granted the Innovators of the Year Award ... while LSU b-ball champ Flau'jae Johnson, Stephen Hill, Troy Carter, Karl Kani, Laurieann Gibson, Chris Robinson and Candace Rodney will all be recognized for their areas of expertise.

The event goes down on Saturday, June 24 inside the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom and is also sponsored by Lexus.

Uzo Aduba hit the Tony Awards Sunday for Broadway's biggest night ... but she had an even bigger surprise, revealing she's having her first child!

The Emmy-winning "Orange Is the New Black" actress arrived at the United Palace Theater in NYC and marked the occasion by unbuttoning her bright orange suit jacket to show the world her baby bump. Aduba also confirmed to People magazine she and her husband were about to become proud parents.

Although it's unclear how far along she is, Aduba might want to stock up on toys and onesies if she hasn't already ... looks like the little one could pop out at any moment.

Of course, Aduba was all smiles as she posed for photos with her film director husband, Robert Sweeting, who could hardly contain his own excitement about the new addition to their family.

Aduba married Sweeting in New York in 2020, but she didn't make it public until the following year in a heartfelt Instagram post quoting the movie, "When Harry Met Sally."

The message, in part, read, "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Late rap icon Tupac Shakur has officially been honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... and the occasion brought out his fam, friends and everlasting supporters.

Tupac's sister Sekyiwa Shakur held back tears as she addressed the massive crowd Wednesday while speaking on her brother's accomplishments ... summing up his legacy as one filled with passion and perseverance.

Fans and friends -- including YG, Mike Epps, Naughty By Nature's Treach, and ceremony MC Big Boy -- completely shut down part of Hollywood Blvd to pay their respects to Tupac, who is still hailed as one of the best rappers of all time.

Tupac was previously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and has a pair of Diamond albums to go along with his 75 million records sold and the Hollywood star simply dots the "i" in Thug Life!!!