Awards / Awards Shows

Ronald Acuña Jr.'s "too small" chain he rocked before the All-Star Game was anything but that ... and TMZ Sports has learned the flashy piece is worth a whopping $145k in diamonds!!

The Atlanta Braves star certainly turned heads prior to his fourth ASG appearance on Tuesday ... rocking an all-pink 'fit with an iced-out mini version of himself doing his famous celebration around his neck.

Gabriel the Jeweler -- go-to guy for some of the biggest names in sports -- tells us the piece is made of 80 carats total ... and the one-of-a-kind accessory was designed in collaboration with Xample Brand, Acuña's agency.

We're told Xample likes to treat Acuña to a new chain for every ASG appearance ... with each one documenting a new characteristic of Ronald's game.

Of course, Acuña's known to do the "too small" gesture whenever he hits homers ... so this year's jewelry was a no-brainer.

The chain itself is Gucci style and composed of brilliant diamonds and baguettes ... and we're told Ronald's family was also gifted smaller versions of the piece as well.

"I am blessed to be selected to play in this year's All-Star Game, and thank everyone who supported me on this journey and believed in me," Acuña Jr. tells us.

Barry Bonds is patiently waiting for Cooperstown to unlock its doors and finally let him in ... saying he personally feels like he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame, as he was never convicted of using steroids.

The home run king made a rare statement on his H.O.F. snub with the "Hollywood Swingin'" podcast this week ... saying he is bothered by the fact his own sport continues to hold a grudge when the court of law has vindicated him.

Of course, BB is widely considered one of, if not the greatest, athletes to ever step foot in the batter's box ... but his legacy was tarnished by allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs.

But, Barry says records are records, and MLB already punishes players when they break rules ... so he's upset that the baseball hall has decided to "double punish" people who have made mistakes at some point in their careers.

Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice back in 2011 over his alleged use of PEDs ... but ultimately, the case was dropped.

Barry believes the sentence overturn should justify his place in the Hall ... and the media does not hold the higher ground when it comes to determining who should be regarded as the greats.

Barry -- who hit 762 home runs during his career -- was an MVP before anyone ever accused him of using 'roids ... and many believe he belongs in the Hall despite the scandal.

The 2023 Home Run Derby champion will be walking away with a whole lot more than bragging rights next week ... they'll be getting a sweet new chain, too!!

The MLB revealed on Wednesday it's giving the event's winner some bling for the second straight season -- and this year's iteration of the jewelry is awesome.

According to the league, it weighs three pounds and features over 1,000 stones.

It also has a centerpiece made of recycled glass and 75 carats of white and yellow Swarovski Crystal embellishments. And, get this, the center even spins!!!

There will be eight guys gunning for it on Monday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle -- Luis Robert, Pete Alonso, Mookie Betts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Adolis Garcia, Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez and Adley Rutschman.

Last year's winner, Juan Soto, will not be involved -- but he sure seemed to enjoy the 2022 version of the drip after he locked it all up at Dodger Stadium.

Things are heating up for Nelly again, 'cause the dude's about to get a helluva lot richer after selling the rights to half of the music he's cranked out ... including his biggest hits.

Sources close to the rapper tell TMZ ... Nelly secured a $50 million deal for 50% ownership over his entire catalog -- which includes 8 albums and a ton of #1 singles that helped define pop culture in the 2000s.

We're told Nelly is teaming up with a company called HarbourView Equity Partners for this, which is forking over the dough to lock up some of his best-known songs ... such as, "Ride Wit Me," "Dilemma" and of course, "Hot in Herre." Obviously they're getting more than just that ... but those tracks are, by and large, the ones Nelly's perhaps best-known for.

In fact, a couple of these songs won him Grammys -- he snagged a statuette in 2003 for "Dilemma" (Best Rap/Sung Performance) and another that same year for "Hot in Herre" (Best Male Rap Solo Performance). He has another Grammy to his name for "Shake Ya Tailfeather."

No word yet on which parts of Nelly's catalog -- besides the above-mentioned singles -- now belong to HarbourView ... but considering the wide range of tunes he has under his belt ... you gotta figure there's more goodies in the vault that they'll now have a claim to.

It's a lot of money, obviously -- so it's great news for Nelly. Interestingly enough, things are going swimmingly for Nelly in other departments of his life ... including his business ventures, like his alcohol brand, MoShine.

Plus, he's not even done making music at this point in his career ... the guy produced a full-on country album, "Heartland," in 2021 -- and we're hearing part 2's on the horizon as well.

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.