Awards / Awards Shows

George Clooney and his wife Amal are proving they can call on some of Hollywood's finest to show up when needed ... 'cause that's exactly what went down at this year's Albie Awards.

The couple looked as stunning as ever stepping into the New York Public Library Thursday night for their big event, put on by the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

George and Amal hosted a pretty amazing lineup of celeb couples ... folks like Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, and Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso all attended, too.

Other stars like Anne Hathaway, Heidi Klum, Scarlett Johansson, Mary J. Blige, Donatella Versace, Jeremy Strong and Greta Gerwig all showed up to enjoy the night together as well.

The awards are named after Albie Sachs, a South African lawyer and former judge who fought against apartheid in his country for decades, eventually putting an end to it.

The cast of "Jersey Shore" have officially become New Jersey legends ... September 22 will live forever as "Jersey Shore" Day in Atlantic City.

Eight members of the cast were honored by the mayor of A.C., Marty Small, outside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino ... where he legitimized "Jersey Shore" Day, a.k.a "Jerzday."

The ceremony drew a crowd of pumped-up fans ... waving Italian flags and hoisting posters of 'JS' favorites like Snooki, Vinny and JWoww, who were in attendance.

In fact, all 8 cast members from the current "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" were in attendance, including Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Pauly D, Angelina Pivarnick, Deena Cortese and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola.

Mayor Small explained why the cast deserves such an honor ... "Because in the last 15 years, this group has made New Jersey proud with strength, perseverance, family values, gym, tan, laundry."

Clearly, the Mayor appreciates the amount of attention the show has drawn to the city over the years. In fact, the reality show's spin-off, "Family Vacation," recently filmed in A.C.

Michael Blackson is feeling more confident about the power of Afrobeats music since the last time we talked to him -- he's now certain the wave will be at least as large as hip hop, if not bigger.

We caught up with Mike at Kids in Africa Afrikicks -- a charitable event put together by Oni Productions, and one which happened after Afrobeats star Rema took home an MTV VMA for his blockbuster hit "Calm Down" with Selena Gomez.

It was the inaugural award for "Best Afrobeats" song, and the vid has been crushing it, garnering over a billion views in just a year's time.

MB thinks the writing's on the wall for his culture to dominate music just as hip hop has for the last 50 years. The Nigerian-born comedian says Afrobeats is just too "fun and loving" to be denied.

He's also using American stars to prove his point ... namely Drake and Chris Brown, who started collaborating with the likes of Wizkid and Davido years ago.

It's obvious record labels are putting a heavy priority on Afrobeats now -- maybe even more than hip hop, which was shut out of Billboard's #1 spot for more than a year.

Sexyy Red's raps are making hip hop history -- she just took the game to pound town with the first #1 hit on Billboard's new TikTok chart!!!

On Thursday, Billboard and TikTok rolled out their inaugural chart that monitors musical activity on the app, and it was determined Sexyy Red's "SkeeYee" anthem ranks at the top of the pile!!!

Sexyy Red stated "she always knew" she'd end up being "a #1 type of artist" after her rowdy record got the honor and thanked all her fans for running her numbers up in a statement following the announcement.

The track is a highlight on Sexyy's "Hood Hottest Princess" album, which has taken her career to new heights -- namely, an opening slot on Drake's "It's All a Blur" Tour opposite 21 Savage.

In a moment sure to thrill 90's kids everywhere, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and JC Chasez reunited on the VMAs stage for the first time in a decade ... much to Taylor Swift's delight.

Fans went nuts as the 5 members of *NSYNC all got together Tuesday to present the award for best pop video. Nicki Minaj introduced them as they walked out to "Bye Bye Bye," the song behind their first VMA win back in the day.

Taylor was going full fangirl as the fellas took the stage, and then she ended up winning for her hit song, "Anti-Hero."

Lance even gave Taylor a friendship bracelet as she hugged every band member on stage ... and she used part of her acceptance speech to gush over *NSYNC.

It's the first time the guys have been together at the MTV VMAs since way back in 2013 ... and the first time they've all been together for a public appearance since a stop on Ellen a few years back.

Of course, the timing makes a lot of sense, as the guys are rolling out a single for the upcoming 'Trolls' movie ... talk about some good promotion.

Unfortunately, no performance from the guys ... but you gotta imagine the warm reception makes the thought of a reunion tour that much more enticing.

Yes, even for JT.

With all of the big stars -- Taylor, Nicki, Selena and more -- do you think the MTV VMAs have gained credibility again? Vote below.

The 2023 VMAs were all about Taylor Swift, her famous Swifties and, of course, *NSYNC ... and they showed out behind the scenes.

The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ was the center of the music world Tuesday night, with Taylor and a boy band reunion leading the way for MTV's signature award ceremony.

Taylor went nuts for Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick ... and she hung out with Ice Spice and Billy Porter too.

While Taylor was busy taking home awards for her amazing music videos, there was plenty of eye candy off camera ... with Cardi B, Selena Gomez, Bebe Rexha, Emily Ratajkowski and Sexyy Redd all commanding eyes.

Lil Nas X screamed out for attention too ... and there were even some hot celeb couples, like Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes.

Brittney Griner is adding another accolade to her resume ... the Phoenix Mercury star has just won AP Comeback Player of the Year honors -- some nine months after she returned to the United States from Russian detainment.

The Mercury announced the award on Tuesday ... revealing the 6-foot-9 center would share the hardware with Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who came back to Minnesota this season after sitting out last year to give birth to her first child.

As we reported, Griner was arrested in February 2022 after Russian authorities said she had hash oil in her luggage at an airport. She was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison in the case, though she was set free following a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

A couple months after she landed back on U.S. soil -- she signed a one-year deal with the Mercury -- and she shined in her return to the hardwood ... averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

The season wasn't without its lows, however ... she did battle injuries, and she took a few games off for a mental health break. She also infamously had a run-in with a troll at an airport.

But, she was selected to her ninth WNBA All-Star team regardless ... and last week, when reflecting on the season, she told media members, "I tell you one thing, it's not good being at the end of the standings but it's better than where I was a year go, that's for sure."

Earlier Tuesday, Breanna Stewart took home AP Player Of The Year honors ... while Aces star Alysha Clark won Sixth Woman of the Year. Sun honcho Stephanie White won Coach of the Year ... and 2023 first overall pick Aliyah Boston won Rookie of the Year.

Coco Gauff es la nueva campeona del US Open y todavía tiene una enorme sonrisa luego de ganar el torneo. Sin embargo, no va a celebrar con una gran fiesta, sólo quiere dormir largo y tendido.

La profesional de 19 años parecía estar de buen humor el lunes, saliendo de su habitación de hotel de Nueva York pocos días después de ganar el oro en el gran evento de este año. Coco se detuvo para tomarse una foto con un fan mientras subía a un carro con un peluche de Miles Morales en la mano.

Por supuesto, a Coco le preguntaron por sus planes para después de ganar, pero lo único que tenía en mente era volver a casa y meterse en la cama para dormir un poco. Parece una idea perfecta.

Coco ha estado en la cancha de tenis durante años y se convirtió en profesional en 2018. Es la número 3 del mundo en tenis individual y la número 1 en dobles; en otras palabras, la gran victoria de este fin de semana se hizo esperar para la adolescente.

Como informamos, Coco tuvo su partido de semifinales retrasado por un manifestante que pegó sus pies descalzos al suelo de hormigón del estadio. Tomó cerca de 49 minutos para que Coco pudiera continuar su partido.

Incluso contó con el apoyo de Justin y Hailey Bieber en la tercera ronda, quienes la animaban desde sus palcos. Después del partido Coco declaró a un periodista de ESPN: "Vi quién estaba allí y pensé: "No puedo perder delante de Justin Bieber'".

US Open champ Coco Gauff still has a massive grin on her face after winning the big tourney, but she won't be celebrating with a huge bash ... just a bunch of zzzz's.

The 19-year-old pro seemed to be in a great mood Monday, stepping out of her NYC hotel room just days after striking gold at this year's big event. Coco stopped to snap a pic with a fan while jumping in a waiting car with a Miles Morales plush in her hand.

Of course, Coco was asked about her post-win plans, but the only thing on her mind is heading home and climbing in bed for some sleep ... sounds like a perfect idea.

Coco's been on the tennis court for years and turned pro back in 2018. She's ranked number 3 in the world in singles tennis and number 1 in doubles -- in other words, this weekend's big win was a long time coming for the teenager.

As we reported, Coco had her semifinal match delayed by a protestor who glued his bare feet to the concrete floor of the stadium ... taking about 49 minutes of attention to remove him before Coco could continue her match.

She even had some serious support from Justin and Hailey Bieber in the 3rd round, who were cheering her on from their box seats. After that match, Coco told an ESPN reporter, "I definitely saw who was there. I thought, 'I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber.'"

Demetrious Johnson is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters ever ... and out of all the titles he's won and defended, the gold medal he took home at a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tourney may be the most special!

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Johnson days after securing the top spot on the podium at the Master 2 featherweight brown belt division at the IBJJF Masters Worlds ... where he went 6-0, outlasting the 40-competitor field.

"I just fell in love with it. The art of it. And, using the Gi as a tool to be able to strangle your opponent or be able to manipulate their body in certain ways has been fascinating to me," DJ told us.

As for where winning the gold medal ranks among his career accomplishments ... it's near the top.

"It's up there. Everything I've accomplished in my career, it's up there," Demetrius told us, adding ... "I haven't competed in a jiu-jitsu tournament since I was 18 years old, now I'm 37. To go be able to compete with my son in the same tournament, it's up there."

That's saying something when you've won 12 UFC title fights ... and 3 in ONE Championship.

DJ says he had such a great experience competing that he's without a doubt going to enter future tourneys ... as soon as his body heals up from injuries he sustained training and competing.

As for winning his entire weight/belt class was enough to earn DJ a black belt ... not yet!

"The way my professor views black belts, or belting people is based on potential, I still have so much more to learn, and he was like, 'You could get your black belt but you're not learning the steps you need to prepare yourself for that black belt.'"

"'You just won a tournament, congratulations. But, the tournament is done. You won it. We get back in the gym, we move forward, and continue our steps to better ourselves as the best athlete we can be or best jiu-jitsu players we can be."

A$AP Rocky is the lucky recipient of the Virgil Abloh Award ...  a full circle moment considering the late fashion designer was one of the first to respect the rapper's style.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Rocky's acceptance speech during the HFR 16th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards Tuesday night inside the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. Rocky immediately turned the spotlight back on Virgil Abloh.

Rocky says several years back, he and his A$AP Mob crew were too young to get inside a club but Virgil still knew who they were, which instantly validated his swag.

Fast forward a year later, Rocky says his raps had taken off and he soon recruited Virgil to be the creative director behind his 2013 debut album "LONG.LIVE.A$AP" and the inner workings of the tour that followed.

Rocky told the crowd Virgil's fearlessness pioneered his own trendsetting into the fashion world and spouted off a few inspirational bars for the city of Harlem ... a noble gesture, seeing the night's theme was "Remix!!!"

The "Praise The Lord" rapper didn't spend too much time hogging the podium ... his bladder was full and duty called, so you know how the equation goes.

Max Verstappen's Hungarian Grand Prix trophy has been made whole again -- the F1 superstar was gifted a fixed award after it was destroyed during a post-race champagne celebration last month ... and he's not letting his buddy Lando Norris come near it!!

The 25-year-old Red Bull driver showed off his repaired keepsake in a selfie with the culprit on Tuesday ... and both guys joked about the mishap after Max was reunited with his prize.

""Fantastic, it's in one piece!!" Max said.

"Don't let me touch it," the McLaren star joked ... to which Max responded, "Yeah, Lando's not allowed to touch it."

Of course, Lando knocked Max's trophy off a ledge as the podium finishers celebrated with bottles of bubbly after the July 23 race ... and after he initially joked it off, he later apologized for the accident.

"I obviously had no intention in ever doing such a thing," Lando said days after the race. "I know how much it means to the Hungarians and part of their culture and so forth ... and I did apologize to Max."

NBA players aren't the only ones dragging Noah Lyles for smearing the NBA's "World Champion" title ... Drake took time out from his 'Blur' Tour to rub the track star's nose in his commentary!!!

Drake reps Toronto first and foremost, but even he had to cringe at Lyles' comments and hopped on DJ Akademiks' page to react  ... "He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before...now the whole league doesn't rate u 😂😂😂"

Lyles' NBA slander also proved to be easy fodder Monday for Charlamagne tha God's "Donkey of the Day" -- countless previous 'DoD' culprits have hailed from the state of Florida and Noah, being born and raised in Gainesville, found himself to be no exception.

Lyles, dominated over the weekend at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary ... winning 3 Gold medals and many think he got too big-headed to formulate a serious thought.

As Charlamagne -- and several NBA stars noted -- the league attracts the best players from all over the WORLD, and the last 3 MVPs have all been non-American ... and 2 of them won back-to-back!!!

Travis Scott’s "Utopia" is the biggest rap album of the year by miles, earning its 3rd consecutive week on top of the Billboard 200 ... and a deep discount for the project's vinyl definitely helped keep it on top.

Trav raked in 185k equivalent album units in the U.S. alone last week, bringing his total to over 800k units ... nearly platinum status in just a month!!!

Out of the 185k Travis sold last week, 93k of them came from "Utopia's" vinyl record sales, which were discounted from $50 to $5 for a limited time.

Despite the low payout, "Utopia" now holds the record for biggest vinyl sales week for an R&B/hip-hop or rap album ... and it ranks in the top 10 of vinyl sales for any album -- at No. 7 -- since 1991.

If the NBA wants to keep renaming awards after former players, Lou Williams would be thrilled to get picked for the Sixth Man trophy ... telling TMZ Sports it would be a "huge honor" if that happened.

The Association made a couple changes to its most prestigious awards last season ... officially naming the MVP award in honor of Michael Jordan, and giving Hakeem Olajuwon the same treatment for Defensive Player of the Year.

With that being said, Hawks star Trae Young believes the Sixth Man of the Year Award -- which goes to the best-performing player off the bench -- should be named after Lou Will, who thrived in that role and earned the trophy three times during his 17-year career.

When we talked to the 6th man himself at LAX this week, he made it clear he wouldn't decline ... but also gave a few suggestions of his own.

"That would be an honor," the 36-year-old said.

"If not me, Jamal [Crawford]. If not Jamal, Manu [Ginóbili]. I think we're three guys that champion that. We made it a lifestyle."

"I think we've changed the way people view it," Williams added. "We changed the way the players view it, most importantly."

Williams believes all three of them should be Hall of Famers as well (Ginóbili was inducted in 2022) ... saying they all "championed" and played an important role on their respective teams.

"I think the Hall of Fame is what you bring to the table and being the best at what you do in the realm of basketball. I think we all did that."

Colombian singer Manuel Turizo is makin' moves after his recent collab with Shakira ... because he's now working with the Mexican-American mega group, Grupo Frontera.

TMZ's learned Manuel and the popular band are joining forces for a new song and music video, called "De Lunes a Lunes"  -- something they're planning on officially announcing in the coming weeks.

TMZ has obtained some shots of Manuel and Grupo Frontera on set in Miami last week shooting the music vid ... and they all seemed to be gettin' along pretty damn well.

The guys came together because they're big fans of each other and wanted to collab on a new sound, combining each of their styles.

As you know, Manuel's track with Shakira, "Copa Vacía," has blown up since dropping in June, and he's got a lot going for him right now.

He was nominated for the Rolling Stone En Español Awards Monday, and he closed out La casa de los famosos -- the Spanish language version of "Celebrity Big Brother" -- with a performance.