Awards / Awards Shows

Questlove says Amy Poehler and Tina Fey calling out the Golden Globes organization for a lack of diversity doesn't amount to much more than a performance ... at least for now.

We got "The Tonight Show" band frontman heading into work Monday at NBC Studios in New York City and asked about Amy and Tina taking shots at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for having NO black members during the award show.

It certainly seemed strange for the show's own hosts, and other celebs, to openly raise the issue during the broadcast -- but Quest, for one, was not impressed.

He called the remarks purely "performative," and put it squarely on the HFPA to actually add Black members. Until then, he's basically saying ... spare me the lip service.

There's been a lot of backlash against the HFPA, whose members vote on the Golden Globes. As you might have heard ... it's got 87 members, and not a single one is Black.

I spy a globe, a piano, butterfly artwork, a dog, 3 pipes and yes -- a dinosaur on a sled ... all behind the celebs who appeared on the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards.

Ranging from Jeff Daniels' hilariously basic background to lavish living rooms to Sandra Oh's snowy landscape, all the actors up for awards put on a show behind the show Sunday night ... and it's a lot of fun to have a look at their homes.

Of course, just as wide-ranging as their Zoom backdrops were their outfits, with many opting for traditionally formal and fancy ... and others going with flannel.

And, Jason Sudeikis in a hoodie.

Chadwick Boseman won a Golden Globe, and his wife gave a touching and emotional acceptance speech on behalf of the late actor.

Taylor Simone Ledward accepted Boseman's Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Sunday night during the COVID-cautious ceremony. Ledward was emotional and ran through a list of everyone her husband would have thanked if he was still alive to accept the honor.

Ledward opened her speech saying Chadwick would thank God and his parents ... she also mentioned Boseman's team, both on and off the set of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." In closing, Taylor said, "We have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love, so thank you HFPA for this opportunity to do exactly that."

If the WWE decides to carve 4 heads into the side of a giant mountain to honor the greatest pro wrestlers in company history, The Miz says his face better be on there.

... right along with Hulk Hogan and John Cena.

And, yeah, Miz is dead serious about this -- claiming he's got the resume to back it up.

"I am the first-ever 2-time Grand Slam champion," Miz tells TMZ Sports ... "That means I've held [the WWE Championship] title twice. The Intercontinental more than twice. The United States champion twice and Tag Team Championships twice."

"I am the only one in the history of this business to be a 2-time Grand Slam champion. So in my opinion, I'm on the Mount Rushmore of WWE."

In all seriousness, Miz has had a pretty epic career since first appearing on WWE's reality show competition "Tough Enough" in 2004 ... busting his ass to become one of the top wrestlers in the world.

So, who gets the 4th spot on WWE's Mount Rushmore??

"You can select between The Rock and [Stone Cold Steve Austin] … and Ric Flair," Miz says.

Of course, there's a solid argument for a handful of other WWE legends ... from Andre the Giant to The Undertaker to The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage and more.

Dolly Parton doesn't want a bust of her displayed outside the Tennessee Capitol ... she says the timing's just not right.

The legendary country singer turned thumbs down on a proposal from lawmakers in her home state that would honor her with a statue on Capitol grounds.

Dolly says there's just too much going on in the world to spend time, energy, effort and money on putting her on a pedestal ... so she doesn't feel the move would be appropriate.

DP makes some pretty good points and says she's asked state leaders to scuttle the bill, while also thanking lawmakers for holding her in such high esteem. She says she's honored and humbled by all the statue praise.

Dolly's leaving the door open for a Capitol grounds statue down the road ... she says she would proudly be immortalized in several years, or after she passes, if folks still feel she's deserving.

Auctioning off a bunch of Phil Collins' stuff was so nice, his ex is doing it twice ... including more of his awards and memorabilia.

Orianne Cevey's gearing up for round 2 with Kodner Galleries in Florida after raking in more than $2 million earlier this month for her collection of mostly jewelry, accessories and clothing ... but also awards and records belonging to her famous ex-hubby.

Orianne's second auction will be more of the same, including Phil's 1989 International Rock Award for MVP Drummer ... which is a bronze sculpture of Elvis on a marble base. It's expected to fetch between $1,000 and $10,000.

Also up for grabs -- Collins' Gold Award for selling 100,000 copies of his 2002 album, "Testify" ... a hand-signed Nick Faldo framed photo from the 2018 Masters ... and 2 autographed Yahama portable player docks -- one signed by Phil, and one by Shania Twain.

It's an interesting mix of Phil stuff for sure, but we're told Orianne's likely to rake in the most money from her expensive jewelry, watches, clothes, purses, cell phone cases and coins.

As we first told you ... she hauled in $22k for multiple gold LPs and "Assorted Phil Collins Awards" at the last auction, which she unloaded after moving out of Phil's mansion and downsizing to a smaller house.

BTW ... 10% of the proceeds for Orianne's auctions will be donated to the Never Give Up Foundation.

Morgan Wallen's sister says her brother knows he did wrong, he's a good person who wants to do better, but adds he doesn't deserve all the hatred.

Ashlyne Wallen says Morgan is now keenly aware, hurling the n-word is abhorrent, but says it "did not come from a place of hate or malicious intent."

She goes on to say, "There are 3 things you should ever do about a mistake: admit it, learn from it, and don't repeat it." She says her older brother now knows this is the path he must choose.

Ashlyne thinks people have gone way overboard canceling him, saying, "I do not believe the pure hate he has received is beneficial to the situation in anyway. There is criticism he is receiving that is positive and educational -- this should continue to happen, as it will help him grow and learn from his mistake. But, making a comment out of pure hatred about someone that you do not personally know, based on a short clip of him at a low point in his personal life, is unwarranted."

She says her brother is fundamentally a good person and there should be some recognition of this ... "Please remember that he is a human being capable of doing good and bad, just like everyone else on this Earth. Believe me, he is well aware of his wrongdoing and will be making changes in his life to rectify his actions in any way that he can. But the way he is being portrayed at the moment is simply not who he is as a human being."

Ashlyne takes a shot at cancel culture, saying it "leave[s] no room for forgiveness and growth."

Morgan has been shut down by iHeartRadio, Country Music Television, Big Loud Records, SiriusXM, Cox Media Group, the Academy of Country Music and Emmis Communications, among others.

YOU GOTTA SEE THE MASSIVE TROPHY ROOM IN SERENA WILLIAMS' MIAMI MANSION!!!

Oh, and you also have to see when she discovers a 2nd place trophy on one of her shelves -- and says she's moving it to the TRASH!!!

"I see a 2nd place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash -- shouldn’t be in here. We don't keep second place."

The tennis goddess opened up the doors to her Miami home for Architectural Digest ... showing off everything from her own private art gallery (!!!!!) to the bar, media room and more.

But, the highlight for us is the Trophy Room ... which contains hardware from her victories at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and more.

It's unreal.

Serena has so many trophies, she can barely keep track of what trophies she has and where some of them are located ... and if that's not the most baller thing ever, what the hell is?!

Of course, Serena has won 39 Grand Slam titles in her amazing career -- 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She also has 4 Olympic gold medals.

Morgan Wallen's been denounced and rebuked by the country music industry by and large for using a racial slur, but one group's not turning its back on him -- the NAACP.

Sheryl Guinn, President of NAACP Nashville, tells TMZ ... it seems to her Morgan's oblivious to the white supremacy that exists in this country -- despite all the recent examples, including the Capitol riots -- and she'd like the opportunity to educate the country singer.

Guinn says Wallen apologizing is a good start, but saying sorry doesn't mean a thing if he doesn't work to fix the issue that led to him dropping the n-word so casually.

The NAACP leader says some people are under the impression they can use the n-word if they think it's not being used in an offensive manner ... but obviously, that's not the case.

Guinn says the word needs to be removed from everyone's vocabulary, even if they're just talking to family, or in Wallen's case ... shooting the breeze with friends.

So, NAACP Nashville's inviting Wallen to have a conversation about what went down, and help him learn why his actions are hurtful. Guinn says the meeting would not be about condemnation ... but about love.

She adds that she'd be willing to meet with the country star privately or in a group setting -- whatever's more comfortable -- because she understands these talks are difficult to have.

Guinn tells us she also believes this could be a huge turning point for Wallen, and he could use his celebrity status for something truly progressive and impactful ... especially during these trying times.

We broke the story ... Wallen was recorded by a neighbor saying the n-word after coming home from a night out in Nashville. He apologized and took responsibility for it, but the fallout's been swift and significant.

Dolly Parton's had to reject the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice, but she's gonna get a third chance ... problem is, she's trying to stay outta politics.

The legendary country singer revealed Tuesday former President Trump tried to bestow her with the nation's highest civilian honor, but she had good reasons to turn it down.

Dolly told "Today" hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, "I couldn't accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn't travel because of the COVID."

Now, she also confirmed President Biden's administration has already reached out to her about the award -- but, she says that presents a challenge too. She said, "Now, I feel like if I take it, I'll be doing politics, so I'm not sure."

Stephen Colbert jokingly took Barack Obama to task for his administration's oversight on awarding Dolly with the prestigious award. Obama had joked he would tell his buddy Biden to fix his error ... and it seems Biden's camp got the message.

For her part ... Dolly says she's not even sure she deserves the award -- but, of course, she does. Her music would be enough, but then there's her amazing philanthropy ... including her Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which has donated more than 100 million kids books, and her Dollywood Foundation's support of families in need.

Dolly also donated $1 million to fund COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University, which helped develop the Moderna vaccine.

Phil Collins and his ex have not had a groovy kind of breakup, and it seems she don't care anymore ... because she's damn near giving away his awards and gold records.

Orianne Cevey has put multiple gold LPs and "Assorted Phil Collins Awards" on the auction block in the latest bitter development in their legal war ... which has already seen Phil evict her from his Miami Beach mansion.

Now that Cevey's moved out, she's unloading items that no longer "spark joy" in a Marie Kondo-esque move ... and those items include a gold record of Robert Plant’s "The Principle of Moments," which Phil got because his label, Es Paranza, released it.

There's another Gold LP Award for the Plant album, "Pictures at Eleven" -- on which Collins played drums -- and all the records have an opening bid price of $100. According to the auction site, Kodner, which was first reported by Page Six, 10 percent of the proceeds will go to the Never Give Up Foundation.

If this seems like a super bitter ex move ... Cevey's rep says it's just downsizing. Orianne's moving to a smaller home, and is also getting rid of some of her clothing and jewelry. Not sure that'll make Phil feel better, but we're pretty sure she's not thinking about that.

As we've told you ... things went south for Phil and Orianne near the end of 2020, when he decided to kick her out of his house after she allegedly secretly remarried another guy in Vegas in August.

She later claimed he promised her 50/50 ownership -- while also accusing him of living like a hermit and having poor hygiene -- but he accused her of lying to try to extort him.

Clay Matthews III is making a major push to get his dad into the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- saying the guy checks off all the boxes needed to punch a ticket to Canton.

The legendary Cleveland Browns linebacker has been eligible for the Hall for 20 years, and 2021 marks his last opportunity for selection by the Modern era committee.

Clay's son -- who also had a long and successful career in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and L.A. Rams -- is going to bat for his old man ... explaining why he's long overdue for the recognition.

"Peak Performance, Impact, Longevity, and Overall Value -- You CANNOT talk about my dad’s career without touching on each and every quality," Clay III tweeted Tuesday.

FYI -- Matthews played 16 of his 19 seasons with the Browns and is regarded as one of the best players in franchise history. He racked up 1561 tackles, 83.5 career sacks, 27 forced fumbles and 16 interceptions.

Clay III continued ... "His numbers are as good, if not better, than so many current, and deserving, members of the HOF. His longevity is unheard of. And his ability to do it all made him invaluable."

It’s not the end of the road if Matthews isn't selected -- he will be placed into the Seniors Committee for further consideration.

The Matthews family has been campaigning to get Clay Jr. in the Hall for years -- with names like Nick Saban, Bill Cowher, Jim Kelly and more vouching for his entry.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist LeRoy Butler says there's a very good reason he belongs in Canton ... Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson are enshrined.

Prime, SA, and Woodson are members of the NFL's '90s All-Decade team -- along with Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Cortez Kennedy, John Randle, Junior Seau, Derrick Thomas, and Kevin Greene -- ALL who are members of the Hall.

Butler is the only guy on the All-Decade squad who isn't in Canton ... and he tells TMZ Sports that's a helluva reason to put him in.

"I really would love to be in the Hall of Fame this particular year, 2021. And, plus, it's a little embarrassing to be the only All-Decade member, 1st team, not in the Hall of Fame."

Butler says some of the other players have bigger names ... but when it comes to the football field, he contributed as much as the other HOF'ers.

"It's like 'generic' and 'brand.' You get Woodson, brand, put him in! Manning, brand. Generic, LeRoy Butler. But, I do the same thing as them. I'm just cheaper. I think they should put me in to say we close out the '90s to the 2000s. Done, start the new decade! So, I just pray."

BTW, there's a reason LeRoy made the All-Decade team ... he had a great, 12 season career in Green Bay. He made 1st team All-Pro 4 times, 4 Pro Bowls, and won a Super Bowl with Brett Favre and the Packers in 1997.

Butler also breaks down his foray into the liquor biz ... 'cause he just launched a new vodka, aptly named Leap Spirits.

Remember, Butler was the 1st player to Lambeau Leap back in 1993.

If 2020 has shown you anything, think the unthinkable ... like a wide receiver winning the Heisman!

Yeah, that just happened ... with Alabama's DeVonta Smith becoming just the 3rd wide receiver EVER to win college football's most coveted award!!

Smith beat all the odds coming into the 2020 season to earn the honor -- seriously, wideouts NEVER win the award -- and he's now the first WR to inscribe his name on the trophy since Desmond Howard did it in 1991.

As for whether or not he deserved it ... there's no debate there -- Smith was a MONSTER for the Tide this season, posting 105 catches for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns in just 12 games.

The 22-year-old also had a rushing touchdown ... and is currently the nation’s leader in all-purpose yardage heading into next week's National Championship game against Ohio State.

As for Tuesday's awards ceremony, it truly is quite the accomplishment for Smith to beat out quarterbacks for the honor -- only six receivers since 2000 have even cracked the top five in Heisman voting, let alone the top 3!!!

Smith -- who received 447 first place votes -- took down his QB Mac Jones, as well as Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence and Florida QB Kyle Trask to grab the award.

Who knows ... maybe he'll add a title championship ring to go along with it next week??

She made NFL history. Now she's being honored at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Check out the new display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio celebrating Callie Brownson ... the 1st woman to serve as a positions coach in a regular-season NFL game.

31-year-old Brownson made her historic debut on Nov. 29 against the Jacksonville Jaguars -- when she filled in for tight ends coach Drew Petzing who left the team to welcome his first child.

Brownson's usual role with the Browns is "chief of staff" -- but she's got prior experience as both a coach and a player!

She played for the D.C. Divas in the Women's Football Alliance from 2010-17 -- WHERE SHE STRAIGHT TRUCKED FOOLS!!!

After that, she served as a scouting intern with the New York Jets, the offensive quality control coach at Dartmouth and ultimately joined the Browns in 2020.

So, when the Browns needed someone to step up on game day, they realized Brownson was more than equipped to handle the situation.

In fact, Cleveland's tight end Austin Hooper caught a key TD in the Browns' 27 to 25 victory over Jacksonville ... giving the Orange and Brown their 8th win of the season.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame thought Brownson's accomplishment was so important and impressive, they've put her sideline jacket from the game on display ... next to an autographed game ball.

Blue Ivy Carter is in the running for her first Grammy -- but the timing of her nomination is a little mysterious.

Blue's voice is featured in the beginning and end of Beyonce's single, "Brown Skinned Girl," which received a Grammy nom for best music video. However, when the nominations were announced November 24, Blue's name wasn't mentioned.

Seems like someone made a call, because Blue's name has now been added as a nominee thanks to a recent update on the Grammy's website. Nigerian singer Wizkid was also added for the track.

The mystery is ... who made the decision or the phone call to add her to the online list??? Hmmm.

Anyway, it's not the first possible slip-up for the award show in the last few weeks. You'll remember, fans and artists alike were outraged when The Weeknd's "After Hours" album and single "Blinding Lights" were left off the nomination list.