Megan Thee Stallion Nope, the Grammys Aren't Rigged ... But Still Love Ya, Abel!!!
Megan Thee Stallion is squarely contradicting The Weeknd's claim that the Grammys are corrupt ... but still lending him her support.
We caught Meg Sunday leaving the Highlight Room in Hollywood after a big night that saw her walking away with 3 Grammy wins, including one for Best New Artist. MTS was clearly on a high, pointing out the united front women put on with a record amount of awards.
Not only did Meg win a handful ... but her collaborator, Beyonce, tacked on a historic 28th Grammy -- making her the leading female artist with the most accolades ever. So yeah, huge night for the ladies.
Oh, and speaking of that, Meg's got a great take on Lizzo's viral moment too. Sounds like Megan aspires to be as candid as she was ... which she fulfilled later in this interview.
Walking back into work on Monday morning. #GRAMMYs #lizzo pic.twitter.com/EGwArQFeFL
— Joey Webster (@jwebster83) March 15, 2021 @jwebster83
At one point while she's still signing autographs from inside her car, someone asks flat out if the Grammy Awards are rigged -- and Meg doesn't make any bones about it ... saying "hell no."
Then comes the natural follow-up question -- well, if that's the case, what about Weeknd's beef/accusations? There's no doubt, she's definitely still got love for the dude -- but she ends up putting the matter in terms of winners and losers.
Savage.
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Chadwick Boseman Earns Posthumous Oscar Nomination
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Chadwick Boseman's earned his first-ever Academy Award nomination ... nearly 7 months after he died from colon cancer.
Chadwick was the second one named early Monday morning when the nominations for Actor in a Leading Role were announced. Riz Ahmed for "Sound of Metal," Anthony Hopkins for "The Father," Gary Oldman for "Mank" and Steven Yeun for "Minari" are the other nominees in the category. It's incredible this is his first nom considering the iconic roles he's played.
Chadwick died in August while "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" was in post-production and 3 months before the film's release. He played Levee Green, an incredibly talented trumpet player. The Netflix film is about Ma Rainey ... the influential blues singer during the 1920s.
He had already won a Golden Globe, also his first, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama last month. Chadwick's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award on his behalf and gave an emotional speech too.
Taylor had said, "He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices. He would say something beautiful. Something inspiring."
There had been only 7 other actors who were nominated posthumously for an Oscar. Peter Finch won the lead actor award in 1976 for his work in "Network." Heath Ledger is the most recent actor (2008) to posthumously win an Oscar ... for his supporting role in "The Dark Knight."
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Lil Baby Powerful Grammy Performance With Message to President Biden
Lil Baby used his platform at The Grammys to deliver a powerful message and highlight the problem of police brutality ... even including a message to President Biden.
The rapper's performance of his song "The Bigger Picture" looked more like a Hollywood production ... opening with a scene of a black man getting gunned down by a police officer.
Social justice advocate Tamika Mallory and activist Killer Mike also made appearances during Lil Baby's performance. Mallory delivered a personal message to President Biden, saying, "President Biden, we demand justice, equity, policy and everything else that freedom encompasses. We don't need allies, we need accomplices."
The song's lyrics are based around the death and aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, including, "t's too many mothers that's grieving. They killing us for no reason. Been going on for too long to get even. Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas."
At one point, Lil Baby stood face-to-face with a police officer before getting on the hood of a car as fireworks lit up the sky behind him.
Lil Baby's performance comes less than a week after jury selection for Derek Chauvin -- the police officer on trial for the death of George Floyd -- started in Minneapolis.
Uber Woman, Arna Kimiai Turns Self in for Alleged Attack ... Hit with 4 Charges
The maskless Uber rider seen on video coughing on her driver and yanking his mask off finally surrendered to police ... and she's facing some serious charges.
According to the San Francisco PD ... Arna Kimiai turned herself in to authorities Sunday and was booked into the San Fran County jail that night.
She's been hit with charges of robbery, assault and battery, conspiracy and violation of health and safety code. She's still in police custody.
Cops say Arna and her friend, Malaysia King, got into a March 7 altercation with their Uber driver because they weren't wearing masks.
By now you've seen the video, which seems to back up what police say ... that Arna reached over the driver from the backseat and snatched his phone. The driver was also allegedly pepper-sprayed as the women left his car ... although we don't see that in the video.
King was arrested last week and is facing similar charges as Kimiai.
We broke the story ... along with these legal issues, Kimiai is also being sued for a 2019 car crash in which the other driver claims she was seriously injured.
Arna also filmed herself driving a sports car last summer speeds reaching 122 MPH on the highway.
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Grammys 2021 No Fans, Plenty of Music ... And Beyonce Makes History
7:57 PM PT -- Beyonce just broke the record with her 28th Grammy -- she won for Best R&B Performance -- and gave her daughter, Blue, a shoutout during her acceptance speech. Blue won her first Grammy at just 9 years old earlier in the night.
Much like other award shows this year, the 2021 Grammys took on a new look, one that featured way less people but kept an abundance of live performers.
Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak were among the many who took the Grammy's stage in Los Angeles Sunday.
The Staples Center served as the show's backdrop, and awards were presented outside the building with only a handful of tables where celebs rotated through as they waited to accept their awards.
For the performers ... a large room with multiple stages was used, and the artists cycled through.
Beyonce didn't perform, but she showed face to accept the Grammy for Best Rap Song for her collab with Meg Thee Stallion on "Savage" ... giving Queen Bey her 27th Grammy and tying Allison Kraus for the most all time by a female artist.
While the show's production didn't seem to have any issues, this year's ceremony wasn't without controversy ... The Weeknd announced he would no longer allow his label to submit his music to the show after not receiving a single nomination for his incredibly successful "After Hours" album.
Naya Rivera Snubbed by the Grammys Excluded from 'In Memoriam' Tribute
Naya Rivera got left out of the Grammys' "In Memoriam" tribute .. and fans are irate.
There were lots of names and songs played during Sunday's TV broadcast as part of the Grammys' annual "In Memoriam" tribute ... but noticeably absent was Naya's name and contribution to the industry.
Naya, nominated in 2010 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals during her "Glee" run, died at just 33 years old last summer after accidentally drowning during a boating trip with her then 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, in Ventura County.
Little Richard, Gerry Marsden, John Prine and Kenny Rogers were included in the tribute but no dice for Naya. It should be noted ... her name was included among the more than 1,000 people listed in the Grammys' online Memoriam ... but getting ignored on the TV broadcast drove fans to express outrage and disappointment.
One fan wrote, "Since the #GRAMMYs didn't mention her I'll do it. Rest in peace Naya Rivera you beautiful angel ❤️ we love you and miss you so much." Another fan wrote, "I'm disappointed and utterly heartbroken. Naya gave SO much to the music world. She deserves a mention AT LEAST. Put some respect on her name. #grammys."
"Glee" fans were similarly furious after Cory Monteith died in 2013 at just 31. His name was among the "In Memoriam" tribute during the Grammys' TV broadcast ... but his last name was misspelled.
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Samantha Markle Meghan's Heading for Divorce ... Harry's Probably Already Considering It
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Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister has gone from armchair psychologist to marriage counselor for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but not a very hopeful one ... because she's predicting divorce.
Samantha Markle -- who has no relationship with Harry or Meghan and has never been with them since they hooked up -- says Meghan and Prince Harry are inevitably heading for a split unless they get some serious counseling and go on an apology tour to undo all the damage they've done to the Royal Family.
It doesn't sound like Sam's holding her breath for that though, and she suggests Harry's probably already questioning his marriage to Meghan ... whom she accuses of nonstop lying.
It's pretty incendiary stuff from Samantha, who thinks it's only a matter of time before Harry pulls away ... and divorce lawyers get involved. Again, she has no connection to the Royals either, but that hasn't stopped her from weighing in.
As we reported ... Meghan's half-sister trashed Meghan earlier this week for turning her back on their family ... claiming she suffers from "narcissistic personality disorder."
MARCH 2021
During the Oprah interview, Meghan said she's had little to no relationship with Samantha for more than 2 decades. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Samantha from writing a memoir titled, "The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister."
Unsurprisingly, Meghan's father Thomas also weighed in on Oprah's interview -- specifically Meghan's revelation of her mental health struggles -- claiming she might not have reached the point of feeling suicidal if she hadn't bailed on him and the fam.
Samantha has more thoughts on the broken relationship between Meghan and their dad, and what it would take to fix it.
It's a safe bet Meghan and Harry have no interest in Samantha's opinions.
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Dr. Oz Meets Man He Saved at Newark Airport Man Remembers Nothing
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Dr. Oz could hardly believe his eyes after meeting the man he brought back from the dead ... and almost as shocking, the man had ZERO recollection about what happened!!!
The good doc met 60-year-old Joe for the first time during a sit-down interview for Dr. Oz's upcoming show set to air Monday. Joe and his wife, Barbara, also met with the Port Authority cop, Jeffrey Croissant, who also helped save Joe's life.
You can see Oz is almost in disbelief after he asks Joe how he's feeling considering how too many things had to have lined up perfectly for Joe to survive his heart attack. Joe, in utter amazement, said he felt fine.
We're told Joe's heart condition -- an issue he dealt with in 2006 requiring a bypass graft -- was a blockage in the middle of an artery. With no blood passing through ... it's no wonder Joe collapsed and needed Oz, Croissant and the help of a defibrillator to shock him back to life.
Oz says it's stunning Joe feels fine ... especially because on that fateful day Oz says Joe was the color of an eggplant after collapsing and having foam coming out of his mouth.
It's a sweet moment ... when Oz tells Joe he'll be emotionally connected to him for the rest of his life. Joe, who remembers zilch about what went down, not only thanks Oz but also thanks Croissant for his heroism.
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WWE Champ Bobby Lashley Down For MMA Fight W/ Brock Lesnar ... And I'll Wrestle Him Too!!
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WWE Champion Bobby Lashley wants a piece of Brock Lesnar ... telling TMZ Sports he doesn't care if he doles out an ass-whooping in an MMA cage or wrestling ring!!
We asked the 6'3", 273 lb. WWE Superstar about the match every wrestling AND mixed martial arts fans want to see ... a scrap with fellow giant, 6'3", 286 lb. Lesnar.
"I'm willing to wrestle, I'm willing to do 100-meter dash, I don't care. I love those big matchups! Brock is one of the biggest thing across the sports industry, sports world across the board," Bobby says.
"So if I can have an opportunity to fight Brock or wrestle Brock or do anything against Brock, I'm 100% in and I will be ready. That's all I gotta say about that!"
Let's talk resumes ... fighting first.
Bobby has a better record ... and more experience in the cage. He's 15-2 ... and has racked up wins in Bellator and Strikeforce, as well as other promotions. Lashley hasn't fought since October 2016.
As for Brock, he's 5-3 with 1 no contest. However, Lesnar has fought the stiffer competition ... and has wins over Randy Couture, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin. Brock also hasn't fought since 2016.
In the wrestling ring, both men are Superstars in every way. Lesnar is a 5x WWE World Champion, and Lashley is the current WWE Champion ... having recently defeated The Miz.
Bobby -- who you can catch on "Monday Night Raw," -- left us with a message for Lesnar's mouthpiece, Paul Heyman.
"Paul, call me! Before you guys always said that I had nothing or no reason for [Brock] to come after me. Now I do."
Alison Krauss 'Memba Her?!
Country artist Alison Krauss was only 16-years-old when she shot to stardom after releasing her first solo album "Too Late To Cry" in 1987 ... and then followed it up by joining forces with the band Union Station to form Alison Krauss & Union Station and release a string of popular country and bluegrass albums over the years.
Since the start of her music career, AK has shot out a long list of southern-charm songs and also found her way into the movie/soundtrack business which ... in total ... has won her 27 Grammy awards and held the claim to fame as winning the most all time by a female artist -- only to lose the prestigious title last night to Beyonce.
More 'Memba Thems!
R&B Group Troop Member Reggie Warren Dead at 51
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Reggie Warren -- one of the original five members of the R&B group TROOP -- has died ... TMZ has learned.
A rep for the group tells us Reggie passed away Sunday at his home in Pasadena, surrounded by family. We're told he's been dealing with health issues for a while now, and was even hospitalized for a couple months back in January.
The rep says Reggie was released from the hospital Saturday with the anticipation he would die. We're told his death is not COVID related -- but the family didn't want to discuss an official cause until an autopsy could be performed.
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Reggie started out with TROOP when it first formed in the '80s, alongside childhood friends Rodney Benford, John Harreld, Steve Russell and Allen McNeil. Russell paid tribute to his longtime collaborator in an IG post on Sunday, writing ... "Job well done my brother I will see you on the other side🌹🌹😓😥😓😥😓RIP Reggie Warren. #DamnReggie."
The quintet signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album in '88, which saw a hit in their lead single 'Mamacita.' They're more well-known for their 2nd album, 'Attitude,' though, which spawned two #1s in songs like "All I Do is Think of You" and "Spread My Wings."
Beyond their musical success, TROOP -- which stands for Total Respect of Other People -- might also be remembered as the a capella group singing a cover of "Living For the City" in the cult classic film "New Jack City" -- which they all briefly appear in during a montage.
'Living For the City' got mashed together with Queen Latifah's 'For the Love of Money' -- also featured in the movie -- for a memorable medley that came to be associated with 'NJC.'
The group went on a hiatus in the late '90s, but got back together and went touring in the 2000s and beyond ... having appeared in concert with notable acts like Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat, Jon B, Brian McKnight and other artists and groups that were popular in those days.
Looks like the fellas stayed on good terms through the 2010s, as they'd often appear together at different public events like the BET Awards and beyond.
Reggie was 51.
RIP
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New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees Retires from NFL ... Kids Help w/ Announcement!!!
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Drew Brees is hanging up his cleats and helmet -- the legendary quarterback just announced he's retiring after a storied career ... and recruited his kids to help with the message.
The New Orleans Saints QB made the announcement Sunday with a video of his 4 young children telling the camera that, yes, their pops is ready to move on from the NFL. The kids go down the line and recite this ... "After 15 years with the Saints and 20 years in the NFL, our dad is finally gonna retire SO HE CAN SPEND MORE TIME WITH US!"
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All 4 kids jump up in jubilation and let out some "YAYS!" ... which is awesome, you can tell just how excited they are. Drew had some parting words of his own in a touching caption for the Who Dat faithful.
He writes, "After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football. Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback." He adds, "Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans."
Drew goes on to say that he's had built incredible memories in New Orleans with the folks living there, and that the city will always be a part of him and his fam. He adds, "You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories. My goal for the last 15 years was striving to give to you everything you had given to me and more."
DB ends with this ... "I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life‘s work begins!"
Drew helped take the team to the Super Bowl in 2010, which they went on to win. He's one of the most decorated quarterbacks to ever play the game ... having won awards like Offensive Player of the Year, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP and so many more ... including being the NFL's All-time passing leader ahead of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
Brees is in the pantheon of greats with the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning -- 2 of his contemporaries who are hands down HOFers. He got his start in the NFL back in 2001 with the San Diego Chargers, but headed off to the saints in '06 ... and the rest is history.
As for what's next for the man, unclear for now. But in the meantime, thanks for the memories, Drew!
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Beyonce 9-Y-O Daughter Blue Ivy Wins her first Grammy Award!!!
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Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy, just won herself some hardware at the Grammys -- which makes her the second youngest to ever walk away with the prize.
Bey and Blue just won for Best Music Video ... an award that was given out before the broadcast, which starts at 5 PM PT. The Recording Academy gave props to the team, tagging Beyonce and hashtagging BI (since she doesn't have Twitter yet), plus Wizkid.
Congrats Best Music Video winner - 'BROWN SKIN GIRL' @Beyonce #BlueIvy @wizkidayo ✨ #GRAMMYs
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) March 14, 2021 @RecordingAcad
WATCH NOW ⬇️––#GRAMMYPremiere https://t.co/b1dROc2jH3
The Academy wrote, "Congrats Best Music Video winner - 'BROWN SKIN GIRL' @Beyonce #BlueIvy @wizkidayo Sparkles #GRAMMYs." The track and accompanying video were part of Beyonce's 'Lion King' album, 'The Gift' -- and yes, Blue DOES have a verse in there.
She shows up throughout the video alongside her mom, but toward the end ... Blue dishes out the outro, nearly identical to the intro and chorus ... "Brown skin girl // Your skin just like pearls // The best thing in the world // I'd never trade you for anybody else, singin'."
It's a small contribution, but it counts ... and Blue's even a featured name on the song. So, yes ... she also gets credit, and just as important, she also gets a statuette -- joining her folks, who've got dozens of Grammys among themselves. Now, it's a family affair!
At age 9, Blue becomes one of the youngest artists to have the honor bestowed on her. In 2002, the music group The Peasall Sisters won a Grammy for Best Album for the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to which they contributed on "In the Highways."
The youngest of those three sisters, Leah, was 7 when she recorded it and 8 when she and her other two siblings won. Still, pretty impressive all around for Blue ... congrats!!!
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Trey Songz Spits into two women's mouths On What Seems to Be a Set
A new video of Trey Songz oozing saliva into the mouths of two women is raising a lot of questions -- perhaps most important of which being ... how in the hell is this safe?!?
Check out this 13-second clip of a shirtless Trey on what appears to be a set of some sort, with two women kneeling in down in front of his junk (which luckily doesn't make an appearance) and licking each other's tongues, as TS stands above and spits on 'em.
The clip -- which doesn't have much context at this point -- is quite gross on its face, as the internet duly noted after it surfaced and went viral. It sure seems degrading, but the two women here appear to be more than active and willing participants.
Anyway, I woke up to Trey Songz spitting in two hoes mouth this morning, wbu? pic.twitter.com/layMAnPY38
— 𝕜𝕪𝕟 (@_MacKyn) March 14, 2021 @_MacKyn
It looks like Trey's being photographed -- which is leading some to believe he's doing a shoot, a music video or another visual project.
Someone set Selena Gomez's new song, 'Damelo To,' to this video -- kinda like folks do on TikTok or IG these days -- but there's no evidence this is being shot for her song or that she's involved at all. Besides, Trey's not featured in that track ... Myke Towers is.
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Anyway, assuming Trey is, in fact, on a set here ... the question must be asked -- even if everyone involved agreed to partake, how is this even being allowed in the first place amid a pandemic? Sure, you can test and whatever else ... but this act alone feels like it'd be banned on any set anywhere right now (assuming they're actually following guidelines).
Ironically ... Trey himself caught COVID back in October, so he certainly knows about the dangers first-hand. We reached out to Trey's team for more info ... so far, no word back.
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Tank Grammys Stuck in the Past But New Chief Can Reinvent it!!!
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Tank says the Grammys is one of those institutions that's part of the old guard of Hollywood -- which he admits has racism deeply embedded -- but he's got a way to turn it around.
We were at LAX when we caught the R&B crooner -- who's been nominated a whopping 5 times at the Grammys himself -- and asked what he made of The Weeknd's emphatic boycott and the accusation that Grammy honchos are inherently racist and out of touch.
Check it out ... Tank doesn't deny it, but he does say the org's new Prez and CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., is a good man whom he genuinely believes wants to make the show more inclusive and in touch with 2021 audiences. HMJ is very new to the job ... about 2 years in.
Tank also hit us with some solid suggestions on how to get the right artists nominated and how to gauge whose music is actually connecting with the world and how.
Watch ... he basically says the Recording Academy needs voters in these committees who ACTUALLY know the artists they're reviewing and are experts in the categories for which they're weighing ballots. He offers up some names of artists as an example -- like Lil Uzi Vert and A Boogie wit da Hoodie -- as guys that these old heads might not know of at all.
Tank explains that skimming through a few songs from artists you're not familiar with just isn't won't cut it anymore -- he says voters gotta understand the full scope and impact of what they're reviewing, and while he doesn't explicitly say it ... it might require some new blood.
With all that said, Tank doubles down on his faith for Harvey -- who's a POC -- and thinks the ship will be steered in the right direction going forward. Here's hoping he's right!
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Harry & Meghan Montecito Estate Invaded By Intruder
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Prince Harry still seems pretty upset about losing his Royal security privileges, and ya can't blame him ... especially because cops say he and Meghan Markle had an unwanted visitor on their property TWICE during the holidays.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 37-year-old man named Nickolas Brooks was caught trespassing at the Montecito, CA home of the Duke on Duchess on Christmas Eve, but Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officers let him off with a warning.
We're told the warning didn't work because cops say Brooks showed up on the property again on Dec. 26 ... so this time he was arrested.
Our sources say Brooks drove all the way from Ohio, but it's unclear what he wanted from Harry and Meghan ... or if they were even home at the time of his visits.
Brooks has been charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.
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The incidents might seem like no big deal, but they highlight a much bigger point Harry suggested during last week's bombshell TV interview with Oprah -- he's worried about the safety of his family.
Harry told Oprah when he and Meghan left their senior royal roles and moved to North America ... Buckingham Palace stripped them of their UK security team.
Harry says he pointed out that the risks to him and his family were no less despite their change in status ... but he claims that didn't change the decision.
Clearly, security is still a justified, major concern.