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Some folks were upset Cardi B won Album of the Year at the BET Awards -- but not Mary J. Blige ... whose opinion MIGHT just matter more than yours.

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul was leaving TAO Sunday night in Hollywood after the jam-packed show -- in which Mary herself received a Lifetime Achievement award -- and she told us how she felt about CB getting the big prize over the other nominated artists.

Check it out -- Mary's got nothin' but love for Cardi, whom she thinks "deserved that s***!" ... no questions asked. Some peeps thought Meek Mill, Travis Scott or Ella Mai were more worthy, but Mary wasn't hearing it. It's clear ... Cardi's got her heart.

We also had to congratulate MJB on the big award she walked away with -- for which she did her OWN damn tribute, alongside Lil' Kim and others. It was absolutely epic, and if Cardi deserved AOTY ... Mary absolutely deserved a lifetime achievement.

Ric Flair told us he wasn't gonna let his medical scare slow him down ... and he's proving it -- because the WWE legend ordered up a beer this weekend during an outing with his family.

Sporting a shirt with his own face on it (legendary stuff), the 70-year-old strolled into Hamilton's On Magnolia in Alabama (right near Auburn) flanked by his wife, Wendy Barlow.

Inside the restaurant, Flair was all smiles ... toasting his wife with a pint of beer.

Yeah, sippin' on brew may not be exactly what the doctor recommends just one month after undergoing heart surgery ... but Flair has told us he wants to live life to the fullest while he's still here on earth.

As we previously reported, Flair had a procedure to change up his pacemaker after a medical emergency in May.

When we spoke with Ric on the "TMZ Sports" TV show earlier this month, he told us he plans on living another 25 years ... AT LEAST!

BET pulled out all the stops for Nipsey Hussle at its annual award show ... and the emotion onstage and in the crowd was palpable.

In a powerful moment, Hussle's family took the stage to a standing ovation, including the late rapper's girlfriend, Lauren London, and his son, Kross Asghedom, to accept the 2019 Humanitarian Award on his behalf.

"I just want to thank you guys for all of the love and support and the marathon continues again," London said briefly.

"I was so amazed that so much love was out in the world that it uplifted me," said Hussle's grandmother. "God said to Nipsey, 'You've done your job, you've made your mark.' So thank you so much world for loving him, too.' His parents also spoke briefly of their son.

The slain South L.A. MC was presented with a special tribute Sunday night during the BET Awards --where T.I. spoke some kind words about the hip-hop icon, recounting the impact he had on the community as a whole.

"There will never be another Nipsey Hussle; he was a revolutionary," T.I. said. "He was our blessing and inspired people across the world.

The powerful moment led into a musical tribute to Hussle, with performances by Marsha Ambrosius on "Real Big," YG on "Last Time I Checc'd" and DJ Khaled and John Legend leading everyone in white for an emotional performance of "Higher."

They also played a video tribute to Nipsey's life with words from Snoop Dogg, Ava DuVernay and Los Angeles Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson ... it included footage from the last video Hussle shot before his death.

Nipsey was a driving force in his community ... inspiring people to make South L.A. better by both words and deeds.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was gunned down in March outside of his Marathon clothing store in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.

Nipsey left behind two children -- 10-year-old Emani, and 2-year-old Kross, the latter whom he shared with Lauren London.

He was 33 at the time of his death.

Cardi B and Offset are making sure Kulture is one blinged-out baby ... spending a huge chunk of change on a super lavish present for their daughter's upcoming first birthday party.

Our sources tell us, Kulture is getting some serious bday bling when she turns 1 next month ... and we've got an early look at the extravagant piece of custom jewelry.

Check it out ... when Kulture celebrates her first birthday on July 10, she's gonna get this super sick piece from her parents, featuring characters from her favorite TV show, "Word Party."

We've learned Cardi commissioned celeb jeweler Eliantte for the project ... and the pendant and chain are made of diamonds, white gold and vibrantly colored enamel. Altogether, we're told Cardi dropped about $100,000 to keep Kulture ice cold.

Kulture's first birthday bash is gonna be one for the ages ... Cardi recently revealed she's pulling out all the stops, and spending a whopping $400k on the festivities!!!

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk are bending the rule at home that the couple that [insert cute action verb] together stays together -- but abroad ... they're 2 peas in a pod.

The actor and her TV writer hubby are vacationing in Europe right now, where they were seen taking in the sights in Florence, hand-in-hand and in lockstep -- this, of course, after Gwyneth recently revealed they live together only around half the time.

Brad spends the night at her L.A. home 4 nights out of the week, and crashes at his pad for the other 3 ... which she says keeps things fresh between them.

A bit unorthodox for a married couple, but it's clearly working for GP and BF! They look absolutely in love in Italy ... whether it's strolling the streets or over dinner and wine.

Remember, Gwyneth was the one who coined the whole "conscious uncoupling" thing when she split from Chris Martin ... so the together-but-separate thing's right up her alley, really.

The Justin Bieber vs. Tom Cruise hype train has left the station ... with UFC honcho Dana White saying the celebrity superfight would probably be the biggest Pay-Per-View event in combat sports history!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White said he is seriously interested in putting together the Bieber vs. Cruise fight ... after hearing from two "serious people" with connections to the stars that they'd be down to scrap.

And, we're also told Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, spoke with William Morris Endeavor co-owner Ari Emanuel and Dana White on a secret phone call and said Bieber is "100%" down with it.

So, when White was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Sunday night, he told TMZ Sports he thinks there's a real shot this fight goes down.

"Weirder things have happened, let's put it that way," White said.

"I think it would be the biggest purse ever and I think it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View ever too."

White says the situation is still developing and he hasn't heard anything official from Tom's camp yet -- but he's hopeful he'll have more info in the coming days.

Until then, White seems excited to make it happen ... though he's keeping it real when asked about the actual combat.

Nineteen very good boys and girls duked it out to see who could really make the crowd say "Woof" ... and in the end, a mangy mutt was crowned World's Ugliest Dog.

The competition was held Friday night at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center, and this year's winner is a former stray pooch who goes by the name Scamp the Tramp ... and he was runner-up last year!

According to his bio ... "no amount of conditioner can calm" Scamp's matted and messy fur. His owner says she rescued him at the "last hour" from an L.A. animal shelter, and it's been a match made in heaven.

Scamp has been a pet therapist at a senior center for 7 years, and also listens to first graders read stories on a weekly basis. Now, he can add celebrity status to his bio too -- he appeared on the "Today" show Monday morn.

In addition to his new title, Scamp took home a trophy and $1,500 ... which will be matched in a donation split between the Humane Society of Sonoma County, Angels Fund, and Compassion Without Borders.

As for the other dogs ... there was a lot of cute and ugly to go around. A 3-year-old Pekingese with a wild tongue aptly named Wild Thang took second place, and a rescue pup named Tostito -- who's missing his lower jaw -- came in third.

Khloe Kardashian claims Tristan Thompson went overboard in showing remorse after he confirmed he cheated on her with Jordyn Woods ... to the point where he threatened to kill himself.

On Sunday's episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," Khloe was telling Scott Disick about Tristan's text messages to her after she confronted him about his fling with Woods.

She says she got her questions answered, but then her baby daddy bombarded her with messages of regret and sorrow ... including threatening suicide.

Khloe told Disick ... "He's like, 'I can't stop thinking about you and what a mess I have caused.'" She added, "He's doing this to get a reaction out of me. Oh, so I'm just allowed to say 'I'm going to kill myself' at any time? That's crazy."

Despite her disgust over Tristan's behavior, Khloe apparently asked his friend to check on him to make sure he was okay ... which Disick said "just goes to show that Khloe is an unbelievable person that loves so hard and so much."

Scott added ... "Somehow she just keeps getting the short end of the stick, and it's unfair and it's hurtful and it's really hard to me to sit and watch."

As you know ... Jordyn and Tristan's cheating scandal broke in February, and Woods explained her side during a 'Red Table Talk' interview shortly afterward, claiming she wasn't a homewrecker and there was just one kiss.

Louis C.K.'s surprise appearance at a comedy festival sent the crowd into a frenzy ... roaring in approval as he took the stage.

The comedian hit up Skankfest NYC Saturday night in Brooklyn ... where the crowd had ZERO clue he was about to take the mic. Check out the video ... the packed house gave Louis a standing ovation. Some of them literally jumped for joy. You can see a woman going berserk.

We're told Louis opened up his set by quickly addressing the controversy surrounding him ... telling the crowd, "If you ever masturbate in front of someone, ask them first. If they say yes, don't do it!"

Louis had the crowd laughing their asses off for about 20 minutes before calling it a night. Remember, last time he made a surprise appearance, back in September, he also got quite the ovation.

We're told the festival's promoter, Luis J. Gomez, had been working hard to get Louis C.K. to agree to perform. And, with days to spare before the festival officially kicked off, Gomez locked him down. 'SNL' star Michael Che followed Louis' set. Bill Burr also performed.

Louis, of course, is still in the midst of making a comeback since his 2017 confession -- admitting he'd exposed himself to several women and masturbated in front of them or over the phone.

Taylor Swift's newest pet is on the family payroll now -- so get out there and start working, Benjamin Button!

Swiftees already know Taylor filed docs to trademark her first 2 cats -- Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson -- but she didn't want to leave the new cat out in the cold. That's right, she's now added BB to the squad.

According to the new docs ... Taylor's applied for the trademark, "Meredith, Olivia & Benjamin Swift." The legal move now opens the door for Taylor to cash in on every kind of merch imaginable -- clothing and phone accessories, toys, luggage, home furnishings, key rings, arts and crafts kits, ornaments, glassware, coloring books, magazines, etc ...

You get the picture ... she can now milk these cats for all they're worth, and then some.

And yes, cats have nipples.

Meredith and Olivia made their merch debuts last year ... so this is old hat for those cats.

Taylor adopted Benjamin earlier this year after they met on the set of her "ME!" music video.

It seemed impossible ... but Nik and Lijana did it -- they walked a quarter of a mile across Times Square, 25 stories up and balancing the entire way on a tightrope.

The view looking down was incredible, and it was broadcast live on ABC. Thousands watched as Nik and Lijana met in the middle and he actually CLIMBED OVER HER -- around 18 minutes into the stunt.

It was especially daunting for Lijana, who broke almost every bone in her face after suffering a near-fatal fall a few years back.

She was more than confident Sunday night, having nailed the run-through 25 times in a row. Lijana sang biblical hymns and praised the Lord as she traversed the famous landmark, with neon lights glaring and the crowd roaring.

Nik and Lijana constantly talked with each other ... he especially offering words of encouragement to his sister. Their dad was in the control room, and Nik and Lijana seemed to draw comfort from that.

By the way ... the poles they held weigh 38 lbs!!!

The 2019 BET Awards saw hip-hop legends hanging out with newcomers, movie stars mingling with TV counterparts and everyone was having a good time … showing off their bold styles, fierce swag and lots and lots of cell phones.

Some of the big stars who kept their phones close by ... La La Anthony, O.T. Genasis, DJ Mustard, Bobby Lytes, Lil Nas X and DJ Khaled -- The latter also took part in a touching tribute to Nipsey Hussle alongside YG, John Legend and Marsha Ambrosius.

Other stars taking in the festivities were 2 Chainz, Rihanna, Cardi B, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Lil Nas’ collabo partner Billy Ray Cyrus … along with lots of other fab faces.

Zak Bagans doesn't just collect haunted items for his museum -- he also goes the macabre route ... like adding the brothel bed connected to a death and an infamous overdose.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he's acquired the bed and bedroom furniture of Bunny Ranch and Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof, which eerily includes the mattress Hof died on. Which also happens to be the same mattress Lamar Odom was on when he overdosed 3 years prior, in October 2015.

Bagans says they never swapped out the mattress in the Love Ranch room, and now folks at the legal Nevada brother believe it's cursed ... and that's where Bagans steps in.

We're told the bed set is being donated to The Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, where, as we've reported ... Bagans displays spooky stuff like the "Devil's Rocking Chair" and a dybbuk box, along with creepy items like Ted Bundy's glasses.

Zak tells us the Love Ranch wants him to replicate Hof's entire bedroom, which as you can see ... maintained the same set up over the years, including when Odom OD'd in it.

We're told people at the ranch say Hof would have enjoyed his legacy being carried on this way ... because "that's how he was."

Now we just have to wait and see if Zak's new bedroom exhibit starts showcasing any signs of paranormal activity like that freaky rocking chair.

J. Cole, Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar are giving you yet another reason to hit up Sin City ... because they're headlining the insane opening lineup for a new music festival!!!

Our industry sources tell us, the hip-hop titans have been tabbed to kick off the inaugural 3-day festival dubbed Day N Vegas ... and it's all going down this November in America's Playground!

The new festival is gonna be the place to be this fall because it's being produced by Goldenvoice ... ya know, the people who put on the biggest festivals in the country, like Coachella!

We're told most of the acts will be of the hip-hop variety, with a few R&B stars sprinkled in. Other acts slated to perform are Tyler the Creator, Lil Uzi, Migos, Juice Wrld, School Boy Q, Miguel, Brock Hampton, 6lack, Kali Uchis, Summer Walker, and more.

J. Cole gets the party started Friday, Nov. 1 ... with Travis Scott taking the stage Saturday night and Kendrick sending Day N Vegas out in style with his Sunday set.

Pretty baller lineup if you ask us ... and we can't wait to see who gets added. Safe to say it's gonna be lit!!!

Curfews suck when you're 26 years old ... just ask Lil Durk who's having HUGE problems cashing checks for high-paying, late-night gigs thanks to a court-ordered bedtime in his attempted murder case.

Durk was released from jail Thursday night after posting $250k bail -- but under the terms of his release, he's not allowed to be out in public from 11 PM to 7 AM.

The issue for Durk ... the late-night hours are MASSIVE for rap stars -- who get paid a ton of money for late-night shows, after-parties, club appearances and more.

Durk -- who's had hits with guys like Snoop, Fetty Wap and more -- is getting calls and offers to collect some big paychecks over the next few weeks ... but he's had to turn most of them down.

He's also had other shows that were booked before the attempted murder drama -- but those shows have had to be rescheduled too.

We're told Durk usually charges about $30k per late-night show -- so calling off multiple gigs (we're told 6 have been canceled, so far) ... is costing Durk a serious coin.

Oh, and Durk is rocking a GPS-tracking ankle bracelet ... so it's not like he can sneak out and do the shows on the sneak tip.

In the meantime, we're told Durk is trying to book earlier shows at daytime festivals -- but those are harder to come by ... and he's still losing out on the after-party money.

Durk ain't exactly poor (far from it) but his legal bills are mounting up -- and it's not like this case is about to wrap up any time soon.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says moving away from the term "owner" makes sense -- telling TMZ Sports, "We moved away from that term years ago."

We broke the story ... multiple NBA teams (including the Clippers and 76ers) have stopped using the title owner because they feel it's racially insensitive in a league where the majority of the players are black.

When we saw Silver out in NYC, we asked if he supported the decision and how the league office is handling the issue.

"I don't want to overreact to the term because, as I said earlier, people end up twisting themselves into knots avoiding the use of the word owner," Silver said ... "But, we moved away from that term years ago in the league."

"We call our team owners 'Governor of the team' and 'alternate Governor.'"

Silver says the word owner has sometimes slipped through in an NBA memo -- but general rule in the office is to no longer use that term ... adding, "I'm sensitive to it and I think to the extent teams are moving away from the term, we'll stick with using Governor."

As for the feedback from the players, Silver says he's heard from both sides -- "Players have gone both ways. I think a few players have actually spoken out and said the greatest thing that ever happened was when Michael Jordan was able to call himself an owner."