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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.

Tom Brady left football, in part, so he could focus on being a more-present dad -- and on Father's Day ... that's exactly what he was reflecting on, in touching terms no less.

The now-retired QB great threw up a sweet tribute to both his own father as well as his kids on Instagram Sunday -- and it's all about what being a good Papa Bear means to him personally ... and how he was raised by an awesome one in his pops, Tom Brady Sr.

Here's what TB12 had to say about the special holiday ... "On this Father’s Day, all I can think of is how grateful I am to have been raised by the world’s best Dad, and to now have three beautiful angels of my own who I have the joy of watching grow up."

Tom adds, "Being a Dad is the best thing in my life. I have learned so much about what it takes from my Dad and to be able to pass that on to Jack, Benny and Vivi means the world to me. They have taught me how to be present (still working on this daily 🤣)and cherish every moment (mostly😂) that we have as a family, because that’s what matters most."

And finally, he finishes with this ... "Their love for others and constant selflessness makes me so proud to be their dad, and I know those traits come directly from everyone who is part of their life. Thank you Dad, for being you, and thank you to my three amazing kids, for giving me the pleasure of being your Dad." Super thoughtful ... and clearly from the heart.

It's pretty obvious that Tom's loving retirement at this point -- as we've seen up close, it has most definitely allowed him to spend quality time with his children ... which he's said had been somewhat lacking throughout his football career.

There's been speculation he might just un-retire (again) and get back on the gridiron ... but seeing how much he's enjoying his family, something tells us that probably ain't happening.

Lately, the dude's been sailing the high seas/living the yacht life -- with his kiddos coming along, of course. Of course, he's also proven that he could certainly hop back into the game if he really wanted to ... 'cause the dude can still toss the pigskin like nobody's business.

Kourtney Kardashian broke her big baby news this weekend -- and it seems this was a well-kept secret ... 'cause her baby bump is actually pretty big, which she just revealed online.

The eldest Kardashian sister posted new photos of her belly Sunday -- this after letting the world (and her husband) know that she was newly expecting in awesome fashion. As it turns out, it appears she's quite far along ... meaning she's been sitting on this for a minute.

We're not gonna play doctor and pretend we know where she's at in the pregnancy -- but at first glance, it would seem she's well into the first trimester ... and then some, perhaps.

As for the pics themselves ... they're absolutely adorable. You see Kourt and Trav hugging up on each other -- smooching, hugging, and even a little drumming (kidding, of course) with TB playfully using his sticks on her stomach. The dude even goes in to kiss the baby-to-be.

It's interesting ... we know for a fact Travis was completely stunned to learn that Kourtney was pregnant -- based on his reaction to the announcement, which went down live during a Blink-182 concert. As we all know ... KK blasted the news out via old-school signage.

However, considering how preggo she looks here ... you gotta wonder, how the heck did the dude not pick up on it any sooner??? He's living/sleeping with her -- and yet, she appears to have been able to keep this one under wraps until it was time to let everyone know.

Obviously, her sisters were probably in the know about her bun in the oven -- and considering how much she's showing ... maybe even Shanna Moakler was privy to it too ... as she claims she has been for weeks. If that's the case -- well done keeping it on the DL.

As you know ... this would be Kourtney's fourth child -- she has three others with her ex, Scott Disick -- and it marks Travis' third. They've hinted at wanting kids of their own since getting hitched ... following a whirlwind romance that ultimately became a fairy tale.

Meghan Markle may be on the outs with Spotify, but she's supposedly about to be in with Dior -- that is, if you buy what a British columnist has to say about it.

Caroline Graham of the Daily Mail reported this weekend that the Duchess of Sussex might just be on the verge of signing a massive deal with the famed French couture house ... at least that's the buzz around Hollywood, as she cites her sources as saying in her piece.

Here's how one of the sources puts it ... "There have been rumors for weeks that she's about to sign a deal with Dior which has put the gossip mill into overdrive. If she pulls that off, then no one will remember that her silly little podcast got canceled after one season."

Not just that, but per the report ... MM's management team at WME has apparently been working overtime toward a major rebrand for their Royal client, with one source saying the Spotify news was a surprise to some ... but small potatoes to them based on what's coming.

As far as what sort of partnership this might be ... DM says sources are claiming Dior wants Meghan to be the "face" of the company -- similar to Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence.

Of course, another recognizable face of Dior is none other than Johnny Depp -- but he's heading up the men's fragrance department ... so kinda at arm's length from anything Meg would presumably be involved in. No word on a dollar amount for this would-be signing ... but just for reference, JLaw's Dior deal is said to be around $15M, and JD's was $20M.

Considering how big a name Meghan is ... ya gotta figure hers would be well north of that.

While this news is unconfirmed, it is certainly interesting. The reason being ... Meg actually low-key wears Dior all the freakin' time -- or at the very least, a lot of the time. She's been pictured in Dior outfits several different times over the years ... as has Prince Harry.

The dude was actually rockin' Dior at King Charles' coronation last month -- so perhaps they've been telegraphing something this whole time. The brand makes sense for them.

Now, as far as podcast stuff ... DM also reports other platforms are blowing up Meg's people for a bite at the apple. And, of course, they still have their Netflix deal intact -- although, there've been rumblings that the streaming giant ain't quite happy with that either.

In any case, it sounds like Meg and Harry are far from strapped. They've cleaned up well since leaving the Royal family -- and while some deals are falling through, other doors seem to be opening at the exact same time. We'll see if this Dior thing comes to pass.

Conor McGregor isn't hiding under a rock after a woman accused him of sexual assault -- he's out and about in NYC, and still drawing a crowd wherever he goes.

The UFC fighter pulled up to his hotel in NYC Saturday night and was immediately swarmed by autograph seekers ... just as he was earlier in the day. McGregor happily stopped and signed for seemingly all of them, before bounding into the hotel.

He didn't have anything to say, though, when one of them asked how he was holding up.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman claims McGregor took her into a restroom -- during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami last week -- and forced her to perform oral sex, before attempting to sodomize her.

We also obtained 2 very relevant videos -- one shows McGregor holding the accuser's hand and leading her into a men's room at Kaseya Center arena.

Another video shows them hanging out together, still at the arena, about 30 minutes after the alleged assault would have happened. McGregor has flatly denied the sexual assault happened.

Meanwhile, the accuser's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, says her client acknowledges she was still around McGregor after the alleged assault, but says they were "visibly awkward" with each other at that point.

The accuser did file a report with the police, who are now investigating -- and McGregor's team believes he will be fully exonerated.

Milton Powell -- aka, Big Pokey, a longtime Houston rapper -- died this weekend after a scary fall onstage that came out of nowhere ... and which ultimately took his life.

The Texas-based MC collapsed at a bar in neighboring Beaumont late Saturday night. Video is circulating showing Pokey standing on what appears to be a two-story stage, where he seems to be performing ... as he has a mic in his hand, and he's interacting with a DJ.

Suddenly, BP lets out a big breath into the microphone ... and he starts to tip backwards, completely losing his footing/going unconscious and falling hard onto the stage. It's jarring.

At first, everyone seems to think it might not, perhaps, be that serious ... as you can hear some snickers in the crowd. However, it quickly becomes clear something is wrong -- and everyone around starts to attend to him in a panic ... seeing that he isn't waking back up.

A woman -- who says she's a nurse -- rushes to his side and tries to administer aid. Everyone else is fanning air and trying to help regain consciousness ... to no avail. Reports say EMS showed up a little after midnight and that he was transported to a hopsital.

Once there, he eventually died ... although it's unclear what the cause of death may be.

His rep confirmed Pokey's passing with a statement, saying ... "It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Milton ‘Big Pokey’ Powell."

They add, "Big Pokey passed away ... He was well loved by his family, his friends, and his loyal fans. In the coming days, we will release information about his celebration of life and how the public can pay their respects. We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter!'"

Fellow Houston rapper Bun B shared his condolences online, writing ... "I wasn’t ready for this. One of the most naturally talented artists in the city. Low key, humble mountain of a man who moved with honor and respect. He was easy to love and hard to hate. He’d pull up, do what he had to do and head home. One of the pillars of our city. If heart of gold was a person. Iconic member of the SUC. There will never be another and will be missed dearly. We love and honor you Sensei. Rest in heaven."

Pokey was huge in the local scene, having gotten his start by collaborating with DJ Screw ... and helping launch the chopped-and-screwed style of the South that became wildly popular. He's put out tons of projects over the years ... and was considered a Houston legend.

The home Pete Davidson smashed into with a Mercedes-Benz is no more -- it's like gone gone, nothing but a mound of dirt for some mysterious reason.

The 2-story Bev Hills house, which used to sit at the intersection of famed Rodeo Drive and a smaller street was recently razed, just the outline of its foundation remains on the lot.

As we reported, Pete was just charged Friday with reckless driving for crashing into the home back in March. Police say he was speeding through the neighborhood with his GF Chase Sui Wonders in the passenger seat.

At the time, the damage to the house seemed very minimal, and everyone figured Pete -- or the homeowner's insurance -- would just cover the repairs. It's unclear how much damage, financially speaking, was done ... but it is crystal clear a brand-new house will soon be on that lot.

As for why the owner decided to go all scorched earth on his abode ... no clue, really. We've reached out, but no word back yet.

BTW, if Pete's convicted, he could get up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are really good actors ... at least that's what his ex-wife, Shanna Moakler, is strongly insinuating with her reaction to the couple's "surprise" pregnancy announcement.

As we reported, Kourtney shocked a stadium full of Blink-182 fans Friday night when she held up a sign reading, "Travis, I'm Pregnant." Trav also seemed genuinely shocked by his wife's handwritten banner.

Enter Shanna ... who was asked by a follower Saturday on social media if she had anything to say about the happy moment. The model said she was "very excited" for them, but reportedly added another, more bitter, comment ... "I've known for weeks. This is not new news to me."

It appears she's since deleted that comment ... which could mean it was BS, or Shanna got cold feet about blowing up the spot for Kourtney and Travis.

Either way, you get what she's hinting -- that Trav and Kourt were just putting on a good show for the fans in the middle of his concert, and they both already knew Kourtney was expecting ... because if his ex-wife knew, he had to know.

An isolated camera view of Travis when the shot of Kourtney's sign first went into the stadium's big screen, sure seemed to reflect genuine surprise for him.

Travis and his ex-wife have 2 kids together -- daughter Alabama and son Landon -- so, Shanna certainly could be privy to any big family news.

Some A-list performers will not play on for the Beyond Wonderland EDM festival's final day as police investigate a mass shooting that killed 2 people and injured several others.

The bullets started flying Saturday night around 8:30 PM at a campground near Gorge Amphitheater, where the festival was being held in Central Washington state. Police say the suspect was firing randomly into the crowd as he fled the area.

Cops were able to track down the suspect and arrest him, and they say he also suffered a gunshot wound. They've yet to release any other info about the suspect.

National data shows we've now reached 307 mass shootings in 2023.

Jazz music is all about improvisation, and one eager Jazz Festival fan proved it when her big moment at the famed Hollywood Bowl came crashing down in spectacular fashion!!!

So, the Bowl's annual Jazz Festival is going down this weekend, and on Saturday evening St. Paul and the Broken Bones had the crowd all fired up ... especially one fan who saw her chance to get close to lead singer Paul Janeway.

As Paul was walking through the crowd, she jumped onto the ledge where he was standing ... not realizing it was very narrow, and immediately plummeted through a canopy!

The crowd gasped, and it sure looked like she would be injured -- remember the band's name, too -- but as quickly as she went down, the woman bounced right back up, aided by Paul and security.

Wild moment, and hard to tell what's more impressive -- her rebound move after the fall, or the fact Paul and the band never missed a beat!

Security escorted the fan away, but, miraculously, there was no call for an ambulance.

Anyone holding out hope that Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann might find some common ground during their nasty divorce should just give up ... cuz it just ain't happening.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the estranged couple has stopped all direct communication ... only having a back and forth using their lawyers.

What's more -- the two still live under the same roof, but in separate wings of the house, while still sharing their 4 young kids between the two of them. Our sources says there's absolutely zero chance the pair will ever get along again, things are just that bad.

When speaking of their relationship, our source says, "They hate each other. It's very contentious." We're told the whole thing has been messy for their family, and will continue at least until the divorce is finalized and Kim and Kroy can legally go their separate ways.

TMZ broke the story, Kim filed docs earlier this week defending herself as a mother and accusing Kroy of being mentally and emotionally abusive over the years.

Kroy's taken his own jabs at Kim, too, accusing her of having a serious gambling addiction and asking the judge for sole physical and legal custody of the couple's children.

Shawn Mendes is dipping his foot back into the pool of live performances ... nearly a year after pulling the plug on his tour, the singer made a surprise appearance with Ed Sheeran.

Ed's own tour stopped in Shawn's native Toronto Saturday night, and fans were thrilled to see Shawn join him to duet on Ed's track, "Lego House."

SM looked totally at ease as he harmonized with Ed, and both guys played acoustic guitars. It's exactly the kinda thing Shawn's fans have been jonesin' for since last summer.

As we reported, Shawn abruptly canceled his 2022 tour last July citing post-pandemic anxiety and mental health issues.

As he put it at the time, "The reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away. After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger."

Quincy Jones suffered a medical emergency ... one serious enough that he decided he needed to be rushed to a hospital, but, luckily, it seems everything's going to be fine.

A rep for the legendary music producer tells TMZ ...  Quincy had a bad reaction to some food he ate, and out of an abundance of caution he called 911 for help.

Paramedics arrived at Quincy's L.A. home Saturday afternoon and transported him to the emergency room to get checked out.

Quincy was soon given the all-clear by doctors and released from the hospital ... his rep noted Quincy never lost consciousness and was in "great spirits" in the end.

It was a scary moment for the 28-time Grammy winner's loved ones, but, in the end, good news.

Dozens of statues Michael Jackson displayed at his Neverland Ranch are going back up for grabs ... but instead of a package deal this time, the art is up for sale individually.

Noble Art Lovers tells TMZ ... the private collector who owns 28 pieces from the singer's infamous California estate is still trying to sell the art, and is no longer seeking $2.5 million for the collection as a whole.

Instead, the entire collection is being sold separately, with most of the statues going for five figures ... shipping not included.

Michael's bronze statues include several images of children ... one such art piece is called "Kids and Tree Swing," and it's going for $150,000. Ditto for another one depicting kids, called "Follow the Leader."

TMZ broke the story ... Noble Art Lovers put the statues up for sale back in April 2021 as a package deal for $2.5 million ... and we're told some affluent potential buyers showed interest, but no one closed the deal.

Noble Art Lovers, based out of Dubai, hopes the separately priced statues will give more folks a chance to own a piece of Neverland.

Dads have been the talk of the town this weekend, and while it's important to recognize all the daddy duties ... it's also key to highlight what's going on underneath IT all ... take a good, hard look at these famous fathers, and see if you can identify which celebrated dad is in the sexy shot!

Assembled in this "Hot Celeb Dad Bods" gallery is a wide range of singers, actors, athletes and more ... all in all, it's DILFS galore! Put your celeb knowledge to the test, and see if you can eye which dads are baring it all!

Rebel Wilson is NOT planning a blowout wedding at Disneyland, despite a report to the contrary ... she says she's getting married somewhere else, and it's not related to an old Mouse House ban.

The actress, who attended the launch party for her new dating app, Fluid, on Thursday, tells TMZ ... she and her fianceé Ramona Agruma's decision to forgo a Disney fairy tale on their big day has nothing to do with the fact Rebel was once banned from Disneyland for 30 days.

It's pretty obvious Rebel holds no grudge ... she popped the question to Ramona while at the Happiest Place on Earth for Valentine's Day -- but she tells us she was never planning to exchange their nuptials there, despite a recent report she's planning a "no-expenses-spared wedding" at Walt Disney's OG park.

Instead, Rebel tells us she and Ramona will say "I do" somewhere else -- they don't know exactly where yet, but it won't be Disneyland.

Rebel, who hosted the party with her best friend, Emmy-winning TV presenter Carly Steel, says their engagement was epic and special, and she's thankful park officials roped off a section on a busy day ... so she could propose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

As for that old ban -- if you're unaware, Rebel revealed earlier this year that she once snapped a selfie while inside one of the park's secret bathrooms -- a big no-no -- and was shut out for 30 days.

She says it was a few years back, and Disneyland honchos actually asked her when she wanted to serve the 30 days, and she picked a month when she was busy filming.