The Oscars

9:13 PM PT -- Kevin just announced he will no longer host the show, saying, "I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."

He continues, "I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again."

Kevin Hart is firing back at critics who think he's unfit to host the Oscars due to old tweets that were extremely homophobic ... and by firing back, we mean he's laying in bed and refusing to apologize.

Kevin says in an Instagram video, the hateful response to his old tweets illustrates just how PC-crazy our world has become ... and he says he's not going to let the haters bring him down.

As Kevin put it -- in a video he shot with his head still on a pillow -- he's approaching 40 and it's stupid for people to think his views haven't evolved. Basically, he's claiming he's more mature than he was when he was gay-bashing on Twitter -- including using the f-word several times.

The Academy announced this week that Kevin would host next year's Oscars, and the backlash began almost immediately.

Count Kevin Kline among the people who was totally fine with Kevin Hart hosting the Oscars, because he thinks it's time to cut him, and all comedians, some slack for jokes from the past.

The Academy Award-winning actor was leaving Michael's restaurant in NYC Thursday when we asked what he thought about KH landing the gig. This was several hours before Hart backed out of hosting -- but KK defended him against the backlash over old, but blatantly homophobic, tweets.

The way Kline sees it, stand-up comics have been mocking all groups -- gays, blacks, Jews and more -- for decades. He admits times are changing now, and comedians are too, but he was willing to give Hart a pass on his past remarks.

As you know, Hart posted a video Thursday, claiming he had evolved since the offending tweets, but did not apologize for them. Hours later he stepped down, saying he didn't want to be a distraction -- and, at that point, he did apologize for his "insensitive words from my past."

BTW ... Kline's stance on jokes from days of old might not be that shocking considering his own "In & Out" role from 1997. Would this scene be kosher today?

This is one helluva first -- the guy who won an Emmy for directing the Oscars asked his girlfriend to marry him onstage while accepting his award ... and she happily said yes.

Glenn Weiss -- who won Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for the 2018 Oscars -- popped the question Monday night toward the tail end of his acceptance speech ... telling his significant other, Jan, that if she wondered why he didn't like calling her his GF, it was because he wanted to call her his wife. AWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

The entire crowd got to their feet as Jen made her way to the stage, where Glenn put the ring his own father used for his mother on the lucky lady's finger. He asked the question, and she eventually nodded yes while fighting back tears.

It was quite a moment, to say the least. Talk about a good proposal story, huh?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts says it's reconsidering rolling out a new "popular" category for the Oscars, and putting the move on ice for 2019 ... and probably forever.

The AMPA said Thursday that the bemoaned category of "Best Achievement in Popular Film" merits further study ... and it won't be happening for the 2019 award show. As you'll recall ... the backlash to the announcement last month was swift and fierce, with cinephiles calling it the death of the Academy Awards and simply a way to pander to ratings.

The Academy's CEO, Dawn Hudson, says ... "There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members." She continued, "We have made changes to the Oscars over the years—including this year—and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years."

We'll take this a step further and predict this means the "popular" category will never see the light of day, especially after people stop talking about it when the 2019 show's over. Once the buzz dies down, our money's on the Academy never moving to reinstate it.

Eddie George is singing the praises of his new boss -- saying it was a PLEASURE starring in Tim Tebow's new movie ... and he thinks the guy could win an Oscar one day.

FYI, Eddie is one of the main roles in "Run the Race" -- a story about two brothers who use sports to overcome personal tragedies in their lives.

It's a faith-based, feel-good story -- so, it's perfect for Tim Tebow who produced the flick with his brother, Robby Tebow.

Eddie -- who plays a college recruiter in the movie -- says the Tebows did a "tremendous job" behind the scenes and show real promise when it comes to the business side of movie making.

"There's no limit to what [Tim] can do ... who knows, he could write a story that could win him an Oscar one day!"

The Academy adding a "popular" category to the Oscars has a lot of people riled up, including this guy -- who's got a movie coming out that could win -- and he's all for it.

We spoke to actor Page Kennedy on "TMZ Live" a day before his and Jason Statham's blockbuster film, "The Meg," is set to hit theaters -- where they're battling a prehistoric, humongous great white shark -- and he gave us his take on the controversy.

Page says films like his -- and other popcorn flicks like 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Fate of the Furious,' etc. -- deserve to be recognized for their badassery ... plain and simple. He says these types of movies have just as much value as traditional Oscar noms ... and could even add a much-needed shot of life into an award show that's gathering dust in the ratings.

Lea Thompson has zero doubt "Back to the Future" would've dominated the Oscars competition if the Academy had dreamed up the new popular film categories 32 years ago.

We got Marty McFly's mom outside Avra in Bev Hills, where she weighed in on the big Oscar changes coming in 2019. Lea makes no bones about it ... 'Future' was a global success that built an immediate cult following, and could have cleaned up.

The film, btw, did have some success at the Academy Awards in '86 -- it got nominated in 3 categories (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song and Best Sound Mixing) and scored 1 statue for Best Sound Editing.

We wonder if "Black Panther" is now set up to do some Oscar damage, and if it is ... Lea's cool with it!!

Know what's not cool? The image of Lea banging Howard the Duck! Even the Academy has limits.

Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate is going to bat for the future NBA Hall of Famer ... with Matt Barnes telling TMZ Sports Kobe will end up in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences someway, somehow.

Remember, Bryant was just denied entry into the exclusive club, despite winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball."

Barnes was at an Athletes vs. Cancer event at Skybar on Thursday where he told us Kobe's bounced back from far worse Ls in his career ... and he expects to see the same thing with the Academy membership.

"They're gonna make it tough on him, but I know he's a hard worker," Barnes told us ... "One way or another, he'll end up in there."

Kobe Bryant just got rejected at the rim by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- which just denied membership to the Mamba ... claiming he doesn't have a good enough body of work.

You know what he does have? AN OSCAR!!!!

Kobe won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball" -- which was based off a retirement letter he published on The Players' Tribune back in 2015.

Kobe is credited as the executive producer and writer of the film.

Worth noting, Oscar winners are automatically considered for membership -- but it's not a shoe-in. The board votes on who gets membership based on a specific criteria.

One of the items on the checklist for producers -- "have the equivalent of 2 producer screen credits and perform the majority of the functions of a producer on theatrical feature films of the caliber which in the opinion of the executive committee reflect the high standards of the Academy."

For the record, Kobe produced the docu-series 'Muse' -- but it doesn't appear that would qualify under the Academy's standards because it was produced for TV.

Still, there are some people who believe the membership denial is due to Kobe's controversial past and the rise of the #MeToo movement.

Despite the fact Kobe was cheered on by the Academy when he won at the Oscars, there has been serious blowback.

1:54 PM PT -- Roman's attorney, Harland Braun, tells us both he and Polanski were never notified about the expulsion. Braun says according to the rules, The Academy should have notified them and then granted them up to 10 days to argue the removal, but that never happened here.

Braun tells us he'd like to meet with The Academy to discuss the situation and take action from there.

Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski have been expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after a vote by its Board of Governors.

Both Cosby and Polanski lost their Oscars memberships after the board met Tuesday night and decided to give them the boot "in accordance with the organization's Standard of Conduct."

According to the Academy ... "The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.”

The once-legendary TV dad was found guilty of sexual assault last week and is facing up to 30 years in prison.

Polanski remains a fugitive from justice in Europe for raping a 13-year-old girl 40 years ago in the U.S.

Move over Kobe Bryant ... you're gonna have some company on the "NBA Players with an Academy Award" list ... because Whitney Cummings says Blake Griffin is a shoo-in to get one, too.

Cummings directed Blake in her new movie, "The Female Brain," and when we got her leaving the Improv in Hollywood, we had to know if she thought Griffin had the talent to get a gold guy.

"I think Blake Griffin will win an Oscar in his lifetime, for sure."

Important to note ... Cummings -- who is a big-time creative boss in addition to her stand-up comedy -- DIDN'T HESITATE when proclaiming this, so it's clear she 100% believes in Griffin's talent.

Hear that Kobe? He's coming for you.

The man accused of stealing Frances McDormand's Oscar is looking way rougher around the edges than he did on Oscar night -- he made his first court appearance Wednesday, pleading not guilty.

Terry Bryant went from tux to jumpsuit for his arraignment on a charge of felony grand theft. As we reported, Bryant was arrested for swiping McDormand's award at the Governors Ball.

Bryant and his attorney, Daniel Brookman, might have an uphill battle in this case. He not only posted his own video kissing Oscar Sunday night, but was also caught leaving the ballroom with the statuette in hand as he posed for cameras.

Frances said she didn't want to press charges, but she has no say in the matter. The Academy is technically the victim, and they've asked for the case to move forward.

The man accused of stealing Frances McDormand's Oscar has quite the support system -- including his rabbi, who says the arrest is more about society than a guy allegedly making off with someone's trophy.

Terry Bryant's arraignment was postponed Wednesday morning, but his attorney, Daniel Brookman, held a news conference outside court, where -- no offense, counselor -- rabbi Naomi Levy stole the show.

Levy told reporters Bryant's "story" served as a commentary on our society and its "obsession with its 15 minutes of fame." Hard to figure what the hell she meant ... especially considering the new video showing Bryant brandishing Frances' Oscar Sunday night, as he exited the Governors Ball!

Bryant's attorney said his client will enter a not guilty plea once he gets in front of the judge -- which we're now hearing should happen late Wednesday or Thursday.

Ya can't say Terry Bryant was trying to sneak out with Frances McDormand's Oscar, because he brazenly hoisted it up -- in full view of cameras -- as he fled Sunday night.

Associated Press cameras set up outside the Governors Ball captured the accused Oscar thief, and the video is bizarre. Bryant actually stopped outside the ballroom to make sure every camera got a shot of him with the statuette -- looking like a proud winner, and not a thief.

There's also this video of Bryant strolling into the Governors Ball WITH Frances!! It doesn't look like she knows him, but Bryant is clearly trying to make it seem like he's part of her entourage.

Nigel Lythgoe says Ryan Seacrest should absolutely be allowed to continue hosting "American Idol" ... despite a sexual harassment allegation hanging over his head.

We got the "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Tuesday in Bev Hills, and he thinks the real reason A-list actresses avoided Seacrest at the Oscars is because of their publicists.

While Seacrest did nab some interviews -- like with Taraji P. Henson, who many thought threw shade his way -- the red carpet vet didn't talk to any of the Best Actress nominees.

As for whether Ryan should be allowed to continue hosting the rebooted 'Idol' on ABC, Lythgoe says Seacrest can't be assumed to be guilty based on merely one allegation. He notes no other women have come forward.

The man who pilfered Frances McDormand's Oscar has now been officially charged with the crime of felony grand theft ... and the stakes are years in prison.

The L.A. County D.A. has just filed the case. TMZ broke the story, although Frances has no interest in having Terry Bryant prosecuted, her Oscar is technically owned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and they want the book thrown at him.

Bryant took Frances' Oscar off her dinner table at the Governors Ball following the ceremony and then videotaped himself with the hardware. It's unclear if he intended to take the Oscar out of the Beverly Hilton.

If convicted, Bryant faces a maximum of 3 years in state prison.