The Oscars

The nuclear bomb test shown in "Oppenheimer" left a lasting legacy of radiation exposure and cancer diagnosis on generations of folks who helped build Los Alamos in New Mexico ... but people there say their problems are still being ignored by Hollywood and Congress.

Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us why the world's first nuclear bomb test is still affecting families in New Mexico, decades after Robert Oppenheimer's nuke detonated in the desert.

"Oppenheimer" looks poised to win a bunch of Oscar statues at this weekend's Academy Awards, but Tina says filmmakers blatantly excluded all the people who made Los Alamos and the Trinity Test possible in the first place.

Remember ... the nuclear bomb test in July 1945 took place amid thunderstorms, resulting in toxic debris falling back to earth in the ensuing rain ... contaminating the landscape, water supplies and the food chain ... and exposing New Mexico residents to harmful radiation.

Tina, who helped make a doc about the fallout, tells us cancer has decimated her family ever since the bomb went off -- they lived only 15 miles from the blast -- with 5 generations being diagnosed with all sorts of cancers ... including lung, oral, skin, brain and thyroid.

She says filmmakers left this nuclear mess out of the film on purpose ... similar to how New Mexico residents were left out of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act back in the day, which provided financial compensation to Americans living near nuclear testing sites.

When folks living near the Trinity Test site were finally set to be included in RECA, potentially opening the door for payments, Tina says Republican leadership in Congress cut their funding because of budget concerns.

Now, with "Oppenheimer" gearing up for a big Oscars night and an upcoming Senate vote on reauthorizing and expanding RECA, Tina is banging the drum for the people of New Mexico.

El ex novio de Billie Eilish tiene que culpar a Christian Bale de que su relación no resistiera el paso del tiempo, y todo por culpa de un sueño que ella tuvo años atrás.

La cantante contó cómo un sueño con el actor de "El Caballero Oscuro" la llevó a poner fin a su relación, todo mientras charlaban sobre sus superhéroes favoritos con Amelia Dimoldenberg en el almuerzo de los nominados a los Oscar junto a su hermano, Finneas.

Billie recuerda que el sueño transcurría en un acogedor café donde el sol brillaba, y luego... bam, se despierta. Según ella fue una experiencia muy extraña.

Tanto así, que en ese mismo momento -todavía acostada en la cama después de tener el sueño- sabía que tenía que romper con su novio.

La cantante de "Ocean Eyes" no reveló a quién se refería, pero vale la pena señalar que ha sido vinculada con el actor Matthew Tyler Vorce y el rapero Brandon 'Q' Adams en el pasado.

La relación más reciente de Billie fue con el vocalista de The Neighbourhood, Jesse Rutherford, pero su historia de amor sufrió un bache y terminó el año pasado. Su representante le dijo a TMZ en ese momento: "Podemos confirmar que Billie y Jesse se separaron amistosamente y siguen siendo buenos amigos", al tiempo que desmintió los rumores de engaño que surgieron.

Por ahora, parece que Billie no está centrada en ningún hombre, ¡porque su carrera está subiendo a nuevas alturas! Ella y Finneas tienen sus miras puestas en los Oscars del domingo, donde están nominados a Mejor Canción Original por "What Was I Made For?" de "Barbie", y también actuarán en la ceremonia.

Billie Eilish's ex-BF has Christian Bale to thank for their relationship not standing the test of time -- all 'cause of a random dream she had years earlier.

The singer spilled the beans about how a dream featuring "The Dark Knight" actor led her to end her relationship ... all while chatting about their favorite superheroes with Amelia Dimoldenberg at the Oscars Nominees' 'Pre-Luncheon' Luncheon alongside her bro, Finneas.

Billie recalls the dream -- it took place in a cozy little café, the sun shone in, and then ... bam, she wakes up ... and it's like a lightbulb goes off in her head! That's one hell of a wake-up call, literally!

She says it was at that very moment, still lying in bed after having the dream, that she knew she had to break up with her boyfriend.

The "Ocean Eyes' singer didn't reveal who she was referring to -- but it's worth noting that she's been linked to actor Matthew Tyler Vorce and rapper Brandon 'Q' Adams in the past.

Billie's most recent relationship was with The Neighbourhood's lead vocalist, Jesse Rutherford, but their love story hit a speed bump and ended last year. Her rep told TMZ at the time, "We can confirm Billie and Jesse did split amicably and remain good friends," ... while also shooting down cheating rumors that surfaced.

As for now, it looks like Billie ain't focused on no man ... 'cause her career's soaring to new heights! She and Finneas have their sights set on the Oscars Sunday, where they're nominated for Best Original Song for "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie," and they'll also be performing at the ceremony.

Billie's clearly doing better than ever RN ... and looks like she has Bale's unintentional superhero powers to thank for it!!

Diane Warren says she's just along for the ride as she heads back to yet another Academy Awards while seeking her first win ... but her movie partners are a lot less bashful, 'cause they're bashing her competition.

We got the legendary songwriter Thursday at Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea -- where Diane was being honored with her own veggie hot dog -- and our photog asked her about that elusive Oscar's win.

Diane's nominated for an Academy Award for the 15th time in her career -- this time she's up for Best Original Song for "The Fire Inside” from the film "Flamin' Hot" -- and she told us she's just happy to be nominated and already feels like a winner.

While Diane played it cool, her partners on the film go to bat for her ... telling us she deserves to finally win an Oscar.

Becky G sings Diane's song from the Hot Cheetos movie ... and she's gonna perform it at the Oscars, along with the other nominees.

The competition includes a couple songs from "Barbie" ... the Ryan Gosling-performed song "I'm Just Ken" and Billie Eilish and Finneas' "What Was I Made For?"

Diane's movie partners, Richard and Judy Montanez, take a couple playful shots at the "Barbie" duo here ... telling us Diane's tune is way better than the Ken song.

Don't even get them started on Billie's track, which they quietly say is "depressing." No hate here, just good fun ... Billie says she was depressed when writing the song anyway.

Win or lose next weekend at the Oscars, Diane's already got another notch on her belt ... in the form of her very own Pink's hot dog.

Diane's special dog is a veggie dog topped with jalapeño pepper jack cheese, guacamole, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Robert Downey Jr. is the front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor -- but one Academy member is openly admitting ... he's voting for him because he met him in person.

The Hollywood Reporter did their annual writeup that polls anonymous AMPAS members to see what their thought process is going into the new Academy Awards -- which are a couple weeks away -- and one of them was candid on their thoughts about RDJ.

This member said they were voting for Bob ... but it sounds like it might have more to do with his personality than his actual performance -- which is a little disheartening to hear.

They say, "I was torn between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., and even though it’s cheesy I’ll be real with you: I met Downey at an awards season party, we had an interaction that I did not initiate, and it tipped the scales for me."

This anonymous voter adds ... "Campaigning matters! What’s really great about him as an actor, in this film and so many others, is his ability to be believable all the time. I loved watching him turn as the story turned on Strauss."

In other words ... they liked RDJ's work in "Oppenheimer," but a little schmoozing went a long way with this person when they met Rob in real life. So, no ... it's not all on merit, it seems.

The reason that kinda sucks ... well, in a perfect world -- you'd like to think people who vote at the Oscars are only looking at what they see on screen, and are judging off of that. But, as this person is confessing, there are some politics involved in this process.

This mystery Academy member calls it campaigning ... another word for it is, lobbying.

While Downey Jr. has been considered a shoo-in from the start -- yes, his performance is actually spectacular and worthy of recognition -- this is the type of stuff you don't really wanna hear if you're Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, Sterling K. Brown or Ryan Gosling.

Robert Downey Jr. es el favorito para ganar el Oscar a Mejor Actor de Reparto, pero un miembro de la Academia está admitiendo abiertamente que va a votar por él porque lo conoció en persona.

The Hollywood Reporter hizo su escritura anual de las encuestas anónimas que los miembros de la Academia realizan para observar su proceso de pensamiento de cara a los nuevos Premios de la Academia, que son solo en un par de días, y uno de ellos fue sincero sobre sus pensamientos acerca de Robert Downey Jr.

Este miembro dijo que iban a votar por Bob. Aunque esto podría tener más que ver con su personalidad que con su interpretación, lo que es un poco desalentador de escuchar.

Ellos dicen: "Yo estaba indeciso entre Mark Ruffalo y Robert Downey Jr, y aunque es cursi voy a ser honesto con ustedes: Conocí a Downey en una fiesta de la temporada de premios, tuvimos una interacción que yo no inicié y eso inclinó la balanza para mí."

Este votante anónimo añade: "¡La campaña es importante! Lo particularmente genial de él como actor, en esta película y en tantas otras, es su capacidad para ser creíble todo el tiempo. Me encantó verlo a medida que la historia avanzaba en torno a Strauss".

En otras palabras: les gustó el trabajo de Robert Downey Jr. en "Oppenheimer", pero la balanza se inclinó un poco cuando conocieron a Rob en persona. Así que no, no es solo por el mérito, al parecer.

La razón por la que esto cae mal es que ... Bueno, en el mundo perfecto te gustaría creer que las personas que votan en los Oscar solo se fijan en lo que ven en la pantalla. Pero, como confiesa esta persona, hay algo de política en este proceso.

Este misterioso miembro de la Academia lo llama campaña, otra palabra para ello es el lobby.

Aunque Downey Jr. ha sido considerado favorito desde el principio -su actuación es realmente espectacular y digna de reconocimiento- estas no son las cosas que quieres oír si eres Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, Sterling K. Brown o Ryan Gosling.

Hollywood's biggest movie stars mixed, mingled and munched at a famous hotel ahead of the upcoming Academy Awards ... and there was a heavy "Barbie" contingent.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were among the "Barbie" stars in attendance Monday at the annual Oscar nominees luncheon at The Beverly Hilton.

Billie Eilish and Finneas were also representing "Barbie" in Bev Hills ... the musicians are up for the Oscar for Best Original Song for "What Was I Made For?" and they seem to be the team to beat after their song won twice at the Grammys

"Barbie" director Greta Gerwig was there too ... rubbing elbows with other famous directors like Steven Spielberg and "Oppenheimer" honcho Martin Scorsese.

Steven's nominated for his work as a producer on Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein biopic "Maestro," which is nominated for seven Academy Awards.

Bradley directed and starred in the film and he's up for Best Actor ... so naturally he made sure to chat with some of the other stars in his category, like "American Fiction" leading man Jeffrey Wright.

This year's spread ... wild mushroom risotto.

Check out the gallery ... it's loaded with big names like Emma Stone, Paul Giamatti, Sterling K. Brown, Marlee Matlin, Diane Warren, Brittany Snow and Hailee Steinfeld.

Las estrellas de cine más importantes de Hollywood se mezclaron y comieron en un famoso hotel antes de los próximos Premios de la Academia y hubo un fuerte contingente de "Barbie".

Margot Robbie y Ryan Gosling fueron algunas de las estrellas de "Barbie" que asistieron el lunes al almuerzo anual de los nominados al Oscar en el Beverly Hilton.

Billie Eilish y Finneas también estuvieron representando a "Barbie". Los músicos compiten por al Oscar a la Mejor Canción Original por "What Was I Made For?" y parecen ser el equipo a batir después de que su canción ganara dos veces en los Grammy

La directora de "Barbie" Greta Gerwig también estuvo allí, codeándose con otros directores famosos como Steven Spielberg y Martin Scorsese.

Steven está nominado por su trabajo como productor en la película biográfica de Bradley Cooper sobre Leonard Bernstein, "Maestro", que está nominada a siete premios de la Academia.

Bradley dirigió y protagonizó la película y es candidato a Mejor Actor ... así que, naturalmente, se aseguró de charlar con algunas de las otras estrellas en su categoría, como "American Fiction" protagonista Jeffrey Wright.

El plato de este año... risotto de setas silvestres.

Échale un vistazo a la galería, la cual está cargada de grandes nombres como Emma Stone, Paul Giamatti, Sterling K. Brown, Marlee Matlin, Diane Warren, Brittany Snow y Hailee Steinfeld.

Margot Robbie finalmente se está refiriendo a los comentados desaires a "Barbie" en los Oscar y aunque está siendo muy correcta cuando se trata de ella, sí batalló por su directora.

La actriz compartió sus pensamientos sobre el tema el martes por la noche durante un panel de SAG-AFTRA, y es interesante porque no abordó su propio desaire en la categoría de Mejor Actriz, pero sí defendió explícitamente a Greta Gerwig.

Margot dice: "Obviamente, creo que Greta debería estar nominada como directora, porque lo que hizo es algo único en su carrera, algo único en la vida, lo que logró, realmente lo es. Pero ha sido un año increíble para todas las películas".

También dijo que estaba "más que encantada" porque "Barbie" acumulara tantas nominaciones (8), pero al mismo tiempo, entiende la decepción de los fans.

Margot terminó diciendo: "Solo sospecho que es más grande que nosotros. Es más grande que esta película, más grande que nuestra industria". No está claro lo que quiere decir exactamente con eso, pero parece que se refiere a la política dentro de la Academia.

Lo último que mencionó sobre este asunto: "Nos propusimos hacer algo que cambiara la cultura, que afectara a la cultura, que tuviera algún tipo de impacto. Y ya lo ha hecho, y mucho más de lo que habíamos soñado. Y esa es realmente la mayor recompensa que podría salir de todo esto", dijo Margot.

Recordemos que hubo indignación generalizada por el hecho de que Margot y Greta se quedaran fuera de la lista de nominados al Oscar, a pesar de que Ryan Gosling y America Ferrera obtuvieron nominaciones.

Muchos pensaron que si Ryan estaba nominado, era una obviedad que Margot lo estaría también, ya que literalmente ella lleva la película y es el corazón de todo el asunto.

Margot Robbie is finally speaking on the Oscar snubs heard 'round the world over "Barbie" -- and while she's taking the high road for herself ... she's going to bat for her director.

The actress shared new remarks on the issue Tuesday night during a SAG-AFTRA panel where she was present and given the floor to air out her thoughts. It's interesting ... MR doesn't address her own snub for Best Actress, but she does explicitly defend Greta Gerwig.

Margot says, "Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is. But it’s been an incredible year for all the films."

She went on to say that she's "beyond ecstatic" that 'Barbie' racked up as many nominations as it did (8) -- but in the same breath, noted she understood the disappointment from fans.

Margot finished by saying ... "I just suspect it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than this movie, it’s bigger than our industry." Unclear what exactly she means by that ... sounds like she's referring to politics within the Academy, though.

Last thing Margot mentioned on this topic ... "We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it’s already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this."

Remember, there was widespread outrage over the fact Margot and Greta had been left off the nominations list -- even though Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera got Oscar nods.

Many felt if Ryan was nominated, it was a no-brainer to get Margot in there too ... seeing how she literally carries the film, and is the heart and soul of the whole thing.

Leonardo DiCaprio está trabajando en una nueva película, lo que tiene sentido, ya que su campaña de los Oscar ha terminado finalmente, y no rindió frutos este año.

TMZ ha obtenido un video del actor en el set el lunes en el norte de California, donde estaba en traje completo, maquillaje y caracterizado para su papel. El equipo de Paul Thomas Anderson rodó una escena con al menos un par de tomas diferentes y Leo entra en acción frente a las cámaras.

Leo está interpretando a un personaje muy diferente a lo que nos tiene acostumbrados. Últimamente, el hombre ha interpretado figuras históricas en hisotiras de época ("Asesinos de la Luna", "Érase una vez en Hollywood", etc).

Aquí, Leo parece más un tipo moderno con mala suerte en un escenario actual. De hecho, se ve bastante casero y áspero.

Incluso exhibe sus dotes actorales en nuestro video, gritando en el receptor en un teléfono público, cerrándolo de golpe y cayendo con mucha emoción. El tío está en su salsa.

Aún no se sabe cuál será el argumento de esta película, que por ahora se mantiene en secreto, pero sí sabemos quién más se unirá a Leo a medida que avance la producción... Sean Penn y Regina Hall también han sido contratados para protagonizar, por lo que podemos asegurar que es un sólido elenco.

Un testigo ocular también nos dice que parece que la ciudad ficticia que están tratando de crear podría llamarse Baktin Cross, porque los carros de policía que pasan cuentan con ese logo.

Todo está aún rodeado de misterio, pero conociendo el estilo de Paul, parece que se está perfilando en la línea de "Licorice Pizza", "Boogie Nights", "Inherent Vice", "Punch Drunk Love" o incluso "Magnolia". Un dato curioso de Boogie Nights... Paul ha dicho públicamente que quería a Leo para ese papel, pero no pudo conseguirlo, y en su lugar eligió a Mark Wahlberg.

Ahora, por fin tiene la oportunidad de trabajar con Leo, y parece que están haciendo magia en la pantalla. Tampoco se nos escapa que Paul Thomas Anderson ha conseguido que muchos actores hayan sido nominados a los Oscar a lo largo de los años, como Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore y otros.

Viendo cómo Leo se perdió este año por su película con Scorsese, tal vez quiere unir fuerzas con el talentoso director para ir tras la estatuilla.

Leonardo DiCaprio is getting right back to work on a new movie -- which makes sense, we suppose, since his Oscar campaign is finally done ... with nothing to show for it this year.

TMZ has obtained video of the actor on set Monday in Northern California, where he was in full-blown costume, makeup and character as he and Paul Thomas Anderson's crew shot a scene with at least a few different takes ... and LDC going all out while cameras were rolling.

As you can see here, Leo is taking on quite a different character than what he might normally do -- lately, the guy's been playing more historical figures in period pieces (see "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," etc.).

Here, Leo looks like more of a modern down-on-his-luck dude in a setting that looks like present day. In fact, he comes across as kinda homely ... and rough around the edges.

He even puts his acting chops on display in our video ... yelling into the receiver at a payphone, slamming it and slumping down with a lot of emotion. Dude's very in his element.

No word yet on what the plot of this film might be -- it's being kept under wraps for now -- but we do know who else will eventually join Leo as the production continues ... Sean Penn and Regina Hall have also been tapped to star, so it's a solid cast in the mix here.

An eyewitness also tells us that it appears that the fictional town PTA and co. are trying to create might be called Baktin Cross ... 'cause the cop cars that pass feature that signage.

It's all still shrouded in mystery -- but knowing PTA's style, this looks to be shaping up in the vein of "Licorice Pizza," "Boogie Nights," "Inherent Vice," "Punch-Drunk Love" or even "Magnolia." Speaking of 'BN,' fun fact ... Paul has publicly said he wanted Leo for that lead role, but wasn't able to land him, going with Mark Wahlberg instead. LDC was the one who got away!

Now, he's finally got his chance to work with Leo ... and so far, it appears they're making magic onscreen. It's also not lost on us that PTA has gotten tons of actors nominated at the Oscars over the years ... including Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore and others.

Seeing how Leo missed out this year for his Martin Scorsese flick, maybe he wants another bite at the apple with Paul. Based on what we see here ... the homeboy's coming for that statuette.

Florence Pugh got caught in a vulnerable state while shooting "Oppenheimer" -- namely, when she and Cillian Murphy were naked ... during which cameras weren't rolling.

The actress shared this cringeworthy story at a recent screening of the blockbuster, where there was a Q&A ... and where FP revealed there were some technical difficulties at one point in the production, and it came at the worst time ... during a sex scene.

If you've seen the movie ... you know there's at least 3 sex scenes where Florence and Cillian are nude -- so it's unclear which one exactly this happened for, but it sounds awkward.

Apparently, while they were filming this intimate scene, one of the main cameras broke ... and the whole crew had to hit pause while they worked on it to fix the problem. That left Florence and Cillian standing by (naked) as they waited for the issue to be resolved.

Luckily, FP had a good attitude about it all -- her whole point here is that 'Oppenheimer' was very much like an old-school Hollywood production ... and she's talking about how in awe she was by everyone and how they handled their craft. Even during this stop-down, she says she found stuff to appreciate ... and learned a thing or two about the equipment, etc.

Her point about the set being like a classic Hollywood movie isn't lost on us either -- considering Christopher Nolan's rep for wanting his cast/crew to be in the moment (and, allegedly, not to sit down either) ... this kinda makes sense that Florence and Cillian stuck around during this.

You'd figure the stars of a major film like this could head back to their trailers during this in-between time ... not so for a CN flick though, apparently! On his set, you see it through.

Anyway, sticking with it for these inconveniences clearly paid off for Florence and Co. -- 'Oppenheimer' is an Oscar darling this year, and is primed to win a bunch of awards.

Florence Pugh fue atrapada en un estado vulnerable durante el rodaje de "Oppenheimer", es decir, cuando ella y Cillian Murphy estaban desnudos, ¡y las cámaras no estaban grabando!

La actriz compartió esta historia en una reciente proyección de la superproducción, donde se realizó un Q&A y Florence Pugh relató algunas dificultades técnicas en un momento de la producción, las que llegaron en el peor momento, durante su escena de sexo.

Si han visto la película, sabrán que hay al menos tres escenas de sexo donde Florence y Cillian están desnudos, por lo que no está claro en cuál de ellas ocurrió esto exactamente, pero suena incómodo.

Al parecer, mientras estaban grabando esta escena, una de las cámaras principales se rompió y el equipo tuvo que hacer una pausa mientras solucionaban el problema. Eso dejó a Florence y Cillian de pie (desnudos) mientras esperaban a que se resolviera el asunto.

Afortunadamente, Florence se tomó las cosas con una buena actitud. Su punto aquí es que "Oppenheimer" fue muy parecida a una producción de Hollywood de la vieja escuela y está asombrada por cómo todos manejaban su oficio. Incluso durante esta pausa, dice que encontró cuestiones que apreciar y aprendió un par de cosas sobre el equipo, etc.

Tampoco se nos escapa su comentario de que el plató era como una película clásica de Hollywood, teniendo en cuenta la reputación de Christopher Nolan de querer que su reparto y su equipo estén presentes tiene sentido que Florence y Cillian se quedaran en el plató.

Uno se imagina que las estrellas de una película tan importante como ésta podrían haber vuelto a sus trailers durante este intermedio, ¡pero no fue así en esta película de Christopher Nolan, al parecer! En su plató, te quedas hasta el final.

En cualquier caso, Florence y compañía han sabido sobreponerse a estos inconvenientes: "Oppenheimer" es una de las favoritas a los Oscar de este año y está preparada para ganar un montón de premios.

Diablo Cody's all about the dollar bills, and she'd give up seemingly anything for enough of them ... including her Oscar!

The writer/producer talked about Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig getting snubbed for Best Actress and Best Director respectively in an interview with People ... and insisted she'd give back her Academy Award for penning "Juno" if she'd get a "Barbie"-level box office return.

DC basically told the mag that of course Margot and Greta got snubbed ... but who cares about that when you just made 10 figures at the box office -- before adding she'd "trade my Oscar for a billion-dollar movie right now, if I could flip a switch!"

Cody said she meant to disrespect to the Academy ... though it kinda felt like saying "no offense" after you've low-key shaded a friend if we're being honest. But, let's be real -- a ton of stars would make that deal for a billion-dollar movie.

Another interesting note ... Diablo took a stance similar to a lot of people online -- mainly that both Robbie and Gerwig got nominated in other categories -- so not a total snub for either star.

To be fair, Cody's a bit of an expert in this field ... 'cause she worked on the "Barbie" project that was meant to star Amy Schumer way back in the day -- though hers never quite got off the ground, saying it's a hard IP to make believable.

Still, lots of fans are outraged at MR and GG getting left out of their biggest categories ... with some calling the voting sexist and even celeb fans like Hillary Clinton weighing in.

Welp, it seems there's only one way to settle this ... vote below!

Barbie collectors can start counting the Benjamins, 'cause the movie's Oscar noms are about to blow up the Barbie resale market ... according to one toy expert.

We talked to "America's Toy Scout" Joel Magee -- a frequent "Pawn Stars" guest with more than 20 years experience in the collectibles world -- and he says he's expecting prices to just keep on climbing since the movie picked up 8 noms for this year's Academy Awards

JM says all the buzz around the movie and awards season is indoctrinating the young generation into collectible culture. So, whereas a few years ago the biggest buyer of Barbies might be your nostalgic Grandma Sue, it's now fashionable among the Gen Z crowd to buy Barbie.

And, Magee pulled out his magic 8 ball to make a prediction for us ... saying the mass producer of Barbie, Mattel, is really smart and loves its limited-edition drops -- so keep your eyes peeled for an Oscar-themed Barbie possibly hitting the market very soon.

Now, of course, Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar while Margot Robbie missed out in the acting category, but Magee says the breadwinner has always been, and will remain, Barbie. Sorry, Ken.

Joel tells us collectors go out to buy different Barbies -- Astronaut Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Birthing Dog Barbie, etc. -- and they'll get the accompanying Ken to complete the set, but he's not the draw.

Translation: He's just Ken.

That said ... an Academy Award for Gosling will jack up those Ken prices -- Magee's talking doubling or tripling the value. And, if he's not Kenough for the voters, Joel still sees a 40 or 50% increase for the nomination alone. Cha-ching!!!

Magee's final piece of advice for collectors -- buy those limited-edition Barbies, like the Oscar Barbie he predicts could be coming down the pike.