Grammy Awards

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

Cardi B appears to be downplaying The Weeknd's fury about being snubbed at the Grammys with a spotlight on other Black artists who are getting recognized ... which is interesting.

The rapper posted a lengthy statement Saturday about her thoughts on all the Grammys drama, and while she acknowledged she did think some albums and songs probably should've gotten nominated, she doesn't seem nearly as miffed as others are.

All she has to say on the matter of snubs is ... "[M]aybe by next year they will get it right."

What she did want to talk about at length, however, was the fact that a number of lesser-known, independent Black artists WERE nominated this year ... and that they should be allowed to revel in that honor, because too often they're overlooked despite being amazing.

Cardi writes, "Don’t forget to congratulate the small black artist that got nominated that got overshadowed again cause of the drama. It’s their moment finally!" She goes on to cite artists who are up for an award, like Freddie Gibbs, Giveon, Brittany Howard, Ant Clemons, Ledisi, Luke James, Thundercat, Chika, Jean and Marcus Baylor and more ... several of whom Cardi notes that don't get the pub, like marquee names in the music biz do on the regular.

She ends by saying, "Soo besides all the bulls*** let's not forget to congratulate these artists," going on to say this is their moment too and that folks shouldn't overshadow it "cause your favorite might not be on the list." Her choice of words here certainly raises an eyebrow.

Of course, The Weeknd just recently vowed to boycott the Grammys going forward -- this after accusing them of being corrupt and running secret committees that supposedly require a lot of ass-kissing behind closed doors. The Grammys has denied that characterization.

Still, it sounds like Abel's other contemporaries mostly agree with him that the Grammys get it wrong time and again. Drake chimed in not too long ago with that exact sentiment ... and even Beyonce's gonna be a no-show on Sunday, despite being the most nominated artist.

The Weeknd's only getting more heated with the Grammys -- he's boycotting the awards show, and not just this year, but for good!

The singer drew a line in the sand Thursday saying he'll boycott the awards show from now on "because of the secret committees" he believes are responsible for selecting nominees.

He told The New York Times he'll "no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys." Boom.

It's the latest chapter in Abel's beef with the Grammys after accusing them of snubbing his critically acclaimed album "After Hours" following a bitter back-and-forth over what his camp claimed was an ultimatum from Grammys brass -- us or Super Bowl LV.

Our sources had said there was a growing suspicion The Weeknd's decision to play the Super Bowl Halftime Show cost him Grammy noms. Grammys chief honcho Harvey Mason Jr. begged to differ ... saying there was nothing corrupt about Abel not being nominated.

Still, The Weeknd -- who's previously won 3 Grammys -- claimed the award show severely lacks transparency. He's said they mean nothing to him now.

Selena's brother says her posthumous lifetime achievement award is bittersweet ... but the family's ready and willing to accept it on her behalf at next month's Grammys.

A.B. Quintanilla tells TMZ ... he's hopeful Selena's parents can join the rest of the family in accepting the award in-person at the Grammys, but if it's still not safe for mom and dad due to the pandemic, he'd love to be there with their sister, Suzette.

A.B. also realizes the whole Grammys ceremony might have to go virtual. No problem ... the mega-producer behind some of Selena y Los Dinos' biggest songs has grand plans to turn his sister's award into a family affair. He says they've got their popcorn ready.

He also says it feels like Selena's still here whenever she wins an award or sets new records ... even though it's been a quarter-century since she was murdered.

Blue Ivy Carter is in the running for her first Grammy -- but the timing of her nomination is a little mysterious.

Blue's voice is featured in the beginning and end of Beyonce's single, "Brown Skinned Girl," which received a Grammy nom for best music video. However, when the nominations were announced November 24, Blue's name wasn't mentioned.

Seems like someone made a call, because Blue's name has now been added as a nominee thanks to a recent update on the Grammy's website. Nigerian singer Wizkid was also added for the track.

The mystery is ... who made the decision or the phone call to add her to the online list??? Hmmm.

Anyway, it's not the first possible slip-up for the award show in the last few weeks. You'll remember, fans and artists alike were outraged when The Weeknd's "After Hours" album and single "Blinding Lights" were left off the nomination list.

Tiffany Haddish says she turned down an offer to host a Grammys pre-show -- and it's all because the org was trying to make her foot the bill ... for everything.

The comedic actor says she was offered the hosting gig for the Recording Academy's 3-hour pre-telecast ahead of the main show in January, but when she was told she wouldn't get paid ... it gave her pause. Then she was told everything else would come out of her own pocket as well -- including hair, makeup and wardrobe costs -- so Tiff told them to kick rocks.

She tells Variety, "I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful." Tiffany is, in fact, up for a Grammy this year for her Netflix comedy special, 'Black Mitzvah' ... she was nominated last year too for a spoken word project.

The Recording Academy tells Variety that because the pre-telecast isn't put on by CBS but, rather, themselves (a non-profit), they say it's normal for the hosting job to be pro-bono -- and apparently has been for a while. They also said Tiff's decision would have no bearing on any future nominations whatsoever.

That still didn't stop TH from openly criticizing them though -- she says, "How many other people have they done that to? It’s like a guy asking you on a date but telling you that you have to pay for it."

This is just the latest controversy to dog the Grammys this year ... coming a couple weeks after The Weeknd's outrage at being snubbed, and his allegations there were shady politics behind it.

Ken Jennings -- the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time -- is being honored at the school he credits for helping him possibly become the trivia champion of all time.

Seoul Foreign School in South Korea has named Jennings its 2020 Alumnus of the Year, and he'll deliver the commencement speech in June to the graduating class of 2021.

The school says this is the highest honor it bestows upon alumni, and it recognizes the recipient's "excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and outstanding service to the community or profession, as well as devotion to SFS."

So, the obvious question ... South Korea??? That's correct. Jennings moved there with his parents at age 7 due to their jobs, and he attended SFS from grades 2-12 until he was 17 ... graduating high school in 1992.

Jennings says ... "It's hard to overstate how my eleven years at SFS shaped me as a person, and continues to loom in my psyche." He adds ... "I couldn't feel more honored by this award, given my fond memories of Seoul Foreign."

Ken's also said many times his time in S. Korea led to his desire to learn as much as possible about America and the world ... and his obsession with "Jeopardy!" He watched almost daily with friends after school on the one channel he got.

The rest, as they say, is history. Jennings won a record 74 games in a row on the game show in 2004, and in early 2020 ... he was crowned 'The Greatest of All Time' in a tournament with the other 2 most successful contestants ever -- Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer.

Of course, one can't mention Jennings without thinking of the late, great Alex Trebek, who died November 8 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Ken was one of his biggest fans and is set to guest host "Jeopardy!" after Alex's final episode airs Xmas Day.

Tichina Arnold believes there's a real catch-22 with the Grammys right now ... and it may signal the end of the music industry's biggest award having any real significance.

Fresh off co-hosting the 2020 Soul Train Awards, Tichina joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to address the fallout of some big-name artists -- most notably The Weeknd -- getting snubbed for Grammy nominations last week. She says the major problem is talented artists, whose music is popular, are often a total blind spot for the people in charge of choosing noms.

The Soul Train Awards honored several acts -- like Chris Brown, H.E.R. and Summer Walker -- overlooked for the Grammys' major awards this year ... and Tichina says artists are not only noticing it, but they're fed up.

Halsey, Drake, Elton John and The Weeknd himself have all openly suggested there's a disconnect between the music and most award shows.

Drake almost finds humor in the Grammys which inexplicably snubbed The Weeknd, essentially saying those little trophies really don't mean crap.

Drake said Wednesday night, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after."

And, then the zinger ... "It's like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can't change their ways."

Alex Trebek was mysteriously dissed by the Grammys, because they declined to give him a nomination for his memoir, despite the publisher submitting his name for consideration.

Alex's book -- "The Answer is ... Reflections on My Life" -- was actually nominated in the category of Best Spoken Word Album. The publisher, Simon & Schuster, submitted Alex and Ken Jennings for the award -- they each voiced the book, but Alex was overlooked. Only Ken got a nom.

Ken Jennings even said, "This should 100% be Alex's Grammy nomination. He wrote the book and reads much of the audio book! Who do I speak to about this?"

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ, Simon & Schuster do not understand why Alex was not nominated and they are contacting the Grammys for answers.

The Weeknd's Grammys snub had nothing to do with him playing the Super Bowl ... at least according to the Recording Academy Chief.

Harvey Mason Jr. -- interim President and CEO of the Academy -- says, "We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent."

He adds, the Grammys had no issue with him performing at the Super Bowl and would have loved to have him also perform for the awards show. TMZ broke the story ... negotiations for The Weeknd's Grammy performance got nasty, and our sources say he was issued an ultimatum -- play for us or the Super Bowl.

As for Weeknd receiving zero nominations -- Mason claims there was nothing nefarious to it. He says, "To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process."

As we reported ... it was revealed The Weeknd would be doing the SB Halftime Show on Nov. 12. The Grammys point out its voting deadline for noms was in October. Mason is adamant nobody was upset about the prospect of the singer performing at both events ... because the Grammys happens first.

Mason also says he's "saddened" over The Weeknd and his team saying "The Grammys remain corrupt." He says ... "I try to empathize with where that came from, but it was difficult to hear."

Despite the apparent damage control, it appears this controversy's not going away anytime soon. The Weeknd's manager, Sal Slaiby, also slammed "corrupt leaders" at the Grammys and demanded transparency.

The Weeknd was faced with a tough choice -- perform the Grammys or the Super Bowl -- but hammering out a deal to do both could've cost him Grammy nominations.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us The Weeknd's team was in talks for weeks with Grammy brass, who issued the ultimatum -- us or Super Bowl LV. We're told both sides eventually came to an agreement where Abel could do both, but not without negotiations getting very testy.

Our sources say there's growing suspicion Abel's decision to perform at this year's Super Bowl cost him Grammy noms because the bitter back-and-forth talks pissed off Grammy honchos.

It's unclear why the Grammys would play such hardball in trying to exclusively book him for their airwaves. It might be fear of duplicate performances, as CBS is airing the award show AND the game one week apart in February. Still, our sources tell us Abel and co. feel the dispute might have something to do with his exclusion.

Abel wasn't the only one who fans felt got cheated this year, voicing outrage Pop Smoke, Roddy Rich and Lil Baby -- all Black hip-hop artists -- didn't receive more nominations.

If The Weeknd does decide to stick to the deal and perform at both events -- it would be a huge achievement for any artist.