TV

In a not-so-surprising situation, Robert Blake, the late actor who was infamously charged with his second wife's shooting death, was left out of the Oscars "In Memoriam" tribute.

There were lots of names shown during Sunday's TV broadcast as part of the award show's annual segment intro'd by John Travolta with a song from Lenny Kravitz ... but noticeably absent was Robert's name and contribution to the industry.

Robert's career in Hollywood spanned more than 5 decades, acting in scores of films ... most notably his breakthrough starring role in "In Cold Blood," plus other flicks like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Lost Highway."

Earlier in the broadcast, Jimmy Kimmel joked that the audience could vote whether or not to include Blake in the tribute.

Kirstie Alley, Olivia Newton John and Robbie Coltrane were among some of the big names included in tribute ... but no dice for Robert.

We should say, there's also outrage actress Charlbi Dean -- who starred in "Triangle of Sadness" -- wasn't included in the broadcast tribute, though she is named in the online tributes.

Robert died Thursday from heart disease at age 89 ... so the award show's producers had time to work him into the show, if they wanted.

Of course, Robert's film career often took a back seat to his off-screen drama ... he was charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after she was found dead in 2001 outside Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles. She was shot in the head while sitting in Robert's car.

Robert told police he'd gone back inside the eatery to get a pistol when Bonny was gunned down ... and it was later determined Blake's gun was not the murder weapon.

Lukas Gage has made quite a name for himself in Hollywood -- carving out a career that, oftentimes, includes him playing LGBTQ+ characters ... even though he won't self-identify.

The actor recently did an interview with NYT, where he was asked about backlash he's received over the years from people and critics who say he's stealing opportunities from others who are actually in the LGBT community -- while playing coy about his own sexuality.

The interviewer referenced a moment last year where he responded to someone on Twitter accusing him of exactly that, to which he replied at the time ... "u don't know my alphabet."

In response to pressure about labeling himself now and going forward, Lukas says he gets it from all ends, explaining ... "All the time. An agent that dropped me was like, 'Stop dyeing your hair, stop wearing weird clothes and pick a lane: gay, bi or straight. It’s too confusing.'"

He adds, "I understand representation and voices that need to be heard, but I don’t want to do anything on anyone’s accord but my own. Let me do it when I’m ready. And it’s acting. I feel like everyone should get the opportunity to play whatever they want."

LG has portrayed LGBTQ+ characters and/or LGBT-adjacent in shows like 'White Lotus,' 'You,' 'Euphoria,' 'Love, Victor' and in movies like 'Down Low.' The dude has bared it all too on camera, including one from 'WL' where he stripped down for a racy gay sex scene.

Amid all the speculation on where he lands, he's also been rumored to have been romantically involved with some famous dudes in Hollywood ... but he hasn't confirmed anything on the record thus far ... just leaving it to speculation.

"SNL" eviscerated the Oscars Saturday night .... with a fantasy awards show that is absolutely hilarious!!!

The enforcer against a Will Smith redo is none other than Mike Tyson, played spectacularly by Kenan Thompson, who said, “I should warn you, the following things will set me off: clapping, statutes of gold people, shows that last more than three hours, and also hearing the phrase ‘the magic of movies.’”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who wore a dress right off the Costco rack, is equally funny.

But the best ... Tom Cruise showed up at the Oscars.  Well, it's actually Rep. George Santos, who slyly passed himself off as "Tom Q Cruise."

Kane -- AKA Mayor Glenn Jacobs -- tells TMZ Sports he's focused on running his county right now ... but the WWE legend didn't rule out the possibility of holding other political offices in the future, saying he'd entertain the idea when the time is right.

We recently talked to Jacobs -- currently in his second term as the mayor of Knox County, TN -- and asked the WWE Hall of Famer whether he has ambitions of ascending the political ladder, and running for higher office like U.S. senator or governor.

"I don't know," Glenn said. "I'm just trying to do the best job I can as mayor right now. We'll leave that until the time comes."

Jacobs -- who's been a WWE Superstar since 1995 -- told us he's content in his current role, and wants people to remember him for the difference he's made in their lives through his policies and advocacy.

"What I want is pretty simple," Jacobs said. "People to understand that I cared about my community and wanted to do what I could to make it a better place. As mayor, you don't do that yourself, but what you can do is kind of lay out a vision and get people to the table and somewhat lead the way."

Glenn was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, and says he didn't enter politics for personal gain, but rather to make Knox County "even better than it already is."

Selena Gomez is confessing to a lie ... that she isn't bothered when people body-shame her, because it's actually a gut punch.

Selena says although she pretended not to be affected by social media posts zeroing in on her weight, she says behind closed doors she would cry her eyes out.

The "Only Murders in the Building" star had a reason ... "I was posting these things saying it doesn't bother me because I didn't want it to bother other people who were experiencing the same thing," adding, "Getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love, I just think it's so unfair."

As you know, Selena was diagnosed in 2014 with lupus, which has various side effects including weight gain. She said, "I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus."

Bill Maher was more subtle than usual Friday night ... tipping his hat to evolutionary social change and asking everyone to chill if things aren't perfect RIGHT NOW.

The "Real Time" host used Oscars weekend to make his point -- that even in liberal Hollywood there's a learning curve on the scales of social justice.

He points to 1973, when Marlon Brando snagged the Oscar for "The Godfather" and sent a surrogate in his place to accept -- Sacheen Littlefeather, who got up onstage to talk about injustices against Native Americans. She was met with boos and even tomahawk chops from people in the audience.

Today, BM says, she'd clearly be met with cheers, not jeers ... and that, he says, is progress.

Bill then broadens out his point ... Reagan was late on AIDS, but he came around. Obama was late with gay marriage, but he too came around. And, Bill wishes, Biden or his successor will step up and advocate the legalization of weed.

Being late doesn't make people bad, Bill says. Progress tends to be evolutionary, but it happens.

Check out what he says about a very famous movie that was shot just a few years back -- populated by diehard liberals in Hollywood. If that movie were made today, they'd be skewered.

Travis Kelce is a total natural with a future in acting if he wants it ... so says comedian Jeff Dye, who tells TMZ Sports he was blown away by the Kanas City Chiefs superstar's performance on "Saturday Night Live."

TK made his big debut at Studio 8H last weekend ... and many were impressed with how comfortable he looked on stage as he delivered his lines.

Dye admits he gave a bit of an eye roll when Kelce was announced as the show's host -- because in his opinion, athletes usually aren't funny -- but the tight end turned him into a believer.

"He reminded me of Phil Hartman, that's how good I'd say he was," Dye says. "Not being sarcastic, it was very Phil Hartman-esque."

It goes without saying it's a massive compliment from Dye -- Hartman is a comedy legend ... and spent eight seasons on the sketch show from 1986-94.

We also talked to Dye about who else from the sports world could make the transition over to acting ... and there's one two-time Super Bowl champ he thinks would thrive in entertainment.

Joe Exotic says the hit Netflix series surrounding his life is the worst thing that's happened to him, because it made the public believe he tried to kill Carole Baskin -- and yet, he's forgiven everyone, including Carole, as he faces the possibility of dying in prison.

We spoke to Joe Friday, he called in from federal prison in Fort Worth, TX ... and said what "Tiger King" became is what ruined his life. He says all the content he filmed was for a separate project -- years before 'TK' -- and after that producers used his interview, and added everyone else in the series to create a fake "conspiracy to kill Carole."

He says it was all done to get TV ratings, and he maintains he's the innocent victim of that production plot.

As we reported, Joe's currently battling cancer that's believed to have spread from his prostate to his bladder ... and as he faces his own mortality -- he recently signed a do-not-resuscitate order -- he says he's found a way to forgive Carole and even Jeff Lowe.

When it comes to Carole, Joe chalks their rivalry up to good business maneuvers -- he says it's common in the animal rescue industry -- and admits both he and CB benefitted from going after each other.

Joe gave us some insight into his day-to-day behind bars -- saying depression is yet another struggle for him. He also says he's shacked up with some interesting characters over the years ... including cartel leaders and Ted Kaczynski, AKA the Unabomber.

As for what's next, he says he's still holding out hope he'll be released from prison, and wants to tie the knot with his fiancé Seth Posey. He also talked about the fact he's officially running for President in 2024 as a Libertarian, and told us why he's the man for the job ... even though he's behind bars.

Yung Miami guest starred in last night's episode of "BMF" and thoroughly entertained fans ... but not in the way she was hoping.

Many viewers think her performance on the intense Starz drama was so bad, it should be considered an unintentional comedy!!! 😭

The City Girls rapper is playing "Deanna," and she had a pretty heavy scene -- Big Meech (played by Lil Meech) broke news to her that her husband had died.

The scene called for tears, and fans say they couldn't tell if Miami was laughing or crying ... forcing the newbie actress to defend her wobbly performance.

Miami's filmography is definitely "yung," but it's been stacking up this year ... she already appeared in the Eddie Murphy & Jonah Hill Netflix comedy "You People," as well as an episode of "Grown-ish."

Jane Fonda's looking phenomenal months after announcing her cancer went into remission ... and she's giving us some hilarious advice on how to look as great as she still does.

We got the legendary actress Thursday in NYC as she was heading into "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ... she said she's doing okay, and tossed up a peace sign for fans and photogs.

We asked the obvious question, in light of how great she's looking ... "What's the secret?" Newcomers gotta see this, because JF kept it 💯!!!

She told us all ya need is, "Good genes and a lot of money."

Yeah, you can tell her spirits are up after revealing last September she had non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy for 6 months, and then announced the cancer's in remission.

As she described the good news, at the time, "BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!"

Robert Blake, the actor whose life was just as talked about off the screen as it was on, has died.

According to a statement released to the Associated Press on behalf of Blake's niece, Noreen Austin, Blake died Thursday from heart disease at home surrounded by loved ones.

Blake was infamously charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after she was found dead outside Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles in 2001. Bakley had been shot in the head while sitting in Blake's vehicle.

Blake told investigators he had gone back inside the restaurant to retrieve a pistol when Bakley was shot and killed. It was later determined his pistol was not the murder weapon.

Blake's trial lasted about three months, but he was eventually found not guilty of murder and not guilty of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder ... the second solicitation of murder charge was also eventually dropped.

Blake's career in Hollywood spanned more than 50 years, starring in movies like "In Cold Blood," "Lost Highway" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." He also played Tony Baretta in "Baretta" ... a role that won him an Emmy in 1975.

Hayden Panettiere is honoring her brother in a special way on the day of his funeral ... wearing a custom jacket he designed to the service.

The Panettiere family and friends gathered Wednesday at the Palisades Presbyterian Church in Nyack, New York to celebrate and remember the life of Jansen Panettiere. Hayden wore the colorful jacket as she walked inside.

Jansen posted a photo of the jacket February 2, just a few weeks before he suddenly died. He was an artist and designer who would often share his works on his social media.

TMZ broke the story, Jansen was found dead inside his apartment in Nyack in February. According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, a friend became alarmed after he was a no-call, no-show to a business meeting.

Hayden later came out and said her brother was believed to have died from an enlarged heart, coupled with aortic valve complications.

Joe Gatto was a knight in shining armor to a woman who was being berated over a fur coat ... he's on camera coming to her defense and calling her foe a "piece of s***."

The heated exchange played out north of the border in Montreal ... and the video picks up with a woman in a fur coat being shamed over her fashion choice as she waits to cross a busy intersection with her two dogs.

Joe, the former "Impractical Jokers" star who is currently on a comedy tour ... walks over and asks the woman if she needs help, telling the anti-fur activist to quit harassing her and "stop being a piece of s***."

Joe was Johnny-on-the-spot here ... the woman's clearly flustered and is trying to explain why the fur coat doesn't make her a terrible person, and the guy's being pretty combative.

The fur debate doesn't seem to be the issue for Joe -- it's snowing out and he's not wearing a fur coat to stay warm himself -- rather, he didn't like the way the man was going after the woman.

Frankly, in this day and age, ya never know what these folks are gonna do.

The anti-fur activist Len Goldberg tells TMZ... "I'm saddened that Joe Gatto, who represents himself publicly as an animal lover, would call me a "piece of s***" when all I did was repeatedly ask this woman why she supports skinning beaver but not dogs for a status statement, instead of letting her change the subject as all fur-wearers do when I pose this question. I'm sad Joe doesn't regard these beaver, who were crushed to death for a fur coat, as being the real victims."

Joe is a big advocate for adopting dogs, at one time boasting 12 of his own ... so it's not like he's necessarily pro-fur -- he just didn't like the way the lady was treated.

He landed Barack Obama ... now, Eli Manning has his sights set on his next dream "ManningCast" guests -- Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David!!

TMZ Sports played a pivotal role (or so we tell ourselves) in helping Peyton and Eli book the former president on their alternative broadcast of "Monday Night Football" last season ... with the older bro joking Eli's interview with us back in February 2022 is what helped seal the deal.

Considering our influence, Babcock and Lucas gave Eli the opportunity to shoot his shot for his next dream guests on the ESPN2 show ... and he's got some big names in mind.

"I think now, I'm a big 'Seinfeld' fan, so I think a Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David ... something in that realm would be pretty cool," Eli told the TMZ Sports TV show (airs on FS1) at his Easter event with The Children's Place.

The pairing would be pretty great ... considering Jerry is a big Giants fan, and Larry is known as a diehard Jets backer. There are also reports the "Seinfeld" creator played a role in getting Obama to appear on the "ManningCast" last year ... so maybe it's time for him to do it as well.

Eli admits he never thought he'd be able to land a former president ... adding, "I'd never imagine when I retired from playing football I'd ever interview Barack Obama for a segment while watching a football game at the same time. That kind of blew my mind."

"I thought I'd just say something outrageous, it would never happen. I could just keep saying the answer for years to come. Obviously, I can't do that now."

All hell broke loose between JJ Redick and Kendrick Perkins on "First Take" Tuesday morning ... with the two former NBA players going at it over the league's tight MVP race.

Redick and Perk have been bickering over the topic for the past week ... with the Boston Celtics champ accusing MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic of stat-padding to win the award -- and implying white NBA reporters have a bias toward white players when it comes to voting.

Fast-forward to Tuesday, when Redick bashed Perk's notion race had anything to do with the MVP race ... saying, "What we just witnessed is the problem with this show, where we create narratives that do not exist in reality."

JJ continued ... "The implication, what you're implying, [is] that the white voters that vote on NBA are racist. That they favor white people. That is exactly what you stated. We all know what you implied the other day. We all know what you implied just now."

Perkins vehemently disagreed with Redick's criticism ... screaming at the former NBA star-turned-commentator ... saying, "I stated the facts and you not about to sit up here and act like it's something more than that."

In case you missed it, Perk explained his side last week ... saying, "When it comes down to guys winning MVP since 1990, it’s only three guys that won the MVP that wasn’t top 10 in scoring -- Steve Nash, Jokic, and Dirk Nowitzki. What do those guys have in common?"

Kendrick doubled down on his position after JJ's callout on Tuesday ... tweeting, "Last year I was a c***. This year I’m a racist. Well damn, which one is it? IT’S NEITHER. I call out facts and not afraid to address the elephant in the room."

"Ted Lasso" fans will have the shot of a lifetime ... a chance to spend the night at Lasso's fave pub is getting offered on Airbnb, and it's virtually on the house!!!

As a toast to the upcoming season, the pub owner Mae -- played by Annette Badland -- teamed up with Warner Bros. to offer 3 one-night stays at The Crown & Anchor Pub, which is right around the corner from Ted's apartment in Richmond, London.

The pub is best known as the go-to place for football fans and the AFC Richmond team on the show ... and up to 4 guests will get to hang out there -- just like the 'Lasso' characters -- for just $13 per night on October 23, 24 and 25, 2023.

We're told guests will not only get an incredible place to stay ... they'll get decked out in   AFC Richmond gear, play a round of darts, and sing their hearts out at karaoke.

There's also the chance to sit at Ted’s favorite table in the pub, while playing chess ... and we can't forget about the biscuits! Guests will try those biscuits paired with "garbage water" AKA English tea.