TMZ.com

All Aretha Franklin's family's asking is for the Motion Picture Academy to show Jennifer Hudson a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T ... and its failure to even nominate her isn’t sitting well with them.

Aretha’s niece, Sabrina Owens, tells TMZ she’s disappointed about the Oscar snub because she feels JH did a fantastic job in the biopic, "Respect" -- one worthy of recognition, and feels her aunt would’ve agreed.

She also says the film project was Aretha’s baby while she was alive -- she was heavily involved in shepherding it to production, and even hand-picked Jennifer for the lead role.

Sabrina explains ... her aunt was a perfectionist who took pride in her work, and would’ve liked to see an Oscar nod for Jennifer’s turn.

Ditto for Brenda Franklin Corbit, Aretha’s first cousin and former backup singer. She tells us she’s heartbroken about Jennifer being left out, adding the Academy made a huge mistake ... as she feels JH poured her heart and soul into the role and knocked it out of the park.

And get this ... Brenda even suggests Aretha would’ve been seriously upset about the exclusion because she definitely had Oscar on her mind while putting the whole thing together.

It kinda goes without saying, but Brenda hopes Jennifer knows the Franklin family at large thinks she made Aretha proud ... and they consider her one of their own.

The Hudson snub is one of many that people are up in arms about. In addition to her, Lady Gaga fans are crying foul for her not getting a nom for "House of Gucci."

Fact is there's always disappointment with the Academy after Oscar noms come out -- can't win ‘em all, after all -- but dissing the Queen of Soul?

Nelly is apologizing for a video of him receiving oral sex which, somehow, got posted on his social media -- and he says the old clip was never meant to see the light of day.

The "Hot In Herre" rapper started trending Tuesday on Twitter after his IG story briefly included an uncensored video of a woman performing oral sex. The video was quickly deleted, but not before folks were able to capture screen recordings and repost.

Nelly tells TMZ ... "I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family, this is unwanted publicity for her/them. This was an old video that was private and never meant to go public."

As for how it ended up getting on his Instagram account?

A UK zoo is calling in the big guns to get its monkeys some sexual healing ... yes, that means a Marvin Gaye impersonator doing his best to get the primates in the mood!!!

The Trentham Monkey Forest in England is doing mating season big this year, hiring the singer to perform some classic Marvin hits -- naturally including "Let's Get it On."

David Largie is the man doing the serenading inside the zoo's monkey enclosure -- and since it's mating season, Park Director Matt Lovatt said "We thought it could be a creative way to encourage our females to show a little affection to males that might not have been so lucky in love."

So, basically, they're hoping Marvin's songs can get even the loneliest of monkeys laid!

Makes sense ... these classics have been promoting human hookups for decades now.

The park is hoping all of this musical foreplay results in a record number of baby monkeys being born this year.

Drill Music is starting to get silenced in NYC ... but homegrown artists like Fivio Foreign are fighting to keep it afloat.

We got Fivio leaving The Palm in New York ... after having meetings regarding what seems to be the future of Drill Music on the airwaves. He said the meeting went well and feels like a step in the right direction.

When asked about the possibility of Drill artists getting indicted for their violent lyrics, Fivio called it BS, saying "That means you gotta go lock up Denzel for being a bad cop in "Training Day"!"

He says music is an art form where people can express themselves in the only way they know how, and it's unfair to single out one genre of music, or one community of people.

In case you're unfamiliar, Drill is a style of trap music that's been mainstream for the past decade, with artists like Chief Keef and Lil Durk associated -- as well as Fivio Foreign.

It's known for its violent and gritty lyrics... which is why the city of NYC has been trying to shut it down.

The NYPD claims Drill is making gang violence in their city worse, pointing to its lyrics as a source of inspiration for shootings. While they say it isn't a blatant cause of violence, at the end of the day, they believe it's a strong influence.

Katharine McPhee is saying goodbye to a very special friend ... one she adopted late in life to show her love and happiness in her remaining few years.

We're talking about Wilma ... the rescue dog Katharine took in a few years back. What makes this special is that Wilma was 12, so Katharine knew she would not have the dog for very long, but she wanted her to enjoy her sunset years.

Katharine posted her tribute Monday night ... "Here's a little tribute to my girl Wilma… also known as Willy… ”

She went on ... "Wherever she went her tongue was hanging out without fail." "She traveled the world with me. Was at every rehearsal for my first Broadway show… Thank you Willy for all the great years."

Katharine's gotta be struggling with this, but she clearly gave the best life to Wilma that she possibly could. Great job, Ms. McPhee.

Shawn Mendes is going on a cleanse in Hawaii ... with a sexy shaman and what appears to be an exotic plant medicine blown straight up his nose.

Check out these photos of SM sitting down to meditate with a woman on a remote beach in Hawaii ... possibly using a healing and cleansing medicine found in the Amazon. Shawn sits cross-legged as the woman leans in and blows into a pipe shoved up one of his nostrils.

The singer seems to be in the middle of a sacred ritual using a legal shamanic medicine called Rapé made from medicinal plants, seeds, trees and leaves ... with tradition calling for it to be blown through a bone or bamboo pipe.

The mixture is said to re-align and open chakras, release any sicknesses or negative thoughts, clear the mind and ground one's emotions ... and it supposedly works best in a quiet place while sitting upright and cross-legged.

SM turning to shaman rituals is interesting ... considering he's only a few months removed from his split with Camila Cabello after dating for more than a couple years.

After the meditation session, Shawn and his shaman also chatted over coffee and went for a hike along the cliffs ... with lots of laughs and smiles.

The guy's been going all in on nature in Hawaii ... even going shirtless and breaking out a walking stick.

Billie Joe Armstrong says one of his prized cars and a bunch of band gear were stolen recently, most likely by some real "American Idiots" ... and now we've learned cops are on the case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that between Friday night and Saturday morning, the suspects entered a commercial business in Costa Mesa, CA. Cops say the vehicle that was stolen was a white, two-door 1962 Chevrolet Nova.

Other than the car, police say the unknown individuals also took two electric guitars and an amp -- quite the haul to walk away with.

Not only did Armstrong ask his followers to help him track down the Chevy, but police are urging anyone with information on this burglary to contact the Costa Mesa Police Department.

T-Pain is posing an interesting question about Joe Rogan -- what exactly are people angry about ... perceived harmful content in general, or is the outrage strictly personal?

The singer dished his thoughts about the ever-evolving Rogan saga this weekend in L.A. -- while celebrating the release of his new track, "That's Just Tips," at Nightingale. He says ... yeah, Rogan's use of the n-word is ugly and perhaps even worthy of "cancelation."

In the same breath, TP also acknowledges what Spotify has confirmed -- namely, that JR isn't going anywhere ... and in T's mind, the reason for that is cold, hard cash.

Fact is, Rogan was an expensive buy for the streaming giant -- $100 million, to be exact -- and it's precisely because of that, from T-Pain's POV, that they won't get rid of him. As he puts it, they have to get every cent they spent out of Joe.

With all that said, T-Pain also wonders if the same energy people have for Joe Rogan at the moment is merely selective -- because he says, if folks are truly perturbed by what they consider dangerous rhetoric, why not nix a lot of raps songs too???

If Rihanna and A$AP Rocky need any help coming up with a name for their new baby, there's another rapper who has them covered -- Remy Ma.

We caught up with the rapper/mommy leaving Won World Studios in NYC, and she suggested Rihanna and Rocky name their baby something that starts with the letter 'R' ... like their names.

Hmm ... now what name would Remy suggest??? 🤔

As far as Rihanna being a new mom in the music biz, Remy says she can absolutely have it all ... ya know, a great career, a new baby, a family, etc.

As a mom of a 3-year-old, Remy says sometimes it's hard but women can do everything … "We wear all the hats. We run things. We run the world, as Bey says." She adds ... when you love something -- like your family and your career -- ya just make it happen.

And if RiRi needs any examples ... she gives a nod to herself and Cardi B.

Unless you've been comatose recently, you know by now ... Rihanna and A$AP are expecting their first child together.

Action Bronson added his signature to another random food item, but this time it wasn't a pizza crust ... it was an L.A. street hot dog!!!

Ya gotta see the video ... Action's leaving a show at the Hollywood Palladium and signing autographs when some fans come up and ask him to rate their street meat.

Action, who famously hosted a food show called "F***, That's Delicious," gives the guys something way better than a rating ... he uses his sharpie for a John Hancock, then tosses the pen skyward.

As you see, Action signs half the bun, along with some of the wrapping ... and the fans absolutely eat it up -- the autograph, not the dog, although they may have scarfed that down too.

Action, who is currently on his NBA Leather tour, is known for blending rap with food and signing all sorts of things ... like fan's faces and pizzas ... but this is the first time we've seen him leave his mark on a weiner.

Billie Eilish brought her concert to a full-stop halt over one fan who appeared to be in distress -- and if you're thinking about Astroworld Fest here ... well, so was she.

The singer was performing in Atlanta Saturday, where State Farm Arena seemed to be packed to the gills with fans -- especially down below near where she was performing ... and where one gal apparently started getting crushed in the pit.

Check out this video we got of the moment BE paused everything once she became aware of what was going on ... it seems the lady in question was having trouble breathing, and needed an inhaler.

Luckily, Billie actually had one on hand ... and instructed the stage crew to get it to her ASAP. While the fan was being attended to, Billie settled down the crowd, told them to take a deep breath and step back -- at the same time, noting she wants to take care of her own ... something she's made sure to do in past concerts of hers as well, dating back years.

Then came a shot at what was clearly aimed at Travis Scott, with Billie saying ... "I wait for people to be okay before I keep going." That got huge cheers from the audience.

Of course, she's referencing the fact that Travis' November set continued for several minutes after the event was declared a mass casualty event -- with many suspecting TS was aware of what was going on. He's strongly denied that, claiming ignorance to the severity of things.

What's interesting here is the fact that Billie is replacing Travis at Coachella this year. Although an official announcement has yet to be made, the cat's outta the bag -- he got bumped amid the controversy -- other headliners dropped out too, FWIW -- and BE's one of the new artists who've been tapped in their stead.

Can't see Adele due to her indefinite postponement? Never mind, we'll find someone like her ... to fill her shoes in Las Vegas.

With Adele's residency on ice, "Legends in Concert" -- the longest-running and most-awarded show in Las Vegas -- has come up with a brilliant idea -- come see our impersonator instead. For now, it is the closest you'll get to her.

'Legends' is rolling out a spinoff production, of sorts – "Legendary Divas" – and it's offering free tickets to Adele fans who purchased tickets to the singer's "Weekends with Adele" residency.

'Divas' is performed nightly at the Tropicana, with look-alike Janae Longo belting out some hits -- not only does she have the look down, but she’s got a great voice too.

The show also includes tributes to Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Cher, and it's hosted by a Joan Rivers impersonator!

As you know by now, Adele pulled the plug on her residency last month, hours before it was set to debut. Although she tearfully said it was doomed by COVID-related delays ... multiple sources have told us it was really because Adele was displeased with the production.

Eddie Vedder says he hated Motley Crue in the '80s, and now one of the big-hair band's very own is firing off his thoughts on the matter ... calling Pearl Jam a snore-fest.

Bassist Nikki Sixx tweeted out some zingers Saturday, writing ... "Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in Pearl Jam hated @MotleyCrue. Now considering that they're one of the most boring bands in history it's kind of a compliment isn't it?"

He wasn't done mouthing off just yet though ... in response to one fan saying she'd recommend PJ songs for a friend's newborn baby to get it to go to sleep, NS replied -- "Or just sing to the baby with marbles In your mouth…Very zen."

And, yet to another fan who called him a lame who had 3 mid-level songs at best, Nikki wrote ... "Remember there were zillions of brown haired bands for brown haired fans…..Go find them. You will know them by the bored look on their face."

Now, if you're wondering where the heck all this generational animosity stems from ... it's actually Vedder who technically launched the first arrow across the bow -- taking aim at MC, specifically, in a recent NYT article ... in which he called the 4 fellas and their whole vibe, well, thin on substance.

While answering a question about whether any ripples from the Gen X/alt-culture explosion of the '70s and '80s extended to the present, EV didn't hold back while describing an old gear-loading gig of his.

He said, "I'd end up being at shows that I wouldn't have chosen to go to -- bands that monopolized late-'80s MTV. The metal bands that -- I'm trying to be nice -- I despised. "Girls, Girls, Girls" and Mötley Crüe: f*** you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous."

Vedder went on to say that thank God Guns N Roses came around to put some teeth back into the genre. And finally, he took a shot at Heather Locklear -- Tommy Lee's ex-wife.

He suggests Locklear was emblematic of how rock and roll portrayed and/or saw women in those days, explaining, "But I'm circling back to say that one thing that I appreciated was that in Seattle and the alternative crowd, the girls could wear their combat boots and sweaters, and their hair looked like Cat Power's and not Heather Locklear's -- nothing against her."

Lizzo apparently has a new song in the works -- and the way she's letting us know about it is by stripping down ... and baring it all.

The singer posted both a video as well as a photo of what seems to have been a recent shoot she took part in ... one for which she appears to have been fully nude. In the clip, you see Lizzo seated and working it for the camera -- this as a snippet of what sounds like a forthcoming track plays as the main audio.

It actually sounds pretty damn good -- almost Whitney Houston-esque in the vocals department, if we're being honest. Of course, everyone knows Lizzo can sing ... but this is a bit of a revelation here, because she's belting out a killer tune ... and it's all her, no music.

The brief lyrics go ... "If you love me, you love all of me // Or none of me at all." Good stuff!

The accompanying caption reads, "You dont get to pick and choose. We should be unconditionally loving of one another, starting with being unconditionally loving to ourselves."

She adds, "Take a moment today and think about the conditions we hold so tightly to that keep us from the freedom of true love. Do you really wanna be so tightly wound? Free yourself in love. You deserve it."

Of course, Lizzo is no stranger to expressing self-love -- it's a huge part of who she is as an artist, and she often shows off her body to hit that point home ... including just hours before she posted this clip, where she posed in a 2-piece bikini at the pool with some friends.

That's not to say she hasn't struggled with her body image -- she certainly has, and has grappled with it publicly as well. In the end, though, it seems Lizzo loves everything about herself ... turning heads in the process.

Kanye West's desire to rename Black History Month is totally off the mark ... according to noted philosopher Cornel West, who's taking a moment to ring the school bell for Ye.

We got the former Harvard and Princeton professor Thursday at L.A.'s Sunset Plaza, and took a deeper diver with him into Ye's announcement that "FEBRUARY IS NOW BLACK FUTURE MONTH" ... instead of BHM.

Well, Prof. West started out by giving Mr. West some props, calling him a genius ... but adding he's "confused" in many ways. Cornel says the idea that BHM is only about Black people's past is misguided. Check out his explanation, but the Prof. says it's very much about the future as well.

C-Dub says he thinks Ye understands this concept, because he hears it in his music -- but, for some reason, he loses it outside of the studio. Or, as he put it, "There's a sense of which his artistry is so much more profound than his rhetoric."

It's clear he's got love for Ye, though -- he wonders if they're distant relatives -- and he compliments one of Kanye's tracks, in particular ... before playfully urging the rapper to "get off that symbolic crack pipe."

Yes, Cornel came in hot with the jokes. BTW, he also dropped some jewels for T-Pain, who told us he doesn't think there should be a Black History Month anymore.

Kanye West has not only bagged a girlfriend, he's bagged all of her friends. Let us explain.

Ye took GF Julia Fox and her friends out for a birthday bash at Lucien in New York City, and following tradition Julia -- who turned 32 -- opened her presents with considerable excitement as Kanye and Co. looked on.

He got her some jewelry which we're pretty sure is super expensive, but that wasn't the extent of his gift-giving. Everyone at the table -- Julia and her pals -- all got Baby Birkins. It's good to know Julia, especially now!

Seems there was a dress code for the soiree ... all black.

Julia followed tradition, blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Lots of desserts came out ... one after the other.

Kanye and Julia also hit new hot spot, Sei Less, before the night was over. The two were joined by the likes of Dave Chapelle and Fivio Foreign ... where Kanye played songs from his upcoming Donda 2 album.

Of course, it was a madhouse when Ye left the building, with fans, cameras and autograph seekers all wanting a piece.