Posted Nov 9th 2009 3:05PM by TMZ Staff
Katt Williams was not burglarizing anyone and his arrest for same is totally bogus -- according to Katt's lawyer.
William Briggs told TMZ Katt was in Georgia shooting a movie, staying at the property of a friend and the movie's producer, Barry Hankerson.
Briggs says the reason his client was busted is because he was involved in a dispute with one of Barry's employees who lives in the guesthouse. The vengeful employee called the cops and reported a faux burglary, Briggs says. Briggs adds Katt had "full permission" to be on the property and has been staying there for the last 3 weeks.
Katt is still in custody. There's a bail hearing set for 4 PM ET.
Stay tuned...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 3:00PM by TMZ Staff
Harvey and Mike will be taking your questions on any and everything today -- including Katt Williams' alleged burglary attempt, Carrie Prejean's nudity hypocrisy and Michael Lohan's latest step towards becoming the most loathsome dad ever.
Submit your questions in the comments section below.
They'll answer 'em live, today at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT.
Filed under: TMZ Live
Posted Nov 9th 2009 2:40PM by TMZ Staff
Justin Timberlake needs to tell it to the judge himself, in order to make a temporary restraining order against a harassing fan permanent.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge David Cunningham just told Justin's lawyer the star must make his case against Karen McNeil by personally testifying.
Justin's lawyer, legal pit bull Marty Singer, was furious, saying McNeil has violated the TRO 10 times already. And besides, Singer says, Justin is filming a movie and has a contract requiring him to be there.
The judge was unmoved, saying it's unfair to make a common working man appear in court but not a high-profile type who has a high-paying gig.
The judge told Singer he wants him to get in touch with Justin and have him on stand-by.
Court resumes at 1:30 PM PT.
Stay tuned ...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Justin Timberlake
Posted Nov 9th 2009 2:04PM by TMZ Staff
Nick Prugo -- the alleged member of the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch who dropped a dime on his comrades -- is the target of "numerous" death threats and is now in protective custody, according to his lawyer.
Attorney Sean Erenstoft tells TMZ, "Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the protection of Nick Prugo and his family."
According to an LAPD affidavit, Prugo armed cops with info on the suspects, the location of the property they allegedly stole and the celebrities they allegedly stole from -- including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge and Rachel Bilson. His account led to the arrests of the other suspects.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, Burglar Bunch
Posted Nov 9th 2009 1:30PM by TMZ Staff
Money can buy a lot of things -- a reality TV wedding, for example -- but it couldn't get Lamar Odom off the hook for a car accident he was involved in back in 2007.
Lamar offered the victim in the crash a settlement, but it wasn't to her liking-- so she filed a lawsuit last week, almost two years to the day of the accident.
The woman, 37, claims she is "disabled from her normal duties and will be so disabled in the future." Oh, and her '97 Geo Prizm was totaled.
She is seeking unspecified damages.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 1:10PM by TMZ Staff
Lindsay Lohan's former assistant plans to send Michael Lohan a cease and desist letter for secretly taping several conversations she had with him more than a year ago ... and legal action is not out of the question.
Jenni Muro -- who stepped down as Lindsay's day-to-day manager last February -- called TMZ a few minutes ago and said Lindsay's mercenary father has violated her privacy and the privacy of the daughter he uses as a cash register.
In the tapes, Muro (pictured right with Lindsay) talks about trying to save Lindsay's life -- a life that was spinning out of control. She says the tape was heavily edited and taken out of context.
Muro says Michael's conduct was "way beyond low."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Lindsay Lohan, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 12:30PM by TMZ Staff
And now for the most important Michael Jackson story you'll hear all day: According to his brother, Jackie, Dr. Arnie Klein's admission that Michael liked to to pee in cups in front of people is just plain "absurd."
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Posted Nov 9th 2009 12:15PM by TMZ Staff
Ryan Seacrest's alleged stalker -- Chidi Uzomah -- sent a Southern California college campus into panic last year when he walked around in camouflage holding what appeared to be an M16 rifle.
We've learned Uzomah had just finished training with the ROTC at Cal State Dominguez Hills on February 21, 2008. Instead of taking his camouflage off and putting his dummy rifle in a bag, he decide to parade around campus in full regalia, rifle in hand.
It set off a panic for nearly a half hour. Uzomah was not arrested. We're told several months after the incident, Uzomah was sent packing from ROTC -- we do not know what triggered the dismissal.
Uzomah -- who was twice caught with a knife in his pocket recently looking for Ryan Seacrest -- has been charged with felony stalking and several other crimes. He's currently in custody.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Ryan Seacrest, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:32AM by TMZ Staff
Dr. Conrad Murray has been as mysterious a figure as Michael Jackson himself, since the death of the King of Pop. We haven't seen him out and about for months -- until now.
Dr. Murray and his lawyer, Ed Chernoff, left the Beverly Regent Hotel last week. Dr. Murray, who is the target of the LAPD's homicide investigation, was holding a book called "Miami Babylon." The description in the jacket includes this passage: "From the mid-level coke deals and their suitcases of cash ... the Beach has seen it all."
But that's nothing compared to the Propofol deals in L.A. ...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:27AM by TMZ Staff
Carrie Prejean is shifting the blame for those topless modeling photos she took back in the day -- now she claims our "culture" is the real problem ... not just "the wind."
In her new "tell-all" book, Carrie dedicates an entire passage to bitch about "pornography," writing:
"Unfortunately, pornography has become mainstreamed -- it rushes at us through big screens, portable screens; soft-core porn is on mainstream TV cable stations, hard-core porn is just a mouse click away on the internet, and the envelope of what seems acceptable seems to get pushed farther and farther as more and more people are exposed to this material.
The result is that girls grow up in a culture where it is hard to have an innocent, healthy, normal view of themselves, how they should behave, how they should act, and how they should dress."
Carrie then addresses the topless pics directly, and states, "Our bodies are temples of the Lord. We should earn respect and admiration for our hearts, not for showing skin to look sexy ... I have since learned that your outer beauty can only get you so far in life."
Amen.
Filed under: Carrie Prejean, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:20AM by TMZ Staff
The Kansas City Chiefs have officially kicked Larry Johnson to the curb -- cutting the running back from the NFL team in the wake of his gay slur scandal.
Johnson was just 75 yards away from becoming the team's all-time leading rusher when he was suspended last month, and now it seems he'll remain number two.
The move to chop Johnson gives Chiefs fans one thing to cheer about this season -- in the last few days, tons of KC fans signed a petition to get rid of the running back.
Johnson had used the homophobic f-word in verbal attacks twice in two days -- he also publicly ripped the team's coach.
He also sucks now ... so the team should be better off without him anyway.
Filed under: Talk Sports
Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:15AM by TMZ Staff
Lawrence Taylor has a storied history of substance abuse, but Miami cops tell TMZ the NFL legend looked completely sober when he was arrested late last night.
Cops say despite his bloodshot eyes in the mugshot, Taylor -- who's been arrested twice on drug-related charges in the past -- was so coherent when he was arrested for hit-and-run last night , that officers didn't feel the need to perform a sobriety test.
As TMZ first reported, Taylor was busted after cops say he left the scene of a car accident. Cops believe Taylor hit another car and then a guard rail ... and then drove away from the scene.
We're told no one was injured.
Cops tell us when they found Taylor, he was standing outside of his car -- which was missing a front tire. The tire was found at the scene of the crash .. which means Taylor may have driven several miles on just the axle.
We're told Taylor was very cooperative when he was arrested -- he was eventually released on $500 bond.
UPDATE: We've learned Taylor was driving a white Cadillac Escalade and the vehicle he hit was a 1984 Ford van. Cops also tell us Taylor was arrested two miles from the crash scene ... where his front right tire was knocked off his car.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Exclusives
Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:00AM by TMZ Staff
Did you hear the one about the comedian who got arrested for allegedly breaking into someone's home?
Katt Williams was arrested early Monday morning in Georgia and is being held on charges of burglary and criminal trespassing. He's being held in Coweta County jail and is set to face a judge today.
Story developing ...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
