Pawn Stars

Rick, Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee ... are all getting their asses sued by their ex-manager, who claims he discovered the "Pawn Stars" and made them famous ... only to get stabbed in the back.

The man behind the lawsuit is Wayne Jefferies -- who claims he found the guys from Gold & Silver Pawn back in 2007 and got them a reality TV show deal with A&E and the History Channel ... after Rick had struck out in the past.

Jefferies claims things were going great for years -- with the show killing it in the ratings and the guys all cutting various endorsement deals ... including credit cards, slot machines, books and even an energy drink.

But according to the suit, things fell apart earlier this year .. when network honchos became upset over a story Jefferies claims he leaked to TMZ. The story detailed how the "Pawn Stars" cast was blindsided when they learned A&E had commissioned a "Cajun Pawn Stars" spinoff.

In his suit, filed by powerhouse attorney Richard A. Schonfeld, Jefferies claims network execs pressured the "Pawn Stars" cast to cut ties with Jefferies ... which they did.

Jefferies is now suing the "Pawn Stars" guys for breach of contract ... and he's also suing A&E, the History Channel and various execs for interfering with his management deals.

Chumlee from "Pawn Stars" was involved in a crazy -- and bloody -- fight right in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. this weekend ... but the reality star tells TMZ it was all in self-defense.

A video has surfaced showing Chum and his pals hanging out in front of Chum's Rolls Royce ... when they are approached by an unknown man.

Chum tells us ... the guy was harassing the group and demanding a ride in the Rolls. When Chum's group refused, Chum says the man threatened to pull a gun.

Chum says the man then reached for something in his pocket ... so his boys took action, socking the guy in the face HARD ... dropping the man to the pavement.

Once the guy hit the floor, Chum and his crew scrambled to get back in the car and quickly fled the scene ... while the man tried to pick himself up, blood pouring out of his face.

Chum tells TMZ, "Instinct just took over. [The man] didn’t even know I was on TV or anything … just wanted to ride in our car and start problems.”

"Pawn Stars" has been very VERY good to Chumlee ... 'cause the reality star hit the Hollywood club scene last night in a pimped out Rolls Royce ... complete with a VIDEO GAME system in the back.

A perspiring Chum was on his way out of MyStudio with some friends ... when he crawled into the back of the super-expensive ride ... grabbed a Playstation controller ... and gave us the play-by-play.

"We got FIFA going" ... Chum said ...adding, "It is what it is ... we play Playstation in the Rolls Royce!!!"

The debut of the new "Cajun Pawn Stars" was a huge hit with the History Channel ... but TMZ has learned the guys at the original "Pawn Stars" show are PISSED because they had no idea it was being made.

Sources close to Left Field Pictures -- the production company behind "Pawn Stars" -- tell us the Vegas crew feels "blindsided" ... because they only learned about the show a few weeks ago ... when the network made the official announcement.

We're told Chumlee, Rick, Corey and the Old Man insist they were promised by the network that no "Pawn Stars" spin-off shows would be made of any kind ... and now feel like they were betrayed.

Sources say the guys are "really hurt" by the whole thing and feel like the new show is a "total knock-off" -- but their beef is with the network ... and NOT with the cast of the new show.

Pretty shocking behavior by the network -- considering "Pawn Stars" is the number one show on History and one of the highest rated shows on cable.

"Pawn Stars" bad ass Corey Harrison suffered a bloody case of road rash ... when he wiped on his Harley during a ride from Vegas to San Diego this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... Harrison and a friend were halfway through the 10-hour cruise ... when they got caught in some intense rain around Joshua Tree ... and Corey lost control of his bike.

We're told the bike slid out from under the reality star and skidded off the road. Harrison scraped his arm up in the wreck, but suffered no major injuries.

The bike wasn't so lucky ... suffering damage to the handlebars, windshield and scrapes ALL OVER.

Chaz Bono has proven to be an inspiration to the guys over at "Pawn Stars" ... at least when it comes to a Halloween costume.

TMZ has learned ... Chum Lee will transform into Chaz for one of his Halloween parties this year ... chin strap and all ... and he's totally fired up about it.

Don't worry -- we're already working on getting the pictures.

It was destroyed in a blazing inferno last week -- and now TMZ has obtained pictures of its smoldering remains ... the History Channel's famous cherry '57 Chevy.

TMZ broke the story ... the car -- which became the centerpiece in a massive three-show special involving "American Pickers," "American Restoration," and "Pawn Stars" -- burst into flames last Friday.

The Las Vegas toy expert often featured on "Pawn Stars" has been named in a police report -- by a woman who claims Johnny Jimenez choked her and held a knife against her throat ... and she tells us, he also threatened to kill her.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Las Vegas Metro PD received a call from a woman claiming to be Johnny's girlfriend. The woman says she had been in an intense verbal argument with Johnny at his home ... when things escalated and Johnny got physical.

We're told the argument began when Johnny accused the woman of stealing $1,000 from him.

The woman told police Johnny choked her pretty hard -- leaving several marks around her neck and chest. The woman also claims Johnny grabbed a knife at some point in the argument and held it against her throat.

TMZ spoke to the alleged victim who tells us ... Johnny was threatening to kill her during the argument and she feared for her life when Johnny put the knife against her throat.

We're told the woman met with police after the incident -- and filed a formal complaint. An ambulance was also called to check out her injuries.

Police are investigating the incident -- and we're told cops would like to speak with Jimenez ASAP.

TMZ spoke with a staffer at Johnny's toy shop, who tells us the woman was Johnny's housekeeper -- not his girlfriend.

The alleged victim insists she and Johnny have been dating since March -- and claims she was only cleaning his home as a favor.

Knowing a good mechanic is the key -- the guys from "Pawn Stars" proved that Friday when their incinerated classic '57 Chevy was fixed within hours and returned in tip top shape.

Immediately after the fire was extinguished, the car was sent to show regular The Count from Count Customs, who replaced the tires and steering wheel ... as well as lots of other parts.

The car was a gift to "The Old Man" on "Pawn Stars" from stars of various History Channel shows, including "American Restoration" and "American Pickers." It caught fire Friday AM.

The repairs cost "the Old Man" around $3,000.

A History Channel orgy that brought together the stars of "American Pickers," "American Restoration," and "Pawn Stars" has ended in a fiery wreck.

In case you missed the 3-show special -- "American Pickers" found a classic, '57 Chevy fixer-upper ... "American Restoration" brought it back to life ... and then both shows gifted it to the Old Man from "Pawn Stars" as a birthday present.

But in a tragic turn of events, it overheated this morning ... and burst into flames.

"Pawn Stars" badass Austin "Chumlee" Russell made one hell of a birthday negotiation at a nightclub this weekend -- You give me 40 bottles of Cristal ... I'll give you $11 THOUSAND DOLLARS!!

Chumlee rolled into Push nightclub in Tunica, Mississippi on Saturday night -- and decided he wanted to treat the entire place to some fancy champagne ... so he did.

Chum -- who was hanging with "Pawn Stars" bodyguard Antoine -- racked up a total bill of $9,558 ... and then dropped a $2,000 tip ... for a grand total of $11,558.

Wonder what the Old Man would say ...

"Pawn Stars" badass Chumlee tells TMZ, he has ALWAYS wanted to see a samurai versus a tiger in a fight to the death -- so he did what any person would do in that situation ... he paid a tattoo artist to ink the violent scene on his leg.

According to Chum, he's already sat through three lengthy sessions at Show Room Tattoo in Vegas -- and he's still got about ten more hours of inkwork to go.

A&E Television Networks fired off a cease and desist letter to pawnbroker Frank Bishop last week -- claiming Bishop's use of the term "pawn star" constitutes fraud and trademark infringement, demanding he change the name stat.

But Bishop ain't budging, claiming in a strongly-worded letter he registered the term "Pawn Star" in 2006, 3 years before A&E entered the pawn world ... so they can take a hike.

Of course, everyone has a price -- and Bishop's lawyer, Jeffrey Kaufman, tells us, Frank would bow to A&E's demands in exchange for a large fee ... "If you want to take something, this is America. Write a check."

Hoss tells TMZ, he decided to get lap band surgery back in February -- after his doctor diagnosed him as a prediabetic.

According to Hoss, he's already lost 115 pounds, and continues to shed the weight -- working out with a trainer 5 days a week ALONG with participating in Krav Maga fighting classes.

Hoss' weight issues have been a topic on the show -- and Rick even built a gym in the pawn shop to encourage Hoss and Chumlee to drop the weight.

Glad to see it's working out.

Corey Harrison and Chum Lee tell TMZ they are forking over $10,000 on a boatload of fireworks -- including roman candles and enormous bottle rockets. The pair plan on setting them off on Monday, somewhere in the Las Vegas desert.

The guys also plan to have a contest against each other to see who can shoot the shop's bowling ball mortar cannon the farthest.

TMZ spoke with Chum who tells us ... when he walked into the Vegas dealership Thursday, the guys wanted around $100k for the jet black whip. But Chum was able to drive off with the car for only $85,000.