Jim Paratore -- the man who founded TMZ and created a slew of hit shows including "Ellen" and "Rosie" -- died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday during a bike trip in France.

Jim was President of Telepictures -- a division of Warner Bros. --  when he dreamed up the idea of getting into the digital business back in 2006.  Jim and Harvey developed the concept of TMZ ... and Jim sold it to the big wigs, which was no small feat.

Jim was a driving force behind TMZ.com and then was critical in creating the TMZ television show. 

Jim was a huge force in the TV business.  After Ellen DeGeneres came out, no one wanted to take a chance on her.  Jim recognized her great talent and literally went station to station across the country and convinced very nervous and reluctant general managers that they should take a chance on her -- that she was a talent who could connect with and touch everyone ... and Jim was right.

My friend, producer and champion Jim Paratore died today. He gave me a chance when no one else would. I love you, Jim.

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 29, 2012

Jim was a triple threat -- an amazingly creative guy who never let convention get in the way of a good idea.  He was also a great producer who could execute the ideas that were in his head.  And he was the best salesman in the world -- Jim could convince anyone of anything.

His list of credits is endless.  On his watch, a slew of shows were produced, including "The People's Court," "The Bachelor," "Extra," "Judge Mathis"  and on and on.

He was also hilarious.

Jim is survived by his wife, Jill Wickert, and his daughter, Martinique Paratore.

Everyone at TMZ was touched by Jim's brilliance and the loss is great and painful. 

Jim was 58.

Kat Von D foolishly set her own house ablaze in 2010, killing her cat in the process -- this according to a new lawsuit -- and now, she's being sued for nearly a MILLION bucks in damages.

State Farm Insurance filed the lawsuit against Kat today in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming the 2010 fire that ripped through the reality star's Hollywood Hills home was her own fault ... and she should foot the bill.

According to the lawsuit, Kat foolishly placed several lit candles in the house -- and the candles then set the house on fire (a fire that killed Kat's feline friend named Valentine).

It was no small blaze either -- State Farm claims the fire caused $909,199 in damages.

State Farm dutifully covered the bill -- but now the insurance company is suing, demanding Kat pay it back for her own carelessness.

Calls to Kat's people were not returned.

Terrell Owens -- once considered a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame -- has been released from the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League ... and his infamous prima donna ways are to blame.

Team president Tommy Benizio tells TMZ the decision was "performance based" -- and added the final straw came when T.O. skipped a recent team visit to a children's hospital in Allen, TX.

This was T.O.'s first season with the Wranglers ... and when he announced the move to the IFL in January it was considered a huge fall from grace for a former NFL superstar.

T.O. put up 10 touchdowns in 8 games for the Wranglers, and had hoped his performance would get him back into the NFL. T.O.'s been trying to impress teams for years ... back in 2010, he flaunted his athleticism for a TMZ camera guy.


By the way, Benizio says T.O.'s also been cut from the Wranglers' ownership group.

Smoking hot UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste kicked her boyfriend straight in the nose this weekend in Vegas, inciting a blowout argument that eventually led to her arrest -- this according to the police report for the incident.

According to the report, 26-year-old Arianny and her 34-year-old boyfriend Praveen Chandra were arguing inside a limousine early Saturday morning when Arianny kicked him in the face.

Arianny later told cops the fight was over text messages Chandra had sent to other women -- but the report isn't specific.

According to the report, the argument escalated inside the couple's Wynn hotel room. A hotel employee heard crashing sounds and responded to the room around 4:30 AM, when Arianny came running out.

Police were called -- and Arianny told officers Chandra had choked her and grabbed her arm inside the room. Cops observed marks on Arianny's body.

Chandra told cops Arianny had kicked him in the face -- and after the argument moved inside the hotel ... she threw two vases at him.

As we reported, Arianny was subsequently arrested for domestic violence. Chandra was also arrested.

Katrina Darrell -- the girl who infamously auditioned for "American Idol" back in 2009 wearing just a bikini -- insists ... she isn't a drunk hit-and-runner ... pleading "not guilty" to DUI today.

TMZ broke the story ... Katrina was charged last month with one count of DUI and two counts of misdemeanor hit-and-run, stemming from her March arrest.

As we reported, Katrina was busted in L.A. after allegedly running a red light and smashing into another car. According to police, Katrina attempted to flee the scene ... but was pulled over down the street by a cop who heard the crash.

Back at the police station, an officer administered a breathalyzer -- and Katrina allegedly blew roughly twice the legal limit in California.

She's due back in court June 29th.

TMZ has obtained the mug shot of UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste -- snapped moments after the model's domestic violence arrest this weekend ... and it was obviously an extremely emotional experience.

TMZ broke the story ... Arianny was arrested early Saturday morning in Nevada on suspicion of domestic violence. The circumstances surrounding the arrest are still unclear.

Arianny spent about 12 hours in custody before she was released.

Dana White released a statement to TMZ after Arianny's arrest, telling us, "Arianny is our baby. She has been with us for over five years. She is a good girl and an amazing ambassador for UFC. I don’t know all the details of what happened but we have her back and support her 100%."

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan paid a visit to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City over the weekend ... where they gazed at one of the most famous works of art in the history of the world -- The Creation of Adam, courtesy of Michelangelo.   

Mark looked duly impressed, but we gotta ask ...

Dennis Rodman's just learned a hard lesson about not paying child support -- if you don't a judge will come down on you like a hammer.

An Orange County judge just held Rodman in contempt for raking up a whopping $808,935 in unpaid child support for his 9- and 10-year-old children -- and an additional $51,441 in unpaid spousal support. 

Rodman was placed on 3 years probation and ordered to perform 104 hours of community service.

While on probation, Rodman is required to stay current with child support and cover alimony.  It's unclear how he's gonna dig himself out of the hole.

Dennis previously responded to his ex-wife's demands, saying he couldn't pay because he's broke. According to Dennis, Michelle's six-figure child support bill is based on a $50,000-a-month child support order she obtained behind his back. Rodman's been fighting it since 2010.

Clearly, the judge wasn't buying what Dennis was selling.

Phillip Phillips will NOT have kidney surgery today as scheduled, because he's burning up with a fever ... TMZ has learned.

As we first reported, Phillip has a serious congenital kidney condition that produces kidney stones so large they cannot pass.  The condition has virtually debilitated his right kidney -- requiring 8 prior surgeries.

Phillip has had a flare-up through almost the entire "American Idol" competition, requiring a stent that was surgically inserted two months ago -- causing the singer extreme and continuous pain.

We're told Phillip now has a bad sinus infection that has triggered a high fever.  As a result surgeons will not operate.

We're told the surgery has been rescheduled for early next week.

Justin Bieber's brawl with a photog over the weekend isn't going to just disappear ... TMZ has learned the case WILL be referred to the L.A. County D.A. for possible criminal prosecution.

We're told cops have already decided to refer the case to prosecutors, even though the investigation is far from complete.  They have requested to interview the Biebs, but he's in Norway now.  It's pretty typical for police to refer high-profile cases to prosecutors.

TMZ broke the story ... Bieber's a suspect for allegedly committing criminal battery against a photog in Calabasas Sunday afternoon. The photog called 911 after the scuffle, but by the time cops arrived, the singer had split.

The pap was taken to a nearby hospital in an ambulance. He then filed a police report naming Bieber as the culprit.

If Bieber is charged and convicted, he'd face 6 months in jail.  But the photog faces an even worse fate -- having to tell people Justin Bieber kicked his ass.

One of Kim Kardashian's handlers got into a shouting match with an LAX police officer when she claimed the guy was more interested in getting Kim's autograph than protecting her from fans and paparazzi.

The heated exchange was captured Friday evening as the woman -- who was clearly part of Kim's entourage -- accuses the officer of asking Kim for an autograph when he should have been keeping her safe.

The officer got PISSED ... insisting loudly, "I don't appreciate you coming here and telling us we're here for autographs. I don't do that."

The cop adds, "We're not here to do any service for [Kim Kardashian]. We're here for the needs of the international terminal."

Kim's handler then storms off.

UFC Light Heavyweight champ Jon "Bones" Jones just pled guilty to DUI -- after his boozy arrest last week in upstate New York.

TMZ broke the story, the 24-year-old was popped in Binghamton May 19th after crashing his Bentley into a pole, totaling the car.

Jones posted an apologetic message on his Facebook after the arrest, writing, "I screwed up, big time." The message was subsequently deleted (shocker).
 
A rep for the Broome County D.A.'s office tells TMZ, Jones refused a breathalyzer at the time of his arrest, but admitted he had been drinking.

Jones' license has been suspended and he's due back in court June 19th. He faces a year in jail.

Jennifer Lopez helped Britney Spears secure a $15 million paycheck for "X Factor" -- because Britney had one intractable demand ... she had to make more than J Lo did for her first season on "American Idol."

JLo raked in $12 mil for her first season on "American Idol." There are reports she made $20 mil for the season that just ended, but we hear it's less than that.

Sources very familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Britney's bottom line was no less than $13 mil. But sources connected with "X Factor" tell us Britney initially asked for a lot more -- $20 mil. 

As we first reported, Britney and "X Factor" eventually settled on $15 mil for the season.

The wild card now is JLo. It's unclear if "American Idol" will pay her what she's been making because ratings are down and if she can't pull in at least what Britney is getting, ego could make it a no go.

Stay tuned.