Carrie Prejean just accused Donald Trump of personally weeding out the ugly chicks from the Miss USA pageant -- and for once ... she's not entirely off base.
TMZ obtained an audio tape recorded during the pre-show screening portion of the 2009 pageant, in which Trump can clearly be heard exercising "The Trump Rule" -- which guarantees a certain number of "beautiful" women will advance in the contest.
On the tape, Trump explains that when he "bought" the Miss USA pageant, "the most beautiful people were never chosen. And I went nuts." So, according to the audio, Trump implemented "The Trump Rule" -- in which he and his staff of "professionals" would select "almost half" of the women who would automatically make it into the first round of the contest.
Carrie Prejean -- the dethroned Miss California USA -- is in meltdown mode because of a solo sex tape.
Prejean -- who made headlines for her stand against gay marriage and her strong ties to fundamentalist religion -- is supposed to appear on "Today" next week to push her new book.. "Today" producers have called TMZ, making it clear the interview has changed and they want details on the sex tape.
TMZ has also received calls from CNN, FOX and various other outlets asking for info.
The reason they're all calling TMZ -- we obtained the tape several months ago but decided not to run it because it was too racy.
As we first reported, Prejean and Miss California USA officials had sued each other and were in settlement talks last week. Sources tell us Prejean was demanding more than $1 million but when Pageant officials showed her they had a copy of the tape, it took less than a minute for Prejean to fold and walk away with nothing in her pocket.
Prejean had sued the Pageant for allegedly firing her because of her beliefs and disclosing confidential information about her -- including her breast implants. The Pageant countersued, claiming Prejean had repeatedly violated the terms of being Miss Cali USA.
The reason the tape became such a smoking gun -- under Pageant rules, all contestants signed forms that gave assurance they had no nude videos or pictures in their past.
Chris Jericho Slurs Speech
WWE star Chris Jericho is wrestling with a pretty serious controversy -- after he made a slew of offensive slurs against Middle Easterners and gays.
Jericho was at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival two weeks ago ... for a screening of a movie in which he appears. During a Q&A session, Jericho referred to the moderator several times as "Hadji" -- a term sometimes used as a racial slur against Middle Easterners.
After the first wave of slurs -- and a random shot at Paris Hilton -- the host jokingly takes Jericho's drink to sniff it for booze, when Chris chimes back, "it's apple juice ... fag."
Jericho tells TMZ, "After seeing the video I realize some inappropriate comments were made and I apologize if I offended anybody." Jericho continues, "Just know that everyone on stage was having a blast and we all shared a drink and a laugh after! The good news is I got my wish of being posted on TMZ."
Yes you did, Chris.
Jude Law ... THIS IS YOUR BABY
Samantha Burke says Jude Law has yet to meet his six-week-old baby girl ... but if he happens to look through Burke's photos on Facebook, at least he'll know what little Sophia Lee looks like if he ever runs into her down the road.
Celebrity Park People
Public parks are a great place for stars to have a picnic, soak up some rays ... and dodge the occasional stranger danger.
You Belong in the Circus!
Step right up ... and check out the oddities of Hollywood -- we've got bearded ladies, tight rope walkers, jugglers and a half-woman/ half-fish!
And the best part ... no animals were harmed in the making of our circus!
Who's Your Daddy?
Can you guess whose famous genes spawned these cute kids?
Stretched Out
Celebrity faces aren't the only thing getting a good stretch in Hollywood. Yoga has become the new "IN" thing!
He's got the tax man breathing down his back -- but there's one thing MLB bad boy Darryl Strawberry isn't worrying about: Finding the hottest club in NYC.
Strawberry -- who was in and out of jail numerous times in the last 10 years for solicitation and drug related incidents -- says "them days are over for me."
Though currently filming "Celebrity Apprentice," Darryl reportedly owes $554,000 in taxes. Maybe Trump can help him get "over" that too.
Tilda Swinton is completely irrelevant ... at least according to Donald Trump.
The Donald has just released the following statement regarding the Oscar winner's attempt to stop Trump from developing a golf course in Scotland ... but for Trump, the statement is surprisingly tame: "Where was Tilda Swinton three years ago when everyone else was petitioning? She's a little late in the game don't you think?
Swinton is a part of a tiny little group of people who are hanging by a thread. 93% of the public in Scotland are in favor of the project. I have all of my permits and approvals and we're going to start construction in 3 weeks."
We're guessing she won't be on "Celebrity Apprentice" anytime soon...
Tilda Swinton's life is about to become hell -- the Academy Award winner is officially picking a fight with Donald Trump ... and we all know how that usually turns out.
Swinton just signed an anti-Trump petition, accusing His Hairness of bullying residents in Scotland in order to make way for a brand new state-of-the-art golf course developed by the Trump Organization.
Trump got permission to build on the land back in 2008, but critics -- like British-born Tilda -- are trying to crush Donald's plan, claiming some local residents could be evicted to make way for the links. Trump has also taken heat from people saying his plans are "environmentally unfriendly."
Trump hasn't repsonded personally -- yet -- but his Scottish rep claims Tilda is siding with "extremists."
If Donald Trump thinks something sucks, he'll let you know ... just ask the documentary filmmaker who Trump just called "a loser."
That filmmaker is Mike Tollin,who just made a movie about the brief history of the United States Football League. Trump owned a team in the USFL -- the New Jersey Generals -- until 1985 ... when the whole league tanked.
When Mike finished the film, he sent Trump a copy ... along with a letter that said "I'm guessing you won't love all of it, but I hope you appreciate that I've tried to be fair."
Trump sent the letter back to Tollin -- complete with the following a handwritten message on it:
"Mike ... A third rate documentary -- and extremely dishonest (as you know) -- Best Wishes, Donald Trump ... P.S. You are a loser"
Here's a glowing, raccoon-eyed Donald Trump at some random press conference Thursday -- clearly recovering from a trip to the Lindsay Lohan School of Self-tanning.
Carrie Prejean has threatened to sue the Miss California USA folks for defamation, we've learned. But we just obtained a letter the pageant's lawyer fired off to Carrie's lawyer, threatening to sue her for her "churlish insolent misbehavior."
The long letter details the alleged misdeeds which led to Carrie getting das boot. For starters, the pageant's lawyer says Carrie is full of it when she stated publicly she didn't ink a book deal. The letter also says Carrie had wrongfully turned down 39 pageant appearances since May 12.
And the letter claims Carrie defamed pageant honcho Keith Lewis when she said he "pressured her to appear in Playboy." Lewis says he merely passed on the offer, which he never advocated she take.
The letter says Carrie was fired because of her "intolerable misbehavior," citing "hostile communications from Carrie."
The letter threatens this: "If Carrie Prejean wants to assert in public that she was courteous, cooperative or professional in her conduct as Miss California USA, the history of her churlish insolent misbehavior can be presented."
The lawyer goes on to demand that Carrie stop making defamatory remarks and recant the ones she already made ... or else.
Carrie Prejean told Larry King the Miss California USA people were pushing the gay agenda so hard they couldn't hide it -- even asking her to go to a gay event in disguise.
Prejean insinuated pageant officials wanted her to pose in Playboy -- they've told us they were merely passing the offer along, per her demand.
Prejean did not address Donald Trump's statement to us ...that she treated people in the pageant like s**t and refused to participate in 30 sanctioned events.
Carrie Prejean's "disappointed" she no longer has that sparkly crown -- but the ex-Miss California isn't pissed at The Donald for telling her she's fired.
The "biblically correct" former beauty queen was on FOX News last night (natch), where she said she respects Trump as a business man and believes he was just caught in the middle -- and she was the easiest person to get rid of.
We just got off the phone with deposed Miss California USACarrie Prejean -- and she says the pageant was trying to whore her out to Playboy.
Prejean claims pageant honcho Keith Lewis actually asked her last month if she would take two gigs -- appearing on "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" and Playboy. Prejean says Lewis told her Playboy offered $140,000 for her to pose semi-nude. She rejected both offers.
A few minutes ago we talked to Lewis who said he was not pushing her to take either gig -- but merely passing the offers along. Lewis said Prejean had insisted they not turn anything down without running it by her.
Prejean -- who told us she was "shocked" at the news she was fired and learned about it only after we broke the story -- tells us she has been more than cooperative with pageant officials.
Prejean says, "What's behind this I think is a political debate. They don't agree with the stance that I took [on Prop 8]. Shanna [Moakler] is trying to bash me. They don't like me. From day one they wanted me out and they got what they wanted."
Prejean also told us she couldn't believe Donald Trump would say she treated people in the pageant "like s**t." For the record, Trump did tell Harvey Levin that on the phone earlier today. Prejean said if Trump really feels that way she's sorry, adding: "I've shown respect for every party involved, even when they haven't shown it back."
Prejean went on: "I was very respectful of people even when they slandered me and humiliated me. I have not once stooped down to their level."
UPDATE: We learned Carrie just received her letter of termination. She is officially out.
We've learned "biblically correct" Carrie Prejean will lose her Miss California USA crown today because she doesn't play well with others.
Sources connected with the pageant tell us even Donald Trumphas now had it with Carrie, because she's violating her contract by not getting clearance to do her extracurricular stuff.
We're also told Carrie has been a no-show for appearances she was supposed to make for the pageant organization.
The firing, we're told, is strictly based on Carrie breaching her contract. It's not based on her political and moral views.
Carrie is getting her walking papers this afternoon.
The new Miss California USA will be Miss Malibu Tami Farrell.
Donald Trump just told TMZ he gave the green light to fire "biblically correct" Carrie Prejean's award-winning butt because she just wouldn't do the job and treated people badly.
Trump told us Carrie refused to appear at around 30 events on behalf of Miss California USA. He says Prejean was contractually bound to appear and she just wouldn't do it. He doesn't think her attitude has anything to do with her politics.
Trump said: "To me she was the sweetest thing. Everyone else -- she treated like s**t."
Carrie Prejean -- the dethroned Miss California USA -- is in meltdown mode because of a solo sex tape.
Donald Trump himself is calling for a boycott of Kanye West, calling his antics last night "disgusting."
Carrie Prejean has threatened to sue the Miss California USA folks for defamation, we've learned. But we just obtained a letter the pageant's lawyer fired off to Carrie's lawyer, threatening to sue her for her "churlish insolent misbehavior."
UPDATE: We learned Carrie just received her letter of termination. She is officially out. 
Donald Trump just told TMZ he gave the green light to fire "biblically correct" Carrie Prejean's award-winning butt because she just wouldn't do the job and treated people badly.
