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Jerry "The King" Lawler is making tremendous progress after suffering a heart attack earlier this week ... and is now awake, alert and responsive ... this according to Lawler's son.

TMZ spoke with Kevin Lawler ... who tells us, "[Jerry] is hooked up to tubes and is still not able to speak … but he's writing stuff on a notepad to talk to people."

"Not just brief notes, but detailed stories which show he knows where he is and what is going on.”

Kevin says the family was concerned about brain damage because Jerry wasn't breathing for several minutes after suffering the heart attack ... but doctors say so far, it appears Lawler's brain is fine.

Hayden Christensen is hauling his stuff out of his fiancee Rachel Bilson's L.A. house -- and he's bringing her crap with him -- because the "OC" actress just sold the place for big money.

Sources close to Bilson tell us, Rachel recently attempted to sell the house, but took it off the market when she didn't get the offer she was looking for.

We're told that changed very recently -- when a prospective buyer re-approached Bilson with a heftier offer on the home ... an offer that was so good, Bilson just couldn't turn it down .. so she and Hayden are moving out.

We're told Bilson is currently looking for a replacement.

Randy Jackson is staying at the judge's table on "American Idol" ... after negotiations with Enrique Iglesias fizzled out.

Sources tell TMZ ... Jackson is very close to signing his deal ... after producers initially tried to move the dawg away from the judge's table and use him as a "mentor." We're told Jackson wasn't too pleased with those plans.

But now, with Iglesias seemingly out of the picture ... and auditions starting in a just a few days ... producers need to get a famous ass in the seat ... and they know Jackson can get the job done.

As for the other 3 seats -- Mariah Carey is already locked in ... and sources tell us negotiations with Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj could be finalized any minute.

10:42 PM PT -- A rep for the WWE tells TMZ .., "Jerry 'The King' Lawler suffered a heart attack while commentating during Monday night's broadcast of 'Monday Night Raw' in Montreal."

The rep adds, "We are hopeful Jerry makes a full recovery and returns to WWE in the near future. Our thoughts are with Jerry and his family."

Wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler was rushed to the ER tonight after collapsing at a WWE event in Montreal, Quebec ... but is now breathing on his own.

62-year-old Lawler -- who famously battled Andy Kaufman back in the '80s -- was sitting ringside to commentate on a match when he suddenly collapsed.

An emergency response crew rushed to his side and performed CPR on Lawler.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The WWE says Lawler is now breathing on his own.

Lawler had wrestled inside the ring roughly 30 minutes before he collapsed.

Joe Francis just got hammered by a jury in Steve Wynn's defamation lawsuit -- the jury socked him with a $20 million verdict.

If you recall ... Wynn was suing Francis for defamation, claiming the "Girls Gone Wild" guru made bogus claims that Wynn threatened to have him killed and buried in the desert over a gambling debt.

The judge nailed Francis to the tune of $5 mil for statements made to a TMZ producer in a courtroom hallway ... talking smack on Wynn.

The jury added $11 mil for defamatory statements Francis made on "Good Morning America."

All tolled, the verdict is for $20 mil.

The jury will now decide if Francis gets hit with punitive damages .. and that could be an additional $60 mil.

Francis is worth a reported $150 million.

It seems Donovan McNabb's playing days are over ... TMZ has learned the quarterback has inked a deal to join the NFL Network as a broadcaster.

TMZ spoke with McNabb's rep Mark Lepselter who confirms McNabb has officially signed on ... adding, "He is going to be a part of their 'Playbook' show, as well as other platforms on the network."

We're told McNabb will tape the show in both New Jersey and Los Angeles.

Lepselter says Donovan is serious about his new gig ... telling us, "[Broadcasting] is something that he is going to devote 100% of his attention to."

"With that said, he does have some other areas in his life that he wants to pursue in this next phase ... business interests ... real estate in particular."

Chad Johnson desperately wants to let Evelyn Lozada know he still cares about her ... so he went out and got an image of her FACE tattooed on his right leg with the name "Eve" underneath it.

Johnson posted the photo on his Twitter page today ... the image is his new profile pic featured at the top of his page. It's unclear if the tat is real ... or of the temporary variety. Sources tell us Chad got the work done this past weekend.

Either way, Chad may not be getting his money's worth from the ink -- sources close to Evelyn say she still feels strongly about divorcing Johnson ... and she's made it clear to friends she will NOT be getting back together with the former NFL star.

As we previously reported, Evelyn filed for divorce last month ... three days after Chad allegedly headbutted her during a heated argument.

Chad was arrested for domestic violence over the incident -- but officials are still deciding whether or not charges will be filed against him.

A rep for Chad had no comment on the story.

Michael Clarke Duncan, star of such movies as "The Green Mile" and "The Whole Nine Yards," passed away this morning. He was 54.

According to our sources, his passing came very suddenly. We're told his fiancee, Omarosa Manigault, had been with him in his hospital room in Los Angeles and left for an engagement. Shortly after she left, he died.

Our sources say Omarosa's mother was with him when he passed.

Duncan's rep tells TMZ the actor never fully recovered from the myocardial infarction he suffered on July 13. As TMZ first reported, Omarosa found Duncan in cardiac arrest and performed CPR and was able to resuscitate him before calling 911.

The rep tells us, "[Omarosa] Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

Duncan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of John Coffey in "The Green Mile." He worked as a bodyguard for celebrities like Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and Notorious B.I.G. before he got his break.

You're MLS stud Jay DeMerit and your maple-loving fans just drove 315 miles to see you play -- but your team totally botched the match ... so whadda you do? Buy them a bunch of drinks and get wasted, duh.

TMZ has learned ... the Vancouver Whitecaps captain showed up at a bar called The Vault in Portland, Oregon Saturday night -- after suffering a brutal loss to the Portland Timbers -- and ran into a group of 25 of his BIGGEST fans.

Jay tells TMZ -- he was pretty pissed, but when he saw the fans -- who call themselves "The Handbags"-- he changed his 'tude.

Jay knocked a few back with the group, pounding vodka-sodas, beer and a specialty drink called "The Handbag." In return the group taught him some awesome soccer chants.

The MLS captain covered the $600 tab -- He tells us, "The fans paid a lot of money to travel from Vancouver and if I can give them a good memorable night, then why not?"

Keith Urban is in deep negotiations with "American Idol" but the deal has NOT been signed ... TMZ has learned.

"Idol" sources tell us, the country singer is in the final negotiation stages with producers to take the third judging spot on the show -- alongside Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, who replaced Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

Keith will be replacing Randy Jackson -- but he hasn't officially signed the dotted line just yet. He's still working out a few contract kinks, but it's pretty much a lock.

He'll be receiving roughly $3-4 million for his hard work -- about half what Nicki Minaj is expected to make ... and a paltry fraction of Mariah's $18 million paycheck.

TNA's heavyweight championship belt -- valued at roughly $6,000 -- was stolen earlier this month from right under a stagehand's nose ... but thankfully, the suspected thieves have been caught ... with the help of TECHNOLOGY.

TNA sources tell TMZ, the alleged belt-snatching took place on August 18th in Ottumwa, Iowa before a non-televised event while a stagehand was unloading props from his truck.

We're told the stagehand turned away for a split second, and one of the suspects grabbed the $6,000 belt -- along with a $400 replica -- and took off.

The two suspects were later identified by police using surveillance footage.

33-year-old Joel Luke and 39-year-old Forrest Jamison were arrested Wednesday before posting bail and being released. Luke was charged with 2nd-degree theft and Jamison was charged with accessory.

Hip hop mogul Chris Lighty -- the longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule, and Mariah Carey -- was found dead this morning in NYC from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

According to law enforcement, 44-year-old Lighty's body was found by police around 11:30 AM in the backyard of his Bronx apartment. Lighty was pronounced dead on the scene, where a semi-automatic firearm was recovered.

The death is being investigated as a possible suicide.

According to sources close to Lighty, the hip hop mogul had been in an argument with his ex-wife and shot himself in the head.

WWE superstar Cameron -- a member of the Funkadactyls -- allegedly offered police $10,000 to let her go after she was arrested for DUI last week ... this according to police.

TMZ obtained the arrest report filed by police in Tampa Bay, Florida ... which shows Cameron -- real name Ariane Nicole Andrew -- was arrested at 2:23 AM on Friday morning outside Tampa International Airport.

The report says Cameron blew a .20 ... more than twice the legal limit in Florida.

After cops took her into custody, the report says Cameron offered one of the officers $10,000 to "let her go because she would lose her job."

In the docs, cops say Cameron listed her employer as the WWE.

Cops say Cameron had a male passenger in the car ... who told police the two had been drinking martinis before getting in the car.

Cameron was booked for DUI ... but eventually released.

Kim Kardashian has called an end to her war with Old Navy -- settling up with the clothing brand for big bucks ... after it allegedly used a Kim K look-alike in its advertising last year.

Kim's lawsuit was dismissed today in L.A. -- and sources close to Old Navy tell TMZ, the company agreed to pay Kim an undisclosed sum based on her look-alike claims. We're told both sides are pleased with the settlement, though the exact terms of the deal are undisclosed.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim sued Old Navy last July for MILLIONS, claiming it intentionally used a look-alike in an effort to dupe the public into thinking Kim was affiliated with the brand.

She kinda had a point too ... just take a look at this screengrab from the advertising in question.

Charlie Sheen just hit the jackpot with "Anger Management" -- and now he could earn more jack than he made on "Two and a Half Men." You want numbers -- our sources connected to the production say NORTH OF $100 MILLION!!!!

The show was just picked up for 90 additional episodes, and sources tell us ... Charlie has a huge piece of the profits.

FX made a commitment -- if the first 10 episodes hit a certain number, the network would green light the additional 90 shows. Fact is ... the show exceeded the threshold rating with an average of 4.53 million viewers.

What's interesting ... the deal was structured so Charlie will be working non-stop for the next 2 years, and Network suits wanted it that way so Charlie didn't have a lot of free time to get into trouble.

Three men have been arrested for allegedly beating the crap out of superstar college running back Montee Ball near the University of Wisconsin campus.

Cops say the three men are all 21 years old ... and have each been charged with battery for the August 1st attack on the 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist.

One of the men who was arrested had sustained serious injuries during a fight at a house party a few days before the campus attack.

The man suffered serious injuries to his face and head in the attack ... and told police Ball was involved in the attack.

Cops later determined Ball was at the house party when the fight went down. Ball has denied participating in the fight.