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"X Factor" contestant Chris Rene got two pieces of good news this week -- he made it to the next round of the show ... and his long-lost son learned Chris is his biological father.

Chris had a son six years ago named Elijah that he never knew about, who ended up in foster care. Chris and the boy were re-united four years ago, but the foster parents referred to Chris (who has another son who is 3) only as a close family friend.

But Chris -- who we're told has spent an enormous amount of time with Elijah -- posted on his Facebook page today that Elijah asked his foster parents who his real dad was. The foster parents asked the boy to guess ... and he guessed it was Chris.

R&B singer Vesta Williams -- best known for her 1989 hit "Congratulations" -- was found dead in an L.A. hotel room yesterday ... TMZ has confirmed.

Loads of Vesta's celebrity friends have posted messages on Twitter about the news -- including actress Jackeé Harry who wrote, "...just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u), has passed away. #RIPVesta"

53-year-old Williams had a string of R&B hits in the 80s and 90s including "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "You Make Me Want To (Love Again)."

A crew member on the "Charlie's Angels" set has been fired after slapping Minka Kelly's butt.

There's a report out that the guy was holding a $100 bill when he slapped her, and that she retaliated later by slapping him, but our sources say that's NOT true.

What did happen ... according to sources directly connected to the production ... is that the man did indeed slap Kelly, and sources at ABC tell us, she responded by telling him, "Please don't ever disrespect me or any other woman like that again."

Some of the witnesses told ABC honchos, and given the network's zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, the dude was immediately banned from the set and subsequently fired.

We're told Minka did not want to get the guy fired and had nothing to do with the decision -- she was friendly with the man and upset that he lost his job after moving his family to town for the job.

A week after he was arrested for DUI, Matt Hardy was thrown back in the slammer -- his third time in jail in a month -- and the search warrant makes it clear ... Matt has a major drug problem.

According to search warrant docs obtained by TMZ, it all started with a 911 call last Wednesday -- placed by Matt's model girlfriend, Reby Sky, who was worried Matt "was strung out on pills and needed help."

Police came and Matt's GF led them to a secret safe containing several prescription painkillers.

Police then obtained a search warrant -- and according to cops, when they raided his house they found 20 vials of anabolic steroids and some ecstasy.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Matt wasn't home at the time of the search so they couldn't arrest him on the spot ... he turned himself in yesterday.

Hardy -- who bailed out soon after his arrest -- posted an emotional YouTube video last night (below), saying he's enrolling in a 3-month rehab program paid for by the WWE, as part of its former talent rehabilitation assistance program.

Charlie Sheen is days away from settling his mega-dispute with Warner Bros. over "Two and a Half Men," but sources connected with the negotiation tell us ... Charlie is not getting what he wants.

Our sources say Charlie will NOT get paid for future episodes -- that's something his legal team insisted he was entitled to based on his deal with Warner Bros.

As for what Charlie will get ... we're told it's around $25 million, but most of that is money that he's already owed for episodes that he shot and profits from the show that have already accrued. When Charlie got fired from the show, the suits at Warner Bros. stopped paying him -- this settlement is essentially making all the money matters current.

Charlie will still get syndication money in the future for the shows in which he appeared, so the gravy train is still rolling down the track.

Katie Holmes' driver was pulled over yesterday in Beverly Hills -- with Katie inside -- but the driver was able to escape with just a warning ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the driver was spotted doing a major no-no ... driving while talking on his cell phone. But when cops pulled them over (the black Mercedes, pictured above), we're told the driver escaped without getting ticketed.

Kim Kardashian is all set to return to the "Pussycat Dolls" ... only this time, she'll be running things BEHIND THE SCENES -- as the executive producer of a new PCD reality show ... TMZ has learned.

Kim signed a TV deal with "American Idol" honcho Nigel Lythgoe -- to be the E.P. for an upcoming reality show about the "Pussycat Dolls empire" ... that will feature the launch of a "new" PCD group.

One source tells us the newbies are "10 times better than the original group."

We're told Kim has a good relationship with PCD founder Robin Antin -- plus Kim really enjoyed performing with the group in Vegas a few years back.

Kim is telling friends she's "super excited" to work with Nigel because "he's the best in the business."

More trouble for ex-WWE champ Matt Hardy -- the 36-year-old was arrested for driving under the influence in North Carolina this week ... the second time in the last couple of weeks.

According to the arrest report obtained by TMZ ... cops received a complaint of a "possible drunk driver" late Monday afternoon ... who almost "hit two drivers three separate times."

When the cop spotted Hardy, the wrestler's car, "swerved into the curb and then back onto the road."

Once Hardy was pulled over, the officer claims Hardy "had slow and slurred speech, sleepy eyes and a very lackadaisical demeanor."

According to the report, Hardy took the walk-the-line test -- but "after taking two steps, Mr. Hardy lost his balance and failed to stay on the line."

Hardy took a breathalyzer -- but when the results showed he wasn't drunk ... cops called in a "Drug Recognition Officer" to perform even more tests.

Eventually, cops believed Hardy was under the influence of something ... and arrested him on the spot.

Hardy is scheduled to appear in court on November 30.

Casey Anthony's attorney Jose Baez must love a challenge -- because he's been retained to help defend the main suspect in a Maryland woman's disappearance in Aruba.

Gary Giordano remains in jail on the Caribbean island ... held as the principal suspect behind the mystery of Robyn Gardner. Giordano has claimed Gardner got swept out to sea when the two went snorkeling on August 2 -- she hasn't been seen since.

We're told Baez is currently in Aruba -- and has already met with Giordano.

We found out it was Marc Anthony who reached out to Will Smith ... inviting him into his luxury box at the Miami Dolphins game last night.

Dwyane Wade ... was also invited to hang with the superstars. After the game Wade told people that it was genuine friendship between Marc and Will, and not just mugging for the cameras.

That said, it's clear they wanted to make a very public point ... there are no hard feelings between them in the wake of rumors Marc had an affair with Jada Pinkett Smith.

Nothing like a nice cushy box to bring guys together.

Rappers Paul Wall and Baby Bash were arrested last night in El Paso, TX for possession of marijuana ... TMZ has learned.

According to jail records, the rappers -- real names Paul Michael Slayton and Ronald Ray Bryant -- posted $300 bond shortly after.

The bad blood between cast members on "Bachelor Pad" has spilled into real life ... so says one of the losers who claims Graham Bunn punched him in the face at a nightclub this week.

TMZ spoke with Justin Rego (aka Rated-R) -- who was eliminated from the reality show last month ... who says he was hanging out at the wrap party at a Hollywood nightclub Wednesday night when all hell broke loose.

According to Rego, two other members of the show -- Graham Bunn and Blake Julian -- had gotten into an argument ... and it started to become physical.

Rego says he went to break up the fight -- when Graham punched him in the nose ... and he started to bleed. Sources at the club tell us security rushed over to the scene and escorted Graham out of the building.

NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez is marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with a new fundraising campaign to benefit the families of fallen NY firefighters ... with a little help from his dad (and Ron Howard).

Mark -- who moonlights as a GQ model -- has designed a new vintage-style designer t-shirt and has put them up for sale ... with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the families of fallen firefighters via the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children's Benefit Fund and the FDNY Foundation.

The shirt features the slogan "You Go, We Go" -- a line suggested by Mark's father Nick Sanchez ... a veteran firefighter ... and obvious fan of the Ron Howard movie "Backdraft" ... where the quote originated.

Reese Witherspoon was rushed to a Santa Monica hospital around 11am this morning, after a car struck the actress while she was jogging.

Law enforcement tells TMZ, Reese's injuries were very minor -- nothing life-threatening.

According to law enforcement, the driver was an 84-year-old woman. We're told Reese was crossing the street at the time of the accident ... and the driver failed to stop.

The driver was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian and released.

Taylor Armstrong and the L.A. County Coroner both agree -- Russell Armstrong's death does NOT appear to be the result of a murder.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office released Russell's toxicology results moments ago -- and Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter insists, all evidence surrounding Russell's death points to a tragic suicide.

Winter also tells TMZ, he has just advised Taylor of the results and the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star concurs ... it appears her husband killed himself.

But as we previously reported, Russell's family disagrees, insisting someone else is responsible for his death -- and they're even putting a private investigator on the case.

According to the toxicology results, neither alcohol nor drugs were found in Russell's system at the time of his death.

The L.A. County Coroner released Russell's official cause of death last month -- suicide by hanging.

We've heard it all before -- but this time Evelyn Lozada says NO AMOUNT of money can bring her back for season 4 of VH1's "Basketball Wives."

Sources close to Evelyn tell TMZ -- Lozada made up her mind yesterday, after VH1 posted a blog implying Evelyn may have cheated on Chad Ochocinco with his former teammate Terrell Owens.

We're told Evelyn is furious -- claiming the rumor is simply UNTRUE -- and she feels betrayed by the network. VH1 has since pulled the blog -- but Lozada has already decided enough is enough ... and she's told producers she won't be returning.