La-Z-Boy Driver: I Was Trying to Pop a Wheelie
The dude who was arrested for drunk driving a motorized recliner says he wrecked his kick-ass ride because he was trying to pop a wheelie ... and the CHICK RIDING ON THE BACK OF THE La-Z-Boy threw off his balance!
We just got off the phone with 61-year-old Dennis LeRoy, who told us the only thing harder to do than pop a wheelie on a racing chair after slamming 8 beers is popping a wheelie on a racing chair with a chick on the back after slamming 8 beers.
The added weight must have thrown off LeRoy's already dicey equilibrium -- because the unfortunate passenger ended up getting tossed from the ride and LeRoy ended up slamming into a parked car ... which landed him in the slammer.
Don't forget, people ... tricks are for kids!
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Alleged Lohan/Patridge Burglars Identified
We've learned the identities of two people who were arrested today in connection with the burglaries of Lindsay Lohan and Audrina Patridge's homes -- and they may also be responsible for hitting the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom ... and now Rachel Bilson.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ 18-year-old Courtney Ames and 19-year-old Diana Tamayo were both arrested today for felony burglary. They are believed to be connected to 18-year-old Nick Prugo -- who has already been charged with two counts of felony residential burglary.
Bail for both Ames and Tamayo has been set at $50,000.
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Prugo Gang May Have Hit Bloom, Hilton
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the homes of Orlando Bloom and Paris Hilton may have also been hit by Nick Prugo and his band of alleged burglars.
Bloom's Hollywood home was hit back in July -- cops say $500,000 in jewelry was taken.
Hilton's Hollywood Hills home was burglarized in December 2008 -- she reported roughly $2 million worth of missing stuff.
We're also told there may be more celeb victims involved.
Sources also tell TMZ three people have been detained and are being questioned by LAPD detectives right now -- the group does not include Prugo.
Story developing ...
Erin Andrews' Alleged Stalker Has a Date
Erin Andrews' alleged stalker will appear in court in Los Angeles next week for a bail hearing, sources tell TMZ ... and we've learned why L.A. is so critical to the case.
The emotional impact of stalking and illegally videotaping someone is an important part of these cases. The ESPN reporter's lawyer, Marshall Grossman, tells TMZ Erin was in L.A. when she first learned someone had videotaped her while she was naked in several hotel rooms.
Grossman says she had "an emotional meltdown" in L.A. and that is the basis for making L.A. the place where Michael Barrett will appear.
The hearing is set for October 30. Of course, we'll be there.
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Travolta Mistrial - The Guy Who Screwed the Case
TMZ has obtained audio of the moment when Bahamian lawmaker Picewell Forbes blew the entire John Travolta extortion case -- screaming out at a political convention last night that "Pleasant Bridgewater is a free woman!!!"
Big mistake: Because when the judge found out the announcement had been made before the jury had come to a decision in the Travolta case -- the judge declared it a mistrial, believing someone in the jury could have been "communicating" with the lawmaker.
FYI -- Pleasant Bridgewater is a former Senator from the Progressive Liberal Party -- and the announcement was made at a PLP convention.
The PLP released the following apology for their monumental blunder:
"Last evening in the course of an address at our National General Convention, it was announced that former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater had been acquitted. The announcement was incorrect. We give an unqualified apology. This was not intended to interfere with the administration of justice."
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Quaid & Co. -- Coyote Ugly Before Near DUI
Before cops cut Dennis Quaid a break by strongly urging him to get a cab -- instead of a DUI -- his crew was living it up inside Philippe ... on top of the restaurant's bar!
Check out Quaid's friend working her moves on the bar to Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." It looks like Dennis' wife Kimberly was about to join in too.
Anyone got some singles?
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Katherine Jackson 86's Probate Lawyers
Katherine Jackson has gotten rid of her probate legal team, TMZ has learned.
Multiple sources tell us Katherine Jackson will be substituting new lawyers in her probate case. She has fired Burt Levitch. Family members also told us Londell McMillan will no longer be involved in the probate case.
Katherine will be hiring new lawyers and we're told she'll ask for a continuance today when the court hearing convenes so she can seal the deal with new lawyers.
We spoke with Londell McMillan, who acknowledges Katherine is moving on and hiring new probate lawyers. McMillan says he was never Katherine's probate lawyer, even though we know he was actively negotiating with lawyers for the estate.
McMillan tells TMZ, "I am not completely out." He says he does not know if he is still Katherine's general counsel and continues to represent her.
The Mistake in Michael Jackson's Will
Michael Jackson's 2002 will has a mistake in it, TMZ has learned -- but it looks like a case of no harm, no foul.
As we first reported, according to the will -- dated July 7, 2002 -- it was signed in Los Angeles. But Randy Jackson told TMZ Michael was in New York City on that date.
Randy thinks the signature on Michael's will is a forgery. But Howard Weitzman, the lawyer for the estate, tells TMZ the signature is valid and the witnesses saw Jackson put pen to paper.
We've now confirmed Jackson definitely signed the will in New York City on 7-7-02. So the reference to Los Angeles is clearly a mistake.
Our sources say the person who wrote "Los Angeles" is one of the witnesses to the will and simply forgot where he was.
This mistake will not invalidate the will. Ironically, if the will were declared invalid, the prior 1997 will would be probated. Just like the 2002 will, the 1997 will creates a trust. We've learned the '97 trust -- just like the 2002 trust -- leaves the same percentage to the same people: Katherine Jackson gets 40% for her lifetime, MJ's kids get 40% and the remaining 20% goes to charity.
By the way ... guess who one of the executors is in the '97 will? John Branca.
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Kardashian Burglary -- Inside Job?
Whoever jacked a bunch of jewelry from Kourtney Kardashian's Calabasas home last weekend knew when, where and what to steal -- and all evidence points to it being an inside job.
Sources close to the Kardashians tell us the grandmother of Kourtney's boyfriend -- Scott Disick -- died recently and left him a bunch of expensive jewelry. Scott gave the jewels to Kourtney -- who already had a bunch of bling lying around, including a $30,000 Cartier watch and vintage jewely left to her by her father, Robert Kardashian.
Kourtney and Scott were only away from the house -- which is in a gated community -- between 7 PM and 8:30 PM on the night of the buglary. So whoever ransacked their place had to know where all the jewels were stashed in order to pilfer so much stuff from the place in such a small amount of time.
The burglary is currently under investigation.
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Katherine Jackson -- Total Sucker for 'DWTS'
Katherine Jackson made a front row appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" on Tuesday night -- and we're told she had such a great time ... that she's going back for more.
Katherine, Jermaine, and La Toya were invited to attend Tuesday's show for a special tribute to Michael Jackson -- and even though we're told Katherine didn't want to go at first, she loved it so much she requested tickets for Monday.
As for the Jackson family favorites ... it's a three-way tie between Kelly Osbourne, Maya, and Donny Osmond.
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David Beckham -- Get Bucked Up!
David Beckham didn't grab the mechanical bull by the horns -- but dude definitely appreciated the busty, jiggling ladies who did last night at the Saddle Ranch.
Some guys just like to watch.
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Heene Kids Hid in Boxes Before
Falcon Heene wasn't the first Heene boy to hide in a box -- one of the other boys sought refuge in a box house during a kids show Richard produced called "Box Time."
The show was made by Richard in 2003 and was billed as a "family video encompassing values, entertainment, education, and fun!" -- but nowhere in the program was there a lesson on the negative effects of bamboozling an entire nation.
Surprisingly, the show -- which featured cameos by little Bradford and Ryo Heene -- was never picked up. Just watch the clip and you'll see why.
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ShamWow Guy -- Sir Remix-a-Lot
Just when you thought you got that Slap Chop rap remix out of your head -- Vince Schlomi is getting remixed again for that ShamWow thing.
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Jackson Kids Involved in Car Accident
UPDATE 6:00 PM PT: Sources close to the Jackson family tell us Grace Rwaramba -- the kids' nanny -- was driving the car with the kids inside. We're told the Jackson caravan was on the way to karate class, but the paparazzi gave chase ... and that's when one papper allegedly smashed into the back of the Jackson Escalade that wasn't carrying the kids.
UPDATE 5:45 PM PT: Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the car that was hit was a Jackson security car, which was following the car carrying the Jackson kids. The kids were NOT in the car that was struck by the paparazzo.
Cops also tell us a hit-and-run report was taken on the scene around 2:20 PM near the crash site in Sherman Oaks -- just a few miles from the Jackson home in Encino. It is currently under investigation.
UPDATE 5:30 PM PT: Witnesses tell TMZ the driver who struck the Jackson car fled the scene after impact. In California, leaving the scene of an accident without exchanging information is a crime. The D.A. could file a felony hit-and-run charge if the evidence is there.
UPDATE 5:15 PM PT: Joe Jackson tells us he spoke with Katherine and the kids are fine.
TMZ has learned Michael Jackson's kids were involved in a car accident moments ago in Sherman Oaks.
We're told a paparazzo -- not ours -- was following the Jackson car when the pap's gold Yukon rear-ended the Jackson car near the off-ramp of the 101 Freeway near Katherine Jackson's Encino home. Our sources say the accident wasn't severe and the kids are okay.
Story developing ...
911 Call in ESPN Analyst Case
TMZ has obtained the frantic 911 call made by the wife of ESPN analyst/former Mets general manager Steve Phillips, when she discovered her husband's 22-year-old ex-mistress in the family's driveway.
According to police, Marni Phillips returned to her Connecticut home on August 19 and discovered Brooke Hundley -- an ESPN production assistant who worked with her husband -- dropping off a letter in which she confessed to having an affair with Steve.
In the call, Marni tells the dispatcher "I have a crazy woman who is involved with my husband and she's come to my house to harm me and my children."
Marni later told police that Brooke freaked out when she saw Marni, and "got in her car, put it in reverse and smashed the rear end of her vehicle into the stone column ... cut across our grass, avoiding the driveway completely, driving erratically over rocks and mulch beds to maneuver her vehicle down our hill."
Phillips declined to press charges against Hundley -- but released a statement saying he was taking an "extended leave of absence."
Lamar's In-Laws to Hold Court at Lakers Game
The Los Angeles Lakers are about to face another major team distraction: TMZ has learned the entire Kardashian family -- Kris, Bruce, Kim, everyone -- will be sitting courtside at the Lakers home opener Tuesday night.
Obviously, Khloe has a pretty good reason to ride the purple and gold bandwagon -- but does the rest of the fam really care about the team ... or just getting their faces on TV??
Sure there are tons of celebs at every Lakers game -- including Staples staple Jack Nicholson -- but is it a travesty for the ever kamera-lovin' Kardashians to try and steal the spotlight on the very night the Lakers get their championship rings?