Fairly Legal

Xzibit's wife is apparently ready to get her walk on ... as in walking away from their marriage.

The "Pimp My Ride" star's wife, Krista Joiner, might've yelled "D to the P" Monday morning, before filing her divorce petition in Los Angeles Superior Court. They've been married for about 6 and a half years.

Xzibit and Krista wed in November 2014, but the marriage made headlines for another reason -- X got busted for DUI in the early morning hours the day after the ceremony.

The couple reportedly began dating in 2001 and had 2 children together. Tragically, their son Xavier was born prematurely in May 2008 and died 11 days later.

Mariners president Kevin Mather is OUT in Seattle ... the org.'s honcho has just resigned after MLB and MLBPA officials say he made "inappropriate" and "disturbing" comments about his team.

Mather joined a call with a Rotary Club earlier this month and spoke at length about his team ... and in parts of the conversation -- which surfaced on video over the weekend -- he made cracks about some of his players' and staffers' abilities to speak English.

When talking about Hisashi Iwakuma -- a former M's pitcher who just signed on to be a part of the Mariners' coaching staff -- Mather said, "Wonderful human being; his English was terrible."

Mather then brought up English-speaking abilities again later when discussing top minor league prospect Julio Rodriguez.

"Julio Rodriguez has got a personality bigger than all of you combined," Mather said. "He is loud. His English is not tremendous."

The MLBPA ripped Mather for the remarks ... saying in a scathing statement Monday the words were "highly disturbing" and "offensive."

For his part, Mather apologized vehemently in a statement of his own, saying, "There is no excuse for my behavior, and I take full responsibility for my terrible lapse in judgment."

Clearly, though, the mea culpa wasn't enough to save his job ... Mather resigned shortly after saying sorry -- with Mariners chairman John Stanton calling Mather's words inexcusable.

"There is no excuse for what was said," Stanton said, "and I won't try to make one. I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better."

The NY Rangers say allegations star player Artemi Panarin assaulted a woman in 2011 are "unfounded" -- suggesting the claims are all part of a Russian smear campaign to punish the NHL star for publicly criticizing Vladimir Putin.

Here's the deal ... on Monday, Panarin -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $81 million contract -- announced he's taking a leave of absence from the Rangers for personal reasons.

The announcement comes in the wake of a report out of Russia that Panarin beat the hell out of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel bar in Latvia in 2011.

In an on-camera interview with a Russian news outlet, Nazarov says Panarin was detained by police during the alleged 2011 incident -- and references a rumor that the NHL star paid 40,000 euros to bribe his way out of trouble.

The man behind the allegations is Andrei Nazarov -- who coached Panarin during his time in the KHL (formerly known as the Russian Superleague).

Nazarov and Panarin reportedly clashed over politics -- since Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Enter the NY Rangers ... the club says it has looked into the allegations and also spoke with Panarin and believes the whole thing is pure B.S. conjured up to ruin Panarin's career as punishment for criticizing Putin.

"Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story," the Rangers said Monday.

"This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team."

"The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations."

USA Today's NY Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano says Panarin is concerned about the safety and well-being of his family.

It’s rare for a Russian star athlete to speak out against the Russian government, but Panarin hasn’t been shy -- In a 2019 interview with a foreign publication, he sounded off on his frustration with economic structure.

"I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them," Panarin said at the time. "If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don't want to see retirees begging.”

FYI, Panarin voiced his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an IG post from January 21 ... with the caption, "Freedom for Navalny."

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

The lawyer who killed the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas had his sights set on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor next ... according to Judge Salas.

Roy Den Hollander is believed to have posed as a FedEx delivery worker in July when he ambushed the home of Salas' family, fatally shooting her 20-year-old son and injuring her husband. At the time, Judge Salas was overseeing a case Hollander was arguing.

But Salas just revealed, on "60 Minutes" ... Hollander had more disturbing intentions.

After Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Salas says FBI agents found a locker belonging to him in which he had another gun, more ammo, and a manila folder with a "workup" of Justice Sotomayor ... including "her favorite restaurants, where she worked out, her friends."

"Animal House" star Tim Matheson says he's getting threatened with way more than a food fight after tweeting something "ignorant" about the former First Lady.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Matheson told cops someone’s been harassing him online since he took a jab at Melania Trump last month, by saying it was wonderful to have a First Lady who can speak English.

Ironically, it's the kinda thing you'd expect to hear from Melania's husband.

Tim later apologized, but we're told the threats keep escalating -- from the person saying they're going to kick Tim's ass to ... "pay me big bucks or I will kill you."

Our sources say the actor contacted the LAPD after the death threat, filed an extortion report because of the money demands ... and now cops are investigating.

As for Tim's Twitter snafu -- he replied to Melania's farewell message on Twitter to say sorry. He wrote, "Thank you for your work as the First Lady.I apologize to you for a stupid, ignorant,& foul remark that I made."

Trick Daddy's taking a plea deal in his Miami bust for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, and now he's finally able to put the case behind him.

The District Attorney's Office tells us Trick cut a deal ... pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and getting credit for time served. In exchange, we're told the DUI charge was dropped.

We broke the story ... police bodycam footage from the rapper's January 2020 arrest showed a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill. Cops also said he also bombed a field sobriety test, and the video shows him slurring his speech while playing the celeb card.

That didn't really help him, however there was only a trace amount of cocaine -- so he got a very low level, third-degree felony. The D.A. tells us he's not on probation, either ... the plea deal closes case.

James Franco's sexual misconduct lawsuit has been settled.

Franco, who taught an acting class at Studio 4 -- the film school he founded -- was accused by students of putting them in gratuitous and exploitive sexual situations.

Students filed a class-action lawsuit, saying Franco pushed the class into performing intimate and explicit sex scenes in an "orgy type setting" ... something that went way beyond the pale of shooting such scenes.

The class in question was called a master class on sex scenes.

Both sides announced the settlement to the trial judge, although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Specifically, there's no mention of money.

Octavius Johnson, famous for his work in "Ray Donovan," got busted for assault with a deadly weapon ... after cops say he threw a fire extinguisher at a female jogger.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers in Burbank responded to a call that a man had allegedly thrown a fire extinguisher at a jogger when they encountered Octavius, whom cops say fit the description of the suspect. We're told cops tried to detain him, but he refused to comply and led police on a brief foot chase.

Cops caught Octavius and arrested him after the alleged victim ID'd him as the culprit. We're told officers recovered a fire extinguisher, and Octavius was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

Octavius allegedly continued his rampage inside a Burbank Police Department holding cell ... we're told he vandalized the phone inside the cell, violently striking the phone box with the handheld receiver.

Our sources say the assault case was presented to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office but the DA referred the case to the Burbank City Attorney's Office, which rejected the case due to insufficient evidence and a witness who would not cooperate.

We're told the Burbank City Attorney will now review the vandalism allegation for possible misdemeanor prosecution.

Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly revealed the late Jeffrey Epstein had secret videotapes of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton ... now detailed in a new book, claiming to have heard it straight from her mouth.

Former CBS producer Ira Rosen gave the alleged first-hand anecdote in his book, 'Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes,' which just hit the market this past week. According to folks who have reviewed it, Rosen claims he duped Maxwell into spilling the beans.

At some point before the 2016 election, Rosen asserts he arranged a meeting with Maxwell and put on his best poker face to get her to admit there were secret tapes of Trump -- but apparently coming to find out Epstein was in possession of alleged tapes of Clinton too.

He says he told her, "I want the tapes. I know he (Epstein) was videotaping everyone and I want the tapes of Trump with the girls." To that, Rosen claims Maxwell responded she didn't know where they were, to which Rosen emphasized the prospect of Trump possibly winning the presidency if the alleged tapes didn't come to light.

He claims Maxwell then looked him dead in the eyes and said the following -- "I am the daughter of a press baron. I know the way you people think. If you do one side, you must do the other. If you get the tapes on Trump you have to do Clinton."

Rosen claims Maxwell then said it was all pointless, because Hillary was way ahead in the polls at the time, so there was no need for the story to come out. Beyond that, he claims she told him Epstein never disclosed to her where those alleged tapes were, so she couldn't even get to them if she wanted.

Of course, both men have ties to Epstein, and have been pictured with him many times over the years. Clinton has downplayed their friendship, and denied ever flying on Epstein's private jets ... while Trump has also distanced himself from Epstein, and denied any impropriety.

Metallica tried rocking out in front of millions of viewers watching their virtual concert -- but the platform hosting their set got cold feet ... and muzzled them to cover their own ass.

This is pretty hilarious (and educational) ... James Hetfield and co. were performing earlier Friday for BlizzCon -- a gaming convention put on by Blizzard Entertainment ... which often uses Twitch to host its festivities. Metallica was booked for a pandemic-friendly gig.

When it was their time to shred ... it appears the admin team at Twitch played it safe, and muted their set for a bunch of people who were streaming it from their website. Instead of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' ... a lot of people heard some cheesy, generic 8-bit folk music ... which had the exact opposite vibe Metallica was trying to communicate -- low key and chill.

Based on different users who were monitoring the set live, it appears the concert was heard just fine as is through Blizzard's official YouTube and Twitch page, but on Twitch's homepage ... you only heard Zelda-esque tunes. Twitch reportedly dubbed over Metallica's entire performance ... and what's being speculated is they did it over copyright concerns.

In case you hadn't heard, A LOT of Twitch gamers and streamers have been getting hit with DMCA takedown requests ... because they were playing parts of songs they didn't own the rights to, or the whole thing. It's been a big Twitch issue throughout 2020.

The irony is ... Metallica was instrumental in forming the current DMCA laws in this country ... due to lawsuits they spearheaded against Napster and other file-sharing services from the early 2000s. It was a big thing back then.

Lisa Vanderpump's struggled, like all restaurant owners, due to the pandemic, and now she has another headache ... a lawsuit for unpaid produce.

As you know, Lisa and Ken Todd own and operate PUMP and Villa Blanca -- 2 L.A. hotspots ... pre-COVID, of course. Both joints shut down last year during quarantine, but used to get fruit and veggie shipments from a company called West Central Produce.

Now, West Central Produce is suing the restaurants, not Lisa, for past deliveries. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, WCP says it got its last payment from Villa Blanca in March 2020 for $8,890.10 ... while PUMP forked over $9,144.70. That's a ton o' veggies!

But, that's right around the time quarantine started, forcing restaurants to close for several months -- and WCP claims the money also stopped coming in from Vanderpump's restaurants.

All told, the company claims it's owed just under $100k from both eateries. It's suing for that amount, plus some interest.

What's interesting is Lisa and Ken announced last summer that Villa Blanca was shutting down for good. Like so many restaurants, the pandemic closures were just too much to overcome -- but the good news is Lisa says PUMP will eventually reopen.

Ken tells us, while he wasn't aware of the lawsuit, if he owes money to anyone, he'll make sure his accountants get WCP paid. He says COVID has been a tough time for everyone in the restaurant biz. PUMP has been closed since the pandemic started.

Kellen Winslow Jr. agreed to be sentenced to 14 years in prison next month ... he modified a deal with prosecutors Friday to avoid an even lengthier sentence behind bars.

The former NFL star was facing up to 18 years in prison -- a result of being convicted in a 2019 rape trial ... and also because months later, he pled guilty to raping another woman.

But, a spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that Winslow reworked a part of his Nov. 2019 pleas to avoid the maximum penalty.

The spokesperson tells us Winslow modified one of his guilty pleas from sexual battery to assault with intent to commit rape.

Now, Winslow is due in court on March 3 to receive his official sentencing.

As we previously reported, Winslow had been accused of sexual misconduct -- including multiple allegations of rape -- by five different women.

Winslow was initially hit with 12 charges over the allegations ... and he had faced up to LIFE behind bars if convicted on all counts.

Talib Kweli and his wife, DJ Eque, are calling it quits -- or at least she is, because she's filed for divorce.

According to court records ... Eque filed docs Friday in L.A. She and the rapper/activist got married back in May 2009 at a private mansion in Bel-Air. Queen Latifah and Questlove were some of the guests.

Things didn't always go swimmingly for the couple. Back in December 2010 ... Talib and Eque were reportedly kicked out of an NYC club after they got into an ugly fight. At the time, Eque sources said she'd lost her cool after she saw him in a friendly convo with another female inside the club -- and it turned into an all-out brawl, complete with table and glass smashing.

Boxing superstar Gervonta Davis WAS the driver who fled the scene of a Lamborghini hit-and-run crash in November that caused injuries ... at least, that's what cops are saying in a new crash report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The crash report lists Davis as the driver of the 2020 Lamborghini Urus -- which allegedly blew through a red light and slammed into a Toyota on Nov. 5th ... just days after Gervonta's huge knockout win over Leo Santa Cruz.

Davis -- who turned 26 on Nov. 7th -- was reportedly celebrating his birthday at a nearby nightclub in South Baltimore before the incident.

In the report, which was first obtained by The Baltimore Sun, law enforcement says Davis and another person in the Lambo jumped out of the car immediately after the crash and fled the scene on foot.

Passengers in the other car, meanwhile, were hurt and needed to be taken to the hospital. In the crash report, cops say the driver of the Toyota had a "suspected serious injury."

Davis was NOT named publicly when cops began investigating the accident ... but in the report, officials say they were able to eventually identify Davis as the driver through witness statements and surveillance video from the area.

Plus, there is video of Davis driving in a rare Lamborghini that matches the description of the vehicle in the wreck. The footage was shot after the Santa Cruz fight.

Davis -- who was listed in the report as having suffered a "possible injury" in the crash -- has NOT been charged with a crime.

According to a police spokesperson, "The investigation is still open and ongoing."

Big news for Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis ... prosecutors have dropped the domestic violence charges against him stemming from an Oct. 2020 incident.

As we previously reported ... 23-year-old Davis was arrested after officials say he repeatedly punched his ex-GF in the face during an argument at the Beekman Tower hotel in NY.

Davis' ex-GF also told police he smashed her phone when she refused to stop recording him during the alleged incident.

Cops were called to the scene and he was ultimately booked for misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges.

But now, prosecutors have dropped the case against Davis, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Davis is a pretty good player -- he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020 which is impressive considering he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019.