'Rust' Shooting Alec Baldwin Sued by Halyna Hutchins' Family for Wrongful Death ... Claim Basic Gun Safety Rules Violated

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UPDATE

4:28 PM PT -- Alec just posted a photo with a message, assumingly about his situation, with a sign that says, "Everything is Going to be Alright."

UPDATE

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Alec Baldwin is now a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Halyna Hutchins.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for the family list what they say are the lapses in safety on the "Rust" set ... lapses they claim led to the cinematographer's death.

Among the alleged lapses ... live ammo on the movie set. The suit also claims other shortcomings ... the crew failed to treat the gun as if it were loaded.

As for Baldwin, the suit claims he was only 4 feet from members of the crew and reached across his body and used his right hand to grab the revolver holstered on his left side, drew the revolver with a cross draw movement and aimed it directly at Hutchins while drawing back the hammer.

The suit claims, "He released the revolver's hammer, and -- BAM -- defendant Baldwin fired the revolver." Baldwin said in an interview he did not pull the trigger, but at a news conference Tuesday the Hutchins' lawyer said "I think it's clear what happened. Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it -- Halyna was killed. The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back."

The suit says Baldwin never checked the gun himself for ammo before using it.

The suit also talks about cost-cutting measures and, a few days before Hutchins' death, a local camera operator made safety complaints to the producers that there had been 3 unsafe weapons discharges and the set was "super unsafe."

The unit production manager responded "with callous sarcasm," according to the lawsuit, saying the accidental discharges were "awesome" and "sound[ed] good."

Among the cost-cutting measures ... the hiring of inexperienced armorers, requiring the armorer to split time as an assistant props master, establishing and aggressively adhering to unreasonably rushed production schedules.

In addition to Baldwin, the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the assistant director, David Halls, are being sued, among many others ... including various production companies. The company that provided the ammunition is also a defendant.

The suit, filed by Hutchins' husband and son, asks for unspecified damages, including punitive damages. They're repped by L.A.-based Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi LLP.

While Baldwin himself has denied culpability -- pointing the finger elsewhere -- Hutchins' family had been slow to indicate who they think is actually responsible, until now.

Others have been much more willing to assign blame early in the process ... including a "Rust" gaffer, Serge Svetnoy, who sued AB, the armorer and others for what he called a reckless and negligent display of movie-making.

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NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY

As you know, there have been different accounts of what exactly went down. Everyone agrees they were in the middle of setting up a shot, with Halyna and director Joel Souza framing up Alec for what was going to be a scene featuring the gun.

Svetnoy claims Alec had no business aiming the gun at Halyna and Joel -- but Alec himself argues differently, saying he was simply following their instructions ... and didn't even pull the trigger. He says when he let go of the cocked hammer ... the pistol fired unexpectedly.

He also says he never knew there was live ammo in the chamber, which has become a huge issue for investigators -- namely, how the hell did real bullets make it onto the film set???

Baldwin's hinted he feels head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls should bear responsibility for the fatal accident. Meanwhile, Hannah's pointed the finger in Alec's direction, claiming he didn't respond to her request for him to take safety lessons ... and she allegedly wasn't informed the star would be handling a gun on that fateful day.

Not to be forgotten ... there's a looming criminal investigation off in the distance that's still underway in New Mexico, where authorities have yet to exclude anyone, including Baldwin, of potential charges as they continue to look into what exactly happened.

As all of that has been playing out ... Halyna's loved ones have been grieving.

She leaves behind a husband, Matt, and a young son. She was just 42.

Originally Published -- 9:45 AM PT

Ja Morant Surprises Sister With New Jeep ... For Valentine's Day!!

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Ja Morant held his sister down on Valentine's Day, hooking up his younger sibling with a brand-spankin' new Jeep Wrangler ... a car she's wanted forever!

The Memphis Grizzlies star -- one of the most electric players in the league -- captured the heartwarming moment on video, posting a clip surprising his younger sister, Teniya, on his Instagram Monday.

Morant and Teniya were hanging out in a parking lot when a brand new white Jeep -- with a red bow -- pulled up, and her reaction was priceless!

Teniya immediately started crying tears of joy ... and she gave her brother a big hug before walking over to the whip in disbelief.

The 22-year-old guard was all smiles ... saying, his sister had "been asking for a Jeep for the longest."

And, with V-Day here, and her birthday just around the corner, Ja thought it was time to give the extravagant gift ... which starts at about $30K!

"Happy Valentine's Day and early birthday lil sis," Morant said.

BTW ... Ja isn't the only hooper in the fam. Teniya plays ball, too. She's a junior at Houston H.S. in Tennessee.

Morant, who was recently named an All-Star starter, now also receives the Brother of the Year Award.

Kanye West & Julia Fox It's Over ... Split After 2 Months

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It’s splitsville for Kanye West and Julia Fox ... thus capping off a whirlwind romance that was pretty short-lived and, evidently, not all that serious to begin with.

A rep for the actress confirms to TMZ that the couple is dunzo -- saying “Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators but they are no longer together.” They'd only been dating for about a month and change ... like we said, nice and quick.

No word on when exactly they may have split, but ya gotta figure it might’ve been anywhere between now and well over a week ago. The last time they were pictured together in public was at the beginning of February for her birthday.

FWIW, Julia doesn’t seem all that torn up about it at all. She took to IG and posted since-deleted messages that essentially say ... no hard feelings, bro! JF acknowledges she was never in love with Ye, and seems to have just been going along for the ride in what was clearly a fling.

She also said she “came up” as a result of getting with Kanye -- and, indeed, she did. Her celebrity status got a major boost, as she’s been getting booked left and right for weeks now. It also sounds like she’s got an actual tell-all in the works, where she teased even more tea than what she’s spoken on so far.

As for Kanye, he appears to have moved on already -- being linked to a woman named Chaney Jones, who’s no doubt a Kim K look-alike ... although the two of them have yet to be seen together in photos.

However, Kanye still hasn't given up on Kim, expressing very publicly on social media his desire to get his family back.

Kris Jenner Files Trademark for Kardashian Jenner Productions ... And I'm the Prez!!!

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Kris Jenner has traversed the worlds of the Jenners and the Kardashians, and now she wants to blend the 2 for business ... LOTS of business.

Kris filed legal docs to trademark "Kardashian Jenner Productions." Yeah, we were surprised too ... we thought she locked down that name a long ago, but not the case.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris Jenner will become the president of the production co. -- no surprise there.

As for what such productions will entail ... all things entertainment and pop culture.

As you know, the Kardashian's are about to launch their new series on Hulu. The first episodes will drop on April 14.

The production company will oversee the KJ empire, including YouTube and social media.

Kris won't be the President forever, but with 6 kids and 11 grandkids -- and counting -- there are lots of Kardashians/Jenners who can carry the torch. And, there are lots of K/J's who can launch media products under Kris's production umbrella.

Ivan Reitman 'Ghostbusters' Director Dead at 75

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Ivan Reitman, the legendary filmmaker behind "Ghostbusters" and "Animal House," has died.

Reitman's family was by his side in Montecito, CA Saturday night, as he passed peacefully in his sleep.

He produced a string of hits, and not just hits but legendary flicks.  Among his other films ... "Meatballs" and "Stripes."

And, in an homage to his dad, Ivan's son, Jason Reitman, directed "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." Ah, but wait, there's more ... "Twins," "Kindergarten Cop," "Dave," "Junior," and "Six Days, Seven Nights."

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THE LAST TIME WE SAW HIM

Oh, did we mention he also produced "Beethoven," "Old School," and "EuroTrip?"

Kumail Nanjiani was to the point, saying, "The number of great movies he made is absurd."

Ivan was born in 1946 in Czechoslovakia. His mom was a survivor of Auschwitz. His family escaped by taking a barge to Vienna. He recounted the experience ... “I remember flashes of scenes. Later they told me about how they gave me a couple of sleeping pills so I wouldn’t make any noise. I was so knocked out that I slept with my eyes open. My parents were afraid I was dead.”

His family said of Ivan's passing ... “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”

Reitman was 75. RIP

DaBaby DaniLeigh Bro. Beatdown It Was Just Self-Defense!!!

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protecting myself ...

DaBaby has an interesting explanation for why he and his friends beat the crap out of his baby mama's brother ... in his mind, he thinks he needed to protect himself.

The rapper was on hand Friday night to attend Kanye's documentary screening in L.A. -- and while showing off his duds and his matching ride to paps ... we obviously had to ask about the bowling alley brawl from earlier in the week.

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BOWLING ALLEY BRAWL

Our camera guy fires away, trying to get DaBaby's side of things ... and wouldn't you know it, he claimed self-defense! There's a bit more to the story, apparently, from DB's POV -- he alleges DaniLeigh's bro, Brandon Bills, was running around "threatening people."

Of course, even if that's true ... it makes one wonder if DaBaby and his crew's response was warranted -- namely, ganging up on the dude and pulverizing him on an open lane.

As we told you, DaBaby and co. are banned from the joint ... but, more importantly, they're also under criminal investigation with L.A. authorities -- something DB doesn't seem to be sweating one bit.

When we asked if DaBaby would consider fighting Brandon one-on-one -- like he'd openly requested a few months ago in the wake of the nasty argument between his sis and her BD -- DaBaby didn't respond ... but he did talk when we asked about his future bowling plans.

Sounds like he's gonna have to take up a new hobby, or at the very least ... look for strikes elsewhere.

To be continued, we're sure ...

Suge Knight Son Glad Snoop Bought Death Row ... My Dad's Not Mad Either

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Suge Knight's son thinks Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records is a victory for West Coast rap ... and says there's no bad blood coming from his old man.

Suge Jacob Knight tells TMZ ... he's happy just like lots of folks in Cali that Snoop is taking over Death Row, because it's time the West Coast starts winning again after losing icons like Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant.

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WEST COAST WINS

As we reported ... Snoop just became the top dog at Death Row Records, the label that launched his career nearly 3 decades ago.

Snoop bought Death Row from Blackstone investment firm and MNRK Music Group ... and Jacob tells us he previously pitched execs there on a rebrand, and he thinks the Doggfather is the right guy to carry the torch.

While some folks reacted to the purchase by theorizing Suge will be enraged, his son says that's simply not the case. He says everything's kosher between Suge and Snoop, despite the widespread belief the two are on the outs.

Jacob says his dad just wants to see Death Row Records endure ... and believes there's lots of undiscovered talent in L.A. that might get a shot at the label under Snoop's guidance.

LisaRaye McCoy No Heads On Up Da Brat's Pregnancy!!! Talks Family Tension on 'It's Tricky with Raquel Harper'

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LisaRaye McCoy is laying down some surprising facts about Da Brat's pregnancy ... saying she didn't even get a call her sister's expecting!

The actress was on the new podcast "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" when she opened up about her rough relationship with her sister. It all spilled out when Raq asked how she felt about Brat having a baby.

You gotta see this ... LR took a moment, and then dropped a one-word response, "Wonderful." The tension was obvious as she explained she found out about the baby news on social media.

LisaRaye was visibly upset, and said the whole ordeal "takes me back" ... a clear reference to the last time the sisters got together publicly -- on LisaRaye's Fox Soul show, "Cocktails with Queens."

McCoy was celebrating her 53rd birthday, and Da Brat made a surprise appearance. What started as a sweet tribute to the Chicago natives' childhood ended with LR getting irate with Brat.

LisaRaye was crying and speaking directly to her sister about not talking for months ... when co-host Vivica A. Fox attempted to get LisaRaye to enjoy her birthday wishes, but she angrily said to her co-hosts, “I don’t give a **** what y’all saying at all.”

It was far from a warm fuzzy ending, and probably explains why she learned about Brat's pregnancy online.

To get LisaRaye's full convo with Raq, make sure you follow "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" on Apple, Spotify or Google podcasts, or wherever you get your pods. There's a new episode every week!

Tom & Gisele Lockin' Hands in the Sand in Costa Rica

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Tom Brady hung up his football cleats and slipped on some sneakers for a romantic walk in the sand with Gisele.

TB12 and Gisele are on their annual beach vacation down in Costa Rica ... and locked hands Friday as they strolled along the sand ... with a cute pup in tow.

Seems retirement is suiting Tom well ... they both look super happy. It's only been a few weeks since he gave up football after 22 years in the NFL, saying he wants to spend more time with the fam.

Tom and Gisele are about to celebrate 13 years of marriage ... when you can smile broadly after that amount of time, something's clearly working!

The Brady bunch is down in Costa Rica a little bit sooner than Tom probably would have wanted ... the family always jets down after football season, but the Super Bowl is just 2 days away.

While Tom's in paradise with Gisele, the team that knocked him out of the NFL playoffs -- the Los Angeles Rams -- are gearing up to play in the big game.

Adele Vegas Show Absolutely Happening This Year ... Then I Want a Baby!!!

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Adele has made a vow to fans hoping to see her in Vegas -- exclaiming the show will go on -- and needs to happen by the end of this year, because she's got a baby on the brain.

Adele sat down with BBC's Graham Norton Friday, saying that while she was gutted she couldn't start the residency ... it absolutely is still happening, and she'll be on stage in 2022.

The pop star was reluctant to announce any exact dates, but says it needs to happen this year because she wants to have a baby in 2023.

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HEAVY-HANDED

Of course, she's been dating sports biz big shot Rich Paul -- so it would appear things are getting very serious between the two.

During the interview, Adele wore a nice rock on her ring finger ... even Graham had to ask the question that we've all been wondering ... is she engaged?

Adele laughed off the question, and would not confirm ... but she also didn't say no. Perhaps both a new baby and last name are in her very near future.

Of course, that would come after the Vegas show becomes water under the bridge 😉

Kylie Jenner Say Hello to Wolf!!! Reveals Name of Son with Travis Scott

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Kylie Jenner just revealed the name of her newborn son with Travis Scott ... Wolf Webster.

Kylie announced the name Friday on social media ... putting an end to constant speculation about the name of her and Travis' second child.

As we reported ... Kylie and the baby are doing great and Stormi is excited to be a big sister.

Kylie first announced she had given birth to a baby boy back on Feb. 2 ... posting a picture Sunday of what appeared to be Stormi's hand reaching out and touching her baby bro.

Remember ... news about Kylie's second pregnancy broke in August, following weeks of speculation and Internet sleuths uncovering near-daily signs that she was expecting.

Kylie officially announced she had a bun in the over not long after the toothpaste was out of the tube ... sharing a super emotional video documenting the early stages of her pregnancy, with lots of footage of Kris Jenner, Travis and Stormi.

Kendall Jenner also revealed her sis broke the news to her the OG way ... phoning her up and showing off the sonogram.

Kylie's second pregnancy was a lot more public than her first ... leaving the house more and not being too shy about showing off her baby bump.

Remember ... Kylie has said she felt pressure to give Stormi a younger sibling, and now the official Kardashian kids crew stands at 11 ... and that means Caitlyn Jenner has 19 grandkids.

Welcome to the fam, Wolf!!!

Jamie Lynn Spears Get Me on a Mic ... for New Podcast!!! Part of Hollywood Return

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Jamie Lynn Spears is getting into phase 3 of her return to the entertainment industry ... making moves to start a new podcast, where no topics will be off-limits.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Jamie Lynn has a grand plan for her entertainment return and her next step is launching a podcast. What's interesting about that -- especially for her sister, Britney Spears -- is that we're told no topics are off the table for JLS, and she could discuss everything from her career to her childhood ... but unclear if she she will choose to discuss Britney.

As we've reported ... the sisters have been feuding, on social media and in person, over recent interviews where Jamie Lynn talked about Britney.

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WE TRIED TO HELP HER

We're told Jamie Lynn's strategy to return to work has been releasing her book, returning to acting and hosting a podcast. She's already done the first 2 ... and our sources say she's wanted to start a podcast for years.

Our sources say, the pod will feature guests and JLS wants it to be an open discussion, where folks feel they have a safe place to talk.

As you know, her controversial memoir, "Things I Should Have Said," made bestseller lists ... and she's also acting on the No. 1 new show on Netflix, "Sweet Magnolias."

Unclear when the podcast will drop, or what the title will be -- we're told it's in the early stages of development, but it's another piece to the puzzle for Jamie Lynn ... at least professionally.

DaBaby No Pins for You!!! Bowling Ban After Brawl

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For DaBaby and his crew it's pretty simple -- gotta get your bowl on, or your brawl on ... and since they opted for a beat down on DaniLeigh's brother, they're now banned from a SoCal bowling alley.

TMZ has learned Corbin Bowl in Topanga, CA is dropping the hammer -- as much as a bowling alley can -- on the rapper and his pals over Wednesday night's vicious attack on Brandon Bills.

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BOWLING ALLEY BRAWL

An employee from the bowling alley tells us ... the staff reviewed security footage from the fight, and turned it over to the police. In their eyes, the videos clearly show DaBaby as the aggressor and Brandon as the victim.

We're told it's still really early in the investigation, so it's unclear to the bowling alley if Brandon said anything, prior to DaBaby's attack. However, a witness in the party tells us Brandon first approached DaBaby and told him he didn't appreciate how Baby had treated DaniLeigh in the past.

For now, Brandon's free to return to Corbin and bowl 10 frames.

As for the brawl itself ... not only was it fierce to observe, it was an absolute disaster for the bowling alley to clean up.

We're told one of their mechanics was on his hands and knees for hours scrubbing at the dried-up sugary drink DaBaby apparently threw at Brandon. It actually cost 'em $250 in cleaning chemicals ... plus they had to re-oil the lanes where the fight went down.

As you may know, things have been rocky between Dani and DaBaby. Back in November, they got in a huge blowout fight ... she ended up getting arrested on 2 counts of assault.

While they've been trying to co-parent since then, it looks like this might be an ongoing family feud.

DaBaby Bowling Alley Brawl ... Rapper & Crew Attacks DaniLeigh's Brother

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BOWLING ALLEY BRAWL

There's clearly residual underlying beef between DaBaby and DaniLeigh's brother ... evidenced in an all-out brawl between the two at a CA bowling alley -- and now cops are on the case.

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ ... you see DaBaby and Brandon Bills exchange words. Then, DaBaby seems to throw the first punch. The 2 men go at it, and things spill into the bowling lanes as DaBaby's crew gets involved.

It's hard for anyone to stay on their feet during the fight because of the slippery surface, but Brandon Bills is clearly outnumbered and takes an L.

Law enforcement sources say they're now investigating DaBaby for assault with a deadly weapon. We're told it's an ADW case because Bills was kicked in the head while he was already on the ground.

DaBaby and DaniLeigh have a daughter together -- born in July -- and while things haven't been rosy between them ... recently they seemed to lower the temp so they could co-parent.

However, things clearly aren't OK between DaBaby and Brandon, and after the fight, we're told BB stuck around -- shirtless with blood on his face. We're told he refused medical treatment, and DaBaby left before cops arrived.

It was back in November when DaBaby and Dani got in a blowout fight in North Carolina -- she was arrested on 2 counts of assault.

We got Brandon Bills out in L.A. shortly after that incident and he told us if he and DaBaby got in the ring, it'd be a guaranteed first-round knockout.

The round at the bowling alley clearly goes to DaBaby ... though he had help.

Rihanna flaunt that baby bump!!!

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Rihanna wanted to make sure everyone was up to speed on her pregnancy, so she flaunted her baby bump during a night out in Santa Monica.

Rihanna likes what she likes, which is why she hit up her favorite restaurant, Giorgio Baldi, and wow ... check out the outfit. This was clearly intentional ... as she opens her leopard-spotted jacket for all to see!

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BAD GAL BABY BUMP

As you know... Rihanna's pregnant with her first child, with BF A$AP Rocky.

They have been out a lot recently, notably in NYC the day they revealed she's pregnant ... and the pose -- again -- is awesome.

The baby's sex is still a mystery ... well, maybe not to them. Rihanna's dad, Ronald Fenty, says he'd like a baby girl -- mostly because he's already got a couple grandsons.

No word on a due date yet ... stay tuned!!!

Kanye West Begs for Reunion w/ Kim & Fam ... Leaves L.A. on Commercial Jet

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Kanye West is still openly pining for Kim Kardashian -- and had plenty of time to think about her at the airport ... 'cause it looks like he flew commercial.

The rapper-producer just made his true feelings known once again on Instagram -- screen-grabbing photos of her and their kids featured in a new issue of Vogue she's covering ... while begging higher powers to reunite them all.

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Underneath the pics, his caption reads ... "GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY BACK TOGETHER."

Yeah, no doubt about it -- the dude is still very much in love with Kim ... and wants to patch things up, despite all the evidence that that isn't going to happen -- and despite repeated attacks directed at Kim.

Interestingly enough, Kim talks about her divorce in the new issue of US Vogue, released Wednesday, where she graces the cover. Kim says, "For so long, I did what made other people happy, and I think in the last two years I decided, I'm going to make myself happy."

She continues, "And that feels really good. And even if that created changes and caused my divorce, I think it's important to be honest with yourself about what really makes you happy. I've chosen myself. I think it's okay to choose you."

Like we said, Ye had a lot of time on his hands last night to mull those feelings over, even prior to boarding his latest flight. The reason ... he was acting like a normie at LAX Tuesday evening, and went through TSA before boarding a commercial jet.

It's a surreal sight, especially since KW rolled up in a full-head face-covering ... one which he actually had to remove once it was his turn to step on through. Usually, celebs of his status fly private and/or deal with security checkpoints away from all the crowds ... but not this time.

Seems Ye wanted to be a man of the people on Tuesday -- and now, he clearly wants to be a family man again too.

Ironically, the Vogue issue leads with a telling quote right from the jump -- with Kim saying, "I've chosen myself." Not a great sign for what her estranged hubby wants ... think it's safe to say she's fully moved on.