Fashion

The Kardashian sisters aren't backing down in their war with a high-end makeup company -- sources close to the K-Krew tell TMZ, they've got a secret weapon to guarantee they'll prevail in court ... trademarks up the wazoo.

The Kardashian girls filed requests to trademark the phrases "Kardashian Khroma" and "Khroma Beauty by Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe" earlier this summer.

The requests are still pending -- but sources connected with the family tell us, they're confident they'll be approved ... because the man behind the competing makeup line (named Chroma) hasn't filed for ANY trademarks.

As we reported, the co-owner of Chroma Makeup in Beverly Hills -- a guy named Michael Rey -- is threatening to sue the Kardashians over the Khroma makeup line, claiming the Kardashian line will cheapen the high-end company he's built over the last 12 years.

It's worth noting ... you don't NEED to register a trademark to pursue trademark litigation -- so Rey may NOT be up the creek without a paddle.

And there's this -- while we were looking up the Kardashian trademarks, we came across another makeup company named "Kroma."

"Kroma" filed for its trademark in 2010 ... so that could be another obstacle for the Kardashians.

12:30 PM PT, 10/30/12 -- A rep for Kim tells TMZ, "Boldface licensing + branding has gone through the appropriate legal channels in obtaining the rights to use the name Khroma Beauty by Kourtney, Kim and Khloé in the Color Category with the United States Patent and Trademark Office."

If you like it, then you shoulda put earrings on it -- at least that's what Beyonce did with a brand new pair of Barack Obama hoops last weekend ... and now, TMZ has learned, sales for the pro-bama jewelry have EXPLODED.

The earrings were designed by a Puerto Rican jewelry designer named Erika Peña -- and up until last week, she had only sold 5 sets of the handmade earrings.

But her fortune changed overnight when Beyonce wore them last Saturday in NYC. Since then, Erika tells TMZ, she's sold over 1,300 PAIRS!

Erika tells us she received orders almost immediately from all over the world -- England, Switzerland, Chile, and Argentina ... with her biggest order coming from London.

The Britney Spears cover photo for the recent issue of Lucky magazine was TRASHED so fiercely ... the mag took the unprecedented step of apologizing on Twitter.

The photo, which shows Brit Brit in what can only be described as a really bad wig, triggered a firestorm on the Internet, and especially Twitter.

The mag couldn't ignore the backlash, so it tweeted an apology, saying, "Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on our cover! As always, we will share with our team and we're sorry to have let some of you down."

Still, considering the various incarnations of Britney's "hair," we gotta ask ...

Emma Roberts donned her aunt Julia's iconic "Pretty Woman" hooker outfit and hit up a Halloween party in Beverly Hills last night.

Just days after news broke of the demise of his marriage, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson's newly single father Joe Simpson was spotted out in L.A. on Thursday sporting a much more, er, youthful look.

Doing his best Ellen DeGeneres impersonation, the 54-year-old rocked blonder highlighted locks, a fitted yellow sweater, black skinny jeans and matchy matchy spiffy kicks.

As TMZ reported, Joe's wife Tina Simpson filed for divorce last month -- after being legally hitched for 34 years -- claiming their marriage has become "insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities."

Dolly Parton is gonna be a NAUGHTY girl this Halloween ... and she's not afraid to admit it.

Parton was having dinner at Matteo's in L.A. last night ... when she told us she had picked up a sexy costume at the famous Trashy Lingerie shop earlier this week ... and it sounds like it's gonna be AWESOME.

"We have fun at Halloween," Parton told us ... and as she grabbed her legendary boobs, she added, "I have two pumpkins ... that's all I care about."

God we love you.

If you are voting for Barack Obama then Katy Perry makes perfect fashion sense.

Wearing a white latex frock made to look like a ballot with Obama/Biden marked off, Katy performed at a rally for the President in Nevada on Wednesday night.

Katy -- who turns 28 today -- has voiced her support for Obama in the past.

A week after free falling from 24 miles up in the air and breaking the speed of sound, hunky daredevil Felix Baumgartner traded his space suit for hip downtown gear and hit up trendy NYC hotspot Sons of Essex on Monday.

Just like everyone else and their mother this Halloween, "Big Rich Texas" blondes Bonnie Blossman and her daughter Whitney are trading their fancy clothes and beauty products for toilet paper and go go juice and dressing up like America's favorite crazy down-home family ... Dina and Lindsay Lohan Mama June and Honey Boo Boo!

In fact, Bonnie and Whitney are dressing up as the sketti lovin' duo to judge a local costume contest this weekend ... for a pre-Hallows Eve test run.

Lance Armstrong has GIVEN UP on Nike ... after Nike gave up on him ... 'cause the disgraced athlete was sportin' a pair of ASICS while jogging in Texas this weekend.

As we previously reported, Armstrong was dropped by nearly all of his sponsors last week ... in the wake of a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in which Armstrong is accused of being one of the worst cheaters in the history of sport.

In addition to being banned from cycling for life, Armstrong was also stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles early Monday morning.

Plus, several major Livestrong donors are calling for their money back ... claiming they were duped into donating to the charity "based on a fraud."

Despite the criticism, Armstrong -- who stepped down from his role as president of Livestrong because of the scandal -- wore his yellow bracelet on his wrist this weekend.

While lawyers, jurors and reporters hear all about the meltdown of Britney Spears and who's responsible for her drug-fueled downward spiral, Britney was enjoying a frothy drink at Starbucks in Encino.

Check out her boots ... and her bangs.

Britney will not have to take the oath, because the judge in the defamation case has ruled she does not have to testify since she's currently under a conservatorship.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney were both tickled hot pink at last night's presidential debate at Hofstra University.

Question is...

Honey Boo Boo = GOLD MINE ... at least according to one Georgia store that's had a record-setting SALES BOOM after it was featured on the show.

TMZ spoke with the owner of Lucy Lu's Boutique -- who began selling HBB-themed shirts after the Boo Boo clan stopped by to purchase a dress on the 4th episode of the show.

If you recall, Honey Boo Boo brought Glitzy the pig to get fitted for an adorable little piggy dress, but Glitzy went crazy ... and the store decided to implement a no-pig policy.

But right after the show aired, Lucy Lu says the store started selling bright-pink HBB t-shirts (below) at $15 a pop ... and in less than a week, they SOLD OUT of all 350 shirts.

Lucy says it's BY FAR the store's fastest selling shirt of all time.

And get this -- Lucy tells us a percentage of the proceeds will benefit two charities: an anti-bullying group AND the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Hold on to your Manolos, because Carrie Bradshaw and Charlotte York Goldenblatt reunited last night at a gay bar in New York City West Hollywood.

After attending an amfAR benefit earlier in the evening, "Sex and the City" fashionistas Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis hit up the ever popular Abbey for some late night cosmos and girl talk surrounded by some of their biggest fans.

Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie has passion in his pants and he ain't afraid to show it ... dressing up as Redfoo from LMFAO for Halloween this year -- and his costume's incredible.

Thomas tells TMZ, "I've pretty much been obsessed over the last month trying to get my Redfoo costume together" -- a massive waste of time because the costume's literally just a t-shirt, animal print stretch pants, and his GF's old Richard Simmons wig.

Thomas adds, "I've been Googling the moves, so I plan on being in true character come Halloween."

FYI -- if you're wondering what the black bars are covering ... let's just say Bush wasn't just the 41st President of the United States.

Thomas says he tried reaching out to Redfoo on Twitter to see if the LMFAO rapper would want to do a costume trade -- suggesting Redfoo could dress as "The Pregnant Man" by stuffing a pillow under his shirt.

Mariah Carey got a full police AND umbrella escort on her way out of an "American Idol" photo shoot in Baton Rouge yesterday -- 'cause the only thing more harmful than angry rappers are those damn UV rays.

Carey had told Babwa Wawa that she bulked up her security team after Nicki Minaj allegedly threatened to shoot her with a gun during their blowup earlier this week ... and Thursday she proved she ain't messin' around.

Sources tell us ... Mariah and Nicki both participated in the shoot -- and even posed for pics TOGETHER. We're told the shoot was peaceful, but it's clear the hatchet is not buried.

Tomorrow, the gang has another round of auditions ... and that's when tensions really start to heat up.