Prime Minister of Belize Our Government's BETTER Than Yours
READY FOR SOME INTERNATIONAL SMACK TALK??? The Prime Minister of Belize was last night ... telling us what's wrong with our government ... on his way out of an L.A. restaurant.
Dean Barrow was leaving Madeo last night, flanked by personal security, when he was asked if he had any advice for the U.S. government to avoid another shutdown.
His response -- "You have to switch to the parliamentary system."
Boom. Smack talk!
FYI -- Belize operates on a parliamentary system (a form of government with no president, in which the leader of the majority party is the leader of the country).
Now, Belize has its problems, too -- according to the various media reports the country has a Caa1 credit rating -- which essentially translates to "piss poor."
But we hear the snorkeling is spectacular ...
7:47 AM PT -- Turns out, Dean Barrow has a serious celebrity connection ... 'cause his son is the rapper Shyne!
According to reports, Barrow and his son are estranged ... but after Shyne was convicted of attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment several years ago, his dad petitioned the governor of NY for a pardon. But the request was denied, and Shyne was deported back to Belize.
Aaron Hernandez Fiancee I Didn't Lie In Aaron's Murder Case
Aaron Hernandez' fiancee didn't lie to investigators in the murder case against her man ... because she was in the dark just like everyone else, according to her lawyers.
Shayanna Jenkins appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom just a short time ago ... to face arraignment on one count of perjury for allegedly lying about dumping a box somewhere that allegedly contained the murder weapon. She claimed she didn't remember where she tossed it.
Her attorneys told the judge Shayanna didn't lie about anything ... because Aaron had a "don't ask, don't tell" relationship with her.
In fact, her lawyers say Shayanna actually provided information to cops ... that the murder victim -- Odin Lloyd -- provided weed to Hernandez.
Shayanna pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.
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Ariel Castro May Have Died From Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation
Convicted Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro may have died by pulling a David Carradine ... hanging himself while masturbating -- an act known as auto-erotic asphyxiation -- according to a new investigative report that was just released by the prison.
Castro was discovered in his cell by prison guards Sept. 3rd ... hanging from a hinge in the window of his cell ... with a bed sheet wrapped around his neck. His death was initially ruled a suicide.
The report reveals Castro died with his pants and underwear pulled down around his ankles ... which raised the possibility of auto-erotic asphyxiation ... according to the report.
And there's more ... prison officials found an open Bible in Castro's cell ... which was opened to John Chapters 2 and 3. They also discovered pictures of his family ... arranged in poster-board fashion.
At the time of his death ... Castro was just a few weeks into a life sentence ... for kidnapping three women and holding them in captivity in his house for a decade.
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Aaron Hernandez 'I'm Not Mentally Ill'
Ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez just took the witness stand for the first time in his high-profile murder case ... and told the court he's not mentally ill.
During the hearing, the judge peppered Hernandez with a barrage of questions about his overall health and mental state. Hernandez -- who was pretty composed on the stand -- insisted he's A-OK.
Hernandez has pled not guilty to the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd.
If convicted ... Hernandez faces life in prison. When asked if he understood the gravity of the situation, Hernandez told the judge he got it.
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L.A. Dodgers Broken Cameras Are TBS' Problem Even If Puig's to Blame
The L.A. Dodgers will NOT pay for the cameras that Yasiel Puig broke during the frenzied Gatorade-fueled celebration after winning the N.L.D.S. last night ... and that's exactly the way TBS wants it, TMZ has learned.
Well-placed sources connected with the Dodgers tell TMZ, broken cameras are all part of the drill during a celebration.
As one source put it, "TBS would never approach us for that. It's all part of the celebration."
Those cameras are nothing to sneeze at -- they can run anywhere from $50k to $75k.
What's more, one well-placed Dodgers source tells TMZ ... other cameras were broken in the locker room during the champagne celebration and nobody from the outside saw it happen ... but no one is complaining.
The cost of doing business ... it ain't always cheap.
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Enrique Iglesias Moves Into Huge Home On Millionaire's Row
Enrique Iglesias just moved into an monstrous new $26 million mansion in Miami that's so huge ... ya gotta see it from the air to get the full effect.
He didn't have to move far ... it's just two doors down from his old place -- which just sold for $6.7 mil. Apparently he likes the Bay Point neighborhood -- what's not to like -- it's known as Millionaire's Row because of the rich celebs who live there -- including Cher, Ricky Martin, and Matt Damon. And his dad, Julio, lives nearby.
Enrique had the new crib built to his specifications ... it's so big -- 20,000 square feet -- he had to buy TWO lots just to hold it.
Amenities, you ask?? It's got a lap pool ... a dock for his speedboat ... and a tennis court for longtime galpal Anna Kournikova.
When was the last time you bought your girlfriend a tennis court?
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Kanye West Attacked Photog Won't Promise To Stay Away
The photog Kanye West attacked at LAX is NOT willing to commit to staying away from the rapper, as the judge requested ... TMZ has learned.
TMZ broke the story ... the judge in the criminal battery case told the prosecutor Monday to get in touch with the alleged victim -- Daniel Ramos -- and ask him to stay clear of Kanye and not provoke him. The judge also ordered Kanye to stay 10 yards away from Ramos.
Kanye's lawyer, Blair Berk, told the judge Ramos had been "stalking" and harassing Kanye in the past, and she had great concern he would continue doing it ... and that appears to be why the judge asked the prosecutor to reach out to Ramos.
So we just reached out to Ramos, who told us he had to consult his civil lawyer, Gloria Allred. We called Ramos back a while later and he simply said "no comment."
It's interesting ... because in Ramos' civil suit against Kanye, he claims the attack caused him "physical and nervous pain and suffering."
Doesn't seem that nervous ...
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Jermaine Jackson Proud Ferrari Owner Wages Garnished for Child Support
The very day Jermaine Jackson became the owner of a $160,000, 2009 Ferrari California ... he had his wages garnished because he was behind on his child support ... TMZ has learned.
According to official documents ... Jermaine's baby mama, Alejandra Jackson, obtained an order which allowed the government to withhold $3,750 from his wages.
Alejandra -- who has had recurring problems getting child support from Jermaine -- got the order after he fell behind. The breakdown of the $3,750 -- $3,000 for monthly support, and $750 for past due.
The garnishment order allows the government to garnish future wages as well to cover the $3,000 a month.
As we first reported ... Katherine Jackson is pissed off at Jermaine for dropping $70k in cash (he traded in his Rolls-Royce for $90k) when he couldn't pay his bills.
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Alessandra Ambrosio SUPERMODEL. EATS. PIZZA!!!!!!!!!
Here's Victoria's Secret supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio taking a bite out of an actual piece of edible pizza in L.A. yesterday ... and carefully contemplating whether or not to spit it out.
It's not the first time Alessandra cheated on her supermodel diet -- earlier this year, she was spotted chewing on a breadstick in an L.A. supermarket.
Also, in 2012, she was photographed taking a bite of chocolate cake ... and was spotted with an ice cream cone in 2009.
Glutton.
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Halle Berry Her Baby's Downright Medieval!
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez went back more than a thousand years to find a name for their new baby ... TMZ has learned.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Halle and Olivier named their son MACEO ROBERT MARTINEZ.
The name was popular in the 9th through the 14th century.
As for the meaning of Maceo -- Gift of God.
The name is Spanish in origin. Olivier's dad is Spanish. As for Robert -- that's the first name of Olivier's dad.
The current version of Maceo is Matteo or Matthew.
So bottom line -- the name is all about Olivier.
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Justin Bieber Lighting Up In Possible Weed Smoking Pics
The photo has been all over social media today ... showing Bieber sitting next to a girl that looks a helluva lot like Ariana Grande -- and he appears to be holding a long joint.
As you may recall, Bieber was photographed similarly back in January ... when he was seen holding what looked like a joint at a Newport Beach party.
Sources close to both singers say the girl in the photo is NOT Ariana Grande -- and the pic was photoshopped to look like Bieber was lighting up.
However our crack art department begs to differ -- saying the light source seems consistent ... and any indicators of a doctored photo are non-existent.
Keep in mind ... our art department also made this.
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Kanye West Ordered to Stay Clear of Photog Anger Management Rejected
Kanye West was just ordered to stay 10 yards away from the photog he attacked at LAX, but prosecutors got shut down when they asked that Kanye attend anger management classes ... TMZ has learned.
Blair Berk -- considered one the most effective criminal defense lawyers in the country who reps tons of celebs -- appeared in court on Kanye's behalf to ask the judge to make prosecutors fork over all of the info they have in their criminal battery case.
The judge ordered that the info be turned over, and then told prosecutors they should advise the photog -- Daniel Ramos -- to also stay away from Kanye. The judge said everyone involved should NOT use "self-help" -- aka, inciting and ass-whooping.
But then ... prosecutors asked the judge to order Kanye to attend anger management classes as a condition of bail. The judge scoffed, and rejected the request.
Berk is an interesting selection for Kanye because she's known for getting things done under the radar ... something foreign to his baby mama and her relatives.
Kanye needs a Houdini because sources tell us prosecutors have 7 videos showing the attack from virtually every angle.
As far as lawyers who are up to the task ... he chose right.
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Charlie Sheen Pumpkin Patch Outing With Ex-Wife
Charlie Sheen chose his current favorite ex-wife for a trip to show the kiddies how much fun it can be to stab a pumpkin in the face.
Denise Richards and Charlie took the twins he had with Brooke Mueller ... along with Denise's adopted daughter Eloise (yeah, it's complicated) to Underwood Farms in Moorpark.
Denise is the temporary legal guardian of twins Bob and Max while their biological mother Brooke tries to get clean.
Happy Halloween!
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Selena Gomez Pays HUGE Bucks To End Stinky Perfume Lawsuit
Selena Gomez may end up paying more than a million bucks as part of a settlement with a perfume company that sued her for bailing on an endorsement ... TMZ has learned.
Adrenalina, Inc. sued Selena, claiming it poured $2 mil into R & D for a perfume line she was supposed to front. The company claimed Selena bailed and violated the deal. Selena counter-sued, claiming she backed out because the company was going broke and couldn't afford to produce the product.
TMZ just obtained settlement docs which show the case has been dismissed. But sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Selena will cough up a six-figure sum to end the lawsuit.
We're also told there's another component to the settlement, which could bump the cost up to the 7 figures.
Neither side would comment on the settlement.
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A-Rod Sues MLB They Paid to Frame Me! [Update: MLB Rips A-Rod]
9:05 AM PT -- MLB is lashing out against Alex's lawsuit -- calling it "nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement."
MLB adds, "While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the Basic Agreement by attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation.”
A-Rod has come out swinging by filing a lawsuit against Bud Selig and MLB, claiming they paid off the star witness against the Yankee slugger ... paid him millions of dollars to help force A-Rod out of baseball.
The suit claims Selig and MLB paid $5 million to Anthony Bosch, head of the Biogenesis Clinic -- the place A-Rod allegedly went to in order to obtain undetectable steroids.
The upshot -- A-Rod believes the testimony is tainted by the hefty price tag.
The suit claims A-Rod has been unfairly targeted for a 211-game suspension -- which A-Rod's lawyer claims is a witch hunt.
The suit claims Selig and MLB interfered with A-Rod's contracts and business relationships.
Sources connected with A-Rod tell TMZ he's been tested for performance enhancing drugs 11 times since 2011 and they've come up clean every time.
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Sofia Vergara vs. Alexa Vega WHO'D YOU RATHER?
It's a Colombian face-off!
Here's 41-year-old Colombian born and "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara posing in a little black dress (left) -- and 25-year-old second generation Colombian and "Spy Kids" actress Alexa Vega in an equally little and equally black dress (right).
La pregunta es...