Gossip / Rumors

TMZ broke the story ... network sources are saying negotiations to keep Katie around broke down because the news division wanted to give her a very limited role -- occasional pieces on "60 Minutes," and Katie felt dissed.

But sources from Katie's camp say it's BS. They say CBS wanted to keep Katie and offered her all sorts of news involvement, including 8 to 10 pieces a year on "60 Minutes" (the show even offered her a production team), an unlimited number of pieces on "CBS Sunday Morning," another Grammy special and other specials as well.

One source says, "They were kissing her ass, but now that it looks like Katie is leaving, they're trying to kick her ass to protect their own asses."

And Katie sources say ... the real issue for Katie is a syndicated talk show, and it's looking like ABC is just a better fit.

The image on the left is an ALTERED version of a famous photo of bin Laden.

The White House has NOT released an official death photo of the corpse ... yet.

Lorre took a not-so-veiled shot at Sheen on his vanity card at the end of "The Big Bang Theory" earlier this week. Lorre made reference to a monkey on the show behaving "increasingly erratic" and being "a heroin addict" -- but we all know who he was really referring to.

But Sheen tells TMZ point blank, "I have never done or tried heroin in my life."

Moments ago, Trump said, "Today I'm very proud of myself, because I've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish."

Trump added, "I want to look at it, but I hope it's true, so that we can get on to much more important matters ... he should have done it a long time ago."

He continued, "I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully, hopefully getting rid of this issue."

The document shows Obama's mother was 18 at the time she gave birth ... and his father was 25.

Obama directed his office to release the certificate because the Commander In Chief didn't believe the distraction was good for the country.

Obama held a news conference about the document -- and explained, "We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."

Of course, the conspiracy theorists will probably ask the obvious questions ... what took so long???? Is this document legit ... or a fake???

Klein had told TMZ ... Jackson was gay but that Jason's alleged relationship with the singer was the only gay relationship MJ ever had. Klein told us Jason was "the love of [Michael's] life."

But now on his Facebook page, Klein says "Allegations about ... Jason being Michael Jackson's lover are ridiculous. That story was made up ... "

Weird Al ripped into Gaga on his blog this morning -- claiming the egg-encased pop star strung him along for weeks while he tried to get her approval for his parody "Perform This Way" ... and ultimately rejected the proposal.

But sources extremely close to the singer tell us, "There must have been a misunderstanding because [Gaga] is in no way trying to block the release of the parody."

According to sources, "She's busy touring and hasn't heard the song yet. Her manager hasn't had a chance to play it for her yet" -- adding, "She's a huge Weird Al fan."

A bizarre situation -- because Al claims Gaga's manager is the one who denied him in the first place ... forcing him to release "Perform This Way" unofficially on YouTube.

One report suggests CBS honcho Les Moonves has been putting pressure on Warner Bros. to take Charlie back. "Absolutely false," say our sources. Moonves has not even weighed in.

Charlie has been almost pleading for his job back, even making the pitch during his show. And behind the scenes Charlie's people have been making calls, but Warner Bros. has closed the book on Charlie.

As for the future of "Two and a Half Men", no decisions have been made on what to do with the show. Warner Bros. has until May 18, when CBS announces its fall lineup.

Stay tuned ...

The interview went down a couple hours ago on Denver's KS107.5 Morning Show -- someone claiming to be LaLa called in, saying, "You people suck. Your stores are all the same ... Everything closes early. I mean, I need to party until five in the morning. Who cares if I have a son?"

But LaLa tells us, she's the victim of April Fool's Day identity theft -- claiming, “That was not me who called into KS107.5 this morning. I wasn’t even aware this was happening and it was a poor taste in judgment on the show’s part.”

LiLo is on the defensive after being photographed going down hard outside the Motor City Bar on Wednesday -- because some people had the audacity to think Lindsay Lohan falling down outside a bar may mean she fell off the wagon.

But that's not the case ... because Lohan tells TMZ, "I was with my brother, sister and friends. I was making a joke. They're trying to make something out of nothing."

Ashlee and Pete have been spotted out together numerous times since she filed for divorce last month ... but this is the first time we've seen them getting physical.

Tito says he and Jenna are still together, although he spoke obtusely about a "big argument" recently. As for why Jenna wasn't wearing her wedding ring yesterday, Tito says it doesn't matter -- they're still a unit.

We asked Tito about several tips we got ... that Jenna allegedly threw some of his expensive watches in the ocean after a New Year's Eve fight and he had to hire a scuba diver to retrieve the items. Tito says the real story is that his kids like throwing things in the harbor -- which they did with his expensive glasses ... and that's what the scuba guy was looking for.

The "Cougar" stars have been rumored to be hooking up for over a month.