Gossip / Rumors

Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller looked as cozy as two people can be this weekend in Mexico (see above) -- but Charlie tells TMZ ... they're still just "good friends trying to be great parents."

As TMZ first reported, the former couple went south of the border this weekend -- Charlie decided to take Brooke as a sort of "birthday/you're doing great in rehab" present.

But no matter how good they look together in the pics, Charlie tells us a romantic reconciliation is not in the cards. In warlock speak, Charlie says they are simply "working on mending the bridges, replanting scorched earth. The goal is harmony."

Alexis Bellino from "Real Housewives of Orange County" is out for justice -- threatening a legal FIRESTORM ... after a tabloid rag claimed she was going broke.

It's all over an issue of In Touch Weekly that came out earlier this month -- the cover of which shows a picture of Alexis, over the caption "Bankrupt!" ... but it gets worse.

Inside the magazine, the article reads, "Bankrupt! Evicted! Foreclosed! Housewives Are Going Broke" -- continuing, "After selling off her home at a fraction of its cost to avoid foreclosure, Alexis Bellino still refuses to admit she and her husband ... have money troubles."

But Alexis claims it's all BS -- and her lawyer fired off a nasty cease and desist letter on Thursday, demanding In Touch retract its "patent, malicious, and libelous comments."

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds hooked up ... for a friendly hike in the Wyoming wilderness -- along with Sandy's adorable son Louis Bardo.

Ryan carried Louis in a backpack during the nature walk through Grand Teton National Park last weekend.

The trio is vacationing in Jackson Hole with a few other friends, but we gotta ask ...

There has been a buzz about a mysterious injury Taylor Armstrong suffered just 4 days before her estranged husband, Russell, committed suicide, but Taylor's friends insist the cut above her eye was not inflicted by him.

Taylor's friends tell TMZ ... the injury occurred while she was playing a game of football.

Adam Sandler is being accused of stiffing a small Massachusetts restaurant, but it looks to us like the restaurant owner is a publicity hound.

Here's the low down. Adam is filming a movie in Peabody, MA. Last month, Adam's company, Happy Madison Productions, made a deal with a restaurant -- A Taste of Italy -- to cater a meal for the cast and crew. The owner brought the grub and got paid and everything was hunky-dory.

But the restaurant owner claims the production company asked him to stock up on food for 2 BBQ's the following week. He claims he did just that, but Adam's company never called, leaving him with bags full of groceries to the tune of $2,500.

The restaurant owner says Adam's company wouldn't pay, so in retaliation, he put a sign in the window of his restaurant which read, "ADAM SANDLER ATE HERE AND NEVER PAID."

Reps from Adam's production company tell TMZ .. they never made any promises about catering future BBQ's and as far as they're concerned ... it's case closed.

Sesame Street has finally responded to age-old rumors that Bert and Ernie are gay -- claiming the infamous room-sharing man-puppet odd couple are JUST FRIENDS ... and have no sexual orientation whatsoever.

A petition emerged online this week, urging the creators of Sesame Street to marry the two puppets -- but the Sesame Workshop just posted a message on its Facebook account, writing, "Bert and Ernie are best friends."

The statement continues, "They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves."

"Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics ... they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's separation has taken a back seat.

Nearly a month after the couple split, the two singers were spotted basking in the Long Island sun near Sagg Main Beach in Southampton ... inside a red Mustang convertible.

No explanation yet for the unexpected reunion today -- but Marc's rep tells TMZ, he was on the East Coast visiting his children.

5:32 PM: A rep for J.Lo tells TMZ, "They are NOT back together -- they were just visiting each other and the children."

Justin Bieber says he has NO IDEA why people would think he's a "brat" -- telling TMZ, "I've never heard that rumor before."

Bieber was leaving Katsuya in Hollywood yesterday ... when we asked about a report that he was a total jerk on a recent American Airlines flight from L.A. to Asia ... being difficult with flight attendants and refusing to take a photo with the pilot.

Justin replied, "I don't think you should believe everything you hear ... people make stuff up all the time."

He adds, "Supposedly I'm dead today ... that's the rumor."

Still, we gotta ask ...

It's been 22 YEARS since Ice Cube left N.W.A. over a nasty money dispute -- but yesterday in L.A., the rapper still didn't want to talk about it.

You may recall ... Ice dropped out of the rap group in 1989, claiming their manager had stiffed him out of royalties. The remaining N.W.A. members -- including Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and MC Ren -- RIPPED Ice Cube in their subsequent albums.

The rappers seemed to bury the hatchet after Eazy-E's death in 1995 -- but based on the clip, it seems it's still a sore subject.

Just two days after getting sick and bailing on a concert in Dallas -- "Kings of Leon" singer Caleb Followill took to the streets of New York for some fresh air, telling TMZ, "I'm just trying to get better".

The Kings of Leon are pulling the plug on the rest of their U.S. tour -- due to health issues affecting lead singer Caleb Followill ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the band released a statement saying, "We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion."

The statement continues, "The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break. Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule."

The rep tells us tickets will be refunded -- and the band will resume touring in Canada on September 28th.

Amy Winehouse was absolutely NOT going to adopt a 10-year-old girl from the island of St. Lucia ... despite U.K. reports to the contrary ... Amy's rep tells TMZ.

The Sunday Mirror reported Dannika Augustine and her grandmother both confirmed that Amy was about to begin the adoption process ... and both of Dannika's parents had signed off on the plan.

Former NBA star Steve Francis thinks the sexual assault charges against him are a "he said/she said" kind of thing -- but he told our photog yesterday ... his wife doesn't believe the allegations, and that's all that matters.

A woman named Shauna Simien claims Francis groped her back in May 2010. She filed a complaint, but so far no charges have come of it.

The band Kings of Leon has not only scheduled a make-up concert for their Houston show that was canceled completely last night, but they are also going back to Dallas to make up the show that ended abruptly on Friday ... TMZ has learned.

KOL will play in Dallas on September 21 and in Houston on September 22. Tickets for the previous shows will be honored, and refunds will be honored for fans who cannot make the new dates.

This all stems from a battle with the heat for lead singer Caleb Followill. On Friday, a show at the Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas was cut short after lead Followill complained the heat was messing with his voice. He left the stage ... never to return.

The band then canceled a show scheduled for last night at the Woodlands Pavilion, located just outside Houston.

Soulja Boy -- along with several members of his inner circle -- perpetuated a lie about purchasing a $55 million G5 jet ... at least that's what a spokesperson for Soulja is now saying.

Earlier this week, TMZ spoke with Soulja, a member of his management team named Shai Storm and Soulja's assistant -- who all verified Soulja dropped the cash on the private jet as a 21st birthday gift to himself.

In fact, Soulja even went on a radio show yesterday in Miami -- after TMZ's story posted -- and when asked if he bought the plane, coyly told the DJ he was "G5 status" ... but never said the story was false.

Now, Soulja's "spokesperson" Greg Miller has issued a statement on behalf of the rapper ... saying the "elaborate rumors" are "not true."

Funny, because when our reporter spoke with Soulja earlier this week -- and asked him directly, he responded, "Hell yeah ... I bought it."

Sadly, so did we.

The Kings of Leon concert in Dallas, TX ended early last night after lead singer Caleb Followill left the stage "to vomit" ... and never returned.

Caleb complained of the heat and said he was going backstage to vomit and drink a beer. But when it became clear he wasn't coming back, two of the other band members took to the mic and apologized for the fact Caleb couldn't finish the show.

But they did throw him under the bus before leaving, saying, "Hate Caleb, not us."