Money

Malcolm X is so controversial, he's still causing controversy nearly 50 years after his assassination.

Malcolm's heirs filed a lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- in which they claim a company called Third World Press announced last month it would release The Malcolm X Diaries. Third World claimed Malcolm's kids gave it the right to publish, but the kids beg to differ.

The diaries purport to provide a view of Malcolm's mind and his agenda for change.

The guys working on L.A.'s famously crowded 405 Freeway are all a bunch of lazy, unproductive pissbags who are SCREWING millions of commuters every single day ... so says legendary sitcom creator Chuck Lorre.

FYI -- the 405 has been under construction for years (you may have heard about Carmageddon in 2011 and 2012) ... and Monday night, Lorre unleashed the fury that had been building for years in a Vanity Card that aired during the CBS shows "Big Bang Theory" and "Mom."

The card reads, "Dear Guys Working on the 405 Freeway, How's it going? I only ask because you started work over five years ago to add more lanes and, well... there aren't any."

"I've also noticed that on most days you're not actually doing anything. Is it possible you've grown bored with the project?"

Lorre continues, "From my untrained eye, you appear to be understaffed. Perhaps you might consider hiring a few thousand more guys and work in 'round the clock shifts, instead of, you know, just when you feel like it. Also, to avoid angry commuters flipping you off, how about giving them a heads up when you close an off ramp for no apparent reason? (Maybe a few miles in advance instead of a hundred yards.) And finally, I need to ask a small favor. Several times a week I crawl along the ol' 4-nication-05 with a bladder that is near to bursting."

"How about we work out a system where I, and other urinary-challenged drivers, get to pull over and share your port-a-potties? Maybe we can repay your hospitality by bringing you fresh magazines to read while you're in there working."

Pretty aggressive -- and the freeway project is reportedly more than 16 months behind schedule -- but is it justified?

"Girls Gone Wild" honcho Joe Francis wasn't kidding when he promised to save his ridiculous Bel Air mansion from foreclosure -- he actually pulled it off.

We broke the story, Joe's bank, JPMorgan Chase, began foreclosure proceedings back in September, claiming he slacked off on mortgage payments to the tune of $127,686.91.

Joe pleaded the problem was with his accountant, not him.

Well guess what -- we just got official docs revealing the bank has backed off the foreclosure.

Joe tells us -- his accountant acknowledged the screw up and made the account current ... so everyone's happy.

It's a ray of good financial news in a bleak financial forecast.-- Joe's company declared bankruptcy in February, and he's personally been ordered to pay Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn $19 million.

Bristol Palin's baby daddy Levi Johnston is tired of getting squeezed out of their son's life -- TMZ has learned, he just filed court docs to obtain 50/50 custody of 4-year-old Tripp Palin.

In the docs, Levi says he wants Tripp to be in his life as much as Bristol's because it's in their son's best interest. Bristol currently has full custody of the child, but now Levi wants Tripp on alternating weeks. (They both live in Alaska.)

Meanwhile, Bristol's attorney is insinuating it's simply a move to reduce Levi's child support payments, saying Levi owed roughly $66,000 in back child support as of October -- and now he wants to pay less.

Emmylou Harris has new material for her next hit ... she just pled no contest in her hit-and-run case.

Harris allegedly hit a car on an LA freeway back in October, 2012 and then sped off. Her defense -- she didn't realize she had struck another car. Yeah, it's thin.

Harris just pled no contest to a lesser crime -- failing to provide information to the other driver at the scene of an accident. She was also ordered to pay $5k to the victim by the end of the week.

The crime is an infraction, so Harris will not even be placed on probation.

Chris Brown is doing what he does best -- fighting back ... in this case using legal means by filing a countersuit over the Frank Ocean brawl in West Hollywood.

You'll recall ... Chris and Frank got into it outside a recording studio back in January. The building was damaged and Sha'Keir Duarte -- Frank's cousin -- claimed he was kicked and beaten by one of Brown's bodyguards. Duarte sued Chris in August for his injuries.

Now Chris has fired back, claiming Duarte provoked the fight by threatening to kill him. In the countersuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Chris claims Duarte kicked and punched him.

And get this ... Chris -- who is currently in rehab for anger management and faces criminal assault charges in D.C. -- claims he attempted to avoid the confrontation "with the aggressive and hostile Mr. Duarte."

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are packing it in -- we've learned they are secretly selling their Tarzana mansion.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Khloe has given several San Fernando Valley realtors a pocket listing -- meaning the house will not appear in the multiple listing service. It's being done on the down low. Any prospective buyer must pre-qualify before seeing the house, meaning they must have the dough to buy the crib.

We're told Khloe and Lamar want a cool $4 mil for the house. They paid $3.95 million in 2009.

Our sources say Khloe is the driving force behind the sale, telling realtors she wants to "start fresh and move on."

Title to the house is held in both Khloe and Lamar's names.

Pauly D will meet his 5-month-old baby for the first time today ... TMZ has learned.

We've learned the MTV star and his baby mama Amanda Markert have hammered out a temporary truce in their ongoing custody battle -- and Amanda has agreed to let Pauly meet their daughter Amabella.

Sources close to Amanda tell TMZ ... the meeting will take place at a neutral location somewhere near Amanda's home in New Jersey sometime in the next few hours.

It's a huge step for the parents -- who've hated each other's guts ever since the baby was conceived during a drunken night in Vegas back in 2012. Amabella was born back in May.

Pauly is fighting Markert for full custody of the little girl ... accusing Amanda of being a horrible mom who's using the baby as leverage for fame and to get money from him.

Markert says Pauly's interest in his daughter is all for show and is not real.

A rep for Pauly D had no comment.

Good to see they've put their differences aside ... at least for now.

The home of The King .. could become the home of the Whopper ... 'cause TMZ has learned the honchos at BK have made a serious offer on Elvis Presley's former Bev Hills home.

TMZ obtained a letter from Burger King Corp. to Peter Morton -- who owns the 5,367 square foot Elvis Presley Estate in the 90210 -- which states the company's intention to buy the house for a cool $3.69 mil.

The letter reads, "This would be a fast closing within three days and we would be happy to provide you with proof of funds upon request."

BK says if Morton agrees to the sale, the company will "preserve all residential historical value."

Buuuut, there are a few problems -- first, the house isn't really on the market.

Second, Morton bought the house back in December for $9.8 mil ... and there's virtually no chance he's willing to take a $6 million hit on the place.

Sidenote -- the timing of the offer is interesting, 'cause it happens to coincide with the launch of BK's new sandwich, the Big King (Big King ... King of Rock 'n Roll ... we get it).

BK wants to move fast -- really fast. In fact, BK's put a ticking clock on the offer ... it ends at midnight TONIGHT.

The sun was barely rising on Kendall Jenner's 18th birthday ... when the top porn companies started offering her lucrative deals ... including one for over a million bucks!

Kendall has been showing off her body for years ... and big sister Kim Kardashian became a household name after her sex-tape with Ray J was released.

And now that Kendall's legal, at least SIX COMPANIES are hoping they can convince her to get it on in front of the camera.

One of the companies -- Bangyoulater.com -- is saying it wants to pay K.J. and a partner of her choosing $1.8 MILLION to bump uglies.

Other interested parties include Brazzers, Babes and Digital Playground ... the latter offering the option of a girl-girl encounter with porn star Jesse Jane.

No word on whether Kendall plans to take any seriously.

Rob Dyrdek walked away from the Breeders' Cup a few pounds heavier yesterday ... cause the MTV star won a TON of money!

Dyrdek was betting on the ponies at Santa Anita Racetrack in Los Angeles and dropped beaucoup bucks on the horse who eventually won the B.C. -- Mucho Macho Man.

Mucho came in second last year ... but took first Saturday afternoon after winning the $5 million prize by a nose.

Before the race Dyrdek said he'd get "a whole lotta cash" if M.M.M. won.

Once it was over, Rob didn't divulge the amount ... instead he posted the photo above.

Ohhhhh yeaaaaahhh (get it, Macho Man.)

You paid too much! And you paid too much! Everybody paid too much for Oprah Winfrey's old junk at her estate sale today ... and the Big O was shocked.

Oprah and BFF Gayle King were front and center during the auction Saturday in Santa Barbara ... where she was selling stuff off for her Leadership Academy in South Africa.

The first item was a poster (pictured below) from "The Color Purple" that Winfrey proudly displayed in her office for a long time -- the starting bid was $2k ... and Oprah was blown away by the price.

The poster eventually sold for $4k --but you have to see O's reaction as the bids went up, and up, and up ...

Tan Mom's marriage is OVER -- and shockingly, she's the one calling it off -- this according to divorce docs filed in New Jersey and obtained by TMZ.

Just 3 weeks after Patricia Krentcil bitched about the size of her hubby's allegedly tiny penis during her disastrous stand-up comedy debut, Tan Mom has officially filed for divorce from Richard Krentcil.

Tan Mom tells TMZ ... she decided to call off the 8-year marriage because Richard recently failed a lie detector test about infidelity on a TV show called "The Test."

In the docs, Tan Mom demands $500 per week in spousal support PLUS $500 per week in child support so she can care for their 2 children. Tan Mom is also asking for full custody.

We spoke to Richard who tells us ... he wants to STAY with Patricia and hopes they can work out their issues.

He's got his work cut out for him, because in Tan Mom's stand-up act, she complained that her sex life was terrible -- "OK, let's have an orgasm, NOT!"

Lady Gaga is being sued by famed R&B singer Teddy Riley, who claims she boldly aced him out of his contribution for the song, "Teeth."

According to the lawsuit, Riley produced the hit song back in 2009. He claims he was promised 25% of the writing fees but got zilch.

The song was featured on the album, "The Fame Monster" the same year -- it's Gaga's breakout work that turned her into a global star ... and Riley --who became famous in the 90s R&B group Blackstreet (remember No Diggity) -- feels betrayed.

Lindsay Lohan was paid north of $50,000 to host a Halloween party at a casino last night, sources tell TMZ -- but she was so late ... the casino wants a chunk of its money back.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us, Lindsay was paid to show up to Foxwoods casino in Connecticut at 10pm, but she didn't arrive until 11:43pm.

When she finally did show up, we're told she blew off the red carpet -- where she was supposed to pose for photos and talk to fans -- and walked straight into the party.

We're told Foxwoods is now trying to renegotiate Lindsay's contract because the casino feels she screwed them over.

Lindsay didn't completely drop the ball. We're told she and co-host Floyd Mayweather Jr. judged the Halloween costume contest together and actually did a decent job. (FYI, Lindsay was dressed as Carrie and Floyd was dressed as Freddy Krueger.)

For what it's worth, we're told Floyd (who was paid about the same as Lindsay) was late too -- but he made up for it by spending time with fans, signing autographs and taking photos.

Lindsay, not so much.

Oprah Winfrey's adulterous dad tried to screw Oprah's stepmom out of profits for the sale of their barber shop ... and the judge may be insinuating Oprah was in on it.

In divorce documents -- obtained by TMZ -- Vernon and Barbara Winfrey filed dueling petitions for divorce, but the judge granted hers and rejected his ... on grounds he was an adulterer and engaged in "inappropriate marital conduct." Translation ... he chased her around with a gun during a fight.

According to the docs, Vernon put the barbershop into foreclosure. Once that happens, the real owners generally end up with zilch. But according to the judge, Vernon KNEW Oprah would buy the barbershop out of foreclosure, which would then squeeze Barbara out and he would end up with title once she gave it to him. And that's exactly what happened.

Sources tell us ... when the barbershop went into foreclosure, Oprah's trust purchased it and deeded it to O's dad and his business partner, leaving her stepmom in the cold.

Short story ... the judge seems to be suggesting Oprah may have been in on her dad's plan to ace Barbara out of money in the divorce.

We tried reaching Oprah for comment but we were unsuccessful.