Real Housewives

TMZ has learned ... far from being kidnapped ... Michaele Salahi has run off with Neal Schon, the lead guitarist for the band Journey.

TMZ broke the story ... Tareq called authorities several times last night and today, claiming his wife has been abducted, because she left without taking her belongings.

But now we've learned ... Michaele (pictured above with Schon and her husband in 2010) has been dating the rock icon, went to his show in Nashville last night and is currently with Schon in Memphis, where Journey is set to perform with Foreigner.

Scoop Marketing, the rep for Journey, confirmed with TMZ that "Nobody kidnapped her and they are in Memphis together."

We've also confirmed Michaele has dated Schon in the past -- seen above partying at the Salahis' winery last year -- and she's called it an "intimate and passionate relationship."

Michaele Salahi was NEVER abducted ... so say police in Virginia ... who claim Michaele has contacted law enforcement and told them she DID NOT want her husband to know where she was.

The Warren County Sheriff's Dept. just released a statement saying one of their deputies spoke with Michaele .... and "She seemed calm, was engaged in conversation, and assured the deputy that she had left the residence with a good friend and was where she wanted to be."

The WCSD adds, "Mrs. Salahi advised that she did not want Mr. Salahi to know where she was."

Cops say Michaele expressed she was "very sorry" that the Sheriff’s Office had to be involved, but "she did not want to be home right now."

The WCSD says officers have made contact with Tareq and "advised him that he had spoken with Mrs. Salahi and told him that she was fine."

Still, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office says it is working with the FBI "in an attempt to make additional contact with Mrs. Salahi to assure her well being."

But clearly, Tareq isn't convinced -- because he just gave a tear-filled interview to NBC (video below), insisting, "I swear to God ... this is not a joke."

"Real Housewives of D.C." star Tareq Salahi believes his wife Michaele Salahi was abducted in Virginia yesterday ... but he's afraid the cops aren't taking the situation seriously ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ just spoke with Tareq ... who tells us he last saw Michaele at their home around 11 AM ET yesterday ... right before he left to go to their winery. Tareq says Michaele told him she was going to get her hair done -- but she never went to the appointment ... and she's been missing ever since.

Tareq claims he got a phone call from Michaele late last night ... from an unfamiliar Oregon cell phone number ... and she told him she was going to her mother's house, located minutes away from the Salahi home.

Tareq says he was suspicious -- so he called Michaele's mother ... who told him she hadn't spoken with Michaele and was unaware of her plans. That's when Tareq -- fearing Michaele had been abducted -- called the Warren County Sheriff's Dept. for help.

It ain't just Whole Foods that has an issue with the ingredients in Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Margarita -- now, a class action lawsuit has been filed against the company that owns the brand.

In the suit, filed in federal court in California, Reneta Bonar claims she and many other people have been duped by Beam Global Spirits for making "deceptive statements" on the label of Skinnygirl.

According to the lawsuit, Beam advertises the drink as "all natural" -- and claims it contains no preservatives. But Bonar says it's all BS because the drink contains a preservative called sodium benzoate.

Skinnygirl was recently yanked off the shelves at Whole Foods -- after the market decided the drink was not using all natural ingredients.

Bonar is suing to force Beam to "engage in a corrective advertising campaign" ... and pay unspecified damages.

Beam has issued a statement saying, "In today's litigious society, nothing is surprising. The litigation filed in relation to the labeling of Skinnygirl Margarita is frivolous. We will defend our case vigorously, and we are fully confident we will prevail."

Taylor Armstrong and the L.A. County Coroner both agree -- Russell Armstrong's death does NOT appear to be the result of a murder.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office released Russell's toxicology results moments ago -- and Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter insists, all evidence surrounding Russell's death points to a tragic suicide.

Winter also tells TMZ, he has just advised Taylor of the results and the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star concurs ... it appears her husband killed himself.

But as we previously reported, Russell's family disagrees, insisting someone else is responsible for his death -- and they're even putting a private investigator on the case.

According to the toxicology results, neither alcohol nor drugs were found in Russell's system at the time of his death.

The L.A. County Coroner released Russell's official cause of death last month -- suicide by hanging.

Russell Armstrong's family isn't buying suicide as the cause of death ... they believe he was murdered, and they're putting a private dick on the case.

Although the L.A. County Coroner ruled Russell's death was a suicide by hanging, sources close to the situation say the family is convinced ... Russell's money problems caused him to get involved "with the wrong people." They believe Russell may have screwed someone over out of desperation and that person or persons retaliated by killing him.

We're told the family is in the process of hiring a private investigator.

Three "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" are VERY UPSET with people who blame the show for "playing a major part" in Russell Armstrong's suicide -- saying the finger-pointing is simply "not fair."

Lisa Vanderpump, Adrienne Maloof, and Kyle Richards all appeared on "Today" this morning -- where they spoke out against the criticism ... and claim they're taking the "high road" in the tragedy.

Taylor Armstrong confessed on the season premiere of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" ... that she and Russell Armstrong were engaged in intense couples therapy before his suicide last month.

During a dinner convo about the therapy sessions Taylor blurts out, "We're knee-deep into so much psycho-therapy that I'm sick of myself."

Things got really heated when Lisa Vanderpump's husband said, "If I had to go to see a therapist to make my marriage better, I would feel weak."

Bravo aired a 4-minute segment prior to the episode ... where the entire cast -- minus Taylor -- talked about how Russell's death has affected them (video below).

Bethenny Frankel insists she NEVER misled the public about the ingredients in her Skinnygirl Margarita cocktail ... despite the fact it was recently pulled from Whole Foods.

Frankel just posted a statement on her website saying, "We would not sell anything that I don’t personally drink. I’m a natural foods chef and health is a top priority for me and my family."

She adds, "The Skinnygirl Margarita is made with natural ingredients and its label is consistent with U.S. federal regulations, which is why it is carried in stores nationwide and continues to fly off the shelves."

Bethenny concludes, "I built my brand on trust and honesty. I don’t take lightly obvious attempts to put my integrity in question. I will always answer your questions and concerns directly and truthfully."

As TMZ previously reported, Whole Foods yanked the product from its shelves recently ... claiming the drink contains a preservative that is NOT a natural ingredient.

Frankel told The Post, "I'm not making wheatgrass here. If I could put an agave plant and some limes on a shelf I would. [The Skinnygirl Margarita] is as close to nature as possible, while still being a shelf-stable product."

Russell Armstrong's family is watching tonight's "Real Housewives of Beverly HIlls" season premiere with extremely critical eyes -- and is prepared to take legal action ... depending on what they see.

Ron Richards, the attorney representing Russell's parents ... tells TMZ, the family wants to make sure nothing that "would make Russell look bad" airs in the highly anticipated premiere episode.

TMZ broke the story ... shortly before his death, Russell told a friend he was concerned about his negative portrayal on the show. Bravo has said it was doing some re-editing due to Russell's death ... but didn't specifically mention the premiere episode.

Wearing shades and a black tank top, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Taylor Armstrong surfaced in public for the first time since her husband Russell's suicide two weeks ago.

Taylor was spotted checking emails and running errands around town on Wednesday -- WITHOUT any "Housewives" cameras following her around.

Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl cocktail line is under fire -- after the Whole Foods supermarket chain ripped the products from the shelves over a dispute about the ingredients.

According to the Huffington Post, the honchos at Whole Foods claimed they discovered the "natural" ingredients used in the cocktail line aren't natural at all -- and decided to stop selling any more Skinnygirl products.

We spoke to a Whole Foods employee in Michigan who told us products were briefly sold at his store -- but confirmed the line was pulled because "it was learned the ingredients are not natural."

TMZ has placed calls to the people behind Skinnygirl and the honchos at Whole Foods -- so far, no comment from either side.

10:47 AM: A spokesperson for Beam -- the company that owns the Skinnygirl line -- tells us Whole Foods never "pulled" the product, but simply decided not to reorder.

As for the ingredients, the rep tells us, "Skinnygirl Margarita contains very low levels of sodium benzoate (a preservative) so it can stay on the shelves."

TMZ has obtained the 911 call made moments after the body of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Russell Armstrong was found on August 15 at a friend's home where Russell was staying.

You can hear the caller say, "My friend just hanged himself, do you understand? Come over here and stop asking questions."

As TMZ first reported, Russell's estranged wife Taylor Armstrong was also there when the body was found -- and you can hear the caller console her ... saying, "Come here Taylor, it's alright. It's alright, it's alright." The first words you hear a sobbing Taylor say are, "I need my psychiatrist."

Perhaps the most heartbreaking part is when the caller reveals Russell's 5-year old daughter is also at the house. At one point he says, "Taylor, have your daughter go away please."

The 911 operator asks if Russell is beyond help -- and the caller responds, "No, there's nothing you can do, it's nothing we can do. Just please come as soon as possible."

Russell Armstrong's friend and business associate committed suicide the day after Russell's body was found hanging from a beam in his bedroom ... TMZ has learned.

Alan Schram -- the managing partner of Wellcap, an L.A-based hedge fund -- was found on August 16 outside of his car on Mulholland Drive with a gunshot to his head. The L.A. County Coroner concluded Schram's death was a suicide.

Alan was connected with an exclusive group called Tiger 21 -- a organization of high net-worth folk who jawbone with each other about investments ... and we're told Russell Armstrong was a member of Tiger 21, even though he was clearly having money trouble.

We're also told they became friends, and during Russell's memorial, Taylor and some of the other "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" were talking about how shocked they were that the two men killed themselves -- possibly a day apart.

TMZ has learned the L.A. County Coroner just paid a visit to Taylor Armstrong to find out what she knows about Russell Armstrong's suicide, and the trip was necessary because Taylor has not made herself available for more than a week.

Sources tell TMZ ... The Coroner's office wanted the meeting because Taylor was at the scene of Russell's suicide when his body was discovered nearly 2 weeks ago. Investigators were not able to speak with Taylor that day because she left before they arrived.

L.A. County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter met with Taylor at home for a half hour and discussed, among other things, Russell's state of mind in the weeks leading up to his death, his drug use and whether he was under a doctor's care.

Sources say Taylor told Winter ... Russell was not under any regimen of drugs and she had absolutely no idea he would commit suicide.

Winters left Taylor's house moments ago (video below) -- and according to him, it's the first time he has interviewed the housewife since Russell's death.