Reality TV

"Shahs of Sunset" producers want to school an FHM model on the law -- telling her she has no right to sue over her handle "Persian Barbie" ... because Mattel trademarked the name a looong time ago!!

TMZ broke the story ... Persian model Niki Ghazian (above) accused the reality TV show of illegally using her self-proclaimed moniker, "Persian Barbie" ... for new cast member Lilly Ghalichi.

Now Berne Productions -- a subsidiary of Ryan Seacrest Prod. -- is responding to Niki's cease and desist letter with its own docs claiming she has no stake to the Barbie trademark.

Berne argues the term "Barbie" is 100% owned by Mattel -- and adds, "Any claim that Ms. Ghazian has acquired any property rights to a term that is a basic derivative of "Barbie" (i.e. "Persian Barbie") is unsound and not defensible." Aka ... go kick rocks, Ms. Ghazian.

Berne also claims 'Shahs' isn't violating Mattel's trademark because "Persian Barbie" is merely descriptive of Lilly's rockin' bod.

Exhibit A ...

There can only be one "PERSIAN BARBIE" ... so says a smokin' hot model who claims Bravo's show "Shahs of Sunset" is illegally using HER moniker for one of their cast members.

Niki Ghazian (left) -- FHM model and self-proclaimed "Persian Barbie" -- fired off a cease and desist letter last week to Bravo honchos ... claiming the network has no right to use the term for its newest star Lilly Ghalichi (right).

FYI -- Lilly's co-stars refer to her as the "Persian Barbie" on the show ... which Bravo has utilized in promos and on Lilly's official bio.

Niki says that's not okay -- and while she never applied for a trademark, she says she's the "common law owner" ... claiming ever since 2005, publications like FHM, Kandy Mag, NYLA Mag and more have used it to describe her.

9:57 AM PT -- Law enforcement tells us ... Swift was arrested for disorderly conduct. He was given a citation and released.

Swift is due back in court later this month.

MTV reality star Brandon Swift -- who starred on "Real World: St. Thomas" -- was arrested in Philadelphia last night ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained footage of the arrest -- which shows 23-year-old Swift in a very heated standoff with police outside of the Draught Horse Pub at the Temple University campus.

It's unclear what initiated the confrontation -- but Swift makes it clear, he has no intention of cooperating with the cops.

As one plainclothes officer moves in to place Swift under arrest, the reality star resists ... saying, "Don't touch me ... everybody please record it ... I'm about to get beat up by a cop."

Several officers immediately rush in and subdue Swift ...and march him down the street. It's unclear from the video where Swift was taken.

After the incident, Brandon took to Facebook to vent ... saying, "Always voice your opinion even if its the Police! #F*CK Select Members of Temple Police...Im not scacred of yall."

He added, "I will always say what I gotta say to you dirty filthy liars AND I hope this gets back to yall! #MiddleFingersUp! ...Sorry for the rant all but it was necessary."

Reality TV can actually do some good in the world ... just ask "X Factor" finalist David Correy who found his birth mother after 25 years of separation ... all thanks to the show.

The 26-year-old David -- who is in the final 16 -- told the judges during his first audition that he was singing for his birth mother -- whom he'd never met -- who gave him up for adoption from Brazil as a baby.

Sources close to David tell TMZ when his episode of "X" aired in Brazil, a woman named Luciene Lima recognized the baby pics shown in David's segment and had a gut feeling he was hers.

We're told Luciene went through the Brazilian court system to trace her adoption -- and her findings led her back to David. Luciene, not knowing how to reach out to her long lost son, contacted the local media.

Our sources say a local paper was able to track David down in the U.S. and tell him about his mother.

We're told a DNA test has not been performed, but so far everything matches: the birth certificate, the orphanage David came from and the timeline.

Kris Jenner single-handedly SEALED THE DEAL to make Khloe Kardashian the new co-host on "X Factor" ... right when negotiations were on the verge of imploding ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the deal tell us ... negotiations had come to a grinding halt because E! and FOX couldn't seem to work out a deal that would allow Khloe to appear on both networks.

We're told "X Factor" was getting ready to pull the plug on talks with Khloe ... when Kris Jenner got word of the hold up and decided to take the bull by the horns.

Sources say Kris "stepped in over the agents ... over everyone" and forced both networks to sit down with her and hash out a deal ... which they eventually did.

As one source puts it, "She just knows how to make sh*t happen."

Mama June wasn't laughing at the way she and her family were portrayed on "South Park" earlier this month ... telling TMZ the way the show focused on her weight was just plain "trashy."

June and her daughter Alana -- aka Honey Boo Boo -- just appeared on "TMZ Live" ... when we asked how they handled being spoofed on shows like "South Park" and "Saturday Night Live."

June's response -- "Me being a big person, I didn't take offense ... that show is just not a show that I would want to be on in the first place."

She added, "Just the way they portrayed the show ... it was kinda trashy."

June, Alana and the rest of the gang were mocked hard in the "South Park" ep -- in which Honey Boo Boo got a heart transplant ... with a pig heart ... after eating too much 'sketti and butter."

Courtney Robertson is about $80k lighter today -- because "The Bachelor" winner finally returned her diamond engagement ring to its rightful owner ... and photogs caught every glorious moment of it.

Robertson -- who called it quits with "Bachelor" Ben Flajnik last week -- hit up a Neil Lane jewelry store in L.A. Sunday to say sayonara to the 3-carat rock.

We're told the ring ended up back at Neil Lane since "Bachelors" and "Bachelorettes" don't foot the bill for their own marital swag -- i.e. when the relationship goes away, so does the bling.

But Court's not shedding too many tears over the loss (of the ring or Ben) -- considering she was recently seen sucking face with "Bachelorette" cast-off Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Ah, love.

Honey Boo Boo = GOLD MINE ... at least according to one Georgia store that's had a record-setting SALES BOOM after it was featured on the show.

TMZ spoke with the owner of Lucy Lu's Boutique -- who began selling HBB-themed shirts after the Boo Boo clan stopped by to purchase a dress on the 4th episode of the show.

If you recall, Honey Boo Boo brought Glitzy the pig to get fitted for an adorable little piggy dress, but Glitzy went crazy ... and the store decided to implement a no-pig policy.

But right after the show aired, Lucy Lu says the store started selling bright-pink HBB t-shirts (below) at $15 a pop ... and in less than a week, they SOLD OUT of all 350 shirts.

Lucy says it's BY FAR the store's fastest selling shirt of all time.

And get this -- Lucy tells us a percentage of the proceeds will benefit two charities: an anti-bullying group AND the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nobody wants to be a Honey Boo Boo kind of a redneck ... this according to resident redneck expert Larry the Cable Guy.

Larry was out last night in West Hollywood (prime redneck territory) when he told us about the redneck class system ... and explained how the Boo Boo clan sits right at the bottom.

"I'm a redneck ... I'm not a Honey Boo Boo redneck, I'm a Larry the Cable Guy redneck ... there's a big difference between the two rednecks."

Larry explained how there are various "stages" of redneckery -- with Jeff Foxworthy at the top ... and the Boo Boo bunch at the bottom.

Brittany Kerr has been called a lot of things since she was spotted getting hot and heavy with country star Jason Aldean -- most of which we can't repeat -- but now she has a chance to cash in on that infamy ... as a reality TV star.

TMZ has learned the former "American Idol" contestant has received an offer from Wag TV -- the company behind shows like "How Do They Do It?" and "Ancient X Files" -- to star in her very own show.

We're told Wag sent an offer letter to Brittany, touting their relationships with TLC and A&E, in an effort to lure her into doing a show with them.

We're told the basic premise would be to follow Brittany's efforts to break into the music biz.

Don't hold your breath though -- our sources say Brittany will likely turn down the proposition.

First time for everything.

"Real Housewives of Miami" star Peter Rosello was arrested for battery today after socking a homeless man in the balls last week, this according to law enforcement.

20-year-old Rosello -- the son of housewife Alexia Echevarria -- was arrested for simple battery, which was categorized as a felony on the police report because Rosello attacked a homeless person.

As we reported, Florida has a law that classifies attacks on homeless people as hate crimes, meaning they carry stricter penalties.

He's currently being held on $5,000 bond.

TMZ broke the story ... Rosello stupidly posted video of the incident online last week, showing him sneaking up on a sleeping homeless man and punching him in the groin. The homeless man was contacted by police shortly after and the man decided to press charges.

A mother will do anything to protect her kid -- just ask former "Shark Tank" winner Shelly Ehler ... who's picking a fight with a 6'5", 239-pound WWE star after he made her 8-year-old cry.

Ehler -- who scored a $75k investment on "Tank" for her ShowNo towels -- has a serious beef with Alberto Del Rio ... who snatched her son's handmade sign during a WWE event in Anaheim, CA this weekend ... and RIPPED IT UP (or at least tried to).

In the video (above) Del Rio isn't quite strong enough to rip the sign in half (it is cardboard) ... so he takes off small, pathetic, chunks instead.

FYI -- it's standard practice for the wrestlers to interact with audience members "in character." In this case, the sign was pro-Sheamus ... the wrestling arch-nemesis of Del Rio.

But TMZ spoke to Shelly, who says her 8-year-old was terrified by the wrestler's actions and instantly burst into tears. She adds, "Del Rio is a bully. I looked at him and said 'he's crying' ... and he mocked him."

Shelly -- who says her 8-year-old cried all the way home -- vented her frustrations to the wrestler on Twitter and then fired off an angry letter to the WWE.

In the letter she says, "Take signs from adults NOT KIDS! My son was bullied by your superstars and it is not okay."

Despite her demands, Shelly claims she's heard crickets from Del Rio -- but his manager tweeted her back and said, "lol blah blah blah."

FYI -- as soon as Shelly contacted Sheamus about the incident ... he immediately offered to send her son a signed photo and meet with him next time he's in town.

Vinny from "Jersey Shore" was the latest victim of a college prank -- when a student hilariously interrupted a speech he was giving, to ask him a very important question ... specifically how many STD's he got from being on "Jersey Shore?"

Vinny -- who is on a college speaking tour right now to teach others how to overcome anxiety -- was at Niagara County Community College Wednesday ... when he was caught off guard by a prankster planted in the audience.

In the video ... a student uses the very serious Q & A session to ask Vinny a not so serious Q ... mainly, whether or not he contracted any gross diseases from "Shore" -- ya know because of all their sexual shenanigans.

Vinny, in an ironic twist, gets pretty anxious about the whole thing -- and then shoots off some choice words to his new friend.

Linda Hogan isn't gonna let a little thing like NOT having a fiancé stop her from searching for the perfect wedding dress -- and then documenting that search on reality TV show.

Five years after the demise of "Hogan Knows Best," Linda will return to the world of reality to appear on the season premiere of TLC's show "Brides of Beverly Hills" -- even though she's not a bride (or even close to being one).

Sources close to the production tell us, 53-year-old Linda was originally booked on the reality show while still engaged to her 23-year-old ex Charley Hill ... but that relationship bit the dust back in May.

We're told, despite no longer having a wedding to plan for, Linda still wanted to tape her special episode -- which features her "search for the perfect gown."

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins -- best known for being one-third of 90's girl group TLC -- is getting her own reality show ... and the network making it happen -- is none other than TLC.

Sources close to the production tell TMZ ... the network has ordered four episodes of Watkins' reality show called "Totally T-Boz" which will air on TLC in 2013.

The timing couldn't be better -- considering T-Boz filed for bankruptcy in late 2011 and could probably use the paycheck.

We're told the show will focus on the 42-year-old single mom as she tries to re-launch her music career ... after recovering from the life-threatening brain tumor she was diagnosed with in 2006.

The brain tumor was so bad, once it was removed, T-Boz had to relearn how to walk and talk.

The producers behind "Cops"are being sued by a bitter ex-employee ... who claims he was fired for being TOO OLD ... after 22 years of faithful service.

Steven W. Kiger filed a lawsuit against John Langley's production company ... claiming he worked on the hit TV show for two decades, working his way up to Associate Producer and a $95k-a-year salary, but was unfairly canned in 2010.

In the suit, Kiger believes he was axed because he was over 40 and the show was "purposely ridding itself of older workers" so they could bring in much younger guys.

As proof, he claims an email was sent around by an executive on the show stating, "We look for guys who are hungry, who will work for less $$$."

Kiger is suing for unspecified damages resulting from loss of earnings, emotional distress, anxiety, worry and humiliation.

Calls to Langley have not been returned.