Reality TV

2:07 PM PT -- Blac Chyna isn't coming close to sniffing a degree or a certificate from Harvard ... the school is totally disavowing her.

Harvard tells TMZ ... "Harvard Business School Online has not admitted nor provided an acceptance letter to a person named Angela White."

Referring to her alleged acceptance -- and the letter her team gave us -- Chyna told us, "School is going to help me take things up a couple of notches. People are always talking about me, might as well talk about the good."

Not looking so good right now.

We've reached out to Chyna's camp, but so far ... radio silence.

Blac Chyna's interest in attending a Harvard Business School Online course was hatched by a PR firm that offered to do all the work and even take a pic of her wearing a Harvard hoodie ... for a price.

TMZ broke the story ... Chyna has been accepted to take a Harvard Online course called Business Analytics, teaching students how to interpret data and make savvy business decisions.

We found out Chyna got wind of the course through an email sent to her team by Christian Emiliano, who refers to himself as Social Media Renaissance Man.

Christian's email pitch ... for $3,250, "Our team will complete all the course work for you, all you have to do is take one test (we will provide you the study guide) and then take credit for the program." Once completed, Chyna could add the Harvard education to her resume and improve her brand.

It gets better ... "You can go on the Harvard campus and take a picture with a Harvard hoodie on / you can post updates on your snapchat and Instagram Story." As for where the $3,250 goes ... "$2,250 for the course/$1000 for us to complete the entire course for you."

We contacted Chyna's people, and although they acknowledge they got Christian's pitch, Chyna never hired him and decided to take the course on her own. Christian confirmed that to us as well.

Turns out ... after we posted our story this morning, another social media star also posted her admission letter to the Harvard Business School Online course.

So, Christian may not be Rick Singer -- the guy who got Olivia Jade and Isabella into USC after Lori Loughlin and her husband paid $500k -- but his proposal seems to offer the same underhanded way to succeed in college without really trying.

James Holzhauer -- the "Jeopardy!" contestant winning prize money at a torrid pace -- has a history of breaking the bank ... 'cause he set records on another show called, "The Chase."

TMZ got details about the current "Jeopardy!" phenom's 2014 domination of 'Chase' ... a Game Show Network hit. As is his style, Holzhauer started out hot in the opening "cash builder" round, answering 12 questions correctly -- often before host Brooke Burns even finished asking them.

The 12 right answers for $60k broke the previous record and was never topped in 51 episodes of "The Chase" -- and, get this ... it could have been 13 answers if he was a Jason Mraz fan. You gotta see it.

There's more -- James also set the high mark in "The Final Chase" round by answering 19 questions correctly for his team. This record also still stands.

When it was all said and done, Holzhauer's team of 3 won $175k and split it evenly.

What's interesting ... at one point, Holzhauer was offered a chance by the show's titular "chaser," Mark "The Beast" Labbett, to win more money, and he declined ... opting to take the conservative route.

If you've been watching him on "Jeopardy!" ... you know he likes to bet BIG. James later revealed he crunched the numbers and determined the larger payoff on 'Chase' wasn't worth the gamble.

Holzhauer became the second person in "Jeopardy!" history to surpass $1 million in winnings in non-tournament play Wednesday, and owns the single-show record of $131,127. He also now holds the top 7 daily totals, and is well on his way to catching Ken Jennings, who won a total of $2.5 million over 74 games.

James has done all his damage in just 15 games.

2:24 PM PT -- Barry's friend, Jamie, posted a video from the crash scene taken moments after the accident he dubbed a big disaster. In a separate post showing him in the hospital bed, Jamie says he got lucky with only a broken knee, elbow and wrist. He says Barry's in a much worse condition with a serious chest and leg trauma.

"Storage Wars" star Barry Weiss is attempting to recover from a really bad motorcycle accident that landed him in the hospital with broken bones and other internal injuries ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident went down Wednesday around 2:30 PM in the Los Feliz area where he and another friend were each riding bikes.

We're told a car pulled out from a parking space, apparently without looking, and Barry and his friend slammed into the back of the car. Both went down.

We're told Barry was transported to an L.A. hospital, and he's currently in the ICU, but he's in stable condition. We're told drugs and alcohol are NOT a factor.

Barry, the eccentric and lifelong antique collector, appeared in seasons 1-4 of "Storage Wars" ... often riding in classic cars. He left the hit A&E show and had a short-lived spinoff called, "Barry'd Treasure." BTW, he's also Jesse James' godfather.

It's been a tough year for OG "Storage Wars" cast members. Just last month ... Darrell Sheets was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack.

It took almost 6 years, but Camille Grammer's secured a legal victory over her ex-boyfriend ... in a case involving assault and claims of defamation from both sides.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star came out on top in her civil suit against Dimitri Charalambopoulos Wednesday, after a jury ruled he attacked her in a Houston hotel in 2013 ... and she did NOT defame him by reporting it.

The jury also determined Charalambopoulos defamed Grammer when he went on "Access Hollywood" a month after the incident and claimed she fabricated the story. According to legal docs ... Grammer was awarded $36,000 in damages for the assault.

She was also awarded $25 for injury to her reputation from the defamation. Not a ton o' dough, but a win's a win.

We broke the story ... Kelsey Grammer's ex-wife claimed Dimitri, her boyfriend at the time, brutalized her in October 2013 after the 2 had an argument over a late-night text. A grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to charge him criminally, and he subsequently sued her for defamation.

Camille countersued, claiming her story was true and she has more than enough photos, witnesses and other evidence to establish it ... while tacking on her own claim of defamation.

In the end, the jury sided with her.

2:13 PM PT -- A rep for Harvard tells us, "Harvard Business School Online has not admitted nor provided an acceptance letter to a person named Angela White." We've reached out to Chyna's team -- who provided us with the letter -- but they've gone radio silent.

Blac Chyna is now part of the Harvard University community, and she didn't have to pull an Olivia Jade to get there.

Chyna has been accepted to take a course at the Harvard Business School -- well, the online version ... but hey, it's still Harvard.

The reality star/former stripper got her admissions letter Monday, inviting her to take a course called Business Analytics ... teaching students how to interpret data and make savvy business decisions. The course is a substantial time investment -- 40 hours over 8 weeks.

Chyna posted a lengthy reflection on her life earlier this week, saying, "I am working to be the best me."

Chyna tells us, "Where I'm at now is a stage of realization and growth! I want to be great for myself and my kids. School is going to help me take things up a couple of notches. People are always talking about me, might as well talk about the good. I'm excited for the next chapter."

As for the class -- the material seems daunting. Chyna will learn how to ...

-Recognize trends, detect outliers, and summarize data sets.

-Analyze relationships between variables. Develop and test hypotheses.

-Craft sound survey questions and draw conclusions from population samples.

-Implement regression analysis and other analytical techniques in Excel.

As we reported ... Rob Kardashian and Chyna recently settled their nasty custody war over their 2-year-old daughter, Dream. Rob was paying $20K per month in support, but now he doesn't have to pay a dime ... and the couple splits medical and school expenses -- but not Chyna's school expenses.

So, in a few years, you can hire Kim to defend you, and Chyna to line your pockets.

Kim Kardashian is mired in her studies to become a lawyer, but she's already the recipient of a big award from a legal org.

We've learned Kim and her lawyer, Shawn Holley, will receive the Women Leadership in Law Award next month for their work in getting Alice Johnson freed. The award is also for their ongoing work in the area of prison reform.

Kim and Shawn will receive the award at a conference in Bev Hills, sponsored by 2 of California's leading legal publications ... The California Lawyer and the Daily Journal.

One of the officers from the org wrote to them, "You both are truly inspirational, and your work has been life-changing."

As you know, Kim and Shawn worked closely with Jared Kushner for months, before finally meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office to push for Johnson's release. The 2 women are widely credited for gaining Alice's freedom.

If Kourtney Kardashian turned 40 you wouldn't know it based on her never-aging looks ... but the big giveaway was her HUGE birthday bash populated by her famous friends.

Kourtney celebrated the big 4-0 Thursday night in L.A. in one of the most epic celebrations ever, or at least this month. Kim, Khloe, Kris Jenner, Kylie and Kendall were all there ... as was Kanye and TONS of other celebs ... including French Montana, Paris Hilton and Larsa Pippen. Even her ex, Younes Bendjima, was partying it up.

A bunch of Kourtney's friends also shared some of their best memories of her:

No expense was spared for the swanky shindig ... the Don Julio 1942 bottles were flowing as were the inside jokes inscribed on napkins. If you're a huge fan of "Keeping up with the Kardashians," you know what's up. But, here's what takes the cake ... the damn cake itself!!! It's a massive desert showing off Kourtney's very own cakes.

Robin Thicke and Sia sang Kourtney "Happy Birthday" and a great time was had by all.

Dina Lohan and Jesse Nadler's supposed reconciliation is on shaky ground because she's pissed her online BF -- whom she's still never met -- keeps airing their biz in public.

As we reported ... Jesse says he and Dina e-kissed and made up after a brief breakup, and he bought her an engagement ring, with which he plans to propose ... once they finally meet in person.

A source close to Lindsay's mom tells us ... that might not be the best idea, because she's miffed about a few things. First, we're told she denies they ever had a big blowout fight -- it was more like a small disagreement. She's claiming Jesse reached out to her to smooth it over, not vice versa.

More importantly, the source says Dina doesn't like Jesse sharing their dirty laundry with the media ... social or otherwise. We're told it's especially frustrating because she's still waiting to see if Jesse will ever start a real relationship with her.

Damn. Sounds cold, but she's got a point.

Our source says Nadler seems to have received the message loud and clear -- he told her he's going to send her a ticket to meet him next week, because it's "the right thing to do."

If he does, we're told it will be the first gift he's ever given Dina while they've been dating.

4/18, 8:46 AM PT -- According to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, Lynne is requesting spousal support. She lists their official date of separation as January 19, 2012.

Former 'Real Housewife' Lynne Curtin is giving divorce a second chance ... refiling to break from her husband after snoozing on her first go-around.

Lynne -- a "Real Housewives of Orange County" vet from seasons 4 and 5 -- just filed new court docs to divorce her estranged husband, Frank Curtin. They've been married for nearly 30 years, but clearly hit a rough patch in 2012 ... when she tried this the first time.

That one didn't stick because both parties sat on the case and a judge dismissed the attempted divorce in late 2017. It's unclear why Lynne and Frank took no action in their divorce for 5 years -- it's possible they just ignored it while attempting to work things out, and fully reconciled the marriage.

What is clear with the new filing is that Lynn wants out now.

They have 2 kids together, but they're both adults now ... so there won't be any child support issues.

That's assuming they actually go through with the big D this time.

J Alexander, aka Miss J, is ready to throw support behind Mayor Pete Buttigieg, but wants him to know the LGBTQ community expects his in return ... on every level, with no excuses.

The "America's Next Top Model" coach was at the Strand Book Store in NYC Tuesday when he told us his thoughts on the rising star in the Democratic primary field, who happens to be openly gay.

Miss J believes Pete's got what it takes to win votes -- even from anti-gay voters -- but strongly hopes he does it by continuing to be inclusive and do work on behalf of all LGBTQ folks.

J even calls for his people to "band together" for the South Bend, Indiana mayor, because he believes if they get him in the White House ... real differences can be made.

Meanwhile, Mayor Pete got a dose of homophobia Tuesday in Iowa from a couple of protesters, including one chanting "Remember Sodom and Gomorrah!" You'll recall Pete told us he was prepared to handle these sorts of attacks during the campaign, and he did just that.

Blac Chyna's landlord has major beef with her for allegedly bailing on her lease 5 months early, and even worse ... NOT paying a dime since she bolted.

Chyna just got sued by the landlord for a home in Studio City, CA that she'd been renting since April 2017. In the suit, the landlord says Chyna's lease called her to be there through March 2019 ... but for some reason, she upped and moved back in November 2018.

We're guessing he wouldn't care about her leaving IF she paid the remaining rent. Well, guess what? According to the suit, Chyna owes $55,546 for about 5 months of rent. The landlord subtracted her $25k deposit, but tacked on $18k in damages -- he claims she removed "fixtures and equipment" from the pad.

All told, Blac Chyna is $48,546 in the red ... according to the docs, obtained by TMZ.

3:15 PM PT -- There is ONE bit of good news for Mellie. We found out her Tennessee arrest was dismissed in court about 3 months later ... so, she won't be doing any additional time there.

"Gypsy Sisters" star Mellie Stanley could be sent behind bars for her role in what cops say was a massive coupon scam out of Kentucky -- 'cause she's pled guilty ... and is looking at serious prison time.

According to a court clerk, Mellie pled guilty last week in Fayette County, KY to 2 felonies -- theft by deception and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

The charges stem from a huge coupon scam authorities say Mellie and her hubby were involved in back in 2017 ... in which she was accused of swindling thousands of dollars worth of gear from Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us.

The good news (for her, anyway) -- Fayette County Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Prosecutor Andrea Williams tells TMZ ... 3 other charges Mellie was facing in the bust were dropped per the terms of a plea deal.

That being said, she's still facing the possibility of as much as 5 years in prison for the theft charge alone. On top of that, the Commonwealth says she'll have to pay $23k in restitution.

You might recall ... Mellie was also nabbed in Tennessee in a very similar bust, and that case is still pending. Her Kentucky sentencing hearing is set for June.

Holy baby animals in trouble, Batman!

That's what Dolores Catania was probably thinking when she found an apparently injured bat on an NYC street and stepped up to save the day ... with an assist from our paparazzo.

We got the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star in NYC Monday, shortly after she launched Operation Bat Rescue. Dolores explained her doctor's visit was delayed after she stumbled on the baby bat. She was frantically trying to get someone to take the animal to the nearest bat cave ... AKA some experts to nurse it back to health.

That's where our guy, Jeremy, became her Johnny-on-the-spot. Dolores was in a bind due to a scheduled doctor's appointment (facials ain't gonna do themselves, after all) and begged Jeremy to save the day ... or, at least, the bat.

Dolores, a huge animal lover who always tweets about animal rescues, was outside her doctor's office when she convinced Jeremy to do her bidding. She asked him to take the BAT to a BIRD sanctuary ... which doesn't exactly add up, but beats leaving it for dead.

Watch the clip to see how he got the job done.

BTW, we got this update since the drop-off. Turns out it's a male Eastern red bat.

This little guy was severely dehydrated, but much like your average town drunk ... after getting some fluids, we're told he's doing much better. And, don't worry, Eastern red bats aren't mini-Draculas. We checked ... they eat moths and insects.

Former "Teen Mom" star Ryan Edwards is a free man again ... after spending nearly 3 months behind bars following his arrest for allegedly skipping out on a bar tab.

According to sources at the Hamilton County Jail in Tennessee ... Edwards was released Monday for time served. We're told he was originally sentenced to serve until November, but the judge cut it short. He'd been locked up since late January after cops arrested him for theft of services under $1,000.

We broke the story ... Ryan spent a winter afternoon at Bud's bar in Chattanooga and racked up a $36 bill for 6 Jack Daniel's whiskey, but allegedly walked out without forking over the money.

The bartender called police, who recognized Edwards' face from photos in their Criminal Justice Portal and went and picked him up.

Ryan's mug shot was in the portal for prior offenses ... including drug possession and a probation violation.

Ryan and his wife, Mackenzie Standifer, announced their exit from 'Teen Mom' in 2018 after revealing she was pregnant with their first child. She gave birth to a baby boy in October.

Kim Kardashian's says she's doing her homework to become a lawyer, and it's a daily grind that's turned her family life upside down -- but she insists haters won't discourage her from achieving her dream.

Kim shared a photo of herself hitting the books with attorneys Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney, studying for what she calls California's baby bar exam -- a requirement for anyone studying law the way she is ... as an apprentice with Jackson and Haney's firm.

She says, "For the next 4 years, a minimum of 18 hours a week is required, I will take written and multiple choice tests monthly." Kim's approaching the end of her first year, and says she's hitting the books hard right now to prep for a Torts essay on negligence due this week.

As we reported, Kim plans to take the bar exam by 2022. She's clearly heard the critics who claim she can only do this because of her privilege and money. She fired back, "I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am."

She adds, however, it ain't easy -- saying she studies all weekend and at nights after working all day and putting her kids to bed. She says she's so committed to achieving her dream, she changed her number last year to disconnect and focus.

Kim and Kanye West are THIS close to landing a vacation home out in the desert ... and if all goes well, Kris Jenner will be their neighbor.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kimye are in negotiations for a SICK house in a posh golf community in the Palm Springs area, about 2 and 1/2 hours southeast of L.A.

We're told the 8,728 square foot pad's listed at $7.5 million.

Kim and Kanye scoped out the 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom crib and fell in love with it, so they got down to brass tacks. Nothing's finalized yet but we're told negotiations are well underway.

What's more ... the house -- tucked away in a gated community -- sits right next to a relative ... momager Kris Jenner, who dropped a cool $12 million back in August.

As for Kimye's potential new vacation digs ... it's a beaut, featuring a living room with an open-concept that opens up to the backyard. There are multiple fountains and a giant pool. It's the desert, duh.

There's also tons of privacy, which is HUGE for Kim and Kanye. Remember ... Kanye surprised Kim with a $14 million Miami Beach condo, but he backed out of the deal after realizing it lacked privacy once they were photographed on their new condo's balcony.