Reality TV

Brielle Biermann is scared of her own freakin' shadow ... so excuse her for getting a gun on her birthday to protect herself, which she says there's NOTHING wrong with, so long as you're smart about it.

We got Kim Zolciak's daughter at LAX Monday and asked her about her 21st birthday gift last month. As we reported ... Brielle got a brand new customized Glock 43 complete with a rose gold slide. Perfect timing since she's moving out on her own.

The "American Idol" reboot saw its first train wreck of an audition this weekend, but there was no real Simon Cowell to be found among any of the judges ... try as Katy Perry did.

A woman named Koby -- who's a theater performer -- was the first 'no' Sunday night on the premiere of the new 'AI,' with Katy, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in the judges' chairs.

No offense to the aspiring singer, but her audition was terrible -- and it was the first opportunity for the judges to show their true colors ... and to see if anyone would fill in Cowell's "mean judge" shoes.

Katy did kinda take a crack at it, but she's no Simon Cowell ... as you can see from her feedback. Katy is direct and slightly harsh, telling Koby "You're not a pop star. It's not right." But aside from that, the criticism was relatively mild compared to the good ol' days.

Lionel and Luke also did their best Randy and Paula impressions, but it ain't the real McCoy.

Tristan Thompson had an epic birthday party Saturday night, with the Kardashian klan showing up in force and some pretty famous teammates as well.

The bash went down at Beauty & Essex in Hollywood. Tristan's baby mama -- aka Khloe Kardashian -- was by his side. Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kyle Richards, Jordyn Woods all showed up. Oh, did we forget to mention LeBron?

And what do you get a super rich 27-year-old? Well Luis Vuitton and Maxfield is bound to impress.

Earlier in the day Khloe had a super swanky baby shower at the Hotel Bel Air ... in the Grand Ballroom no less. Kim was there, along with North, Kris, Kendall, Larsa Pippen, Kylie, Kim Zolciak and her daughter Brielle. Kourtney also showed with daughter Penelope.

Khloe's due late this month or early next.

One of the investors on "Shark Tank" says he'd shell out the dough to buy Martin Shkreli's rare Wu-Tang Clan album now that he's going to jail ... but there's a catch.

Our camera guy ran into Fubu founder Daymond John, who tells us he'd absolutely be willing to drop $2 million Wu-Tang album, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" -- but wouldn't just sit on it like Shkreli did ... he'd make his money back by selling it to the public.

It's a smart business move -- the guy's on 'ST' after all -- but the record might not even be up for grabs in the long run. The feds say they'll seize Shkreli's property if he can't pay his victims restitution on the heels of a 7-year prison sentence in his securities fraud case.

One of the stars of "Black Ink Crew Chicago" got cuffed with his whole crew after a cop pulled them over because smoke was billowing out of their limo van.

Phor was arrested in Gary, Indiana last week -- along with 6 others -- and is now facing criminal weed charges.

According to the police report, an officer pulled over Phor's Mercedes limo after he heard loud music and smelled pot. The driver told the cop they were heading to a club in Gary, about 25 miles from Chicago, and said ... "Look bro, I have a celebrity in the back."

Unfortunately for Phor's crew, the cop didn't care, because the driver allegedly didn't have ID or registration for the vehicle and it stunk like weed ... so they were all taken into custody for weed-related offenses.

Ex-"Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" star Althea Eaton won't be prosecuted for smacking her baby daddy, Benzino, upside his head, and she can partially thank Benzino himself for that.

TMZ broke the story ... Althea and Benzino had a domestic dispute a few weeks ago, and things got out of control when she whacked Benzino in front of cops. Althea was promptly arrested and booked for misdemeanor battery.

But, the City Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... the case was rejected because Benzino suffered no actual injuries. Other than, maybe ... his ego. More importantly, we're told Benzino didn't want to press charges.

Tori Spelling and her husband put on a united front -- with 5 mini-me's in tow -- just days after he called cops to check on her.

Tori and hubby Dean McDermott brought the entire brood to break bread at Black Bear Diner Friday in Tarzana ... looking like a close-knit fam bam. It's a stark contrast to what's unfolded in the last 9 days.

TMZ broke the story ... Dean called cops Wednesday to check on Tori after she left home with one of their kids. It's unclear what had Dean so worried. Cops created a huge scene when they tracked down Tori at a doctor's office. They spoke to her and determined a crime hadn't been committed.

'Real Housewife of New York' star Sonja Morgan turned a cabaret revue into a full-on burlesque strip tease when her wrap dress unraveled in front of a packed crowd.

Sonja was dancing backup Thursday night for fellow 'Housewife' Luann de Lesseps during her #CountessAndFriends cabaret in NYC. Sonja was putting down some serious white girl dancing, and seemed like a seasoned, fearless performer. Maybe too fearless.

The dress came undone, her girls came popping out, and through it all ... Sonja did not skip a beat.

Some good news, bad news for the Kardashian family -- they got Alex Rodriguez to coach their family softball game ... problem is, A-Rod tells us he SUCKS at softball!

J Lo's boyfriend showed up at the field Thursday and suited up for Team Kardashian -- aptly named the Calabasas Peaches -- featuring Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kris, Kendall and some other friends including Jonathan Cheban.

They were up against a team in red while cameras rolled for their show. We know Kendall and Kourtney got some practice swings in earlier this week ... we'll have to wait and see if it paid off.

Alex hit up Craig's in West Hollywood after the action where he admitted he's terrible at softball -- but says the game went well.

Tommie Lee's out of jail after turning herself in for an alleged attack on a mall employee last month ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge, but doesn't seem to be sweating it. We got her Wednesday, shortly after she bailed out of Atlanta's Fulton County, and she quickly summed up the case this way ... "It wasn't me."

We broke the story ... a warrant was issued for her arrest for an alleged beatdown of a mall jewelry store employee. Sources close to Tommie tell us she had her bond man pick her up, so she could turn herself in late Tuesday night to get it over with, but she had to spend one night in the slammer.

She was released once she got in front of the judge and posted a $3k bond.

"America's Got Talent" is being sued for the wrongful death of a woman who was injured as she tried to maneuver a motorized wheelchair over cables for the show's taping ... according to the suit.

Maureen Allen was working as a volunteer at the Pasadena Convention Center in March 2017, and 'AGT' was also on the premises preparing for a taping ... according to docs, obtained by TMZ. In the suit, Maureen's estate says a large power cord protector was blocking the only disabled access ramp to the auditorium.

The estate says Maureen tried to roll over the protector, but her front wheel got caught and her scooter flipped on its side ... violently throwing her to the ground. According to the suit she suffered severe injuries to her head, arms, and hip.

She had to be hospitalized, and suffered a stroke the next day. She also had to have hip surgery and remained in declining health for several months. After 8 surgeries she was put on life support in June ... and died shortly thereafter.

"American Idol" contestants have all been staying in an L.A. hotel together and it's a good bet they're keeping other hotel guests up late at night ... because there's been a lot of banging.

Production sources tell us this season is different from all the others, because contestants are not only hooking up, at least 2 of them and possibly 4 are in actual relationships. There have been a number of casual hookups as well.

We're told producers found out about the bangfest and they're okay with it.

Our production sources say in the first run of the show there were never obvious hookups, but they think the batch of young contestants this season is just further proof Tinder is ingrained in their culture.

Maybe one of them will sing a Crosby, Stills and Nash song ... "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."

If there's an upside to having your heart broken and your engagement called off while cameras roll for a half hour, showing the world every excruciating moment ... Becca Kufrin's about to find out.

"The Bachelor" star -- fresh off of facing her former fiance Arie Luyendyk Jr. for the first time since he dumped her to pursue Lauren instead -- now has a second chance to find love as next season's 'Bachelorette' ... and will have 30 or so suitors to choose from.

Chris Harrison made the announcement during the extended "After the Final Rose" ceremony Tuesday night ... and the crowd went wild for the fan favorite.

Becca says despite the dramatic televised breakup with Arie, she's ready to move on, and gave a "hard yes" to being the next Bachelorette.

Good luck, Becca!

Kendall Jenner stepped up to the plate and took a few big swings at family softball practice ... and it looks like she made some solid contact. Kourtney, too.

Kendall doesn't exactly look like Roy Hobbs out on the field, but she does look like she had a blast taking BP and fielding grounders while playing around with her sisters at a ballpark in Canoga Park.

Cameras were rolling on Jenner and the Kardashian gals, so there's a good chance we'll get to see just how much power Kendall's got. We're guessing at least out-of-the-infield.

No sign of Kendall's rumored BF Blake Griffin, but the 2 have been seen a lot less together since he was traded to Detroit at the end of January ... and since his baby mama sued him.

Before the Kardashians, the Osbournes were the first family of reality TV but you won't be seeing them on the tube again any time soon, according to Jack Osbourne.

We had Jack on "TMZ Live" Monday and he told us the family mulled over the idea of bringing back the show which made them a household name in the mid-aughties, but ultimately canned the idea in favor for their upcoming 10-part podcast series which premiered this week.

Jack says the fam thought their old family dynamic would be just too hard to recreate since everyone wasn't living under the same roof anymore, but it also sounds like living in front of cameras took a toll on the family too.

Stevie J wouldn't put up in his child support case ... so he's getting locked up.

The U.S. Attorney Southern District of NY, tells TMZ ... the 'Love & Hip Hop' star will have to turn himself in to authorities April 10 for failure to pay child support. Stevie owes more than $1.3 MILLION in back child support. These cases are usually handled in state court, but the amount owed, the length of time he was in arrears, and the fact that the people involved are in different states all make it a federal case.

The judge also skewered Stevie for ID'ing his probation officer's name on social media.

TMZ broke the story ... Stevie pled guilty for failure to pay child support back in February 2017. He accepted full responsibility and had been ordered to fork over $1,304,835.86. He was also placed on probation for 3 years ... unless he paid off his tab sooner than that.