TV

"Modern Family" creator Steve Levitan's divorce has turned ugly, with his wife running to court trying to get an order blocking him from coming near the family house.

Levitan's wife, Krista, filed for divorce in January, and he now claims her lawyer has adopted a "scorched earth" policy that is ruining his reputation. He says they have so many millions of dollars that will be split there's no need for the animosity that has bubbled to the surface.

But Krista is going full bore, claiming to a judge Steve has been abusive and asking for a restraining order. She says he's come to the family house uninvited and has angrily harassed her.

Levitan denies any abuse, saying in legal docs, "I have never assaulted my wife. I have never threatened to assault my wife. These allegations are abusive, false and an attempt to smear my name and reputation."

The judge denied the restraining order but the case continues.

The video that landed Cesar Millan in hot water -- showing a dog attack a pig during a training session -- could be the very video that sets him free.

Our sources say the L.A. County Dept. of Animal Care and Control is wrapping up its investigation, and believes the video shows Cesar didn't mean the pig any harm. To the contrary, investigators assigned to the case believe the video shows Cesar jumping into action to save the pig.

A key to the investigation is intent, and investigators believe Cesar did not create a scenario in which he deliberately put the pig in harm's way.

As for whether Cesar was negligent, it seems investigators think he was, but they feel it's best handled with a conversation urging corrective action rather than filing animal cruelty charges.

The case will be referred to the L.A. County D.A. next week and prosecutors will have the final word, but we're told the conclusions of Animal Control investigators will almost certainly carry the day.

Krysten Ritter is doing the New Avengers right in a bikini, especially from behind.

The "Jessica Jones" star enjoyed the surf in Cancun looking super hot.

The woman who says late "M*A*S*H" star Wayne Rogers fathered her son is now going after his estate to get the huge sum she says she's owed ... a whopping $3.4 million.

Melinda Naud filed a creditors claim this week against Rogers' estate ... a follow-up to the civil suit she filed back in 2013. Naud claims Rogers begged her to keep it quiet after she gave birth to their kid, Luigi Calabrese, back in 1985.

Naud claims Rogers made a bunch of promises he never made good on before his death, including ... a $500,000 trust, a $1,000,000 life insurance policy, plus college expenses and child support.

Add it all up, and she says it comes to $3,418,000.

"The Bachelor" winner Lauren Bushnell could have fifty thousand new reasons to smile ... and all she's gotta do is slip into some lingerie.

Bushnell's been offered a year long endorsement deal from Yandy.com, an Internet leader in ladies wear. In exchange for being the company spokesperson, we're told Lauren will get a boatload of bras and panties from Yandy's new bridal lingerie line and $50k for her troubles.

Not a bad deal considering the bride-to-be has got some serious wedding expenses coming up in the near future.

It's unclear if Lauren will take the bait, but she's certainly no stranger to accepting things ... just ask all those roses.

Rodger Bumpass -- the actor who voices Squidward Tentacles on "SpongeBob SquarePants" -- won't be spending any time in a pineapple under the sea (aka jail) thanks to a killer plea deal.

Bumpass pled no contest Friday to one driving under the influence charge he got after his arrest back in January. The second was dismissed. Law enforcement sources tell us he blew a .25 ... more than 3 times the legal limit.

As for the plea deal, struck by his high powered attorney Robin Sax -- Bumpass got off with 3 years probation and 9 months of alcohol education.

"Gold Rush" star John Schnabel, one of the great Alaskan gold miners on the Discovery show died Friday morning. He was 96.

Schnabel's family broke the news he passed away peacefully in his sleep, saying ... "He was a true legend."

Schnabel was a military vet who got into gold mining later in life when doctors suggested he keep active after a triple bypass. He became an anchor on Discovery's hit gold mining show -- which focuses heavily on his grandson, Parker Schnabel.

Parker took over responsibilities at the Big Nugget Mine when John's health declined.

#RIP

Courtney Stodden's mom is pissed at the producers of 'Mother/Daughter Experiment' for making it seem like she used Courtney to bait teenage boys -- and she's threatening to sue.

TMZ has learned Krista Keller fired off a letter to Lifetime and 495 Productions ... blasting them for a recently released promo for the reality show that shows Courtney and Krista in a group therapy session. Courtney emotionally claims when she was 12 her mom used her to lure a 17-year-old grocery story clerk. The strong insinuation is mom wanted to bang him.

Keller says that's not how things went down at all, and accuses producers of conspiring with Stodden's husband Doug Hutchison -- with whom Keller has major beef -- to introduce the story line.

Keller says if Lifetime doesn't yank the promo and the episode, she might sue.

Joe Santos, who played Lt. Dennis Becker on "The Rockford Files" has died.

Joe's son, Perry, tells TMZ, Joe had a heart attack at his L.A. home Wednesday and was put on life support. He passed away Friday morning in a Santa Monica hospital.

Joe's career spanned more than 40 years and he was nominated for an Emmy in 1979 for his work on "The Rockford Files." He also had roles on "Magnum, P.I." and "The Sopranos." He was most recently in the movie "Chronic" which was released in 2015.

Joe had two sons and a daughter. He was 84.

R.I.P.

The creator of "Modern Family" makes a fortune. Would you believe $2.4 million? How about $2.4 million a month?

Steve Levitan's wealth is being displayed for all to see in his divorce case thanks to wife, Krista. She's trying to get her cut of their riches and filed the docs to prove he's rolling in dough.

Krista says Levitan's take home is $2,436,543 a month before taxes, and he puts a little more than a million away every month for what seems to be a super impressive savings account.

The papers lay out the family's monthly expenses, including ...

-- $11,849 on clothes ... but only $100 on laundry and cleaning
-- $9,592 on education and another $7,705 on childcare (weirdly, the couple has 3 kids, all adults)
-- $1,901 on beauty and grooming
-- $1,299 on fitness and health
-- $1,333 on pet care

Emmy winning actor Larry Drake, who famously played Benny on "L.A. Law" died Thursday ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Larry had some health problems lately, related to his weight, but nothing acute or terminal ... as far as his rep knew. Sources on scene tell us Larry was found in his Hollywood home by a friend, who called paramedics around 1:30 PM.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Larry won two consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor for "L.A. Law" in '88 and '89. He also starred in the 1990 cult classic, "Darkman."

Larry had dropped out of movies and TV in recent years, but we're told he was an acting coach.

He was 66.

Someone at WNDU in Indiana is blind as a bat ... because they mixed up Frank Sinatra Jr. and Joe Piscopo (as Frank Sinatra on 'SNL') during Wednesday night's newscast.

The mix-up just gives us an excuse to watch this again ...

Cesar Millan wants the world to know he held the bacon when it comes to the pig that was attacked at his training facility -- 'cause the animal's all grown up and healed.

Millan posted the most tranquil appearing clip of the swine tooling around his Dog Psychology Center, and seeming happy as a pig in, well ... ya know. Naturally, the clip has closeups of the pig's ear ... and it does look healed.

Cesar thanked fans for supporting him and said, "the pig has lots of new friends."

You can't help but notice how much bigger the pig is compared to the bloody scene on "Cesar 911." It's unclear how much time has passed since that episode was shot.

The folks suing Mark Wahlberg and The Rock for allegedly ripping off the idea for the HBO show "Ballers" have now put a price tag on the lawsuit ... $200 MILLION.

As we reported, Everette Silas and Sherri Littleton filed the lawsuit in December, claiming there are 27 similarities between "Ballers" and a show they created back in 2007 called "Off Season."

"Ballers" -- a show in which The Rock is a retired football player who becomes a financial advisor -- has been picked up for a second season.

Silas and Littleton claim they brought the idea to Wahlberg, The Rock and their managers in 2009 but the project fell apart over a creative credit. They claim the similarities include

-- Both "Ballers" and "Off Season" are about football players and their lives off-field

-- Both are set in Miami

-- Both center around African-American athletes

Charlie Sheen is pleading (celeb) poverty with his other ex-wife, Denise Richards ... insisting his child support payments to her have to be reduced, just like Brooke Mueller's.

Charlie's filed docs that are almost identical to what he filed nearly 2 weeks ago. Just like Brooke, he says he's been paying $55k per month to Denise. She's been getting that amount since 2009, but now it's too much for him to handle because "my income has drastically declined."

Miss Robbie, the star of "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" on OWN, is mourning the loss of her grandson ... who was shot and killed in St. Louis, and she believes he was set up.

21-year-old Andre Montgomery was found in a house, unconscious with a gunshot wound Monday night. Police say he was pronounced dead on the scene ... and at this point there's no suspect.

Miss Robbie tells TMZ ... the house where Andre was shot had a recording studio, and he was laying down a rap. She's been told that during the recording session, Andre got a phone call to meet someone outside, and when he went out ... that's when he got shot.

Miss Robbie says there is one strong lead in the case -- Andre was staying in a hotel, and on Tuesday morning someone used a key to enter the room. She says Andre's belongings were missing from the room ... but the person who went in was captured on surveillance cameras.

Andre was frequently featured with his family members on 'Sweetie Pie' ... including his high school graduation in 2013, when Miss Robbie was beaming with pride.