You Might Want to Rethink

"X Factor" -- the freshly cancelled singing competition show -- didn't help its chances of survival by booting a contestant who could have become the next Justin Bieber.

17-year-old John Lindahl auditioned for the show back in 2011, and eventually got kicked off in the second round.

Apparently ... Epic Records honcho L.A. Reid -- who was also an 'X Factor' judge at the time -- saw something the show didn't, because he immediately signed the Bieber look-alike to a sweet 5-album deal.

We got hold of the legal docs showing John is getting a $300K advance for his first album, and gets a pay hike for each subsequent album ... which could eventually land him up to $800,000.

Da Brat just got swept up in the immigration mess ... because a juror in her civil trial LIED about being a citizen and now the trial has been derailed and the fraudulent juror is in jail.

The rapper is being sued for allegedly cracking a rum bottle over the head of a former Atlanta Falcon's cheerleader.

One of the jurors is a legal resident of Atlanta but NOT a U.S. citizen. But the dude lied to the judge and swore under oath 3 TIMES he was a full-fledged American.

The judge was LIVID ... berating the juror as he declared a mistrial and then holding him in contempt and then ordering him hauled off to the slammer.

BTW ... the bogus juror cost the county $25K.

Stay tuned for Cheerleader vs. the Rapper ... round 2.

Justin Bieber has just found trouble in Atlanta ... one of his security guards and a driver are under arrest for stealing a photog's camera at a fun house ... TMZ has learned.

Justin rented out an amusement park Tuesday afternoon, and while he was inside, law enforcement tells us a member of his security team went outside to his Escalade and told waiting paparazzi to stay cool because Justin was about to come out.

We're told the security guy got into it with one of the photogs, grabbed the guy's camera and handed it to the driver. The security guy then allegedly jumped in the car and told the driver to take off.

Cops found the Escalade at the home Justin is renting from rap mogul Dallas Austin and they searched it for the camera, which they located inside. We're told the photog followed the vehicle to Justin's house. Police then returned the camera to him.

The guard and the driver were arrested for FELONY theft. The photog valued the camera at $10K.

Law enforcement sources say cops removed 2 backpacks from the Escalade, but one law enforcement source tells us they didn't find any contraband.

3:20 PM PT -- We're told the Escalade has just been TOWED.

Next on WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK! -- rapper-producer Mally Mall's pet serval turns on him ... violently ... and the scary encounter was all caught on tape.

The video was shot last week inside Mall's Vegas compound -- his living room, specifically -- where his pet serval was having some kind of meltdown ... probably because it's a wild animal inside a house ... and Mall sprang into action.

You have to see how it all unfolds -- somehow, Mall calms the cat down ... but not without a couple scratches.

You'll recall ... Mall's the same guy who gave Justin Bieber that monkey a while ago. Pretty wild.

New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton was arrested on gun charges Tuesday ... after his estranged wife ordered her attorney to bring the player's gun to an NYPD precinct.

According to NYPD, Ariane Raymondo-Felton's attorney handed over the semi-automatic Belgian-made pistol late Monday night.

The following morning, Ray turned himself in to police for questioning.

It's unclear at this point why Felton's wife of just 19 months brought the gun to cops. She filed for divorce last week.

The NBA player was eventually booked for two felonies -- 2nd and 3rd degree possession of a firearm -- as well as 4th degree possession ... a misdemeanor.

Felton went to the Manhattan precinct to deal with the gun trouble ... right after the Knicks lost another heart breaker to the Dallas Mavericks.

Al Roker ... who famously crapped his pants at the White House ... took repeated cheap shots at former pal Conan O'Brien ... saying he misses him on "real TV."

Here's the backstory ... Al used to appear frequently on Conan's show back in the day at NBC, but the 2 apparently had a falling out.

So on the Sirius show "Stand Up" with Pete Dominick, Roker got incredibly holier than thou, saying he thought Conan was on "this web thing." Apparently Al doesn't know the web is kinda the future.

Nonetheless ... he then took a shot at TBS, Dominick mentioned that Al had IBS at the White House, and Al dismissively shot back that TBS and IBS are the same thing.

TMZ just got VIDEO OF the "Party Down South" star who was busted Sunday in Louisiana for burglarizing a car ... and it's clear this is not a drunken escapade ... it was coldly premeditated.

Check out Lyle Boudreaux scoping out the car. He seems to know it's unlocked and opens the door without hesitation and makes a beeline for the driver's purse. He then takes her credit card out of her wallet and prances away ... not looking drunk at all.

Boudreaux was nabbed in a nearby bar after using the credit card to buy drinks.

Simon Cowell's two dogs are puppies non grata on the beach in Miami -- the TV mogul was just warned by cops to get them off the sand ... or else.

Simon's been chilling in the sun all day with GF Lauren Silverman and their newborn son Eric -- but despite the beach's explicit NO DOGS ALLOWED rule, he brought along his two Yorkshire Terriers Squiddly and Diddly.

We're told a police officer gave Simon an official warning ... and Simon and Lauren took off soon after.

We almost felt bad for the dogs ... almost.

Former WWE superstar Matt Hardy just played a round of legal "Let's Make a Deal" in Virginia -- stay out of trouble for 2 full years ... and you won't go to jail for beating up your wife.

Hardy and his wife Reby Sky have each pled "No Contest" to assault and battery charges stemming from a violent domestic altercation at a Virginia motel back in January ... in which both Matt and Reby emerged bloody and bruised.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... in exchange for the pair of "no contest" pleas, Hardy and Sky are required to complete an anger management course, pay some court fees and stay out of trouble for 2 years ... and the case will be dismissed.

As for the marriage ... we're told Matt and Reby are still together and plan on staying that way.

Simon Cowell is not a slave to convention ... because his baby did what most don't -- and what some doctors say is dangerous for newborns ... his kid jetted to Miami for some fun in the sun.

As for flying ... there's a risk for mere mortals because of germs --- newborns are fragile because of their developing immune system ... but Simon flies private so it clearly minimizes the risk.

But some docs do advise against any flying because of pressure during the ascent and descent.

"Party Down South" star Lyle Boudreaux celebrated Mardi Gras in true redneck fashion -- in the pokey -- Louisiana cops busted him after he allegedly stole a credit card to fund his drunken revelry.

The police chief in Maurice, LA tells TMZ ... Boudreaux was at a Mardi Gras parade outside of Lafayette when he allegedly went into an unlocked car ... rifled through a purse in the car ... and stole a credit card from a wallet.

We're told Boudreaux tossed the wallet on the ground next to the car ... someone saw the whole thing and contacted the owner. Cops were called ... and found Lyle drinking at a nearby saloon. Cops say he used the credit card to open up a bar tab.

The 28-year-old was charged with burglary of a vehicle ... and eventually released on $10K bond.

Two Texas A&M football players were arrested over the weekend -- a blue chip recruit was detained -- after allegedly making a series of incredibly stupid decisions ... involving weed, booze and parking in a handicap space.

Here's what happened, according to cops.

Isaiah Golden (DL), Darian Claiborne (LB) and Devante Noil (WR) were all inside of a silver Infiniti parked in a handicap space at an apartment complex in College Station around midnight.

According to the police report, an officer approached the car ... and smelled weed. He detained all 3 players, along with another man, and proceeded to search the car.

The cop says he found weed along with a bottle of brandy ... which is a problem since all of the men are under 21.

But during the incident, the officer says Claiborne "became very loud ... complaining that this was going to ruin [his] college football career."

FYI -- Claiborne was recently arrested for allegedly hiding weed and pills in an oversized Hershey's kiss ornament.

The officer says he continued to yell and began "interfering with the investigation" -- so he was arrested for a "noise violation."

Golden was eventually arrested for the weed (cops say he was in possession of 1.9 grams).

As for Noil -- considered one of the top wide receiver recruits in the country -- he was let go.

We called A&M for comment -- and a rep essentially said the players who were arrested will be suspended ... telling us, "In accordance to Texas A&M athletics department policy, anytime a student-athlete is arrested he or she is immediately suspended from all athletic activities."

It's like the prison version of "My Cousin Vinny" -- a random inmate in South Carolina has just prepared legal docs to get Gucci Mane out of jail ... and they're hilarious.

51-year-old Jerry Lewis Dedrick -- who's currently locked up in a Williamsburg federal prison -- has taken it upon himself to get Gucci off gun charges (without Gucci asking) filing a scribbled motion.

To his credit, Dedrick has been spending a lot of time reading -- not like he has other stuff to do -- and claims he's discovered the key to Gucci's case.

Several problems -- first, his argument makes no sense. Dedrick rambles on about how possessing a gun in itself isn't a federal crime.

Dedrick isn't Gucci's lawyer, so he can't file docs on the rapper's behalf. But Dedrick wants the court to forward his legal work to Gucci's lawyer ... hoping it will crack the case.

"Avatar" star Sam Worthington punched a photographer who kicked Sam's girlfriend ... according to NYPD ... and both men were arrested.

Cops say Worthington and his gf Lara Bingle were walking out of a bar in Greenwich Village when the paparazzo went all Bruce Lee on Bingle for some reason ... and that's when Worthington jumped to her defense and punched the guy in the face.

Sam was charged with assault, released ... and given a ticket to appear in court at a later date.

Stoners may frown on smoking a joint covered in ink ... but one Tyga fan says it's possible he may break that rule -- after the rapper jotted his John Hancock on the guys weed-filled zig zag.

Tyga was celebrating the opening of his new store Last Kings Saturday in Los Angeles ... and while snapping pics with fans, one guy asked Tyga to sign his ganja stick.

Afterward ... the guy doesn't quite say he'd never smoke it.

We called doctors across the country attempting to get an expert opinion on what kinda damage smoking ink can have on your lungs.

Katy Perry may have famously kissed a girl and liked it ... but Saturday night in L.A. the singer straight up denied Miley Cyrus when she tried slipping Katy the tongue.

Miley's "Bangerz" tour rolled through the Staples Center last night and Katy was front row ... and when Cyrus spotted her she crawled off stage to go in for a smooch.

The look on Miley's face after being shut down is classic.