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Britney Spears' ex-husband -- not Kevin Federline, the other one -- is back in her life and seems to be shooting his shot for another chance ... he's joining the #FreeBritney movement.

Jason Allen Alexander -- who you may recall was married to Britney for a whopping 55 hours after their wild, 2004 Vegas wedding -- was outside the L.A. courthouse Wednesday where a hearing took place over her conservatorship ... which has been in force since 2008 after her breakdown.

Jason reps himself as a bit of an expert on these conservatorship court proceedings -- though it's unclear why -- and tells us he believes it's long overdue for her to be rid of it ... much like thousands of other Britney fans.

More interesting though, is Jason says he's back in touch with his longtime friend and brief spouse after not hearing from her for a decade ... and suggests he's been heavily involved in major recent developments in her life.

Jason even admits he's there with the hope of rekindling things with Britney -- claiming their marriage was never given a fair chance ... and he's down for a do-over.

As we reported ... Britney's looking to make some big changes to her conservatorship -- mainly, she wants her father, Jamie, to no longer be in charge of it.

Britney Spears wants a change in her 12-year conservatorship but she didn't get it at today's court hearing ... because TMZ has learned it was all status quo.

As we reported, Britney's lawyer filed legal docs asking to permanently replace her dad, Jamie Spears, as the conservator over her person. She also wants a bank or other financial institution to manage her business affairs, along with Jamie. Currently, Jamie is the sole conservator over her business affairs.

Here's the rub ... certain legal docs need to be filed before her issues go before a judge, and that hasn't happened. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Wednesday's court hearing was simply a scheduled status conference and nothing has changed.

Our sources say Britney's problem in this case is that there has been a declaration she's not able to make important life decisions because of her mental illness, so her wishes will almost certainly be tempered by the very fact there is a conservatorship.

Sources connected to Britney say she is not doing well and has not been on an even keel for more than a year.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office is reviewing possible assault charges against Tory Lanez for his alleged involvement in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting ... TMZ has confirmed.

The D.A.'s mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm after Megan said she was shot back in July as she exited the SUV she was riding in with Tory. As you probably know by now ... he was arrested, but only charged with possession of a firearm. Now, it's possible he'll face the additional charge after prosecutors asked the LAPD to further investigate the incident.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us LAPD detectives opened an investigation into Tory in July after he allegedly shot Megan in the foot as she exited his chauffeur-driven SUV on the heels of an argument that erupted inside the ride.

As we reported, sources connected to Tory say there were mitigating circumstances -- and based on what we know ... IF he's charged for it, we believe Tory's going to say it was an accidental shooting.

However, charging him might have gotten a little more difficult because of what Megan said hours earlier on Tuesday.

She posted pics of her gruesome foot injury after the alleged shooting, but in her caption made the point of saying she had her back to the SUV when she was shot in the heel ... which would mean she didn't see who fired at her.

That's something she hadn't previously said, and it potentially complicates the D.A.'s ability to charge an alleged trigger person.

You'll recall ... video of the incident showed cops pulling over the SUV in the Hollywood Hills -- with Tory lying face-down on the pavement and Megan gingerly tip-toeing ... leaving bloody footprints with each painful step.

We broke the story ... Megan's injuries to her feet were so bad she had to go into the operating room to remove bullets or bullet fragments.

As we've told you ... MTS says the ordeal left her "hurt and traumatized."

Uncle Sam is shutting down Jeff Lowe ... suspending his license to show off wild animals at Joe Exotic's old zoo ... at least for now.

A rep for The U.S. Department of Agriculture tells TMZ ... the 'Tiger King' star's exhibitor license for the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park -- formerly known as the G.W. Zoo under Joe's command -- was suspended this week for 21 days.

We're told the suspension is the result of "recent inspections" at the zoo that were less than favorable. As we reported, investigators said several of Jeff's animals appeared to be weak and neglected. There was also a 16-week-old lion cub who was so thin, she could barely stand ... and was immediately taken to a vet.

Jeff called BS on the inspection, but clearly, USDA officials felt strong enough about their findings to pull his license. An exhibitor's license essentially allows a zookeeper to display everything from big cats, bears, primates and other USDA-regulated species. Without it, Lowe can't really run the zoo.

As for his suspension, Jeff says he and his team are confident they will be able to produce evidence to prove his animals are healthy. He also tells us that once he's back up and running, he's putting together a virtual zoo that visitors can access from home to check on the animals.

Britney Spears is looking to make some big changes to her conservatorship -- and she's firmly against her father, Jamie, continuing to run the whole show.

Britney's court-appointed attorney just filed new court docs spelling out Britney's wishes -- she wants Jamie Spears out as sole conservator over her estate and appears to want the woman who since last Fall has been calling the shots to be the permanent conservator over her regular person.

In the docs, the lawyer says Britney "strongly prefers" keeping Jodi Montgomery in the position -- who has been assigned as the temporary conservator over Britney's person for nearly a year now. At this point, she says she wants to put her in that role permanently.

As for her business affairs, Britney's attorney says she doesn't want Jamie to be the only one handling her estate anymore -- which he's been managing exclusively since 2019 when his co-conservator resigned.

Instead, he says Britney prefers a "qualified corporate fiduciary" to manage the business affairs of her estate. But, what's unclear in the docs is if she's okay with keeping Jamie on as a co-conservator at all.

Sources with knowledge of the situation tell us conversations have been had about adding a corporate fiduciary -- which we're told would likely be a bank -- but that the talks have included Jamie staying on as co-conservator of the estate. The wording from Britney's side in the docs isn't clear if she's still open to that arrangement or not.

The docs also say what we told you last year ... Britney no longer wants to perform at this time -- as in, no more Vegas residency. The attorney says a major overhaul in how her conservatorship is run is needed to reflect her current lifestyle and her wishes.

Cuba Gooding Jr. allegedly coerced a woman to his hotel room and raped her before falling asleep and allowing her to escape ... this according to an explosive new lawsuit.

The suit's been filed by a Jane Doe ... who claims Gooding raped her in 2013 at The Mercer hotel in NYC. According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman and her friend met Gooding at a restaurant's VIP lounge on the evening of August 24, and he invited them for drinks back at the hotel.

The woman claims Gooding arranged for a cab to take him and her to the hotel -- and says she planned to meet her friend at the hotel bar -- but once they got to The Mercer ... he asked her to go to his room so he could change.

According to the suit ... the woman was hesitant but Gooding said it would be quick, but once inside the room, she claims he turned on music, blocked the door and began to undress.

Jane Doe says she tried to leave, but Gooding stopped her and forcibly began to sexually assault her with his hands. She alleges she resisted and said "no" several times, but Gooding became physically aggressive and threw her on the bed.

Then, according to the docs, Gooding "aggressively removed Plaintiff’s underwear" and vaginally raped her. She alleges he did not wear a condom and raped her until he ejaculated.

In the suit, she says Gooding went to the bathroom afterward, but as she was attempting to get out of the bed, he returned and raped her again ... this time anally.

She says they both laid in the bed after this as she feared he would rape her a third time, but he fell asleep ... allowing her to leave his hotel room.

Jane Doe is suing Gooding for a "crime of violence" based on gender and seeking damages.

Cuba's attorney, Mark Heller, tells TMZ ..."Clearly, this is a fabricated accusation that was never reported to the police -- and forms no basis for any claim at this point with 7 years having passed."

The murder of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay has been a mystery for nearly 2 decades ... but 2 men are finally in custody for the crime, TMZ has confirmed.

Jay was shot to death on October 30, 2002, in a recording studio in Queens, and now federal prosecutors are indicting  Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. for the crime.

The 2 men have long been suspects, but the feds finally feel they have the goods to prosecute them on charges of murder while engaged in drug trafficking.

Federal prosecutors are expected to announce the charges some time Monday, as was first reported by the NY Times.

Washington is already serving a federal sentence for robbery, and Jordan was taken into custody Sunday.

JMJ, real name Jason Mizell, was just 37 when he was killed.

Fetty Wap's estranged wife wants possession of the rock he slipped on her finger when he proposed, or a fat stack of cash ... but Fetty's saying she's outta luck, 'cause he never owned it.

Leandra Gonzalez filed docs asking a judge to order Fetty to turn over the $60k engagement ring from their failed marriage.

If he doesn't produce the rock, she claims he owes her $37,000 -- the appraised value of the engagement ring. Leandra's arguing it's hers to keep because they went through with the marriage, tying the knot August 3, 2019, in Toronto.

Under the law that's called a "gift in contemplation of marriage" ... and since they said, "I do," she's saying she will take that ring -- but Fetty says there's a catch here.

Fetty's position is he never owned the ring outright when he proposed. He claims he bought the ring on consignment from the jeweler and never ended up paying for it. A few months after the marriage crumbled, Fetty says he snapped up the ring and gave it back to the jeweler.

He is willing to negotiate with Leandra, a little. In docs, the Jersey rapper offers a straight-up trade ... the jeweler keeps the diamond ring, and he will give Leandra HIS wedding band.

Kim Kardashian has her sights set on her next prison case -- saying she's going to put her resources toward helping free a famous rapper who's Master P's sibling ... AKA, C-Murder.

She made the announcement Sunday, noting evidence has been questioned in the case and that eyewitnesses have since recanted their testimony about pinning him to the crime he was convicted of committing, not to mention jurors allegedly being pressured to vote guilty.

Kim writes, "On January 18, 2002 a tragedy occurred when a young man was killed. The next day Corey Miller was arrested for the murder." She went on to say he was convicted on a ruling of 10-2, and that if his trial happened today ... it would have to be unanimous.

She says true justice means catching the actual killer -- C-Murder was accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old at a Louisiana club -- and that in light of these new developments over the past several years, it's time to get him out, or have him retried at the very least.

Right now, C-Murder is serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Kim also says she's teaming up with C-Murder's ex-girlfriend, Monica, in the effort to free him. Monica's been outspoken about the cause for a while -- and now, she has a powerful ally in KK to actually get some movement. Kim's bringing on some high-leverage attorneys.

It looks like C-Murder himself is incredibly appreciative of the love and dedication Monica's shown over the years ... 'cause he shouted her out in a new IG post in light of the news.

He writes, "Moses when they took me I told you go live your life because you didn’t deserve what the system was about to do to me. You still stood for me, without me asking created a team that could change the outcome of a very unfair fate! You been Forever Tru , One in a Lifetime!! @monicadenise got em saying #FreeCoreyMiller."

Joe Exotic still has Carole Baskin on his mind, even from behind bars ... and wants to get involved in the renewed search to find her missing millionaire husband.

TMZ's learned the 'Tiger King' star wants to jump right into the newly launched push to find out what the hell happened to Don Lewis when he went missing way back in 1997 ... and Don's family is welcoming his assistance.

The day after Don's 3 daughters held their news conference announcing a new lawsuit against Baskin and a fresh investigation, Joe reached out offering info from his prior investigations into Carole ... according to John Phillips, the lawyer for Don’s family.

We're told Don's daughters were down to work with Joe, and right now the plan is for him to speak to their lawyer to figure out what, if any, useful info he has for the investigation.

The family announced a $100,000 reward for info that leads them to Don, and as 'Tiger King' fans know ... Joe dedicated years of his life trying to dig up dirt on Carole, as he thinks she played a role in Don's disappearance.

Don disappeared on August 18, 1997, after leaving his Tampa home ... and some folks allege Carole fed him to her tigers. She's denied all the allegations.

Ewan McGregor and his ex-wife have finally reached the end of their divorce case ... and we've learned the actor is parting ways with half of his royalties from the 'Star Wars' prequels.

According to the divorce judgment, the judge signed off on Ewan and Eve's split of the property from their 22-year marriage ... and they'll be splitting royalties and residuals from the projects Ewan worked on during the marriage. That includes FOUR 'Star Wars' movies, which it's fair to say amounts to a LOT of dough.

To give you some perspective, the 3 prequels each earned between $649 million to more than $1 billion -- although it's unclear if his royalties include back end ... a cut of the box office. Of course, he's also starred in "Angels & Demons," "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Moulin Rouge."

According to the docs, Ewan will keep THIRTY vehicles, and Eve gets to keep a $6.62 million L.A. crib ... plus all of her jewelry, some bank accounts, along with a mere 5 vehicles. She'll also get $501,704 in cash to even out the asset split.

Eve will also get base child support of $14,934 per month and base spousal support of $35,868 per month ... plus additional kickers if Ewan earns more money than usual in a given year. The exes are sharing joint legal and physical custody of their 9-year-old daughter, Anouk.

As we first reported ... Ewan filed for divorce back in January 2018.

R. Kelly's alleged manager is facing more legal fallout over what the feds claim are efforts to run interference for the disgraced singer.

Donnell Russell has just been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for an alleged threat to shoot up an NYC theater in December 2018 when the Lifetime documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly," was being screened there.

The feds claim Russell admitted to first sending a cease-and-desist letter trying to end the screening -- but when that failed, prosecutors allege he phoned in the shooting threat ... and successfully nixed the event, which was being attended by a number of Kelly's alleged victims.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us an R. Kelly associate was a person of interest over an alleged threat that came in just 20 minutes before the start of the screening. Russell was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to threaten physical harm and 1 count of threatening physical harm. Each charge carries a max sentence of 5 years in prison. This, of course, is just the tip of the legal iceberg for Russell.

Peter Fonda died because the hospital and doctors that were supposed to treat him failed to do their damn jobs ... so claims Peter's widow in a new lawsuit.

Margaret Fonda is suing Providence Saint Joseph's Health Center in Santa Monica and a number of its doctors, claiming they negligently failed to properly consult, diagnose and treat the late actor.

According to newly filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the hospital and doctors allegedly failed on a score of issues -- such as ordering proper tests, advising him of the necessity of more frequent follow-up tests and recommending he seek treatment from other specialists.

Margaret alleges Peter died due to the hospital and doctors' failure to perform those duties.

TMZ broke the story ... the iconic actor died from lung cancer back in August 2019. He was 79. Margaret is suing for damages.

We've reached out to the hospital for comment, so far no word back.

Harvey Weinstein doesn't want to be dragged to Los Angeles to face further prosecution for alleged sex crimes ... because he's already serving a 23-year sentence in New York and feels a trip to an L.A. jail would be a death sentence because of COVID.

The L.A. County D.A. wants Weinstein extradited to Los Angeles for another sexual assault trial, but Weinstein's lawyer, Norman Effman, tells TMZ ... he's gonna fight the move.

Effman says his client's health would be at serious risk if he's transferred to L.A. -- where coronavirus cases have been surging -- especially the county's jail system which has been plagued by COVID-19 outbreaks.

As you may recall ... Weinstein tested positive for the virus in March and recovered, but his lawyer says that's no guarantee he's immune now.

Effman points out the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York -- where Weinstein's currently locked up -- has had a low infection rate and zero COVID deaths.

So, he argues, there's no reason to send Weinstein from a relatively safe environment to a dangerous one.

Effman says Weinstein's not fighting extradition altogether ... he just wants to wait until the conditions are safer. The coronavirus outbreak already delayed his extradition back in May. A hearing's set for this week to address the issue again, but it's clear ... Weinstein won't go quietly.

Weinstein was sentenced in March to 23 years in prison in New York after being convicted of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

He's still facing 5 felony charges in L.A. -- sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape, sexual penetration by use of force, sexual battery and forcible oral copulation.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s lawyer is making what sounds like, on its face, an odd argument in his sexual assault case -- claiming women with small breasts tend to be delusional.

The actor and his legal team appeared in a Manhattan courthouse Thursday for a preliminary hearing in his trial, and things took a strange turn when one of his attorneys argued a woman's negative feelings about her breasts can directly affect her perceptions of reality ... specifically when it comes to sexual assault.

Now, some context -- the attorney, Peter Toumbekis, raised this because one of Gooding's accusers once blogged about women's self-esteem and body issues. It seems he used her words as a jumping off point for his theory ... but it's a risky, if not straight up offensive, legal maneuver.

There was no jury present today, but if Gooding's team uses that tactic later in trial ... it might backfire. Suggesting an accuser misperceived something as sexual assault due to the size of her breasts could easily be seen as victim shaming to a jury.

Reporters asked Gooding about it as he exited the courtroom, and he only removed his face mask to reveal a Black Lives Matter symbol. He didn't say a word.

As we reported ... there are at least 22 women who have accused the actor of sexual misconduct. Back in October, Cuba pled not guilty to 6 sexual abuse charges.

TMZ obtained security footage of an alleged butt-touching incident that relates to 2 of the 6 counts he's facing. Remember, Natasha Ashworth had claimed he pinched her butt while walking past her at TAO in NYC back in October 2018.

There's also the June 2019 incident ... in which a woman accused Cuba of groping her thigh and breast while at the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge in NYC.

Gooding's other attorney, Mark Heller, tells TMZ ... the strategy for their opening statement to the jury will be to play video they believe shows absolutely no crime was committed.

Nick Cannon is NOT planning to file a $1.5 BILLION lawsuit against ViacomCBS for the rights to his show "Wild 'N Out" ... he says those reports are fake news!!!

Nick's reps are clearing the air after reports surfaced this week the comedian was going to sue the media conglomerate over the rights to his hit improv comedy series.

As you know, Viacom severed all ties with him due to anti-Semitic comments on his podcast, "Cannon's Class"

Nick's team tells TMZ the reports of a forthcoming lawsuit are inaccurate. His reps say Nick is focusing on bringing people together and fighting bigotry, racism and hate. They claim a huge payday is the last thing on his mind.

Viacom is MTV's parent company, home to Nick's 'Wild n' Out' gig, and some folks figured Cannon would take legal action to assume control of his creation ... but he says it ain't happening.