That's right gang, your co-worker on the J.O.B has landed a "Dream Job" somewhere else in the good ol' USA. More details to come...

Levert's Death in Jail Ruled Natural Causes

Posted May 29th 2008 1:07PM by TMZ Staff

An Ohio coroner has ruled that the death of R&B singer Sean Levert in a Cleveland jail was due to natural causes.

Levert suffered from a litany of different aliments, including heart disease and high blood sugar. He was only 39.

Levert was taken to the hospital after he collapsed while in restraints at the Cuyahoga County Jail. The coroner's report indicates no foul play or trauma was involved in his death.

R. Kelly Tries to Pee on Witness Parade

The big bombshell witness in the R. Kelly trial was supposed to take the stand yesterday, but the defense threw a last-minute curveball to derail her.

Just before the woman was supposed to testify, reports the Chicago Tribune, the Happy Urinator's lawyers said they had an 11th-hour witness who might undermine the prosecution's big gun. It wasn't clear how the mystery witness might change the case.

And now, at long last, the woman who will claim to have had a threesome with Kelly and the alleged victim will take the stand.

--And she'll supposedly say that one of Kelly's attorneys actually tried to have her ARRESTED at one point. (--The defense is expected to argue that the woman was trying to EXTORT Kelly.)

--Defense attorneys had not mentioned this surprise witness before because they DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT HIM. They told the judge that he just called them, out of the blue, at 9:00 A.M. that morning . . .

--. . . and he was expected to get on a plane and arrive in Chicago by 6:00 P.M. last night.

--The judge decided to put everything on hold until both sides had a chance to depose the new witness.

--It's not clear whether testimony will resume today . . . but both sides are expected to take care of this as soon as possible.

(--The whole "surprise witness" thing happens a lot more on TV and in the movies than it does in real life. In an actual court, you can't just throw a witness on the stand without letting the other side know, in advance, what he or she plans to say.)

(--That's why the judge decided not to let the prosecution put their witness on the stand. Knowing what this surprise witness will say could very well change how they question their key witness on the stand.)

You think that's wild???

CaddySmacked? Murray's Wife Claims Abuse

Posted May 29th 2008 9:48AM by TMZ Staff

Bill Murray's wife says he's no joke -- she's filed for divorce, alleging he's a sex and drug addict, he abandoned her, cheated and physically abused her.

Jennifer Butler Murray, Bill's wife of ten years, filed court documents on May 12 in a Charleston, S.C. family court. The couple has a home in the area.

In documents obtained by the Charleston Post & Courier, Jennifer is asking a judge to issue a restraining order that will keep Bill away from her home. She's also asked the court to determine if the couple's $7 million pre-nup is valid -- according to the agreement, Jennifer gets the big pay day if they divorce.

According to court docs, Jennifer and the couple's four children moved out of the family home in 2006 because of what she says was her husband's "adultery, addiction to marijuana and alcohol, abusive behavior, physical abuse, sexual addictions and frequent abandonment." The docs also say the star "hit his wife in the face and then told her she was 'lucky he didn't kill her' " and that this happened more than once during their marriage. Holy Groundhog's Day!

Griffin Accuser Says Eddie's "Drunk All the Time"

Posted May 28th 2008 3:19PM by TMZ Staff

The man who claims Eddie Griffin assaulted him spoke out to TMZ about the messy ordeal.

Vince Beane says the day Eddie hit him, the actor had already consumed half a case of champagne. He also says that even though he was completely humiliated, producers for the show he was working on told him to shake the assault off.

Keith Davidson, Vince's attorney, says that Beane just wants to bring the situation to justice and get compensation for medical bills.

"BEVERLY HILLS COP 4" IS IN THE WORKS:

EDDIE MURPHY is pulling Axel Foley out of mothballs for "Beverly Hills Cop 4". BRETT RATNER . . . the guy who does the "Rush Hour" movies . . . is in negotiations to direct.

--The last installment in the franchise, the cleverly-titled "Beverly Hills Cop 3", came out in 1994.

(--So in just the last few years, we've had a fourth "Indiana Jones", a fourth "Rambo", a fourth "Die Hard" and a SIXTH "Rocky". Is Hollywood really that hard up for inspiration???)

(--And since when did the nostalgia business become so HUGE??? Seriously. We can blame the movie studios all we want, but the truth is, audiences don't seem to respond to anything new anymore.)

Purple haze all in my brain...

50 CENT IS DOING A SHOW THAT'S BEING DESCRIBED AS A HIP-HOP VERSION OF "THE APPRENTICE":

50 CENT is doing a show with MTV that's being described as a hip-hop version of "The Apprentice". Sixteen contestants will live together and compete in challenges that, quote, "relate to street savvy and business smarts".

--By the end of the show, 50 will select one contestant as the next "street-smart business mogul".

(--One difference between this show and "The Apprentice" is that when 50 wants a contestant gone, he doesn't "fire" them . . . he fires AT them. HI-YO!!! I'll be here all week. Lucky for you, the week's almost over. Hi-Yo again!!! I even got it when I'm giving it to myself!!!)

Naomi Charged with Being a Bag Hag

Posted May 29th 2008 8:45AM by TMZ Staff

Naomi Campbell has just been charged with beating the crap out of two coppers during that "luggage rage" incident at Heathrow back in April.

The superthrottler will face five charges -- three counts of assaulting a constable, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of using threatening words -- stemming from the incident. The assault charges could mean up to six months in the slammer.

Her UK lawyer says she's "bitterly disappointed" at being charged -- quick, hide the Blackberries -- but respects the court's decision. She'll be back on June 20 to appear in west London magistrates' court.