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A former prosecutor and super lawyer who reps celebs like Jay-Z and Mick Jagger now has a new client -- the family of Carole Baskin's first husband who wants him to crack the case.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Alex Spiro has been retained by the family of Don Lewis to investigate his disappearance back in 1997.

Our sources say Spiro's goal is to get to the bottom of the Lewis mystery before "Tiger King 2" drops.

Spiro has the chops to figure out what happened to Lewis. As a prosecutor, he was involved in the case of serial killer Rodney Alcala. He's also investigated the cold case of Robert Durst's first wife. His client list is long and impressive. Aside from Jay-Z and Mick, Spiro's clients include DeMarcus Cousins, Charles Oakley, Thabo Sefolosha and Julian Edelman.

We're told he's in the gathering evidence phase and has already interviewed a key witness who turned over information our sources call "key."

The Sheriff in the area where Don was last seen is convinced he was killed and has been investigating, but so far, no results.

Our sources say Lewis' family wants Spiro to identify a possible murderer and turn the information over to prosecutors.

As you know by now, a lot of people think Carole Baskin was involved in Don's disappearance ... something she has strongly and consistently denied. Don's assistant told TMZ the day he disappeared he told her he was filing for divorce and moving out of the country.

Carole Baskin's stepping up to try to rescue the tiger that got loose in a Houston neighborhood last weekend ... and punish the people allegedly involved in the transfer of the exotic animal, said to be a male named India.

The 'Tiger King' star's Big Cat Rescue in Tampa is offering a $5,000 reward "to the person responsible for the immediate, safe hand over of India the Tiger to a sanctuary that is accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries."

Carole tells TMZ she's very worried about the tiger's well-being considering "the owners of the tiger have shown a serious lack of responsibility so far."

Baskin stipulates that in order to get the cash reward, whoever has India and turns him in must work with law enforcement, and those efforts must be "sufficient to convict both buyer and seller involved in the transfers of the tiger."

She adds that India would not be coming to her Big Cat Rescue, but another accredited big cat sanctuary that would provide lifetime care.

As we reported ... police arrested a man named Victor Hugo Cuevas for evading police after they say he's the guy who was seen on video wrangling the tiger Sunday -- after it was nearly shot -- and later hauling it away in a white SUV.

However, Cuevas' lawyer denies his client is the tiger's owner and claims they don't know where India is ... and says Houston PD's made some false assumptions about the situation.

Victor's lawyer also stated they believe the true owner of the tiger is a man in his mid-30s, identified only as "Deandre" or "D."

Carole Baskin is putting Ted Cruz and John Cornyn on blast over the tiger that got loose in Texas, saying the Senators could have prevented it if they'd done their jobs in Congress.

The 'Tiger King' star squarely put the blame on the Lone Star state's Senators Wednesday morning ... saying exotic cat crises have become too common in TX. Earlier this year, there was another loose tiger in San Antonio, and a couple was also arrested there for having a tiger cub and a bobcat.

Carole says Cruz and Cornyn screwed up because the Senate failed to bring the Big Cat Public Safety Act to a vote in the Senate last year, after the House passed it.

The bill would prohibit cruel activities associated with the big cat trade but, more specifically, it would ban private individuals from possessing lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these species.

Carole told CNN she hopes the senators change their tune this time around. The House reintroduced the bill earlier this year and, once again, it's back in the Senate's hands. So far, it has bipartisan support, and Carole says she hopes Cruz and Cornyn act this time around.

As we reported, the loose tiger this week in a Houston suburb was nearly shot by a neighbor who happened to be a cop. The owner of the tiger eventually showed up and stuffed the animal into a Jeep and fled before cops arrived.

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe says he received a creepy, anonymous letter from someone indicating they know where Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband is ... though it's similar to a theory she's already shot down.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the letter was sent to his Tiger King Park in Oklahoma in May 2020, but the envelope only had the zoo's address on it, no name or return address. He says all they know is it was postmarked in Providence, Rhode Island.

As you can see in video of Jeff and his wife, Lauren, opening the letter back then ... it contains a single piece of paper with a handwritten note -- "The corpse lies under Her House." It's signed by "The Faithful Witness."

We're told Jeff and Lauren were speaking with a federal agent about the letter, and she claims she also informed law enforcement in Hillsborough County, FL ... where Don Lewis went missing in 1997.

Jeff and the agent on the phone speculate about what exactly the letter is alleging, but the gist seems clear ... the person who sent it believes Don's body is buried somewhere on Carole's Big Cat Rescue property in Tampa.

Here's where things get a bit weird -- even though Lauren says Hillsborough County authorities requested the letter in May 2020 ... Jeff refused, saying 'Tiger King 2' producers advised him to hold onto it.

Jeff says filming's wrapped now, so they are finally sending the letter to the Hillsborough County authorities, where he claims cops are planning to test it for DNA and fingerprints. We reached out to the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office, they say they won't talk about evidence.

As we previously told you ... there's a Facebook group that also believes Lewis is buried on Baskin's property -- specifically under a septic tank system -- but she posted a video in August 2020 attempting to debunk that.

There could be one less award show next year if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association doesn't get its act together, 'cause Tinseltown is threatening to not play ball anymore.

You mighta heard about the drama this week with the HFPA -- a non-profit made up of int'l journalists who put on (and vote for winners of) the Golden Globes each year. They've been under a barrel lately due to a major lack of diversity in their ranks -- and after coming out with a new plan to increase membership among POC ... they're still getting torched.

Netflix and Amazon spoke out over the past couple days and said ... they're not participating with anything HFPA puts on until they expedite this reform process beyond what they're already planning, which they say isn't doing nearly enough to address their issues.

Ditto for Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo -- who are saying the same thing ... specifically calling on their peers to "step back" from HFPA (and the Golden Globes by extension).

ScarJo's statement is especially harsh, as she alludes to sexual harassment issues the org has apparently fostered over the years, even invoking the name of Harvey Weinstein.

She told Variety, "As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences."

ScaJo adds this ... “The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole."

If you're unfamiliar with what all the fuss is about -- HFPA was reported to have had ZERO Black members for several years now, something the hosts of this year's Globes show -- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler -- lampooned over and over during the NBC broadcast in February.

Some high-profile members even trotted out during the show and committed to "doing better" ... but their current goals are pretty weak, according to the movers and shakers, who are the lifeblood of the Globes to begin with. Without studios or talent, there's no show.

Here's what HFPA plans to do ASAP -- admit 20 new members with a focus on Black recruitment, increasing membership by 50% over 18 months, losing the "must live in SoCal" requirement, opening membership to journos beyond print, no more promo gift handouts, a stricter code of conduct for press junkets and hiring a managing staff ... like CEOs and stuff.

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe's got trouble with the feds again ... but this time he says they're actually hauling animals out of his zoo.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the authorities executed a search and seizure warrant Thursday morning at his Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma and began taking animals away, which he believes is a violation of his constitutional rights.

He says the feds are refusing to tell him exactly what's going on, but according to the warrant ... they're taking animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. We're told the warrant was issued by a federal judge this week in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Jeff sent us video from the scene, where he says the feds are hauling away one of his liligers ... an animal he claims is NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act. BTW, a liliger is the offspring of a male lion and a female liger ... a lion and a tiger.

Jeff's wife Lauren is heard saying the feds are taking all of the zoo's hybrid animals, and she's concerned they are all going to be spayed or neutered.

Jeff tells us, "This is why Lauren and I are moving overseas to take over an animal refuge there. 'Tiger King' made the USDA look so incompetent that they have a vendetta against everyone that was featured on the show."

We broke the story in January that the feds were coming after Lowe's big cats at his park, allegedly over an unauthorized euthanasia of a tiger cub. According to legal docs at the time ... the authorities made it clear they wanted to seize all of Jeff's big cats that were a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

Love County Sheriff William Grisham tells us his office was alerted the feds would be executing a search and seizure warrant, and he was present for it. He says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was the lead agency, but the USDA was also there during the seizure of the animals.

Sheriff Grisham says the warrant was for 8 big cats, but he believes the feds only took 4. However, Jeff tells us they seized 6.

A movie about Dionne Warwick's incredible life could be collateral damage in film and theater producer Scott Rudin's workplace bullying scandal ... because biopic talks are on pause following the allegations against him.

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ ... Rudin reached out to Dionne's team earlier this year after the singer playfully tweeted a pitch for a Netflix series about her life and career, but the Hollywood honcho had a movie in mind instead.

We're told Scott first met with Warwick's son to present his vision for the biopic -- something in tune with "The Social Network," another film he produced about a famous person -- then spoke with Dionne directly and they all agreed ... he was the right man for the job.

Our sources say since January, Rudin's been working on developing the movie and had even begun hiring writers, but before he and Dionne's team could ink a deal ... the story broke about Scott allegedly abusing his employees.

ICYMI ... Rudin's been accused of mistreating and bullying staffers for years. The allegations include sexist and racist behavior, as well as claims that he threw items -- like glass bowls and potatoes -- at his colleagues and assistants, causing injury.

In light of that news ... we're told Dionne and her team have backed away from the deal with Rudin for now, and are waiting to see how things pan out. We've reached out to Scott's team too ... so far, no word back.

Jeff Lowe claims Carole and Howard Baskin are spying on him with drones, and when he went to confront them, a fight allegedly broke out with his neighbors and the cops had to respond.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Lowes called cops Tuesday morning to report a disturbance at their property in Thackerville, and when deputies showed up they discovered Jeff had gotten in a fight with a neighbor -- not Carole and Howard.

Jeff says it all started when his son saw a drone flying over the zoo, and when he went to investigate he claims he saw Carole, Howard and his neighbors, a couple, hanging with a film crew.

The way Jeff tells it ... the Baskins and his neighbors took off when they saw him, and when he tried to stop a car leaving the neighbors' property -- thinking Carole might be inside -- the neighbors' son got out and they tussled.

Our law enforcement sources say Carole was in the area, but was not on Jeff's property and she broke no laws.

Howard tells TMZ ... they were flying a drone in the area to monitor conditions at the zoo, and he says the initial drone footage shows a significant amount of what appears to be stress-related or "stereotypic" pacing among the animals.

Carole's husband says they had a film crew there to record what they were doing, and the Baskins were visiting with Lowe's neighbors for a different reason altogether.

Jeff claims it was the neighbor's son who started the fight, throwing coffee at his car and pushing him. However, Howard claims Jeff started the fight with the neighbor's son ... he says Jeff attacked unexpectedly and dragged the guy to the ground.

The incident is far from over ... our law enforcement sources say the police report will be sent to the local District Attorney, who will determine whether Jeff or the man he was fighting will be charged.

Hardcore "Cobra Kai" fans listen up ... if ya wanna live in Daniel LaRusso's mansion now's the time to act 'cause the crib just hit the market.

First thing's first ... the 6-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom home is NOT in Encino, CA. It's actually in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, GA. That, of course, means tons of sprawling land for the lucky buyer who can plunk down $2.65 million.

The 9,214-square-foot home sits on a 1.1-acre lot. The so-called Villa Flora mansion features a Tuscan design ... inspired by the owners' trip to Italy.

True "Cobra Kai" fans know about the house brawls that were filmed at the crib for the Netflix series ... but for those who want a bit more history check this out -- according to the listing, the house has hosted some distinguished guests ... including 2 former U.S. Presidents and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.

Colton Underwood's coming out story is not only going to be covered in a new reality show ... it may inspire a major change in the reality show that made him famous.

'Bachelor' production sources tell TMZ ... Colton's been getting a lot of support not just from former cast members and Chris Harrison, but also from many producers of the popular dating series.

We're told a number of producers were moved by Colton's revelation, and they've informally talked over the last few days amongst themselves about a gay 'Bachelor' season.

Our sources say the bigwigs on the show haven't weighed in and there has been no formal discussion, but creative ideas for TV shows typically begin with shop talk among producers and other staff, and that's happening now.

We have no idea whether Colton would be interested, but we do know this ... there's a lot of love for him in the production offices of the show. We're told many people on staff cheered Colton as he revealed to Robin Roberts he's hidden the fact he's gay for most of his life.

Colton is not under contract with "The Bachelor" anymore. We're told he booked the interview on his own and chose Robin because he's appeared with her in the past and felt comfortable with her. Nevertheless, we're told Colton called producers the night before his interview aired and gave them the heads up.

We broke the story ... Colton's been filming the past few weeks with a Netflix crew for a new reality series chronicling his journey as a newly out gay man.

Colton Underwood coming out as gay comes with a TV deal ... his new journey's being shot for a reality series.

TMZ has learned the former 'Bachelor' star has had a film crew following him for the past few weeks, and the show -- focusing on his life as a gay man -- will air on Netflix.

We're told several other prominent members of the LBGTQ+ community have been in Colton's corner throughout this process -- such as his friend, Olympian Gus Kenworthy -- and will make appearances alongside him in the series.

As we reported ... Underwood opened up about his sexuality, revealing he's gay to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America."

He said ... "I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time ... and I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know."

Colton says his struggle with being gay got so bad that he contemplated suicide, but fortunately he had an epiphany ... and decided to take control of his life.

We reached out to Colton's rep ... so far, no word back.

Paul Blart: NFL coach!?

Kevin James is all set to play New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in an upcoming Netflix project ... and it's all based around the fallout from the infamous "Bountygate" scandal.

Remember, Payton was suspended for 1 year after the NFL found Saints defensive players were getting cash payouts from 2009 to 2011 for targeting and injuring opponents during games.

But, the movie doesn't sound like a dark look into the violent side of the scandal ... it's reportedly based on Payton's decision to focus on coaching his son's youth football team during his time away from the league.

The movie is being produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions -- so it seems the flick will be a lighthearted, family-friendly depiction of the situation ... despite the heavy and despicable nature of the suspension in the first place.

The movie is titled "Home Team" ... and Payton is reportedly heavily involved, according to Peter King -- who says Payton received a copy of the script and actually submitted a round of notes to producers.

In real life, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was FURIOUS with Payton and the Saints for the scandal -- saying it gave the league a serious black eye.

An NFL investigation found that Payton both knew about the bounty situation AND made efforts to conceal it from the league during subsequent investigations.

One of the players who had a bounty on his head was Brett Favre -- who got the snot beat out of him during the 2010 NFC Championship game. The beating he took that day was exceptionally violent.

The NFL ultimately found Payton failed to "act in a responsible manner" to shut down the bounty scheme and suspended him for the entire 2012 season.

During his suspension, Payton helped out his son's 6th-grade youth football team.

According to Peter King, Payton used the suspension to "re-assess his life and put it in some perspective" -- and that will serve as the theme for the upcoming movie.

There is already some backlash on social media from people who are afraid the movie will paint Payton as some sort of hero. Then again, people can change ... right?

DOMINATION!!!!

The Netflix-famous Navarro College cheer squad just straight-up CRUSHED their routine at Daytona on Friday ... in hopes of adding yet another national championship trophy to their collection.

The Bulldogs are looking to secure top honors at the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship on Friday ... after performing a near-perfect routine.

If everything goes in the Bulldogs' favor, it'll be Navarro's 15th national championship -- and its third since 2018.

Of course, the Navarro cheer team blew up on the scene following the premiere of the docuseries, "Cheer," in early 2020 ... which followed their quest for a 14th championship in 2019.

Navarro's hopes of defending their title in 2020 were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic ... but despite a year off, there was no rust detected!!!

The team was once again led by coach Monica Aldama and returning star Gabi Butler, who was prominently featured on the show.

Will a trophy-wielding sprint into the ocean be on the horizon?? Awards will be announced in just a few hours.

Stay tuned ...

Tim Stark -- famous for being one of the animal park staffers on 'Tiger King' -- threatened to take his own life after taking a loss in court ... and now police are involved.

Here's the deal ... Tim went on Facebook Live Wednesday night after an Indiana judge banned him from owning animals, and made several threats against himself and anyone coming to his property.

As you can see in the video, Tim shows what appears to be a syringe attached to his arm, which he claims is filled with drugs used for euthanasia.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police are aware of the video and they contacted Tim Thursday to investigate the incident. At this point, they say he is fine, but add ... they'll continue monitoring his Facebook for any possible criminal activity.

The suicide threats are alarming and so is this -- law enforcement tells us Tim threatened to potentially shoot anyone who comes to his home. Cops have not yet made physical contact with him.

"Never Have I Ever" star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is raking in the Netflix dough ... she made a cool six figures for the first season, and there's a substantial raise in her future.

The 19-year-old actress is off to a strong start in Hollywood after landing the starring role in Mindy Kaling's Netflix series. According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Maitreyi banked $20,000 per episode in the first season alone.

Maitreyi really hit the jackpot when Mindy selected her from the 15,000 actors who answered the show's open casting call ... because with 10-episodes in the can for the first season, she earned at least $200k.

"Never Have I Ever" has been picked up for a second season, thanks in part to Maitreyi's breakout performance ... and the contract says she's getting a 5% raise, which works out to $21k per episode.

Netflix says the upcoming second season will again consist of 10 episodes, so Maitreyi should bank at least $210k when the dust settles ... and that's before her cut from any merch deals and other compensation under the deal.

Jeff Lowe is moving forward with his plans to auction off an "official" Joe Exotic NFT collection ... despite legal pushback from the 'Tiger King' himself.

Here's the deal ... Jeff and his wife, Lauren Lowe, recently announced an auction of non-fungible tokens featuring Exotic and the rest of the 'Tiger King' stars and it seems to have caught the attention of Joe's legal team.

Exotic's attorneys fired off a legal letter to Jeff and Lauren, obtained by TMZ, claiming the couple does not have legal standing to sell the NFTs ... and demanding they call off the auction or risk financial and legal ramifications.

Lauren tells TMZ ... she and Jeff are still pressing on with the auction despite Exotic's legal threats.

She says they will defend their position that they're the only entity in the U.S. that holds the 'Tiger King' trademark, which Lauren claims Joe signed over to them way back in 2016.

The auction goes live Thursday at 5 PM ET with the bidding running through 5 PM ET Sunday ... so the clock is ticking for either side to blink.