Shameless

Most kids are looking forward to a weekly allowance, but Amirah Johnson, who plays Xan on "Shameless," is getting close to some huge paydays ... 'cause her immediate future is filled with stacks of cash.

According to Amirah's minors contract -- obtained by TMZ -- the 11-year-old will earn $10,000 per episode in season 10 ... and she's guaranteed pay for at least 7 eps.

Do the math ... that's upwards of $70k for Season 10 alone!

Amirah joined Showtime's hit series in season 9 ... and, if her role continues past season 10, she gets 4 percent raises and guarantees of at least 7 episodes each season. If she's still on the show for season 16, Amirah will be raking in $12,653 per episode!

We're guessing there's a good chance Xan sticks in the storyline ... 'cause on paper, it looks like Showtime is investing in a fresh face as it navigates Emmy Rossum's impending departure.

Congrats, Amirah, don't spend it all in one place.

Emmy Rossum -- arguably the leading star of the TV show "Shameless"-- just announced her departure after nine seasons ... but didn't give any clear reason why.

The actress -- who plays William H. Macy's daughter, Fiona Gallagher, on the Showtime hit series -- posted a lengthy statement on Facebook Thursday, saying she was leaving her role after season 9 ... which begins airing next month. She's been on since it first aired in 2011.

Emmy says being part of the crew gave her a sense of family and continuity that she hadn't experienced as a working actor beforehand, and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to play such a well-known character ... adding "the last eight years have been the best of my life."

Still, she doesn't offer a clear explanation of why she's leaving the show -- but does say not to think of her as gone ... but "just think of me as moving down the block."

There was a big controversy a couple years back when Emmy demanded equal pay to Macy -- which eventually got resolved privately. She reportedly held up production for the next season before coming to terms with Warner Bros. Television on a new deal.

Unclear if this sudden exit has anything to do with that, but one thing's for sure ... Fiona's gonna have to get written out somehow if they want the Gallaghers to keep on living in dysfunction.

Ethan Cutkosky -- who plays one of the troubled Gallagher kids on "Shameless" -- is in a lot less trouble after his DUI charge was dismissed ... TMZ has learned.

Ethan's lawyer, Troy Slaten, tells us ... the Burbank City Prosecutor agreed to drop the DUI charge from his November arrest in exchange for Cutkosky pleading to a lesser charge of reckless driving.

We're told Ethan was sentenced to 2 years of informal probation ... he's already settled a $250 fine.

We broke the story ... Ethan was arrested for DUI after cops allegedly smelled marijuana in his car during the stop. But Slaten tells us, "Any allegation of alcohol or drugs being involved was dismissed. It was a good, fair result today.”

Score one for Carl Gallagher.

Here's an odd pairing -- '80s rock stars, current TV stars and possibly you ... hooking up to protect farm animals. Any takers?

The celebs are auctioning off meet-and-greets to raise funds for a NY based nonprofit called Farm Sanctuary -- and they've got quite a stable of talent.

Joan Jett, Richard Marx and Mary Chapin Carpenter are on board -- along with Mayim Bialik from 'Big Bang Theory,' Emma Kenney from "Shameless" and "Downton Abbey" star Lesley Nicol.

The music stars are throwing in concert packages, and there's some other cool memorabilia up for auction, too -- like a Moby autographed guitar, and a Jason Mraz guitar string bracelet. Yup, that's a thing.

We're told everyone involved is seriously down for Farm Sanctuary's cause -- defending livestock from cruelty. Joan's even visited their shelter.

Old MacDonald would be proud!

Ethan Cutkosky -- who plays Carl Gallagher on "Shameless" -- has officially been charged with DUI ... but it doesn't look like the kid was boozing.

The Burbank City Attorney filed charges against Cutkosky this week. He's facing one count of misdemeanor DUI -- which is only tied to drugs, not alcohol. He also faces charges for traffic violations related to his driving the night he was busted.

We broke the story ... Cutkosky was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of DUI. Cops told us they smelled weed on him, and that he even fessed up to smoking.

Sources say Cutkosky, who's only 18, is facing up to 6 months in jail, a $1,000 fine and the loss of his license if convicted.

If we know Carl ... he's already looking at his legal options.

William H. Macy's paternal concerns aren't limited to his real life kids -- he also cares deeply about Ethan Cutkosky, his TV spawn who just got busted for DUI.

We asked the "Shameless" dad about Ethan's arrest, and he immediately went to bat for the 18-year-old ... telling us he's a good kid. He also had sympathy for child actors who have to grow up in Hollywood.

He was rushing into LAX when we talked to him, but William said he plans to take some time to call Ethan, and possibly offer some fatherly advice. In other words ... the exact opposite of how Bill's Frank Gallagher character would react on the hit Showtime series.

Thank God.

6:55 AM PT -- Law enforcement says officers smelled marijuana in the car during the stop, and our sources say Ethan admitted he'd been smoking weed that night.

We're told police drew Ethan's blood for toxicology testing, which is pending.

The guy who plays one of the troubled Gallagher kids on "Shameless" ran into some real life trouble off set -- 'cause "Carl" got busted for a DUI ... TMZ has learned.

18-year-old actor Ethan Cutkosky -- who plays William Macy's second youngest child on the show -- was arrested and booked for DUI Thursday in the L.A. area.

Law enforcement sources tell us, Ethan was driving his orange BMW at around 10:30 PM and began to straddle the traffic lanes, which prompted cops to pull him over. We're told he did poorly on field sobriety tests and was arrested on the spot.

It's unclear if the DUI was drug or alcohol related.

We've reached out to Ethan's rep ... they had no comment.

"Shameless" star Steve Howey can forget about any future White House invitations ... because he blasted President Barack Obama with an Ebola joke that ended up backfiring.

Howey tweeted on Thursday ... "People shouldn't be so scared about this virus from Africa. He only has two more years of his presidency."

Too soon? Howey, or his publicist ... must've thought so after the fact, since he eventually deleted the tweet, but the damage was done. Several of his followers retweeted it, and most of them found it offensive.

Tim Musomba -- who will appear on Showtime's "Shameless" this coming season -- is calling out a star on Showtime's "Ray Donovan" for being "a little on the creepy side" ... because he's dating a barely legal girl.

Musomba was leaving Mastro's Thursday night when we asked him about the reported romance between the 57-year-old Steven Bauer and 18-year-old Lyda Loudon.

Tim is hilarious ... his first thought is that because this is L.A. ... if you are a fit 57 there's no problem. But then he thinks harder.

You gotta watch the video. It's great.