Mitt Romney Transcripts RELEASED
TMZ has obtained the complete transcripts of Mitt Romney's testimony -- which he's accused of lying under oath to screw over his friend's ex-wife.
The testimony was given in 1991 at Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Massachusetts.
During his examination, Romney was asked how he first became acquainted with Staples and Tom Stemberg. Romney explained ... a venture capital businessman from another firm "mentioned to me a gentleman named Tom Stemberg had a business plan to commence an office supply chain and was looking for capital to fund that."
Romney continued, "I told him I didn't think it was a very good idea, but I'd look at it."
2:45 PM PT -- If you enjoy learning how business people valuate stocks, you're gonna LOOOOVE these documents.
If not, you should probably click on our story about Lindsay Lohan's publicist quitting ... it's wayyy more interesting.
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Taylor Swift to Kennedy BF We MIGHT Be Over ... I'm Still Buying that House
Taylor Swift hasn't pulled the plug on her deal to buy a mansion next to the Kennedy compound in Massachusetts ... yet ... despite rumors she split from her Kennedy family boyfriend -- TMZ has learned.
A source connected with the real estate transaction tells us, the deal for the $4.5 million Hyannis Port home is still going full steam ahead ... and is currently scheduled to close in two weeks.
As we reported, Taylor plunked down the cash for the home -- located across the street from Ethel Kennedy -- in order to be closer to her 18-year-old boyfriend Conor Kennedy.
Reports are now circulating the couple has called it quits -- but so far, that hasn't changed Taylor's real estate plans.
Still counts as an investment, right?
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Mitt Romney Judge UNSEALS Docs, Allred Gets Shut Down
Mitt Romney's testimony in his friend's divorce case -- in which he's accused of lying under oath to screw over his friend's ex-wife -- will be unsealed today and released to the Boston Globe ... the judge has ruled.
As we first reported, Mitt testified in the divorce of Staples' founder Tom Stemberg -- and Tom's ex-wife Maureen claims Mitt lied under oath, falsely undervaluing Staples' stock in order to shaft her in the divorce.
Mitt's people have already said the Presidential hopeful doesn't care if the testimony is released -- he has nothing to hide.
Things didn't fare so well for Gloria Allred -- her request to ungag her client was shut down by the hot judge ... because Gloria never submitted an official motion to the court.
Gloria was grasping at straws in a last ditch effort to get the judge to cut her a break -- but she was shot down, hard.
The transcripts will be released to the Globe any minute.
8:30 AM PT -- Gloria denied accusations she's a "surrogate" for the Democratic party ... who's only representing Stemberg in order to wreak havoc on the Romney campaign.
8:20 AM PT -- During a news conference, Gloria accused the Boston Globe of pulling a "double-cross" because she says the paper abandoned its motion to have the gag order against Maureen Sullivan Stemberg lifted.
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Katy Perry Gives Barack Obama Her Fashion Vote
If you are voting for Barack Obama then Katy Perry makes perfect fashion sense.
Wearing a white latex frock made to look like a ballot with Obama/Biden marked off, Katy performed at a rally for the President in Nevada on Wednesday night.
Katy -- who turns 28 today -- has voiced her support for Obama in the past.
Looks like Bill Clinton isn't the only prez that can leave his mark on a dress.
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Diddy Injured in L.A. Car Crash
5:10 PM PT -- TMZ has just obtained a photograph of Diddy after the accident, and he was so shaken up by the crash ... he had to lie down on the grass.
Diddy was involved in a serious car accident in L.A. moments ago ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, a car turned left in front of Diddy's SUV and Diddy's driver t-boned the other vehicle.
Officers were called to the scene -- and cops claim everyone involved in the accident complained of pain, including Diddy, his driver, and the other driver.
It's unclear how seriously anyone was injured -- but law enforcement sources tell us, no one was transported to a hospital ... despite an ambulance being called.
A report was taken. No citations were issued.
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Lindsay Lohan's Mgmt Team She's Hell-Bent On Financial RUIN
Lindsay Lohan is careening toward financial ruin ... by making stupid business decisions and recklessly stashing her money in unsafe places -- this according to her management team.
TMZ has seen text messages between Michael Lohan and Lindsay's lawyer Dave Feldman, discussing Lindsay's recent promotion deal with an energy drink named Mr. Pink.
As we reported, Lindsay flew out to L.A. earlier this month in order to attend a launch event for the beverage -- just hours after her blowout fight with her mother Dina in NYC.
In the text messages, Michael claims Lindsay was paid $150,000 for the event IN CASH ... which Lindsay then gave to her brother Michael Jr. to hold in his bank account for safe keeping. Michael expressed fear that Dina had access to Michael Jr.'s account and would raid it for herself.
Dave expresses outrage in response, claiming Lindsay should have looped him and her business manager in to the Mr. Pink transaction in order to provide her more financial protection ... but she never did.
In the messages, Dave says Lindsay was even more stupid for not including her management team on the Mr. Pink deal because -- as Dave says -- they could have gotten her even more money for the job ... but again, she didn't.
As we reported, Lindsay's dad is terrified she has fallen back off the wagon and needs a conservatorship because she can't handle her affairs -- and based on these texts, he might have a point.
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Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel Wedding Video MOCKS Homeless People
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's wedding party featured a video that openly made fun of homeless people in L.A. -- this according to reports.
Gawker just posted the video -- reportedly made by Timberlake's real estate agent friend Justin Huchel -- which depicts what appears to be REAL homeless people on the streets of L.A., acting as Justin and Jessica's friends who couldn't make it to the ceremony.
The homeless people in the clip -- one toothless, the other shirtless -- wish the ultra-rich couple well on their new lives together ... saying things like, "I hope the wedding goes fine for you. My gift is in the mail."
The video's an obvious dig at Justin and Jessica's ridiculous wealth -- juxtaposed against the destitute poverty displayed in the clip. The video also features a transvestite.
Huchel -- who once dated Amanda Seyfried -- has already threatened to sue Gawker over the video, claiming it was shot as "a private joke" without Timberlake's knowledge ... and demanding it be taken off the web ASAP.
Calls to Justin and Jessica's camps were not returned.
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Tom Cruise Files $50 Mil Lawsuit Over Mag Claiming He Abandoned Suri
Tom Cruise just filed a $50 million lawsuit against Life & Style and In Touch magazines, claiming the mags defamed him by reporting he had abandoned 6-year-old Suri.
In the lawsuit, filed in L.A. federal court, Tom takes issue with the July 30th cover of Life & Style, which reads, "SURI IN TEARS, ABANDONED BY HER DAD" -- as well as the October 1st cover of In Touch, which shows a picture of Suri above the headline, "ABANDONED BY DADDY."
According to the suit, Tom claims the mags' headlines are FALSE -- insisting, he "loves his daughter dearly and would never abandon her."
Tom is suing for $50 million plus punitive damages for defamation and invasion of privacy.
In Touch and Life & Style are sister magazines owned by the same publishing company Bauer Publishing.
Cruise's lawyer, Bert Fields says:
"Tom is a caring father who dearly loves Suri. She's a vital part of his life and always will be. To say he has 'abandoned' her is a vicious lie. To say it in lurid headlines with a tearful picture of Suri is reprehensible."
Fields goes on: "Tom doesn't go around suing people. He's not a litigious guy. But when these sleaze peddlers try to make money with disgusting lies about his relationship with his child, you bet he's going to sue."
Fields goes on to bash the mags, saying, "These serial defamers are foreign owned companies with their global headquarters in Hamburg. They take money from unsuspecting Americans by selling their malicious garbage. Having to pay a libel judgment may slow them down."
Fields says any money Tom gets from the mags will go to charity.
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Mitt Romney Friend's Ex-Wife Claims Romney LIED to Screw Her in Divorce
We haven't heard back from the Romney campaign office -- however Mitt's attorney was quoted about the Stemberg divorce in Time magazine, saying ... “This is a decades-old divorce case in which Mitt Romney provided testimony as to the value of a company. He has no objection to letting the public see that testimony.”
9:49 AM PT -- A rep for Tom Stemberg also released a statement ... saying, "Over the past several years, the judge in this case has made it very clear that the gag order imposed should not be violated. We have never violated this order and will continue to adhere to the court’s ruling on this case."
Mitt Romney LIED under oath when he testified in the divorce of his good friend and screwed the friend's wife out of a lot of money in the process ... so claims the ex-wife of Staples' founder Tom Stemberg.
Multiple sources connected with the divorce tell TMZ ... during Tom's uber nasty divorce case with ex-wife Maureen, Mitt Romney gave a deposition and testified during the trial that Staples was worth virtually nothing. Romney testified that the company was worth very little and Tom was a dreamer and "the dream continues."
Romney characterized the Staples stock as "overvalued," adding, "I didn't place a great deal of credibility in the forecast of the company's future."
Partly as a result of Romney's testimony, Maureen got relatively little in the divorce, but we're told just weeks after the divorce ended, Romney and Tom went to Goldman Sachs and cashed in THEIR stock for a fortune. Short story -- Romney allegedly lied to help his friend and screw the friend's wife over.
And there's more ... Our sources say years later, Maureen, who suffered from MS and had multiple bouts with cancer, got a visit from one of Tom's guys, who gave her papers informing her that Tom was cancelling her health insurance. Our sources say the irony here is that we're told Tom was working as one of then Governor Mitt Romney's chief health care advisers.
Sources tell us ... Tom also got custody of the couple's one child, making allegations of abuse against Maureen. And get this ... in the mid-90s, after the divorce, Tom sent the boy a letter saying, although he loved him, because of issues related to the divorce "it will not be possible for you to be a part of our family for the foreseeable future."
Maureen lost her home in the process and struggled financially.
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Jessica Simpson's Mom Files for Divorce
Jessica Simpson's mother Tina has filed for divorce from Jessica's dad Joe.
Tina filed the papers in Texas last month, claiming, "The marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities."
Tina and Joe were married in 1978. They have no minor children.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tina claims she has separate property from Joe and wants to keep it. It's unclear what that property is.
In the county where Tina filed, there are specific rules about how divorcing spouses have to behave toward each other during proceedings -- they can't curse at each other, harass each other over the phone, or physically attack each other ... basically they HAVE to act like civilized adults.
If one spouse violates the rules, they could be found in contempt of court.
Joe filed a response to Tina's divorce petition days later, insisting Tina get nothing from the split.
Joe and Tina both played a pivotal role in turning their daughters Jessica and Ashlee into pop superstars.
A rep for the family just released a statement, saying, "It is an amicable split and there is no third party involved. Any other related allegations are completely false. The family appreciates your respect for their privacy at this time."
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Donald Trump to Obama: I WILL DONATE $5 MILLION If You Release College Records
Donald Trump has just issued a $5 million challenge to Barack Obama -- if POTUS releases his college records, Trump says he'll donate $5 mil to a charity of B.O.'s choice.
Trump just made the "announcement" via a YouTube video -- saying, "If Barack Obama opens up and gives his college records and applications ... and if he gives his passport applications and records I will give to a charity of his choice -- Inner City Children of Chicago, American Cancer Society, AIDS Research ... a check immediately for 5 million dollars."
Trump continued, "The check will be given within one hour after he releases all of the records ... he'll be doing a great service for the country if he does this."
"If he releases these records, it will end the question and indeed the anger of many Americans ... they'll know something about their president ... their President will become transparent ... like other Presidents."
Trump had been teasing his "announcement" for days -- saying it could have an impact on the election.
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Bobby Brown Arrested for DUI ... Again
Bobby Brown was just arrested for DUI ... for the second time this year, TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell us, Brown was pulled over around 1AM when police observed the singer driving erratically on an L.A. street.
According to law enforcement sources, officers approached Brown's vehicle and detected a strong odor of alcohol -- at which point they asked Brown to get out of his car.
We're told Brown performed a field sobriety test, but didn't do very well -- so he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He's currently being booked.
Brown was previously arrested for DUI in March and sought treatment for alcohol abuse issues over the summer. He also has a DUI conviction on his record from 1996.
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Chris Brown's Ex Rihanna Doesn't Faze Me I Still Want Chris Back
Chris Brown's recently-dumped ex Karrueche Tran still believes she has a future with the singer -- in fact, Karrueche is telling friends, she's not gonna stop trying to get with CB just because Rihanna's back in the picture.
Sources close to Karrueche tell TMZ, she was hurt when Brown gave her the axe a few weeks ago ... but she never stopped loving him -- and now, she is on a mission to get him back.
We're told Karrueche got used to a certain level of celebrity while dating the singer, and she's not ready to "go back to being basic" -- even if that means messing around with Brown, while he's messing with RiRi.
Eventually, we're told Karrueche hopes to edge Rihanna back out of the picture.
Case in point -- Karrueche and CB were spotted hanging out together Monday in Burbank, CA ... two days after Rihanna and CB were spotted together in L.A.
As we previously reported, CB broke up with Karrueche earlier this month -- citing RiRi as the reason -- saying, "I love Karrueche very much but I don't want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna."
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Megan Fox Legal Threat Over Nude Pic ... Those Aren't My Boobs!
DO NOT Photoshop Megan Fox's naked face on another chick's naked body ... and then publish it online ... because she will sue the crap out of you -- at least that's the threat she sent to one website this week.
Megan's legal team fired off the cease and desist letter to a parody website called Celebrity Jihad -- after the site published a shockingly good Photoshopped pic last week, depicting Megan's face on a naked chick's body.
But Megan's lawyers aren't impressed with the image-doctoring skills -- claiming the photo is 100% fake (no duh) and must be taken down ASAP ... or they'll sue.
A rep for Celebrity Jihad tells TMZ ... "While we appreciate Megan Fox's concern for her image, we find it hard to believe that a woman who spent two Transformers movies bent over with her breasts pressed together could have her reputation damaged by a blatantly satirical website."
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Mark Sanchez Has Been Released ... By Eva Longoria
NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez has just lost his best wide receiver ... Eva Longoria.
Eva's rep has confirmed ... the two have officially called it quits after several months of dating.
Chalk up another loss for Sanchez (25 years old) -- who already took a beating from the Patriots this weekend.
As for Eva (37 years old) ... at least she won't have to remove any body ink from her body this time.
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Jay Leno CRAZY Motorcycle Crash Footage Surfaces
Video footage of a motorcycle accident that nearly wiped out Jay Leno has surfaced ... one year after the crash -- and now, it could prove the WRONG PERSON was blamed for causing the collision.
Leno and the motorcyclists involved in the collision were taking part in a charity benefit called the "Love Ride" last October when the accident occurred on an L.A. freeway.
You can see in the tape -- recorded via helmet cam -- a bike with two riders speeds up from behind and slams into another motorcycle, causing a massive wreck that nearly takes out Leno ... who was riding just feet away.
The woman who captured the crash on camera -- Christina Silva -- was subsequently blamed for the crash and was banned from participating in this year's "Love Ride" ... but she insists the video shows she did NOTHING wrong.
In fact, Silva tells us the people who pointed the finger at her were the two riders who rear-ended the other biker. It's unclear why they feel Silva is at fault.
Christina tells us she has decided to release the tape to clear her name. It's unclear if the people who run the "Love Ride" have seen the footage.