Police Raid in Death of LPGA Star
TMZ has learned a doctor connected to LPGA star Erica Blasberg was the target of a police raid ... and cops were looking for evidence in Erica's death investigation.
Cops in Henderson, Nevada executed a search warrant on May 13 and raided the medical office and home of Dr. Thomas Hess ... according to documents obtained by TMZ.
Cops were on the hunt for "small blue oval pills in a 30 package blister pack." Cops say they found a 30-package blister pack at Erica's home after she died. We know cops were looking specifically for alprazolam (Xanax), which could have been the blue pills in question. Erica's dad tells TMZ his daughter took Xanax over the last few years to fight anxiety.
Cops were also looking for white, medium-sized trash bags with no drawstrings, the same type of bags that were found next to Erica's body. And we've learned cops found the same type of white bags in Dr. Hess' medical office.
And cops were searching for a handwriting sample from Dr. Hess. Erica's dad says cops found "some sort of note" near the scene, but he didn't have specifics.
An employee of a local golf course tells TMZ Dr. Hess and Erica were regular golfing partners. They played golf 2 days before her body was found. Erica's dad says he does not know the nature of the relationship Erica had with Dr. Hess.
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NBA Star Larry Johnson 'Memba Him?
Former UNLV and NY Knick forward Larry Johnson made a bunch of hysterical Converse ads as Grandmama in the '90s. Guess what he looks like now!
Ron Artest -- The Post-Game Workout!?
Right after he hit the winning shot in last night's Game 5 NBA Playoff Game -- Los Angeles Lakers hero Ron Artest didn't head straight for the party scene .... instead, dude went straight to the gym!!!
After finishing up some post-game interviews, Ron rolled over to a gym right near the Staples Center around 10:30 PM PST -- and banged out a couple of sets of legs and abs.
Impressed yet?
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Ron Artest -- Los Angeles Hero
TMZ junkie Ron Artest became an instant hero in Los Angeles last night -- when dude hit a last second shot to clinch a Game 5 Playoff victory for the L.A. Lakers.
It does not go without notice that Ron was one of the first pro athletes to visit the TMZ newsroom.
In related news, former TMZ Live guest Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns played pretty damn well last night too.
The lesson here -- TMZ is the new Kate Hudson.
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NFL Star 'Blindsided' by Stripper Lawsuit
Albert Haynesworth -- one of the NFL's highest paid defensive players -- claims he was "blindsided" by reports of a $10 million lawsuit filed against him, in which he's accused of "abandoning" a stripper who claims she's carrying his unborn child ... this according to sources close to the situation.
We're told the Washington Redskins superstar has privately acknowledged having a few sexual encounters with the woman during Super Bowl week back in February, but he's adamant that he used protection.
Our source also tells us Haynesworth has said he will "absolutely" take responsibility if the woman can prove the child is his.
We're also told Albert says he never dated the woman ... even though she reportedly claims they carried on a relationship after Super Bowl week.
Calls to Haynesworth were not returned.
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NFL Star Jeremy Shockey Hospitalized
New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was rushed to a local hospital earlier today after an incident at the team's practice facility, TMZ has confirmed.
According to local reports, Shockey was suffering from "seizure-like symptoms" while inside the team weight room.
A league source told WGNO that Shockey was able to walk to the waiting ambulance without assistance.
Shockey was hospitalized right around this time last year after he was found unconscious at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. A rep said at the time Shockey was "dehydrated."
UPDATE: The Saints coach has announced that Shockey will stay at the hospital overnight.
Meanwhile, Shockey just tweeted that he is "OK."
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NBA Star Named in Strip Club Beatdown
It's been a bad morning for NBA star Zach Randolph -- TMZ has learned the 6'9" All-Star has been named in a police report detailing an alleged brawl in an L.A. area strip club yesterday.
According to the Gardena Police Department, officers responded to Starz strip club around 2 AM Wednesday morning -- after someone called 911 claiming a man named Gary Ferguson had been badly beaten by someone in Zach Randolph's crew.
Ferguson told police Zach was present at the club -- but did not strike him during the alleged attack.
But according to Ferguson, it's not the first time he's had a violent encounter with the Memphis Grizzlies player.
As TMZ previously reported, Ferguson sued Randolph last year -- claiming the NBA star attacked him in a pizza joint back in 2008. That case is set to go to trial in September.
As for the strip club incident -- we're told police are investigating. So far, no charges have been filed against anyone.
Adding to his legal problems -- in the last 24 hours, a report surfaced claiming Randolph has been linked to a drug ring in Indianapolis.
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USA Soccer Team Biden Their Time
With the World Cup just a few weeks away, the USA soccer team got a private pep talk from Vice President Joe Biden inside the White House this morning.
In case you're unfamiliar with the World Cup -- it's a big f*ckin' deal.
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Tom & Gisele Dodge Bullet-Ridden Lawsuit
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen just scored a serious victory in New York -- a judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed against the couple accusing their bodyguards of shooting at some photographers last year.
As you may recall, the alleged incident went down in Costa Rica during Tom and Gisele's wedding -- two photogs (both from Costa Rica) claim the security guards threatened them and then opened fire. The photogs wanted more than $1 million in damages.
But today, a judge decided that the NY court, "does not have personal jurisdiction over either of the defendants." The judge added, "Costa Rica is a substantially more convenient forum for the parties' disputes than New York."
No word if the photogs plan on taking the judge's advice and re-filing in their home country.
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Cristiano Ronaldo -- Wet Bikini Contest
With the World Cup just over two weeks away, futbol stud Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed some downtime by working on his trademark tan and showering his bikini babe du jour with, er, affection while on a yacht in the Mediterranean on Tuesday.
The ripped 25-year-old excels at water sports too.
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NY Jets QB & Lance Bass Double Team Bon Jovi
Apparently, NY Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has an off-season regimen that includes Bon Jovi songs and late nights with Lance Bass.
Bass and Sanchez hooked up for a karaoke duet at the Canal Room in NYC this past weekend.
The two busted out a version of "Livin' on a Prayer" -- and we're told it was actually pretty good.
"We got each other and that's a lot ... for love."
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UFC's Pitbull Alves Doctor Says I'm Clear to Fight
UFC hurt-machine Thiago "Pitbull" Alves underwent some intense medical tests yesterday -- and they went so well, he got the green light from his doctor to get back in the Octagon ... just 2 months after brain surgery.
Sources close to Alves tell TMZ Pitbull had an angiogram yesterday morning -- a post-operation procedure that took several hours -- but the results were good.
We're told Alves' doctor is currently sending a letter to the New Jersey Boxing Commission declaring him physically fit to fight. Alves has told us in the past that he wants to get back in the ring ASAP.
The whole thing is truly amazing, considering Alves went under the knife in March, so doctors could perform a procedure that would prevent bleeding in his brain.
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Terrell Owens and Jay Cutler The Stare Down
Now we're not implying anything, but judging by the look on Jay Cutler's face -- do you think the Chicago Bears quarterback even remembers running into Terrell Owens this weekend?
The two partied it up at Underground nightclub in Chicago on Saturday night -- where the unemployed NFL superstar tried to make an impression on Cutler and his teammate Greg Olsen (not pictured).
T.O. twittered that the Chicago stars were "cool guys" -- so far, no word if the feeling is mutual.
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Dwyane Wade's Wife's 9th Lawyer: I Quit Too
NBA Superstar Dwyane Wade's estranged wife Siohvaughn was just dumped by her ninth divorce lawyer ... who ironically cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their professional breakup.
TMZ has learned an emergency motion was filed yesterday in Cook County, IL by Siohvaughn's attorney, Marsha Fisher -- requesting she be withdrawn as Siohvaughn's representation in her ongoing divorce battle with the Miami Heat star.
That means Marsha is the NINTH lawyer Siohvaughn has parted ways with in the case.
And just for fun, here's the list of her former attorneys in chronological order (you're welcome): Dorene Marcus, Burton Hochberg, Michael Berger, David Stein, John Rokacz, Rosaire Nottage, Andrew Leinoff, and Michael Bruck.
All except one withdrew from representing her, one was only used for an appeal which was subsequently denied.
No word on if Matlock will be available when the trial resumes in June.
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Venus Williams -- Laced at the French Open
Along with a tennis match, fans at the French Open this weekend got an inadvertent Victoria's Secret fashion show in the form of Venus Williams' black, sheer, lingerie-like, lacy corset outfit.
The 29-year-old likes to get intimate on the court.
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Kobe Bryant -- Six-Figure Silent Treatment
The terms of Kobe Bryant's settlement with his former maid were confidential -- Wait a second, did we just say were? As in they aren't anymore? You bet we did! -- and it turns out Kobe had to fork over quite a hefty chunk of change in the deal.
As we first reported, Kobe and his wife Vanessa's former maid sued the couple for wrongful discharge, invasion of privacy, emotional distress and unpaid wages. (The lawsuit was crazy It involved dog poop. Read it here.)
We've now gotten a look at the confidential settlement documents which state ... Kobe and Vanessa forked over $200,000 to the maid -- the maid agreed to drop her lawsuit and the Bryants agreed to drop their countersuit.
According to the docs, the maid is still prohibited from talking badly about the Bryants (think Conan and NBC) and only took home roughly $130K after attorney's fees.