Power Balance, the embattled sports performance jewelry company retorted a TMZ report today that claimed the company was paying out a $57 million settlement and ceasing operations, calling it “way off the mark.”

The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but will stay in business, said Chris Thonis, a publicist speaking for Power Balance.

“There are false rumors about Power Balance swirling around the internet today and I want to provide some direct insight into the moves the company is making to position it for growth going forward,” Thonis said. “For PB an independent distributor (in Australia) and counterfeiters using the PB brand illegally (around the world) made claims unsupported by the company that have sparked a wave of lawsuits. While PB finds the lawsuits baseless and stands by the popular wristbands and its performance technology products, the legal actions are coming at a high cost to the organization leaving the company no other option that to seek voluntary protection under Chapter 11-bankruptcy law while it restructures. (Not going out of business!)”

The company will remain in business and honor all warranties and commitments to retailers.

“To be clear, the rumors started by TMZ are of course, way off the mark. PB is not going out of business,” Thonis said. “PB is actually in the process of launching a new product, dubbed performance mouth gear in markets over the next few weeks (more below) The lawsuits were not in the amount of $57.4 million; there was actually a recent settlement for $1 million.”

Power Balance has used Drew Brees and Shaq in endorsements in the past.

Amazingly, this story actually has legs. Our reporting of TMZ’s blog post this morning is the #1 story on the site today.

October 31 has some significance for Kim and Kris.

It’s the day Kim Kardashian filed for divorce against Kris Humphries after less than three months of marriage.

It’s also the anniversary of the day the couple met at the Izod Center in NJ when she noticed the 6’9″ forward for the New Jersey Nets. She thought he was “cute” at the time, TMZ reported.

TMZ reported that Kim initiated a meeting with Kris, and they hit it off. For a little bit, of course.

The once-happy couple seen on October 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (WireImage)

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from her husband of just two months on Monday morning.  Kardashian and Kris Humphries were married for 72 days, and have already developed “irreconcilable differences,” according to TMZ.

Kardashian hit Humphries with papers for dissolution of marriage, but he reportedly wasn’t expecting it.  Although the two had talked about divorce, Humphries tried to save the relationship because of his religion, TMZ reports.

The main reason cited by TMZ for the divorce was Kris’s alleged “fame chasing.“  Although he claimed to want a “simple life” with Kim in Minnesota, Kardashian’s friends say he’s lying.  The sources claim that when their marriage began to deteriorate, Humphries launched into “Hollywood mode” and began talking about branding his name through cologne, nightclub appearances and the likes.  He even hired a Hollywood publicist over the weekend.

Official divorce papers from TMZ.com

The pair was married on August 20 in a “Fairy Tale” wedding (widely televised, obviously), which cost about $10 million.  Rumors are now swirling that the whole relationship was a hoax, and done solely for publicity.

Kim has hired divorce lawyer extraordinaire, Laura Wasser, who has represented celebs such as Britney Spears, Maria Shriver, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Reynolds and Robyn Gibson.

(TMZ)

John Lackey has filed for divorce against his wife, Krista, who has been battling breast cancer.

TMZ broke the story based on court documents.

According to the documents, the Red Sox picture filed for divorce in Texas on August 30, claiming “the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.”

The couple has been married since 2008.

TMZ reported that Krista had a double mastectomy in March and underwent chemo therapy in June.

The celebrity gossip website also said that Lackey filed the papers using only his and Krista’s initials, which Tony Parker/Eva Longoria and Sandra Bullock/Jesse James used in their also-very-public divorces.

The petition says that the Lackey’s have a prenuptial agreement.

It is unclear why Lackey filed for divorce. He has been given a lot of leeway for his poor performance because “his wife has cancer,” and it was thought to be a major distraction for him as he battled caring for his sick wife and trying to play baseball.

Lackey expressed anger yesterday when reporters asked him about the report during his postgame news conference. He was very upset that a reported sent him a text message asking about the divorce report.

“Let me tell you the truth. Thirty minutes before the game, I got a text message on my cellphone from one of you … somebody in the media, talking about personal stuff,” Lackey said. “And I shouldn’t even be standing up here having to deal with this. I’m sitting here listening to music. I don’t know who got my phone number, but that’s over the line.”

wireimage.com

Despite a cozy trip to Mexico this weekend, Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller deny rumors that they are getting back together.

Sheen told TMZ that the two are “good friends trying to be great parents.”

TMZ reported that the former lovers went to Mexico as a “birthday/you’re doing great in rehab” present for Mueller.

Although pictures show Sheen and Mueller holding hands and snuggling up, Sheen says they are “working on mending the bridges, replanting scorched earth. The goal is harmony.”  He sure has a way with words, it must be the tiger’s blood.

TMZ reports that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora will be checking into rehab again, which was decided by himself Wednesday.

It’s been an on-going struggle for him. He checked into Cirque Lodge in Utah in 2007, and entered the UCLA Medical Center again.

In addition, Sambora pled no contest in 2008 to DUI and he just got off probation last week for the offense.

TMZ reports that Charlie Sheen’s … um … friend and porn star Bree Olson was arrested on Thursday in Fort Wayne, Ind. on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Olson was driving a black Lexus when she was involved in a single car accident. She was not hurt, but officers on scene noticed a strong smell of alcohol on her breath and bloodshot and watery eyes. After all, she took a breathalyzer test and blew a .19 even though she told them she only had two beers. Olson was arrested by the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and eventually released on $750 bail.

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett fell off a concert stage and hit his head during a show in Sydney Wednesday.

According to TMZ, doctors at Sydney’s St. Vincent’s Hospital said that Buffett, 64, was in stable condition four hours after he was admitted.

Any further details have not been revealed.

An official message posted on Buffett’s website said,

“As you probably already know, Jimmy had an accident while performing in Sydney last night and was taken to the hospital. The doctors say he is doing well and will be released tomorrow. More info as we get it, and thank you for all of your well-wishes!”

Sexy and scantly-clad Christina Aguilera pictures were leaked earlier this week and hitting on the internet. Those pictures were allegedly hacked from the singer’s stylist.

What the stylist was doing with the pictures we don’t know.

The singer’s rep told TMZ that the pictures were “taken in the privacy of Ms. Aguilera’s home and were used only in a personal exchange between the star and her stylist. We find the actions of the hackers and the press who purchased and/or obtained these photos to be irresponsible and actionable.”

The rep added that they are now “attempting to determine the identity of the hackers and will pursue them aggressively.”

We’ve seen the pictures. We’re not spreading them around. They’re actually not even scandalous. PG-13 at best.

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee stood up and claimed that SeaWorld uses cow vaginas to masturbate their killer whales for sperm collection is “beyond ludicrous.”

E! News reports that in Lee’s letter to the park, he said, “We understand that you refuse to release this frustrated whale because he is your chief sperm bank, and we know from SeaWorld’s own director of safety (as well as videos on the web) that the way you get his sperm is by having someone get into the pool and masturbate him with a cow’s vagina filled with hot water. Even during my wildest days with Mötley Crüe, I never could’ve imagined something so sick and twisted. Simply put, how can SeaWorld claim that trainers no longer have direct contact with this whale when they are jacking him off? That is about as ‘direct’ as it gets.”

SeaWorld was not happy about the rock star’s claim and told TMZ, “If Mr. Lee’s information on Tilikum and SeaWorld’s artificial insemination program for killer whales comes from PETA we’re not surprised that it’s wrong. PETA is as careless with facts as they are extreme in their views.”

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On this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live,” which was hosted by Robert De Niro, the opening skit made fun of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by comparing him to Harvey Levin, the editor of TMZ.com.

The WikiLeaks founder was attacked by President Obama after his online group released thousands of State Department secret documents.

On the next “Hannah Montana:” Hannah cracks open an ice-cold Corona.

Miley Cyrus was photographed, beer in hand, at a club in Madrid Friday night.

In Spain, the legal drinking age is 18. Miley is 17.

The story was first reported by TMZ.

She is currently in Madrid for MTV’s European Music Awards tomorrow night.

The pop princess is presently dealing with a lot of stress since she has broken up with Liam Hemsworth, 20, and is also dealing with the split of her parents Billy Ray and Tish, as we previously reported.

Her behavior might be risky in every way but at least we hope she had a good time last night?

The Jonas Brothers’ show will go on but without a replacement for their special guest act Demi Lovato.

Lovato recently left the tour and checked into a treatment facility to deal with physical and emotional issues.

TMZ reported that there are no plans to replace Lovato with anyone for the remaining six days on the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert tour.

Russell Brand tangled with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday afternoon, and then was placed under arrest by one of the photographers.

According to TMZ, the photographer reportedly made the citizen’s arrest with the assistance of LAX cops at the airport and police told the source that Brand is being booked for battery.

Brand and Perry both missed their scheduled flight to Las Vegas.

Perry tweeted about this incident, "if you cross the line and try an put a lens up my dress, my fiance will do his job and protect me."

TMZ also posted a video showing Brand arriving with fiance Katy Perry and marching through a throng of paparazzi. It does look like he shoved several photographers out of his way as he headed into the terminal but it is sort of hard to see what’s actually happening. So, maybe Brand tried to defend Perry and he went too aggressive.

"The Hills" villain Spencer Pratt went crazy again. He was arrested and released in Costa Rica on Saturday. According to TMZ.com, he was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm on his way back to the U.S. Pratt tweeted about this incident, "Costa Rican jail smells like children’s tears. And soup. Delicious soup." "Thanks to jail, I finally have something in common with Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and that Lohan chick!"

According to MTV News, he was in Costa Rica because he was attempting to reconcile with soon-to-be-ex-wife Heidi Montag, who filed for divorce from him last month. Also, NY Daily News reported that Montag has said she is in Costa Rica to find a new plastic surgeon, and that she allowed Pratt to come with her to help her move.

As we saw on "the Hills," it has been very hard to keep track of (or even understand) his questionable action. Needles to say, his tweets are usually very confusing. Also, it was him who began the Lauren Conrad sex tape rumor a few years ago, which he later admitted was a lie.

Last month, when Montag filed for divorce, he claims that the two are only trying to work out their differences. He has even threatened to release a sex tape of Montag if they are not able to work things out.

His last comment regarding the Costa Rica incident on twitter was "Wait – I was in jail? Who the hell said that?" Can anyone please help him?

“The Wanda Sykes Show” premieres tomorrow night at 11 on FOX. The big finale this week is “Mad Men” on Sunday at 10 on AMC. VH1′s “Tool Academy” finale is at 9, so get excited.

NUMB3RS might be getting the boot after six years.

CBS is making some mid-season changes. It is cutting the season order of “NUMB3RS” to 16 episodes, down from 22. This is in order to make room for shows like the reality “Undercover Boss” and the dramas “Miami Trauma,” “Flashpoint,” and “The Bridge.” Numbers gets cut short in its sixth season.

The fate of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is up in the air. One report has it that Oprah will switch from broadcast to cable when her contract with CBS expires in 2011. Oprah would then be tree to move to her own cable network, which launches next fall. But CBS says they know nothing of any moves the talk-show diva is looking to make.

Also on the topic of talk shows, NBC has renewed “Maury,” “Springer,” and “Steve Wilkos” for at least three more years. Tribune, the company that syndicates these shows, also announced that some of its other shows, including “People’s Court,” “Judge Matis,” “TMZ,” “This Old House” and “Judge Jeanine Pirro” are renewed through 2012.

Scipps is purchasing a 65 percent majority stake in the Travel Channel from Cox Communications, pouring millions of dollars into the 22-year-old cable network and securing its near billion-dollar debt.

Comedy Central is teaming up with The Onion to produce a 30-minute television series inspired by The Onion Sports Network.

Finally this week, FX has a Western drama series under construction called “Reconstruction,” set in Missouri during the post-Civil War era.

After about fives months of silence, Chris Brown has publicly apologized for assaulting Rihanna.

TMZ.com is hosting his apology video, which runs just over two minutes. In it, Brown explains that he has not spoken publicly until now under his attorney’s advice. He repeatedly expresses regret and emphasizes that violence is unacceptable.

So is it a genuine apology, a calculated career move, or both? Check it out and decide for yourself.

Followers of “I’m a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here.” already know Heidi and Spencer Pratt — a.k.a. Speidi “" have left the show. But now, having been starved for attention, the couple is now complaining that they were starved for food.

According to TMZ.com, Heidi said they were kept in a dark room for over 24 hours, with nothing to eat but water, rice and beans. One anonymous cast member even went so far as to compare the experience to being a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. Reports also said that Heidi was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a gastric ulcer.

On Monday night’s two-hour episode of the show, Speidi attempted a comeback, but was rejected by fellow contestants. Spencer is planning to sue NBC, but ITV Studios (producer of the show) has denied any mistreatment. Even the couple’s publicist has stated that no torture occurred, though Stephanie Pratt has said otherwise.

An inside source has also dismissed the allegations to the Los Angeles Times, saying, “They were not starved or tortured, and there were just normal bugs in there,” said the source, “They actually slept most of the time. (And) no one is holding anyone’s passport either.”

What are the odds NBC is into torturing its stars? Slim to none, really. The truly astounding thing here is that these pampered celebs would compare a reality show to being in an infamous prison. Then again, it was not long ago Spencer was telling Complex.com that he is going to revolutionize hip-hop.

Given the track record, it seems safe to assume that it’s all just part of Speidi’s web of insanity. Try not to get caught.