Chris Brown and Rihanna are dangerously close to getting back together, sources close to the ex-couple tell TMZ -- but the singers' friends are desperately trying to keep them apart ... for their own good.

According to sources, Rihanna is still head over heels for Chris -- despite that fateful night 3 years ago when he brutalized her -- and if it weren't for the media and her fans, she would already have taken him back.

We're told Chris also has extremely strong feelings for Rihanna -- current girlfriend be damned.

Now, sources tell us, Rihanna and Chris' friends are terrified they'll get back together -- and they're doing everything they can to prevent a possible reunion.

According to sources, friends on BOTH sides have expressed extremely strong reservations to Ri and CB about spending so much time together ... warning it's a terrible idea ... personally AND professionally.

But with Rihanna's birthday ... Chris and Rihanna's duets released this week ... friends fear they're fighting an uphill battle.

As one source put it, "You can't hold back love."

The Nevada prep school named after and founded by Andre Agassi has been sued by a former biology teacher who claims he was treated like crap and FIRED because he's black.

TMZ has obtained the lawsuit filed by James Holmes Jr. -- who claims he was hired to teach 9th and 10th grade biology at Andre Agassi College Prep Academy in 2005.

According to his suit, things went smoothly for the next 3 years ... until the school hired a new principal in 2008 ... who allegedly favored white teachers.

James claims the principal refused to let him travel to a science conference ... blaming it on budget restraints. But James claims he later discovered the school head DID have funds reserved for other teachers who wanted to attend conferences ... and they all happened to be white.

James also claims the principal denied his request for new lab materials due to budget restraints ... only to find out the lab materials were ordered for two white teachers instead.

According to the suit, James says he filed a complaint with the school ... but officials retaliated by firing his ass and replacing him with a substitute elementary school teacher who wasn't certified to teach science courses.

James is demanding at least $75k in damages. Andre is not personally named in the suit.

A rep for the Academy tells us, "We will aggressively defend the suit because the case is baseless and without any merit."

The oldest person ever to compete on "Biggest Loser" has some wise words for the contestants currently on strike -- the weight loss show is NOT about the prize money ... it's about saving your life.

TMZ broke the story ... nearly all of the remaining contestants on the current season have walked off the show and are threatening to quit -- after learning that producers were considering bringing back previous contestants to compete for the $250,000 grand prize.

The contestants are striking because they feel it's unfair to bring back old contestants -- which would hurt their chances at winning the money.

But 66-year-old John Forger (above) -- who competed on Season 12 -- tells TMZ, "It's not about [money]. What it's really about, for most of us, is the change in our lifestyle, and being able to get rid of obesity."

John adds, "For most of us, it's about health. Would I walk off the show for the money? ABSOLUTELY NOT."

John was eliminated in the second week of Season 12 -- but he tells us, he has no regrets ... losing 97 pounds while he was on the show, and an additional 15 afterwards.

"Cougar Town" star Christa Miller's manager insists the actress exploited her to get a job on the show ... then refused to pay her $200,000 in commissions -- but she overlooks one teensy detail... Christa's MARRIED to the freaking show creator.

Manager Jill Littman filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court -- claiming Christa violated an oral agreement to pay her 10% of all "Cougar Town" earnings ... after she helped Christa land the gig ... a sum totaling at least $198,187.

Jill claims Christa paid her for Season One -- but then the checks stopped coming.

Relevant side note -- Christa's married to "Cougar Town" creator Bill Lawrence ... and call it a hunch, but she probably didn't need Jill's help getting the acting job.

Calls to Christa Miller were not returned.

Just days before "Pretty Wild" star Tess Taylor checked into rehab for drugs ... she was modeling for a new line of clothing that promotes hardcore alcohol consumption ... and TMZ has learned there are no plans to stop production.

Taylor -- a model by trade -- had booked a gig with the Young N' Reckless clothing company ... owned by "Fantasy Factory" star Chris 'Drama' Pfaff.

One of the new YNR shirts features Taylor double-fisting 40-ounce bottles, punctuated with the words "White Girl Wasted."

Two weeks after the shoot, Taylor checked into rehab for heroin addiction -- her 2nd stint in rehab in a year.

But despite Taylor's personal demons, a rep for YNR tells us business is business ... saying, "We plan on releasing the shirts nationwide in March or April."

Jack Osbourne's dog Lola passed away at the respectable age of 12 -- so we decided to throw up a few of her greatest moments. God better have a strong garden hose up there.

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Joe Francis hopefully saved a bunch of money from his "Girls Gone Wild" empire, because a judge just ordered him to pay Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn $7.5 million.

Wynn filed the defamation lawsuit, after Francis said he was going to reveal how Wynn deceived his high-end customers.

The judge determined Francis damaged Wynn's reputation to the tune of $5 million.  And the judge heaped on an addition $2.5 million in punitive damages, which serves as punishment for reckless disregard for the truth. 

Francis' lawyer, David Houston, tells TMZ, "We will appeal this order.  Joe was not allowed to defend himself."

Francis and Houston tell us, "Even if this order stands, it will only be a small offset from the 10's of millions of dollars that we are requesting from Steve Wynn in another lawsuit -- in a less Wynn-friendly courtroom."

Spike TV star Courtney Hansen -- the super hot chick from "Powerblock" -- has filed for divorce from her pharmaceutical mogul husband ... TMZ has learned.

Hansen -- one of FHM's sexiest 100 in 2005 -- filed divorce docs in L.A. County Superior Court in an effort to end her 2 year marriage to Ilya Sapritsky.

In the docs, Courtney blames the split on irreconcilable differences ... and, duh, she wants spousal support.

Courtney released a statement saying ... "Marriage is extremely sacred to me, and I took honoring those vows very seriously. Unfortunately, it has become necessary for me to move on. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this time."

The split is pretty shocking, considering just last year the two were in talks to join "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Fear not "The Biggest Loser" fans, the contestants' threat to quit mid-season will not derail the show -- IF producers adopt one TMZ staffer's plan to lay down the law ... and drop a ton of LBs.

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Dr. Conrad Murray just filed legal docs in which he claims his manslaughter conviction should be overturned, on grounds that the judge should have allowed him to prove ... Michael Jackson was so stressed out over his financial woes ... he recklessly rolled the dice by self-administering a fatal dose of Propofol.

Murray is responding to the D.A.'s claims that he should stay in jail pending appeal because the grounds for challenging the conviction are bogus.

Murray makes a number of arguments, but the most interesting is the section titled, "Financial Condition of Michael Jackson."  Murray's lawyers put it this way:  "Mr. Jackson was in debt approximately $440 million and desperately needed to fulfill a contractual commitment at the O2 arena in London."

The lawyers go on:  "He was on the verge of losing his entire estate to foreclosure.  The pressure to fight through his insomnia, to rehearse and be the entertainer he was in his earlier years was overwhelming."

And then the lawyers bring it home:  "His motivation and resulting desperation were relevant to show a likelihood or reason to act in a manner inconsistent with good judgment."

The lawyers believe it was an error for the judge to exclude evidence of MJ's financial desperation.

Bam Margera still has no idea why he was arrested Monday in New Orleans -- telling TMZ Live, he was hauled to jail ... spent the night behind bars ... but was NEVER booked for a crime.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam was cuffed in the French Quarter after a Mardi Gras party -- when he jumped in to a pool, fully clothed.

But Bam insists, he didn't break the law -- and when he asked why he was brought in to the station in handcuffs, the cops couldn't give him an answer.

When he was released the next morning, Bam says he never received a ticket OR an explanation -- nothing. He's still stumped.

For the record -- we called police in New Orleans, and they didn't have any record of Bam in their system ... meaning he really wasn't booked for anything.

Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman came face to face with police in Vegas this morning ... after a friend alerted hotel security that the NFL star may have harmed himself ... but it turned out to be a case of a simple over-reaction.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... officers were dispatched to Merriman's room at the Cosmopolitan Hotel after the friend claimed he had received startling text messages from Shawne ... which made the friend fear for Shawne's safety.

But when cops arrived to the room ... we're told they talked things out with Shawne and quickly concluded he did not pose a threat to himself or others.

Sources tell us Merriman also denied sending any texts about harming himself.

We spoke with Shawne's rep ... who told us, "It was an over-reaction on the part of whoever called. Shawne was fine."

The rep adds, "He had taken some cold medicine and was having breathing issues ... Shawne's physical safety was never in jeopardy."