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The Jim Henson Company's studio lot in Los Angeles is NOT being sold to the Church of Scientology, TMZ has confirmed.

Here's the deal ... a report surfaced this week claiming the historic studio lot that served as a home for The Muppets was going to change hands and end up with Scientology.

But in a statement issued Saturday ... the estate of the legendary puppeteer denied a sale was ever in place.

It was otter pandemonium at a marina in Washington state, where an aggressive otter menacingly chased after a mother and her young children after allegedly nearly drowning one of the kids.

New video shows the otter running after the mom and her kids, as they try to escape down the dock.

Moments before, the otter had reportedly dragged this woman's young boy off the dock and into the water ... nearly drowning the child.

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix don't seem to be enough on their own to make the 'Joker' sequel a hit ... and the early returns are anything but promising.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is stumbling out of the gate ... making only $20 million at the domestic box office Friday, and that's not even the worst part.

The Todd Phillips-led movie is clearly bombing with moviegoers ... earning a "D" grade on CinemaScore. It's a record, albeit a bad one ... the lowest CinemaScore grade ever given to a comic book movie. Yes -- lower than "Madame Web."

Nikki Garcia (AKA Bella) looks happy doing the single mom thing ... taking her son to his dance class after getting a restraining order against his famous father.

Nikki was spotted Friday in Napa, CA for the first time since a judge gave her court-ordered protection from "Dancing With the Stars" pro Artem Chigvintsev.

She was smiling as she carried their son, Matteo, in her arms ... and they had matching all-black outfits.

Salma Hayek is aging like a fine wine, because she just keeps looking better ... and her fellow celebs are noticing, including Jeff Bezos' fiancée.

The actress just posted a bunch of new photos on social media, exuding beauty and sex appeal at 58 ... and Lauren Sanchez is giving her major probs.

Salma's IG post is littered with thirsty replies from fans, plus this from Lauren ... "❤️ beautiful."

Nutria, an invasive species of rodent, has just been discovered in a new part of California ... and they're posing a threat to humans, pets livestock and an important ecosystem.

These critters are invading the Bay Area, making their way into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Contra Costa County ... a critical source of water for the state.

Resembling beavers and growing up to 3 feet long with bright orange teeth, Nutria are known to carry parasites and tapeworms, among other nasty things ... which means their pee and poop can then contaminate drinking water supplies.

Richard Simmons is up in heaven with his trademark tank top and shorts, working up a sweat ... at least that's what his brother said at Richard's celebration of life.

The late fitness guru was remembered Saturday in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana ... and his brother, Leonard, compared him to Clark Kent during a touching eulogy at St. Louis Cathedral.

Leonard says Richard was like Superman in that he always had his tank top and shorts on under his outfit -- like Clark keeping his superhero getup under his civilian clothes.

Jose “El Taiger” Carbajal is clinging to life in a Miami hospital ... days after the Reggaeton star was found shot in the head, in the back of a Mercedes-Benz in the city’s Allapattah neighborhood.

Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales gave an update Friday ... telling media that the 37-year-old remains in "very" critical condition after undergoing surgery ... and their investigation is ongoing into the brutal crime.

Authorities suspect Jose may have been shot elsewhere and then driven to that location and ditched ... just blocks from nearby Jackson Memorial Health Hospital.

Dolly Parton quickly got back to work after making a huge donation to Hurricane Helene relief ... and TMZ has video of her entertaining at a private event.

Here's the deal ... the country superstar just pledged $1 million to help Hurricane Helene victims in a partnership with Walmart ... the chain is donating a whopping $10 million!

While in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Walmart HQ on Friday ... Dolly put on a private show in an event for Walmart employees with 35, 40, or 45 years of service under their belt, TMZ learned.

A 10-year-old boy in Minneapolis allegedly went for a joyride that turned scary when he drove through a park, nearly hitting several kids ... and it was all caught on camera.

In the recently released shocking footage from last month ... the car allegedly driven by the youngster is seen barreling through the park as kids play nearby at the Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis.

It's clear from the video that the adults on the playground with the kids are in shock for a few moments ... before they rush to try and gather the kids to get away from the danger.

A popular social media influencer and OnlyFans model in Australia is finding out the hard way it's not cool to feed the wildlife for clicks ... and it may cost her some dough, 'cause it's apparently illegal there!

Here's the deal ... Jaylie Bonow posted a now-deleted vid of her feeding a chicken -- she claims it was cooked -- to a saltwater crocodile on the banks of the Russell River in Far North Queensland. Turns out ... that is a serious no-no Down Under, and now she's under investigation.

Of course, JB boasted about the experience on IG ... which backfired when it caught the attention of the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI), which confirmed she was under investigation for the bizarre clout chase stunt, according to Daily Mail.

The agency made it clear last month they were cracking down on people feeding crocs ... 'cause it's not just super dangerous -- it makes them more aggressive and less afraid of humans. She faces a fine of $2,580, per the agency.

Jaylie must know the situation is serious ... 'cause she has since posted a video apologizing ... and calling the dangerous feeding a "silly mistake."

JB is attempting to do something of a judo move with her ma culpa ... attempting to educate others on the law.

Travis Kelce's "Grotesquerie" character was a stripper back in the day, but he's now getting opportunities to bring Ed Lachlan's past back to the present ... with several male revues telling TMZ Sports they would love "Big Peter and His Banana Splitter" to make a special appearance!!

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar made his debut on the Ryan Murphy show this past week ... and in one scene, his role was revealed as a former dancer at a male strip club in Juneau, Alaska, where he was "jiggling it for horny mamas coming off of cruise ships."

Unfortunately, there weren't any flashback scenes.

The Menendez brothers may well be free men soon -- pretty amazing -- and Bill Maher says Taylor Swift and Trump have something in common -- they're both cult leaders. So we gotta ask ...

Donald Trump is returning to the place in Pennsylvania where he nearly lost his life, to pick up where he left off in his campaign rally before he was shot in the ear.

The Republican presidential candidate is rolling into Butler, PA, to hold a Saturday rally for his supporters after the July 13 assassination attempt at the Butler Farm Show grounds -- exactly where the horrific incident took place almost 3 months ago.

You may recall ... Thomas Crooks climbed to the roof of a building and fired a bullet that grazed Trump's right ear just inches from his skull as he stood on stage giving a speech. A Secret Service agent fatally gunned down Crooks, but not before the assailant shot to death one attendee and wounded two others.

Danielle Bregoli, AKA Bhad Bhabie, has a drastically better relationship with her estranged father, Ira Peskowitz ... TMZ has learned he is fully back in her life.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Danielle reconciled with her dad back in the summer of 2023. We're told she's the one who reached out to him ... resulting in a few initial conversations over text and the phone.

Danielle then saw her dad during a past visit to Florida. The trip clearly went well, as she later invited Ira, his wife and Danielle's 2 half-brothers to L.A. last month to celebrate her daughter, Kali's half-birthday.

Ain't no worries when you're in Hollywood and living under the sun year-round ... As sweater weather approaches, warm up to these famous floaters who are in the water spread eagle and soaking up the sun so buoyantly!

Floating faces like Andy Cohen sprawled out sunbathing next to shredded bestie Mark Consuelos, while Alessandra Ambrosio looked fin-tastic in a red 'suit belly up in Hawaii, and Dane Cook anchored down in his pool and showed off his pro-floating skills!