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Chris Jericho is set to defend his Ring of Honor World Championship Friday in NYC ... and the self-proclaimed "King of New York" tells TMZ Sports he is prepared to go all out in his main event match against Matt Cardona!!

Babcock caught up with the legendary wrestler ahead of the ROH Final Battle PPV -- a showdown Jericho believes is the biggest opportunity his opponent has ever had in his career.

"Win, lose, or draw, this is the biggest stage he has been on in a long time," he said. "I'm expecting a great match from him. But he knows what to expect from me, which is one of the greatest of all time as the world champion in the main event."

While kids are certainly trying to make their way onto Santa's nice list, plenty of parents -- including your favorite celebrities -- are being a little naughty by pranking their children into behaving well this holiday season.

We're, of course, referring to the annual Elf on a Shelf tradition ... where parents discreetly hide Santa's helper around the house in order to keep an eye on the kiddos -- and report back to the North Pole on who is being naughty or nice.

Now, if you aren't sold on the parenting hack, just know your favorites, like Jason Biggs and Zooey Deschanel, are going all out during the Christmas season with their Elf on a Shelf high-jinks.

Before this wickedly cool kid turned into an a-list celebrity -- touring around the world and hittin' the big screen -- she was just dressing up in her finest Dorothy costume, posing in front of the tree and singing Christmas carols all day and all night ...

Growing up in Boca Raton, Florida she enjoyed dancing, acting and singing from a young age. She's entertained on the big stage for over a decade, but perhaps her biggest dream came true, recently starring as the popular girl in town!

Need one more clue? "Santa Tell Me!"

John Mayer has officially purchased the Jim Henson studio lot ... and he appears to have a clear vision on how he wants the studio to look in the future ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Mayer and producer/director McG have finalized their deal to buy the iconic Jim Henson Studio. Despite previous reports claiming the deal was in the $60 million range, our sources say it closed for around $45 million.

We're told Mayer will oversee the recording studio, and McG will manage the other facilities on the lot.

Over the years, the Henson recording studio has been home to music's biggest acts including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, The Supremes and more. It's also where "We Are The World" was recorded.

We're told a name change for the studio is coming ... though an exact name has not been decided on yet.

However, renaming the Jim Henson studio may be the biggest change coming under new ownership. We're told Mayer and McG are set on keeping the studio running with no major changes — including keeping the same staff.

We're told preserving the history of the building means everything to the duo -- and so does making sure it stays the premier recording studio on the West Coast for years to come.

As we reported ... last month, Mayer and McG went under contract the buy the historic Hollywood property. Mayer already has a connection to the property -- holding offices in the building.

Robert Vito will not face criminal charges after his arrest last month ... though he will speak to the city attorney about alternative conflict resolution in the future.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... Vito has an upcoming hearing with the city attorney where they’ll talk to him and go over ways to avoid situations like this in the future.

After that, the case will be put on ice ... and, as long as he doesn't get in trouble in the next year, he won't ever face charges because of it.

Kyle Richards says she's planning to spend time with her family during the holidays ... and, that means her girls and estranged husband Mauricio Umansky, if he wants.

We caught up with the reality television star in Los Angeles Thursday ... and, with Christmas fast approaching, we had to ask her all about her holiday plans -- including whether those plans include her real estate mogul ex.

Richards says she's going to Aspen to spend time with her family -- her four daughters -- who she calls her home ... and, that won't change just 'cause MU's in Aspen.

A TikTok account that potentially belonged to the Wisconsin school shooter is now deleted on the heels of complaints about racist comments on the page ... TMZ has learned.

The account possibly belonging to 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow was first highlighted by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism -- and when we checked it out, we found it only had 2 posts, both related to the movie "Fight Club" ... but they were flooded with comments that were clearly left after the tragedy in Madison, WI.

We confirmed with the ADL the username its people observed was @targetedbloodsport -- and according to them, the account featured the phrase, "Totally nice day," similar to "Totally normal day" ... which the ADL claims is used by racists or white supremacists.

MrBeast is being defended by a renowned Egyptian archaeologist ... who clarified the YouTuber didn’t spend the night at the Great Pyramids of Giza while filming for an upcoming video.

Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, the country's former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, tells TMZ that MrBeast did pay a small fee to film in the Pyramids for 7 days in early December -- but made it clear to us that no amount of cash would've let them sleep inside the ancient structures.

Instead, Dr. Hawass tells us the YouTuber was allowed to shoot his project in the Pyramids once public touring was concluded each day, and then would go sleep at a camp set up 3 to 5 miles away. We're told this is standard protocol for folks looking to film at the Pyramids -- so, there was no special treatment going on for MrBeast.

Martin Katz -- a famous jewelry designer who has made pieces for some of the biggest names in Hollywood -- was burglarized ... with thieves taking millions of dollars' worth of handbags.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Katz returned to his home just after 10:30 PM Tuesday to find his window smashed -- noting numerous items were taken.

We're told the thieves grabbed a ton of high-end bags ... including collector's items from Hermès -- some of which were worth a few hundred thousand dollars each.

Lizzo is breaking her silence about the harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former backup dancers -- saying she was completely blindsided by the accusations.

Speaking on the "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer" podcast, the singer shared how deeply hurt she was by the ex-dancers -- especially since they weren’t even part of her 2022 "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls" tour, and they were people she had previously given opportunities to.

Lizzo got candid with Keke, saying she had always appreciated them as dancers ... so when they suddenly turned on her, hitting her with legal complaints while she was living her dream, it came as a complete surprise to her.

The star of "Mufasa: The Lion King" says he didn't know who most of his other costars were until earlier this year ... though he always figured the script would attract massive stars.

Braelyn Rankins -- voice of young Mufasa in the upcoming Disney "The Lion King" prequel -- was on "TMZ Live" for an interview Thursday ... and, he tells us he only knew limited information about the movie when he was filming his part.

Rankins tells us that -- outside of the actors he personally worked with -- he had no idea who would be in the film ... so no indication he would star alongside Beyoncé, her daughter Blue Ivy, Thandiwe Newton or the like.

Luigi Mangione's leaving his orange jumpsuit at the courthouse door ... ditching the prison garb for a more fashionable ensemble in federal court Thursday.

According to reports, Mangione entered the Manhattan courtroom wearing "a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants."

Mangione wasn't handcuffed during his court appearance ... though, according to CNN, when court ended for the day Mangione was led from the room between two marshals with his ankles shackled.

An ex-neighbor of the California man accused of plotting a local mass shooting in a coordinated attack with the Wisconsin school shooter is speaking out ... telling TMZ about the chilling, ominous energy he always carried.

The woman, choosing to remain anonymous, talked to us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, revealing that during the 5 to 6 years she lived near 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf, he exhibited seriously creepy behavior -- never talking, avoiding eye contact, always wearing his hood up, and other unsettling anti-social habits.

Catch the video, because she dives into the specific moments when Paffendorf made her feel super uncomfortable around their apartment complex -- and it’s spine-chilling.

2:30 PM PT -- The federal U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a press release ... the state of New York's separate prosecution against Luigi Mangione is currently expected to proceed to trial before the federal case.

Luigi Mangione just arrived in New York City after he waived extradition in Pennsylvania today, and was promptly slapped with a federal criminal court complaint.

According to the complaint filed by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of NY, Mangione is charged with murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges, and a firearms offense.

Tony Buzbee -- the high-profile attorney who's filed multiple lawsuits against Diddy, and one against Jay-Z -- is now accused of infecting a woman he dated with a venereal disease.

According to a new suit filed in New York Supreme Court ...the accuser, identified as "Jane Doe," says Buzbee has taken advantage of her since 2018 when they first met during an online conversation.

The woman said the Texas-based lawyer charmed her and convinced her to go out on a date. She says she ventured to Buzbee's hometown of Houston to grab dinner with him before they took in a show.

It's Christmas time, but make it "Kristmas! The Kardashian-Jenner crew never back down from a photo-op, especially when it comes to XMAS! Gather round for nostalgic throwback pics of Hollywood's hottest fam ... they sure have aged well!

TMZ did some digging and unwrapped some gems from back in the day -- Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie -- all showin' out in their festive 'fits!

Check out the hefty amount of stockings in this photo of Kendall and Kylie -- both sisters nailing their adorable poses in matching red zip-ups in front of the fireplace!

Here's a sweet snap of Rob and Khloe on Christmas morning, in matching pajamas and smiling with glee after opening their gifts.