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Whitney Cummings will defend L.A. at all costs ... readying for war "Game of Thrones"-style -- with a wooden sword in hand, ready to do battle.

The actress and stand-up comic shared multiple clips to her Instagram Story detailing her eventful evening Thursday night ... beginning when she says a friend told her people in her neighborhood caught a guy trying to set fires on a back hill -- saying she thinks they caught the guy in Woodland Hills.

Cummings seems to be referring to a viral incident that's circulating on social media ... featuring residents holding down a man with a blowtorch before calling the police -- though it's unclear if this individual actually did anything Whitney's claiming.

Bill Byrge, best known for his roles in the beloved "Ernest" movies, has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor’s cousin, Sharon Chapman, tells TMZ that Bill passed away at his Nashville home yesterday at 86. The cause of his death remains unknown.

Sharon first shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook ... honoring him as a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying.

1/10 10:06 AM PT -- Hopkins just took to Instagram to address the devastation of the wildfires.

Another major celeb had his property ravaged by the Pacific Palisades wildfire ... this time it's actor Anthony Hopkins, whose home has burned to the ground.

Video obtained by TMZ shows the smoky remains of Sir Anthony's mansion, burned to its very foundation and reduced to charred rubble.

As we've reported, a ton of celebs -- along with a slew of other residents -- have seen their properties destroyed by the wildfires spreading across L.A. this week from the Palisades to Eaton to Pasadena and beyond.

Vince McMahon just reached a deal with the feds in his hush money case ... with the former WWE honcho agreeing to fork over $1.7 million to put the matter in his rearview mirror.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday it found McMahon paid a former employee $3 million in 2019 and an ex-independent contractor $7.5 million in 2022 to buy their silence when it came to allegations against him and his company, the WWE.

The SEC, though, says McMahon never properly disclosed the agreements to the WWE's Board of Directors and other officials at the wrestling org. -- a big no-no that resulted in violations.

Mel Gibson's Malibu home is literally a pile of ashes, and yet he's got an incredibly lighthearted, positive attitude about it ... joking he's "never seen a place so perfectly burnt."

Mel's 6,500 square foot residence was torched in the Pacific Palisades Fire that was fueled by 100 MPH wind gusts ... all while Mel was out of town. The actor/director was on News Nation Thursday night talking about the disaster that struck while he was doing Joe Rogan's podcast.

He says he was "ill at ease because I knew my neighborhood was on fire" while he was talking to Rogan. He says the Santa Ana winds were just starting to kick up on Tuesday when he took off for Texas -- but you gotta see him described the devastation.

The first convicted felon ever to be elected president was formally sentenced this morning ... after the Supreme Court shut down Donald Trump's final appeal Thursday night to have the judgment set aside.

Trump appeared remotely from Mar-a-Lago this morning to attend the Manhattan courthouse hearing, in which he was let off with an "unconditional discharge."

Judge Juan Merchan had already signaled Trump would not face prison, fines or probation ... deciding on unconditional discharge -- upholding the conviction, but with no penalties imposed, due to the president-elect's official status.

Jennie Garth's feeling a deep sadness this week after fleeing the L.A. wildfires ... but, she thankful she's got people to fall back on -- including her ex-husband.

The "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum took to Instagram to give her fans an update on her family's safety after evacuating not once, but twice earlier this week ... forced out of their home by the massive Pacific Palisades wildfire on L.A.'s west side.

Garth says she and her family are fine ... but, her heart breaks for her city and everyone who lost their home in the fire.

Life has unfortunately imitated art for "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia who is speaking out after his Malibu home was destroyed in the deadly L.A. wildfires.

The actor, whose house ironically burned to the ground on the TV show, drove back to Malibu with a CBS Evening News reporter to look at the devastation firsthand after being evacuated Tuesday due to the Palisades Fire with his pregnant wife Jarah Mariano and their dog.

During the interview, Ventimiglia gets choked up seeing that his house is no longer standing and just charred rubble along with the homes of his neighbors.

8:46 AM PT -- Chase's attorneys -- Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg, and Zack Findling, of the Findling Law Firm -- tell TMZ ... "This incident has been entirely blown out of proportion. Chase Chrisley had done the right thing that evening by calling a driver to take him home. He did not assault anyone. Chase was trying to close out his tab and leave. We will be independently investigating the situation."

"Growing Up Chrisley" star Chase Chrisley got a dose of reality Thursday ... he was thrown in the slammer for allegedly slapping a bar manager in Georgia earlier this week.

Chase, the son of TV stars turned convicted criminals Todd and Julie Chrisley, was booked Thursday into the Fulton County Jail for simple battery, according to official records. He posed for a mug shot and was released on $10,000 bond.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is stepping up to help a team staffer whose family lost everything in the wildfires ... by making a substantial financial contribution to kickstart the recovery process.

Longtime Lakers videographer Rohan Ali shared the tragic news this week ... saying his childhood home in Altadena, where his parents Gayle and Rasheed lived for more than three decades, was destroyed in the blaze -- and their valuables and keepsakes didn't survive.

Rohan launched a GoFundMe to help with food, housing, transportation and other costs as his family attempts to rebuild ... and on Thursday, AD did his part by donating $20,000 to the cause.

Spencer Pratt's digging through what's left of his and Heidi Montag's home ... searching through the ruins for anything that may have survived the devastating fire.

The reality television star returned to Pacific Palisades Thursday ... just days after his home burned in the Pacific Palisades Fire -- looking high and low around the property for crystals and other personal items.

Check out the pics ... Spencer's standing in the burned remains of the house, picking through blackened pots and grabbing a small silver object -- though it's not totally clear what he's holding.

Alec Baldwin isn't on trial for the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins anymore, but he’s clearly still upset over getting prosecuted over the "Rust" shooting tragedy... ‘cause he's now suing the prosecutors and investigators involved in his case.

The actor filed a lawsuit in New Mexico Thursday ... alleging prosecutors and investigators engaged in malicious prosecution, abuse of process, intentional spoliation of evidence, and violation of his civil rights.

Baldwin's side claims prosecutors became fixated on convicting Baldwin, regardless of the merits of the case ... and point to the shocking dismissal of the case in July to prove prosecutors acted improperly.

Before this cool kid snackin' away turned into a movie star, he was just runnin' around the concrete jungle as a youngster, rockin' his graduation cap, and admiring Heath Ledger as the joker in "The Dark Knight."

He's definitely got smarts: He grew up speaking French and was accepted to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

He landed a lead role in "Bones and All," and he's definitely had a "Hatful of Dreams" and those dreams are coming true!

Need one more clue? He recently celebrated his 29th birthday.

If Brandon Jacobs were in charge of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Eli Manning wouldn't have to wait long to have a bust in it ... as the ex-Giants tailback says his former teammate is "no question" a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Jacobs didn't mince a single word when TMZ Sports got him talking about Manning's HOF candidacy this week ... saying Eli's two Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots should be enough for a gold jacket alone.

"Well, s***," Jacobs said, "he beat Tom Brady twice -- that's enough!"

Megan Thee Stallion's emotional words in court are striking the right note with a judge ... who's now ordering Tory Lanez to immediately stop harassing Megan from behind bars.

She testified by video Thursday in L.A. County Superior Court, telling the judge, "I want my restraining order because I haven't been at peace since I [was] shot."

TMZ broke the story, Megan filed a request for the order last month ... claiming Tory was waging "psychological warfare" against her by using an army of bloggers to post defamatory remarks about her.

Some good news amid the despair in Los Angeles ... former UFC superstar Ronda Rousey and hubby Travis Browne just announced they've welcomed their new baby daughter, Liko’ula Pā’ūomahinakaipiha Browne!

"Our little girl came into this world during a windstorm into a city on fire, so grateful she made it safe and sound," 37-year-old Rousey wrote on social media, breaking the big news.

Ronda, from a hospital bed, shared a video on Insta holding Liko’ula while her 3-year-old daughter -- now a big sis -- admired her new sibling. Dad, happy as could be, is also in the room.