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The Playboy Mansion is getting a serious facelift ... and while other businesses across Los Angeles have come to a screeching halt, the crib's construction crew rages on.

We've obtained several photos of the mansion taken Thursday, just outside one of the side entrances. The storied estate is fully enveloped in scaffolding ... there's also excavation equipment.

The photos are the first images we've seen since Hugh Hefner's death back in 2017. Before he died, he sold the property to billionaire Daren Metropoulos for $100 million. Metropoulos then struck a deal with L.A. City officials to protect the main structure.

The agreement locked in Daren's previous commitment to "not demolish the main residence and repair the facade of the structure while maintaining its original condition as part of his extensive renovation."

Basically, the deal allows Daren to transform the mansion without landmark status, which would have imposed a slew of restrictions.

It's unclear exactly what all Daren has planned for the Mansion, but if these pics are any indication, we're not gonna know for a while.

Colorado Rockies legend Todd Helton was sentenced to 2 days in jail over a 2019 incident ... this after the 46-year-old pleaded guilty to DUI in court last month.

Todd was busted in Knoxville, Tenn. on March 18, 2019 after cops say the former MLB first baseman lost control of his truck and crashed it into a telephone pole.

Officers say when they arrived on scene ... Helton was being taken care of by emergency medical personnel -- and had admitted to taking Ambien before getting behind the wheel.

But, in the police report, cops say they found a plastic cup that reeked of booze inside his ride ... and eventually, they issued a misdemeanor DUI citation to the ex-baseball player.

Helton entered a treatment program immediately after the crash after expressing remorse for his actions, but the case dragged on in court for nearly a year before he finally cut a plea deal with prosecutors on March 10.

A spokesperson for the Knox County district attorney's office tells TMZ Sports that in exchange for pleading guilty-as-charged to DUI ... he received a sentence of 48 hours in custody.

Helton also received 11 months and 29 days on unsupervised probation, a $350 fine and got his license suspended for 1 year. Helton was also ordered to attend a Victim Impact Panel.

We reached out to Helton's attorney for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, this was not Todd's first run-in with DUI trouble ... he pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired back in 2013 in Colorado.

People with extra time on their hands are turning to creative outlets during coronavirus isolation ... learning to play new instruments and getting tailored voice lessons.

Here's the deal ... some of the biggest providers of online music lessons and voice coaching are telling us the same thing, business is booming during the pandemic.

Music To Your Home, which provides music lessons in NYC and online, tells TMZ ... they're seeing a 20% increase in their online lesson service compared to the same time last year, and new clients are streaming in from all corners of the globe.

We're told people are taking multiple lessons a week, an increase from before the outbreak, and parents are signing up their kids. The most popular lessons -- piano, guitar and voice.

Music To Your Home says most clients have mentioned wanting to learn a new skill while in isolation ... and some folks have expressed a desire to come out of the pandemic with a new sense of accomplishment.

Ultimate Voice Builder, operated by celeb voice coach Gary Catona, tells TMZ ... people are coming in droves seeking to work on their voices for presentations, singing and tone, and the waitlist is backed up for the next few months for personal online classes.

And, over the past two weeks, UVB says downloads for voice lesson eBooks have increased 100%. BTW, Gary's the guy who helped Renee Zellweger sing like Judy Garland.

Lessonface, which offers musical and voice lessons, tells TMZ ... the number of sign-ups have increased 10-fold since March 19, and lessons have doubled overall.

We're told the new clients are mostly teachers and schoolchildren, with a few senior citizens sprinkled in. The old folks say they want to connect with others and finally learn an instrument.

English rocker Richard Paul Ashcroft was in his early '20s when he formed the influential indie back, The Verve, and released a string of '90s bangers including "Lucky Man," "The Drugs Don't Work" ... and, of course, string-centric ballad "Bitter Sweet Symphony."

Ashcroft wasn't alone on stage ... he was accompanied by Nick Simon Jones on the bass, Nick McCabe on the guitar and Peter Salisbury on the drums.

While The Verve may have broken up back in 1999, Richard Ashcroft still continues to get on stage and perform as a solo act and toured extensively last year.

Donald Trump just did something jaw-dropping ... he shut down the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States of America -- stopped him from exposing a dangerous lie the President had just told.

Trump held a coronavirus briefing late Sunday and made a long pitch for people to use the drug hydroxychloroquine to battle the disease. He looked in the camera and said, "What have you got to lose?" There's actually an answer -- side effects include mild problems like nausea, but doctors say there's also a risk of stroke and major heart issues.

Fact is ... the drug is unproven. There have been very limited tests and results are a light-year from conclusive, and as you see, the side effects are significant.

A reporter then asked Dr. Fauci about the drug. He's spoken about it before, and there's no way he was on Team Trump, and the President knew it. You gotta watch the video.

Elon Musk's Tesla ventilators are a thing of engineering beauty and ingenuity, 'cause he's got his workers making 'em from scratch with stuff they got lying around their factories.

Tesla just posted a tutorial video of sorts, giving folks a sneak-peek at how exactly it's making the 1,000-plus ventilators it's already donated to Los Angeles ... plus more they're apparently cranking out right now. It's fascinating ... they're literally re-purposing car parts.

Elon's brainiac employees give a step-by-step walk-through of the first prototype the team built to donate to hospitals, and from what we can gather ... it's a massive contraption that, indeed, filters oxygen and CO2 in and out of a patient. We'll let the experts explain how.

There's more though ... one guy goes on to explain that Tesla's Model 3 vehicle and all of its internal systems are what power and keep track of these makeshift ventilators, which is crazy! They figured out a way to rewire stuff and make their operating system work for this cause.

If you're ever stranded along the side of the road in L.A. ... don't be surprised if you see Jay Leno pull up and ask you to pop the hood so he can get a good look at what's up.

That's exactly what happened Sunday to luxury real estate agent Dwayne Henry of Westside Estate Agency, who had a little car trouble off the Sunset Strip ... and was somewhat rescued by none other than the legendary late night talk show host in the flesh.

Dwayne tells TMZ ... he took his 1953 Mercedes-Benz -- a classic car if there ever was one -- out for a spin 'cause of the nice weather and to beat the quarantine blues, and almost immediately ... he knew something wasn't right mechanically. So, naturally, he pulled over.

DH says the issue was so bad, he called a tow truck right away ... but between the time he called and the truck arriving, Jay pulled up with his wife in a Tesla seemingly out of nowhere. Sure enough, Dwayne says Jay walked over and asked to have a peek inside.

Of course, Jay is the owner of SEVERAL classic cars -- including an even older Mercedes-Benz than this one. So, it's no wonder he spotted this whip -- but wild he actually reacted.

Anywho, as Jay was fiddling around in there, the tow truck driver showed and tossed Jay a wrench so he could tinker some more. Eventually, Dwayne tells us Jay had the diagnosis ... a brake issue that was also screwing with his fluid. Unfortunately, we're told he wasn't able to band-aid it on the spot, but hey ... an official car workup from JL ain't too shabby.

Tyler Perry is an angel, and he proved it once again when he went to a Houston's restaurant in Atlanta Sunday and left a $500 tip for each of the 42 out-of-work servers.

Tyler's a big fan of the chain and has been driving over to the one on Northside Parkway pretty frequently to pick up some delicious grub.

He showed his appreciation in a big way ... with way more than a 20% tip ... $21,000!!!

It's a lifesaver for these out-of-work employees. The federal money fired workers are supposed to get maybe delayed ... in some cases up to 20 weeks, and that just doesn't cut it.

Tyler is one of the most charitable guys in entertainment. When there's a disaster anywhere in the world, Tyler's the one to fly in supplies. As we reported, Tyler had a plane flown down to the Bahamas after it was devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

With millions of people out of work and things looking like they're only going to get worse this month, the generosity of everyone is about the only thing that's gonna get us through this.

The actress who played the mother of the kid who got eaten in "Jaws," has passed away by a threat that's becoming more real and dangerous than a great white ... COVID-19.

Lee Fierro -- who portrayed Alex Kintner's mom, Mrs. Kintner, in the 1975 classic film -- has passed away due to complications from coronavirus ... according to Martha's Vineyard Times, which first reported her death. The first "Jaws" was shot on location there in Mass.

Fierro doesn't have very many acting credits to her name outside of the 'Jaws' franchise -- in which she reprised her role twice -- but she had an iconic few scenes in the first flick, notably her freak-out on the beach when Alex's blood and shorts wash up on the beach.

Perhaps even more iconic ... her confrontation with Roy Scheider, who played Chief Brody, whom she slapped across the face at Alex's wake. She was pissed he let beachgoers hit the sand despite knowing there was a shark on the loose. Her son was the second-known attack, and as Chief Brody noted ... she wasn't wrong for her criticism of him.

According to the outlet, Fierro was being housed at an assisted living facility in Ohio -- where her family is said to be holding a small ceremony in her honor because of social distancing restrictions.

A couple in New Orleans just tied the knot with one of the most creative -- and probably sweetest -- ceremonies we've seen in a while ... and it was quarantine friendly!!!

The two lovebirds are Alex Cotant and Darla Edin-Cotant, and they got married Saturday right on their front-porch in a part of town called Mid-City. It was a small ceremony (very small, in fact) because they didn't have very many guests besides their next-door neighbors.

After they said "I do" in front of their doorway -- and in front of a minister pal, who officiated -- Alex and Darla hit the stoop below them and had a little sidewalk reception for the whole block to see, including their first dance ... which was complete with a live music cameo.

The guitarist you see here helping them swoon is local musician Mike Doussan, who tells TMZ ... he got on over there in a heartbeat after a friend told him what was happening. He says he played two songs for them, both originals, and it looks like the bride and groom were digging the tunes -- sneaking in kisses between swaying and boogieing down.

BTW, there's a reason Mike was ready at the drop of a hat ... he tells us he's been doing livestream gigs from his own front-porch lately since every venue around town is closed.

As for the at-home wedding ... it too has become a thing, especially as folks rush to cash in on their marriage licenses -- which will expire within a month or so if they don't pull the trigger. Courthouses are shut down too, so you can't get more anytime soon.

Sure seems like Alex and Darla got their vows in right in the nick of time. Congrats!

There's an ancient song by Peter Paul and Mary, which lyrics include this -- "When will they ever learn?" -- and it has sudden relevance today because open-air markets were packed this weekend, and it's insane.

Check out the Studio City Farmers Market in L.A. Sunday, packed with scores of people crowding in ... some of whom were not wearing face masks. Again, the mask protects people from those who might have the virus, and people who know what they're talking about are urging everyone to wear anything other than the professional-grade masks when they're out and about.

And, look at this ... a line of people way closer than 6 feet apart are lining a sidewalk outside of a Hermosa Beach (SoCal.) bar, drinking, talking and violating social distancing rules.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a temporary suspension of all farmers markets until they could come up with a workable, safe plan. Fact is ... it's not happening in L.A. or elsewhere.

The good news ... Garcetti shut down the Brentwood Farmer's Market after there were insanely large crowds packed in last weekend, but the Market has now changed its ways ... and people are staying appropriately apart.

Queen Elizabeth II just delivered an official palace address to the UK about the coronavirus pandemic -- her basic message ... hang in there, y'all!!!

We're being flip, but that's the gist of Her Majesty's broadcast speech. QE2 tells the British to maintain their resolve, keep their good humor and spirits about them and that together ... we'll all come out on the other side of this challenging time, across the pond and beyond.

You can watch the full speech above, but what's interesting about it is the historical nature of the Queen delivering remarks like this at all -- it rarely happens outside of Christmas.

Sunday's address marks just the fourth time Liz has spoken to the public in an official speech -- again, besides her annual Christmas talks -- during her 68-year reign as Queen of England. So yeah, it's a big deal she felt the need to talk now. The 'rona got to her!

One other interesting note ... according to Deadline, the Queen's speech here was filmed with just one cameraman in the room with her (fully decked out in protective gear) while the rest of the crew monitored and tinkered from other rooms in the building.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is back to his trolling ways since getting out of prison -- his first order of business ... letting L.A.'s Mayor know he's down to rat out quarantine breakers.

The rapper just commented on an IG post by TSR, which captured a photo/headline of Mayor Eric Garcetti telling Los Angelenos he would be willing to offer "rewards" to folks who snitch on businesses and others blatantly breaking the city-wide, stay-at-home order.

Tekashi's official two cents ... "Coming to the rescue." Short and sweet, but it speaks volumes (somewhat hilariously) for a number of reasons.

For starters, this appears to be 6ix9ine's first social media interaction that we've seen from his official account in a long time -- since November 2018, in fact, when he first got locked up on racketeering charges -- so it's noteworthy in that sense. Out of prison, back online.

Also, it's funny Tekashi's commenting on a timely topic -- namely, the coronavirus chaos happening all around us -- while also touching on something he knows all too well ... singing like a canary. Granted he's in NYC, not L.A. ... but it's the thought that counts.

Of course, if Tekashi was on the West Coast ... there'd be plenty of snitching he could do for Garcetti, as people continue to flock to public spaces and disregard social distancing -- like in Hermosa Beach this weekend, where people were out and about along trails there.