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The IKEA furniture didn't stand a chance in Charlottesville after Virginia won the NCAA championship Monday night ... because there was a SOFA INFERNO right on the streets!

The Cavaliers defeated Texas Tech in an overtime thriller in Minnesota to clinch the school's very first national title -- and the fans back home in VA went crazy to celebrate.

Check out this footage of UVA fans setting fire to a couch and dancing around while chanting "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes in video shot by reporter Austin Kellerman.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and cops reportedly didn't make any arrests -- so all in all, pretty harmless fun.

Other students and fans flooded campus to chant and cheer -- the videos are insane!

4/9 8:32 AM PT -- Eric just tweeted about the incident, stating, "We are all safe. Thank you for your concern."

He finished by saying, "You don't know how much you're loved till times like these" and then quoted himself from his old "Monty Python" days -- "Always Look on the Bright Side of life..."

4/9 5:41 AM PT -- According to LAFD, the investigation found that "there was no hazard" and two people were taken to a hospital only as a precaution.

An employee of comedian Eric Idle called 911 after opening a letter containing a suspicious white powder ... triggering a heavy police and fire response to Idle's Hollywood Hills home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the employee discovered the powder while opening a certified letter shortly after 6:30 PM Monday night. LAPD, fire and hazmat units were quick to the scene ... it is not believed that Idle was home during the incident.

At this time, it's unclear exactly what the powder inside the letter is, units are still on scene investigating.

Idle's career has stretched over the span of several decades ... including being a member of the British comedy group "Monty Python" and being the author of the Broadway musical "Spamalot."

Story developing ...

Here's a photo of soccer legend Pele at the airport in France on Monday -- right after he was released from a Paris hospital where he spent the past 6 days battling a urinary tract infection.

The 78-year-old was pushed through Charles de Gaulle Airport while being accompanied by 4 people. We're guessing he's now on a flight back home to Brazil.

Pele was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after appearing at an event in Paris with French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe.

His reps insisted the UTI was nothing serious -- but clearly, doctors felt it was in his best interest to keep him hospitalized while he being treated for the infection.

"I want to thank you deeply for your positive thoughts and get-well wishes," Pele said in a statement to the Brazilian news media.

"Thanks to the great affection of the medical team at the American hospital of Paris, I am travelling home soon."

Just before he was released from the hospital, Pele was visited by Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar -- and they both smiled for a quick photo in his hospital room.

4/9 -- At least one of Felicity's productions is on hold -- the Netflix comedy "Otherhood," co-starring Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett, was supposed to be available April 26. We're told it no longer has a launch date.

She's co-starring in another Netflix film, "When They See Us" -- about the Central Park Five -- and that's still slated for a May 31 release.

3:23 PM PT -- Felicity's plea deal WILL include prison time after all, IF prosecutors get their way ... but only a little.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors are recommending a prison term at the "low end of the sentencing guidelines."

In the docs, the feds say that would be somewhere between 4 to 10 months -- however, Felicity is reserving the right to argue the range should be 0 to 6 months. All of this should be sorted out in sentencing, and it's important to note, these are just the recommendations from prosecutors. The judge will have ultimate say at sentencing.

BTW, they also suggest she pay a fine or penalty of $20k, plus a TBD restitution amount and one year of probation.

Felicity Huffman has thrown in the towel in her college admissions cheating scandal ... agreeing to plead guilty, along with 12 other parents and one coach.

The former "Desperate Housewives" star was one of 14 people who entered guilty pleas Monday. She pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud as well as honest services mail fraud.

Felicity Huffman, 56, of Los Angeles, Calif, paid Rick Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test. The girl had twice the amount of time as normal to take the exam and the proctor corrected her answers afterward.

Huffman released a statement saying, "I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions."

She continues, "I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community."

As for sentencing ... no word. TMZ broke the story, our sources in the prosecutor's office say they wanted some prison time. The prosecutor recommends a sentence to the judge, and the judge has the final word.

The maximum sentence is 20 years in prison.

Lori Loughlin and her husband were not part of the plea deal.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart is speaking out about that crazy attack during his WWE Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday ... saying, " I want to let everyone know that I am okay and was not injured."

GREAT NEWS!!!

Of course, the 61-year-old legend was blindsided by a violent idiot who snuck on stage and tackled Bret while he was delivering his induction speech alongside Natalya Neidhart ... the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim was also part of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class.

"What a wild weekend to say the least," Bret posted on social media Monday.

"If there’s one thing I want everyone to take away from the Hall of Fame ceremony is not so much what happened, but how I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from completing my tribute to my best friend and our team."

Bret added, "Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words."

As for the attacker, cops arrested Zachary Madsen -- who's since been charged with assault and criminal trespassing. He was held on $1,500 bond.

Madsen was also pummeled by ex-UFC star Travis Browne -- who happened to be ringside with his wife Ronda Rousey during the attack.

After the incident, Madsen told police he decided to tackle Hart because "I just felt like it was the right moment."

There will be no triumphant comeback for the Auburn gymnast who broke both of her legs during a floor routine at the NCAA Regional Semifinals ... Samantha Cerio says she's retiring from the sport.

Cerio snapped both of her legs while trying to land a handspring double front on Friday -- she was stretchered off the mat with 2 air casts.

**WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS GNARLY AND GRAPHIC**

Auburn went on to advance to the Regional Final ... but Cero says Friday was "my final night as a gymnast."

Cerio issued a statement saying, "After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind."

The Auburn senior says she learned a lot from the sport -- including hard work, humility, integrity and dedication ... but has ultimately decided to move on.

"It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."

"Thank you Auburn family for giving me a home and a chance to continue doing the sport that will always be my first love. I am honored to have had the privilege to represent the navy and orange AU for the past 4 years with my team by my side. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you. Thank you for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself."

Gabrielle Union was dancing her ass off at the Pride Festival in Miami Beach this weekend ... and it was all to show support for her 11-year-old stepson, Zion.

Zion is Dwyane Wade's son from a previous relationship but he lives with Dwyane and Gabby full-time and Gabby treats him like blood.

While Wade wasn't at the event -- the Miami Heat had a game in Toronto -- the NBA star was certainly proud of his family, saying:

"Zion had his own cheering section today. Wish I was there to see you smile kid."

The Pride Festival in Miami Beach is one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the country -- with more than 145,000 people flocking to South Beach last year to celebrate together.

Gabby was having a blast -- dancing, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.

Zion was sporting a rainbow ribbon and a big ol' smile!

Dwyane posted a photo of his older son, Zaire -- a HUGE prep basketball star -- with Zion at the parade along with the caption, "We support each other with pride."

He added, "It's a family thing."

Conor McGregor is reportedly under investigation in Ireland -- again -- after allegedly punching a man Saturday in a pub in Dublin.

The UFC superstar was at the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh (a suburb of Dublin) when he was approached by another patron who thought Conor was acting like a jerk, according to the Irish Mirror.

The patron reportedly talked trash to Conor about his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, "The Russian battered you" ... and that's when Conor snapped and punched.

We called Ireland's Garda Síochána -- the country's police force -- who wouldn't identify Conor by name but did confirm an investigation of an alleged April 6 incident at the Marble Arch.

"No arrests, matter under investigation."

We also called the pub -- but an employee hung up on us as soon as we asked about Conor.

Calls to McGregor's rep have not been returned.

It's just the latest in a long list of legal problems for Conor ... who's also facing criminal charges for an alleged incident at a Miami hotel last month.

He's also reportedly being investigated in a rape probe in Dublin stemming from an alleged incident at a hotel in Ireland back in December. Conor's rep has called the report a "rumor."

10:47 AM PT -- The U.S. Attorney's office tells TMZ Mack is facing up to 40 years, 20 for each count.

Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack just entered a guilty plea to racketeering charges in her sex cult case ... and all signs point to her cutting a deal with prosecutors.

Mack, who starred as Chloe Sullivan on "Smallville," appeared in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday and pled guilty to 2 counts ... racketeering conspiracy and racketeering. Prosecutors say she was the pimp for the sex cult.

In court she sobbed and said, "I must take full responsibility for my conduct. I am very sorry for my role in this case. I am very sorry to my family and to the good people I hurt through my misguided adherence to [NXIVM leader] Keith Raniere’s teachings.”

It's unclear what the terms of Mack's deal are -- she had initially pled not guilty when she was indicted on sex trafficking charges for her role in running the sex cult led by Raniere. Prosecutors say she recruited and directed women, including other actresses, to have sex with Raniere, who was also busted.

You'll recall ... Mack was on the scene last March in Mexico when cops took Raniere into custody in Puerta Vallarta, where he was hiding out.

Mack was later arrested and extradited to the U.S., where she was outfitted with a GPS ankle monitor as a term of her bail.

How did Texas Rangers superstars Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara celebrate a home run Sunday??

WITH A DOUBLE CROTCH GRAB, BABY!!!

It all went down in the second inning in Anaheim this past weekend ... when Gallo hit a bomb to deep right field against the Angels that plated his teammate, Mazara.

When Gallo rounded the bases and made it back home ... the two celebrated with some low fives ... and a big handful of each other's crotches.

Weirdly enough ... neither player was asked about the secret handshake after the game -- but sure seems like this was a planned deal between the two.

Unclear if it'll continue all season ... but Gallo is one of the biggest power hitters in the MLB -- he blasted 41 homers in 2017 and 40 last year.

Who's ready for John Football!?!?!

The athlete formerly known as Johnny Manziel has a new name -- he's more of a "John" type of guy now ... telling people he's dropping the "-ny" from his moniker.

The quarterback announced the image makeover on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Monday ... saying "I actually go by John these days."

It's not a bad time to hit the restart button for Manziel ... he's had a rough few weeks -- the AAF shut down operations and his estranged wife bashed him on social media for allegedly cheating.

During the show, Manziel also addressed leaving the CFL to play for the Memphis Express ... saying "I was so hungry to get back on the field and start playing, I took the first chance I could."

"When I looked up a year later, things [in the CFL] weren't exactly what I thought they'd be. When I signed in Hamilton with June Jones I thought it would be like a Colt Brennan Hawaii highlight film."

"No regrets, it's just one of the chapters I've closed the book on and moving forward now."

As for whether it was a mutual agreement, or whether the CFL pushed him out, John wouldn't say.

"I don't want to go into detail, but looking back, I'm happy. Memphis was exactly what I needed in my life. First day being on the field with 11 men the game slowed down, it was perfect for me."

Conor McGregor was so impressed with Becky Lynch's victory over Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania ... he might be one step closer to joining her in the ring.

Lynch defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event Sunday night -- earning both the WWE Raw AND Smackdown belts ... leading Conor to dub her the sport's first "Champ Champ."

"Congrats to Irelands Becky Lynch, the WWE’s first Champ Champ," McGregor wrote.

"Wow! What a match these ladies put on! Ronda Rousey is something special in that ring, as is Charlotte Flair of the Flair dynasty!"

That's when the tease came ...

"Stephanie McMahon you are right, I could not do what these athletes do. Or could I... "

McGregor hasn't exactly had the best relationship with WWE -- in 2016, he went off on a bunch of the wrestlers as "p**sies" who could never win a real fist fight.

"For the most part, those WWE guys are p**sies," McGregor said at the time ... "They're messed up p**sies if you ask me."

He did, however, praise Vince McMahon and Triple H at the time.

So, will he or won't he???

We recently shot Steph McMahon who told us she would love to sign Conor to a WWE contract ... if he's serious about wanting to get in the ring.

Conor's future seems to be a mystery -- he "retired" from MMA in a tweet last month ... but then told Khabib Nurmagomedov he would see him back in the Octagon.

It's all over for Batista!!!!

The WWE superstar -- turned movie star -- announced his retirement from "Sports Entertainment" just hours after losing an insane match to Triple H at WrestleMania 35.

First off, the match was crazy ... the 50-year-old -- who was a 6-TIME champ in the WWE -- battled his face-off with Triple H on Sunday. Triple H even used pliers to rip out Batista's nose ring during the match.

Then, after being hit with everything from a steel chair to steel steps ... Triple H hit Batista with his signature Pedigree move to end the match -- and Batista's career.

Afterward, Dave Bautista went to social media to say goodbye to the fans ...

"To all the @wwe fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you."

"Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I’ll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment."

"I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey."

Don't worry, Dave will be fine ... he's become a massive movie star thanks to his role as Drax the Destroyer in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'

He's also got a TON of new movies on the way.

WWE legend Bret Hart was just tackled to the ground by a man who bumrushed the former wrestler while he was literally being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Bret was making his induction speech Saturday night during WWE's HOF ceremony -- in which BH and Jim The Anvil Neidhart were to be sworn in -- when out of nowhere a guy wearing what appeared to be a Rasta hat hopped into the ring and tried to take Bret down.

It wasn't a publicity stunt or a staged moment either -- security immediately swarmed in and dog piled the man, as other wrestlers nearby also hopped in to help. It was an immediate frenzy, if only momentarily.

You can tell the WWE community wasn't happy about the attempted take-down -- RAW Tag Team champ Dash Wilder unloaded one good sock to the face as security was dragging the dude away.

Even Ronda Rousey's husband, Travis Browne, got in on the action early ... as he leaped in to help Hart as soon as the guy made his way into the ring.

According to reports, the guy in question was removed from the building and Bret was able to finish his speech. Mind you ... Bret has suffered a stroke in the past.

Forget a Kamaru Usman rematch ... Tyron Woodley says the fight he REALLY wants is with Donald Trump's hair!!!

"Dana, set it up. Tyron Woodley versus Donald Trump's hair, UFC whatever the f**k."

OKAY, Woodley's just playin' around ... but it doesn't make his rant over Trump's hair any less HILARIOUS!!!

The UFC superstar was cruising through his TV channels when Trump popped up ... signature hairdo on full display for the cameras.

Woodley's reaction? "What the f**k are you doing, bruh?"

Tyron continued, "He should wear a bandanna, man. It's terrible. It's so f**king horrible. I hate your hair, man. I don't know you, but I hate your hair. I want to fight your hair."

For his part, Trump knows the look ain't exactly great ... the Prez admitted during a speech last year, "I try like hell to hide that bald spot, folks. I work hard on it!!"

As for Tyron ... he's reportedly agreed to rematch Robbie Lawler in late June.

Forget being the best DB in the NFL ... Jalen Ramsey is gunnin' for best BF honors -- 'cause the Jacksonville Jaguars superstar got his baby mama a DOPE Rolex for her birthday!!!

Of course, JR is famously dating Giants WR Golden Tate's sister -- Breanna Tate -- and for her cake day ... he got her some ICE for her wrist.

Unclear which make and model the Rollie is ... but similar gold & diamond Rolexes run in the $35,000 range!!!!!

"My Queen gon stay fresher & icier than me I PROMISE," Ramsey wrote of the gift.

24-year-old Jalen and Breanna have been going strong for a while now ... and the two just had a little baby girl together last summer.

In fact, Jalen missed a portion of Jags training camp last season for the birth of their child, writing, "family is among the most important things in my life."