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Blockbuster director Zack Snyder has an idea for Hollywood to avoid another film getting hacked -- like the new 'Pirates of the Caribbean' flick -- but it's gonna require embracing LOW tech.

We got Zack -- who's currently working on "Justice League" -- at LAX Tuesday right after hackers said they'd release 'Pirates 5' on the Internet if Disney didn't pay an enormous ransom ... in Bitcoin, no less.

It's like the movie "Groundhog Day" at the White House -- the latest person to try hopping the fence also attempted a breach just one month earlier ... TMZ has learned.

According to police documents, the woman who was busted Tuesday is 34-year-old Jessica Rhea Ford of La Vergne, TN. Cops also caught her near the south fence on April 16 after recognizing her as a person of interest to the Secret Service.

During Tuesday's arrest ... Ford was caught as she was seen scaling the White House fence, but was stopped before making it over. She also cut her hand on the way down.

Cops say she's known to have tried getting on White House grounds "on numerous occasions" ... and had previously been ordered to stay away.

Robin Tunney's advice to Miss USA, in the wake of her controversial healthcare stance, is pretty simple ... stay in your lane, princess.

"The Mentalist" star was at E Baldi Tuesday in Bev Hills when we asked her about Kara McCullough saying healthcare is a privilege, not a right. Although Kara later softened her answer ... Robin thinks it would be best if she avoided talking about the healthcare issue altogether.

In not so many words, Robin told us Kara just isn't qualified to tackle such a hot button issue. The shade got even shadier when she said there's only one way for a Miss USA to have a lasting impact.

Elle King's husband was arrested after they had a violent altercation about a month ago -- when we had no idea they were married -- but she chose to let him off the hook, criminally.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the incident went down April 23 at Elle and Andrew Ferguson's L.A. home. We're told they were arguing when Ferguson grabbed her by the throat with both hands, tossed her on a bed ... and said, "I'm gonna f***ing kill you."

We're told cops found scratches on Elle's neck and marks on her arm. Ferguson was arrested and booked for felony domestic violence. We're told his side of the story was that he threw Elle to stop her from hitting her head on a wall.

Elle later told cops things just got out of hand while they were partying, and she did not wish to press charges. The D.A. ultimately declined to move forward with the case ... however, the arrest adds context to the singer's surprise breakup announcement.

Elle posted a pic Monday, revealing they'd secretly married back in March 2016, and were going to have a big ceremony on April 15, 2017. Elle admitted skipping that to go to a Eagles of Death Metal concert instead. It's unclear if the fight, 8 days later, was related.

We've reached out to Elle, but no word back.

Chelsea Manning just walked out of prison 28 years early thanks to Barack Obama ... but she'll have to be on her best behavior since she's still technically a soldier.

Manning -- who had her prison sentence commuted by Obama before he left office -- is in the middle of appealing her original conviction in a military tribunal ... so she'll remain on active duty with the U.S. Army while that plays out. The process could take years.

You'll recall ... Manning pled guilty to leaking classified intel to WikiLeaks and was serving a 35 year sentence. She attempted suicide twice while behind bars after coming out as transgender.

Because she's still on active duty, Manning will be subject to military rules and punishments if she commits a new crime ... which could include something as minor as trashing her old bosses.

In other words ... Chelsea's gotta lay low until she's discharged. And the only way that'll happen is if she drops the appeal ... or waits for an official decision in her case.

After being released early Wednesday morning, she posted her first pic to IG and said in a statement ... "After another anxious four months of waiting, the day has finally arrived. I am looking forward to so much! Whatever is ahead of me is far more important than the past. I’m figuring things out right now – which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me."

President Trump was shooting for the moon when he demanded NASA put a man on Mars in the next 3 years, according to Ron Howard ... Hollywood's unofficial Mars expert.

The legendary producer and director was at LAX -- and since he made the Nat Geo series "Mars" ... we asked him about Trump's mission statement. He's all about getting to the red planet, and believes humans will be there.

In fact, he has a target date in mind ... it's just way different from Trump's.

Magic Johnson tells TMZ Sports he's "very happy" with the L.A. Lakers locking up the #2 pick in the NBA Draft at Tuesday night's draft lottery ... but he's making it clear Lonzo Ball is NOT a lock.

Zac Efron taking on the role of Ted Bundy is such dead-on casting, it could be the role Zac is ultimately remembered for ... according to the man who defended the infamous serial killer.

John Henry Browne, Bundy's lawyer in the '70s and early '80s, tells TMZ ... Efron's background as a charming heartthrob gives him an edge tapping into Bundy's persona -- the smooth talking, good looking guy who seduced young women.

That's the easy part, though. Browne says Zac's real challenge will be capturing the Bundy's "essence of evilness." He says if Zac can nail that, it would be such a departure ... it could make his career.

The lawyer says he had meetings about turning his book, "The Devil's Defender," into a TV series ... and Efron's name also came up then.

As for which Bundy flick will be better -- Efron's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" or Mark Harmon's 1986 TV movie, "The Deliberate Stranger" -- Browne's picking Zac.

But only because Harmon's script kinda sucked.

The night Jimi Hendrix famously lit up his guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival, Hendrix had another one that survived the show, and it's about to be up for grabs ... if you're a serious baller.

A private collector from the UK is finally unloading Jimi's Black Pepper Fender Stratocaster from that iconic 1967 concert -- perfect timing, with this being the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love.

Heritage Auctions is handling the bidding, which starts June 17 in Beverly Hills at $500k. Organizers estimate the final bid could reach $750k!

Makes sense -- Jimi used it to play "Hey Joe," "The Wind Cries Mary" and several other classics during the festival ... before trading it out for the one he burned and smashed on stage.

We're told it still has his southpaw stringing, scratches from his belt, and bonus ... Pepper still shreds.

Shia LaBeouf made Helsinki's contemporary art museum, Kiasma, his total bitch ... by turning the place into his personal dance studio.

Shia was visiting the Factory of the Sun exhibit by Hito Steyerl when he decided to start dancing around like a maniac. According to another visitor there last week, the exhibit is a 23-minute video meant to be enjoyed while relaxing in lounge chairs. As he tends to, Shia took his own approach ... with a friend.

We're told Shia was part of another project at Kiasma called Alone Together ... which involved live streaming from a remote cabin in Finland to a cabin inside the museum.

Looks like his desire to dance was more alluring.

Mark Ronson and his wife of more than 5 and a half years are splitting up ... TMZ has learned.

The DJ and producer's wife -- Josephine de La Baume -- filed docs Thursday for a legal separation ... citing irreconcilable differences. She lists the date of separation as April 21.

The couple wed in September 2011. They don't have any kids together, and Josephine, a French actress, is asking for spousal support.

Ronson had a career year in 2016, winning Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Group Performance with Bruno Mars for "Uptown Funk."

Khloe just tweeted about the J, sayin, "The funny thing is I don't smoke lol I don't mind if you do. To each their own. I was bringing it to someone else but it is what it is."

If Khloe Kardashian appeared to be smoking weed on Sunday night's episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ... it's only because she was ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us ... yes, that was a joint in her hand as she hugged Scott Disick. We're told producers didn't mind Khloe shooting scenes with it because it was natural -- she was having a good time with the fam in Costa Rica, and sometimes ganja happens.

For the record ... cannabis is decriminalized for personal use in CR.

Translation: Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. And Khloe definitely had 'em. Pura Vida!

Miss USA Kara McCullough says she's not backing down from her controversial statement about affordable healthcare being a privilege -- but sounds like she's doing her best to soften it.

We talked to Kara on Tuesday and she expanded on her Sunday night answer, saying healthcare should also be a right for everyone. That doesn't jibe with her original "it's a privilege" response, but what is clear is she's doing her best to be the Miss USA everyone can like.

Chris Soules might have just saved himself from showing his face in court for a while -- he entered a plea of not guilty on paper, instead of in person.

Chris filed a written plea Tuesday, waiving his right to an arraignment in open court. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

Chris was arrested in Iowa last month after he left the scene of the fatal crash with a farm tractor. Prosecutors say he bought booze before the crash.

Interesting delay tactic, but one way or another Soules WILL eventually have to show up in court.