Eric Spiegelman put together a great time-lapse video of the fires, set to Grizzly Bear's— and really, what's with all the Grizz these days?—"All We Ask." He also did one of the fires at night. Leave it to Angelinos to make great art out of disaster. Most New Yorkers are fine until something bad happens, after which they mostly curl into the fetal position and go think smart deep thoughts about it for $300 an hour. Send me your citizen's reports and photos, or throw them in the comments. Godspeed these fires away, and please keep the Kogi Truck safe.

Time Lapse Test: Station Fire from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

OK! magazine reports that the actor and comedian lost most, if not all, of the contents of the Trump Place apartment. The fire apparently also spread to other apartments, including maybe Sherri Shepherd's??

The View Earth's roundness-denier mentioned the fire on her show this morning, saying that her apartment had flooded because of the sprinkler system. So that's awful for everyone, good thing they are rich and can buy new things and new apartments.

More importantly, isn't it kind of wonderful that Sherri and Tracy, who play husband and wife on 30 Rock, live in the same Riverside Drive Boulevard building? Maybe they have secret "rehearsals"...

Here's Sherri talking about the fire and her precious, precious wigs:

UPDATE (8:30am): E!'s Marc Malkin is reporting that the MTV Movie Awards will go on and that the hilltop theme park will remain open today. While we would never bet against the power of commerce, we will predict that not too many visitors at the park today will be lining up to "endure the blazing inferno of heart-pounding heat and fury in a 10,000 degree blast of searing pyrotechnics" that the Backdraft ride promises.

UPDATE #2 (8:50am): The power of contextual advertising never ceases to amaze (in red)!

• Large fire burning at Universal Studios in LA {Reuters]

The building houses Basque Nightclub and Restaurant, but it was not open at the time and no one is said to have been inside. Towering 40-foot flames shot through the roof of Basque Nightclub and smoke could be seen and smelled for miles.

The greater alarm fire started just before 5:30 a.m. and quickly spread to other businesses inside the building.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze, which was knocked down just before 8 a.m. Crews made an aggressive attack on the fire, using aerial ladders to pour water on the flames from above.

In addition to the TV report above, introduced by a too-perky-by-half anchor (this is Basque we're talking about! Where Lindsay Lohan had a premiere night she'll never forget! At least pretend to show some grief), here's some amateur footage on YouTube that shows just how close the smoke and flames came to the Capitol Records building. We urge everyone to climb atop a wobbly V.I.P. table at Les Deux tonight and toast a glass of Perrier-Jouet to the fallen social institution.

• Fire tears through Hollywood nightclub [abclocal.go.com/kabc]
• basquehollywood.com
• Hollywood & Vine Fire April 30, 2008 [YouTube]

[Bailey] lives near Los Angeles' Griffith Park, which went up in flames earlier this week. To escape the smoke and heat from the fire that blackened more than 800 acres, he and his wife headed for the peace and solitude of idyllic Santa Catalina Island.

"We thought, get away for a little while, get away from all this fire nonsense, go to Catalina, get some fresh air," Bailey told KABC-TV.

"We were approaching the island and we see this smoke from pretty far away," he added. "I jokingly said to my wife, I was like, `That cloud formation over there looks like there is a fire in Catalina.'"

While the staggering coincidence gives the actor the unfortunate air of being the Patient Zero of the great SoCal wildfires of May 2007, we'd like to take a moment to remind everyone that there is still no indication that this was anything more than a little bad luck, and that if you should you happen upon him in your daily routines, pointing and screaming, "IT'S HIM! IT'S MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS FIRESTARTER! RUN! TAKE WHATEVER YOU CAN CARRY AND RUN BEFORE HIS VERY PRESENCE DOOMS US TO A FIERY DEATH!" could well be interpreted as insensitive and completely uncalled for.

• Grey's' actor flees 2 Calif. fire zones [Yahoo/AP]

Dear KTLA - Have you lost your mind? The news could have waited until 9 or 10. Police were evacuating the area, so your coverage was not needed. At the very least you should be posting a replay date and time for "Gilmore Girls" at the bottom of the screen. Submitted by: Stephanie

My aunt was evacuated. I understand that a show isn't more important that a home or family. HOWEVER, if I want an update on the fire or their situation, I can pick up a phone, go online, etc. It's silly for the network to cover the story for three hours straight. During regular programming, if you want to alert people about the fire, cut in for 30 seconds and tell people to watch at 10 or read the story at their website.
Submitted by: disappointed

Please show this episode to your Southern California audience!! We have been waiting for a long time for "the marriage proposal" and were very upset by 50 minutes of fire coverage. Please post the airing time soon! Submitted by: sad mom and daughter

This station is so inconsiderate to it's viewers. We obviously had tuned in to watch GG's, not the news. THey really need to apologize. This is why network tv is waste of time and why given the choice I watch tv shows that i've downloaded- Heroes, for example.
Submitted by: upset

you know, i cannot believe they are doing this to us.and this ghetto station doesn't even show the episodes online like abc and nbc
Submitted by: very upset

I hate this channel! they have NO RESPECT for their viewers! IT'S PRIME TIME, YOU BASTARDS! NEVER WATCHING THIS CHANNEL AGAIN!!!
Submitted by: IHATE KTLA!!

We were seriously screaming at the TV that they took up the whole show for a stupid fire!!!! This is Southern California, it's warm, windy we have fires!!!!! Does anyone know when they will re- air this episode???
Submitted by: Dolphin

What the heck?! Are they not aware that Logan was going to ask Rory to marry him?! All that fire coverage is NOT necessary! I want to know when this episode is going to air???
Submitted by: Wondering

Worst station ever. And they don't even address the concerns of people who missed Gilmore Girls/Veronica Mars.
Submitted by: HateKTLA

I can't believe I sat through an hour of this "breaking news" hoping they would turn Gilmore Girls back on after they repeated the same information 10 million times. Nope. They better re-play this episode before the season finale or I will be VERY ANGRY.
Submitted by: Alexa

THIS IS TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS!!! WHO GAVE THE OK TO DO THIS TONIGHT DURING THIS SHOW?? WHOEVER MADE THAT DESCISION NEEDS TO BE FIRED FOR BEING INCOMPETENT IN DECISION MAKING!! AND HAL JUST NEEDS TO STOP TALKING HE'S WORSE THEN OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WITH THE MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Submitted by: saylind

There are so many, many more where these came from, but we can't recommend you read them all, for even the coldest of hearts will certainly melt from these tales of woe.

• What HAS TO HAPPEN in the Series Finale of Gilmore Girls? [KTLA.com via LA Observed]

Stephen Halbert swept ash from his brick patio this morning, trying to clear it before his wife returned to the 1926 house on Aberdeen Avenue they have lived in for seven years.

Halbert had been standing outside his home at 8 p.m. Tuesday watching the glow of the fire grow closer and redder when neighbor Kirstie Alley drove up and told him to leave. He grabbed his cats and his computer and jumped in his black Prius.

Unfortunately, the danger posed by the still-raging conflagration prevented Alley from setting up an assist tent, where she could administer a course of healing shoulder rubs and vitamins to those adversely affected by the blaze; she did, however, have time to hand out coupons redeemable for a discounted copy of Dianetics before speeding off to inform other neighbors of the evacuation orders.

• Returning to a burned landscape [LATimesBlogs]

More operative-supplied Defamer Action Photos™ follow after the jump:

[Thanks to the readers who sent in these photos!]

• Arson Brush Fire Burns 200 Acres In Griffith Park [CBS2.com]
• Previously: The Great Burbank Fire Of 2007: The Photo Gallery [Defamer]

Click on the thumbnails below to go to the gallery:

[Thanks to everyone who sent in their pictures. When the real Armageddon arrives, your generosity will be repaid a thousandfold.]

• The Great Burbank Fire Of 2007: More Photos, Reactions [Defamer]
• Breaking: Burbank Is Burning! [Defamer]

We suggest that all WB and Universal employees consult their supervisors before fleeing in panic, fearing that God has finally sent forth his righteous fire to punish the show business heathens that have settled in the Valley. It may be Friday afternoon and the noise of those helicopters trying to contain the blaze may be irritating, but you still have important jobs to do.

Above, an operative's photo of the view from the Universal backlot. After the jump, another reader-supplied cameraphone picture where the WB watertower is visible:

[Also, local TV coverage here and here, for those requiring actual information delivered in a responsible fashion.]

And there are more dramatic photos here. Developing...

UPDATE: More photos and an update here.