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A woman went scorched Earth on a lady who was walking her German Shepherd on the asphalt during SoCal's heatwave, bare paws and all ... it got toasty and it's all on video.

We're told the situation went down Wednesday outside a TJ Maxx in San Dimas, CA -- where temperatures reached over 100 degrees. Witnesses say, around 2 p.m., a blonde woman got into a heated confrontation with a younger brunette after spotting her walking her dog across the scorching hot parking lot.

We're told the blonde warned the woman her dog needed booties to protect his paws from the record-breaking heat.

Melissa Etheridge is remembering Dolly Parton for something that went far beyond her music -- her remarkable ability to bring people together, even across deep cultural and political divides.

The singer joined TMZ Live the day after Parton’s passing and reflected on her longtime friendship with the country music icon, praising Parton for the way she consistently embraced the LGBTQ+ community, while refusing to judge people for who they were.

Check the clip ... Etheridge pointed to their memorable 2003 appearance together on CMT’s "Crossroads," a groundbreaking pairing that brought the two artists together at a time when the same-sex marriage debate was intensifying across the country -- the episode marked the first time the series paired two women artists.

Surrogate McKenna West is asking a Texas judge to issue an order blocking the biological parents from interfering with her caring for their kid ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, McKenna opposes Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed's request to be named the conservators of the child they named "Rumi" but who she calls "Gabriel" ... instead, McKenna insists that she be appointed the sole managing conservator of the child.

The newborn is currently being cared for by Nausheen and Omar after a judge granted them temporary custody ... and the baby boy is in critical condition after emergency heart surgery following his August 12 birth.

Abby Lee Miller is requesting the court dismiss the defendants from a lawsuit she filed ... she accidentally sued them for committing malpractice after mixing up a couple medical practitioners.

Here's the deal ... the "Dance Moms" star filed court documents asking to remove Dr. Hooman Melamed, Dr. Paul Dwan and Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital from a lawsuit she filed alleging a catheter was left in her body after a surgery.

In a statement to TMZ, Abby says the two doctors "vigorously and consistently
maintained that their care and treatment of Ms. Miller met the applicable standard of care."

Leah Remini is bringing her no nonsense attitude to Beverly Hills ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's joining "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Production sources tell TMZ ... Leah recently signed on as a full-time Housewife for the upcoming season 16, marking one of Bravo's biggest celebrity additions yet.

Leah is instantly one of the most recognizable stars ever to enter the Housewives universe, thanks to her longtime role as Carrie Heffernan on the hugely successful sitcom, "The King of Queens."

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was permanently banned from at least three South Carolina bars in the months before her death ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

We're told Brian was barred from Hooters, Twin Peaks, and another Greenville bar within the last two to three months ... and the bans stemmed from concerns over excessive drinking and intoxication on the properties.

Our sources say Brian was often nice, kind, and engaging with staff members when sober ... but we're told he could become erratic and irate once intoxicated.

We're told he also often failed to listen when staff asked him to leave when they believed he was too drunk.

The "Chucky" mask-wearing freak busted by federal U.S. Marshals in Nevada didn't go down without a fight -- dropping f-bombs on law enforcement and resisting arrest, TMZ has learned. 

A rep for the U.S. Marshals Service tells TMZ ... Zymire Hughes, the man law enforcement says donned a Chucky-style mask and terrorized people in Philadelphia, got mad when he was rounded up Tuesday night and mouthed off to the feds.

We're told the alleged Chucky wannabe told Marshals, "F*** you, don't touch me, [I] ain't doin' s***!!!"

Things are getting messier between Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright ... because he's accusing her of trying to "sabotage" his life.

Here's the deal ... Jax says he posted about an event for kids with autism yesterday because he wanted to show his support.

But today he shared a screenshot, which has since been deleted, of an alleged DM Brittany sent the organizer ... asking if Jax was involved and that she had some information she wanted to share.

Jax took shots at his ex in the caption, writing ... "This is just another example of her contacting every company, brand or opportunity I get, trying to sabotage my ability to work and move forward with my life."

Chris "Block" Gordon's crash was so severe that a caller immediately urged dispatch to get a helicopter ready ... TMZ has learned.

According to 911 audio obtained by TMZ, a caller reports a wreck on the drag strip at KD Motorsports Park in South Webster, Ohio, and says fire crews are already on scene and repeatedly pleads for a chopper.

Dispatch records obtained by TMZ show the call came in shortly after 8 PM Saturday. Air medical transport was requested minutes later, but dispatch was told the helicopter had an estimated 40-minute ETA.

Kris Jenner and Mariah Carey went out for a little dinner date in Malibu ... and it looks like they had a great time catching up over sushi.

TMZ obtained a photo of the momager and the pop powerhouse enjoying an evening at Nobu Malibu, smiling over drinks and food.

The A-listers stepped out for a girls' night not too long ago ... they were photographed a few months ago outside Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica.

It's nice to see their famous friendship is still going strong ... besides, nothing hits better than a martini, some raw fish, and some good gossip with your girls.

Justin Baldoni's attorney seems to have mixed feelings about the $400K attorneys' fees judgment award to Blake Lively ... because while it's a win for his client, he's still not happy with the way the law was applied to his case ... and he's taking a shot at Blake.

Bryan Freedman -- Baldoni's lawyer -- tells TMZ ... the California law used in this case, Section 47.1, is "not a perfect law, but it is an important one designed to protect real survivors, who deserve to see this law tested and perfected in the court of law."

Section 47.1 is designed to protect people who report sexual harassment from retaliatory defamation suits by opening up those who file them to awards for damages or attorneys' fees.

Miley Cyrus was spotted for the first time since her godmother Dolly Parton's death ... looking somber as she arrived at a Los Angeles recording studio.

The singer donned shades and an all-black fit -- from her tee to her jeans to her shoes and her bag.

It looks like Miley was gearing up to film something ... there's a mic clipped to her shirt collar, and she walked in with a man holding what appears to be a handheld piece of audio equipment.

Alec Baldwin is looking to unload his Hamptons home ... putting the property back up for sale ... and slashing the price.

The actor put his estate, which was built in 1740, on the market Tuesday ... and the 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom residence has an $18,995,000 price tag.

The 8,556-square-foot home sits on an 8.3-acre lot just minutes from the popular Atlantic Avenue and Indian Wells beaches, as well as Amagansett Village.

Dorit Kemsley and her estranged husband PK Kemsley are set to unload their longtime Los Angeles home ... after she agreed to unload the home ... and a judge ordered the sale and instructed "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star to be out by November ... TMZ has learned.

A hearing was held Wednesday in Dorit and PK's divorce, where the two have been fighting over money. PK claimed Dorit had not been paying the mortgage on the 6-bedroom, 10-bathroom home worth $7 million.

Dorit, who is represented by powerhouse attorney Samantha Spector, argued PK should be paying the bills ... and claimed he had more than enough to pay the debt owed on the home.

Selena Gomez and her mom, Mandy Teefey, are being accused of using mental health as a money-making tool ... with an attorney for the investors suing her now claiming her name and influence were used to bring in cash.

Attorney Jeffrey Neiman tells TMZ ... "Mental health is not a marketing strategy, and should never be used as a vehicle for personal financial gain."

He says Selena's name, influence, and promised role were central to efforts to secure investment in Wondermind ... a company built around mental health.

Tim Curry fans have at least one more movie to look forward to ... because TMZ has learned he finished filming his final role before he died.

It was reported in early June, Tim was set to star in "STREAM 2: Sudden Death" as the role of Lockwood in the upcoming project ... and we spoke to the film's director, Michael Leavy, who told us Tim finished all of his scenes.

Michael tells TMZ ... he's shocked and devastated that Tim is now gone -- adding he was a "true cultural icon" and an honor to work with. He says the whole team feels incredibly fortunate that Tim will forever be linked to the franchise.