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Matthew McConaughey and some friendly pooches have touched down in Uvalde, TX -- but their presence alone won't fix what's become a major scandal on the slow police response.

The actor is back in his hometown, where he's meeting with families and children affected by the massacre on Tuesday ... when 21 people were slaughtered by a crazed gunman, including 19 children who were wiped out in a classroom he'd barricaded himself in.

Looks like he's with U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzalez -- representing Texas' 23rd district, encompassing Uvalde -- who posted some pics of their time together and thanked MMC.

Shortly after the news broke, Matt posted a lengthy message online calling for action and change on gun laws in the country, saying this phenomenon is "an epidemic we can control."

BTW, Matt's not the only one in town offering support ... there are doggos being trotted around town that are specifically aimed at making people feel better. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs are also making the rounds in Uvalde ... letting folks pet 'em to calm their nerves.

Not to knock any of these efforts to bring about calm and healing -- which this community desperately needs -- but there are slightly more pressing matters at hand ... like figuring out why Uvalde-area cops who were on the scene quickly waited so long to engage the shooter.

Col. Steven McCraw -- the director of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety, and Texas' top cop -- said the commanding officer that day made the "wrong decision" in his evaluation of what was happening ... which is why he ordered everyone to not approach for nearly an hour.

Apparently, this guy -- who's been ID'd as Uvalde School District's police chief, Pedro "Pete" Arredondo -- thought there was nobody (or nobody left alive) in the room the gunman had locked himself in ... but he was clearly wrong. Kids were calling 911 from inside.

Eventually -- as the story has now been reported -- Border Patrol agents eventually showed up and were told to stand down ... but after some time and building frustration, they went in anyway and killed the gunman themselves. At that point, though, it was far too late.

There are even reports of parents attempting to run into the school to get their kids since upwards of a dozen-plus cops were just standing around ... only to be cuffed and detained.

Pete Davidson has ventured West -- no, not THAT West -- after his exit from 'SNL.'

Pete's back in L.A. with GF Kim Kardashian. Kim was doing a photo shoot for SKIMS at her office — and Pete was hanging out.

Pete was decked out in a shower cap -- covering his bleached mane -- while KK rocked a pretty snazzy bodysuit.

The decks are now cleared for Pete to move to L.A. He hasn't said where he'll land, but he wants to do more movies so the City of Angels seems to be the place that makes the most sense.

Also, it's now undeniable -- his relationship with Kim is super serious, so enough of the bicoastal crap already.

If Pete does move to L.A. ... it's unclear where he'll live, but he DOES have options.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Sharna Burgess just sold her place in the Hollywood Hills ... because she's moved in with BF Brian Austin Green, as they expect their first child together.

Real estate records show Sharna recently sold her two-bedroom home in Beachwood Canyon for $1,555,000 ... less than three months after putting it on the market.

Sharna bought the place back in 2017, and it's 1,157 square feet with hardwood floors, beamed ceilings and breathtaking views of the Hollywood Hills from every room.

The main level features a fireplace in the living room and an updated kitchen with high-end stainless appliances, plus an eat-in island and an outdoor deck. The bedrooms are on the lower level, and the primary suite has a custom walk-in closet and a private patio.

As we reported ... Sharna is pregnant, making the announcement back in February with a photoshoot with Brian. They began dating shortly after Brian's divorce from his ex-wife Megan Fox. Our sources say Sharna is now living with BAG ... so she's saying goodbye to the bachelorette pad and plans to reinvest that money into another property.

Ray Liotta was as polite and courteous as ever when he posed with a fan in the Dominican Republic just days before he passed away -- but more importantly ... he looked fine.

TMZ has obtained a photo of Ray on Sunday, May 22 -- a mere 4 days before he suddenly died in the island nation -- and this woman who was fortunate enough to snap a selfie of the two of them says he was as kind and receptive as could be.

Alba tells us she was strolling through BlueMall in Santo Domingo when she caught a glance of Ray walking alongside a couple of handlers as he was headed into a pharmacy.

While RL was inside, Alba walked up to his associates and asked if she could approach ... and they gave her the thumbs up. Alba says Ray embraced her, and was super gracious ... even praising her on how well she spoke English, given she was a DR native.

Alba would go on to pop the question -- asking for a selfie, not his hand in marriage -- and Ray didn't hesitate to say yes! Once Alba was satisfied with her photo, Ray said farewell.

As we reported, Ray died in his sleep Thursday, as he was accompanied by his fiancée in the Dominican Republic filming a movie called "Dangerous Waters." Sources close to the situation tell us Ray was in good spirits and happy to be working ... and that there were no signs of health issues leading up to his death. That's backed by this photo -- he looks fairly vibrant.

Ray Liotta is dead ... the actor passed away while in the Dominican Republic.

Ray was shooting a movie called "Dangerous Waters" on the island, and a source close to the actor tells TMZ ... he died in his sleep. We're also told there was nothing suspicious about the death, and no foul play is suspected.

Ray's fiancée Jacy Nittolo was with him in the D.R. while he was working on the project.

Deadline first reported his passing.

Liotta is most known for his starring role in the 1990 Martin Scorsese masterpiece, "Goodfellas," where he played mobster Henry Hill alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

Ray lobbied hard for the role, and the film's success opened so many doors for him in Hollywood ... he worked almost nonstop.

The year before "Goodfellas" he had co-starred with Kevin Costner in another iconic film, "Field of Dreams" ... in which he played Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Ray went on to star in countless other films, including "Cop Land," "Corrina Corrina," "Operation Dumbo Drop," "Unforgettable," "Wild Hogs" and "Blow" ... in which he played Fred Jung, father to Johnny Depp's character, George Jung.

Jacy and Ray got engaged in 2020, right around Christmas. He excitedly shared the happy news on Instagram.

He has one daughter, Karsen Liotta, from his previous marriage to Michelle Grace. Karsen is following in her dad's acting footsteps.

Ray was 67.

Amber Heard says she's no stranger to threats against her life, but she says the death threats are on the rise ever since she and Johnny Depp went to court.

Amber was back on the stand Thursday for day 23 of the trial with her ex-husband ... sobbing on the stage as revealed she gets thousands of death threats every single day from folks who don't like what she has to say about Johnny.

She alleged Johnny's not doing anything to stop the internet trolls who are targeting Amber, insinuating he's almost encouraging it ... and says she just wants Depp to leave her alone.

It's been an emotional testimony from Amber ... she started crying when answering questions about how the drama with Johnny ruined her acting career, and says in those rare moments when she is on a movie set, there are tons of triggers from the allegedly abusive relationship that can derail production.

As we previously reported, the head of DC movies testified earlier this week that Amber's lack of screentime in 'Aquaman 2' had nothing to do with her relationship with Depp.

Kevin Spacey has all new legal trouble, and this time it's overseas -- he's been charged with 4 counts of sexual assault in the United Kingdom.

Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service tells TMZ ... CPS hit Spacey with the criminal charges for alleged incidents involving 3 different men between 2005 and 2013.

We're told, he's also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent ... and the charges come after a review of evidence gathered by a police investigation.

Ainslie says, "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr. Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial."

Of course, this is not Spacey's first time facing such allegations ... he was also sued in 2020 by "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp, who claims Spacey sexually assaulted him at the age of 14, while they were both on Broadway.

There are reportedly more than 20 other accusers, who have made similar allegations against Spacey ... however, he's never been tried on criminal charges. Prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped a sexual assault case in 2019 when the alleged victim refused to testify.

Kate Moss and Johnny Depp are getting back together after 25 years ... at least, that's what fans hope after she torpedoed Amber Heard.

Twitter people are actually calling for a petition to reunite Johnny and Kate, and although it's just chatter ... it does seem Kate is still very fond of her ex.

As we reported, Amber had testified about an incident where she claimed Johnny was about to attack her sister Whitney on a staircase when she stepped in and swung at him. She said she feared he'd push Whitney down the stairs because she heard a "rumor" Johnny had pushed Kate Moss down a flight of stairs in the 90s when they were dating.

Well, Kate blew up that rumor ... blew it up to smithereens, when she testified via video that she did indeed take a plunge down a flight of stairs, but the culprit was rain. She said she screamed in pain, and Johnny ran to her, scooped her up, took her inside the hotel room where they were staying and got her medical attention. In other words, it was a gallant act on Johnny's part.

Twitter folks called Kate's testimony "true love," while others observed Johnny seemed to light up during her testimony.

And, get this ... one person wrote, "I hope after this is over, Johnny realizes Kate was the one to marry as a life partner. I hope he phones her up and asks her out on a dinner date."

Ellen DeGeneres is ending her show after 19 seasons ... and to celebrate her last episode ever, we've put together some of the standout celeb moments during her epic run.

Over nearly 2 decades, Ellen undoubtedly made a huge impact on daytime television ... sharing laughs, stunts and tears with her special guests, some of whom she's become close friends with over the years.

Of course, Ellen's greatest scares were a hilarious part of the show, where she'd startle the bejeezus out of guests with a huge surprise right in the middle of interviews.

We can't forget Ellen's most generous giveaway, when she helped an underprivileged school in Detroit ... and the countless other times she's given back to others in need.

As we've reported, Ellen announced she was ending her show, during a taping earlier this month. While she's not retiring from showbiz, she will be taking time off to decide what's next ... and she has some pretty big ventures in the can.

We do know, she recently signed a multi-year deal with Discovery ... on top of shows on NBC ("Family Game Fight!"), FOX ('Masked Singer') and HBO ("Ellen's Next Great Designer") and the upcoming Tig Notaro animated comedy special).

Jussie Smollett's new project will hit the streaming screen for his first time since the actor was allegedly attacked in Chicago ... and he's got a super-powerful Hollywood friend in his corner.

Jussie and Monami Productions head Mona Scott-Young were spotted out in NYC earlier this week. Sources with direct knowledge tell us the two met to discuss Smollett's upcoming "B-Boy Blues" -- which was announced will stream on BET+.

Mona tells TMZ, "“B-Boy Blues is a beautifully bold, funny, heartwarming bro-mance and I was thrilled to partner with Jussie to help this wonderful film gain greater exposure."

Believe it or not, Jussie had actually started work on the project prior to the 2019 hate crime hoax -- but it had been delayed for obvious reasons.

Our sources say Mona agreed to be involved in "B-Boy Blues" back when it first launched, and wanted to remain on through the end -- despite what Jussie had experienced personally.

We're told Mona has played a significant role in getting the movie onto BET+ and out to audiences for Jussie -- who directed and produced the project.

As for "B-Boy Blues" -- it's already won awards, including the Narrative Feature Fan Favorite Award at the 2021 American Black Film Festival -- and will be released as part of BET+'s Pride Month programming.

Johnny Depp is back on the stand for questioning in the nasty back-and-forth trial between him and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Heard's legal team just called Johnny back to answer a series of questions, as we reported, he already testified a few weeks back ... but Amber's accused the actor of additional things -- including assault -- which he will now get to answer to.

Johnny's return to the stand may cause the trial to go even longer than expected.

As we've reported, the allegations leveled against both sides have been extreme ... during her testimony, Heard claimed Johnny had sexually assaulted her with a glass bottle.

Of course, both have very different stories when it comes to the infamous bed poop incident. Depp claims it appeared to have come from a person, and Amber blamed Johnny's dog -- who had an irritated bowel after getting into his weed stash.

Depp's fans have come out in waves to support the actor through the trial, camping out and lining up outside the Virginia courtroom hours before court starts. Things got so crazy, the local sheriff had to create restrictions on just how early fans could show up.

Kate Moss took the stand in Depp vs. Heard Wednesday ... and squarely told a radically different story from the one Amber Heard told the jury.

Kate and Johnny Depp were a couple in the mid-90s, and Amber had said on the stand ... she was on a staircase with Johnny and claimed Johnny swung at her, and she says she immediately thought of a rumored incident between Johnny and Kate so she felt she knew what was coming and swung at him.

Amber was insinuating Johnny had gotten violent with Kate, but today, on rebuttal, Johnny's lawyer called Kate, who testified by video ... she's in the U.K.

Kate recounted an incident when she and Johnny were at a hotel. He left the room first and she followed. Kate said it was raining and she slipped down the stairs, injuring her back. She says she cried in pain and Johnny came rushing back, carried her inside the hotel room and got her medical attention.

Kate testified ... Johnny never got physical with her ... didn't push her or otherwise assault her. Kate says it was an accident and Johnny was there at the ready to help her.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are taking their talents to infinity and beyond -- the Formula 1 stars have voiceover gigs in Disney's new "Lightyear" movie!!

The Scuderia Ferrari drivers teamed up with the Mouse for cameos in the Buzz Lightyear origin story ... with Charles slated to be featured in the Italian version of the flick, and Carlos joining the Spanish version.

Unclear what role they have in the movie ... but Ferrari said in an announcement they are playing the same character.

The duo appeared in promos for the project ... with Leclerc saying this was his first time getting in the booth.

"It was a completely different experience from what I have done in the past," Leclerc said Wednesday.

Leclerc says the partnership is a perfect fit -- he says he has a lot of similarities with the "Toy Story" spaceman ... pointing out they both love to go fast and have supportive families and teams behind them.

This isn't the first Formula 1/Disney crossover -- Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have had guest spots in the "Cars" franchise.

Matthew McConaughey is pleading for gun reform following the tragic mass shooting in the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas ... which happens to be his hometown.

The actor shared his thoughts Tuesday, hours after the shooter went into Robb Elementary School and killed 21 people, including 19 students and 2 teachers.

He wrote, "As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

Matthew's added, "The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?'"

His post continued, "We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo. As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it's time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children's issue."

Clearly knowing the national conversation will turn political, Matthew also urged folks on both sides of the political aisle to do better -- "Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured."

Will Smith continues to lay low, missing out on an event to highlight the cast of "Bel-Air" -- the revamped version of 'Fresh Prince' -- which of course, was the launching point of Will's career.

NBC continued its FYC event in Hollywood Tuesday, a promo for the network's shows and to create some Emmy buzz. Jabari Banks, who plays a young Will Smith in the show, Coco Jones, Adrian Holmes and more all attended the event ... but Will, who is an Executive Producer on the show, was nowhere to be seen.

We should note ... Will, Jada and their son Jaden all attended the show's premiere back in February.

For Jay Ellis, flying commercial feels super boring after filming scenes in real fighter jets with Tom Cruise ... but he's already working on finding that cockpit thrill again.

When we got the "Top Gun: Maverick" star at LAX he made it clear he's laser-focused on getting his pilot license. Or, in 'Top Gun' speak ... Jay feels the need for speed!

He and the rest of the cast "pilots" trained for months in different aircraft, advancing to the F-18 Super Hornet and even getting launched from an aircraft carrier. Jay says it was Maverick -- aka Tom -- who cooked up the training program.

Tom is, famously, a licensed pilot himself, and Jay -- who plays "Payback" in the blockbuster -- wants to follow suit, and since he already has a head start on training ... he wants to go the distance.

It's safe to say Jay's hooked on flying -- you gotta see him light up telling us the experience of feeling all those G-forces while filming.

Jay's pretty confident he could fly our photog up the Cali coast, but it sounds like he needs more practice when it comes to getting back on the ground.