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Awesome gesture from Aldon Smith ... the new Cowboys star says he's going to read to kids to help brighten their days -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's just one way I can be a source of help."

Aldon's storytime is all part of a new charity initiative that was put together by WorkForce Software CEO Mike Morini and Jay Glazer's Merging Vets and Players program.

Morini tells us the charity work is pretty simple ... key execs and athletes from all over the country are signing up to read stories and books remotely to children directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Morini says Aldon -- along with a bunch of other athletes like Andrew Whitworth and Robert Griffin III -- jumped at the opportunity when he presented it to them ... saying, "Man, they were all happy to do it."

As for why ... Aldon tells us he understands just how big of an impact the small, charitable act can have on the kids.

"The first thing that went to my head was I was a Tennesee Titans football fan and a Chicago Bulls fan, and you know, I’ve always been a fan of sports and then music, so I loved all kinds of singers and artists," Smith says.

"So, if any of them would have hopped on a phone call or a video call and read a book, it's something I would remember."

Aldon, who was just reinstated by the NFL and will get another shot at pro football for the first time in years, added, "It just goes along with what I’m into and what I’m about."

Hidden behind this stretched out snap is a reality television star known for handing out roses!

This famous face originally started out his career playing football, but since then this fella has taken on television!

He has had several chances at finding "the one" ... After being featured on ABC's "The Bachelorette" this fine fella later went on to join the cast of "Bachelor In Paradise" and ended up going on to be "The Bachelor" himself.

Now, it's time for you to use the clues above and try to see if you have what it takes to sniff out which star is hidden in this warped photo!

John C. Reilly's beauty is the Catalina Wine Mixer of good looks!

Here is a 27-year-old version of the comedic actor all dressed up and ready to impress at a movie premiere in Beverly Hills back in 1992 (left).

And, 28 years later ... the handsome comedian -- who is celebrating his 55th birthday today -- was last spotted looking spiffy at an event in Pasadena earlier this year (right).

This famous face is now widely known for his roles in multiple films over the years ... from voicing Ralph in Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph", to starring in iconic comedies such as, "Step Brothers," "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and 'Talladega Nights,' he has quite the hilarious resume.

Shake and bake!

The question is ...

A Bay Area woman was allegedly going around and posting xenophobic letters on the homes of people of color, demanding they leave the U.S. ... and she was caught on camera doing the heinous deed.

Photos of the lady -- who has yet to be identified -- circulated Saturday ... with a couple pics of her pinning a hand-written note to the front of door of someone's home in San Leandro. Apparently, she was going around Friday doing this in a residential neighborhood.

A FB user claiming to have been a victim of the bigotry wrote, "This happened today, a white woman wearing a USA beanie targeted People of color homes with this letter at their front doors. This occurred in a quiet and well diverse middle-class community in San Leandro. My family’s house was also targeted. We were able to capture all this on camera."

She added, "There is no room for this hateful and despicable behavior in this society."

Now, the contents of the letter are disturbing. It starts out by quoting America's preamble, and then go on to demand that people who weren't born here return to their countries of origin -- and in some of the letters found around the area ... she gave 'em a deadline.

The worst part of the letter reads, "If you are a woman or man who was born in another country, return, go back to your land immediately. Fast, with urgency." Later it says, "We the People: Do ordain to you to leave this house. One American, white, brave, that serves the nation of USA is going to live here."

The good news here is that the former Mayor of San Leandro, Stephen Cassidy, said the woman was already picked up by cops, and that statement by the police department is forthcoming. He'd earlier said he would tell officials to charge her with a hate crime.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just got a test done on herself pertaining to coronavirus -- but don't worry ... it's not the one that'll make you cringe to watch ... we think.

The congresswoman posted a video of herself getting an antibody test for COVID-19 in her native New York ... where she was getting blood drawn by a nurse at a pop-up test site in Queens. The easily queasy crowd should leave the room now ... you're gonna see red stuff.

Lucky for us, we didn't have to see the needle go in -- just watched it come out and all the bandaging afterward, which ain't so bad. AOC didn't flinch much either -- she was super polite and cordial with the guy, who told her to expect a call with results in a few days.

She wrote of the experience, "Did you know? There are 2 types of COVID tests!  The nasal swab tests if you have COVID now. Antibody blood tests check if you already had COVID, even w/ few or no symptoms." It's interesting ... getting the test implies you think you might've had the 'rona at one point or another, and might be resistant to it now.

As far as we know, AOC hasn't mentioned any possible past contraction -- also unclear if she's been tested for the virus. If she did, we don't blame her for not getting it on video.

In case you haven't heard, the nasal swab they use to test for 'rona is GNARLY ... for some people, anyway. They stick a long Q-tip type contraption in your nose, and sometimes run it super deep. People have described it as having your brain stabbed.

Alyssa Milano's new face mask is getting the double-take treatment -- 'cause it's got tons of holes in it ... and it's unclear if she's aware of its ineffectiveness.

The actress posted a photo Saturday of her in the car with her fam, including hubby Dave Bugliari and their two kids, Elizabella and Milo. Everyone had masks on -- including Alyssa -- but hers was about as penetrable as a fishnet ... looks like a homemade crochet job.

She definitely had the covering in mind when throwing this up, saying ... "Show me your masks! Masks keep people safe and healthy. Show me yours! Ready? Go! #WearAMask"

Now, it's unclear if Alyssa's in on the absurdity of this, or if she's got some type of protection under there we can't see -- but the internet didn't wait for a punchline or more context ... people had a field day with her hand-knit mask promo, showing off other joke-y ones that might be just as great at keeping out droplets of 'rona (why we wear 'em to begin with).

One lady showed off a feather mask, which only covered the upper part of her face ... and said they're one in the same. Tons of other people had examples of non-protective masks of their own ... snorkeling goggles, pantyhose, mesh beekeeping veils ... and on and on.

Of course, it also reminded people of this gas station lady that went viral a few weeks back ... who cut a hole in her own mask so she could breathe easier. Just one of many mask fails documented during the pandemic.

Both that woman and Alyssa might be better off going out with a classic hands-to-face shocked look 🙊. Stay safe out there, y'all.

A former North Carolina state politician is balling up his digital fists at one ABSOLUTELY essential store refusing to let just anyone through their doors ... yep, it's Pottery Barn.

The guy's name is Scott Stone, and he served in North Carolina's House of Representatives a few years back -- now, he's an angry old man yelling at his local in-mall PB for standing firm on their by-appointment-only policy, which is super inconvenient to him.

Rep. Stone writes, "Dear @potterybarn (and other retailers) : I am NOT shopping by appointment. You're allowed to be open, so be open." He had another must-hear gripe ... "And why close at 5 when mall is open until 7? Do you actually want to sell anything?"

Pottery Barn's sign here reads, "We're Open 11-5 by Appointment Only! Call 704-442-9493 to schedule! Important Note: We Will Begin Taking Returns on 5/25. We Can't Wait to See You!!" They're in Charlotte's SouthPark mall, which reopened its doors a couple weeks ago.

We tried calling them up for comment ... but the staff there didn't wanna talk. At any rate, Rep. Stone had some follow-up thoughts on the mockery he's receiving, saying ... "Love how lefties are so worked up about my last tweet which highlights the frustrations so many have about how slow NC economy is reopening - slower than most states. Maybe they believe govt should continue to write checks forever and keep the entire economy closed?"

Ryan Leaf has been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, CA ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former NFL quarterback was taken into custody around 2 PM PT on Friday, May 22nd.

According to jail records, he was booked for domestic battery -- and bail was set at $5,000.

As of now (the time of this post), Leaf is still in custody.

44-year-old Leaf is listed on his booking sheet as 6'6", 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

We're working on the details ...

Of course, Leaf was the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft -- but his career flamed out fast and his life fell apart soon after.

Leaf has been arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary ... but he had sobered up and became a program ambassador for an organization that runs sober houses in multiple cities including L.A. and N.Y.

He's recently been covering college football for ESPN.

A loyal dog was found standing guard over another fellow pup's dead body after it was apparently hit by a car and left on the side of a road in Texas.

The Catahoula mix was found by Kingsville-Kleberg Health Department Animal Control & Care Center officials, who responded to a call Friday for a dog carcass that'd been left along what looks to be a stretch of a highway. They came upon this little guy, whom they named Guardian, as he was standing beside the deceased dog, seemingly protecting it.

The Animal Control workers took photos of Guardian as they tried approaching, and it appears he was dead set on not letting anyone near -- at least not at first.

The agency says, "This was the scene our Animal Control Officers drove up to. This boy wasn't going to let anyone mess with his sister. Our ACOs had a hard time convincing him everything was going to be alright and they were there to help him." They added, "This call was one of the most heart wrenching for our staff, but we thought we'd share some behind-the-scene images of situations they are faced with on a regular basis."

Eventually, Guardian came around and let the humans take care of him and his apparent sibling. He's now hanging out at the Animal Control facility there, and is set to be put up for adoption if no one claims him by next week. He's a youngster too -- just 6-12 months old.

It seems someone might've already seen this story and shown interest in taking Guardian home -- 'cause later ... Kingsville honchos said they'd already scheduled an adoption -- assuming a rightful owner doesn't come forward before Friday. The dog is currently listed as a stray -- but he's certainly being taken care of now, and seems to be happy at the moment.

Carl Crawford is ready to talk about the double drowning that occurred at his home -- and his first words are ones of regret and remorse for the victims.

The former Dodger star turned record label executive took to social media this weekend to reflect on the fatal accident that took place at his crib in Houston a week ago, saying ... "My Hearts Heavy. The tragic events that occurred at my home will be with me forever. I'm at a loss for words I've struggled all week to manage my emotions and I keep thinking of the families of those who've passed and their grief, I know they have it the hardest."

He continued, "They are the first and last thing I think of these days. Please keep them in your prayers, I know they will always be in mine." He captioned his post with prayer hands.

TMZ broke the story ... Crawford's home became the site of two drownings after a woman and child both fell into his pool and, ultimately, died. Carl tried resuscitating them himself, but was unsuccessful. Paramedics eventually arrived and transported the two victims, who were unresponsive.

The boy was no more than 5 years old, but the woman he was with was not his mother -- he was simply in her care for the day. Carl was hosting a small gathering that weekend.

Tyler the Creator looks more like Tyler the Cheese Grater these days -- 'cause the guy can seriously shred ... and he doesn't even have to be in the water to do it.

Here's the rapper/producer out in L.A. this week getting his bike ride on with some nifty circus-like tricks to spice it up a bit. The dude hopped up on his two-wheeler and balanced himself on the handlebars and crossbar ... and looked just like a land version of a surfer.

It appears he was up there for a solid few seconds or so while the bicycle was in motion -- so it definitely seems he's had some practice with this stunt. BTW, the whole thing was social distance-friendly ... no one else around him, just a guy and his bike. Well done.

In other TTC news ... the dude just hit his one-year anniversary for his Grammy-winning album, "IGOR," and even dropped a new song from the hard copy version to appease fans eagerly awaiting his next project. He's also got a new clothing line with Levi's.

An industrious bear is drawn to the finer things in life ... and if you don't believe it, watch the video of the majestic animal deftly finding a way into a fancy Mercedes.

The video is hysterical. It appears the people narrating were occupants of the car, until they went for a hike and noticed the very large brown bear rooting around for food.

The bear then spots the Mercedes and beelines it for the whip. Check out how he/she opens the door. This isn't his/her first rodeo ... or bear-jacking.

Then the question ... how do you scare a bear away? Experts are divided, although the prevailing view is quietly stay clear.

These folks were anything but quiet, and guess what ... it worked!!!

Cardi B's body now plays host to a massive new art installation ... because the ink has just dried on her insanely colorful back tattoo.

Cardi showed off her latest handiwork, which she says took months to complete, with a special shoutout to the tattoo artist. The piece traverses Cardi's entire backside, from the top of her back down to the middle of her thigh. It's festooned with flowers, butterflies and even a hummingbird.

The new tattoo isn't Cardi's first -- she already had some serious ink on her other leg -- but her latest, thanks to the steady hand of Jamie Schene, is a spectacle if not spectacular.

Cardi isn't the first to engage in a rear-view coverup. Ben Affleck revealed an insane back piece a while ago. Fans thought he was clowning, but turns out it was the real deal.

Conor McGregor was chased by alligators, before he went on the attack against a runner, people in a crowd and then, of all people, Dana White -- but obviously, there's a catch.

The UFC honcho posted the parody, and it's hilarious!!! Conor glides across a river as a gator gives chase, but the UFC star is unfazed.

Cut to Conor going on a tear ... attacking runners, spectators and even a bullfighter, before turning on Dana himself and opening a can of whup-ass.

It's a little life imitating art ... what with Conor's past hijinks where he threw dollies into tour buses, smashed cell phones and even punched an old guy who didn't want to drink his whiskey.