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Alec Baldwin was practicing a "cross draw" -- pointing his gun at the camera -- when a live round struck the director in the shoulder and the cinematographer fatally in the chest ... this according to new court documents.

Director Joel Souza told Sheriff's investigators he heard someone -- we're told the assistant director -- say "cold gun" while they got ready for the scene ... meaning the gun did not have live rounds in the chambers. Significantly, it appears the gun had been inspected before the lunch break but Souza could not remember if it had been checked when the crew returned.

A cameraman named Reid Russel told authorities, "Alec was trying to explain how he was going to draw out the firearm and where his arm would be when the firearm was pulled from the holster."

Souza explained Baldwin pointed the gun directly at the camera and fired, striking him in the shoulder and Halyna Hutchins in the chest. Souza says he had a vague memory that Hutchins was complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection. He says she then began to stumble backward and was assisted to the ground. He says he was bleeding from his shoulder and could see blood on Halyna.

Russel said after the shooting, Halyna said she could not feel her legs. Once on the ground, medics frantically began treating her as she was bleeding on the ground. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Steve Wolf, a special effects coordinator and theatrical firearms safety expert, told CNN there were 3 errors committed that resulted in the tragedy -- using a real gun rather than a prop gun, having a live round in the gun and having people stand behind the camera in the "line of fire." He also said the assistant director should not have been the one to clear the gun before the incident  ... that should have been the armorist's job.

Souza told authorities ... there should never have been live rounds near or around the scene that's being rehearsed or shot.

Authorities have obtained a search warrant to seize all camera footage and any other computer data that may have recorded the fatal incident.

Stu Billett -- the mastermind who created "The People's Court" and birthed the whole genre of courtroom TV shows -- has died.

Stu died Friday in Los Angeles as a result of natural causes ... according to reps for 'People's Court.' He was surrounded by family when he passed.

Billett dreamed up 'TPC' back in 1981, and while it was a big TV ratings winner, it was much more than that ... as it became a pop culture phenomenon.

The show's OG judge, Joseph Wapner, became a catchphrase when Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man" obsessed over 'People's Court' ... continually counting down, "15 minutes to Wapner."

The show also spawned countless satirical takes over the years on 'SNL' -- the most recent one featured Kim Kardashian playing her older sister in "The People's Kourt."

The OG 'People's Court' ran from 1981 to 1993 ... first with Wapner as the star. It was rebooted in 1997 with former NYC Mayor Ed Koch as the judge, then Judge Judy's husband, Jerry Sheindlin, took on the role and finally Judge Marilyn Milian took the bench ... and the show's still going strong.

Stu, who won 4 Daytime Emmy awards for his work as the show's executive producer, served in the military -- as a U.S. Marine -- before getting into TV as a producer's assistant on several shows.

He's being remembered by his 'TPC' family as "a kind and remarkable man who made a great impact on the lives of so many people, and he will be missed tremendously."

Stu is survived by his wife of more than 40 years and his children and grandkids.

He was 85.

Halyna Hutchins was honored with yet another candlelight vigil in the wake of her tragic death -- only this time, it was held on the West Coast ... with members of the union of which she was in.

Dozens of people came out Sunday night with lit candles in hand, congregating at the I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 building in Burbank -- the main California headquarters, which advocates for scores of creatives who work in the film and TV industry ... presumably, Halyna too.

It was a somber gathering, where folks looked to be hanging out mostly in silence ... or speaking quietly to their neighbor. Most everyone was wearing face masks. There also appeared to be some people with signs, calling for the firing of I.A.T.S.E. Prez Matt Loeb.

The union has been in the news lately ... threatening to have its members go on strike if certain demands weren't met, including higher pay. A deal was recently struck to avoid any such shutdown -- but after Halyna's death, ya gotta wonder if safety was brought up in these negotiations. If not, it will almost certainly be addressed at the next juncture.

This is the second candlelight vigil for Halyna -- there was one held last week in Albuquerque, NM ... not far from where she was accidentally shot and killed by Alec Baldwin.

Chris Harrison is getting ready to be a married man -- he just proposed to Lauren Zima ... AND SHE SAID YES!!!

The former 'Bachelor' host announced Monday that he'd popped the question to his entertainment host girlfriend, and she happily accepted, flashing the giant rock and laying a smooch on her hubby-to-be.

Chris took to IG and posted a photo of himself on bended knee and slipping the ring on Lauren's finger, writing ... "I love you @laurenzima The next chapter starts now!" Looks like this engagement moment went down at a winery in Napa Valley.

Lauren -- a host at ET -- reciprocated with her own post, saying ... "We tell each other this all the time, and we said it again in an unforgettably beautiful moment this weekend: I didn’t know love could be like this. You are the most incredible partner. Thank you for loving me, championing me and asking me to marry you. Here’s to the next amazing chapter, and all the rest."

Chris and Lauren have been going strong for at least 2 years now -- they first went public at a pre-SAG Awards party in January 2019, posing on the red carpet together in front of cameras. We've seen them out hand-in-hand several times since then ... even as CH was going through his controversial 'Bachelor' exit. Through it all, Lauren was by his side.

This will be Chris' second marriage -- he was with Gwen Harrison for nearly 18 years, before they split up in 2018. He has two kids from that relationship. This will be Lauren's second marriage as well.

Erika Jayne is jumping back into the Los Angeles dating pool ... going out with other singles for the first time since she filed for divorce.

Sources tell TMZ … "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star started dating again a month ago, and she's already been on a handful of dates with different men.

It's a big step for Erika ... finally testing the dating waters after filing for divorce from estranged husband Tom Girardi back in November after 21 years of marriage.

Lot's has changed since Erika was last single back in the 1990s ... but she's not using dating apps. We're told she's being set up with suitors by her friends, and the dates have all been with local guys.

Our sources say Erika is seeing if there's a spark with a mix of men ... some of her dates work in show biz and some work in other fields.

In addition to going on dates, Erika's keeping busy in other ways amid her well-documented legal and financial issues ... she's also filming scenes for the new season of 'RHOBH' with the other housewives.

Tom Brady threw his 600th career touchdown on Sunday, but what he did after the game was the biggest highlight of the day ... by meeting a young fan who just beat brain cancer -- and giving him his game hat!!

The fan -- wearing a TB12 jersey -- was captured holding up a sign during the Bucs' rout of the Chicago Bears ... which read, "Tom Brady helped me beat brain cancer."

Brady took notice and ran over to the fan as time was winding down in the 38-3 win ... and took the hat off his head and gave it to him!!

The fan was overcome with emotion as he shook Brady's hand ... breaking down in tears during the incredible moment.

Brady -- who ended up throwing 4 touchdowns for 211 yards on the day -- spoke about the interaction with reporters after the game ... saying, "That was really sweet, you know obviously tough kid, man."

Jeremy Piven may need a new wardrobe ... because we're told he's the victim of a home burglary that saw crooks get away with five figures worth of his threads.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the "Entourage" star had his Los Angeles area home broken into earlier this week, with thieves smashing a window to get inside Jeremy's crib.

It sounds like JP has expensive taste just like his fictional character Ari Gold ... because we're told the burglars made off with over $20,000 in clothes. Must be quite a haul.

Our sources say police are looking for videos to help them catch the perps ... but so far, we're told no arrests have been made.

It's unclear if Jeremy's place was specifically targeted, but we're told he was NOT home at the time of the burglary.

Rey Mysterio is a WWE legend ... but he won't go down as the best wrestler in the family, 'cause the Grand Slam champ tells TMZ Sports his son, Dominik Mysterio, will actually be better than him!

We talked to the 46-year-old wrestler ahead of the 30th season of Raw, premiering Monday night, and we asked about his WWE Superstar son's ascent as one of the best wrestlers in the world.

"I've told my son from the beginning, you're gonna be better than your old man and I keep saying this over and over and over to him," Rey says.

"I can't wait for the day for him to become his own man, although in a way he already is and for me it's hard as a father to kind of let him go and fly on his own, but I truly believe in my heart, and I don't just say this so he can stamp it in his head, but he's gonna be better than his old man."

That's saying A LOT ... Rey has been the World Heavyweight Champ, 3 times, Cruiserweight Champ, 3 times, Intercontinental Champ, twice ... among a bunch of other championships.

Speaking of titles, Rey and Dominik actually won the tag team title together ... a first for a father and son.

We asked Mysterio where the moment ranked in his career of awesome accomplishments ... and it was clearly an unforgettable moment.

"Top three, without a doubt!"

And, get this ... Rey says his son's success has actually motivated him to continue kicking ass in the squared circle as he ages.

"It motivates me, it inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing because I'm seeing my son kickoff!"

E-40's giving new meaning to his classic track "Yay Area" ... which now could refer to the gourmet meats and burritos he's serving up as he enters the food biz.

That's right, E's got a new handle now -- the Goon With the Spoon -- to go along with his new line of work ... and the rap icon tells us he's not just putting his name on the product, he's taking a totally hands-on approach.

He says he was inspired by attending lots of gourmet food events -- including some Bay Area tailgating at sporting events -- and decided it was time to expand. As you probably know, E-40 jumped into the liquor biz last year with his own tequila and sparkling wines.

He's kicking off his meat game with several different sausages -- mild beef, spicy beef, chicken teriyaki pineapple and chicken Philly cheesesteak.

After a dreadful 4th of July night back in 1996, a group of friends -- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ryan Phillippe -- reconnect when they are faced with the killer consequences of their actions.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" came out 24 years ago ... but the young cast in the slasher film haven't aged a bit. We don't know what you did last summer, but we sure know what you'll be doing this week for Halloween ... taking a look back at the cast of this iconic horror film!!

Megan Thee Stallion's entourage might need to learn the rules of the road track when it comes to media etiquette at a Formula 1 event -- at least according to this driver-turned-reporter.

Check out this interaction between Sky News' Martin Brundle (an ex-racer himself) and Meg, whom he bum-rushed while she and her posse were striking their way across the grid at the U.S. Grand Prix Sunday ... where all the cars and pit crews were hanging out on the ground-level, and where camera crews were rolling ... with journos on the hunt for interviews.

In the middle of their live coverage -- which was getting broadcast on ESPN -- Brundle noticed MTS making her way through the commotion, and tried getting an impromptu one-on-one chat with her ... which he sorta successfully did, if only for a short while.

He asks her if she has any "rap for us today on Formula One" ... and she laughs, saying no -- she didn't have anything for him. Brundle pressed further, asking who she was rooting for.

Before Megan even got a chance to respond, some dude in her crew swooped in from behind and pushed Brundle back ... apparently telling him he "couldn't do that."

Well, old Martin had a helluva comeback to that ... saying that not only can he do that, but he just did. OHHHHHHH!!!! The irritated look-back from the blond assistant is classic too. 😆

There are different reactions to this ... some say MB shouldn't have gotten in her space like that. However, others say she (and her team) shoulda known it's fair game in the F1 world ... especially from Martin, who's a vet in the biz and well-known figure -- not a random pap.

Snoop Dogg's mother, Beverly Tate, has died ... this according to her own son.

The rapper broke the news Sunday, posting a tribute to her on Instagram and writing ... "Thank u god for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA." There's another post where he thanks his mom for having him. A cause of death wasn't revealed.

SD's father, Vernell, also confirmed the news ... and he too asked for prayers, noting the family needed it now more than ever.

Ms. Tate had been hospitalized earlier this year for undisclosed reasons -- Snoop had asked his fans send good vibes while his mother was in the hospital. He later updated folks by letting them know she was "still fighting" and had opened her eyes ... but didn't mention much else specifically.

Clearly, they were close. Snoop attributes a lot of his good qualities to how she raised him -- even recently disclosing that she was the one who encouraged him to apologize to Gayle King over his comments in response to her Kobe Bryant remark last year.

Beverly had two other sons by Vernell ... and raised the family in Long Beach, CA. She brought Snoop up in a church environment -- something he still alludes to this day.

J Balvin is issuing a mea culpa for a music video of his that portrayed Black people -- especially women -- as animals ... namely, dogs ... who were literally on all fours.

The Colombian reggaetón star took to IG to apologize for the controversial visual offering of his track "Perra" with Dominican rapper, Tokischa, who's of African descent herself. The track's all about how she (Tokischa) is a dog in heat ... and looking for a male to bang.

Naturally, the video would be provocative ... but it seems Balvin and co. went all in on the canine theme -- getting a lot of their dancers/background actors in animal-style makeup, in which many of these folks of color were made to look like actual pooches.

Not just that, but some of the Black people are in cages at certain points, Tokischa is depicted in a dog house throughout the video and eating from a bowl ... and the most striking image is when J Balvin himself is walking a couple of Black ladies on leashes.

The project was slammed by several critics, but the biggest may have been Colombia's very own Vice President and Chancellor Marta Lucia Ramirez ... who deemed it sexist, misogynistic and flat-out racist. After all the backlash -- it was taken down by Balvin.

In his video, Balvin says he's sorry to anyone who was offended ... especially women, and especially Black women. He says he didn't mean for it to be interpreted as degrading -- noting he was simply trying to help give some shine to an up-and-coming artist in the Dominican Republic.

Balvin says his work has always been about tolerance, love and inclusivity -- and after hearing how it affected people ... he felt the need to come on and address it on camera.

The guy even apologizes to his own mother at one point ... so you can tell he's taking it seriously. While the video was removed from YouTube ... the official audio is still up.

James Michael Tyler -- famous for playing Gunther on "Friends" -- has died.

The actor's rep tells TMZ ... JMT passed away peacefully Sunday morning at his home in L.A. -- this after battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

His family says ... "The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh "Friend"), from the hit series "Friends," but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband."

They add, "Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once you made a friend for life."

James first revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year -- which stunned fans, as he'd just appeared in the reunion special and made no mention of it. He later clarified why he hadn't gone public at that time -- saying he didn't wanna be a downer for the special moment.

He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and kept it private for 3 years.

James has acted in several big shows over the course of his career -- including "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Scrubs," "Modern Music," "Just Shoot Me!" and others ... but his biggest claim to fame is the long-running sitcom, where he played a worker at the Central Perk cafe.

He starred in 150 episodes of "Friends" over the course of its 10-year run ... and is absolutely beloved by the fan base. James is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.

James Michael Tyler was 59.

Kyrie Irving has some in his corner who are willing to go to war for him over his vaccine stance -- and we mean that literally ... 'cause they were doing just that this weekend.

A group of protestors hit the streets Sunday to advocate for the Brooklyn Nets star, who's sidelined right now since he's not vaccinated ... which is preventing him playing with the team whatsoever, due to NYC's vaccine mandate and the team's wider policy.

Well, these folks think it's BS -- and apparently were itching to get inside to let Nets officials know first-hand, 'cause they were attempting to storm the Barclays Center's front entrance ... shortly before tipoff against the Hornets.

Check out this footage ... demonstrators clashed with security, and bowled over barricades.

It sounds like the chaos only lasted for a short time, and eventually ... cops and security got it under control. So, it appears to have been a flash mob type deal. Still though ... pretty damn intense for however long they were there. Things escalated quickly, as you can see.

Meanwhile, it doesn't seem Kyrie is caving to the pressure -- he's been mostly laying low since making his POV clear ... namely, that he's against mandates, not vaccines.

Brian Laundrie will not be laid to rest with a traditional funeral -- what's left of his body will be incinerated, and held onto privately by his family ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Laundries' attorney, Steve Bertolino, says that, yes, Brian's parents are planning on skipping a casket-style service ... and going straight for cremation. The ashes will be given to Chris and Roberta Laundrie once the authorities are done examining his remains.

What they do with that afterward is anyone's guess -- but one thing is clear ... they won't be holding any type of public gathering or remembrance, and probably for good reason,

Fact is ... there've been nonstop protesters and media outlets outside their home for weeks on end now -- blaring megaphones, leaving items on their property, creating makeshift memorials and other activity ... all in the name of Gabby Petito, who was murdered.

Cops have been called out several times of late, and have even told protesters (in some instances) to settle down. You can tell it's getting on the Laundries' nerves -- Brian's father nailed in a sign on his front lawn this weekend, which said "No Trespassing."

If they held a service of some sort ... it would almost certainly be protested to some degree -- which would be awkward, to say the least. Still, it appears some have sympathy for Brian's parents ... as it looks like they've been getting flower arrangements sent to their home since Brian was confirmed dead last week.

As we reported ... his belongings were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, FL -- not far from where he lived. The feds said they hadn't discovered him sooner because a large part of that area had been underwater until recently. Of course, they only revisited the site after word from his parents they'd be doing just that.