Kanye West The 'Taylor Swift Moment' Helped Trigger My Breakdown

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Kanye West says Taylor Swift was one of the factors that caused his nervous breakdown in 2016 -- namely, the aftermath of interrupting her at the VMAs and how it affected his radio play.

Ye released his interview with Charlamagne tha God Tuesday -- and in the first few minutes he explains what led to him being hospitalized in late November 2016. He says ever since he and Kim posted video seemingly showing Taylor knew about his infamous "Famous" lyric ahead of time ... his relationship with radio has never been the same.

He admits he wanted major radio play as one of the most popular artists in the world, and says the fact he simply wasn't getting it after he released 'Life of Pablo' screwed with his head.

Kanye also notes that the departure of L.A. Reid from Universal Music might've affected his radio dynamic ... but says it was just one of many stressors in his life at that point.

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ABOUT JAY Z ...

Speaking of Kanye's music beefs, he also addresses Jay-Z's $20 million "favor" to him ... saying what we already reported ... it wasn't a handout, it was money from Live Nation.

WWE's Kane Election Day Is Here ... Vote For Me!

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Moment of truth for WWE legend Kane -- it's election day in Knox County, Tennessee where he's running for mayor ... and the 51-year-old is still campaigning his unmasked face off!

It's only the primaries ... but whoever wins the Republican nomination is the heavy favorite to win the general election -- and reports say Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) has a real shot.

The competition is stiff ... Kane is up against 2 real contenders, Brad Anders and Bob Thomas, who are sorta famous in their own rights.

Thomas is the father of "Lizzie McGuire" star Jake Thomas and he was also featured as the main radio voice in the "Friday Night Lights" movie.

But, no one has had more celebrity support than Kane -- with friends like Ric Flair and Mick Foley coming out strong in support of the wrestling legend.

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STYLIN' AND PROFILIN'

Will it be enough to put him over the top? Results are expected to come in by 6 PM PT.

Stay tuned ...

Kanye West Thought Doctors Would Kill Him During Hospital Stay for Mental Breakdown

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Kanye West thought he'd get killed while being hospitalized at UCLA after suffering a mental breakdown.

In the newly released interview with Charlamagne tha God, West talks about his 8-day hospitalization in 2016. He says Kim was out of town when it happened, so he was only accompanied by friends when he was first admitted. Kanye said he begged his friends not to leave his side, but at one point they were forced to and Ye calls it the scariest moment of his life.

Kanye mentions he thought docs would drug and kill him while he was alone. However, earlier in the interview he mentions the love he felt from several African-American employees in the hospital.

West also opens up to CTG about his medication, saying he's on several ... but doesn't mention them by name.

MLS Team Threatens Fans Over Homophobic Chants

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The LAFC team wants to KILL a soccer fan tradition of chanting a homophobic slur at players during goal kicks ... and says any fan who uses the word will be immediately banned from the stadium.

The threat came hours after the newest MLS expansion team played its first game at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday ... when they beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0.

During the game, fans could be heard chanting the word "p*to" -- a word that many people and organizations, including OutSports.com, have labeled a gay slur.

Now, the LAFC is laying down the gauntlet ... saying any fan who uses the word moving forward will get the boot.

"The offensive goal kick chant is wrong and not what we are about," team officials said in a statement.

"We ask that all of our fans and Supporters work to hold each other accountable to eliminate this from Banc of California Stadium."

"Any fans identified as participating in this offensive chanting will be removed from the stadium and the Club will revoke their season membership."

"LAFC and its Supporters will continue to actively work together to enforce a zero-tolerance policy at Banc of California Stadium. Together, let’s win in the stands."

Ball Family Returns From Lithuania ... Lots Of Long Faces

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BALLS ARE BACK

LaVar, Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo are officially back in L.A. from Lithuania -- but it ain't exactly the triumphant return they envisioned when they left in the first place.

As we previously reported, LaVar just announced 'Gelo & 'Melo wouldn't be continuing their seasons overseas, citing injuries and disagreements with the coaches.

The boys are back now ... and even though the cameras from their "Ball In The Family" reality show were shooting, the guys weren't putting on much of a show -- with Lonzo munching Pringles and LaVar uncharacteristically quiet.

Have they been humbled? We doubt it, but the silent treatment is extremely interesting considering the family's recent number of setbacks.

Still, if you're expecting the LaVar silence to last ... don't hold your breath.

Ashley Judd Sues Harvey Weinstein You Damaged My Career Because I Turned You Down!!!

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Ashley Judd's chances of landing a role on "Lord of the Rings" got torpedoed after she turned down Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual demands ... so she says in a new lawsuit.

The actress is suing the disgraced movie mogul for defamation and sexual harassment ... claiming he damaged her career by getting her blacklisted from movie roles -- including Peter Jackson's enormously successful franchise -- as retaliation for turning him down.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Judd claims Weinstein falsely told Jackson that she was a nightmare who should be avoided at all costs. Jackson's previously said Weinstein told him to blacklist certain female actresses, including Judd.

Ashley was one of the first women to go public about Weinstein's sexual misconduct. She had said she went to see Weinstein for a business meeting and he got sexually aggressive before she fled his hotel room.

In the suit, Judd says in a desperate attempt to escape, she engaged in a mock bargain with him, suggesting she would consider letting him touch her only if she won an Academy Award in one of his films. Weinstein said, "When you get nominated." She responded, "No, when I win," and left the room.

Judd's suing for damages and says she'll donate the money to charity.

Tom Brady Praises Bill Belichick 'Greatest Coach of All Time'

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BRINGS THE BEST OUT OF ME

Tom Brady says Bill Belichick is the "best coach in the history of the NFL" -- and confirmed he will be BACK playing for the New England Patriots in 2018.

Brady addressed the alleged rift between himself and Belichick at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills during a Q&A with Jim Gray.

"He's very respectful to me," Brady said ..."We've had a great relationship. A very respectful relationship for a long time and I feel like he's the best coach in the history of the NFL."

Brady admitted Belichick's "not the easiest coach to play for" ... but added, "he's the best for me."

"He's an incredible coach. He's been an incredible mentor for me. He's taught me so much football ... I wouldn't be sitting here without his coaching."

Tom Brady On NFL Kneeling: 'Respect Everyone's Opinions'

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ALL ABOUT RESPECT

Tom Brady just did a live Q&A with Jim Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills ... and talked about everything from his NFL future to kneeling during the national anthem.

Brady says the kneeling debate sparked a lot of "great conversations" in the locker room and meeting rooms.

"I have a lot of friends that I've played with and everyone's from different backgrounds. Everyone's from different parts of the country. Everyone has different stories ... and you gotta have respect for everybody."

"You gotta have respect for everybody's opinion and the way that they want to present themselves. And the opportunity that they have to make a difference."

Brady also said sports, for him, have been the most "unifying part of my life" and said it's important that the NFL should bring people together.

Brady says football players are ultimately entertainers and watching the sport should help make fans get away from their real-world problems.

Babe Ruth Game-Used Bat Sells For a Fortune!

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A Louisville Slugger bat used in an MLB game by Babe Ruth just sold at Goldin Auctions for just under $200,000!!!

Experts have determined the bat was used during Ruth's 1929 and 1930 seasons ... but the exact game (or games) in which it was used is unclear.

Authenticators were able to confirm the details on the bat (weight, length, style) sync up to the bats Ruth ordered from Louisville Slugger during that time period, Goldin says.

The Hillerich & Bradsby hickory bat weighs 37.8 ounces and is 35.25 inches long.

To compare, Aaron Judge's bat is 35 inches long but only weighs 33 ounces.

Goldin says the final price on the Ruth bat was $196,400. The identity of the buyer has not been made public.

There's more ... an authentic contract Ruth signed with the Yankees in 1934 (his final contract with the Yankees) also sold for $282,325!

He signed the contract with his name, "George H. Ruth."

Fun Fact: Ruth only made $35k that season after taking a pay cut from the $54k he made the previous season.

Daz Dillinger I Want the Crips to 'F*** Up' Kanye!!!

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THREATENING MESSAGE

Kanye West is now a marked man -- Tha Dogg Pound rapper Daz Dillinger put the call out for the Crips to beat Kanye's ass.

Daz's video putting gang members on alert for Kanye is the most severe and violent reaction yet to Ye saying he loves President Trump and calling him his "brother." Daz says Kanye is essentially saying, "I'm with you mastah Trump. Burn all these n***ers."

He goes on to make a comparison to "Django Unchained" -- before flat out saying any Crips out there need to "f*** Kanye up."

Nothing funny about the call for violence, but Daz did make a Calabasas geography screwup that's pretty laughable.

James Shaw Jr. Waffle House Hero Honored At NHL Playoff Game

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Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr. -- the man who wrestled an AR-15 out of the hands of a shooter -- got one helluva hero's welcome at the Nashville Predators game Sunday ... and it was awesome!

The NHL team invited Shaw and his family as VIP guests to the playoff game vs. the Winnipeg Jets to thank him for the bravery he showed during the April 22 attack at a Nashville-area Waffle House.

Before the game, Shaw (wearing a shirt that said, "Spread Love") met with Preds coach, Peter Laviolette -- who presented Shaw with his own personalized jersey.

During the game, Shaw was featured on the big stadium screen at Bridgestone Arena and the crowd went WILD!!

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STANDING OVATION

As for the game, it was a fight -- but the Predators managed to pull off a 5-4 victory in double overtime.

By the way, Shaw's injuries seem to be doing a lot better. He's no longer wearing the wraps around his hands -- which he had burned by grabbing the piping hot barrel of the gun, after it had fired several rounds, and ripping it away from the shooter.

#Hero.

Titans Linemen Chug Beer Out of Catfish ... at Predators Game

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Ever drink Bud Light out of a dead catfish?

Well, one of the linemen from the Tennesse Titans did Sunday night ... and it was all to help the Nashville Predators win their playoff game.

Taylor Lewan and a bunch of his fellow linemen (along with QB Marcus Mariota) -- were sitting in a VIP section at the game when Taylor busted out the fish and chugged away.

Lewan's teammate, Quinton Spain, ripped off his shirt for moral support.

Of course, catfish is a "thing" with Preds fans -- they always chuck one onto the ice before or during a game. Lewan decided to up the ante.

The plan worked ... the Preds won the game 5-4 over the Winnipeg Jets.

Kanye West Drops New Track ... We Think

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THIS NEXT VERSE THO

Kanye West's new track is out, and the lyrics include lines like "poopity scoop," "scoobity doop" and more "scoopity woops."

Kanye tweeted a link to his site Friday, which shows the song is labeled "Lift Yourself Master." Like a lot of things the rapper has said or posted on Twitter this week ... it's hard to tell what's really going on here.

Is this really a full track? Will it be on one of his new albums? Or ... is he just having fun in the studio?

Whatever it is ... it's probably going to get stuck in your head once you listen to it.

Enjoy!

Tom Brokaw Maddow, 63 Others Sign Letter of Support

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Tom Brokaw's current and former colleagues at NBC, including Rachel Maddow, are coming out strong in his defense against sexual harassment allegations.

Maddow, Maria Shriver and longtime NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell -- along with 61 other women -- all signed the letter stating, "Tom has treated each of us with fairness and respect."

According to the letter, the women are anchors, directors, executives, personal assistants and technical staff who've worked with Tom over 4 decades. They added, "He has given each of us opportunities for advancement and championed our successes throughout our careers."

As we reported, 2 former coworkers have accused Brokaw of making unwanted sexual advances in the '90s. He's denied the allegations.

President Trump Stormy Lawsuit on Ice for 90 Days

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Score one for President Trump and his attorney, Michael Cohen ... who were just granted a 90-day stay in their legal battle with Stormy Daniels.

Cohen had requested the extra 90 days in proceedings due to the FBI raid on his office. Cohen told the court he would plead the 5th if Stormy's lawsuit over the "hush" agreement went forward. He argued he wouldn't be able to effectively defend himself in the Stormy case, because anything he said could incriminate him with the feds.

The judge agreed, and granted the postponement, saying ... "there's a large potential factual overlap between the civil and criminal proceedings that would heavily implicate Mr. Cohen's 5th Amendment rights."

So, Stormy's on the back burner until at least the end of July -- and her attorney Michael Avenatti's not going down without a fight.

Tom Brady Runnin' Offense For UCLA Football Team

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Josh Rosen out ... TOM BRADY IN!!!

The New England Patriots stud showed up to the UCLA football facilities in L.A. on Friday for a special workout with the Bruins players ... and c'mon, how awesome is that?!

Brady was throwing the ball around and dishing out advice to some of the players at the Wasserman Football Center in Westwood. One of the prospects pictured is 3-star QB Austin Burton.

Interesting considering all the rumblings that 40-year-old Tom might retire instead of coming back for the 2018 season. This looks like a guy ready to hang it up to you? Didn't think so.

Meanwhile, the UCLA social media team used the workout to throw a little low-key shade at their cross town rival, USC ... tweeting out, "OnlyAtUCLA."