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"Vanderpump Rules" is already shooting Season 11, but the person who is the centerpiece of all the drama -- Raquel Leviss -- just began negotiating with Bravo this week, and there are complications in sealing the deal ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Bravo, production and Raquel's team began talking about a new contract just 3 days ago. We don't know the specifics of what was discussed, but it's standard operating procedure in the entertainment biz to make salary item #1.

Whatever terms they have already discussed, it appears none were deal-breakers, because the negotiations are continuing.

Now the problems.

Our sources say Bravo did not want to even begin negotiations while Raquel was getting treatment in the mental health facility she's called home for more than 2 months.

The reality -- if Bravo jumps the gun, makes a deal and brings her back too early, they could face legal peril if she backslides.

So, you ask ... why did they begin negotiating THIS week? The answer -- because our sources say, Raquel will leave the facility "soon." That gives production the green light to start the negotiations.

Now here's the practical problem ... the longer 'VPR' rolls cameras, the harder it's gonna be to integrate Raquel into the storylines. No one wants to pressure her to come back too early, but they want a show with lots of drama. A source connected to the show tells us ... production is ready when she is ready.

Kanye West seems to have found his happy place, roaming the streets of Tokyo with his wife by his side ... and allegedly checking out some adult toys in the process.

Ye and Bianca Censori were spotted in the Ginza shopping district Thursday, sans security, while they browsed the Don Quijote discount store. Ye, dressed in all black with his signature sock/shoes, did his best to cover his face from the public ... while Bianca went a little less traditional in what appears to be a leotard and heels.

An eyewitness tells us no one really seemed to pay attention to the two, mostly leaving them alone while they shopped.

Interestingly enough, our witness says at one point Ye and Bianca checked out an adult toy section ... though it was unclear if they purchased anything off the rack.

From there, Kanye and Bianca took off, hopping in an awaiting car and hitting the road.

Kanye's spent a ton of time in Japan over the years, but most recently it seems he's over there more than in the United States. It was just last week when we saw him with North, and he and Bianca have attended a few events in the country as of late.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye and Bianca got hitched earlier this year in some sort of commitment ceremony. It's still unclear if there's any legal binding to their marriage, but they certainly move around the globe like the real deal.

Anheuser-Busch is defending itself against claims the company abandoned Dylan Mulvaney after the rollout of its transgender-influenced beer campaign crashed and burned.

AB issued a statement Thursday in response to Mulvaney, who claimed company executives failed to support her after she was dragged online by trolls in the aftermath of the ad blitz. She continued, "For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all."

A spokesperson for AB says the brand is "committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community."

The rep continued ... “The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”

However, the company still doesn't seem to address Mulvaney's claim ... that the brand never reached out to her when the hate got so vile it was beyond her comprehension.

As we reported, Mulvaney posted an ad campaign for the Bud Light on her Instagram page which included a custom can with her face on it. The whole thing sparked a host of controversy nationwide -- causing the brewing manufacturer to lose a whopping $20 billion-plus in market value after conservatives vowed to boycott the brand.

Lamar Odom is worried for Bam Margera ... worried he's keeping bad company.

As we first reported ... Bam was detoxing in San Diego earlier this month with Lamar's help, but he left early, and given Bam's track record, Lamar is concerned.

Lamar clearly thinks Bam is hanging with the wrong crowd, saying, "Who you surround yourself with is critical. We are the company we keep."

Bam actually stayed with Lamar last weekend after leaving the detox center, but he bounced and Odom thinks that's more than problematic.

Lamar thinks there's a card his friends and family can play that could get Bam's attention ... namely his ability to see is son, Phoenix.

Remember, Bam threatened to smoke crack until he died if he couldn't see his kid, so that could be a pressure point that works.

Lamar says he's going to try and track Bam down and encourage him to go to rehab at the Odom Recovery Group.

Legendary musician John Fogerty has put his stunning Westlake Village home on the market -- but any fortunate son would have to cough up $20 million.

John's 18,600-square-foot home sits on 22 acres in the Hidden Valley gated community and has breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains and nearby Pacific Ocean.

He's put a $19,995,000 price tag on it, and it comes with some cool features -- not 1, but 2 recording studios, a home theater, and a wine wall.

There's also some great landscaping, a courtyard, and the obligatory pool.

The Creedence Clearwater Revival founder and lead singer bought the place a decade ago, spending just shy of $9M. We're told his wife Julie completely rebuilt, redesigned and reimagined it to become the stellar property it is today.

Roy Jones Jr. is one of the best boxers ever, but the legendary fighter is stepping back in the ring with an opponent like never before, massive bodybuilder and social media star NDO Champ!

54-year-old RJJ and 39-year-old NDO Champ -- who is 250 lbs. of solid muscle -- are fighting Friday night in the Metaverse (more on that later).

NDO Champ, government name Robert Wilmote, is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder who has over one million followers on Instagram ... and has gone viral a bunch of times. There's a good chance you've seen NDO's videos online.

Much different than Roy's typical opponents ... which he concedes.

"It's much different than I'm used to. It's kind of like Godzilla versus King Kong. You know, King Kong being the gorilla, that's what he kind of reminds me of with all the muscles and he's such a big dark figure," Jones Jr. said.

But, RJJ has a strategy to deal with his powerful foe ... "be smart enough not to run into the foolishness." The "foolishness" being a big power punch.

As for how he sees the fight going, Jones Jr. says he'll win ... it's just a matter of whether it's by knockout or not.

"Depends how good of a punch he can take. He can't take good punch then he goes to sleep. All depends on what happens. I don't know, I've never been in the ring with him. I've never seen him box. There's no film on him. That's what makes it so different."

Roy continued ... "You don't know what he's bringing. You don't know if he's gonna be a Mike Tyson puncher or a guy with a lot of muscle that can't punch at all."

Champ, as you may expect, sees things playing out a bit differently.

"Listen, we don't train to lose. We don't train to come in there and play. If that's the case, I'll go back doin' something else, you feel me. No disrespect, I salute the OG, but it's wartime."

NDO continued ... "I'm not coming in there to congratulate you on all our successes, nah, you shouldn't have gotten in this ring with this man. You shouldn't have gotten in the ring with me. I'm a born stone killer!"

Before this pretty ballerina in her white tutu turned into a television personality and actress, she was just exploring the concrete jungle with her three younger siblings, rehearsing for her dance recitals and growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

Kicking off her career in radio, she landed as a host on MTV's "Total Request Live" aka "TRL" during the early 2000s. She's also acted in movies like "Two Can Play That Game" with Vivica A. Fox and Gabrielle Union ... as well as "Think Like A Man" with Kevin Hart.

Need one more clue? Just ask her bestie Kim Kardashian!

Tom Sandoval is out this week shooting his TV show ... but it's NOT "Vanderpump Rules!"

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sandoval has been in New Zealand shooting Season 2 of FOX's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

As brutal as social media has been to Tom in the wake of Scandavol, it's nothing like what he's enduring in the bitter New Zealand cold. A group of diverse celebs try to survive brutal conditions and impossible challenges. A team of ex-Special Forces members put the celebs through their paces, until they give up or fail, one by one.

Season 1, which debuted earlier this year, became the top-rated unscripted series of 2022-2023.

Season 11 of "VDP Rules" started shooting Wednesday, but Tom was MIA. He's expected to start shooting when he returns. And he thinks New Zealand was tough!!!

BTW ... Sandoval's not the only one who participated in a competition show ... Tom Schwartz competed on another FOX show, "Stars on Mars."

Kevin Costner's estranged wife is getting out of Dodge amid a swirl of allegations and counter-allegations in her bitter divorce ... and she's taking 2 of their kids with her.

Christine Baumgartner flew out of LAX Thursday, getting dropped off at the airport by a car service and walking into the terminal with a cup of coffee and some luggage.

It looks like the July 4th holiday weekend is coming at the right time for Christine ... the past two months have been rife with divorce drama, and now she's fighting Kevin over money and a place to live, among other things.

This has gotta be a quick trip ... she's got to be back in Santa Barbara Wednesday for a big court hearing, where Christine will contest the prenup.

TMZ broke the story ... Christine wants $248,000 a month in child support, but Kevin's accountant says those expenses include more than $100k for her own plastic surgery, in addition to boutique shopping, ATM withdrawals and more.

Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley are gonna love this -- Kenny "The Jet" Smith has landed back on the beaches of Miami ... and he brought along the stunning Aline Bernardes for another relaxing day in the sun.

The "Inside The NBA" cohost and his lady first made waves back in May when they were spotted out in Florida together ... which, naturally, had his TV buddies cracking jokes left and right for the next few days.

Luckily for Smith, the NBA season is over ... so he can enjoy his free time with the model without worrying about the guys cracking jokes in front of a national audience.

Smith and Bernardes appear to be really into each other -- they were closer than ever as they rocked their swimsuits and went for a soak in the water on Thursday.

While their first trip to the beach was pretty chill, there was more PDA this time around -- Aline wrapped her arms around the NBA champ as they walked deeper into the ocean.

It looks like the return to the beach was entertaining for both ... they smiled from ear-to-ear throughout the day.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's is livid six justices have upended affirmative action in this country, saying Black people are getting screwed all over again.

The Vanderbilt University professor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and ... excoriated Chief Justice John Robert's and the 5 justices who joined him, ruling affirmative action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

Dr. Dyson argues Black people have always been denied opportunities in America, specifically because of their race, so there's no way to right that wrong without taking race into consideration.

The impact of the SCOTUS decision is seismic ... private and public universities can no longer consider race as a factor in admissions. Many supporters of affirmative action fear white and Asian students will now be significantly favored in higher education, at the expense of other minority groups. The decision will clearly have repercussions in the workplace.

Madonna is not out of the woods after being hospitalized for a serious bacterial infection ... we're told she's still bedridden and people around her think she's in no shape to kick off her world tour.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Madonna's been vomiting uncontrollably since being discharged from the hospital, and the infection is still wreaking havoc on her body.

We're told Madonna is still too sick to even get out of her bed at her New York City apartment ... where she's been recovering since Wednesday night, when she was released from the hospital following a multiday stay in the ICU.

When Madonna was taken to the hospital Saturday with a serious bacterial infection, we're told she was metaphorically "kicking and screaming" ... protesting the decision to send her there.

Our source say Madonna's assistant was with her when she collapsed last Saturday, and that's when the uncontrollable vomiting began.

As we previously reported ... Madonna was dealing with a fever for more than a month leading up to her hospitalization, keeping it a secret from everyone. We're told she was afraid if she sought medical care, it might jeopardize the tour, which she's been working so hard to prepare for and posting behind the scenes shots of. The delay made the infection far worse.

Madonna's longtime manager Guy Oseary is already hinting her upcoming tour will be delayed -- her first concert was scheduled for July 15 -- but we're told no final decision has been made by her manager or agent.

For her part, our sources say Madonna wants the tour to go on as planned ... but everyone close to her is advising she press pause and allow her body to recover.

Anwar Hadid was spotted holding hands with a new GF during a New York City outing ... this after posting troublesome messages last month, which folks thought were all over the breakup with his ex, Dua Lipa.

Gigi and Bella Hadid's little bro stepped out Thursday ... and his hands were locked with what appears to be fellow fashion model, Sophia Piccirilli.

The 2 were clearly in great spirits -- a stark contrast to Anwar's online presence last month.

As we reported, Anwar was in a pretty dark space when he posted some cryptic -- and alarming -- comments on his IG story ... "Trying not to find him and kill him," "I hate the way you say his name," and "I can't breath[e]."

He never called out Dua directly, but it was around that same time the singer was at the Cannes Film Festival with her BF, director Romain Gavras ... so fans connected the dots.

Anwar took issue with the take fans and others had about his rant, posting a profanity-laced response ... though he never clarified if Dua was the subject.

The 2 were linked in 2019, but eventually split a couple of years later.

Travis Scott is in the crosshairs of a Texas grand jury ... facing possible criminal prosecution for the deadly Astroworld tragedy.

The rapper's lawyer, Kent Schaffer, tells TMZ ... the Harris County Grand Jury is meeting now, to decide whether his client should be prosecuted for continuing to perform at the 2021 festival as thousands of people in the crowd stampeded ... causing 10 people to die and an untold number injured.

Travis' attorney tells us the rapper will NOT be testifying and his team remains hopeful the jurors will agree Travis did not commit any crime.

Travis has maintained from the beginning he had no idea there was a stampede and points to the fact many police officers in the crowd who were responsible for the safety of the fans were clueless as well. In fact, you see in the videos some cops dancing as Travis performs.

The deadly concert sparked a number of civil lawsuits against Travis and the festival's organizers ... but he has never been criminally charged.

We reached out to the Harris County District Attorney's Office ... and they declined to comment.

Gwendolyn Osborne is applauding Vanna White for holding out for a bigger slice of the TV game show pie ... telling us the "Wheel of Fortune" staple deserves way more money.

The former "Price Is Right" model joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked about Vanna's salary demand -- at least half of the salary Pat Sajak gets -- $7.5M.

Gwendolyn is fully on board, saying Vanna deserves it, and in the process, she's helping lots of other women.

But, then we asked, what if Sony says final offer -- $4.5M -- should Vanna take it or walk? Watch the wheels turn in Gwendolyn's head.

TMZ broke the story ... Vanna has made $3 million a year for the last 18 years, without a single raise, and wants a big payday when Ryan Seacrest comes aboard as the new host.