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Amanda Bynes is opening up about her past issues with drugs, acceptance and a deep battle with depression brought on by one of her most famous movie roles.

Bynes starred in "She's The Man" back in 2006, playing a teen girl who dressed like a boy, pretending to be her brother. Amanda sported short hair and sideburns for the role, and the film grabbed a ton of attention.

In a new interview with PAPER -- Amanda's first in a long time -- she reveals the movie left her in a deep depression, saying, "When the movie came out and I saw it ... I didn't like how I looked when I was a boy." She called seeing herself in the role a "super strange and out-of-body experience. It just really put me into a funk."

Bynes shares she's been sober for the last 4 years and blames a lot of her past issues -- including her infamous tweet where she said she wanted Drake to "murder my vagina" -- on drugs.

TMZ broke a number of stories about the tragedy of mental illness that Amanda was coping with for years. As we reported, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was in and out facilities and trouble for years. She had times of lucidity and would then lapse back into a dark place.

Amanda remains under a conservatorship that started in 2014, and was recently extended until at least 2020. Her parents, who were her conservators, tried to help her but handed the conservatorship off to a mental health professional.

She's currently a student the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in L.A. -- but says she'd eventually like to get back into acting if the opportunity presents itself.

11/27 8:40 AM PT -- Soooo ... either Bryce has a bad memory, or she didn't actually audition for the first FOUR movies of her career. BDH started acting professionally with small roles in "Parenthood," "Apollo 13," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "A Beautiful Mind" ... all Ron Howard directed films.

They were bit roles, for sure. She's uncredited in 2 of them, and none of her characters even have names -- but point is she's been in Dad's movies.

Now the question is ... why hasn't Ron hired her since 2001??

Bryce Dallas Howard can't buy a break in Hollywood ... not when it comes to one super picky director in town -- namely her Oscar-winning father, Ron Howard.

Not that she NEEDS any help from dear ol' dad -- after all Bryce starred in "Jurassic World," one of the biggest movies of all time. Still, when we saw her Monday at LAX, we wondered if Ron let's her audition for any of his films.

We all know nepotism is rampant in showbiz, but Bryce kinda shocked us with her answer. In fact, she says she's lobbied papa Howard plenty of times for roles in his movies, but gets the same answer every time.

Here's the thing ... Bryce has already established her talent on her own, so it'd be hard for anyone to accuse Ron of playing favorites at this point. What we're saying is, c'mon, Ron!

Or, as Bryce put it, "Just give me a shot, dude!"

Marco Rubio says the person who posted the racist image of Florida State football coach Willie Taggart is an "idiot" ... not just because it's a hateful act, but because Taggart's a GOOD coach!

The senator says he's a Florida Gators fan -- so he's happy UF got the win over FSU on Saturday -- but says the image of Taggart hanging from a tree obviously crossed the line.

"It's just wrong to say that about anybody," Rubio tells TMZ Sports ... "It's unacceptable, outrageous."

As we previously reported, someone posted the image on Facebook of a black man being hanged from a tree with Taggart's face photoshopped over the original picture.

Officials in Florida are investigating the situation and are working with FSU police to ensure Taggart's safety.

Rubio says Taggart's getting a bad rap in his 1st season at FSU -- he's much better than his 5-7 record shows -- and FSU fans need to rally around him.

As for the person who posted the racist image, Rubio says, "That's just stupid. I mean that's just dumb, stupid, maybe even hateful ... obviously, it's a hateful action."

"Maybe they thought it was funny. It's not funny. And whoever did that is an idiot."

Shawn Mendes is once again shutting down rumors he's gay ... adamantly saying he isn't, after years of speculation.

The 20-year-old singer told Rolling Stone so much attention on his personal life has caused tons of stress ... particularly about his sexuality and whether or not he's gay. Shawn told RS, "I'd like to say I don't care about it, but that's not true. This massive, massive thing for the last 5 years about me being gay."

Shawn tells Rolling Stone he often analyzes his own interviews and analyzes his voice and body language to see what vibe he's giving off. He tells RS, "In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone -- like a girl -- in public, to prove to people that I'm not gay."

He goes on to say, "Even though in my heart I know that it's not a bad thing. There's still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me." Shawn, however, did admit he grew up putting glitter on his eyelids to make his parents laugh ... growing up with 15 female cousins he said he would be "braiding hair and painting nails. Maybe I am a little more feminine -- but that's the way it is. That's why I am me."

Remember ... years ago, Shawn addressed rumors about his sexuality, taking to Snapchat and saying, "I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a 'gay vibe' ... first of all, I'm not gay. Second of all, it shouldn't make a difference if I was or wasn't."

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call Reuben Foster's ex-GF made after he allegedly attacked her at the 49ers hotel on Saturday ... and she tells the operator, "He slapped me in my face."

The woman sounds like she's sobbing at the beginning of the call -- but pulls herself together to tell the operator, "My ex-boyfriend just took my phone [and broke it] ... slapped me in my face and threatened me."

She later repeated, "He took my phone and broke it and slapped me in my face."

The woman identifies the 49ers linebacker by name and says he left the room at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Tampa Bay right after the altercation -- but noted he was still on the property.

You can tell in the audio the woman is distraught but tells the 911 operator she does not require immediate medical attention.

Cops responded to the hotel and arrested Foster late that night. He was booked on a 1st degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

When the woman spoke with police, she told them Foster had also pushed her in the chest and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face. Cops say they noticed a scratch on her collarbone.

The 49ers cut Foster following the arrest.

As for the alleged victim, she also told police she's been in an on-again, off-again relationship with the 49ers linebacker for the past 3 years.

Tekashi69's got a date with the judge -- he got a trial date in court Monday morning after he entered a plea in his federal racketeering case.

The rapper -- who has been behind bars since Nov. 18 -- was in court, where he entered a not guilty plea. The judge set his trial date for September 4. That's a long way off and, at least for now, it seems 6ix9ine will remain behind bars for much of that period ... if not all of it.

The issue of bail was not addressed in court. As we reported, his attorney, Lance Lazzaro, plans to apply for bail directly to the trial judge. Tekashi was denied bail when Lazzaro offered to pay $750k, surrender his passport and remain on house arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi and 2 former associates, including his manager, Shottie, were arrested by federal agents on racketeering and other serious charges. According to his indictment, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi and his crew conspired to commit a slew of crimes, including drug deals, armed robberies and shootings.

The feds believe Tekashi himself pulled an armed robbery on April 3 along with his ex-manager, Shottie, and 2 other members of the Nine Trey Bloods.

The indictment also mentions the April 21 shooting incident at Barclays Center in Brooklyn ... and fingers Fuguan Lovick as the trigger man. In all, the indictment lists 17 counts dating back to 2013.

Heather Locklear's mandatory psychiatric hold has been extended for further evaluation ... and the actress could be there for up to two weeks.

Sources close to Locklear tell us she was placed on a psychiatric hold Wednesday that was originally only supposed to last for 3 days. We're told doctors realized Locklear needed additional treatment past the mandatory time frame and got an additional 2 weeks.

Our sources say Locklear will likely get out sooner than the 2 weeks, and the plan is for her to enter a facility for more long-term treatment.

There is, however, a bit of conflict -- we're told Heather wants to remain at home ... and not check into another facility -- and the ultimate decision will be hers to make.

As we reported ... it was just over a week ago EMTs were called to Locklear's home after her attorney and therapist determined she needed help desperately.

Alicia Silverstone's divorce agreement calls for her to pay her ex-husband spousal support -- but she's included a clause that gets her out of it sooner than usual.

Alicia and Chris Jarecki's divorce was finalized earlier this month, and according to docs ... she'll be forking out $12,000 each month to him in spousal support. They've also agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their 7-year-old son Bear Blu.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Alicia and Chris have agreed on a "cohabitation" clause. It means she will stop paying Chris if he shacks up with someone for 5 months within a 1 year period. Normally, spousal support has to pay until the other person gets married.

Clearly, Alicia wanted to make sure Chris couldn't slow play a new relationship ... just to keep getting the $12k monthly.

The exes were married for almost 13 years. For what it's worth, her rep says Alicia and Chris are "still close friends."

12:25 PM PT -- Oprah just released a statement on her mom's death, saying, "Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee's passing. It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at Peace."

Oprah Winfrey's mother has died.

Oprah's niece, Alisha Hayes, posted that Vernita Lee died on Thanksgiving Day. The family just confirmed the death.

Vernita was born in 1935 in segregated Mississippi. She met Vernon Winfrey and they gave birth to Oprah in 1954.

Vernita couldn't raise Oprah because she moved to Milwaukee where she worked as a housemaid.

Oprah was raised early on by her maternal grandmother. When Oprah turned 6, she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mom ... who was a virtual stranger.

Oprah says her relationship with her mom was rocky because of the long separation ... "I was asking the question ... what is a mother? What are you supposed to feel about your mother?"

Oprah was living with her mom when she was molested by her cousin and abused by an uncle.

Vernita had another child in 1963 and gave her up for adoption. Oprah had not met her half-sister Patricia until 2010 and said she was shocked to learn about her long-lost sibling. Oprah paid for her college education.

Vernita had a son, Jeffrey, who died in 1989 from AIDS. Oprah and Jeffrey reportedly had a difficult relationship.

The relationship between Oprah and her mom was eventually repaired. Oprah had Vernita on her talk show in 1990. O's personal stylist gave her a makeover.

There are reports Vernita retired from a hospital dietitian job sometime after she reconnected with O, moved into a luxury condo in Milwaukee and got a stipend from her famous daughter of $5k a month.

Vernita is survived by Oprah and Patricia Amanda Faye Lee and grandchildren Alisha Hayes, Chrishaunda Lee Perez, Aquarius Lofton and Andre Brown, as well as great-grandchildren Jaxon Praise Perez, Chai Theresa Perez, Donovan Hayes and Trinity Hayes.

A private funeral service has already been held. Memorial donations in Vernita's name can be made to Feeding America (feedingamerica.org).

Vernita was 83.

Steph Curry was REALLY lucky to walk away from his Black Friday car crash without a serious injury -- because TMZ Sports obtained video of the accident ... and it's scary stuff.

As we previously reported, the Golden State Warriors star was driving his black Porsche on Highway 24 in Oakland on Nov. 23 when another car lost control, skidded out and slammed into Steph.

You can see in our video, the other driver was going pretty fast when the vehicle slipped across 4 lanes of traffic and clipped the front of Steph's car ... it appears both cars hit the center divider.

Officials say roughly 10 minutes after the crash, another car lost control and slammed into Steph's Porsche from behind.

Miraculously, no one suffered any major injuries. Steph was photographed walking around the crash after the incident. Officials say everyone was wearing their seat belts.

He later tweeted, "Don’t need any reminders but All the Time God is Great and God is Great all the time! Appreciate all the texts."

Kim Kardashian says her jaw was shaking while she filmed her infamous sex tape with Ray J, but it's not what you think ... she was rollin' on X.

Scott Disick pulled it out of her during a convo on 'KUWTK'. The mother of 3 -- who is now super straight-laced -- recalled how she used the drug during her sex scene and during her first wedding ... the one to music producer Damon Thomas in 2000.

So, to hear her tell it, those were the only 2 times she did the drug -- "I did ecstasy once and I got married ... I did it again, I made a sex tape. Like, everything bad would happen."

Kim said her wild side is still there ... "I still can do crazy things." Well, not like that.

6:50 AM PT -- Alec was just officially charged with one count of attempted assault in the third degree and one count of harassment in the second degree. The assault charge is a misdemeanor and the harassment charge is a violation. He did not enter a plea, and his defense said they turned over video evidence to the DA's office showing Alec never punched the other man.

Alec Baldwin showed up for his arraignment today -- after being charged with punching an NYC driver over a parking space -- and on this one it seems like it's advantage Baldwin.

The actor was a man of no words as he entered the courthouse. He's charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment over the scuffle that erupted earlier this month after another driver swooped in and took the space Alec thought was his.

Baldwin said shortly after the arrest he didn't punch the guy, and the police report seems to bear it out. According to the police report, the alleged victim told cops Baldwin struck him with his hand, and that's more consistent with a slap than a punch.

What's more, TMZ broke the story, surveillance video seems to show the 2 men shoving each other, which is consistent with mutual combat.

12:27 PM PT -- We've learned Cardi's pilot suffered some serious stomach issues during the flight, causing the emergency landing. The plane was diverted to O'Hare due to a weather-related runway closure at Midway.

Cardi B's private plane made an emergency landing in Chicago ... not because of mechanical issues, but because someone on board needed medical attention ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the jet was traveling from L.A. to NYC either late Sunday night or early Monday morning when Cardi announced that the aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Chicago.

It's unclear who got sick ... but we're told the passenger was not a member of Cardi's crew.

Here's what Willis was talkin' 'bout ... Todd Bridges getting knocked the hell out -- on camera no less -- while trying to be a nice guy, backing up a friend in need.

The "Diff'rent Strokes" star recently helped his wheelchair-bound neighbor evict a woman living at the guy's house in the San Fernando Valley. We're told Todd's neighbor had asked him for help in the past, and Todd obliged this time too.

Well, things escalated quickly. Todd and the woman's boyfriend got into a verbal altercation, and next thing ya know ... Todd got sucker punched and laid out. It's pretty crazy ... in this surveillance footage, obtained by TMZ, you can see Todd was totally dazed from the hit.

We're told the guy fled the scene, but no police report was filed. As for Todd ... he tells us in a statement ... "No one likes to be sucker punched, but I am glad that I was there to help my neighbor, who was faced with a potentially dangerous situation."

Todd added, "Much rather it was me, and not my neighbor."

Kaley Cuoco took a break from saving wild animals to party like one ahead of her 33rd birthday.

The "Big Bang Theory" star threw on some Mickey Mouse ears Sunday and hit up Disneyland to kick off her birthday week. She turns 33 on Friday and brought a bunch of friends and family members to celebrate early.

Kaley was there with her hubby, Karl Cook, who had a pretty sweet tongue-wagging pose for the camera on the way down Splash Mountain. Kaley screamed her ass off. Can't blame her ... it's a steep fall.

It's been an eventful week for Kaley already. As we reported ... she tried her best to save a distressed baby sea lion while spending the first Thanksgiving with her in-laws in Santa Barbara.

Kendall Jenner is no fairweather girlfriend -- because after the 76ers lost to the putrid Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday ... she stuck by Ben Simmons at a French restaurant in Philly.

Here's the thing -- the Cavs are embarrassingly terrible. J.R. Smith recently quit the team after accusing them of tanking the season for a higher draft pick. It's bad.

But, after the 76ers took the "L" on Friday, Ben and Kendall went to Parc -- a French Bistro -- the very next day.

The comfort meal worked -- because the 76ers bounced back with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Kendall was at the game -- and was pictured going crazy in the stands as she cheered on her man.

Still, there's an online petition to get Kendall banned from 76ers home games in fear of the "Kardashian Kurse."

We should note ... ever since the two got back together on Nov. 3, the team is 9-4 and overall looking pretty good. They're in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.

Sooooo ... maybe she should KEEP coming to the games!