Kanye West goes diva on Taylor Swift at VMAs as Beyonce plays nice
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No. 6 - KANYE VS. TAYLOR SWIFT AT VMAs
He's one wild and crazy guy! Rapper Kanye West had a year full of odd behavior, from exorcising his demons in a Spike Jonze film to canceling his much-anticipated tour with Lady Gaga.
But his biggest gaffe of the year was snatching away Taylor Swift's Video Music Award for best female video and then shouting that Beyonce was more deserving of the award, all live on TV. Celebrities and even President Obama were outraged at the incident. Kanye has since apologized to Taylor many times. What will he do in 2010? Stay tuned.
Photos: Kanye West, MTV VMAs show
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Red Carpet: MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards lived up to its wild, unpredictable reputation Sunday night as it returned to New York after a two-year absence.
With Beyoncé and Lady GaGa coming into the evening with a leading nine nominations apiece, it set up a flashy battle between the divas in eight different categories. But it was Kanye West who acted most like a diva, charging the stage to complain as Taylor Swift accepted her award for best female video over Beyoncé and GaGa.
"I'm sorry, but Beyoncé did one of the best videos of all time," West said, interrupting Swift's acceptance speech, much to everyone's confusion, including Beyoncé, who looked dazed by the move.
Swift did her best to recover, but quickly left the stage. After his outburst, even the mention of West's name drew boos from the crowd.
"Love everyone, love for all of you," said host Russell Brand trying to smooth things over, but the damage was done.
"He needs to get over it," Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, said of West afterward. "It was very uncomfortable."
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND. MTV made the most of its Manhattan location. Swift appeared busking in the 42nd Street subway station singing "You Belong With Me" before taking the F Train uptown a stop, ending up on Sixth Avenue in front of Radio City Music Hall dancing on top of a taxi. Muse made its American TV debut playing in a packed Walter Kerr Theatre, introduced by Gerard Butler.
TRULY GAGA. Lady GaGa's much-ballyhooed performance turned out to be all kinds of crazy, trading her "Phantom of the Opera" red carpet look for a pink wig, white mask, and matching lingerie and boots as she sang "Paparazzi." At some point, while she was pretend playing the piano with one boot on the keyboard and after the lingerie-clad girl in the wheelchair was wheeled off, GaGa was fake stabbed and began bleeding all over herself. Um, OK.
GOING GREEN. Green Day, which won best rock video for "21 Guns," kept up its populist message, inviting the crowd to rush the stage during its performance, which ended with Armstrong body surfing over the crowd.
EM GETS SERIOUS. Though Eminem has had several memorable MTV VMA moments, this year he took a more serious turn, dedicating his best hip-hop video award for "We Made You" to the late rapper Proof, as well as his fans, saying, "I want to thank the fans for sticking by me this whole time."
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