Kanye West, way to be an arrogant, self-entitled, Hennessy-swilling, perpetually petulant party crasher. I mean, what? There was a Music Television awards show last night?
Yes, the MTV Video Music Awards was Sunday night. West attempted to hijack the event when he stole Taylor Swift's award-winning moment to proclaim that Beyonce should have won. Singer Katy Perry angrily wrote to West on her Twitter account, "It's like you stepped on a kitten."
But what else is new. His tirade, in my opinion, was planned. He was sure to bluster hate –- he probably would have taken the mic from Beyonce even if she had indeed won the prize for best female video. And my money bets that MTV executives knew that fact even before he was allowed to raid the stage.
Music hasn't dominated anything about MTV since, what, the 1980s? These days, it's all about the celebrity and the self-aggrandizing, condescending "diva moments."
Last night, even Madonna took a tribute to "King of Pop" Michael Jackson and turned it into a six-plus-minute diatribe about how she has the same number of siblings. How she and he were born in the same year. About her mother. Her childhood. Yes, she compared Jackson to Muhammad Ali and and Fred Astaire. She called Jackson a human being. Then she talked about the crotch-grabbing and moon-walking antics of her own children. Is she calling herself the queen of pop, or paying tribute to her idol? Shut it, already.
Her speech was longer than the highly choreographed musical dance tribute to Jackson. The portion by his own sister Janet Jackson – a blowout dance feature of their duet "Scream" – was approximately 2 minutes.
Here is the performance tribute to Michael Jackson.
But, in case anyone was watching, the musical performances were well-produced, mini-extravaganzas. Lady Gaga? Bizarre. Blood-drenched. The bait-and-switch, showmanship-over-talent nearly corrupted her version of "Paparazzi." But she can sing. And was that really her playing the piano?
Pink's trapeze-traipsing performance of "Sober" was dramatic, personal and jaw-dropping. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" was huge, professional, tight and a dramatic show of lock-step collaboration.
Muse did a straightforward rendition (and looked to be all-live) of "Uprising." Same with Oklahoma's own, All-American Rejects tune "Gives You Hell." Beyonce's breathless version of "(Single Ladies) Put a Ring on It" left the crowd breathless.
Here's AAR's Tyson Ritter commenting on the Kayne West outburst:
Taylor Swift recovered to perform her hiccupy "You Belong With Me" from the New York City subway, ending up singing on the top of a taxi cap outside of Radio City Music Hall. Kid Cudi took 20 seconds to give a nod to late DJ AM before beginning his performance. Thank you, Cudi.
But was any of it really any more than predictable? No. Few of the live performers actually won anything.
Eight winners dominated an awards show with more more than a dozen categories - and far more viable nominees. Even that was overshadowed by a 10-second tantrum from quite possibly the most diva-moment-prone man in the music industry. And even the public, all caps-lock apology he posted to Swift on his official Web site was gone by this morning.
Get the full list of winners on the official MTV site, 
here.
