Girl, Interrupted

For those who are still unaware, Kanye West has been universally condemned for his uncouth behaviour during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when he stormed the stage and interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech to proclaim that Beyonce should have clinched the Best Female Award instead. This left Swift visibly shaken, though it was heartwarming to see Beyonce inviting her back on stage later in the show to complete her speech.

It is somewhat befitting to note that Kanye was snubbed in all his nominated categories, and celebrities were quick to show their disdain towards the hip-hop artiste, often in the form of unceremonious, expletive-enriched Twitter updates. President Obama joined the crowd and called him a "jackass" as he was speaking to a CNBC reporter. It has been postulated that Kanye was tipsy (and emboldened) following an overdose of cognac, yet from his track record of wild behaviour, you will find it difficult to exonerate him on the simple basis of inebriation.

I doubt he had recovered from his stupor when he penned the following apology on his blog for Swift, which had to take hours to manifest: "I'm soooooo sorry to Taylor Swift. I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she's in the bleachers! I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment! Beyoncé's video was the best of this decade!"

He remained similarly confused when he replaced the earlier apology with "I feel like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he messed up everything and Robert De Niro asked him to leave. That was Taylor's moment and I had no right in any way to take it from her. I am truly sorry."

Contrary to what Elton John may have believed, I don't think "sorry" is the hardest word for Kanye, because he is able to exercise the apology with absolute nonchalance, perhaps even with a dash of artful sarcasm. You can't doubt the talent that he is, as a recording artiste. But if he remains recalcitrant and continues to draw flak with these controversies, his demise will be nigh. This is also high time for 19-year-old Taylor Swift to understand that show business is tough business, although following this incident she could have attracted a new legion of supporters who pitied her for the embarrassment she had to endure, standing dumbfounded for 10 seconds in an elegant, sequined dress while on live, national TV.

In other news, I am thoroughly bitter to learn that tickets for F1 Rocks on 26 Sep 09 have sold out. Grr...