Awkward moment #1

Joaquin Phoenix Bombs on Letterman

“Late-night host David Letterman has done his share of bizarre celebrity guest interviews, but a February Late Show appearance by actor turned aspiring rapper Joaquin Phoenix was one for the books. The Walk the Line star ambled onstage in what might charitably be described as a catatonic stupor, sporting a tangled mane, bushy beard and dark shades. Seated, Phoenix offered clipped, monosyllabic responses to Letterman’s questions, picked at his clothes and gazed aimlessly at his lap. At one point he even took his chewing gum out of his mouth and affixed it to the host’s desk. As the segment drew to a close, Letterman hurled one of his greatest-ever quips: “Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”

Awkward moment #2

Kanye West Doesn’t let Taylor Swift Finish

As you may know, I’ve already weighed in on the Kanye/Taylor Swift debacle this year with my story, Kanye West is an IDIOT which sparked quite a debate with reader Jesse, Kate’s the IDIOT, not Kanye.

Here’s what Time has to say about this awkward moment.

It’s not an MTV Video Music Awards show unless Kanye West causes a scene, but the self-aggrandizing rapper outdid himself in 2009. As pop-country crooner Taylor Swift accepted her award for Best Female Video, West rushed the stage to snag the mike and spoil the moment. “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time,” he declared. Spreading his arms in a “Hey, what do you expect from me?” way, he ceded the microphone back to the stunned star and slunk offstage to scattered applause. Beyoncé, who cringed at the outburst, later invited Swift onstage during her own acceptance speech so Swift could finish her address.

Awkward moment #3

Categorizing Caster Semenya

Perhaps you remember the South African sprinter Caster Semenya, who won the 800-m race at the World Championships earlier this year. Then people (fellow runners included) noticed her masculine build and started asking, ‘Is she a woman? Is she a man?’, forcing gender testing. Awkward!

From Time…

For track stars, winning a gold medal means you’ve reached the pinnacle of your profession. But for South African sprinter Caster Semenya, it’s been awfully lonely at the top. At the World Championships in Berlin in August, Semenya blazed past the field to capture the 800-m title in a lightning-quick 1:55.45, trouncing her closest competitor by more than two seconds. But instead of cementing the 18-year-old’s status as track’s newest star, Semenya’s sprint drew attention mainly to her muscled, masculine physique — and touched off a heated controversy over whether she was running in the right race. “These kind of people should not run with us,” said Italy’s Elisa Cusma. “For me, she is not a woman. She is a man.” The International Association of Athletics Federations admitted that Semenya had been forced to submit to gender testing the day of the race, though it declined to confirm reports in an Australian paper that the sprinter has both male and female genitalia. The organization has yet to determine whether Semenya will be permitted to keep her medal or continue racing as a woman, though South Africa’s Sports Ministry declared on Nov. 19 that the young star would not be forced to relinquish her prize.

Related articles by Zemanta

• South African track organization suspended in fallout over Caster Semenya gender tests (sports.espn.go.com)
• Caster Semenya Will Keep Her Gold Medal. And Her Privacy! (queerty.com)
• Officials in Semenya case suspended (cbc.ca)

Today’s rant comes to you courtesy of a reader named Jesse who got all hot and bothered when he read my article about Kanye West at MTV’s VMA Awards show. See Kate’s Escapade – Kanye West is an IDIOT!

Here is Jesse’s reply to that article…

Jesse said:  I completely disagree. What Kanye West did was unnecessary but nothing to be crucified over. This news should have gone no farther than simple water cooler talk but narrow minded people and the media continue to let it escalate. How come Kanye’s interruption is more of an un-forgivable act than Joe Wilson’s interruption of PRESIDENT Barack Obama? It’s because people, such as yourself Kate, take no interest in important matters, only simple pop culture.

The facts remain:

-Kanye West has over 12 Grammys in less than five years of releasing music

-He is also an award-winning producer

-The VMA’s are not voted on by MTV officials, it’s by the fans. Now I wonder what demographic understands quality of film? Beyonce’s key demographic or Taylor Swift’s?

-Taylor Swift isn’t a victim. Don’t cry over her. She’s a big girl. When you sign up to be an entertainer, it’s not all butterflies and cupcakes, like Swift’s songs would leave you to believe.

-Kanye West isn’t any combination of Hitler/Satan. He did not insult Swift. He didn’t hurt Swift physically. He said nothing about Swift actually, just that Beyonce’s video was amazing and should have won.

-Beyonce isn’t a hero. She should not be given saint-hood for her actions. While it is debatable which video is better (if you understand anything about film, then you probably agree with Kanye), West shouldn’t have voiced his opinion at that time.

And there you have it Kate. We shouldn’t boycott Kanye West, maybe we should appreciate him in a bittersweet way. How boring and dangerous is it if everyone is polite and conformist? At least West helps keep the process in check, unlike Swift who couldn’t voice her opinions until she was in the safe confines of The View.

I’d personally rather listen to a person who questions rather than one who sounds very similar in every song. I believe that Beyonce’s video was better, but that’s MTV for you. Has Kanye West ever exploded at the Grammys Kate? That’s what I thought, it seems that Kanye takes these phony award shows about as seriously as everyone else should. Now, America, please resume your ridiculous and ignorant rants. They all sound the same anyway.

Jesse is a reader of Coffee Break (at least this post anyway)

and a  Kanye  West supporter

If you’d like to read Kate’s Escapade – Kanye West is an IDIOT! here’s the link.

Now here are Kate’s and Jesse’s responses…and the comments of several other readers.  Add your 2 cents worth.  What’s your opinion on the matter?

Kate said: Wow, Jesse…Got yourself bit worked up there over my, as you put it, “simple pop culture” and “ridiculous and ignorant rants”. I actually also believe that Beyonce’s video was better, but that’s not the point. The point really comes down to simple human decency and courtesy, rather than inappropriate and rude drunken outbursts.
Thanks for the comment, though. Come back for more ridiculous and frivolous rants any old time. I welcome all opinions.

Jesse said: You say it only comes down to simple human decency and courtesy, rather than inappropriate and rude drunken outburst? Then why should we boycott him? Was he abusing animals like Micheal Vick? Was he violating his parole in dangerous ways like TI? No, he wasn’t. The only deference between the general public and Kanye West is that he is more confident than most. Everyone does regrettable things when they are intoxicated, the only difference is that we aren’t all on TV.

Kate said: Let’s hope that the decency of the general public has not sunken to the level of Kayne, or our society is in a heap of trouble.
I would agree though, that his antics are no comparison to Michael Vick or TI or countless others. They are way bigger idiots than Kayne, he just happened to be my topic of choice for the day. If this had been his first ridiculous outburst, I would have just let it slide, however, he has quite a history of arrogant,inappropriate and rude behavior…and it’s time for the public to say ENOUGH!

Other readers comments:

Donna said: Totally agree! He should be ousted from the media.

Jeannette said: I too found this unconscionable. The only upside to it is that Taylor responded at the time with such grace, and continues to do so. As a result I think that her star will shine just that much brighter.

Liz said: Well, my first thought is this: if these VMA awards shows are so phony, what the sam hill was he so upset about? Why would he want Beyonce to have the award if it was so phony?
I agree with Kate’s assessment that his actions lacked any sense of decorum. Drunkenness is no excuse – if you can’t control yourself when you’re drinking, don’t drink!
It’s not an issue of being able to speak your mind (which he is clearly capable of doing). It’s a matter of doing so while showing some sense of decency.
I agree with the president on almost nothing – except for his reaction to the escapade (VMA Awards, not Kate’s escapade)when he called him a “jackass.”
Kanye West has proven his character on numerous occasions. For me, it’s a simple matter of choosing not to listen to him – or his music – because he does not represent the values I hold, nor those I wish to instill in my children.
And as long as Joe Wilson has been dragged into it, he spoke his mind based on fact. He’d read the bill in question and knew exactly what he was talking about. Was his outburst ok? Nope.
Mr. West’s outburst was based on his own opinion.
Both men exercised bad timing. But in the end, Mr. West is being held to one set of rules, while Rep. Wilson is being blasted and rebuked over something that has happened on a multitude of occasions during presidential addresses. Funny how no one seemed to notice then…
If the concern is that Wilson should be run outta town on a rail, you better be willing to hold West to the same standard.
Most teenagers know exactly who Kenya West is. Wonder how many teenagers know who Rep. Wilson is?
Both, in the end, are public figures, regardless.
If you’re going to hold a set of standards for one of them, better make jolly sure you’re willing to hold that same set for the other one.

Megan said: I think that the original post was funny and fun. You, Jesse, are the one who made it a bigger deal than it should be by getting so butt hurt about it… I love Kanye’s music and will continue to love it. He is, however, a jackass…

Samantha said: Interesting dialogue going on here, and I’d like to weigh in. I think Kanye wants to be hated. It’s his thing; it’s how he stays fresh in people’s minds. Like Lady Gaga’s outrageous outfits, or Paris Hiton’s partying, for example. It’s all part of the show. It’s how he keeps himself relevant.
While I agree that there are numberless worse things that have been done by many other people, the issue is having respect for others, which he does not seem to have.
I really do think that he does it on purpose though. He’s fully aware of the reaction he will get, and he milks it for all he can.

Jesse said: Megan, I’m not “butt hurt” over anything. With the reaction that this has gotten, you’d think that Kanye raped Taylor. Why has this little event caused more controversy than say, R. Kelly and what he has physically done to underage girls?

It’s all because he somewhat wants to be hated, like Samantha said. I don’t think he expected this much unnecessary negative attention, but he knew before hand that he was going to get some.

Liz, if you can’t handle yourself drunk, don’t drink? Well, I’d agree if life were just a bowl of cherries but it’s not. You start drinking, and your judgment goes very quickly. What you are basically saying is that you disapprove of any and every person that has done anything regrettable when they were drunk. The only difference is that 99.9% of us don’t have MILLIONS of people watching us.

Kate, I would agree with you completely, but Kanye is too talented to just shun right now. The fame has gotten to his head and maybe this time he realizes it. The only question now is if he has learned anything from this. If he has, great, let’s keep him. If not, I agree that he probably should be taken less seriously. When he insulted George W. Bush after Katrina, I agreed, it was a very important issue to be angry about. The VMAs? He takes the music industry very seriously, but NO ONE should ever take MTV that seriously.

So, Coffee Break readers…what do you think?  Leave your comment and let your opinion be heard.  It’s easier than you think, so just go ahead and do it!  It hardly hurts a bit!

I am mad that a ridiculous man like Kanye West with his I’m-the-king-of-the-world mindset feels like he can rush the stage at the VMA’s and ruin what should have been the most amazing moment of 19 year old Taylor Swift’s life.  It takes a lot to really tick me off, I’m super even keeled by nature, but today I am one angry woman!

I’ll describe the VMA scenario since Viacom has pulled all of the video footage from the internet. Taylor was just beginning her acceptance speech for the Best Female Artist Music Video.  Kanye West storms onto the stage and grabs the mic from Taylor and procedes to say to the audience that Beyonce (also nominated for this award) had one of the best videos ever made.  He repeats it and then leaves a shocked and near tears Taylor on  the stage.

If you’re of the generation where you find yourself asking, ‘Who are Kanye West and Taylor Swift and what’s a VMA?’, I’ll fill you in.

Okay, so the VMA’s are the Video Music Awards put on by MTV once a year honoring the fav music videos of the year.  Taylor Swift is a 19 year old country singer who has taken the music world by storm this past year with her cross over country music.   Kanye West is a rapper with a ridiculously inflated ego.  Why do I know these things?  I live in a house full of teenagers…it’s hard to escape this stuff.

I have never liked Kanye, who is as famous for his bad behavior as his music.  I don’t care how catchy his music is, it is certainly outweighed by his antics.  I’m sure Taylor has been dreaming of this moment since she first began writing and singing when she was ten.  And then Kanye, self-absorbed bully that he is, had to ruin it for her.

Here’s a rundown of Kanye’s past bad behavior…

• In Nov. of 2004 at the American Music Awards, Kanye lost the Best New Artist Award to Gretchen Wilson (also a country performer) so he promptly stormed out od the AMA’s as a sign of protest.  He told reporters, “I felt like I was definitely robbed, and I refused to give any politically correct ****** comment … I was the best new artist this year.”  He then claimed there was a conspiracy in the voting process and says he will never return to the AMA’s.

• In a Dec. 2005 MTV interview a week before the Grammy nominations Kanye,

a) threatens to have “a real problem” if Late Registration doesn’t win Album of the Year
b) predicts that it won’t, primarily because of comments he made about George W. Bush during a Hurricane Katrina telethon
c) rips magazines like The Source and Vibe for not bestowing “classic” status on his albums;
d) justifies his behavior by repeatedly stating that he spent $600,000 of his own money producing and promotion Registration; and finally,
e) compares himself to Tom Cruise

• At the MTV Europe Music awards in Nov. of 2006, Kanye loses to Justice and Simeon and he procedes to burst onto the stage interrupting their acceptance speech saying,  he deserved to win because his video, “cost a million dollars and Pamela Anderson was in it.”  He then tells the press, it’s complete *******. I paid a million … it took a month to film; I stood on a mountain; I flew a helicopter over Vegas. … I did it to be the king of all videos.”
• And now we can add the Taylor Swift 2009 VMA fiasco to the list.  Maybe the prodcers of these shows should ban him from the events.

Later in the night, Beyonce saved the day when she won Best Video of the Year Award and gave up her acceptance speech time and brought Taylor to the stage.

Kanye has since issued an apology to Taylor…but me thinks it’s too little too late.  Hopefully America will realize enough is enough and will now boycott this ridiculous man, stop inviting him to awards shows, and refrain from buying his music.

~Kate

Enjoy your Coffee Break!

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