Kanye West a No-Show at BET Hip-Hop Awards, T.I. Wins From Prison
Ray Mickshaw / FOX
Perhaps Kanye West is finally taking that much needed "time off" from his stage-hijacking shenanigans.
After stealing Taylor Swift's thunder at the MTV Video Music Awards, the rapper bailed on the Fourth Annual BET Hip-Hop Awards Saturday evening, giving up his nine chances to stage yet another remix-worthy acceptance-speech-crashing moment.
While YouTubers across the country were probably chomping at the bit for that video-posting opportunity, it's safe to say the self-proclaimed egomaniac saved himself a beat-down by not jumping onstage with a nominee competitor like Young Jeezy or Rick Ross.
Top nominees turned no-shows was somewhat of a theme for the awards show, held at the Atlanta Civic Center. The runner-up to West's bevy of nominations, T.I., was missing in action as a result of his lockdown in an Arkansas prison on a federal weapons charge.
But that didn't stop the rapper from taking home two awards...
Kanye Gets Another Chance to Be a Jackass
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
It's safe to say the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards will be getting a little more media attention than usual this year after giving Kanye West another opportunity (nine, actually) to let the world know, in true jackass fashion, how much better Beyoncé is than everyone else.
It's probably also safe to say that Taylor Swift will not be among the viewers tuning into the ceremony. Unless the country kitten has a stronger taste for schadenfreude than we thought.
But what started as one of West's worst weeks ever has taken a turn for the better thanks to some oddly timed positive reinforcement from BET, which this morning gave the controversy king a leading nine nominations for next month's Hip-Hop Awards.
Following on his egomaniacal heels are Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, who scored seven nods apiece, and T.I., who landed six. DJ AM also scored a posthumous nod for DJ of the Year.
West's nominations include Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, Producer of the Year, MVP of the Year, Interrupter of the Year and CD of the Year for 808 & Heartbreak.
Rise 'n' Shine: Did Jay-Z Yank Chris Brown's BET Awards Performance?
©AP Photo
• Chris Brown is supposedly peeved not to have performed at the BET Awards Sunday, and all kinds of rumors are swirling about why that was. Some are claiming his participation in the Michael Jackson-tribute-centric show wouldn't have been in good taste following his drama with Rihanna. Others think the plug may have been pulled on Brown's performance at Jay-Z's behest. Either way, both BET and the "No Air" singer's publicists claim the star was never confirmed to be on the show.
• As if you didn't see this coming. Michael Jackson is the new Tupac Shakur, complete with his own live sightings website.
• Little did you know that Jackie Kennedy-Onassis was quite the cartoonist. Check out her sketches of JFK on the campaign trail!
• Joan Jett made Kristen Stewart cry.
• You thought you couldn't afford to get Kim Kardashian's latest looks, but you were wrong!
• Dear Jon & Kate Gosselin: Thank you. Seriously. Love, Rise 'n' Shine
If you haven't seen the cuteness of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's new twins in the Big Picture gallery, you might want to take a look. They're a sweet break from all the Jackson madness.
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Friend of Chris Brown: "He's Sorry"
Damian Dovarganes-Pool/Getty Images
Too little too late, Chris Brown? You decide. We ran into the gorgeous and gracious Teairra Mari at the BET Awards on Sunday and had to chat up the babe about her notorious close bud Chris B. The two singers were up-and-comers around the same time, so we wanted to know if Teairra has had the chance to talk to Brown about the horrendous Rihanna attack and see what the hell is really going on with the handsome, cocky musician.
"He's sorry," Teairra tells the A.T. "That's my friend, and I love Chris. He's a good kid—he just made a mistake. He knows that and feels terrible about it."
Sure, but how are his fans going to know he's actually sorry and be able forgive him?
Michael Jackson Liked Pooling Around
Nationalphotogroup.com
Michael Jackson enjoyed playing…pool?
Apparently so.
"I know people who produced for him, and they would tell me stories about him. They'd say he was just one of those people who appreciated simple things," Chamillionaire told us yesterday at the BET Awards. "They actually went to play pool with him, and they said he didn't want to leave. I was like, 'Wow, I can't picture Michael Jackson playing pool.' "
What else did celebs have to say about Jackson this weekend? Read on to find out...
Janet Jackson, Jamie Foxx Lead Michael Jackson Tribute at BET Awards
John Shearer/Getty Images
Rather than mourn Michael Jackson's death, the celebrities who took to the stage at the 2009 BET Awards celebrated the memory of the King of Pop with pumped-up performances, heartfelt words and a surprise appearance by the star's sister Janet Jackson.
The ceremony, held at the Shrine Auditorium, kicked off with a tribute to young Michael, as '80s idols New Edition dressed in funky '70s-era clothes to sing the Jackson 5's "ABC" and "The Love You Save."
Host Jamie Foxx emerged wearing an outfit reminiscent of Michael Jackson's famous "Beat It" gear: red leather jacket, cropped black pants, high white socks and black loafers. The Oscar winner then performed a dance sequence from Jackson's video, moonwalking (and stumbling) across the stage to honor the pop superstar.
"We are here for the greatest. There's no need to be sad," said Foxx to a star-studded audience that included Diddy, Tyra Banks and Lil Wayne.
Michael Jackson's Dad Joe Attends BET Awards
Taking time out from huddling with his family about preparations for Michael Jackson's funeral and the ongoing care of his children, father Joe Jackson turned up at Sunday's BET Awards and addressed his son's shocking death.
The Jackson patriarch, who walked the carpet with his attorney, told E! News that he wished Michael could've seen the tribute that BET had in store that night.
"This should've happened when he was living because he was that kind of a star," the elder Jackson said.
He asked that people remember that his son "was the greatest star in the world" and that the late musician deserved all of the recognition.
Asked about the events surrounding Michael's death, he told CNN, "I have a lot of concerns but I can't get into that…I don't like what happened."
After the show kicked off and Ne-Yo performed Michael Jackson's "Lady in My Life," the camera panned to Joe Jackson, who began shedding tears.
Check out highlights from the show in our 2009 BET Awards gallery.
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