In the meantime: Let’s go all the way tonight. Tik Tok, don’t stop. Tonight we can go a little longer. I wanna be a billionaire. Let the DJ go to play my favorite song. There’s not a thing that I would change. ‘Cause your’e amazing just the way you are. Or, were. Goodbye, 2010.

Songz:
Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
Train – Hey, Soul Sister
Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
Usher Featuring will.i.am – OMG
B.O.B. Featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes
Eminem Featuring Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
Taio Cruz Featuring Ludacris – Break Your Heart
B.O.B. Featuring Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull – I Like It
Young Money Featuring Lloyd – Bedrock
Jason Derulo – In My Head
Rihanna – Rude Boy
Lady Gaga Featuring Beyonce – Telephone
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are
Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me
The Black Eyed Peas – Imma Be
Jay-Z + Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Usher Featuring Pitbull – DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love
Travie McCoy Featuring Bruno Mars – Billionaire
Eminem – Not Afraid
Iyaz – Replay

Follow Rachel Sklar on Twitter at @RachelSklar.

In it, he thanks his fans, celebrates his career resurgence, defends George W. Bush, attacks the media for misconstruing Bush’s interview about him, compares Matt Lauer to a child molester, compares Matt Lauer to an abusive boyfriend, knocks Taylor Swift, and, hilariously, implies that he’s banged a whole bunch of models. It’s hard to describe (especially since West explains that, when bloggers write about someone, they’re only writing about their own insecurities and desires or something) so you really should just watch this video captured by YouTube user Smshnpmpkn who sums it up thusly: “Cost of ticket – $100.00 Cost of Kanye rant – priceless!”

(via TMZ)

Last night on the Tonight Show, Leno played a version of a popular Internet video made by Rich Juzwiak and Kate Spencer for during an interview with Taylor Swift. Before the show, the producers promised Juzwiak that he and Spencer would receive credit, however, when the episode aired, they used a reedited version and Leno introduced it as something he and his staff “put together.” Juzwiak isn’t thrilled. And, like that, the Internet had a new reason to hate Jay Leno.

The video was originally made for VH1′s Fab Life blog. It’s a “supercut” (a video composed of a number of similar moments from different sources cut together) of all of Taylor Swift’s award show victory reactions, implying that the surprised face she uses for each one is at least a little phony. The video became very popular and currently has over 200,000 views. Last week, Juzwiak was contacted by a member of Leno’s staff about using it during an interview with Swift.

From Juzwiak’s blog FourFour:

“Sean O’Rourke, a research coordinator for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno reached out to me for permission to show my Taylor Swift Is Surprised video during an upcoming sit-down interview with the pop star. ‘Duh! Squee! Duuuuuh!’ I said (not really, but I did go, ‘HA!’ in a quiet gym locker room when I initially read it off my Blackberry). ‘We’ll give you/blog credit,’ wrote Sean. Duh squared, that wasn’t even a concern. How silly I become when I’m excited! In my response, I stressed how important it was for my friend Kate Spencer (who came up with the idea for the video in the first place) to be credited, too. Kate and me/fourfour and The Fab Life/both attributions — however they wanted to do it, I asked that they somehow mention us both. Sean told me, ‘We’re going to put all this information into the notes for Jay. But I can’t make any promises about how specific he’ll get into the origin. But we will definitely credit you and your friend Kate in the credits so we atl east give you a written credit.’ Great!”

During last night’s interview with Swift, Leno actually spent quite a chunk of time setting up the video, discussing her awards show appearances, whatnot. However, when he actually got to the video, he introduced it only as something “we put together.” Not only that, it wasn’t the original video. It had clearly been reedited by the Tonight Show staff (Juzwiak assumes they did this so that they could use HD video instead of the compressed YouTube clips of the original). However, these were the same clips, in the same order, with the same intent. It is unclear if the original creator’s got notices in the credits as they have been left off the Hulu version of the episode.

I have no idea, but chances are good that this was nothing sinister by Leno. It’s doubtful he would have willfully snubbed the video’s creators. It was probably just some simple miscommunication. However, if the Cooks Source debacle and Leno’s already poor reputation amongst the Internet are anything to go on, it’s pretty easy to believe that the Tonight Show might have some pretty nasty PR coming their way.

Very few things inspire more passion than plagiarism. Cooks Source has now been forced out of business thanks to thousands of angry bloggers, Redditors, and the like swarming their Facebook page. And that was just some tiny magazine no one had heard of. This is Jay Leno. People already hate Jay Leno.

Of course, that might be the show’s saving grace in this situation. People who will read about this on various blogs already don’t watch Leno’s show. There’s really nothing else they can do to show their disapproval. The vast majority of people who watch the Tonight Show will probably never even hear of this situation no matter how big a deal it may become online.

Still though, Leno would probably be wise to throw a little mea culpa into tonight’s episode.

UPDATE: And, it looks like he’ll do just that.

From the New York Times:

“In the case of ‘Taylor Swift Is Surprised,’ Mr. Juzwiak said that he had been told by ‘The Tonight Show’ that he and Ms. Spencer would receive attribution on Tuesday for their contributions, an account that was confirmed by a press representative at NBC.”

Before that though, Spencer set out her opinion on the situation:

“Here’s the thing about the videos Rich creates: they aren’t just a bunch of clips cut, edited and throw up together in random order (though that alone requires a great deal of work). He presents a hypothesis that is examined and explored through out the piece using the clips, which are ordered very specifically and deliberately to explore and support his original claim.

…

But the larger problem is this general idea – especially, dare I say, amongst the olds – that if something is posted on the internet it’s fair game to rip it off and use it as your own without crediting the original source/creator. (See: the Cooks Source drama that went down earlier this month.) Creative content is creative content, and the creators deserve credit for their work. I love generating and sharing content on the web – it’s what I do for a living and am nerdily passionate about it – but there has to be some respect, especially from traditional media, for the work being presented online.”

UPDATE #2: At the end of the next show, the Tonight Show threw a big graphic up explaining that the Taylor Swift montage was “provided” by Juzwiak and Spencer. This was definitely the cleverest way to do it as, like I said, it’s something that no one who didn’t already know about the controversy would ever notice. On his blog, Juzwiak seems satisfied and profusely thanked everyone for their support.

Check out the segment in question from the Taylor Swift episode of Tonight Show on NBC. The original video is below that.

(h/t Joe Coscarelli)

It was at last year’s VMA’s that West coined the phrase Kanye’d after he jumped onstage during Swift’s acceptance speech, grabbing the microphone from her and declaring that Beyonce should have won the award. President Obama subsequently declared West a ‘jackass.’

After having a year to mull it over, Kanye would like the world to know he’s sorry. Very sorry. Says Kanye: “I’ve hurt, I’ve bled, I’ve learned. I only want to do good. I am passionate I am human I am real. I wish I could meet every hater.” Also: “Beyonce didn’t need that. MTV didn’t need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn’t want or need that.” And: “It feels like the movie Heat when you wanted Deniro to make it… You want the bad guy to make it.”

Also, he’s written a song for Taylor. You can read the entire “stream of consciousness” below, starting from the bottom up, and watch the original debacle here.

I’m sorry Taylor. about 23 hours ago via web

It starts with this… about 23 hours ago via web

I want to win there hearts back so I can continue to bring my take on culture to the masses with a clean opinion. about 23 hours ago via web

I want to help starting with the music and ending with the smile. about 23 hours ago via web

I wish they could accept that I’ve grown and only want to do good for the world. I want to help as many people as I can. about 23 hours ago via web

I wish they all knew how much I really cared about music and pop culture and art and peoples feelings. about 23 hours ago via web

I wish I could talk to every hater face to face and change there a opinion of me one conversation at a time. about 23 hours ago via web

I’ve hurt, I’ve bled, I’ve learned. I only want to do good. I am passionate I am human I am real. I wish I could meet every hater about 23 hours ago via web

When I right songs like Heartless I always say “is this melody good enough to be a country song or a broadway song?” about 23 hours ago via web

TAYLOR LOVES RAP MUSIC… I LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC about 23 hours ago via web

Why was it made into such a race issue. Taylor loves rap music… I love country music. about 23 hours ago via web

There’s a layer of… Entertainment… we are entertainers and this is only TV… not the War about 23 hours ago via web

There’s a layer of… hey Kanye said what I was thinking about 23 hours ago via web

A year later where do we stand? about 23 hours ago via web

WHO BENEFITED FOR REAL PEOPLE???!!!!!!!! about 23 hours ago via web

Walk with me people… let’s break this down for real now. I might get in trouble again lol? about 23 hours ago via web

MTV? JAY LENO? BEYONCE? ALL FORMS OF MEDIA? TAYLOR? KANYE WEST? Who gained? Who lost? about 23 hours ago via web

You’ve got the Media play… Who benefitted off of the moment? about 23 hours ago via web

You’ve got a layer of… What is reality? You really want this guy to die over an award show???!! wooooooow ….. about 23 hours ago via web

You’ve got a layer of order… this is how things are spose to go this is how it’s always been etc. about 23 hours ago via web

If I speak in 3rd person it’s because I’m quoting people sometimes I forget to put the quotations you know my grammar.. #ITSAPROCESS about 23 hours ago via web

You’ve got the top layer… Kanye’s rude! about 23 hours ago via web

Why are there so many tweets? Well this isn’t a simple subject. There are layers to this beyond me running on stage. about 23 hours ago via web

Humanity and Empathy are 2 of the 4 principles at facebook. Those were the 2 principles I was missing on that evening about 24 hours ago via web

These tweets have no manager, no publicist , no grammar checking… this is raw about 24 hours ago via web

It feels like the movie Heat when you wanted Deniro to make it… You want the bad guy to make it. about 24 hours ago via web

These aren’t regular tweets… this is stream of consciousness … I want you guys to know and feel where my head is at… about 24 hours ago via web

Beyonce didn’t need that. MTV didn’t need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn’t want or need that. about 24 hours ago via web

I am not a bad person. Even in that moment I was only trying to do good but people don’t always need my help. about 24 hours ago via web

When I woke up from the crazy nightmare I looked in the mirror and said GROW UP KANYE … I take the responsibility for my actions about 24 hours ago via web

Yes I was that guy. A 32 year old child. about 24 hours ago via web

It is distasteful to cut people off as a general rule. What’s the point of dressing tastefully if I’m going to act the complete opposite? about 24 hours ago via web

With new found humility … who am I to run on stage? I would never ever again in a million years do that. Sorry to let you down. about 24 hours ago via web

The Wicked witch of the west basically is so convicted to tell her’ truth when she does it she is outcasted by society and turned WICKED about 24 hours ago via web

Who’s seen the play Wicked? I’ve seen it 4 times! Other than loving the music acting and costumes… it’s my story!!! about 24 hours ago via web

I have given my awards to other groups multiple times on national TV… They never showed that this past year during the massacre of Kanye about 24 hours ago via web

It’s not about race America. No one in our position ever stands up and says anything anymore. about 24 hours ago via web

I would have ran on stage for Justin that night because Sexy Back (in my mind) was that important… that impactful to our culture about 24 hours ago via web

I watched Justin Timberlake at the Grammies loose every televised award including album of the year which the Dixie Chicks won about 24 hours ago via web

I am responsible for those who love and represent me and what they have to deal with on a day to day defending “The American Psycho” Sat Sep 4 09:38:10 2010 via web

There are people who have named there kids after me… can you imagine that next day in school. Even though I don’t have kids… Sat Sep 4 09:36:46 2010 via web

I know there are family members friends and fans that have literally fought for me. Sat Sep 4 09:36:06 2010 via web

I’m ready to get out of my own way. The ego is overdone… it’s like hoodies Sat Sep 4 09:35:21 2010 via web

We’re both artist and the media and managers are trying to get between us. Everyone wants to capitalize off this is some way Sat Sep 4 09:33:10 2010 via web

She deserves the apology more than anyone. Thank you Biz Stone and Evan Williams for creating a platform where we can communicate directly Sat Sep 4 09:29:37 2010 via web

She had nothing to do with my issues with award shows. She had no idea what hit her. She’s justa lil girl with dreams like the rest of us. Sat Sep 4 09:27:36 2010 via web

I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that’s so beautiful and I want her to have it. If she won’t take it then I’ll perform it for her Sat Sep 4 09:26:12 2010 via web

I wear my scars… It’s almost like I have to where a suit to juxtapose my image and I won’t lie… IT WORKS! Sat Sep 4 09:25:08 2010 via web

People tweeted that they wish I was dead… No listen. They wanted me to die people. I carry that. I smile and take pictures through that Sat Sep 4 09:24:12 2010 via web

I’m the guy who at one point could perform the Justin Timberlake on stage and everyone would be sooo happy that I was there Sat Sep 4 09:23:22 2010 via web

…taking a 15 second blip the mdeia have successfully painted the image of the “ANGRY BLACK MAN’ The King Kong theory. Sat Sep 4 09:22:37 2010 via web

The media has successfully diminished the “receptive” audience of (3rd person)… KANYE WEST Sat Sep 4 09:21:08 2010 via web

I have a mission in life to bring truth and beauty through my music and the visuals that anchor around it Sat Sep 4 09:20:09 2010 via web

Some people say… Why worry about “the haters?” This is bigger that just the concept of haters. Sat Sep 4 09:19:24 2010 via web

If you google Asshole my face may very well pop up 2 pages into the search. Sat Sep 4 09:17:28 2010 via web

That’s when you realize perception is reality. I’ve been straying from this subject on twitter but I have to give it to you guys raw now. Sat Sep 4 09:16:21 2010 via web

I was chilling with this white girl having a conversation and she cut me off and said… Hold up… I thought you didn’t like us?! Sat Sep 4 09:15:18 2010 via web

There are people who don’t dislike me… they absolutely hate me! Sat Sep 4 09:13:17 2010 via web

Remember in Anchor Man when Ron Burgandy cursed on air and the entire city turned on him? But this wasn’t a joke. This was & is my real life Sat Sep 4 09:12:37 2010 via web

People booed when I would go to concerts and the performer mentioned my name. Sat Sep 4 09:11:16 2010 via web

Had to let employees go… for the first time I felt the impact of my brash actions … I felt the recession from an ownership side 9:10 AM Sep 4th via web

How deep is the scar… I bled hard.. cancelled tour with the number one pop star in the world … closed the doors of my clothing office 9:09 AM Sep 4th via web

With the help of strong will, a lack of impathy, a lil alcohol and extremely distasteful & bad timing … I became George Bush over night 9:07 AM Sep 4th via web

Even though the NBC telethon was widely praised yall didn’t think they was just gone let me get away with that did yall???!!! 9:04 AM Sep 4th via web

Some people’s truth is Kanye is racist… It’s not my truth but I do believe it’s my Karma…. walk with me… 9:03 AM Sep 4th via web

When I say perception is reality I mean whatever you think is the truth… is your truth 9:02 AM Sep 4th via web

I accept the idea (ideal) that perception is reality 9:01 AM Sep 4th via web

Happy B day to sister B … I gotta dope ass gift for you. 9:00 AM Sep 4th via web

Even now a lot of articles start there first 2 paragraphs about how much of an asshole I am 9:00 AM Sep 4th via web

I feel like they were waiting for the opportunity to go in all the way on me and when it came they beat me to a pulp 8:56 AM Sep 4th via web

They wanted yall to believe I was a monster in real life so you guys wouldn’t listen or buy my music anymore 8:55 AM Sep 4th via web

Man I love Twitter… I’ve always been at the mercy of the press but no more… The media tried to demonize me

He kicked off Sunday night’s live show with a performance of his new single “Power” – rapping on top of a makeshift mountain with a gorgeous video screen backdrop.

Well, we’re pretty sure it was West. The performance took place mostly in shadows, with West saying nothing except the lyrics to his new song. It was a gorgeous set – combining the awesome power of video that West has adopted recently in live performances while still keeping it intimate: just him and a microphone. And yes, as is awards show tradition now, a few f-bombs got through.

West hasn’t been spotted at an awards show since he was busy starting the “Imma Let You Finish” meme and ingratiating Taylor Swift to America even more than she already was.

Check it out:

—–
» Follow Steve Krakauer on Twitter

Girls looking for boys, because that's what they do in college

According to the leading two paragraphs in today’s New York Times feature on gender relations at colleges, here are the things that girls like: bars, beer, jokes and Taylor Swift. That’s “everything” – “except guys.” Here, let a college girl explain: “This is so typical, like all nights, 10 out of 10… because there are no guys.” When we weren’t looking men went extinct? Even “tight-fitting tops, hair sculpted, [and] makeup” can’t lure them out. And grandma said you’d catch flies with honey! Tight-fitting, sticky, sweet honey.

Well, sweetie, grandma didn’t snag her husband in 2010, when colleges like the University of North Carolina count female enrollment around 60% leaving it feeling “eerily like women’s colleges.” You know those times when about 11,000 men feel like zero — what’s a girl to do?

Like any good fake trend piece, a paragraph full of stats follows a few anecdotes: “Women have represented about 57 percent of enrollments at American colleges since at least 2000,” we learn. (100% – 57% = 0%!) And don’t get the Times wrong – they love smart women. A newspaper, sexist? Never: “[W]omen are primarily in college not because they are looking for men, but because they want to earn a degree.” Whew, safe – back to the generalizations about the struggles of self-worth sans male affection!

“My parents think there is something wrong with me because I don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t hang out with a lot of guys,” says one girl. Well, girl, your parents are victims of the patriarchy and should probably bugger off and be glad you’re not blowing their dollars on contraceptives.

And then there’s the math wiz: “Out of that 40 percent, there are maybe 20 percent that we would consider, and out of those 20, 10 have girlfriends, so all the girls are fighting over that other 10 percent.” Slim pickings, indeed. You’d think at least one of those good looking dudes would be dumb enough to need calculus tutoring.

But, oh no, it’s not just about dating. You see, some schools are letting in males just for balance, passing over better qualified girls — it’s “affirmative action for boys.” And how will a girl ever find a husband to support her if she can’t get into a good enough college? And if she does get in, but it’s in place of a boy, her odds are lower still. Catch-22!

The answer, though, is sexual aggression: “I was talking to a friend at a bar, and this girl just came up out of nowhere, grabbed him by the wrist, spun him around and took him out to the dance floor and started grinding,” one girl remembers. It’s like a jungle out there and the hungriest lion is the one who feasts.

Still, “Girls feel pressured to do more than they’re comfortable with, to lock it down.” And cheating has to be chill, always, lest you be alone again: “[T]hat’s a thing that girls let slide, because you have to… If you don’t let it slide, you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Frankly, this is disgusting. And I say this with a penis. Could a more cliché collection of anti-feminist quotes and stereotypes be thrown into one Sunday article? Is this some sort of a joke — a comment on the ease of throwing together an offensive trend piece? Deleted scenes from He’s Just Not That Into You? An homage to Spencer Morgan? At least he’s funny.

To be fair, the article’s meatier second page approaches some substance, quoting a professor that says women are “paying a social price for success and, to a degree, are being victimized by men precisely because they have outperformed them.” Now that’s a thesis statement. But the academic undertones and “what it feels like for a girl” musings, buried in the piece, don’t negate the embarrassing moments for either gender, and the whole thing comes off as an obituary for the self-respect of young people.

Men, of course, are pigs, but laid back pigs: “It’s awesome being a guy,” says one. “You don’t have to work that hard,” says another. Girls, though, are high maintenance, sitting around “for 15 minutes trying to figure out what punctuation to use in a text message.” But what other choice do they have? You misuse an exclamation mark and the next thing you know, you’re “left alone on Valentine’s Day, staring down a George Clooney movie over a half-empty pizza box.” Then, you’re a spinster and your chance to have children vanishes forever and then you die. Alone.

On College Campuses, A Shortage of Men [New York Times]

Here’s our coverage:

• Grammys Fashion: Hits And Misses, And Plenty Of Yawns
• Pink, Wet & Naked High Above The Grammy Stage (VIDEO)
• Michael Jackson’s Kids At The Grammys: Prince & Paris Accept Award In Their Father’s Stead
• Beyoncé At The Grammys: Everything Okay With Jay-Z There, B? (It seems so)
• Lady Gaga and Elton John At The Grammys: Two Giants, One Piano, Many Sequins
• The Roots Jam is Grammy Week’s Best Party
• Zac Brown Band: Grammys 2010 Best New Artist
• Mediaite Tweetfinder: #Grammys

Here’s an updated list of winners, courtesy of the New York Times.

>>>NEXT: Assorted Grammy Screengrabs, Videos & Pics!

Ciara gets major props for sporting genius designer Givenchy, whose show in Paris last week sent style editors in a frenzy of excitement, but the outfit – I believe it was some sort of jumper – may go down as 2010 red carpet worst. There was too much lace and too many add ons and definitely distracted from the artist’s beauty and the perfection that almost always defines Riccardo Tisci’s line.

While Lea Michele didn’t have a total miss — after all a burst feathers is always a safe bet when trying to be a tad edgier than usual — needing a press agent to check the designer of the mediocre dress you’re wearing is a major red carpet no no. It was Romona Keveza, by the way.

Katy Perry’s Zac Posen nude dress looked like a really good arts and crafts project and the fit caused her to be the unfortunate victim of the always red-carpet-prevalent pancake boob. Mr. Posen, I enjoyed the cut out in the back, but the color and glued on metal discs easily made her fiance the best part of her outfit.

Beyonce’s Stephane Rolland grew on me. It had great contouring, as E! Entertainment’s Jay Manuel noted, and an eye catching Aztec pattern, which we will all be seeing more of thanks to Gucci’s Spring 2010 collection. However, the dress looked incredibly heavy and the zipper seemed unnecessary.

Rihanna’s gorgeous Elie Saab gown was classic and perfectly fitted. Unlike most on the red carpet, she was careful not to over accessorize. The detailed bib of the dress spoke for itself and needed nothing else to take away its thunder. The bottom fell flawlessly and was a refreshing counterpart of the beautifully ornate upper bodice.

Taylor Swift rarely has a red carpet mishap and tonight was no exception. It has been wonderful watching her taste become more defined and less poofy throughout the few years she’s been walking the red carpet. She looked absolutely stunning in her Kaufman Franco sequin dress. It was delightfully sparkly, as per usual for Swift, and really complimented her body. Amazing color and exquisitely thoughtful neckline made her dress one of the evening’s best.

Miley Cyrus looked surprisingly tame tonight in a blue banded Herve Leger mini dress. Her nude lipstick almost threw the entire ensemble off, but I was impressed by her choice, considering her usual red carpet disasters.

And no 2010 Grammys mention can be complete without the anticipated presence of everyone’s favorite Jersey Shore cast member, Snooki. I’m not sure who made her dress, I’m guessing it was some sort of Max Azria piece. The poof-free reality star chose an appropriate purple mini dress for the evening.

“DJ Earworm” has created “2009:United States of Pop (Blame It On The Pop)” from the 25 top Billboard hits featuring Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, the Black Eyed Peas, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Jason Mraz, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and of course, Lady Gaga. Purists may find it a little musically claustrophobic (aw! Remember Beyoncé in “Halo?” Look, it’s Beyoncé in “Halo” again!). But who cares it’s good fun, sounds great, will get you dancing if you happen to be the sort that frequents such dance-spots (and blames it on the a-a-a-al etc.) and also looks pretty as music videos ought (pretty easy when you’re mashing up other pretty music videos). Plus, what is more “Aughts” than a user-generated new work of art mashed up from previously existing works of art? And really, what is this post if not pretty much, that? Baby, don’t worry. The year’s almost dead and gone, but I got a feeling that you belong with me. Just dance. Use somebody. Now put your hands up. Let’s live it up. Pray it won’t fade away.

Track list can be found here.

That, at any rate, appears to be the judgment of NBC viewers who are voting on which of NBC’s people of the year are their favorites. Capt. Sully is leading a pack that includes Richard Philips, Kobe Bryant, Octomom, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, and President Obama.

Currently Capt. Sully has an average rating of 9.34, the president clocks in at 6.52, and Susan Boyle pops up somewhere in between (you will probably be relieved to here that Octo-Mom is barely on the charts with a 0.7 average). Conclusion? Everyone loves lists! Also the country is apparently more scared of flying than airport line-ups let on. What do you think? Here’s an informal, unscientific Mediaite Person of the Year poll, based solely on who the people are that we have talked about most on this site. Have your say!

Missed the show? No clue what we’re talking about? No worries — get caught up below, we’ve got all the sketches for you.

>>>NEXT: Fox News Election Coverage, Taylor Swift’s Monologue, and Kate Gosselin

Fortunately, Mediaite has come up with some costume suggestions for you. Pulled straight from the headlines, these are guaranteed to be hits:

For obvious reasons, the current president of the United States is likely to be a popular Halloween costume this year. But beyond form-fitting Hart Schaffner Marx suits, the challenge remains: How is a trick-or-treater supposed to pull off the look?

Fortunately, cable pundit/voice of reason Glenn Beck is on the case. A well-executed Obama according to Glenn Beck’s imagination should wear a Che Guevara t-shirt, a Hitler mustache, and a Soviet-style ushanka, preferably bearing a red hammer-and-sickle. Gasoline can for torching the Average American optional.

Barack Obama, According to Keith Olbermann’s Imagination

Cable pundit/voice of reason Keith Olbermann, on the other hand, might have slightly different ideas about what constitutes a good Obama costume. Olbermann’s Obama should have billowy, flowing wings, a resplendent halo, and, if budget allows, a heavenly host of sanctified Cabinet appointees carrying blazing swords and playing gleaming trumpets, singing the praise of the anointed one, and also mentioning offhandedly that Bush kind of sucked.

Summer of Death

Year-by-year, the Grim Reaper is always a popular Halloween costume, particularly among people who don’t have any costume ideas when they go to Party City on October 30th and kind of just phone it in. But coming off the Summer of Death, the costume has a special resonance this year. A (sexy) black hood, (sexy) black robe, and (sexy) blood-dripping scythe are of course mandatory, but how to work in the contemporary angle? It would probably be in poor taste to carry photos of Michael Jackson, Ted Kennedy, Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite, etc. A safer bet might be to carry around copies of expired mags Gourmet, Trump, Vibe, Nickelodeon Magazine, etc.

Levi Johnston

Last year’s Levi costume would have been an awkward suit and a hockey stick, but this year it’s much different — now that he’s an aspiring male model. Sarah Palin‘s former-almost-son-in-law is promising to reveal “huge” things about the former VP candidate, but the big news is his upcoming spread in Playgirl. For this popular costume, just wear briefs and bask in your 15 minutes of fame (briefs optional).

Next Page: Great newsy group costumes, and a twist on the Andre Agassi look

One, Obama is responding to a reporter asking him whether his girls were as “ticked off” as the reporter’s were about Taylor Swift‘s treatment at the VMA’s. “I thought that was really inappropriate,” says Obama. “Does that count as the first question?” the reporter asks, suggesting they were already on the record? Obama certainly doesn’t explicitly ask to be taken off the record even after he’s made the remark, though he does allude to not wanting the remark to be blown out of proportion. So much for that. Here’s the rest of the exchange:

Obama: The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person, she’s up there getting her award. Why’s he up there?
Reporter: Why’d he do that?
Obama: He’s a jackass.
[Much hooting in the press room over this.]
Obama: Now I’m assuming all this stuff…where’s the Pool [reporter]? Come’on guys, cut the President some slack…I got a lot of other stuff on my plate. Because I remember the last time, there was the fly thing. That was the highlight.
Reporter: But that worked out well for you, you were a ninja!

Yes, yes he was. (According to everyone but PETA.) And this outburst may also work out well for the Prez. Taken in the jokey context it was obviously meant it seems like a, um, reasonable, human response. Kanye was a jackass. The President didn’t try to sugarcoat it. The President’s human! A little more of this side of Obama would be a welcome change in terms of the current health care debate. One can only hope he makes an appearance a some point on his grand tour this Sunday. You can listen to the full audio here.

No, White People: Tell Us What You Really Think Of Kanye West. http://twurl.nl/c5em6g [via @LemekH]about 8 hours ago from TweetDeck

The link is to a Twitter search of the words “Kanye” and “N***er.”

By the time I saw this, the search was dominated by re-tweets of people condemning the use of the word, so I paged all the way back to the first instance, and worked my way forward. There were lots of vile tweets from obvious racists, the most rewteeted one being this particularly disgusting one, but also from white people who claimed not to be racist, who seem to feel they’ve been granted permission by Chris Rock, or something, to use that word to describe “one of the bad ones.” Rock has since clarified the rules on this, which are not all that different from my own.

There were also lots of tweets from black people, mainly to express the feeling that West was making all black people look bad.

While it hasn’t hit the top of today’s trending topics, the search has been widely re-tweeted.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with calling out racists. It should probably be done more often. I’m sure, however, that any reasonable person would agree that calling this trend what “White people really think of Kanye” is overly broad, to say the least. While any vile, hateful, and even violent tweets are wholly unacceptable, ascribing them to all white people is obviously unfair. I emailed Harry for a comment on this article, and I’m awaiting his response.

What I also found interesting was the fact that Lemekh, the man who originated Allen’s tweet, and who cataloged many examples on his twitter feed, seems to have no problem using anti-gay slurs.

The takeaway here is that, when it comes to bigotry, we always have a little farther to go than we think we do.

Update: In response to my tweeted query, “Harry, you’re a writer, are we that type?” Harry Allen responds:

@djkoolchris @TommyXtopher D.B.T.H.about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck

That’s “Don’t believe the hype.” So, either Harry was answering that question the way he responds to every Public Enemy fan who asks that, or he read my story and I made my point.

Update 2: Harry Allen blogs at length on this issue.

Last Wednesday Obama made the unusual move of calling a joint session of Congress, once again occupying the airwaves (sans FOX), to once again pitch his health care plan and hopefully clear up some misconceptions about what it does and does not consist of. It was by most people’s measure a fantastic speech…and yet it was mostly lost amidst all the ongoing hubub over Joe Wilson‘s “You Lie” outburst.

On Saturday, Obama sought to follow up Wednesday’s address with a health care plan rally in Minneapolis. Saturday was also known to some 70,000 rambunctious sign-wavers as 9/12, and it was that outburst of sign wavers, marching around Washington, who dominated both the cablers and the next-day coverage.

Being nothing if not persistent, Obama appeared this Sunday 60 Minutes for a second time in six months (video below) to talk to Steve Kroft about…the health care plan. 60 Minutes airs at 7pm ET, which last night put it somewhere between Serena Williams’ outburst at Saturday’s U.S. Open and Kanye West‘s Taylor Swift-directed outburst at the VMA’s. The President really just needs everyone — everyone — to shut the hell up for seven days so he can get his point across!

There is a chance Obama will have another shot at the headline ring. Rumors abound he is set to appear on tonight’s debut of The Jay Leno Show…with special guest Kanye West. Perhaps the Prez can get a few outburst notes from the master. Outbursts have appeared to paid off for everyone else.

President Obama Talks Health Care on 60 Minutes

Watch CBS Videos Online

Here, Kanye and Wilson collide:

Instead, people are talking about the performances – Janet Jackson tribute to her brother, Lady Gaga‘s bloody fantasy sequence. But mainly, it’s how Kanye West was even more of an ass than usual.

West has a lengthy history of crashing the stage, or being generally disruptive, at previous awards shows. But last night was particularly appalling.

As 19-year-old country/pop star Taylor Swift accepted her award for Best Female Video, she was interrupted after by West. “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time,” said West. “One of the best videos of all time!”

An embarrassed Swift stood stunned for a few seconds before MTV cut to a pre-taped sketch. The reaction was immediate – the audience, which likely was full of West fans before his arrogant outburst, began booing as he stepped down from the stage. The boos only increased with each further mention of West, whether as a nominee or when Diddy gave him a shout out.

Twitter was full of snap reactions, including from some in the crowd. Shortly after it happened, two VMA performers unleashed on West from somewhere in Radio City Music Hall. Katy Perry tweeted, “FUCK U KANYE. IT’S LIKE U STEPPED 0N A KITTEN.” Pink wrote, “Kanye west is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me.”

According to Rolling Stone, West was immediately kicked out of the show. So he missed Beyonce Knowles win Video of the Year – and bring the crowd to their feet as she called for Swift to come back out and make her speech. The classy move put a close to the Swift storyline, while Kanye will continue to draw heat.

He posted an apology of sorts on his blog late last night, but it’s gone as of this morning. (Part of what it said: “i’m in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!……………. beyonce’s video was the best of this decade! I’m sorry to my fans if I let you guys down! I’m sorry to my friends at mtv. I will apologize to taylor 2mrw.”)

There’s already this fantastic remix of the outburst, calling back to another now infamous interrupter from earlier this week.

Here’s the moment:

—–
» Follow Steve Krakauer on Twitter

This month, women’s fashion mags across the globe dipped into the young, supple crop of up-and-comers. Will putting tarted-up teens on the cover help attract younger readers? (Any readers at all?) Or will this month’s covers just fall flat and lose their way?

Maybe Emma Watson looks like she’s getting ready to audition for the part of kinky tinman in some indie Wiz remake on the cover of UK Elle. But underneath all that eye-liner lurks outspoken, bookish Hermione. Actually it took us a double-take to recognize her. Maybe that’s the idea?

Mediaite Grade (B+): We’re a little uneasy about seeing 19-year-old Emma wearing something called silk and metal trousers, and the wool corset can’t be conformable. Somehow her get-up remains modest (at least as far as visible flesh is concerned); there’s a tinge of elegance somewhere on this cover. We’ll try to overlook the glimmering leather stool underscoring her widespread legs.

Hayden Panettiere, 19, weighs in on the dress she’s wearing on the cover of Lucky: “The shape is conservative, but the shade is totally fun.” OMG, totally.

Mediaite Grade (C-): Inside this issue, Lucky touts Hayden’s “Playfully sophisticated, totally age-appropriate look.” Props to Hayden for keeping it classy on the cover, but the result is pretty boring. Nothing against her, but so far Ben & Jerry’s is the only company that has figured out how to sell vanilla.

Between the trippy black and white stripes on Taylor Swift’s shirt and trompe l’oeil play between her arm and the banner, we’re too dizzy to read the August cover of Glamour.

Mediaite Grade (C+): There’s something to be said for having a mesmerizing (albeit stomach-churning) cover: Readers will want to get inside the magazine as fast as possible. Or in the case of this month’s Glamour — “40 Little Ways to Connect With a Guy (Besides Sex, Duh!),” “Plus, Your Breasts: An Intimate Q&A on What’s Normal, What’s Not”  — they’ll just put their head between their legs until the spinning stops.

On the cover of Elle at 16, Miley Cyrus is the youngest of the August flock of teeny covergirls. She also takes the cake for most seductive gaze and the deepest cleavage (notice the cross necklace… JC would be so proud). Believe it or not, Subscribers saw something even bawdier. Or was it artsier?

Mediaite Grade (C): We’ve been over this before (hi, Rolling Stone!): Writing decks like ”On Dad, Boyfriends, and Why She’s Not a Kid Anymore” won’t fool anybody that your covergirl (or boy) is old enough to be taken seriously, and in this case it just draws attention to how ridiculous Miley looks. (And to be fair, Elle is also guilty of the same nauseating banner play).

COVER WARS WINNER: We hate to let the Cover Wars crown leave the country, but we have to give this one to UK Elle. C’mon, the other covers were sooo bad. And, after all, the British are just better than us at pulling off the whole prim-sexy-sophisticated-steamy look — exactly the sensibility you need when you’re talking about dressing up girls in women’s clothes and making them sexy enough to sell.