The day after Lady GaGa took discharged servicemembers with her on the red carpet to the Video Music Awards and gave a shout-out to repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell during an acceptance speech, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) scheduled a Senate vote on the rule that bars openly gay servicemembers.

But now Reid’s campaign is tweeting GaGa that they are listening to her concerns about DADT.

The tweet appears to be in response to GaGa’s earlier tweet where she posted a picture with the servicemembers at the VMAs and added, “Gay Veterans were my VMA dates. Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. CALL HARRY REID to Schedule Senate Vote.”

Now, no one seriously believes that Lady GaGa is influencing Reid. But the exchange illustrates the desire for the Reid Senate campaign, where he is facing Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle, to show it is hip to younger voters. It also shows that DADT is an issue that resonates with the Lady GaGa generation–no matter what Camille Paglia thinks–and that pop stars can play a role in pushing the debate.

UPDATE: It appears Lady GaGa and Harry Reid are now Twitter BFFs.  Here’s her response to his earlier tweet:

And DADT activist Dan Choi has also taken notice, tweeting: “Thank you, @LadyGaga @HarryReid for your bad romance! We will continue to push in the ways we can.”

Lohan poked fun at herself by staging an impromptu intervention with Handler.

The opening started with Handler oddly getting slapped on the butt by a few people backstage, leading to her meeting with Lohan. “Have you been drinking?” asks Lohan. “Then why is your ankle bracelet going off?”

She then moved into a direct self-parody – “Do you think anyone wants to work with a drunk? Take it from me – they don’t.”

Will this be the beginning of a Lohan comeback tour? She’s only recently out of rehab. But the Handler pairing is particularly interesting because of how brutal Handler has been with her jabs at Lohan while the former teen star was in jail.

Here’s the full opening:

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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

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:

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