While looking for my toothbrush, I received a text, "OMG, I cannot believe Kanye did that!!"
Brushing it off, I took a quick Facebook break and was overwhelmed by the number of status updates featuring Kanye West and Taylor Swift. I looked to the ever-reliable YouTube for answers.
I watched, horrified, as Kanye West crushed Taylor Swift in front of millions during her acceptance speech for best female video. Swift's victory was no small feat considering the artists she was competing against were Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry.
West's now infamous "Imma let you finish" outburst caused an explosion on the Internet. Bloggers were speculating whether or not the debacle was staged. Celebrities were tweeting their support for Swift. Even the president of the United States put in his two cents, calling the rapper "a jackass."
Whether or not Swift's reaction was genuine or just good acting is still up for debate. The ordeal did, however, push country music's sweetheart onto the headlines of newspapers and magazine covers.
Fans and supporters are rallying behind the young artist, sending her flowers, writing her letters and, proving controversy is always the best publicity, buying her music. Her "Fearless 2009 Tour" is completely sold out in the United States. Everyone seems to want to see the innocent young star in person. A quick trip to eBay shows that some people are so eager to see her live show that tickets selling for as much as $1,000 are being snatched up like candy. Her album sales are seeing similar success with more than 10 million sold, not to mention more than 20 million individual songs downloaded.
While West's tour with Lady Gaga isn't faring too badly, the rapper's image has taken a huge blow. Artists like Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Jack White have publicly denounced West.
Whether it was a brilliant publicity stunt or just a little bit too much alcohol on West's part, both Swift and West have garnered more attention from their little exchange than anyone else at the awards show that night.
After all, if Obama is talking about it, you know it's news.
