Kanye West apologises to Taylor Swift over MTV awards outburst

Rap star Kanye West has apologised to teenage country singer Taylor Swift after he interrupted her acceptance speech at last night's MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for 'best female video' to say Beyonce should have won. Swift, who won for her single You Belong With Me, was in the middle of talking about the difficulty country artists face in crossing over to the MTV audience when West leapt on stage and snatched the microphone out of the 19-year-old's hands.
 
"I always wondered what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but never actually thought it would happen," Swift was saying, when West interrupted.
 
"Taylor, I'm really happy for you," said West, "and I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." The rapper was referring to Beyonce's video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). The crowd at New York's Radio City Music Hall began to boo, and Beyonce was clearly embarrassed.
 
Swift eventually got the chance to finish her acceptance speech when Beyonce won video of the year and called Swift back onstage saying, "I'd like Taylor to come out and have her moment". Russell Brand, the flirtatious British comedian who hosted the event, offered Swift a "shoulder to cry on" as he closed the show.
 
West, who was jeered each time his name was mentioned during the rest of the ceremony, was later ejected from the awards show. He had been spotted drinking at the start of the night, swigging Courvoisier as he made his way up the red carpet.
 
Last night Kanye West used his blog to issue an apology to Swift and her mother, who had given the rapper a dressing-down backstage. In his signature all-capitals style, West wrote: ""I'M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM... I'M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!"
 
West has 'lost it' at previous music events, taking umbrage at losing out on awards at the Grammys, the American Music Awards and a previous VMAs night. This is the first time he has complained on someone else's behalf.
 
Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Green Day dominated the awards, winning three 'moonmen' each. Madonna opened the show with a Michael Jackson tribute, and Janet Jackson was later joined on stage by her brother's tour dancers to recreate some of Jacko’s most memorable music videos, including Thriller, Bad and Smooth Criminal. ·