Kanye takes on MTV
NEW YORK -- Kanye West blames MTV for Britney Spears' less than stellar performance at the Video Music Awards.
"Man, they were just trying to get ratings, and they knew she wasn't ready and they exploited her," the 29-year-old rapper said Tuesday on Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Morning Mash Up."
The network made a "bad move" by having the troubled pop star open Sunday's event in Las Vegas, said West, who feels he should have kicked off the show with "Stronger," the first single from his new album, "Graduation."
"They exploited her, they played me and I really don't mess with MTV," he said.
Spears, 25, looked unprepared while performing her new song, "Gimme More," to a bewildered audience of her music industry peers. She seemed nervous and, at times, stopped singing altogether.
West said he wanted to perform "Stronger" on the show's main stage -- where R&B hotshot Chris Brown wowed the crowd with Michael Jackson-esque dance moves -- but complied when he was asked to host a suite party.
West said it was a blow to the ego when Justin Timberlake, who also hosted a suite party, ended up "on the big stage" to give the closing performance with Timbaland and Nelly Furtado.
"Those are the big things, and you know what I do man, I really made the song 'Stronger,' you know, for stadiums," he said.
MTV spokesman David French didn't immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
West -- who threw a tantrum backstage after losing all five categories for which he was nominated -- said he has bonded with 50 Cent over what they view as disrespectful behavior from MTV.
"So why do you have me do 'Stronger' in a suite, but you end the show with Justin?" he said. "I looked at 50 like, yo, we need to help each other as much as possible."
50 Cent has said he'd stop making solo records if West's new album outsells his "Curtis" CD in their first week out. Both albums were released Tuesday.
JT ordered to rest voice
NEW YORK -- Justin Timberlake has been ordered to rest his voice.
Timberlake's strained voice is the result of his performance Sunday at MTV's Video Music Awards in Las Vegas and months of touring, Jive Records said in a statement Tuesday.
A doctor ordered several days of vocal rest for Timberlake, forcing the 26-year-old singer to miss shows in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday and San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday.
Tour promoter AEG Live has rescheduled the shows for Sept. 23 in San Jose and Sept. 25 in Sacramento.
Timberlake wraps up his FutureSex/LoveShow tour this month.
Yeoh get France's high honor
Michelle Yeoh, one of Asia's biggest film stars, will receive France's highest civilian honor later this year. Yeoh will be awarded the Legion of Honor in an Oct. 3 ceremony in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, French Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday. She began her career in Chinese action movies and leapt to international fame in the 1997 James Bond movie, "Tomorrow Never Dies," and Ang Lee's 2000 kung-fu hit, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Yeoh stars in the upcoming sci-fi adventure movie "Babylon A.D.," directed by French filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz.
Ani DiFranco has renamed the 19th-century Gothic church in Buffalo that she bought and renovated. Originally dubbed The Church, the venue is now Babeville. The building houses her music label, Righteous Babe Records, and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center. DiFranco's first public concerts in the space were set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Asbury Hall, the former sanctuary. Both concerts were sold out. The 36-year-old singer reopened the building in January after she and her manager, Scot Fisher, saved it from the wrecking ball and, with the city's help, poured $10 million into its renovation.
Actress Storms arrests in DUI stop
Kirsten Storms, who voices the snippy cheerleader Bonnie Rockwaller in the animated Disney TV series "Kim Possible," was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. Storms, who also appears in the daytime soap opera "General Hospital," was stopped Friday in this Los Angeles suburb after California Highway Patrol officers said they saw a lit cigarette tossed from her blue Mercedes-Benz CLK500 about 3 a.m. Officers noticed "the odor of an alcoholic beverage" coming from the car, according to a CHP report on the arrest. Storms, 23, was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, the report said. She was jailed on the misdemeanor and released several hours later after posting $5,000 bail, authorities said. Storms' Rockwaller is the high school social rival to superhero Kim Possible on the long-running Disney series. She also plays Maxie Jones on ABC's "General Hospital" and was Belle Black on NBC's "Days of Our Lives" from 1999 to 2004.