2 posts tagged “palms”

This year, the 2009 NHL annual awards show will take place in Las Vegas and it’s promising to be a grand event. The show can be seen on Versus in the U.S. starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, and at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBC.

Festivities begin Wednesday June 17th with the NHL Charity Shootout Presented By PokerStars.net. A charity No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em poker game will be held at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino and feature top stars from the NHL and the professional poker world playing to raise money for their favorite charities.

Among the NHL stars playing are Roberto Luongo, Alexander Ovechkin, Mike Richards, Jeremy Roenick, Sheldon Souray and Kris Versteeg, as well as former NHL All-Stars Pat LaFontaine, Cam Neely and Luc Robitaille. Professional poker players participating include Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer.

But that’s just the appetizer to the big show Thursday at The Palms. That’s where the best of the best from the 2008-09 season will compete to take home the hardware. Again the show can be seen on Versus in the U.S. starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, and at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBC.

Kanye West has never been shy about voicing his opinions, especially when it comes to awards shows.

In 2004, he walked out of the American Music Awards, claiming he was "robbed" in the Best New Artist category (see "Usher, Outkast Clean Up; Kanye Strikes Out At American Music Awards"). The following year, he promised hellfire and brimstone if his Late Registration album didn't take home the Grammy for Album of the Year (see "Kanye's At It Again: 'If I Don't Win Album Of The Year I'm Gonna Have A Problem' "). And, perhaps most famously of all, he stormed the stage at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards after losing the award for Video of the Year (see "Kanye Admits To Having Had A 'Sippy Sippy' [Or Two] Before EMA Rant").

And now, well, there's another outburst to add to his highlight reel.

According to several sources backstage at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards — and a report published late Sunday night by The Associated Press — West lost it again, this time because his performance of "Stronger" took place in the Palms' Hugh Hefner Sky Villa and not on the main stage (see "Britney Spears Kicks Off Show, But VMA Night Belongs To Rihanna And Justin Timberlake").

"Kanye was watching the closing performance [a medley featuring Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nelly Furtado] on a closed-circuit monitor, and he started getting upset," a source who was backstage told MTV News. "He started asking anyone who'd listen why he wasn't allowed to perform on the main stage. 'Why did I perform in just a suite?' he was saying. 'Justin's my boy, but even he gets to perform in both a suite and on the main stage? Something's wrong here.' "

According to the AP, West was also upset about being shut out of all five categories in which he was nominated (see "MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations"). He reportedly yelled, "That's two years in a row, man ... I'm trying hard, man, I have the ... #1 record, man."

AP also reported that West claimed he would "never return to MTV."

At a pre-VMA concert on Friday, West also expressed his frustration that Britney Spears would be opening the show instead of him, freestyling, "I can't believe she would perform. She hasn't had a hit record in years" (see "Kanye West Tells Crowd At Pre-VMA Concert That He Should Open Big Show, Not Brit"). And according to MTV News' source, he was claiming the same thing during his tirade.

"He said, 'Brit hasn't had a hit in like 5 million years and she opens the show?!?' " the source said.

A spokesperson for West's label, Def Jam, had no comment as of press time.