Kanye West got swift justice this AM -- thanks in part to TMZ -- and the judge in his LAX vandalism case said he'll dismiss all 3 misdemeanors against him after Kanye gets a dose of community service.
West's lawyer, Blair Berk, delivered a blistering attack on the paparazzi, scolding them for inciting celebs, going to churches for intrusive shots ... pretty much claiming they're responsible for all the wars in the world.
Berk says both Kanye and co-defendant Don Crowley (Kanye's manager) are "remorseful" for their conduct and have submitted to anger management counseling -- this, after breaking two cameras in a fit of anger at the airport.
Berk says this matter was "wildly overcharged" as a battery and vandalism case.
Deputy L.A. City Attorney Felton Newell disputed the notion the case was overcharged, claiming the defendants acted with "reckless disregard," adding the video shows "an intent to commit a felony."
Berk appeared without her client and noted that TMZ had settled its beef with Kanye because West paid for the camera he broke at LAX on Sept. 11, 2008. The judge agreed -- saying if TMZ didn't want to press charges, it didn't make a lot of sense to carry on with the case.
And speaking of Sept. 11th...the two lawyers got into a fight over whether the prosecutor was exploiting the date by saying it elevated the seriousness of the offense -- i.e., going nuts at a major airport.
In the end, the judge felt since the defendants enrolled in an anger management program, he said he'll dismiss the charges when they both serve 50 hours of community service. But he added Kanye's conduct was not acceptable.
Kanye West was spotted leaving a gym in Los Angeles after playing basketball wi--
--hold up a sec. Yo TMZ, I'm really happy for Kanye West, but that video of Miley Cyrus you have up is the best rap video about Twitter done by a white girl of all-time. OF ALL-TIME!!!
Kanye West was in a finger lickin' good mood last night outside the Cheesecake Factory -- where he told us he ordered chicken, because, well, "I'm Black."
No word on if he thinks they make the best chicken OF ALL TIME.
If Kanye West doesn't regret hijacking Taylor Swift, he will now -- we're told his concert tour with Lady Gaga was scrapped because ticket sales sucked. And "sucked" happens to be a nicer version of the word we were told.
And not only that -- our insiders say another factor in the cancellation was West and Gaga's people were at each others throats like their last names were Gosselin.
When it came down do it, we're told Gaga decided she'd be better off playing smaller venues ... and far from the headache caused by Kanye's ever present drama.
Good news Taylor Swift fans -- Kanye West's "Fame Kills" tour with Lady Gaga has been canceled.
Despite the fact that a rep from Live Nation told us YESTERDAY that the concert was still a go ... Nation announced they were pulling the plug on the tour today, which was scheduled to kick off in November.
No reason was given -- but the VMA backlash and Kanye's upcoming criminal court date could have been factors.
The Kanye West backlash peaked this week with reports he was getting dumped from his upcoming tour with Lady Gaga -- but wish as we may ... it's not true.
Live Nation tells us Kanye will be on stage November 10th as scheduled. Then again, he has a court hearing for criminal battery on October 23, so you never know.
He may be a social pariah everywhere else -- but when Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Common's benefit concert last night in Hollywood, he got a hero's welcome.
The crowd at the show -- which featured Common, Nas, Ludacris, De La Soul, The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and more -- just exploded when Kanye rushed out on stage. He stayed for a few songs -- including "Good Life" and "Run This Town" -- and had the crowd going nuts the whole time.
Kanye West is feeling the legal heat over his VMA rant ... because there was a quiet, clever move last week to keep his criminal case out of court until all the hubbub dies down.
Kanye is being prosecuted for breaking a paparazzi camera at LAX on September 11, 2008. The L.A. City Attorney has charged him with 3 misdemeanors -- vandalism, theft and battery.
We've learned last Friday, Kanye's lawyer, Blair Berk, went to the judge and won a delay -- a pre-trial hearing was set for this month but it's now pushed back until October 23 -- hopefully for Kanye, when attention deficit disorder sets in and the public moves on to another celebrity meltdown.
Here's the problem ... even the mighty Blair Berk can't stop Kanye. The question: Can she contain him? Stay tuned...
No Kanye needed this time, because during a radio interview yesterday Taylor Swift cut her own self off -- after the DJ repeatedly asked her about the VMA incident against her wishes.
It's all anyone cares about this week, but apparently the West situation wasn't a pre-approved "talking point" for her visit to the MJ Morning Show. After briefly addressing the controversy, Swift was done -- but the DJ wasn't.
The dude kept pressing the issue as Taylor told him three times to stop -- then her handlers stepped in and stopped the interview completely.
This is the same DJ who interviewed Miley Cyrus in June -- with the same result.
Wolfgang Puck has a P.R. problem -- one Kanye West ... and he's screwing with the menu.
CUT -- Wolfgang's Bev Hills restaurant -- has menus with pics of various celebs on the cover, including Kanye West, President Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie.
Last night, several tables got dealt Kanye menus and complained to the server, who obliged by trading up.
We spoke with the manager of CUT, who confessed people were handing back Kanye menus even before his hateful VMA stunt last Sunday. We think you know his record.
But truth be told, the manager says people have also turned back menus featuring Obama and Arnold.
The restaurant will boldly continue to deal in Kanye.
TMZ has obtained the audiotape of President Barack Obama calling Kanye West a "jackass" for hijacking Taylor Swift's acceptance speech during the VMAs.
The audio was recorded just before Obama went on camera to do an interview with CNBC. Before the interview began, Obama -- referring to Kanye's antics on stage -- said "I thought that was really inappropriate," then adding, "He's a jackass."
After making the remarks, Obama said "Where's the pool?" Presumably, he was worried the joke would go wide. He noted the last time that happened, he got burned for killing a fly.
Moments after Taylor Swift told the ladies of "The View" that as of this morning, Kanye hadn't called to apologize ... guess who decided to pick up the phone?
Reps at "The View" claim Kanye rang up Taylor right after she finished her segment and offered a big, fat apology for stealing her moment at the MTV VMAs this weekend.
Kanye West got swift justice this AM -- thanks in part to TMZ -- and the judge in his LAX vandalism case said he'll dismiss all 3 misdemeanors against him after Kanye gets a dose of community service.
If Kanye West doesn't regret hijacking Taylor Swift, he will now -- we're told his concert tour with Lady Gaga was scrapped because ticket sales sucked. And "sucked" happens to be a nicer version of the word we were told.
Good news Taylor Swift fans -- Kanye West's "Fame Kills" tour with Lady Gaga has been canceled.
Kanye West is feeling the legal heat over his VMA rant ... because there was a quiet, clever move last week to keep his criminal case out of court until all the hubbub dies down.
Kanye West has finally made the call.
