I live for those times when an album explodes throughout American society as more than a product -- but as a piece of art that speaks to our deepest longings and desires and anxieties. In these Moments, an album becomes so ubiquitous it seems to blast through the windows, to chase you down until it's impossible to ignore it. But you don't want to ignore it, because the songs are holding up a mirror and telling you who we are at that moment in history.

These sorts of Moments can't be denied. They leave an indelible imprint on the collective memory; when we look back at the year or the decade or the generation, there's no arguing that the album had a huge impact on us. It's pop music not just as private joy, but as a unifier, giving us something to share and bond over.

Actually, I should say I loved Massive Music Moments. They don't really happen anymore.

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To promote the album, Jay-Z and Kanye will be touring from October till December, and already rumors have leaked about backstage screaming matches and physical altercations between the hot-tempered Kanye and his more cautious, frugal and commercially successful mentor. Kanye rose to fame working as a producer on Jay-Z tracks; now he's famous in his own right (though not always for the right reasons), and this collaboration will be the first time the duo will share equal billing for their creative endeavor.

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2. S'Paz of the day: "Empire Boardwalk's" Paz de la Huerta got more than a slap on the wrist for her bar brawl back in April. Though prosecutors were going to let her off on the condition she enter an alcohol treatment program and do a couple of days of community service, Judge Diana Boyar said Paz had to be evaluated by a rehab facility before she signed off on the deal.

3. "Friday" of the day: Grantland has compiled an oral history of "Friday Night Lights'" successes -- and failures -- throughout the years.

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Websites like the Huffington Post are reporting that a disclaimer at the beginning of "Monster" reads, "The following content is in no way misogynistic or negative towards any groups of people. It is an art piece and shall be taken as such." I don't see that disclaimer anywhere in the 5-minute official video, but even if there is one, does it make any difference? The theme of the "Monster" video is "dead models": There they are hanging by nooses, getting rearranged in bed by Kanye, stuffed in between cushions, getting stepped over by Jay-Z. It's like something Patrick Bateman might have been into, and when you use such powerful imagery throughout your music video, you don't get a pass just because "it's a work of art." You still need to explain why you chose these images, what cultural significance they have, or what they symbolize. Just saying, "It's art," and then showing a bunch of dead women is a cheap way to cop out of the claims of misogyny.

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Okay, so: Katy Perry is floating in space, changing her outfits and stuff and looking kind of terrifying. She and Britney Spears apparently swapped manicure tips while Britney was flying by in her own alien spaceship from the "Hold It Against Me" video, because Katy's are hella long. She sings about kissing her with your poison and infecting her, and she has a line that is definitely "Boy, you're so alien." So Katy isn't an alien. Or is she?!

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I know you are very busy with "All the Lights," I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but Justin Bieber had one of the best uninformed abortion sound bites of all time. For someone who is known for his funny and irreverent tweets (they've been turned into New Yorker cartoons and "30 Rock" catechisms!), your tweet about gold diggers getting pregnant on purpose so they can scam money for abortions is the biggest misstep in your career.

Yesterday, Kanye sent out this message to his 2,518,037 followers:

He followed it up with a non-redemptive clarification:

"It ain't happen to me but I know people."

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The Black Keys: "Tighten Up"

Nominated for: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, Best Rock Song, Producer of the Year

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Michael Vick

No one will forget his gruesome role in the abuse and killing of canines while running a dogfighting ring on his property. He has failed drug tests and filed for Chapter 11. And when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 after serving 19 months in prison for felony charges, his return to football was greeted with angry protests from animal lovers. Michael Vick knows exactly what it feels like to be one of the most reviled men in America.

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The rapper tweeted Thursday night that he would not perform on the day after Thanksgiving, and "Today" confirmed that it received official word of the cancellation on Friday.

West became upset when during the interview "Today" showed a tape of when he interrupted Taylor Swift at last year's MTV Music Awards. The incident that prompted a tremendous backlash against West.

The musician had a coveted spot: He was due to perform on Black Friday, when New York streets around the "Today" studio are likely to be crowded with holiday shoppers.

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Bush appeared in a live interview on the "Today" show, part of a book promotion tour, and also said that his conscience was clear when it came to recognizing ahead the financial problems at the end of his administration.

In his book, "Decision Points," Bush wrote that it was a low point in his presidency when West declared at a fundraiser to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." In an interview taped Tuesday with NBC's Matt Lauer, West said he would tell Bush that he was speaking in a moment of frustration.

"I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist," West said. "I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words."

Shown a tape of West's remarks, Bush said he appreciated them and forgave him.

"I'm not a hater," he said. "I don't hate Kanye West. I was talking about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt. Nobody wants to be called a racist if in your heart you believe in equality of races."

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From his recent interview with Matt Lauer, on the occasion of the publication of Bush's new book:

MATT LAUER: You remember what he said?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I do. He called me a racist.

MATT LAUER: Well, what he said was, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: That's -- "he's a racist." And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, "I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business." It's another thing to say, "This man's a racist." I resent it, it's not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency.

MATT LAUER: This from the book. "Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust." You go on. "I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all time low."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt 'em when I heard 'em, felt 'em when I wrote 'em and I felt 'em when I'm listening to 'em.

MATT LAUER: You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And -- it was a disgusting moment.

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Knight was shot in the leg in 2005 at a Miami Beach party hosted by West, and Knight blames West for lax security. His lawsuit is seeking more than $1 million in damages from West.

Knight's attorney, Mark Brumer, said Friday his client was disappointed in the judge's decision.

The shooter has never been identified.

In Thursday's order, the judge concluded there's no evidence that a shooting at the party was foreseeable.

West's attorney, Adam Josephs, said the lawsuit was ill-conceived from the beginning.

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Take, for example, that Penispalooza known as Chatroulette. So dedicated is its population's obsession with junk flaunting that the site has ingeniously leveraged it into a revenue stream -- redirecting the boxers-optional crowd to an adult site. Then there was Deadspin's recent giddy reveal of what may be Brett Favre's love missile -- disembodied images of the goods in full stroke mode allegedly sent to Jets in-house reporter Jenn Sterger. Favre has so far refused to claim or deny the wand in question, offering the explanation that "I'm not getting into that. I've got my hands full with the Jets." Oh is that what you call it?

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"Dark Twisted Fantasy," which doesn’t release for another month, is all but assured of becoming one of the biggest albums of the year. The ever-colorful West has already scored two hit singles off it, the hypnotically gorgeous "Power" and "Runaway." And his arresting recent performances on the MTV Video Music Awards and "Saturday Night Live" -- along with his continued uh, outspokenness -- have whipped up a nice froth of potential retail frenzy.

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In the ensuing 12 months, Mr. West has beaten a path back into our good graces in his usual unorthodox way. For a while, he laid low -- to the extent that such a thing is possible for a man who has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in a crown of thorns. He went to Hawaii to toil on his new album. He managed to not upstage anyone at the Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys or even the Kids' Choice Awards. But come on — Kanye not being a loose cannon is about as much fun as a Real Housewife not tipping over tables. It was only a matter of time before he'd return to form.

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"I'm sorry Taylor," West wrote early Saturday.

It was simple, to the point, and that alone probably would've sufficed … but the floodgates were open, baby, and West kept going and going. "I've hurt, I've bled, I've learned. I only want to do good. I am passionate, I am human, I am real. I wish I could meet every hater," West went on.

He didn't stop there. "If you google Asshole my face may very well pop up 2 pages into the search." At least he wasn't so hard on himself as to say he'd be the top result.

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The bombastic, often-contentious rapper has finally gotten with the times and joined Twitter.  It was an unexpected move considering West lambasted the microblogging site in 2009 for allowing an imposter to use his name.  In his blog, West, ever the moral sage, ranted that Twitter was “IRRESPONSIBLE” and “DECEITFUL” and swore he would never join.  He brushed it off as a waste of time.

Well, he’s changed his mind. And this is great news for hip-hop fans everywhere. If you could choose any rapper in the world to have a Twitter account, chances are high it would be Kanye West, who, as annoying and entitled and childish as he is, always makes for a good quote.  Boring and Kanye West just don't mix.

West’s first words to the Twitter world, however, were benign enough. “Up early in the morning taking meetings in Silicone Valley,” he said of his meeting at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Though he did misspell “Silicon Valley” as “Silicone Valley.”

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