PHOTOS: 2009's Must-See VMA Moments

PHOTOS: The worst VMA outfits ever!

VIDEO: Taylor sings about Kanye, Taylor Lautner

Better late than never?

Nearly one year after Kanye West ruined Taylor Swift's bi]]> After West stormed the stage last September — telling the audience that Beyonce deserved to win the Best Female Video award instead of Swift, 20 — he now admits that it’s been difficult to win back the approval of his fans.

PHOTOS: 2009’s Must-See VMA Moments

PHOTOS: The worst VMA outfits ever!

VIDEO: Taylor sings about Kanye, Taylor Lautner

Better late than never?

Nearly one year after Kanye West ruined Taylor Swift’s big moment at the MTV Video Music Awards, the rapper is still trying to make amends.

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“I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that’s so beautiful and I want her to have it. If she won’t take it then I’ll perform it for her. She had nothing to do with my issues with award shows. She had no idea what hit her,” West, 33,Versace, said in a series of tweets Saturday morning.

Still, West insists “I am not a bad person. Even in that moment I was only trying to do good but people don’t always need my help. Beyonce didn’t need that. MTV didn’t need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn’t want or need that.”

“There are people who don’t dislike me…they absolutely hate me!” he said. “If you google ‘Asshole’ my face may very well pop up 2 pages into the search…People tweeted that they wish I was dead. They wanted me to die people. I carry that…I wear my scars.”

“She’s just a lil girl with dreams like the rest of us. She deserves the apology more than anyone. I’m ready to get out of my own way. The ego is overdone,” he continued. “Who am I to run on stage? I would never ever again in a million years do that. Sorry to let you down…TAYLOR LOVES RAP MUSIC…I LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC…I’m sorry Taylor.”

"We're really approaching this as we would a console, so we have to deliver the breadth of games and the quality people expect from Xbox,lanyards," Microsoft senior director of mobile gaming Kevin Unangst said.

&qu]]> SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled a slew of videogames for play on smartphones running its new Windows 7 mobile software and said the devices will link to its Xbox 360 videogame consoles.

"We're really approaching this as we would a console, so we have to deliver the breadth of games and the quality people expect from Xbox,lanyards," Microsoft senior director of mobile gaming Kevin Unangst said.

"We're going to bring a set of high-quality games and wholesale clothing brand name clothes or experiences,christian audigier wholesale, all using Xbox Live,cheap brand cloghing , to bear at the launch of the Windows Phone 7."

Xbox Live is an online community where people can play or get downloadable content using the Internet-linked Microsoft videogame consoles.

Microsoft used a major Gamescom conference in Germany as a stage to introduce 50 titles ranging from virtual board games to extensions of popular Xbox 360 action games.wholesale .b003uykww4 hdmi cable

Adds Palin, "I'm not disappointed. I'm not heartbroken. I tried to make it work for my son.  It didn't work and I realize that we're not meant to be and I'm just focused on being a good mom."

PHOTOS: Shocking summer splits!

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook,R]]> Palin also said she isn’t sure if she’d vote for Johnston, who is rumored to be running for the mayor of Wasilla (a position her mother Sarah previously held).

Adds Palin, “I’m not disappointed. I’m not heartbroken. I tried to make it work for my son.  It didn’t work and I realize that we’re not meant to be and I’m just focused on being a good mom.”

PHOTOS: Shocking summer splits!

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PHOTOS: Meet the cast of DWTS: Season 11!

Palin — who works as an office manager at a dermatologist’s office in Anchorage, Alaska — says she was approached to be on the show via text message.

VIDEO: Bristol and Levi in happier times

Bristol Palin is no dance floor diva.

“Literally, I was thinking about it today: the only thing I’ve ever asked for is a velcro mic pac so I don’t have to wear it on my belt loop,” she said. “That’s the only thing I’ve ever asked for.”

“He’s changed. Night and day, definitely,” she said. “The guy I fell in love with was a hard-working Alaskan man that didn’t want to wear straight-legged jeans and get chased by Radar.”

“He needs to move to Wasilla [first],” she deadpanned. “He needs to get his G.E.D.”

Throughout the interview, Palin also took a few digs at ex Levi Johnston, 20, father to the couple’s 2-year-old son Tripp.

“I was sitting at my desk and I got a text message like, ‘Hey, want to join Dancing With the Stars?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah!’” she recalled. “Within the next week, we had signed the contract. Some people are like,Fred perry, ‘Do you really want to be in the spotlight?’ but I’m having fun with it.”

After three days of rehearsals with dance pro Mark Ballas, Palin admits that she still feels “so uncoordinated and I don’t have any rhythm.”

During an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Friday, the 19-year-old Alaskan squashed rumors that she’s behaving like a diva during rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars.

PHOTOS: Bristol and Levi’s romantic history

By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here, and don't forget to follow him onTwitter.

It's a must see -- but watch out for the birds. You've been]]> Exploring the disc’s overall thesis of uncovering deeper meaning in suburban upbringings,Abercrombie t-shirts, the online art piece allows visitors to enter in the address of their own childhood home — and then watch the story unfold alongside the poignant track.

By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian’s blog, click here, and don’t forget to follow him onTwitter.

It’s a must see — but watch out for the birds. You’ve been warned! “We Used To Wait” is live now at http://thewildernessdowntown.com.

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There’s no place like home — or your home, rather — for Arcade Fire. The chart topping, Montreal-based alt-rock collective,Evisu, whose third studio disc, The Suburbs, entered the Billboard Top 200 albums chart at No. 1, just released an ultra inventive viral video for the album’s single, “We Used To Wait” using Google satellite technology.

And if you’re not checking into therapy afterwards, read more about Arcade Fire at arcadefire.com.

PHOTOS: Biggest fashion disasters of all time

Write a snippy one-liner for this photo of Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton.

Be sure to include your e-mail address before posting (it won't show up below), and a name you wouldn't mind seeing in the magazine.

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly,Fred perry, Play Celebrity Fantasy]]> Think you have what it takes to be an Us Top Cop?,Seven

PHOTOS: Biggest fashion disasters of all time

Write a snippy one-liner for this photo of Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton.

Be sure to include your e-mail address before posting (it won’t show up below), and a name you wouldn’t mind seeing in the magazine.

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In the pic, Kardashian's son with beau Scott Disick sits in a shopping cart parked in the snack aisle. Accordingly, the little guy is surrounded by Doritos, Goldfish, donut holes and other sweet and salty treats.

"It has always seemed like such a hard place to take a baby," Kardashian,Juicy Couture shoes, 31, writes of the visit. "The germs,Adidas, the people, and before he was big enough to sit, pushing the stroller and cart at o]]> PHOTOS: Star moms and their kids

In the pic, Kardashian’s son with beau Scott Disick sits in a shopping cart parked in the snack aisle. Accordingly, the little guy is surrounded by Doritos, Goldfish, donut holes and other sweet and salty treats.

“It has always seemed like such a hard place to take a baby,” Kardashian,Juicy Couture shoes, 31, writes of the visit. “The germs,Adidas, the people, and before he was big enough to sit, pushing the stroller and cart at once… all just a big task.”

But the big new adventure was a success, she says. “We had so much fun and Mason loved it!! Things that would never seem like they would be meaningful or exciting have a whole new meaning when I experience them all over again for the first time with Mason.”

Mason Dash Disick, 8 and 1/2 months, recently took his very first trip to the grocery store — and his mom Kourtney Kardashian documented the big milestone with an adorable snapshot on her blog.

VIDEO: Kourtney talks about having another baby

PHOTOS: Adorable pics of Mason just after he was born

Attention shoppers: Cutie pie in aisle 7!

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USDA Rural Development: Although i]]> But establishing qualified service is only one step in the process. "Every vet who is eligible for the home loan program does not get the home loan. They do have to qualify," says William White, the VA's acting assistant director for loan policy. "You do have to have sufficient income for the loan and you also have to have satisfactory credit." In addition, the size of the loan guarantee is subject to restrictions.

USDA Rural Development: Although it was originally designed to assist farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development housing program has since evolved to serve rural communities in their entirety. Through the USDA's loan guarantee program, the agency agrees to assume as much as 90 percent of the losses on qualified mortgages in the event that they go delinquent. This guarantee,Ed hardy underwear, in turn, enables approved lenders to finance as much as 100 percent of the property's appraised value. "[The mortgages] are government-backed so they are guaranteed," says Tammye Trevino, the USDA Rural Development housing administrator. (The USDA also has a smaller, direct lending program that provides subsidized mortgages to very low income borrowers.)

Service requirements for VA loan eligibility vary. For example, World War II veterans that weren't dishonorably discharged qualify for the program with 90 days or more of active duty service. But if you enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, and weren't dishonorably discharged, you will need two years of continuous active duty service. (Click here for a complete list of service requirements.)

Should veterans run into financial trouble after receiving their loan, the VA offers additional support, White says. "We will work with borrowers to see if they can encourage the services to modify the loan–in some cases we can buy it ourselves and even lower the rate," he says. White credits such efforts for helping VA loans to outperform their government-backed peers. The seasonally-adjusted delinquency rate for VA loans was 7.79 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared with 13.29 percent for FHA-insured mortgages, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's most recent National Delinquency Survey. (The delinquency rate for prime, fixed-rate loans was less than 6 percent, however.)

As private players have left the market, the USDA housing program has increased significantly. Roughly 112,000 mortgages have been made so far this year, up from about 55,000 in 2008. "It's more than a 50 percent increase," Trevino says. Even so, USDA-guaranteed mortgages have performed better than other government-backed loans. The USDA's delinquency rate was 12.16 percent in fiscal year 2009, compared with 14.57 percent for the Federal Housing Administration.

[In Pictures: 10 Cities Facing Double-Whammy Defaults.]

The program only applies to rural areas with 20,000 residents or less. Participating families, meanwhile, must demonstrate that they lack adequate housing but have the wherewithal to remain current on their payments. Since the program is aimed at low- and moderate-income residents, applicants can earn no more than 115 percent of the area's median income to be eligible. "The average credit score is between 670 and 675," Trevino says.

[In Pictures: 9 Smart Ways to Come Up with Down-Payment Cash.]

More than four years after real estate values peaked, the historic plunge in home prices remains fresh in the minds of mortgage lenders. After taking painful losses on delinquent home loans, banks have imposed tougher standards–such as increased credit scores and higher down payment requirements–on applicants of all stripes. And as investors fled for the hills,Juicy Couture t-shirts, the exotic mortgage products that helped fuel the real estate boom have largely disappeared from the private market. But that doesn't mean all buyers need a big pile of cash to snag a home loan. In fact, loan guarantees from Uncle Sam are enabling hundreds of thousands of borrowers to obtain mortgages without putting any money down. To help consumers determine whether or not they might be eligible for such financing, here's a rundown on how to get a government-backed, zero-down-payment mortgage:

To apply for a home loan through the program, speak with a USDA-approved lender. Consumers can locate USDA-approved lenders by contacting the Rural Development office in their state. Trevino notes that the application process can be lengthy. "We do that second review on 100 percent of the loans," she says.

[Visit the U.S. News Personal Finance site for more insight and money management tips.]

VA loans: Veterans, members of the reserves, active duty service members, and even some spouses may be eligible for similar home loans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. By guaranteeing a portion of the mortgage against default, the agency enables VA-approved lenders to offer eligible applicants access to home loans with no money down. "It's really the only [no-money-down mortgage program] out there other than USDA," says Nathan Long, CEO of VAMortgageCenter.com.

White estimates that the VA will back roughly 300,000 loans this fiscal year, which is down from 325,000 in 2009. (The fiscal year ends at the close of September.) Eligible veterans interested in obtaining a VA-backed loan should contact an agency-approved lender.

"As busy as I am with the music and recording albums and things like that, I've kind of taken an obviously long break" from acting, he said. &quot]]> ,Ed hardy

DETROIT (Billboard) – Less than a week before the start of his Home and Home tour with Jay-Z, Eminem is tight-lipped about his plans for the stadium shows, which commence September 2 for two dates at Detroit's Comerica Park and move to New York's Yankee Stadium for shows September 13 and 14.

"As busy as I am with the music and recording albums and things like that, I've kind of taken an obviously long break" from acting, he said. "If there's a role, something that actually hits me that I feel like, 'Yo, I've got to do this, this is crazy,' then I'll do it. But I haven't had any scripts or anything sent my way that feel like that yet."

Eminem is also slated to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12 in Los Angeles and has a concert lined up for the Epicenter Festival on September 25 in Fontana, Calif. Plans for other shows or a tour, however, remain up in the air. "I haven't really planned too far ahead," he said, "so we'll see."

"I don't want to give anything away," Eminem told Billboard.com. He does, however, allow that his song selection "will probably be all over the place" rather than concentrating on his latest album, "Recovery," which has achieved double-platinum sales and spent seven nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200. "Hopefully it'll be songs that everyone is familiar with."

Eight years after his star turn in the film "8 Mile," Eminem said he would "definitely like to get back into" acting. Producers of the new ABC police drama "Detroit 1-8-7" have made public overtures toward him, but there are no commitments yet.

Eminem, Porter and Alchemist were judges for the final round of the Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile national rap competition, held Thursday night at Detroit's St. Andrews Hall. The winner, an 18-year-old Detroit MC named FowL, gets the chance to record at Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica, Calif.,Paul Smith, with "a headlining producer" who has not yet been named.

The hip-hop star — who will be performing with a nine-piece band that includes Denaun Porter of D12, DJ Alchemist and "Lose Yourself" co-writer Luis Resto on keyboards — added that he "won't even allude to" possible guest appearances at the show. Rumors have revolved around everyone from Rihanna, his duet partner on the current Hot 100 No. 1 "Love the Way You Lie," to Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Drake. Nor would he say if he and Jay-Z plan to perform together, although he promised that there won't be a battle attitude between them.

"Nah, I don't think it'll be anything like a competition," Eminem said. "For the most part me and Jay just want people to come out and have a good time. We want them to enjoy the music."

It has been determined, however, that the next single from "Recovery" will be "No Love," a collaboration with Lil Wayne. "I did a song with Wayne called 'Drop the World' for his ('Rebirth') album," Eminem notes, "and we had just agreed to do an even swap, so I wanted him on my album. I kind of waited, and when Just Blaze had finished that beat we jumped on it."

PHOTOS: Stars who've been to the slammer

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Hilton was linked to drugs twice this summer.

Hours after Paris Hilton was arre]]> In July, she was detained in South Africa for alleged marijuana possession (charges were later dropped when a friend said the pot belonged to her).

PHOTOS: Stars who’ve been to the slammer

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Hilton was linked to drugs twice this summer.

Hours after Paris Hilton was arrested on suspicion of felony cocaine possession, her attorney David Chernoff has released the following statement:

A few weeks later, reports surfaced that Hilton was stopped in France after local authorities found less than a gram of marijuana in her purse. Hilton denied the second incident on Twitter, writing: “The stories saying I have been arrested are completely false!”

Police found an undisclosed amount of cocaine in the heiress’ purse late Friday in Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press. Citing sources, TMZ reports that she told police the purse did not belong to her.

PHOTOS: Paris’ bikini style

“Paris Hilton was released this morning on her own recognizance. This matter will be dealt with in the courts not in the media and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law. There will be no interviews and no more comments at this time.”

PHOTOS: Stars in court

PHOTOS: Stars' funniest SNL moments

This is no joke: Saturday Night Live comedian Will Forte is leaving the show,Boss, his rep confirms to UsMagazine.com.

PHOTOS: Today's top news pics

"After eight great seasons, Will has made the decision to move on from SNL to pursue new opportunities," his rep tells Us. "He is eter]]> Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly, Play Celebrity Fantasy League to win amazing prizes

PHOTOS: Stars’ funniest SNL moments

This is no joke: Saturday Night Live comedian Will Forte is leaving the show,Boss, his rep confirms to UsMagazine.com.

PHOTOS: Today’s top news pics

“After eight great seasons, Will has made the decision to move on from SNL to pursue new opportunities,” his rep tells Us. “He is eternally grateful to Lorne [Michaels] and all of the incredible people he worked with over the years.”

The funnyman,The North Face, 40, clearly hasn’t burned any bridges with his former co-stars: Forte will make a special guest appearance on Amy Poehler’s Parks & Recreation later this fall.