Scoop: Kanye West seeks refuge in India

Rapper avoids press, critics by fleeing country

The BET Hip-Hop awards went uninterrupted Oct. 10, as Kanye West, who was nominated for nine awards, was a no-show. Just where was he? According to some reports, West was seeking refuge in India.

Friends of the musician say that he’s keeping his location private, but India isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“Kanye might do some dumb things, but he’s smart,” said one source close to West. “He knows he needs to come back from this break changed, and that isn’t going to happen at some rehab overlooking the ocean. He goes to India, he has a chance to come back seeming like he learned something from what happened.”

Sources within the West camp say there’s no plan yet for him to step back into the spotlight soon any time soon. He’s still blogging, but performing is off the books for now. Not only did West recently cancel his tour with Lady Gaga (she'll tour solo), but he’s also scrapped plans to perform a New Year’s Eve show at Madison Square Garden.

No Thanksgiving ‘Glee’
“Glee” has been a multi-platform breakout hit, drawing big television ratings for Fox and several top 10 downloads for iTunes. So on the surface, it sounds like the cast would be a good fit for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, right? On the surface, sure, but the concept came crashing to a halt once NBC, the network that airs the parade, caught wind of the booking.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

An NBC insider confirms that Macy’s first put the offer out to “Glee” and when NBC became aware of the booking, it had to be canceled because the show airs on Fox.

“We don’t promote other networks’ shows,” said the source. “CBS doesn’t have Conan host the Emmys, Fox doesn’t invite other networks’ talent to do things for baseball, this is our equivalent to those networks’ specials. It’s unfortunate, but yes, we had to say that ‘Glee’ couldn’t be part of the parade.”

Macy’s spokesperson Orlando Veras had this to say: “As with any live event, the talent booking process is a fluid one subject to frequent updates or changes. Due to this fact, we don't confirm talent appearances for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade until early November when the final line-up is determined.”

Happy birthday, ‘Sexy Fingers’
“America’s Got Talent” host Nick Cannon celebrated his 29th birthday at the Bank nightclub in Las Vegas Oct. 10 alongside wife Mariah Carey, who kicked off the celebration by singing “Happy Birthday” during her concert earlier in the evening.

Carey and Cannon arrived at the Bank around midnight, and a turntable-shaped cake designed by Carey, which read “Happy Bday DJ Sexy Fingers Love, M.C.C.,” was brought out, according to a Bank source. Cannon spent two hours spinning in the DJ booth there.

Carey, who has talked about wanting kids, tacitly dispelled any rumors she might be pregnant: The source said she drank red wine and Grey Goose vodka cocktails before leaving with Cannon around 3 a.m.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc

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