Kanye and Kim: Personal or business?
Does Hollywood have a new power couple on its hands? Kimye? K-squared? Kanye West, 34, proclaimed his love for Kim Kardashian, 30, in a song released last week. And shortly thereafter, Khloe Kardashian told Ellen Degeneres: “They’re cute together.” So doe
Fashion fanatics
Kardashian and West both live and breathe fashion. In February, West’s second women’s wear collection made its debut at Paris Fashion Week. Who sat front-row? A fur-clad Kardashian. West also co-designed a line of shoes with Guiseppe Zanotti and Australian designer Dion Lee. And, of course, rarely does a West rap not include plenty of high-end designer namedropping.
As for the Kardashians, they own DASH clothing stores in California, New York and Florida. And for budgetconscious fashionistas, the sisters have the Kardashian Kollection at Sears and K-dash by Kardashian at QVC. Plus there’s Shoedazzle.com, Kim’s online shoe company.
Celeb feud magnets
West has made headlines for highprofile feuds more than once. Among those he has taken on: 50 Cent in a war of words over who could sell the most albums when they had the same release date; Taylor Swift as she fired back at his diss of her win at the 2009 Video Music Awards; and Matt Lauer after the Today host asked some questions on air related to the incident with Swift, as well as a query related to an outburst aimed at President Bush during a telethon after Hurricane Katrina.
Kardashian isn’t one to back away from a celebrity feud. Among her sparring partners: Mad Men star Jon Hamm, former BFF Paris Hilton, crooner Michael Bublé and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Scandal survivors
Though Kardashian and West are no strangers to being at the center of a scandal, each has managed to bounce back with almost zero repercussions. Remember the infamous sex tape with singer Ray J that propelled Kardashian into the public eye?
As for West, who can forget the microphone-snatching incident involving Taylor Swift, who had just won the award for best female video for You Belong with Me at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards? As Swift accepted her award, West hijacked the stage to proclaim that Beyoncé’s video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), nominated for the same award, was “one of the best videos of all time.” Lambasted by almost everyone — even President Obama called him a “jackass” — West apologized and then stepped away from the spotlight to work on his music.
Limelight lovers
Kardashian can barely go a day without being photographed in a bikini or tweeting a picture of herself in a provocative pose. West is a master of being in the right place at the right time — revealing his fashion collection in Paris, touring with Jay-z, popping up to give a surprise performance last month at the SXSW festival. Both know how to work the media to keep themselves in the pop culture headlines so fans are left wanting more.
So when Kardashian and West get together, the question shouldn’t be “When is the wedding?” The question is: “What are they selling?” Could this sudden romance be for publicity? The timing is interesting. West was spotted stepping out with Kardashian just as he released his new single, Theraflu, in which he mentions that he “fell” for her. And now buzz is he might have a cameo on the new season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which premieres May 20. Convenient, huh?
Bad luck in love
After two trips down the aisle, Kim Kardashian has tried it all in the love department. In 2000, Kardashian, then just 20, said “I do” to music producer Damon Thomas, only to see the marriage crumble four years later. But it was her well-timed romance with the NBA’S Kris Humphries last year that really got the tabloids churning. After just six months of dating, the two were engaged and headed for one of the most infamously short (not to mention televised) marriages of all time. After just 72 days, Kardashian filed for divorce.
West has dated model Melody Thornton, Miss Universe 2010 Angela Martini and model Brook Crittendon. In 2006 he proposed to model Alexis Phifer. They broke it off two years later. In 2009 he began a two-year relationship with model Amber Rose, whose curvaceous frame (which, some say, rivals Kardashian’s) became major headline chatter until their breakup in 2011.