Britney Was "Exploited," Claims Peer; Plus, VMAs Draw "More" Viewers

Kanye West's beef with MTV extends beyond the fact that he was shut out, again, at the Video Music Awards. The outspoken rapper believes the cabler preyed on the potential for a Britney Spears screwup. ( Watch the video here.) "Man, they were just trying to get ratings," he opined Tuesday on Sirius' Morning Mash Up. "They knew she wasn't ready and they exploited her." Did Brit's big comeback beget boffo numbers? And how. Sunday's VMAs drew 7.08 million viewers, a 23 percent surge over last year.

Other new Brit bits:

" Following her performance, Spears "came running off the stage, yelling, 'Oh my god, I looked like a fat pig! I looked like a fat pig!' She was inconsolable," a backstage spy tells Us.

" Spears' go-to hair guy, Ken Paves, "bailed" when he arrived at the VMAs only to get the cold shoulder from his client. "Ken made the professional decision not to do her hair," a source tells People. Another mystery solved there.

Related: Inside Britney's VMAs Blunder; Britney's Bust of a Return, Backstage Fight Fuel MTV VMAs; TVGuide.com's Hot New Britney Page