USA TODAY International Edition
DAMAGE CONTROL
Cyrus blasted, Thicke unhurt
Miley Cyrus is the latest target of Internet venom for her risqué performance at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, but a foam finger wasn’t the only prop given a taste of the star’s twerk- tastic moves.
Robin Thicke, the R& B star on the receiving end of Cyrus’ bump- and-grind performance of his hit Blurred Lines, has taken his own heat for the song’s purportedly sexist video and “rapey” lyrics. Could Thicke catch further flak for his sexy dance with the 20- year- old former Disney star? Not likely, experts say.
“Look at the way he regained his relevancy: by releasing a video with topless women dancing all around him,” says Billboard editorial director Bill Werde of Thicke’s meteoric rise after years of modest success.
Working for and against Thicke is the fact that it was Cyrus who commanded the performance of his chart- topping song, says Vulture associate editor Jesse David Fox.
“He’ll have a long, respectful career, but I don’t think it bodes well for him being a Justin Timberlake- or Beyoncé- level superstar,” Fox says.
Timberlake, of course, weathered his own not- in- front- of- the- kids flap. After exposing Janet Jackson’s breast during the 2004 Super Bowl, he released a regretful statement. Although Jackson also apologized, her career never fully recovered.
In the Justin- Janet incident, “you have the man as the aggressor and it’s the woman’s fault,” Werde says. “And now, in the Miley- Robin situation, it’s the woman who’s the aggressor and still where all the focus is.”
Thicke, who was traveling Monday and unavailable to comment, appears content with how the performance played out. He tweeted “That was dope” and gave Cyrus a shout- out.
And that’s about as much as we can expect to hear from him, says Us Weekly entertainment director Ian Drew, who believes the controversy will blow over in a matter of days.
“It was just something to talk about,” Drew says. “I don’t think it’s a career- halting moment ( for either of them). This is what the VMAs are about: going crazy and having fun.”