TouchOfMyHand
Aug 27th, 2004, 12:45 PM
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-ffmus3942938aug29,0,4599198.story?coll=ny-music-bigpix
The Video Music Awards show, which first aired in 1984, has earned a reputation for outrageous antics and unscripted, over-the-top stunts. (Remember Rage Against the Machine's Tim C. climbing on top of a stage sculpture as audiences urged him to jump?) But in the era of the "wardrobe malfunction" and increasing calls to clean up TV and radio broadcasts, the question is: Can this year's show retain its shock-and-awe value? These 10 risque moments - some planned, some not - helped make the VMAs more than just another awards show; more important, they made them worth watching:
1. The kiss that left tongues wagging - the Madonna and Britney liplock (2003). Pop tarts Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera join role model and original bad girl Madonna in a performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood." Madonna plants a big wet one on both Spears and Aguilera.
The aftermath: Boys and old men cheered; the media had a complete meltdown, as the image of Madonna and Spears appears over and over in newspapers, magazine and on television. Poor Aguilera is left out of the media feeding frenzy (the TV camera barely captured her moment with the Material Mom). Of course, this moment ups the ante on this year's VMAs and leaves us wondering whether they can top it.
2. The original "wardrobe malfunction" - Diana Ross reaches out and touches Lil' Kim (1999). Anyone who was shocked by Janet Jackson's exposed breast during the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show obviously hadn't seen the Video Music Awards five years earlier. Lil' Kim wears a purple-sequin outfit with her left breast almost entirely uncovered (she wore a star-shaped pastie, about the same size as Jackson's sun shield). Ross, unable to resist, jiggles Kim's exposed part.
The aftermath: The moment becomes one of the most indelible images in VMA history. Of course, five years later, a similar outfit would be blamed for the downfall of Western civilization.
3. Oops! Is she naked? - Britney bares it all...almost (2000). While singing the Rolling Stone's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," Spears rips away her slinky black outfit - and her innocent, bubblegum image - to reveal what can best be described as a flesh-toned skin suit.
The aftermath: Britney unleashed. The following year, she shimmies with a snake and follows that up with other outlandish stunts (see No. 1) before going on to become a serial bride.
4. The kiss that made us squirm - Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley "act" like a married couple (1994). It was seen as the perfect coupling - the King of Pop married to the daughter of The King. Jackson had just settled his case involving a child sex-abuse charge, so skeptics - which included nearly everyone - viewed the marriage, at best, as a publicity stunt.
The aftermath: The couple - shock! - divorced. Presley would later marry (and divorce) actor Nicolas Cage, and Jackson...is still dealing with child-abuse scandals.
5. Touched for the very first time - Madonna's "Virgin" voyage (1984). In the very first Video Music Awards telecast, Madonna - dressed in a racy wedding outfit - rolls around provocatively while singing "Like a Virgin."
The aftermath: Not only did the performance help launch the awards show and create a blueprint that would be copied by a younger generation (see No. 3), it helped catapult Madonna into the realm of superstardom.
6. The Courtney Jester - Love seeks attention from Madonna (1996). As MTV newsman Kurt Loder interviews Madonna from a set high above the street, Love tosses her makeup compact from below and then stumbles her way up to the platform. As Courtney rambles on, Madonna looks on with pity.
The aftermath: Was this an early cry for help? Given Love's ongoing trouble with the law and her recent meltdowns in New York City, it certainly seemed so.
7. His Big Adventure - Pee Wee exposed again (1991). Pee Wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) makes his first public appearance after having been arrested earlier that year in an adult movie theater for indecent exposure. "Heard any good jokes lately?" he quipped as the audience cheered.
The aftermath: For a brief moment it looked as though Reubens' alter ego would survive the incident, but the Pee Wee persona never did recover (another arrest for possession of obscene material in 2001 didn't help). But fans of the TV show "Pee Wee's Playhouse" can get the DVD. Just this week, it was announced that "Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special" will be out on DVD Oct. 19.
8. Dancing cheek-to-cheek - Prince's bottomless pants (1991). While singing his erotically charged single "Get Off," his Purpleness turns his back to the audience to reveal two bun-sized holes in his stylish yellow pants. And yes, the holes were intentional.
The aftermath: Prince hires a new tailor, wins a fight against his record label and reigns once again in 2004 with a new album and tour.
9. The Fartman cometh: Howard Stern airs it out (1992). Stern, as his infamous character Fartman, whose bottomless-pants costume was inspired by Prince's from the year before, floats down from the rafters as actor Luke Perry looks on.
The aftermath: Thankfully, the Fartman character disappears into the ether as Stern goes on to greater and greater glory. But as we all know, that infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004 put Stern back in the FCC's sights.
10. Behind the times - Marilyn Manson backs that thing up (1998). In one of the more frightening images in VMA history, Marilyn Manson dons a butt-baring bustier during his performance of "Beautiful People."
The aftermath: Manson would become the poster child for all the ills of America's youth and would be blamed for everything from school violence to the great black-mascara shortage of 1998.
-GENETTA M. ADAMS
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint options
The Video Music Awards show, which first aired in 1984, has earned a reputation for outrageous antics and unscripted, over-the-top stunts. (Remember Rage Against the Machine's Tim C. climbing on top of a stage sculpture as audiences urged him to jump?) But in the era of the "wardrobe malfunction" and increasing calls to clean up TV and radio broadcasts, the question is: Can this year's show retain its shock-and-awe value? These 10 risque moments - some planned, some not - helped make the VMAs more than just another awards show; more important, they made them worth watching:
1. The kiss that left tongues wagging - the Madonna and Britney liplock (2003). Pop tarts Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera join role model and original bad girl Madonna in a performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood." Madonna plants a big wet one on both Spears and Aguilera.
The aftermath: Boys and old men cheered; the media had a complete meltdown, as the image of Madonna and Spears appears over and over in newspapers, magazine and on television. Poor Aguilera is left out of the media feeding frenzy (the TV camera barely captured her moment with the Material Mom). Of course, this moment ups the ante on this year's VMAs and leaves us wondering whether they can top it.
2. The original "wardrobe malfunction" - Diana Ross reaches out and touches Lil' Kim (1999). Anyone who was shocked by Janet Jackson's exposed breast during the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show obviously hadn't seen the Video Music Awards five years earlier. Lil' Kim wears a purple-sequin outfit with her left breast almost entirely uncovered (she wore a star-shaped pastie, about the same size as Jackson's sun shield). Ross, unable to resist, jiggles Kim's exposed part.
The aftermath: The moment becomes one of the most indelible images in VMA history. Of course, five years later, a similar outfit would be blamed for the downfall of Western civilization.
3. Oops! Is she naked? - Britney bares it all...almost (2000). While singing the Rolling Stone's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," Spears rips away her slinky black outfit - and her innocent, bubblegum image - to reveal what can best be described as a flesh-toned skin suit.
The aftermath: Britney unleashed. The following year, she shimmies with a snake and follows that up with other outlandish stunts (see No. 1) before going on to become a serial bride.
4. The kiss that made us squirm - Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley "act" like a married couple (1994). It was seen as the perfect coupling - the King of Pop married to the daughter of The King. Jackson had just settled his case involving a child sex-abuse charge, so skeptics - which included nearly everyone - viewed the marriage, at best, as a publicity stunt.
The aftermath: The couple - shock! - divorced. Presley would later marry (and divorce) actor Nicolas Cage, and Jackson...is still dealing with child-abuse scandals.
5. Touched for the very first time - Madonna's "Virgin" voyage (1984). In the very first Video Music Awards telecast, Madonna - dressed in a racy wedding outfit - rolls around provocatively while singing "Like a Virgin."
The aftermath: Not only did the performance help launch the awards show and create a blueprint that would be copied by a younger generation (see No. 3), it helped catapult Madonna into the realm of superstardom.
6. The Courtney Jester - Love seeks attention from Madonna (1996). As MTV newsman Kurt Loder interviews Madonna from a set high above the street, Love tosses her makeup compact from below and then stumbles her way up to the platform. As Courtney rambles on, Madonna looks on with pity.
The aftermath: Was this an early cry for help? Given Love's ongoing trouble with the law and her recent meltdowns in New York City, it certainly seemed so.
7. His Big Adventure - Pee Wee exposed again (1991). Pee Wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) makes his first public appearance after having been arrested earlier that year in an adult movie theater for indecent exposure. "Heard any good jokes lately?" he quipped as the audience cheered.
The aftermath: For a brief moment it looked as though Reubens' alter ego would survive the incident, but the Pee Wee persona never did recover (another arrest for possession of obscene material in 2001 didn't help). But fans of the TV show "Pee Wee's Playhouse" can get the DVD. Just this week, it was announced that "Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special" will be out on DVD Oct. 19.
8. Dancing cheek-to-cheek - Prince's bottomless pants (1991). While singing his erotically charged single "Get Off," his Purpleness turns his back to the audience to reveal two bun-sized holes in his stylish yellow pants. And yes, the holes were intentional.
The aftermath: Prince hires a new tailor, wins a fight against his record label and reigns once again in 2004 with a new album and tour.
9. The Fartman cometh: Howard Stern airs it out (1992). Stern, as his infamous character Fartman, whose bottomless-pants costume was inspired by Prince's from the year before, floats down from the rafters as actor Luke Perry looks on.
The aftermath: Thankfully, the Fartman character disappears into the ether as Stern goes on to greater and greater glory. But as we all know, that infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004 put Stern back in the FCC's sights.
10. Behind the times - Marilyn Manson backs that thing up (1998). In one of the more frightening images in VMA history, Marilyn Manson dons a butt-baring bustier during his performance of "Beautiful People."
The aftermath: Manson would become the poster child for all the ills of America's youth and would be blamed for everything from school violence to the great black-mascara shortage of 1998.
-GENETTA M. ADAMS
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint options