US star Miley Cyrus joins a long list of celebrities who choose to accessorise with a joint by appearing to light one on stage at the recent MTV Europe Music awards held in Amsterdam.
The 20-year-old performed twice during the ceremony, opening the show with We Can't Stop, in which she "twerked" with a dwarf. Later she accepted her award for best video for Wrecking Ball. "I couldn't fit this award in my bag, but I did find this," she said holding up a dubious-looking cigarette before lighting it up and inhaling.
Fans in the Netherlands did not seem to find Cyrus's move offensive and although several newspapers insisted that Cyrus had "sparked controversy", few critics have come out to condemn the move.
The singer, who hit the headlines for twerking with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Awards in New York, has not been shy about her love of marijuana. In September she told Rolling Stone: "I think weed is the best drug on earth."
Cannabis is not legal in the Netherlands but it is sold openly in cafes and you will not be prosecuted for having less than five grams in your possession.
MTV removed the section from its US broadcast when it aired the awards show hours later, but Cyrus's appearance nevertheless dominated reporting of the event.
Showbiz reporter Kevin Hughes said: "If you want everybody watching your award show in 2013 when television figures for music shows and award shows are in decline then you need to book Miley Cyrus, who is the hottest property in music in 2013. She knows exactly what she is doing. She delivered it on stage in New York and once again in Amsterdam."
Tweeters did, however, seem concerned about Cyrus's dangerously skimpy white bodysuit, with several people calling for her to "cover up her crotch".
During the awards section of the event Eminem picked up best hip hop act and the global icon award. Bruno Mars won best song, while Katy Perry picked up best female. Justin Bieber, currently on a worldwide tour, won best male but did not attend the ceremony.
MTV European Music Awards top winners:
Best video: Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
Best UK and Ireland act: One Direction
Global icon award: Eminem
Best song: Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars
Best female: Katy Perry
Thomas L. Blair is a sociologist and political blogger on the Chronicleworld 'for creative renewal in Black Britain and Afro-Europe'. His work is honoured in the British Library's archive of "social, historic and culturally significant web-based material from the UK domain". He won top prize in the blogging competition on The-Latest.
Sumantra Maitra is a freelance journalist from Mumbai, India. He is a correspondent for All Sports magazine, and a foreign affairs blogger for the Washington Examiner. He has written articles for news website Merinews.com and other regional publications. Sumantra runs a blog at DailyWorldWatch.wordpress.com. He provided exclusive eyewitness reports for The-Latest on the Mumbai bombings of 2008.
Brian Usher is photography consultant for The-Latest.Com. He is a highly experienced editorial and commercial photographer whose work has been published throughout the world, appearing in many well known magazines and newspapers. Brian has featured in several books and has been a writer for the Royal Photographic Society magazine.
Heidi Kingstone has spent time in Afghanistan reporting for a number of publications. Her work has appeared in the Financial Times, The Spectator, The Sunday Times and other international journals. She has also reported from places like Iraq, Rwanda, Lebanon, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. Heidi is The-Latest's Editor at large.
latest comments