Apology for "topless" New Year's Eve shock

[Lilith]

(gg)

TOKYO, (Reuters Life!) - A troupe of dancers in
skin-colored body suits had Japanese national
broadcaster NHK apologizing to viewers for what seemed
to be a full-scale Janet Jackson-style wardrobe
malfunction during its New Year's Eve music special.

The dancers, who all appeared to be topless and wore
skimpy bikini-style bottoms and feathered
head-dresses, covered the stage during a performance
by singer DJ OZMA, prompting about 250 viewers to
phone in and complain.

"The dancers were wearing body suits, but we apologize
for any misunderstanding," a presenter announced
toward the end of the 57th annual "Red and White Song
Contest."

"I guess it looked a bit too real," local media quoted
the singer as telling reporters after the show, which
regularly tops viewer ratings on New Year's Eve in Japan.

[gekkogecko]

The "offensive" video can be found here:

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2810165

I offer this of course, merely so you can judge for yoruself if it is too riské for Japanese broadcast television. :kissass:

[jseal]

Gentlefolk,

I shall defer to dicksbro’s sense of what may or may not be inappropriate for Japanese national television (he has, I believe, been there and I have not), but as the female body suits are obviously designed to give the impressions that those dancers were naked from the waist up – ref 3’ 08” onward – I can believe that some of the audience of a show “which regularly tops viewer ratings on New Year's Eve in Japan” might prefer a less outré performance.

[Lilith]

When watching the Super Bowl I don't expect to see ta tas either :D

[dicksbro]

Well, I can at least understand why some might have been deceived into believing that the ladies were really nude. The attached is a blowup of one frame of the video, and, while grainy, it does suggest the deception was a very good one.

Japan is really a very conservative nation ... especially in terms of public displays, so, it's not a surprise that some complaints were registered. But, I suspect 250 is not a large number for the highest rated show on a New Year's Eve.

Now, as I would say (in Japanese, of course) ... Suki desu!

(I like it!)

[Scarecrow]

I will add that in the early '70s it was not unusual to see women nude from the waist up on Japans TV stations in the late evenings. We would watch these show on base and in the bars down town. The only thing not allowed to be showen was the pubic area, even Playboy was airbrushed to cover the pubic area. And as DB stated, only 250 complaining out of Thousands of veiwers it would not seem to be a very large number.

[Steph]

Are you sure they weren't calling in to complain about DJ Ozma's song, "Bounce with me?"

[lakritze]

Let me see,the other dancer in the picture was a guy dressed the same way and showing some nipples to. So that means that only 1/2 of the dancers were objected to by the verklempt in Japan. Only question is,which 1/2?

[jseal]

... Only question is,which 1/2?
The fee for the answer charged to CBS by the FTC came to $550,000.