The Velvet Rope
Janet Jackson is booted from Grammys. Despite earlier assurances she'd be allowed to serve as a presenter, she's disinvited in the wake of Super Bowl controversy by Gary Susman
Looks like Grammy viewers won't see Janet Jackson's nipple -- or any other part of her. A day after the Recording Academy said that she would still appear on the telecast, TV's ''Access Hollywood'' and ''Entertainment Tonight'' are both reporting that she's been disinvited from Sunday's awards ceremony. There's no official word yet from CBS or the Recording Academy, but Jackson publicist Stephen Huvane told CNN on Wednesday: ''We don't think she's going to go.''
It's not clear whether Jackson's disinvitation is connected to her Super Bowl stunt, for which the FCC could fine CBS millions of dollars. (Jackson has stated that network executives didn't know about the stunt in advance.) After all, Justin Timberlake, who was Jackson's striptease partner, is still scheduled to perform (he's also in contention for five Grammy awards). According to ''ET,'' the ostensible reason has to do with the ailing Luther Vandross. Jackson was initially slated to introduce a tribute to the singer, but since he's too ill to attend, Jackson was told her services won't be needed, ''ET'' reports. Vandross' publicist told ''ET'' he was unaware that Jackson was to introduce the tribute. And in any case, the homage, featuring Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, and Richard Marx, is still scheduled to go on.
When reached late Wednesday by EW.com, reps for both CBS and the Recording Academy declined to comment.
(Posted:02/04/04)
So Janet gets the boot, but Justin is still going to perform. Yeah, that's fair.
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