Actor and author Alan Thicke defended the dance seen on stage at the Video Music Awards on Sunday, saying that the stated mission of the awards is “shock and awe.”
The dance in question had musician and actress Miley Cyrus gyrating on Alan’s son Robin Thicke, a singer and songwriter. It has sparked a range of discussions regarding whether it was appropriate or in good taste.
“The stated mission of the VMAs is shock and awe, not shucks and ahhh like a family sitcom,” said Alan Thicke on Twitter on Monday.
“Anyone expecting the VMAs to have Growing Pains sensibilities does not watch videos and should be familiar with content before watching with children,” he added. “Don’t complain, supervise!”
On the other hand, Robin Thicke’s mother Gloria Loring has come out against the dance.
“I just keep thinking of her mother and father watching this,” she told Yahoo. “I was not expecting her to be putting her butt that close to my son. The problem is now I can never ‘unsee’ it.”
She did enjoy her son’s part of the performance.
“Him? Loved it. I love that suit, the black and white suit. I don’t understand what Miley Cyrus is trying to do. I just don’t understand. I think she’s misbegotten in this attempt of hers,” Loring said. “And I think it was not beneficial.”
Sources close to Paula Patton, Robin Thicke’s wife, told TMZ that she was fine with the performance and “knew it wasn’t going to be G-rated.”
Meanwhile, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley’s father, tweeted a message that appeared to relate to the criticism his daughter has been receiving.
“Thanking God for so many blessings tonight,” he said. “Continue to pray for world peace. More love ...less hate.”
Cyrus told Entertainment Online on Tuesday that he'll always be supportive of Miley.
“Of course I'll always be here for Miley,” he said. “Can’t wait see her when she gets home. She’s still my little girl and I’m still her Dad regardless how this circus we call show business plays out. I love her unconditionally and that will never change.”
Representing people who were upset with the dance, the Parents Television Council condemned the performance in a statement.
“MTV has once again succeeded in marketing sexually charged messages to young children using former child stars and condom commercials -- while falsely rating this program as appropriate for kids as young as 14,” it said. “This is unacceptable.”
Miley Cyrus is a former child star. She acted in several television series before skyrocketing to fame while starring in the Disney show Hannah Montana from 2006 through early 2011.
Robin Thicke was happy about Sunday’s performance, tweeting a picture of himself smiling afterward.
Miley was also enthused after the performance, tweeting: “Smilers! My VMA performance had 306.000 tweets per minute. That’s more than the blackout or Superbowl! #fact.”
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