Justin Timberlake Accepts Grammy with an Apology
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bowing to pressure from CBS, Justin Timberlake used his Grammy acceptance speech on Sunday to apologize again for last week’s Super Bowl halftime show, when he tore off part of Janet Jackson’s outfit and exposed her right breast.
“I know it’s been a rough week on everybody,” Timberlake said. “And what occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable and I apologize if you guys were offended.”
CBS, which televised both the Grammys and the Super Bowl, had insisted that Timberlake and Jackson apologize on air as a condition for appearing at the annual awards show as planned.
The network, in a statement, said that Timberlake had accepted on those terms, but that Jackson had declined.
CBS, which said it had “serious reservations” about the planned Grammy appearances by Timberlake and Jackson, took the unusual step of broadcasting the awards show with a five-minute tape delay to prevent any further embarrassment after Jackson’s breast was exposed before the biggest television audience of the year.
“This is officially the greatest moment of my life. Thank you,” said Timberlake, who was accepting his second Grammy of the evening.
In opening the award envelope, presenter Jakob Dylan offered a word of apparently tongue-in-cheek caution before reading Timberlake’s name: “Behave,” he said.
Timberlake won for best male pop vocal performance in “Cry Me a River.” His album “Justified” was earlier named best pop vocal album.
Jackson did not to attend the music industry’s most prestigious awards. She had been scheduled to present a special Grammy to Luther Vandross, immediately following Timberlake’s appearance on stage.
Jackson had apologized for the Super Bowl show in a videotaped statement earlier this week.
The Super Bowl halftime show touched off a Federal Communications Commission probe, a proposed class action lawsuit and hours of discussion on the Web and talk shows.
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