High Fidelity

Who saw this one coming? That question could be a reference to the topic on this week's High Fidelity (I have lost my imagination and rely on pop culture events to occur to cultivate a top-five list), or Adam Lambert's performance at the American Music Awards. To recap his performance, the American Idol finalist made out with his keyboardist, simulated oral sex with a dancer, and grabbed the crotch of another performer. Although this sounds like a typical evening at my house, the fact that the individuals he groped were also males made this event quite controversial. I personally feel this performance was genius, as Lambert received more media attention than he ever would have as purely an American Idol.
So where does this controversy rank? As it was a fairly recent event, it is very tough to gage. However, I have tried to determine the most controversial moments during award shows through a number of criterions. The first is the amount of complaints it received by the various governing bodies. The next set of measures was the amount of fines and the impact the event had of the performer's career or award show. 5.) "Kanye steals the mic from Taylor Swift" - MTV Video Awards 2009
When the President of the United States calls you a "jackass" for your actions, you've done something wrong. Kanye has been off the radar since the incident.

4.) "The entire 2000 MTV Music Awards" - MTV Video Awards 2000
Where do I begin with this one? Tim Commerford (bassist of Rage Against the Machine) spent a night in jail after climbing scaffolding and threatening to jump, after Limp Bizkit won Best Rock Video. Britney Spears performance featured her in skin-coloured attire. Finally, Whitney Houston's erratic behaviour, including jumping up and down and shouting "free" in reference to on-again, off again boyfriend Bobby Brown's recent jail release. Can you say "train wreck"?

3.) "Vanessa Redgrave's Acceptance Speech" - 1977 Oscar Awards
Redgrave had won the Best Supporting Actress Award for her role in Julia that year. During her speech she insulted the Zionist movement, which ticked off a majority of the audience. Jewish groups around the world burned effigies and picketed the award ceremony the following year.

2.) "Madonna Kisses Britney" a.k.a. Awesomeness - MTV Video Awards 2003
This moment has been revisited recently, due to the similarities and double-standard seen in the Lambert controversy listed above. The moment did cause quite a stir, and evoked thousands of complaints to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and PTC (Parents Television Council).

1.) "Wardrobe malfunction" a.k.a. Nipplegate - Super Bowl Halftime Show XXXVII
So this may not be an award show, but it's still one of the most influential moments in television history, so it fit. You might say "No shit, Sherlock" to this one, but seriously, Justin Timberlake uncovering Janet Jackson's nipple led to tighter control of content by television station owners. The event received the largest fine in FCC history ($550,000), and increased per indecency violations from $27,500 to $325,000. The moment had over 540,000 complaints to the FCC and led to a number of shows being heavily scrutinized as well as tighter television content regulations altogether.