Heat Is on Perez Hilton for Miley Cyrus Photo

tlhn · 06-16-2010, 02:19 AM

Blogger Perez Hilton is facing widespread outrage, and possibly legal trouble, for posting an apparently explicit paparazzi shot of Miley Cyrus taken when the pop star was climbing out of a car.

Hilton, 32, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr., posted the offending photo on Monday. He has since removed it. But since it exposed Cyrus, 17 – a minor – he could potentially face child-pornography charges.

Reaction to his posting of the image – which PEOPLE will not reproduce, even in a censored form – has been swift and damning, with Tuesday's morning talk shows full of anger and recrimination at Hilton.

Cyrus, herself, blasted the release of the photo. "Isn’t it funny that things like that, that are so negative have to come out right before my record?" she told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show.

Cyrus, whose new record is called Can't Be Tamed, added: "It’s like no one can let positive things happen. All I do is focus on the positive and I hope this record does well."

RELATED: Miley Cyrus Does Not Want to be a Gleek, Thank You

Jeffrey Douglas, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney specializing in child pornography cases, told Salon.com that it was "suicidal" for Hilton to distribute the image. "We're not talking about a misdemeanor," he said. "You don't have to know what the definition of the law is; all you have to do is knowingly distribute the photograph."

Even if, as some have suggested, the image has been Photoshopped, that would not absolve Hilton. "That is still a crime, and it is punishable just the same," says Douglas, adding that even clearly manipulated images – a child's head Photoshopped onto an adult's body, for example – is punishable under the law.

In a video posted on his Web site Tuesday afternoon, Perez Hilton addresses what he calls the "fake" controversy. "Sure I like to be controversial," he says, "but I don't want to go to jail." He then adds that Cyrus was "clearly" not showing anything inappropriate.

Cyrus has not commented.

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06-16-2010, 02:19 AM	#1
tlhn Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: SanDiegoSuperChargers Posts: 3,312	Heat Is on Perez Hilton for Miley Cyrus Photo Blogger Perez Hilton is facing widespread outrage, and possibly legal trouble, for posting an apparently explicit paparazzi shot of Miley Cyrus taken when the pop star was climbing out of a car. Hilton, 32, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr., posted the offending photo on Monday. He has since removed it. But since it exposed Cyrus, 17 – a minor – he could potentially face child-pornography charges. Reaction to his posting of the image – which PEOPLE will not reproduce, even in a censored form – has been swift and damning, with Tuesday's morning talk shows full of anger and recrimination at Hilton. Cyrus, herself, blasted the release of the photo. "Isn’t it funny that things like that, that are so negative have to come out right before my record?" she told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show. Cyrus, whose new record is called Can't Be Tamed, added: "It’s like no one can let positive things happen. All I do is focus on the positive and I hope this record does well." RELATED: Miley Cyrus Does Not Want to be a Gleek, Thank You Jeffrey Douglas, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney specializing in child pornography cases, told Salon.com that it was "suicidal" for Hilton to distribute the image. "We're not talking about a misdemeanor," he said. "You don't have to know what the definition of the law is; all you have to do is knowingly distribute the photograph." Even if, as some have suggested, the image has been Photoshopped, that would not absolve Hilton. "That is still a crime, and it is punishable just the same," says Douglas, adding that even clearly manipulated images – a child's head Photoshopped onto an adult's body, for example – is punishable under the law. In a video posted on his Web site Tuesday afternoon, Perez Hilton addresses what he calls the "fake" controversy. "Sure I like to be controversial," he says, "but I don't want to go to jail." He then adds that Cyrus was "clearly" not showing anything inappropriate. Cyrus has not commented. Attached Thumbnails