Pussycat Dolls' Malay Melee

08/10/2006 3:17 PM, E! Online


Apparently, Malaysian authorities do not wish their girlfriends--or anybody else--were hot like the Pussycat Dolls.

Officials in the Southeast Asian country have fined the organizers of a Pussycat Dolls concert last month for violating indecency laws by allowing the all-girl act to don skimpy outfits and perform "sexually suggestive routines" during the gig.

According to the Malay Mail, tour promoter Absolute Entertainment has been issued a fine of 10,000 Ringgits--roughly $2,714--by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council, the governing body of the Kuala Lumpur suburb where the July 26 concert took place.

"I believe the way the Pussycat Dolls behaved on stage amounted to gross indecency," Rais Yatim, the country's cultural minister, told the newspaper. "The Pussycat Dolls reportedly put on a show which not only featured scantily-dressed performers but also included sensuous elements."

Of course, it was only "reportedly," since no one from the council was actually present to monitor the concert, a fact which the body's president, Mohamad Arif Abdul Rahman, said the group took advantage of.

"The Pussycat Dolls were guilty of performing sexually suggestive routines on stage," he told the Malay Mail. "In terms of their eye-popping attire, well, there's a lot of proof of that from our sources and the media."

Per the newspaper, the council intends on taking their complaint to court should the promoter not pony up the fine.

A spokesman for Absolute Entertainment told the Associated Press that company reps were meeting with the council this week to attempt to resolve the situation without resorting to any legal action.

It's not the first time the country's Islamic leadership has enforced strict rules for visiting performers.

In 2003, Linkin Park took to the stage in Kuala Lumpur despite protests from several religious groups over concerns that the group's performance would corrupt the morals of Malaysian youths.

The government refused to ban the concert, but did issue "artist performance ethics" for the group to comply with. The Grammy winners were not allowed to wear shorts, curse, jump around on stage, engage in violent or erotic behavior or shout in front of the sold-out crowd.

Must've made for one heck of a mosh pit.

The rules extended to Mariah Carey the following year, with protestors claiming her appearance would encourage moral degradation among the kids.

They may have had a point there.

As for the Pussycat Dolls, the "Don't Cha" singers performed for a sold-out audience as part of their world tour.

The Dolls themselves--Ashley Roberts, Melody Thornton, Kimberly Wyatt, Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar and Jessica Sutta--are an offshoot of the burlesque dance act created 10 years ago.

Last week, the group announced plans to, as they say, extend the brand and kick off a nationwide TV search for a seventh member of the troupe. The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll will air this season on the CW network.