Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton on Tuesday sought to defuse a media furor he created by posting a picture on his Twitter account that seemed to suggest teen pop star Miley Cyrus had been photographed without wearing underwear.

The snapshot showed the "Hannah Montana" Disney idol, 17, climbing out of a car while wearing a short, white dress. The space between her legs was pixilated and carried a "warning" notice in Hilton's Twitter posting, which has some 2 million followers.

Although the photo was later removed, it sparked a flurry of news reports and talk among celebrity watchers over whether L.A.-based Hilton could be prosecuted for distributing child pornography, given that Cyrus is still a minor under U.S. law.

In a video riposte, Hilton said the controversy was as fake as the photo because Cyrus was "clearly wearing underwear."

"Do you think Miley is that stupid to be out in public without panties?" he said. "Do you think I am stupid enough to post a photo of Miley if she is not wearing any underwear down there?"

Hilton said he had posted the photo to highlight the "very unladylike fashion" in which Cyrus was getting out of the car.

The blogger's stunt coincides with moves by the teen singer to shed her squeaky-clean Disney image by releasing a raunchy music video for her new single "Can't Be Tamed," pretending to kiss a female dancer on stage and wearing figure-hugging black bodices.

Source: Reuters