The European telecommunications group recruited fans from all over Europe to appear in the video when it was shot in Budapest.
The two-second “gay kiss” has been pixelated, presumably to save embarrassing the children, in a version of the video directed by Dave Meyers for delivery to TV channels under a cross-promotional deal with Deutsche Telekom. More shocking, apparently, are the pyrotechnic depictions of a mugging, a cancer patient, a woman giving birth and two men kissing. The ludicrous widescreen promo, which they say “plays out the song’s message of self-belief” (yuk), shows fireworks shooting from Perry’s chest, and from the bodies of prancing extras. ❚ CENSORSHIP! OH DEARIE ME! Digital Spy reports this weekend that the lavish video for Firework - the single currently No 4 in this week’s UK chart by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry - has been censored for British television channels.
