Bret Michaels Reveals Messed-Up Face, Rips Tony Producers

Thu., Jun. 11, 2009 12:25 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg

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Bret Michaels wants action—or at least a hug.

The Poison frontman took to his website today to post photos of his busted-up mug along with a statement ripping Tony Award organizers in the wake of his literally smashing performance at the weekend ceremony.

As you no doubt recall, Michaels took a prop upside the head while performing in the opening number with the Rock of Ages cast. Michaels wound up with a fractured nose and stiches in his lip—not to mention the butt of a joke from host Neil Patrick Harris, who quipped that Michaels "gave headbanging new meaning." A spokesman for the show seemed to blame the mishap on the rocker, saying Michaels "missed his mark."

And Team Bret has had enough...

"I find it surprising that a Tony spokesperson would brush off this incident...with no mention of concern for his condition," publicist Janna Elias says in the online statement.

"If everyone at the Tonys were aware that Bret missed his mark then they should have been aware enough to stop the set piece from hitting him or at least slowed it down until he cleared the stage. I feel had this incident happened to Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton or Elton John the Tonys would have at least issued a letter of concern."

And she doesn't stop there.

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"Brett has performed live, with Poison or solo, for over 20 years and on a daily basis is around pyro, lasers and a moving light show. He understands that there is always an element of risk in any live performance, but Bret entrusts his safety to the crew whose job it is to make sure the show goes off without a hitch," the publicist continues.

Elias added: "[But] in this situation Bret was not on his stage but was at the mercy of the Tonys. He was performing on the Tonys stage and had the reasonable expectation that that safety of the artist was a priority and at no time did he do anything over the top or outlandish that would have put himself or others in a dangerous situation."

Another rep, Bob Wallerstein, says that instead of going to Tony afterparties, Michaels spent his post-show time being treated by medical personnel backstage (not doing shots backstage, as Harris quipped.)

Michaels' camp stressed that the situation was no laughing matter, cautioning that "the full extent of his injuries remains to be seen until all the X-rays are back."