A Double Standard Beyoncé And Kelly?

Beyoncé has copped a hiding in the media this week for using ten seconds of choreography from the Belgian ballet 'Rosas danst Rosas' in her amazing 'Countdown' video.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Kelly Rowland's 'Lay It On Me' video is an exact replica of Livvi Franc's 'Now I'm That Bitch' - albeit with more obvious cock references - but that revelation has been greeted with overwhelming silence.

Why the double standard?

It's obvious that picking on Bey has become something of a hobby for certain blogs because she generates traffic for them but play fair.

The great irony is that 'Countdown' clearly pays homage to women in musicals from different eras - be it Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, Debbie Allen in Fame or that nobody in the obscure ballet that three people had seen until last week.

Kelly, on the other hand, just recycled the work of one of her contemporaries - down to the latex strips and adults-only human pyramid.

And it's not like Livvi Franc is an old or obscure artist.

"Now I'm That Bitch" was a number one club hit in the US two years ago and the stunning diva even conversed with me to promote that epic club-banger in one of my favourite interviews!

Now tell me, who showed imagination and creativity and who is the sticky-fingered thief?

The difference according to some commentators is the fact that the same woman directed 'Now I'm That Bitch' and 'Lay It On Me'.

But by that reasoning shouldn't the blame for 'Countdown' be placed squarely on Adria Petty's shoulders? It's not like Beyoncé directed it herself.

Instead, she had the decency to admit that the ballet was a reference and went about her business.

What does Ms Kelly have to say for herself? Nothing.

The thing is I don't blame her either. I'm sure she didn't want to release an exact copy of a rival's video. But this shit happens because everything has been done before.

It just seems that some people are put to a higher standard due to their record-breaking career and legacy as the millennium's greatest talent.

Watch 'Now I'm That Bitch' and 'Lay It On Me' to see true recycling in action.

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Pictures via Necole Bitchie.