Pole-dancing Pamela cut from Elton John TV special

Pamela Anderson and pole dancing proved too hot for American TV giant NBC, which dropped a number featuring the actress in a sexy big-screen video from an Elton John television special.

Elton John: The Red Piano, a Las Vegas extravaganza taped at Caesars Palace, was shown on Monday night without the segment in which Sir Elton sang The Bitch Is Back while an oversized screen behind him displayed a scantily-clad Anderson.

The former Baywatch star moved suggestively around a dance pole in the number, which was included in preview copies sent out to critics.

After an assessment by its standards and practices department the network decided the material was not appropriate for the time slot.

“We believed the content was not appropriate for 8pm-7 central time and decided to pull the song from the special,” NBC said.

A call seeking comment from Anderson, who stars in the Fox sitcom Stacked, was not immediately returned yesterday.

Left intact were Elton John classics including Daniel and Rocket Man, as well as another big-screen video that featured Justin Timberlake as a young Elton.

Pop star Timberlake is no stranger to TV controversy: He was part of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show, in which her breast was briefly exposed when Timberlake yanked on her costume.