Justin Bieber Gets Defensive Over 'German' Controversy

Wonderwall, Friday, May 7, 2010, 12:30pm (PDT)

By Dana Flax

After a recent video-oops sent a shock wave over the Internet, Justin Bieber has taken to Twitter to defend himself.

In a recent interview held on New Zealand TV, the teen heartthrob fumbled over the word "German" saying, "We don't say that in America."

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"Because I thought this interviewer in NZ said 'Jewman' instead of 'German' people think I don't know what German is?" Bieber later tweeted, referring to his interviewer's Kiwi accent.

In the clip, the interviewer asked him, "Bieber ... is German for 'basketball,' true or false?" and then showed Justin his note card when the star appeared to be confused by the word.

(The word "basketball" in German is, in fact, "basketball," not "Bieber.")

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Bieber even linked to another clip -- one, which he said, proved his familiarity with Germany and its native tongue.

"Old interview where I count in GERMAN and translate my own name. Guess I know what German is," he tweeted. "Guess home schooling is working out. Do your research next time b4 making a lame attempt at hating on a 16 year old."

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