ABC’s parent company, Disney is reviewing the steps it takes to vet live performances in the wake of Adam Lambert’s American Music Awards performance.
I’m not sure how Disney can stop artists from improvising on stage, unless they spell out the consequences of deviating from rehearsal up front. It’ll be interesting to see how future live performance shows play out.
BTW, I think Disney knew they wouldn’t have a problem with Adam on GMA, they canceled his performance to punish him and show him who’s boss. Disney was also setting Adam up as an example, so that artists will think twice before they go off script.
via Reuters
Disney/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney told Reuters that in reaction to the Lambert performance, Disney was reviewing the steps it takes to vet live performances by getting assurances from artists that their stage shows will resemble their rehearsals, and using contractual obligations to hold them to that.
“We certainly don’t want to suppress artistry at any level, but we also have to be very cognizant of who our audience is, ” Sweeney said at the Reuters Media Summit on Monday.
She added that it was the right decision for ABC to cancel Lambert’s scheduled performance on “Good Morning America, ” noting that many children watch the morning news show.
“We really had to take the decision very seriously and found that his performance was very unpredictable at night and (we) didn’t know what to expect in the morning, ” she said.