Aw, shucks
CBS Says Grammys Won't Become the Anatomy Awards
By Lisa de Moraes
Wednesday, February 4, 2004; Page C01
Listen up Christina Aguilera, Britney, Lil' Kim and Pink: Should you decide to bare your breasts at Sunday's live Grammy Awards ceremony in a show of support for Janet Jackson's right to freedom of expression, it will not be seen on national television.
And Justin Timberlake, honey, if you suffer another of those fits of "wardrobe malfunction" that cause you to rip clothes off women, CBS is there to save you from yourself.
The network announced yesterday that its engineers are working overtime to make sure they will have the technology in place to zap all clothing-challenged moments from Sunday's trophy show. Or any other non-broadcastable action on the part of performers and presenters, for that matter.
Using a five-second delay, CBS has long had the ability to cut audio from the live Grammy broadcast, which it has aired since 1973.
Starting Sunday, an "enhanced delay" of still undetermined length, combined with new technology, will allow for split-second video editing as well, designed to prevent another of those revealing moments that made CBS's telecast of the MTV-produced AOL TopSpeed Super Bowl Halftime Show so memorable.
At the end of their halftime performance, Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest, ripped off the right cup of her bodice and revealed her breast.
CBS Executive Vice President Marty Franks told The TV Column yesterday that the network began working on this video editing system almost immediately after Jackson's appearance Sunday night.
He and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves "spoke about 12:30 [a.m.] on Super Bowl Monday, and he asked me to see if there was some way to figure out how to do this for the Grammys," Franks said.
Asked to explain in nontechnical terms how it works, Franks said, "It's a combination of computer software and very high-tech tape machines." He added, "It's very expensive -- the tab is still running."
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which puts on the Grammy Awards, said yesterday that Jackson and Timberlake will appear on the show, despite their Super Bowl stunt, which provided Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell with the rocket fuel he needed to power his Pro-Consolidation but Anti-Smut Machine.
"Janet is still scheduled to be a presenter and Justin is still scheduled to be a performer," NARAS representative Ron Roecker said, according to a Reuters report.
However, when asked whether the two singers will actually appear, sources close to the situation said, "It's a long week." A CBS rep refused to confirm that J&J were still on board.
