ABC Calls Delay for NFL Kickoff
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – ABC and the NFL aren’t taking any chances with this week’s kickoff show, the first time football has had an entertainment-style revue since the notorious “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show in February.
There will be a 10-second delay in the telecast of the hourlong “NFL Opening Kickoff,” an otherwise live musical event from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., and Jacksonville, Fla. The season’s first game has last year’s champions, the New England Patriots, playing host to the Indianapolis Colts.
ABC insisted on a five-second delay in the broadcast, according to Charles Coplin, the kickoff show’s co-executive producer and vp programing at the NFL. ABC requires all live entertainment programing carried on the network to have a five-second delay, ABC Sports spokesman Mark Mandel said. “That was in effect before the Super Bowl (controversy),” he said.
Added Coplin on his way to Foxboro on Tuesday to oversee the production: “I think it’s a precaution. I have no plans on using it. I would be surprised by using it, but there are always things that could go out of control.”
Performers include Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz and Toby Keith, along with a newly reunited Destiny’s Child.
Burned by the experience at the last Super Bowl, when Janet Jackson bared a breast during a performance with Justin Timberlake, the NFL took control over its entertainment destiny. The league now develops the content and works directly with the performers; it has control over song selection, wardrobe and staging, for instance. Coplin said the NFL wants to make sure that everything’s appropriate.
“(The performers) understand what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate, and that’s very much a part of who we chose” to perform, Coplin said.
The NFL, which is always a ratings winner for ABC on Monday night, is going to face some tough competition when it bows Thursday. Leading the competition will be the premieres of “Joey” and “The Apprentice,” both on NBC.
But that’s not the only storm Thursday’s game and show will face. Coplin said it isn’t clear whether damage from Hurricane Frances, which hit Jacksonville over the weekend, will alter the plans to have Jessica Simpson sing from there as scheduled. Coplin wasn’t sure about that, but he had other weather-related concerns in mind, too. It isn’t supposed to stop raining in Massachusetts until Thursday at the earliest.
“We could really use a clear night and clear rehearsals,” Coplin said. “I don’t think we’re going to have any luck.”
Categories