ONTD

1:43 pm - 07/29/2012

Olympic Choreographer “Disheartened" NBC Cut His Entire Victims Tribute



“Our program is tailored for the U.S. television audience,” NBC responds.

“It’s a credit to (ceremony director) Danny Boyle that it required so little editing.”


Choreographer Akram Khan, whose "Abide With Me" tribute performance (which you can watch here) at last night's opening ceremony, was visibly shocked to learn NBC had edited out his performance when the network aired the ceremony in tape delay, choosing instead to air a Ryan Seacrest interview with Michael Phelps.

The performance was widely interpreted as a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 London bombings, as well as people who passed away before the 2012 Olympics.

Khan was silent, then he explained to the room and the reporter that this was the first he heard this news. You could see Khan was upset, stunned, shaken and disappointed all in an instant.

Khan's dance director and partner in the performance Farooq Chaudhry told Nicholas Wolaver "It's disgraceful U.S. media could make that decision and [I] would like to know why. Khan later said, "I am really sad that I couldn’t show the work in America, and that really upsets me, because I don‘t think it’s any more or less than the other pieces. It brings to mind the question … that maybe it’s too truthful...Is it not accessible enough? Is it not commercial enough?”

“Our program is tailored for the U.S. television audience,” said NBC Sports spokesman Greg Hughes in a statement. “It’s a credit to (ceremony director) Danny Boyle that it required so little editing.”

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starswept 29th-Jul-2012 05:32 am (UTC)
That's really unfortunate. I probably wouldn't want to know what he said about my country (Canada) if all he had to say about Australia (which does really well at the summer Games and thus should have offered lots of potential comments about the athletes) was that it started as a convict colony! On the bright side, given all the outcry about this, hopefully NBC will fix things for you Americans by Sochi at least, even if they've screwed up London :(
psubookworm27 29th-Jul-2012 05:33 am (UTC)
the other networks just need to get their shit together, outbid them next time and then, of course, do a better job.
starswept 29th-Jul-2012 05:34 am (UTC)
Yeah, that would be ideal if NBC doesn't already hold the rights for the next Games! (no idea if they do or not)
psubookworm27 29th-Jul-2012 05:36 am (UTC)
I'm not sure how long they hold them for at this point. Probably at least the next games :/
galagooo 29th-Jul-2012 06:26 am (UTC)
Until 2020.
psubookworm27 29th-Jul-2012 06:27 am (UTC)
aw damn.
carryinon23 1st-Aug-2012 05:48 am (UTC)
I know I'm a few days late but I just happened upon this post because it was featured and anyways...

I heard that the other networks don't even want the Olympics because it costs so much money and they actually lose money usually by airing them because they don't get a lot of viewers. Which is probably why this year they're airing them in primetime and pissing everyone off. ... Idk... that's what I heard about awhile back. Don't know how accurate it is as I think it was some exec saying it in defense of the network. It was around when all the Jay Leno/Conan crap was going on and they were trying to make themselves look charitable or some shit. Like, "Money isn't our priority... If it was we wouldn't air the Olympics."
psubookworm27 1st-Aug-2012 05:56 am (UTC)
hmmm. Could be. But that doesn't bode well for the future at all D: Their coverage just sucks this year.
happeninfish 29th-Jul-2012 03:42 pm (UTC)
Oh fucking CTV had shitty enough commentators, mispronouncing country names left and right, and my favourite: "Zimbabwe is getting a standing ovation... I guess you take it where you can get it."
mothflavour 31st-Jul-2012 05:56 am (UTC)
He didn't actually say that though. He said that the Zimbabwean athletes really seemed to be enjoying the standing ovation. I guess you take it where you can get it. Not offensive in my opinion, just lighthearted joking. Obviously there is not going to be a huge Zimbabwean crowd in London.

tl;dr Inappropriate quotation marks
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