Mariah Carey fires back about New Year’s debacle
The biggest headline coming out of the annual ball drop party in Times Square is easily the debacle surrounding Mariah Carey’s performance … or lack thereof. Where you land on this story depends entirely on what version of the story you’ve read.
Maybe you heard that she was lip syncing and when the track was off, she just gave up. Maybe you heard that her monitors were not working properly and she couldn’t hear the backing track over the crowd. Maybe you’re with the camp who scoffs at any performer who lip syncs at a major show … or maybe you’re a longtime fan who understands why that may be the best choice.
What’s beyond dispute is this: Carey struggled through most of her performance, rarely singing and, at one point, just giving up and asking the crowd to sing for her. Most of the TV audience could hear the pre-recorded backing track, though it’s unclear at this point if Carey could. She certainly didn’t seem able to. Remember, this is someone who has sung these songs countless times at umpteen concerts across many years. Chances are, she would probably muddle through if she could hear okay. But, she didn’t … for whatever reason.
After the performance, Carey tweeted out her frustrations, because, of course, she did. And, by the next morning, the catastrophe was international news.
Wherever you land on this issue, you can bet the headlines will expect you to choose a side. Carey and the production company who put on the show certainly expect you to.
Responding to media questions after the mess of a show, Carey’s representative, Nicole Perna, blamed technical difficulties, telling Billboard Magazine, “She was not winging this moment and took it very seriously… A shame that production set her up to fail.”
Perna went on to say that Carey was complaining her earpiece wasn’t working properly, but the production crew insisted it would be fine once she went out on stage. Obviously, it was not.
Responding to the Carey camp’s allegation that her performance was somehow “sabotaged,” Dick Clark Productions, the company that puts on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve every year, is now firing back.
In a statement, Dick Clark Productions called Perna’s statements, “absurd…” before adding, “As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists… To suggest that dcp (Dick Clark Productions), as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous, and frankly absurd.”
Maybe you think they’re protesting too much. Maybe you agree with DCP. One thing’s for sure, this issue will be “debated” and “decided’ in the court of public opinion, even if it’s never conclusively proven by the evidence.
