Mariah Carey, Production Company Spar Over New Year's Eve Performance
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Dick Clark Productions responded Monday to suggestions that they intentionally sabotaged Mariah Carey's performance on New Year's Eve.
The singer apparently had a technical failure during her headlining appearance in Times Square, and spent more time talking to the crowd than actually singing.
As CBS News' Jericka Duncan reported, as her biggest hits blared for the crowd, Carey talked over pre-recorded music that seemed to be missing her lead vocals.
"We can't hear, but I'll just go through the motions, okay?" she said.
Carey started and stopped a few times mid-song, before finally asking the audience members to finish the show themselves.
"She clearly misses a cue once, and then again, and then just gives up," Billboard's Joe Levy said.
Dick Clark Productions responded Monday to suggestions that they intentionally sabotaged Mariah Carey's performance on New Year's Eve.
The singer apparently had a technical failure during her headlining appearance in Times Square, and spent more time talking to the crowd than actually singing.
As CBS News' Jericka Duncan reported, as her biggest hits blared for the crowd, Carey talked over pre-recorded music that seemed to be missing her lead vocals.
"We can't hear, but I'll just go through the motions, okay?" she said.
Carey started and stopped a few times mid-song, before finally asking the audience members to finish the show themselves.
Carey's manager told CBS This Morning that members of the production company behind the broadcast told her that the singer's earpieces weren't working and continued with the show anyway.
The manager also said she asked the company to cut the West Coast feed of the performance and hinted that they refused in order to get higher ratings.
"Why would they want to air it anyway with sound glitches unless they just wanted the eyeballs at any cost," she said.
Dick Clark Productions called any suggestion that they intentionally sabotaged the show, "...defamatory, outrageous, and frankly absurd."
"One embarrassing lip synching isn't going to make or break a career at this level. On the other hand, Mariah's career has been stronger," Levy said.
Carey reportedly skipped rehearsal and sent a stand-in instead, while all other performers rehearsed on site.
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, the meltdown was still a big subject Monday on social media, and around New York City.
"It was a little embarrassing," one man said.
"Why didn't they turn it off? It was terrible," a woman said. "I felt so bad for her."
"It might happen to anyone -- she's still a good singer," another woman said.
Some were left wondering why Carey didn't just start singing live when issues arose with the taped track.
"Frank Sinatra could do it, Barbra Streisand could do it, Diana Ross could do it," said Paul Garcia of Manhattan
And some noted that it can get much worse when it comes to celebrity lip synching scandals, meltdowns and bad behavior.
"Probably Justin Bieber," said Monique Paulwell of Manhattan.
"Kanye West comes to mind," said New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz. "Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch , Charlie Sheen – 'Winning!' -- and some of those people have recovered."
One celebrity lip-syncher who didn't seem to bounce back, Markowicz said, was Ashlee Simpson.
"She lipsyched poorly, and she really didn't ever recover," she said. "We don't ever hear about Ashlee Simpson anymore."
As for Carey's career, Markowicz said: "If they wanted a professional, they could have gotten any number of professionals – Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, or anybody else who shows up and does the job. But they wanted Mariah, and there was the risk of, was something going to go wrong?"
She added: "It's fun to watch. Everybody was watching her, because she's Mariah and anything could happen."
And Carey herself tweeted, "(Expletive) happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017."
