EXCLUSIVE UPDATE
CBS will rebroadcast the Billy Joel special after screwing it up last night. The new date is April 19th at 9pm.
In a statement, the network apologized to Joel, his fans, and CBS affiliated stations.
EARLIER:
CBS is busy finding a scapegoat for its screw up last night when they cut off Billy Joel’s special before it ended. They got some exec in Florida to say it was his fault. LOL. No, it was the network.
Maybe the network was getting back at Billy for his 1994 Grammys performance. Billy and co were in the middle of his song “River of Dreams” when the piano man just stopped cold in the middle of it.
Billy said, looking at this watch: “Valuable advertising time going by. Valuable advertising time going by. Dollars. Dollars. Dollars.”
Why? Because earlier in the show, the Grammys had cut off Frank Sinatra, the chairman of the effing board, before he finished speaking. They went to an ad, and that irritated Billy– and the audience.
Retribution last night? You never know. Networks have long memories.
Check it out at 2:35