The HBO thing comes down to money

[ecstatic]

HBO paid 2.5 million dollars to the Inaugural Committee for a 2 hour concert. They only included celebrities in their coverage. Any pastor/Bishop would have been excluded in order to save air time/money.

[FrenchieCat]

1. I wanted to see when the Obama Family went on stage to thank the performers.....

but they cut it as Obama was just starting to talk to the Eagle Trainer.

Later the news showed the part when Obama was talking to one of the actresses (the one who just won the Golden Globe).....so, apparently the event where Obama talked to the performers (which I would have loved to see) was cut out. :(

[ecstatic]

7. Yep, and they IMMEDIATELY shut off access to non-subscribers after the last song

HBO wasn't in it for the history aspect; they were in it for the money. But I can't fault the JCCIC for taking HBO's money because I didn't have 2.5 million dollars to contribute.

[leftstreet]

2. Next time Robinson should sing American Pie n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

3. The thing is, this program ended exactly when it said it would end.

So they had time constraints and probably decided to push him back ten minutes knowing they would go over what their time had allowed.

Complain about them not changing the time to fit the prayer, but I doubt the intention was to slam gays.

[ecstatic]

4. exactly! nt

[Neshanic]

5. It's just so, so convenient. No voice heard, no issues brought up.

[ecstatic]

8. All HBO paid for was the concert. Nothing more

Attendees were able to listen to the prayer and various other things that went on. Perhaps you should have gone to DC to see the event?

[Jane Austin]

9. If you switched from HBO to MSNBC when HBO

signed off, you would have seen all the hand-shaking and cheek-kissing.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. And if HBO hadn't aired the concert, it probably would have still not been heard.

Since cable news typically talk over everything that develops like this.

HBO aired the concert, people probably tuned in to hear the music and see the celebs.

It doesn't make it right, but I think it's a stretch to suggest they wanted to silence this guy.

[JimGinPA]

12. It Was A Celebration, Not A Debate...

But you know that.

[GarbagemanLB]

6. The only explanation is that it is one giant conspiracy and HBO is homophobic.

[Beaverhausen]

11. Also, this concert might not have happened at all had not some broadcaster paid for it

There are a lot of expenses for something like this. Without HBO, it might not have happened.

I'm guessing those performers at least were reimbursed for their expenses. And then there is the staging, sound equipment, security, etc.