CBS’s One Shining Moment montage will return to its rightful voice
Some aspects of the NCAA tournament should just never be changed, and CBS essentially is admitting that it should have known that in the first place.
After just one highly criticized crack at it, Jennifer Hudson has been replaced as the resident crooner in the network's wildly popular post-NCAA title game highlight montage — One Shining Moment.
CBS is going back to using the Luther Vandross rendition of the song, which it used from 2003-2009. He suffered a stroke in 2003 and passed in 2005. His stamp on the montage was the longest run of any singer since the tradition was born following the 1987 NCAA tournament.
"Both versions are great. She [Hudson] did a great job," said Harold Bryant, CBS Sports' vice president for production. "We just felt like we wanted to go back to Luther."
For whatever reason, Vandross's version was replaced last season, and the 2010 rendition was met with some harsh criticism, for reasons that were both in and out of Hudson's control.
Her version of the tune fell short, especially in an all-over-the-map final minute. It's worth noting that Hudson was likely doomed from the start, as the similar sounds of Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass had a stranglehold on the piece for the better part of two decades and were truly beloved. It was too much of a break from the norm for those who look forward to One Shining Moment on the first Monday of every April (I'll proudly raise my hand to that).
The kicker was the five completely unnecessary cutaway shots of Hudson singing in the recording studio, which drew major uproar. Again, it's hard to blame that on her, because we don't know exactly whose call it was.
Still, in sports, there are certain things you just don't mess with. This is one of them.
CBS did the right thing in switching back, and both the network and Hudson will be forgiven.
But that mess might never truly be forgotten.
After just one highly criticized crack at it, Jennifer Hudson has been replaced as the resident crooner in the network's wildly popular post-NCAA title game highlight montage — One Shining Moment.
CBS is going back to using the Luther Vandross rendition of the song, which it used from 2003-2009. He suffered a stroke in 2003 and passed in 2005. His stamp on the montage was the longest run of any singer since the tradition was born following the 1987 NCAA tournament.
"Both versions are great. She [Hudson] did a great job," said Harold Bryant, CBS Sports' vice president for production. "We just felt like we wanted to go back to Luther."
For whatever reason, Vandross's version was replaced last season, and the 2010 rendition was met with some harsh criticism, for reasons that were both in and out of Hudson's control.
Her version of the tune fell short, especially in an all-over-the-map final minute. It's worth noting that Hudson was likely doomed from the start, as the similar sounds of Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass had a stranglehold on the piece for the better part of two decades and were truly beloved. It was too much of a break from the norm for those who look forward to One Shining Moment on the first Monday of every April (I'll proudly raise my hand to that).
The kicker was the five completely unnecessary cutaway shots of Hudson singing in the recording studio, which drew major uproar. Again, it's hard to blame that on her, because we don't know exactly whose call it was.
Still, in sports, there are certain things you just don't mess with. This is one of them.
CBS did the right thing in switching back, and both the network and Hudson will be forgiven.
But that mess might never truly be forgotten.
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