Madonna’s cross routine may not be ready for prime time.
The bigwigs at NBC haven’t decided if they will show the Material Girl staging her mock crucifixion when it airs her concert special, “Live to Tell,” recorded during the latest leg of her hugely popular and equally controversial “Confessions” tour.
Madonna, 48, has sparked a firestorm of criticism from Christian leaders for the act, in which she performs “Live to Tell” while suspended from a giant mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns. Images of AIDS-stricken African children and Third World poverty are projected behind her.
As of Wednesday, the Peacock Network said it is reserving judgment on whether it would jettison the crucifixion scene until executives could review the program in its entirety.
“At this point, we’re awaiting delivery of the special. . . . We’ll take a look at it before making a final decision,” an NBC spokeswoman told E! Online.
Even without the cross act, her show still is a racy two-hour affair that features her using a riding crop to whip her male dancers into shape and a naughty pole dance atop a merry-go-round horse.
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The Personals page was compiled by Emily Rosenbaum from Tribune news services and staff reports.
