Wedding Dancers Caught Up in TV Wars
Network Cancels Hotel and Flight Over 'GMA'-'Today' Co-Scheduling
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After ABC heard that NBC was going to fly Kevin and Jill Heinz's wedding party to NYC, they canceled the couple's flight home. "New York is cut-throat," Kevin learned.
Recently wed viral video darlings Kevin and Jill Heinz learned the harsh realities of morning TV warfare last week when one network had them thrown out of the hotel they were staying in and canceled their flight home. The crime? The Heinzs booked appearances on ABC and NBC for the same morning.
ABC flew the 'Dancing Down Aisle' couple to New York City and put them up in a swanky hotel ahead of a July 24 live segment on 'Good Morning America.' It was a big "get" for 'GMA' to get first crack at talking to Kevin and Jill about their wedding dance -- starring bridesmaids and groomsmen freestyle dancing down the aisle.
The main problem, for ABC at least, is that they also agreed to a pre-taped interview on NBC's 'Today,' which actually aired before the 'GMA' segment on the very same morning.
7/24 -- First, the Newlyweds Appear on 'Today'
7/24 -- Then, They're on 'GMA' / Watch It Here
7/25 -- The Wedding Party Re-Creates Dance on 'Today'
After ABC execs learned NBC was going to go one step further and fly the whole wedding party to the Big Apple the next day to reenact their moves, the network canceled the couple's hotel and flights.
"We figured they'd be happier staying with their whole wedding party on the 'Today' show's tab. It certainly makes us happier," a 'GMA' exec told Page Six, which first reported on the network brouhaha.
Kevin Heinz seemed a bit shocked by ABC's reaction. "We've been kicked out of our room," he said from the lobby of the Millennium. "New York is cut-throat. That's what we've learned."
NBC, which quickly moved the duo to a new hotel, doesn't think they did anything wrong.
"We did it by the book," a 'Today' exec told Page Six. "We said, 'Come in at 6:15 and we'll have you out by 6:30,' which is exactly what we did."
The video of their June 20 wedding aisle dance in St. Paul to Chris Brown's 'Forever' has become a viral summer smash, raking up over 8 million views on YouTube alone.
The couple told 'Today' that they didn't mean for it to be a YouTube phenomenon and that it was just uploaded to share with family members. "I put it up because her dad had been really harassing me to get it out to some of his other family members, and it exploded," said the groom.
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2009-07-27 11:12:30
