CNN may boast the best news team in television, but please don't ask them to cover concerts.
In the midst of Trump bashing and Hillary hurrahs, some of Broadway's biggest names took the stage Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention to sing "What the World Needs Now." Many of them had assembled last month to record the Burt Bacharach number to raise money for families of the Orlando shooting victims and later appeared on NBC's "Maya & Marty" variety show.
But this was extra special in that it brought together Kristin Bell and Idina Menzel, who first traded verses in the megahit film, 'Frozen," and also featured former "Cagney & Lacey" co-stars Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless sharing a mike.
Too bad CNN dind't fully appreciate the gestures. The network kept cutting away from the stellar lineup to show delegates swaying back and forth. Audience member Lance Bass got more screen time than performer Len Cariou, whose years as a Guthrie fixture didn't seem as important to the cable news' control room as giving a former Backstreet Boy his close-up.
The network also filled almost a fourth of the screen with a "BREAKING NEWS" alert that VP nominee Tim Kaine was coming up next. OK, thanks and -- Hey! Isn't that Audra McDonald?!?
All journalists share the same pool of cameras for general coverage, but each network's producer can pick what shots they want to cut to and when. I didn't have a chance to check out how everyone else handled the early evening number, but PBS gets credit for resisting the urge to promote coming attractions and showcase too many folks in the crowd looking up from their cellphones.
Makes sense. Public television LOVES their Broadway stars.
