One Word: "Plastics"

[Miguel]

'American Idol' Producer Demanded Anti-Plastic Pollution PSA Be Pulled, Group Alleges

...After posting the video at the end of October, the Plastic Pollution Coalition says it received a letter from the parent company of "American Idol" producer 19 Entertainment, demanding that the PSA be removed on the ground that the coalition lacked the appropriate permission. The coalition also says that the parent company threatened to contact YouTube directly, which might lead to the coalition's losing its YouTube channel, if it didn't comply.

The Plastic Pollution Coalition calls 19 Entertainment's reaction to the video an about-face, saying the company was previously on board with the project and, in fact, contributed to the PSA over the past eight months. Daniella Russo, the coalition's co-founder and executive director, explained that there was never a question of getting permission and that 19 Entertainment helped film part of the PSA.

Russo wrote in an email, "Plastic Pollution Coalition was not the driving force behind this PSA. This was made in collaboration with American Idol but it was ultimately created by others and then donated."

The coalition suggests that the change of heart from the "American Idol" producer might be attributed to one of the program's sponsors. Russo wrote that she spoke with a 19 Entertainment executive who "was seemingly too intimidated to outright name Coca-Cola as the sponsor that put the pressure on them, but went out of his way to insinuate it." She said the executive told her that "you didn't hear it from me" when she asked if Coke was behind the demand to pull the video.

Coca-Cola, however, flatly denies the allegation. Susan Stribling, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, told HuffPost, "We did not have any role in that. We did not express any sort of desire for 'American Idol' to take action."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15...83829.html