Too Controversial for the Oscars — Listen to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's Song Written for Robin Williams

By: Mar. 11, 2005
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ABC Execs might have forced the Tony award-winning song team Shaiman and Wittman to pull the ditty wrote for Robin Williams to be sung on the Oscars off the air, but BroadwayWorld has a copy of the demo for you to hear!

Prior to the telecast of this year's Oscars, the New York Times published a story citing the controversy brewing behind the scenes at ABC between "the powers that be" and Shaiman/Wittman regarding inappropriate lyrics for "The Stink Beneath The Ink" The song, which was to be sung by Robin Williams on the telecast, was the reason William's walked on stage with his mouth covered in white tape.

Last week, Entertainment Weekly Magazine spoke to Marc Shaiman candidly about the incident, his feelings about the continued criticism by ABC and all the lyric changes. Marc expressed to EW, "unfortunately, by this point, Scott and I had also lost our sense of humor, and knowing it would be impossible to rewrite this song in a way that pleased these time travelers and ourselves, we pulled the number. If this silly song caused the powers that be so much grief, it boggles the mind to imagine what else is censored 'on our behalf' every day, far away from the Kodak Theatre. "

BroadwayWorld.com is pleased to bring you this demo recording of Marc Shaiman singing one of his versions of "The Stink Beneath The Ink" and to let you be the judge ...


Click here to listen!


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