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The 48-year-old entertainer has made the crucifixion stunt,
in which she performs while suspended on a giant cross wearing
a crown of thorns, a centerpiece of her global "Confessions"
tour. Her stage act drew storms of protest from the Roman
Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Church during recent
performances in Rome and Moscow, with church leaders condemning
the mock crucifixion as blasphemy. But executives at NBC, owned by the General Electric Co.
will wait for makers of her concert special to submit the
production for review before deciding whether to allow the mock
crucifixion to air. "We're awaiting the delivery of it, and once we've seen it
in its entirety, we'll make a decision," an NBC spokeswoman
told Reuters on Thursday. The program is slated to air in
November, but no specific date has been set. Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary, had no comment on the issue,
according to an assistant in his office. In July, when the network first unveiled plans for the
Madonna concert special, NBC Entertainment President Kevin
Reilly gave mixed signals about how much artistic freedom
Madonna would be given. The mock crucifixion was known then to
be a central part of her stage act. "She's not revising her act," he told a gathering of TV
critics at the time. "We've discussed what content will be in
and what is out, and we've come to a healthy place that
represents her show but is appropriate for television." He later added: "She's going to do her show, and we'll
decide which numbers are in the special and which are not. And
that's whole numbers. We're not going to make piece-meal
edits."
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The NBC television network is still
making up its mind about whether it will allow pop star Madonna
to stage a mock crucifixion on its airwaves as part of her
upcoming prime-time concert special. 
