Don’t worry, America; TBS to use Luther Vandross’ “One Shining Moment”

Earlier this week, we told you that TBS was not going to use the iconic Luther Vandross version of “One Shining Moment” after the NCAA men’s basketball championship game and was going to use another artist.

During a media conference call on Tuesday, CBS/Turner officials announced that a new artist would be used and would be unveiled before the Final Four. But a funny thing happened on the way to TBS’ first airing of the National Championship, there was negative reaction by fans who didn’t like the idea of not having Luther Vandross’ version used on the telecast.

So Turner and CBS announced Friday a way to satisfy the fans. It will use Vandross’ version on the main TBS feed on Monday after the National Championship game. And the artist originally tapped for the new version of “One Shining Moment,” NE-YO will have his rendition aired on the homer-centric Team Streams on TNT and truTV with highlights especially geared for that team’s telecast.

It’s a compromise to satisfy the fans who have been used to hearing Vandross beginning in 2002 through 2009 and from 2011 through 2015. CBS utilized Jennifer Hudson in 2010, but due to having clips of her singing interspersed into the NCAA Tournament montage, Luther Vandross’ version was brought back in time for the CBS/Turner partnership in 2011.

So the Vandross rendition is considered to be the true version of “One Shining Moment” by fans. CBS and now CBS/Turner have tried to replace it only to find that it’s the Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going and going. By the way, NE-YO becomes the fifth artist to do the song.

It’s been recorded by the song’s author, David Barrett, Teddy Pendergrass, Vandross, Hudson and now NE-YO. It appears that unless CBS/Turner can find that one artist that truly satisfy the masses, Vandross seems firmly entrenched for now.