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Mel B deal with Australia’s Got Talent was “second-best”

Mel B's manager Stephen Belafonte says sticking with Seven "would have been the best option".

2013-03-21_0130Mel B’s manager Stephen Belafonte has told a Sydney court that a deal for Australia’s Got Talent with Nine was “the second-best scenario”, and sticking with Seven for The X Factor “would have been the best option”.

He denies walking away from Seven in order to set-up a deal with Nine.

“There was no other deal on the table … Channel Seven never stepped up and put a deal on the table.”

Belafonte has insisted that he told Seven’s Head of Production Brad Lyons on February 8 that Brown could not come to Australia due to visa issues and the deal was called off.

He said he was confused by subsequent emails describing terms of release that would include Brown working exclusively with Seven if she were to return to Australia.

On March 10 he told Lyons, “As we all agreed in early February to walk away, there is no guarantee at the moment and no arrangement.”

The same day he received a deal memo from Nine.

“This (the Nine deal) was the second-best scenario. I would have given Brad seniority if he had come back with a deal.

“After (Mr Lyon’s) weird emails, I began thinking Brad didn’t want Melanie back on X-Factor. He just wanted to stifle her career in Australia.”

Source: NineMSN

5 Responses

  1. I just don’t get why everyone thinks this is bad for her reputation? She was contracted to Seven but told them that due to visa issues for her children, she was unlikely to be able to continue with The X Factor or DWTS due to the time commitment required to live here.

    Seven release her from her contract but then try to stop her from working in Australia unless it’s with them. What were they to offer her? The occasional telethon? A walk-on part on PTTR or H&A?

    Nine gave her an opportunity to still work here but not have to live here with AGT. Had Seven kept the programme rather than ditch it, maybe they’d have had a vehicle for her to appear on.

    This appears to me like sour grapes from Seven more than anything else. To say Brown’s career is dead here and everyone thinks she’s greedy is just stupid.

  2. Using the words nine and second-best in the same sentence will go down a treat with the employer they are trying to get a foot in.

    Belafonte is a manager yet seems he has never heard of a network contract. Wouldn’t want him on my side.

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