The Grammys will honor the memory of Whitney Houston on Sunday night, and it appears Jennifer Hudson will lead the charge.
However, viewers won't see the show turn into a "full-blown tribute," according to the show's executive producer.
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"We had a long-term association with Whitney. Whitney was a multi-Grammy winner. She appeared on the show a number of times... obviously we are very saddened. We don't want to rush to anything that wouldn't be respectful," Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich told CNN on Sunday night of the music awards show's plan to honor Whitney, who died on Saturday at age 48.
"Our plan at this point, I've asked Jennifer Hudson to come. We're really, at this point, talking about what she's going to do, but it will be something respectful," Ehrlich said of Jennifer's performance. "It's not going to be a full-blown tribute, to me that feels like it's too early, it's too fresh at this moment, so we're working on something that will be really respectful and appropriate to Whitney's memory."
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With Grammy plans in the works for months, it's not easy to make last-minute changes to the itinerary of the show - however, the producers have already reviewed the rundown to determine where to put the tribute to Whitney. As it turns out, the shift will also have an impact on the overall feel of the program.
"We've already actually gone through the script and made a few changes just to make sure the tone is right," Ehrlich added. "There are some shifts we wanted to make script-wise that probably make it a little more appropriate to what's happened."
Yet Ehrlich doused any concerns that music's biggest night would be anything but celebratory.
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"It's still going to be a great music show. Knowing Whitney as I did, she very much would've wanted us... she was a great artist and a great performer and knew the importance of thrilling an audience, and that's what we still plan to do tomorrow."
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