[lbo-talk] Ronstadt Re-invited

John Adams jadams01 at sprynet.com
Fri Jul 23 17:52:31 PDT 2004


From a friend on another list:

Found this on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com):

Soon-to-Be Owner of Aladdin Hotel Asks Ronstadt to Return

Although Bill Timmins, the president of the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, has said that Linda Ronstadt will not be invited to perform there again while he remains in his post, the new owner of the hotel has said that once he takes over, he intends not only to ask her to return but also plans to take up Michael Moore on his offer to sing "America the Beautiful" with her on stage. Robert Earl, the chairman and CEO of Planet Hollywood, which is awaiting state approval of its purchase of the hotel, said in a statement Wednesday: "We were very sorry to hear about the unfortunate circumstances of this past Saturday night and want to make it clear that Planet Hollywood has never, in our 13-year history, restricted any artist's right to free speech, and we will continue with that policy once we take ownership." Timmins, who is British, had no further comment, but a spokeswoman for the hotel told Reuters that Ronstadt "was there to entertain, not make a politically charged comment." The controversy arose Saturday after Ronstadt praised Moore, the director of Fahrenheit 9/11, during her performance, touching off a chorus of boos in her audience, with some members walking out, demanding refunds, and defacing Ronstadt's posters. An editorial in the Las Vegas Sun commented Wednesday: "Ronstadt has been touring the country since May and has been praising Moore at each stop. Las Vegas should be embarrassed at her treatment here." When she endorsed the film again at a concert in Los Angeles on Tuesday, she reportedly received a thunderous ovation.



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