Singer Linda Ronstadt Ejected by Las Vegas Casino for Fahrenheit 9/11 Comment

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from repercussions. The casino is there to make money--if someone is 'performing' and *chases customers away*, regardless of what they're saying, it's the company's right to say See ya.
While I certainly respect any/everyone's right to have and express their opinions, what bugs me about celebrities who do it, from all political spectra, is the fact that their politics are usually *irrelevant* to their performing [Dead Kennedys notwithstanding]. Yet they use the stage as a pulpit. If they want to do that, fine, but then they have to deal with the repercussions. There's a place and a time for certain things, and too many people thing 'anyplace' and 'anytime.'
 
i have to disagree with what went down...isn't it her right to dedicate whatever song she wants..it's not like she was naked while saying it or swaring
 
It certainly is her right to do that, which I support.
It's also the right of the person who hired her, to fire her. Government was not involved, and that's truly what 'freedom of speech' refers to, that the people can speak out against their government. She wasn't arrested, she was fired by a private company.
And it's the right of the people who paid money to attend, to walk out mad. [I don't think they should have vandalized her posters, however.]
 
I just busted out laughing at the Plow King reference. That was hysterical.

Yeah, you'd think that with Whoopi getting canned that a big mouthed celbrity could shut their yap about politics for even a little while. But NOOOOOOOOOO!

This "climate of fear" leftists talk about and "people being afraid of their careers" is such bull$h!t. You can say whatever you want. The FBI isn't going to show up at your door. The NSA isn't going to tap your cell phones. The IRS isn't going to put you under an anal exam. If we were dealing with true censorship that's what would happen.

No, instead companies are saying "We don't want to deal with the controversy. You're fired." BFD! It's like people expect to be able to say whatever they want without marketplace reactions and consequences. Do you think McDonald's would ever come out and say something like "We wish we had more white workers."? Imagine the commercial backlash.

Hey, these are tactics the left used for years. Anyone remember the Coors boycotts? Remember the embargoes against companies that did business in South Africa? Remember Jimmy "The Greek"?

Hey, the American right learned protest, embargoes, corporate accountability from decades of education by the left. Sucks now that they have to deal with it huh?
 
Exactly. I remember a big hubbub a while back when it came out that David Duke was a big investor/shareholder in Domino's Pizza, I think it was. Everyone was like, 'Boycott Domino's!' [of course, not thinking about the millions of other people, who *weren't* racists, who had Domino's stock and worked for the company.] [Update based on some research: also, the NOW tried to boycott against them because the presdient of the company donated big bucks to pro-life causes.]

How come no one is protecting Aladdin President Bill Timmins's right to hire/fire to react to economic conditions? Some good quotes from him on this link:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/drudged/517195568.html

Sounds like she didn't want to job anyway:

" Ronstadt had laughingly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she hoped that the casino performance would be her last.

"I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back," she was quoted"

Problem solved.
 
I'm tired of celebrities trying to push their views or what ever they think is right on the public or their fans.

Isn't it enough that we wear your clothes, buy your action figures, see your movies and buy your CDs and help make you rich and famous. Now we gotta vote for the president you want or side with them on thier political views.

People pay you to be pretty, act, sing or whatever you do. I don't care about what you think.

Don't get me wrong I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 and I work in news so I can decide what I want for myself. Sorry I just wanted to vent.
 
Remember the embargoes against companies that did business in South Africa?
Click to expand...

hm.. i think there is a slight difference between firing someone for making a postitive comment about a liberal filmmaker, and boycotting buisnesses that dealt with a country that revolved around the maintaining of a segregated population.[/quote]
 
Why is their a difference? You're talking about someone that makes positive statements about a proven liar who has called the American people "the dumbest people on the face of the Earth" in the foreign press. Meanwhile during the SA embargoes people wanted Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's and everyone else to pull out of SA. Who did that hurt? The government? The same thing was just brought up in the Domino's boycott.

You end up unemploying black workers, black managers and a few whites. That was the reality of the boycotts. The view of the American and European left was that the government would collapse under the decrease in tax tevenues etc. Unfortunately you ended up driving normal people into poverty people in this country have no comprehension of. There was no welfare, food stamps, government housing projects to fall back on. No parents to help these displaced workers because they came from a middle class background.

In many instances I'll tell you that nationwide embargoes, including the Cuban one, only hurt those they're designed to help.
 
Wow, and she's mighty open-minded and tolerant as well:

"It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

So she doesn't even want Republicans or 'fundamental Christians' *in her audience* because it affects her performing.

What if, say, Martina McBride said ''It's a conflict for me when Democrats or fundamental Muslims are in my audience. It clouds my enjoyment''?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040715/news_lz1w15linda.html
 
"It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

Translation for the lefties to understand: "It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is gay or an athiest. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."
 
Considering what she actually said onstage, both the crowd and management overreacted in a big way.

But for those who want to stick up for the Aladdin, yes, they have a right to fire her (this was her only performance there anyway) but what right do they have to bar her from going back to her room?
 
Looks to me like a washed up hack tried to either A.) get herself fired, or B.) get her name plastered all over the news. Making those comments to a mostly older, country audience is bound to not go over well, and she had to know that.
 
[quote name='Squirms']Looks to me like a washed up hack tried to either A.) get herself fired, or B.) get her name plastered all over the news. Making those comments to a mostly older, country audience is bound to not go over well, and she had to know that.[/quote]

I think you're mistaken about the older, country audience. I haven't seen any media accounts saying that. If anything, she's more California 70's rock/pop and Vegas audiences are a lot younger than they used to be.
 
If you're not in a union, you're fair game to be fired.

I've been working for almost a year and a hald now, and I go to work knowing they can't fire me unless I steal or fight with someone, but I still work hard and have never had any problems since March 2003. I think it would be scary, after working in such a safe enviroment, to work in a place where they can fire you can anything they want, layoffs, etc.
 
[quote name='MrBadExample']Considering what she actually said onstage, both the crowd and management overreacted in a big way.

But for those who want to stick up for the Aladdin, yes, they have a right to fire her (this was her only performance there anyway) but what right do they have to bar her from going back to her room?[/quote]

After she was fired, she became a customer [a non-paying customer at that, since I'm assuming the hotel room was included in her performance contract.]
Either the hotel room was for performers, since she's no longer a performer and not eligible for it; or the hotel fell back on those magic words:
'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.'

I wouldn't think the audience was particularly older/country, and conservatives do like Las Vegas as well, but I would assume she's not stupid, and she's seen the current state of 'debate' today, and had to know saying something like that, or even saying *anything* political, would piss off somebody in the audience. Just her luck, she pissed off about 1/4 of the audience. I wonder how many of those walkouts disagreed with her, and how many simply were of the opinion that 'This isn't the place for that.'
It's like going to a funeral. I don't like Michael Moore, for instance, but if I were speaking at his funeral, I wouldn't say 'Michael Moore was a pompous blowhard.' I'd respect the event, if not the person, and act/speak appropriately for the event. If' I'm called upon to give a presentation at work, my presentation focuses on the topic at hand, and not extraneous, irrelevant political commentary.
 
[quote name='MrBadExample']Considering what she actually said onstage, both the crowd and management overreacted in a big way.

But for those who want to stick up for the Aladdin, yes, they have a right to fire her (this was her only performance there anyway) but what right do they have to bar her from going back to her room?[/quote]

Don't they own the room she'd be staying in?
 
Okay, I misspoke. Of course the Aladdin has every right to refuse service to anyone at any time. Now having said that, not allowing her to go back to her room and at least get her things was a shitty thing to do considering she wasn't the one throwing drinks and ripping posters. I hardly think that type of behavior could be anticipated or justified by what she said. Has anyone heard if the Aladdin went after any of the vandals? I haven't seen that mentioned.

And I'm sure if she had suggested that everyone read Rush's new book and the crowd acted this way, Fox News would be apoplectic and blame the crowd for everything.
 
I'm sure they tried to catch some of them...but a casino is a big place and the description made it seem like there were many and not just one person or group. Granted casinos have good security, but it would be hard to catch'em all (please no Pokemon jokes anyone) right in that moment. I'm sure they'll review tapes and such.

Plus those people aren't celebrities so no one in the press cares if they cause trouble or get arrested...it takes the backstage so quickly they probably fail mention anything.
 
[quote name='MrBadExample']Okay, I misspoke. Of course the Aladdin has every right to refuse service to anyone at any time. Now having said that, not allowing her to go back to her room and at least get her things was a shitty thing to do considering she wasn't the one throwing drinks and ripping posters.[/quote]

Possibly. But again, not a totally uncalled for action. I would think that whenever anybody is 'asked to leave' and 'escorted out', the general procedure would be to immediately escort them out, and bring their stuff out later. Minimizes any trouble the escortee might cause. Granted, Linda Ronstadt probably isn't going to trash a hotel room like Axl Rose, but that's probably the process.

[quote name='MrBadExample'] I hardly think that type of behavior could be anticipated or justified by what she said. Has anyone heard if the Aladdin went after any of the vandals? I haven't seen that mentioned.[/quote]

This I agree with. Booing, walking out, demanding money back = OK. Vandalizing the casino's property = not OK.

[quote name='MrBadExample']And I'm sure if she had suggested that everyone read Rush's new book and the crowd acted this way, Fox News would be apoplectic and blame the crowd for everything.[/quote]

I'm not so sure of that, but it remains in the 'what if' category. And even if Fox News did that, that doesn't mean the casino owner wasn't justified or able to make that decision.
Side note: Rush has a new book out?
 
I hate Bush with a passion but at the same time, I don't want to pay good money for an entertainer who espouses political views. The Hotel was right to toss her out of the stage.

Linda Ronstant should pick another forum for her political agenda.
 
[quote name='dtcarson']Side note: Rush has a new book out?[/quote]

Not that I'm aware of, I was just using that as an example. I guess it's hard to write with the Oxycontin D.T.'s.
 
See, we were having an intelligent discussion/debate, until an irrelevant, ad hominem attack on Rush.

1. Isn't drug addiction a 'disease'? It's okay for any Hollywood actor or rock star to go to rehab repeatedly for heroin or cocaine or booze, but someone gets addicted to a prescription painkiller and he's suddenly Satan. [Note: I am not condoning addiction to anything, but I can see how it happens with prescription drugs. My grandmother was addicted to Valium for a couple years.]

2. Hmm....I guess Oxycontin dt's really do affect someone. After all, it's not like he still hosts an award winning, highly rated, highly listened to, highly entertaining radio show 15 hours a week, and puts out a newsletter monthly. Oh. Wait. He does? Wow, quite a strong and talented person. Whereas some of his detractors with snarky comments are 'bad examples' on an anonymous Internet message board.

Xevious: Absolutely. I would feel the same if it were a conservative or libertarian voice on stage. I'm paying 35 bucks a ticket for you to perform, not politicize.
 
Where's the "sensitivity" to this "disease"? Where's the highly tolerant left?

Oh, I know what they're doing..... They're coming up with excuses why Sandy Berger was stuffing classified documents in his pants and socks that have now disappeared. I mean... so what if he did it. Can you believe that the leak happened NOW? It's the timing of the leak that's at issue! Yeah, that's the ticket!

Rush hasn't published a book in a decade. If you're going to be irrational and shoot from the hip at least be current.... within ten years.... I mean is it SO HARD to be up to date on current events that are um oh, two presidential elections ago?

EDIT: In addition to the 15 hours a week of radio, monthly newsletter there are the daily website updates. I mean, just because he attracts 20 million listeners a week doesn't mean anything. They're all brainwashed robots awaiting walking orders from the overseer. Didn't you know that we all got memos to make Rush rich?
 
Listening to the Stern show this morning, they were talking about this. As much as they aren't the greatest source of news, I expected Stern to praise Ronstadt and scorn the Aladdin, but he did the opposite. Apparently, she was complaining about the casino while on stage because she was hired to play a "greatest hits" concert, but she didn't want to play her greatest hits. And then the Farenheit 9/11 comment was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as the audience was concerned.
 
That reminds me alongx of when I went to go see Flock of Seagulls in the mid 90's, it was free and they were opening up a club okay??? Anyways all anyone wanted to hear was their 80's stuff when they had the big hair and looked androgenous. Instead we got these fat middle aged men who could have been a garage band that told the crowd "F' the 80's stuff. We're serious muscians and we're going to play what we want to play!" Needless to say the new "stuff" sucked horribly and no one in the crowd of like 2,000 wanted to hear it.

They got drenched in 25 cent drafts, $3.00 pitchers and booed off the stage to an increasingly hostile and I thought dangerous crowd. They told us we sucked and were stupid for liking their "corporate" band as opposed to the real muscians they now were.

Yeah, I can never figure out why famous people can't do the job they were paid to and STFU in the interim. Can you imagine a post/pre game interview with an athlete that becomes political? For some reason or another this seems to be a trait inherent to muscians and actors in the realm of famous personalities though.
 
Man, you Dittoheads are a sensitive lot...

I never claimed to be up to date on Rush's publishing schedule. I've never bought any of his books because they are too rough. I prefer Charmin.
 
I guess you're done.
Since you've been proven wrong on every post in this thread, you're resorting to typical 'witty' banter and stereotyping [I understand free speech, I supported the Aladdin's right to fire Linda, I asked if something you said was based on any fact whatsoever] I'm a Dittohead.

Anyway, for anyone adult enough to actually discuss the topic and its underlying moral/social meanings:
I read that the casino said the 'Greatest Hits' thing came from her advertising people, so it sounds like there was definitely some disagreement/misunderstanding there, on all sides.

Another 'big picture' view of both Linda's scenario and your Flock of Seagulls, is this:
Who's paying whom to be there? The audience is paying [in the Flock, the audience saw them free, but *somebody* paid, probably the club]. That makes them your customers. What do you do for your customers? You try to give them what they want. I'm not saying 'Don't try new things', I know Linda's musical focus has varied throughout her career, which is cool, but each CD release is another attempt to please a set of her customers. If I drive to an EB in a BMW [oh-ho! I'm a rich elite!], I don't want to hear the clerk badmouthing BMW to me or around me. I don't pay him for his opinion, and I don't want to hear his opinion, as a representative of a company, on something irrelevant to what I am buying.
 
Not really seeing where I've been proven wrong anywhere in this thread except for where I have already corrected myself. Hard to be wrong when I'm stating my opinions and not facts, but whatever...
 
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