Nonstory with an agenda
: A ludicrous nonstory with a halon-obvious agenda tucked into today’s New York Times entertainment section:
Because Linda Rondstadt “causeda revolt among some of her audience” in a Vegas casino after dedicating a song to Michael Moore, Jason Zinoman asks whether Broadway’s Avenue Q will have trouble there when it opens its exclusive Vegas run.
If dedicating a song to Mr. Moore could send fans fleeing to the exit doors there, as was widely reported, imagine what might happen when a musical in which puppets have sex onstage, sing about masturbating to Internet porn and take potshots at President Bush comes to the city without clocks.
it is doubtful that [Avenue Q] would pass muster at the Aladdin Casino, where Ms. Ronstadt’s political comments inspired angry crowds to tear down her posters and demand their money back.
First, it’s a nonstory because no one except The Times suggested that there is any parallel between a sputtering propagandist and a bunch of funny puppets.
Second, this reeks of agenda as it makes it seem as if anyone who doesn’t like Moore and his movie are obviously (a) homophobic, (b) puritanical, (c) right-wing.
What a crock o’ crap.
Linda Ronstadt can say or sing whatever she wants. Michael Moore can film whatever he wants. But the audience can also sit and listen or watch or not and leave loudly if they please.
It is insulting to the rest of America [there is a world beyond Eighth Avenue, Timesman] to lump us all into your caveman demographic if we happen to disagree with your agenda.
And it’s shameful journalism to make up such a story out of nothing and to play it in what is supposed to be a paragon of papers without the slightest excuse for news in it.
For shame, Times, for shame.
If you were a singer and this were Vegas, I’d storm out myself.
