Sunday, September 15, 2013

Cher Tells Russia/Putin to Shove It, Turns Down Offer to Do Opening of 2014 Olympics


I have been a fan of Cher for a long, long time.  I of an age where I remember when she and Sonny Bono first appeared on television in the 1960's.  She has her detractors (especially among the Christofascist set), but she has never been afraid to speak her mind and she stood by Chaz Bono when he transitioned with no reluctance.  Now, she indicates that she was asked to a main act for the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics and she said no.  She will not go to an anti-gay country like Russia.  Hopefully, other major acts will follow suit and refuse to perform in Russia and make it perfectly clear why Russia has become a country to be avoided.  Russian may pretend that they don't care, but Russia has a long history of wanting to be accepted as a fully modern and western country.  When major stars and cultural exchanges refuse to visit, it will make a difference in the longer term.  I hope it ultimate bites Vladimir Putin in the ass big time.  Here are story highlights:

Her voice—that famous contralto—has kept Cher on the Billboard charts, on TV and in films for more than five decades. She is one of only 16 people on the planet to be part of the EGO club—a rarefied circle of performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar. And a Tony win may be in the cards in the future as she plans to stage a Broadway musical about her life. Her 26th album, Closer to the Truth, due out Sept. 24, comes more than a decade after her last full-length disc. Already, her latest single, Woman’s World, has made it to the Billboard dance club songs chart—her eighth No. 1 hit.  

Q: What do you think about what’s going on in Russia right now?

A: I can’t name names but my friend called who is a big oligarch over there, and asked me if I’d like to be an ambassador for the Olympics and open the show. I immediately said no. I want to know why all of this gay hate just exploded over there. He said the Russian people don’t feel the way the government does.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think they should go. They should get on that stage and let the world know that gay people are no different than anyone else, and get arrested if that's what it takes. If no one goes because of the policy Russia has, then they win.