Sarandon Disturbed By Event Cancellation

AP ^ | 02-28-03

[veronica]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Actress Susan Sarandon said she was disturbed by a charity's decision to cancel her appearance at a fund-raising event because of complaints about her anti-war views.

The United Way of Tampa Bay was to feature the 56-year-old actress as keynote speaker at an April 11 women's leadership event designed to inspire volunteerism in the community.

But organizers this week scrapped the $75-a-plate event after the charity got three dozen complaints about Sarandon's selection.

Robin Carson, chairwoman of the board of directors, said the event had the potential to become "divisive."

"The focus of our whole meeting had shifted to whether or not we were creating a political platform for Susan Sarandon," Carson said.

In a statement Friday, Sarandon said that "considering the depletion of federal funds for community programs and the faltering economy, it is disturbing to me that the United Way is letting partisanship determine its support base.

"Once again, the shortsightedness of the powerful will end up hurting those in need."

Others disagreed with the decision, too.

Marty Petty, executive vice president of Times Publishing Co., which publishes the St. Petersburg Times, resigned as a member of the United Way board of directors and chair of the 2003 campaign.

"This decision is grounded in my lifelong personal and professional belief that our civic life is made stronger by the expression of all views, including ones that are controversial," Petty wrote in a letter to Carson.

Sarandon's brother, Terry Tomalin, outdoors writer at the St. Petersburg Times, had asked Sarandon to participate six months ago.

Sarandon, who introduced the obituary segment of Sunday's Academy Awards (news - web sites) show, flashed a peace symbol with her fingers while walking on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

She won a best-actress Oscar for 1995's "Dead Man Walking."

[Scothia]

Once again, the apointed, anointed elite attempt to rescue us unwashed from our nonintellectual, non-NPR existence. How can we live without Sarandon et al to tell us how to think?

Two words, Susan: "ir" and "relevant".

[litany_of_lies]

So, Associated Pravda doesn't think it's relevant that Sarandon was going to get a $20,000 speaker's fee at a CHARITY event, and sanitizes that salient fact out of its reporting. How many conservative speakers in similar situations would be cut such a huge break by the AP?--NONE. No, there's no media bias.

[Bonaparte]

It's called playing hardball, Susie -- the same thing you and your commie friends do to Dr Laura and the Boy Scouts. You can dish it out but you can't take it.

[OKSooner]

Yeah, she's disturbed, allright.

[Windcatcher]

Pfft. I mave Master's Degrees in *both* Physics and Engineering Science. The thought that an ACTRESS with a high school education dares presume to tell me how to think is a supreme insult. She is less than nothing.

[Professional]

I'd like to thank the United Way, but figure they had a motive other than patriotism, such as............$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ give me give me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anamensis]

(56-year-old actress) Why do I secretly giggle everytime they mention her age?

You have to admit, she doesn't look a day over 54. ;^)

[I_be_tc]

"Once again, the shortsightedness of the powerful will end up hurting those in need."

So little susie thinks all of us dumb people are now the powerful!! Wow!! And all of this time I thought she was the powerful. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

TC

[Geezerette]

She's 56? Susan Saranwrap looks older than I do!! (and I'm over ten years her senior).

g

[DoughtyOne]

Well I like the premise. Good one.

[DoughtyOne]

Well it's actually pretty easy. lol

[RayChuang88]

Looks like Ms. Sarandon's whiner attitude is out in force.

Mind you, Americans don't care about your attitude, though.

[DoughtyOne]

And if I might be allowed, "dit" "to"! ;)

[ewing]

Yes, we are fully aware that Suzie is disturbed.

[jaycee]

I will remember poor Susan in my prayers tonight! NOT!

[TheSpottedOwl]

So little susie thinks all of us dumb people are now the powerful!! Wow!! And all of this time I thought she was the powerful. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Lololol! Yeah, just last month they held all us dumb people in complete contempt for supporting our country. She loses a couple of thousand bucks and reality hits home like a hellfire missile :-). We rock and the liberals/commies are gonna roll!

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...SUSAN Cancelled by TAMPA..?

...Could it be that TAMPA was influenced by our wonderful...

..'GOD BLESS AMERICA'..Rally

...at the OSCARS last Sunday and Coverage of it on National TV and in this week's USA TODAY & TAMPA TRIBUNE Newspapers..?

http://www.tripflicks.com/pro/ (Photos)


Signed:..ALOHA RONNIE Guyer / Yellow Jacket Vet-U.S. 7th Cavalry's Opening Days of the Vietnam War 1965-66 http://www.LZXRAY.com

[WorkingClassFilth]

I'm troubled that you are saddened that Ms. saranon is disturbed. Personally, I'm gladdened that she has admitted that she is disturbed. It is the first step to mental health.

[Calvin Locke]

No. The SciFi channel has been going down hill since they started hiring Clintonistas. The programming changes have
been for the worse, on the whole, IMO.

Wait! They only waste .5 hours with that medium instead of an hour. (South Park did it better). Good bye Farscape!

Besides, I've generally been unhappy with any "Dune" treatment. Susie-Q just gave me an added incentive not to
waste my time.

I enjoy the B-Movie genre, but I somehow suspected that "CoD" was just plain bad.

[GOPJ]

Sarandon was going to speak at a luncheon fund raiser ($75-a-plate) in Tampa.

Assuming the caterer gets $40 per plate, publicity, tickets and printing cost another $10 per plate, we're left with a profit of $25 per plate.

To earn $20,000 at $25 per plate, they would have to sell 800 tickets. A luncheon with 800 people present in unlikely, so the money would have been better donated directly to the charity.

The St. Petersburg Times Fund, the newspaper's philanthropic arm, was the chief sponsor of the event and was going to pay Sarandon's $20,000 speaker's fee.