Tag Archives: Trump Inauguration

UPDATE: Jennifer Holliday Cancels Trump Inauguration Appearance: It was a “lapse of judgement.”

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UPDATE: Jennifer Holliday Cancels Trump Inauguration Appearance: It was a “lapse of judgement.”

Jennifer Holliday, longtime LGBT icon and ally, as canceled her appearance at Donald Trump’s inauguration event next week, calling her decision to perform a “lapse of judgement.”

In an open letter, obtained by TheWrap, Holiday apologized to the LGBT community, saying she was “uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.”

“My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT Community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!”

Holliday ends her letter telling her gay fans: “Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain. The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you… You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded.”

Read Holliday’s full letter below:

TO MY BELOVED LGBT COMMUNITY:

Please allow me this opportunity to speak to you directly and to explain why I originally made my decision to perform at the inauguration which was what I had thought would be my simply keeping in my tradition of being a “bi-partisan songbird” having sung for Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush.

I was asked to sing a song for what was presented to me as the “Welcome Concert For The People”– in my mind I was reflecting on the past times of being asked to sing for presidents and I only focused on the phrase “For The People”… I thought, For America!

I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply polarized country… Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

In light of the information pointed out to me via the Daily Beast article on yesterday, my only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT Community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!

I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgement, for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.

Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain. The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you… You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded.

Thank you for communicating with me, I had no idea that I still meant so much to all of you.

Thank you for your posted comments both the good supportive ones as well as the ugly hurtful ones.

With LOVE & Appreciation,

JENNIFER  HOLIDAY
“The Original DreamGirl”

 

Jennifer Holliday Explains Decision To Perform at Trump Inauguration: “I’m singing for the people.”

Entertainment, Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, , , , , , ,

 

Jennifer Holliday explained her decision to perform at Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration during an interview with the New York Times on Friday.  The gay icon performer, known for her starring turn in the original Broadway run of “Dreamgirls,” said that she’ll be performing at the Jan. 19 concert “for the people.”

“I’m singing on the mall for the people,” she explained to the Times. “I don’t have a dog in this fight — I’m just a singer, and it’s a welcome concert for the people on the mall.”

“It brought a lot of threats from people already saying I’ll never work again. If that’s what America has come to, where we all hate and bully people, there’s no more freedom of speech,” she said. “I know everybody hates me now, but that shows we are all just hateful people now — we don’t even want to work together.”

Holiday tried to do some damage control by stating that she didn’t support president-elect Trump during his campaign. In fact, she actually voted for his biggest competitor.

“I voted for Mrs. Clinton, and they knew that,” she proclaimed.

The gay community itself is in an uproar and wondering why Ms. Holiday would turn her back on the majority of fans who supported her thoughout the year and are the only loyal fans she has left.

Said one gay fan: You can be a gay icon until you piss us off, then we’ll snatch that icon title away faster than that ugly weave off your head.  Ask Donna Summer.

 

UPDATE: ANKA CANCELS! – Paul Anka To Perform At Donald Trump’s Inauguration

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Radar Online reports:

President Donald Trump did it his way — and Paul Anka will let him know it! A source close to the “(You’re) Having My Baby” crooner, 75, told Radar exclusively that he will buck the trend of most singers and perform his song “My Way” at the Inauguration January 20. . .with lyrics re-written for the incoming Commander-In-Chief!

“Paul was asked by the members of the Trump inauguration committee and he was only too happy to do it for his longtime friend,” said an Anka insider. “While everyone else was running scared from performing at the inauguration, Paul stood fast,” the source added. “He wasn’t about to be intimated by anyone!”

My first thought was Paul Anka is still alive?

Hundreds of thousands of millennials and Gen X’ers are currently Googling “Who is Paul Anka”

The 76 year old singers last appeared on the pop charts in 1983.

 

UPDATE: 6:52 pm

TMZ reports that Anka pulled out of doing it not for political reasons but because of family concerns. *Ehhhhhhhm*