Source: http://scootertalk.blogspot.com/2007/12/atlantic-city-incident-january-15-1994.html
THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
AT THE SHORE
Week of January 14, 1994
AT THE SHORE
Week of January 14, 1994
Hot Tickets
A.C. bash ‘mirrors’ Whitman
Gov.-elect Christie Whitman and superstar crooner Barry Manilow – siblings in a past life (you’ll note if you glance at their pictures side-by-side) – will be reunited tonight (Saturday) when Manilow serves as musical headliner for Whitman’s pre-inaugural bash at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
Dubbed "New Jersey: One Family," Whitman’s Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival will feature a dozen musical acts, more than 30 food booths and a variety of exhibits. Admission is free.
"This list reflects the desire of Whitman to celebrate the diversity of New Jersey and its people," said Michael D. Francis, chairman of Whitman’s inaugural committee.
The convention center’s exhibition hall will be divided into three sections for musical acts, food stands and exhibits, all of which will run from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Manilow takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. While the $25 tickets for the concert are expected to sell out, information is available by calling Ticketmaster....
Event organizer Keith Nahigian said the city’s cooperation made the logistics of the festival a much less daunting task.
"Dec. 1, it was a dream. Now it’s happening in three days," Nahigian said. "Atlantic City has been the host of hosts."
Exhibit highlights include an indoor mountain with ski simulator, a virtual reality machine, a petting zoo, interactive computer displays and carnival rides.
The food court will feature items from more than 30 restaurants across the state, chosen with the help of the New Jersey Restaurant Association. All varieties of ethnic food will be featured. Food will be sold for $1 an item.
The musical bill will include: Drums of Thunder, a grade-school drum corps; the barbershop quartet Music Street; Portuguese and Hispanic folklore groups; the 63rd Army Band; and the Camden Rappers.
The inaugural committee was able to snag Manilow to headline the show with the help of the Casino Association of New Jersey, Nahigian said.
"The association was a big help," he said. "It’s very difficult to get an act like that."
And the striking resemblance between Manilow and Whitman? Nahigian wouldn’t comment.
~~ By Hobart Rowland
~~~~~
THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
January 16, 1994
Manilow snubs Whitman
Singer backs out of performance in Atlantic City
By Michael Pritchard and Yvette Craig
ATLANTIC CITY – Barry Manilow backed out of performing at a pre-inaugural festival for Gov.-elect Christie Whitman at the city’s convention center just hours before he was scheduled to appear, casting a pall on the festival and leaving thousands of fans disappointed.
But developer Donald Trump volunteered to move singer Paul Anka’s show from neighboring Trump Plaza to fill the void, after Manilow in a written release, said he was unaware that he had been booked to headline an inaugural event and was being "exploited for a political agenda."
Manilow said he thought he was performing at a charity fund-raiser for AIDS.
"Since my arrival in Atlantic City last night, it has become abundantly clear that my appearance here has been positioned, without my knowledge or consent, as part of Ms. Whitman’s ‘inaugural gala,’ which was not and is not my intention," Manilow said. "I would not have agreed to endorse Ms. Whitman in this way having never met her, spoken to her or been aware of her political platform."
Manilow said he was approached to headline a concert for the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey National Pediatric AIDS Center in Newark. The center is one of two charities scheduled to receive proceeds from the event.
Manilow’s cancellation came just five hours before his scheduled 7:30 performance and left city, inaugural and casino association officials scrambling to negotiate with his staff to get him to change his mind, but Manilow had already left town.
"I was at the festival having a good time when I heard about the cancellation from the media," said Mayor James Whelan. "That was another annoyance. He didn’t even tell anyone except through the media. After repeated efforts to get through to him, Donald (Trump) stepped up and offered to move the Anka concert. It was a Godsend."
Anka was scheduled to perform Saturday night at the Plaza.
Officials said the convention center would admit anyone who held a ticket to either the Manilow or Anka shows, and Manilow fans who did not want to see singer-songwriter Anka could get refunds.
"I’m confident we’ll still have a good evening," Whitman told reporters at the convention center.
"Of course I’m disappointed and I’m sure that there will be about 7,000 people who bought tickets who will be disappointed. I hope he changes his mind, but if he doesn’t I’m sure we’ll find something to do," Whitman said before Anka’s move was announced.
News of the cancellation and then the move of the Anka concert, filtered slowly through the crowd, but no formal announcement was made.
Some fans were still lining up at the Barry Manilow Fan Club booth to pick up their $25 tickets for Saturday night’s concert. The electronic message board outside the convention center hadn’t changed. It appeared Manilow was still going on.
Many concert-goers didn’t know the recording artist who won the hearts of fans with songs such as Mandy and I Write the Songs, had skipped town and were not aware of the cancellation until reporters told them.
Two women working at the fan club table sat in utter disbelief when they heard the news.
"You can’t be serious," one of the volunteers at the table said.
"He wouldn’t do that," a woman said who was decked out in a Manilow sweatshirt. "He wouldn’t do that. Not to his fans."
But he did.
"Whether he is a Democrat or a Republican he should perform for his fans that are here to see him," said Angie Dilvorth of Eatontown in Monmouth County. "If he doesn’t, you tell him we are not going to buy anymore tapes or records from him. This is not a nice thing for him to do.
"I have admired this man for years for his integrity. How could he do this? What was he thinking," the 66-year-old Divorth added.
Ruth and Dennis Greenberg of Smithville said they were going to demand to have their money refunded.
"I want my money back," Ruth Greenberg said. "I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I’m so disappointed that he’s making this a political issue."
"I feel if he’s going to make a commitment he should stick to it," Dennis Greenberg said. "He should know what he’s getting into ahead of time. This is ridiculous."
The cancellation also brought harsh words from officials.
Assemblyman John F. Gaffney, R-Atlantic County, called the situation a disaster.
"I’m infuriated and I hope he never shows his face in Atlantic City again," Gaffney said. "If he doesn’t know the difference between a political event and a charity event then he ought to get out of the business."
Whelan agreed.
"I think Barry needs a civics lesson," Whelan said. "This was not a political event. It was a non-partisan event for charity. I mean I’m a Democrat and Whitman’s a Republican. But we were honored to have the governor-elect here for the event."
A spokeswoman for Manilow said the singer never knew the event billed as an Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival at the Atlantic City Convention Center, was related to the Republican’s inauguration, said Susan Dubow, a publicist with the Los Angeles public relations firm Bragman Nyman Cafarelli Inc.
"He’s been duped," she said.
In the statement Manilow said he was specifically told in writing that the concert would be part of a non-partisan event.
"At no time was I asked to headline the inaugural activities of Governor Christine Whitman," he said. "...I feel my good intentions have been exploited for a political agenda and this is unacceptable to me."
But Whitman inaugural staff disagreed, saying all the advertisements for the show had been submitted to Manilow’s staff beforehand and that at least his management knew it was an inaugural event.
In a news release sent out by the inaugural committee, Manilow’s performance was touted as the "headlining act at Governor-elect Christie Whitman’s Jan. 15 pre-inaugural" event.
Manilow apologized to ticket holders and pledged to make a donation to the charities that were to benefit from the concert, Children’s Hospital of New Jersey and Respond Inc. of Camden, which runs a day center for homeless people and several day activity centers for senior citizens.
Originally posted 12/27/2007 10:11:00 AM
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