Jennifer Lopez is NOT apologizing for singing “Happy Birthday” last night to the Turkmenistan dictator. She also isn’t giving back the reported $2.5 million she made for flying over there and staging a full out show with singers, dancers, lighting, etc. This is what her rep issued today. Tell me if you see an apology there:
Jennifer Lopez and several other artists were invited and performed at a private corporate event for the China National Petroleum Corporation that was presented to their local executives in Turkmenistan.
This was not a government sponsored event or political in nature. The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human right issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended.
The China National Petroleum Corporation made a last minute ‘birthday greeting’ request prior to Jennifer taking the stage. This was not stipulated in her contract but she graciously obliged the China National Petroleum Corporation request.
Actually, CNP staged the event but it was a birthday party for dictator . And if anyone in Lopez’s camp had “vetted” anything, they would have seen the problem right away. What they saw was: money. Sorry.
Everyone has choices they must make. A couple of years ago, Sting was offered the same deal to play in Uzbekistan. He turned them down. http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/07/05/sting-smartly-skips-kazakh-concert-staged-by-unpopular-ruler
Lopez should have done the same thing. Her only recourse now is to donate the money to Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International.
