Linda Ronstadt, Michael Moore, and the Aladdin hotel-Truth! & Fiction!

Caustic Letters Between Film Producer Michael Moore and Las Vegas Aladdin Hotel president Bill TimminsTruth! & Fiction!

Summary of eRumor:

The eRumor claims to include the texts of letters between Moore and Timmins in reaction to on-stage comments at the Aladdin by singer Linda Ronstadt.  It says that Ronstadt caused a ruckus during her concert by dedicating a song to Moore, who produced the controversial election-year film FAHRENHEIT 9/11. Timmins is described as having her escorted off the property and telling her not to come back. Moore wrote Timmins a strong letter about the incident and, according to the eRumor, Timmins shot back with one of his own.

The Truth:


The concert did take place, Ronstadt did praise Moore, a lot of people did get upset, and Moore did send a letter to the Aladdin, but the alleged response from the president of the Aladdin is a hoax.

The concert was on July 17, 2004 at the Aladdin.

According to the hotel, Ronstadt took a portion of her time on stage to praise Moore and his film FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and encouraged those in the audience to see it.  She then finished her concert without incident.  She was not, as some reports have said, pulled off the stage. 

There was a lot of audience reaction, however, from those who disagreed with her comments and, according to the hotel, about 2,000 of those who attended asked for money back for their tickets.  The hotel says that as a part of trying to quell any incident, Ronstadt was accompanied off the property.  There was no vow from the president that she would never again play the Aladdin and, in fact, there is an upcoming change in ownership of the hotel that would make such a ban short-lived.

The Aladdin says that the president, Bill Timmins, has issued no response at all to Michael Moore or about the incident and that portion of the eRumor is false.

On July 21, 2004, Ronstadt told the Tucson Citizen Newspaper that there was no eruption or mayhem at the concert, she was not booed off the stage, and she was not asked by the management of the hotel to leave.
She says she didn’t know about the hotel’s irritation or statement until after she had left.

Last updated 8/20/04