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Roast Attendees Take Umbrage With Stunt By Penn & Teller -article on their sacrilegious stunt
Las Vegas Review Journal ^ | Jan 17 2003 | Norm Clarke

Posted on 01/21/2003 1:58:23 PM PST by weegee

A sacrilegious stunt by Penn & Teller that offended some at a major magicians convention was defended Thursday by fellow local headliners.

A group walked out of a roast of Amazing Johnathan on Monday after Teller, dressed as Christ on a full-sized cross, entered the room on a cart. A midget dressed as an angel performed a simulated sex act on the near-naked Teller.

Penn Jillette, in a Roman gladiator costume, unveiled the scene by pulling away a "Shroud of Turin" that covered the cross.

Rick Neiswonger, a longtime magician and local marketing executive, said "the majority" of the 400 who attended the roast were offended.

"They (organizers) warned everybody that something offensive was going to happen, but my God, where do you draw the line? I've seen Friar's Club ... Sam Kinison and Andrew Dice Clay, but this was beyond bad taste."

The roast was part of the four-day World Magic Seminar at the Riviera.

Monte Carlo headliner Lance Burton, a roaster, addressed the controversy during the awards luncheon finale Wednesday that drew about 1,000.

Reached Thursday, Burton said, "I told them, `You were warned ahead of time.' It was a roast; it was held late at night (midnight). I absolutely, positively did not apologize.

"I said Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy, Mac King, Amazing Johnathan and I all have different styles. That's good; that's what makes it an art form."

He added, "Penn & Teller are my dear friends and I would take a bullet for them, and you can write that," said Burton.

Amazing Johnathan said he was aware that a number of "gospel magicians" walked out and raised cane.

"This was performance art," said Johnathan, who moves to a new, open-ended run at the Flamingo on Saturday. "I know that Penn is a practicing atheist, and I agree with him that Christianity can be dangerous. Look at the Trade Center. That was done in the name of religion."

Penn & Teller declined comment


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Nevada
KEYWORDS: amazingjohnathan; antichristian; atheist; blasphemy; christian; christianity; christians; crucifixtion; jesus; jesuschrist; lanceburton; lasvegas; magic; magicians; moronicstatements; offensive; outrage; penn; pennandteller; performanceart; religioushatred; teller; wherestheoutrage; whothefcares; youcarednuff2read
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To: weegee
Is stupity/intolerance only permitted when someone is a celebrity?

No, stupidity and intolerance (and worse) is only permitted when the object is religious belief, God, or holy scriptures and teachings. Oops - can't insult Mohammed or the Koran, though.

Over the years there have been various disgusting and blasphemous plays or movies about Jesus, and also horrible insults involving homosexuality etc with respect to Hinduism (the followers of which are generally highly moral). So that's okay! IOW, open season on God and Godly morality.

41 posted on 01/21/2003 8:02:52 PM PST by First Amendment
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To: pram
Found this from Drudge today but there is no FR thread:

Dialogue begins about 'ghetto party'

It's exactly the sort of media response I was talking about to "outrageous" college events.

42 posted on 01/21/2003 9:49:15 PM PST by weegee
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To: gridlock
Excuse me ... suicide bombers are NOT CHRISTIANS.

The god they believe in is the "god of this world".

A Christian, is "Christ-like". BIG DIFFERENCE!!
43 posted on 01/21/2003 10:01:15 PM PST by CyberAnt (Syracuse where are you?)
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To: pram
Well stated. I agree.
44 posted on 01/22/2003 3:45:21 AM PST by TAIPAN22001
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To: weegee
By supporting these atheists, Lance Burton might have to take MUCH worse than a BULLET!!

These people are soooooo angry and mean, why would anyone go see them?

45 posted on 01/22/2003 4:28:14 AM PST by Claire Voyant ((visualize whirled peas))
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To: Dan Day
Satan has a smiling face. You should realize that.
46 posted on 01/22/2003 4:33:36 AM PST by Claire Voyant ((visualize whirled peas))
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To: weegee
How low can these people go?
47 posted on 01/22/2003 4:57:50 AM PST by Sungirl (War, children, it's just a shot away.............)
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To: Havoc
Sorry, I did not mean to imply that the Spanish Inquisition was a legitimate form of Christianity. I was just making the point that the nobody has been making fatwas in the name of Christ in the last 500 years of so. This does not imply that when they did so it was appropriate.
48 posted on 01/22/2003 5:48:06 AM PST by gridlock (Blocking the box since 1999)
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To: Dan Day
It's like Alice Cooper, who looked/acted like Satan on stage, but has always been a decent guy.

Alice Cooper for years had to keep his love of golf a secret. He said that if it was ever learned that he played golf his career was over and his reputation ruined.

49 posted on 01/22/2003 6:14:19 AM PST by Phantom Lord (No Remorse)
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To: weegee
Im sure many here are mad but im a heathen whos always like Penn and Teller so I just don't care.
50 posted on 01/22/2003 8:29:46 AM PST by weikel
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To: Houmatt; yendu bwam; Hodar; Bobby777
Sounds like Disney will be broadcasting Penn & Teller during the Superbowl half time show.

From Usenet:

So, I just read that William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, has asked ABC to cancel Penn & Teller's segment on this weekend's Superbowl.

Apparently, he has taken offense to their "graphic" performance at the Vegas Riviera last Thursday. Anyone know what the deal really is with this?

My general impression of Donohue from past such public complaints is that he's a media-hound douchebag, so I'm not surprised he's discovering a potential beef which will get cameras on him during Superbowl week. Also, he has a real bee in his bonnet for making life difficult on Disney, so the fact that the game is on ABC clearly puts this right up his alley. However, he generally reserves his criticism for cases of perceived anti-Catholic bias (he was the biggest voice hollering about Kevin Smith's "Dogma" before it was even released), but I'm having trouble figuring out what "graphic" Catholic insult P&T worked into their show.

I'm a big fan of P&T, but not a regular in this group. I'll try to keep an eye out for posted responses, but if anyone has the real skinny and could e-mail it to me at XXXXXXXX, it would be much appreciated. Hopefully, whatever the real beef here is, it won't prevent P&T from entertaining the country this Sunday. (For the record, an ABC spokesman said he had no knowledge of the complaint and so would not comment on it).


51 posted on 01/23/2003 12:18:05 AM PST by weegee
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Other brief updates:

Daily Racing Form: Super airtime for Las Vegas?

While the NFL nixed Las Vegas's attempt to buy an ad during its Super Bowl broadcast, the city still will get its share of national exposure during the weekend, even if it's in an indirect way.

Comedians Penn and Teller are scheduled to be part of ABC's pre- and postgame coverage Sunday. However, the Rio Resort-Casino headliners are in hot water for a skit they performed last weekend at a roast of fellow shock comedian Amazing Johnathan. Penn, dressed as a Roman soldier, unveiled a shroud to reveal a near-naked Teller on a cross, while a midget dressed as an angel simulated certain unmentionable acts. The Catholic League, a 350,000-member organization based in New York that fights anti-Catholicism, has called for ABC to ban Penn and Teller from its broadcast.

The skit sounds like something Jimmy Kimmel, a Las Vegas native, might try. Kimmel - best known for his stints on the "Ben Stein Show," "The Man Show," and his prognosticating segments on "The NFL Today" - debuts his live late-night talk show on ABC after Sunday's game. Kimmel is proud of his roots. Keep an eye out for Las Vegas references and guests.

One show that is conspicuous by its absence from this year's Super Bowl festivities is "The Howard Stern Show." In each of the past two years, Stern had broadcast from the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel in the week following the Super Bowl, bringing his crazy cast of characters with him.

On his show this week, Stern said they won't be coming out this month and are looking into perhaps visiting this spring. Las Vegas gossip columnists have been speculating that the Palms, which is in direct competition for the hip demographic, may be able to lure Stern away from the Hard Rock now that Don Marrandino, former Hard Rock president, has left the property to work for Steve Wynn.

Arte Lange, a Stern sidekick, will be performing his stand-up act this Friday and Saturday at the Suncoast Showroom.


52 posted on 01/23/2003 12:24:20 AM PST by weegee
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The only other "news" mention that came up when I searched for the "Catholic League" and Teller was another sports page reference:

Teen-ager part of ABC Super Bowl broadcast

[ snip ]

Part of the ABC telecast includes a segment by magicians Penn & Teller. They are to write down and hermetically seal the name of the winner, score and MVP before the game, then reveal their predictions on the postgame show.

However, Catholic League president William A. Donohue has asked ABC to cancel the Penn & Teller segment, protesting a graphic performance by the pair at the Las Vegas Riviera on Jan. 16.

Network spokesman Mark Mandel said ABC Sports president Howard Katz had not seen or received the letter and would have no comment.

[ snip ]

53 posted on 01/23/2003 12:27:32 AM PST by weegee
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To: ArrogantBustard
GREAT POST.

Sadly, this is but the beginning.

Wouldn't want to live in Vegas or down stream from Hoover dam. Not sure when. But the prognosis is not wonderful.

As a culture, we sure have a way of begging for lightening bolts in our era.

And it will get worse before it gets better.

Not only will citizens be considered odd if they object. They'll be considered odd if they don't participate.

Our slide toward the pit will not stop until after we have joined some Chinese communities during the cultural revolution. Body parts will hang in the meat markets. People will wait [if they are patient] for relatives to die so their table can have some meat.

Choices [other than those like between vanilla and chocolate ice cream] tend to be toward death or life.

And in a culture, they tend to be cumulative.

Choose life.
54 posted on 01/23/2003 12:31:25 AM PST by Quix (11TH FREEPCARD FINISHED)
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To: johnb838
Arrrrgghhh! These freaks should be fired, at least.

Don't worry, they'll get fired all right.

For eternity.

55 posted on 01/23/2003 12:32:05 AM PST by Bullish
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To: weegee
Here's the Daily Racing Form website link:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/43696.html
56 posted on 01/23/2003 12:40:11 AM PST by weegee
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http://www.catholicleague.org/02press_releases/pr0402.htm#ABC%20ASKED%20TO%20CANCEL%20PENN%20&%20TELLER%20AT%20SUPER%20BOWL

January 21, 2003

ABC ASKED TO CANCEL PENN & TELLER AT SUPER BOWL;
RECENT ANTI-CHRISTIAN ACT CITED

Catholic League president William Donohue delivered the following letter today to ABC Sports director Howard Katz:

Mr. Howard Katz
Executive Director, ABC Sports
ABC Television Network
47 W. 66th Street
New York, NY 10023

Dear Mr. Katz:

I am requesting that you cancel the scheduled performance of Penn & Teller during the pre-game segment of the Super Bowl. The reason I am making this request has to do with the incredibly anti-Christian statement made by these two men on January 16. In front of 400 persons at the World Magic Seminar held at the Las Vegas Riviera, a nearly-naked Teller appeared on stage dressed as Christ on a full-sized cross. Then a midget dressed as an angel performed a simulated sex act on him. Penn unveiled the scene by pulling away a “Shroud of Turin” that covered the cross.

It would be much appreciated if ABC Sports were to now say that such conduct will not be rewarded by ABC and that therefore the scheduled appearance of Penn & Teller at the Super Bowl has been cancelled.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

William A. Donohue, Ph.D.
President
57 posted on 01/23/2003 12:45:10 AM PST by weegee
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To: weegee
Sounds like Disney will be broadcasting Penn & Teller during the Superbowl half time show.

Well, just a case of a slime company putting on a slime show. Slimes stick together. I avoid them.

58 posted on 01/23/2003 6:38:00 AM PST by yendu bwam
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Impending Super Bowl performance BUMP
59 posted on 01/23/2003 5:42:02 PM PST by weegee
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To: Dan Day
I'd like to know what the patter was. The whole shtick is completely different if you throw in a line about disgraced televangelists in hotel rooms.
60 posted on 01/23/2003 5:59:21 PM PST by discostu (Life sucks, humans are fallible, feces occurs... deal)
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