Tag: mormon tabernacle choir
Despite Showman Reputation, Trump Fails To Book A-Listers For Inauguration

Despite Showman Reputation, Trump Fails To Book A-Listers For Inauguration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump made his name with opulent hotels and a dramatic reality TV show, but his inauguration on Friday as the 45th U.S. president is shaping up as a more understated affair, with big names in entertainment staying away.

Like those who came before him, Trump will take his oath on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building and lead a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, but there will be fewer official balls and less glitz and celebrity talent to welcome in the new president.

Inaugurations have been star-studded affairs since 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt held a gala with actors Charlie Chaplin, Mickey Rooney and other stars of the era, said Jim Bendat, a historian who has written a book on U.S. inaugurations.

But this year, several singers – including Elton John and Charlotte Church – declined invitations to perform at inaugural events. Trump, a New York businessman and former star of “The Apprentice” TV show, won with a populist platform that included promises to build a wall along the Mexican border, restrict immigration from Muslim countries and dismantle Obamacare.

Broadway star Jennifer Holliday said yes to performing, but backed down after a backlash from fans.

“You can’t really find precedent for that,” Bendat said in an interview.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, singer Jackie Evancho and the Rockettes dancing troupe are among those slated to perform, although individual Rockettes will be allowed to opt out of performing if they so choose.

Trump’s inaugural committee has said it is intentionally avoiding top entertainers.

“We’re fortunate in that we have the greatest celebrity in the world, which is the president-elect,” Tom Barrack, inaugural committee chairman, told reporters at Trump Tower in New York last week.

“So what we’ve done, instead of trying to surround him with what people consider A-listers, is we are going to surround him with the soft sensuality of the place,” Barrack said.

Trump is slated to attend three official galas. Other modern inaugurations have had around 10 official balls, which the president and first lady would attend in rapid succession, typically dancing during each appearance.

Then-President Bill Clinton held a record 14 balls during his 1997 inauguration, Bendat said.

On Thursday, a series of choirs and marching bands will perform at the Lincoln Memorial, followed by a concert featuring country music star Toby Keith.

Trump, who is entering office with unusually low approval ratings, has repeatedly pushed back against reports that his inauguration may be lacking in star power or have low attendance.

“People are pouring into Washington in record numbers,” Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday. “Bikers for Trump are on their way. It will be a great Thursday, Friday and Saturday!”

Officials expect about 800,000 spectators for the events – down from the estimated 1.8 million who flocked to Washington for Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

Just 40 percent of Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump versus 55 percent who had an unfavorable view, according to a Gallup poll taken from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8.

At a similar point before he took office in 2009, Obama was viewed favorably by 78 percent of Americans. Before taking office in 2001, President George W. Bush had a 62 percent favorable rating, according to the Gallup data.

“What is most likely to distinguish Trump’s inauguration is the number of protesters,” said Brian Balogh, co-host of American history radio show BackStory.

The National Parks Service has granted permits to protest for 27 groups. On Saturday, the National Mall will draw what organizers estimate will be about 200,000 people to a Women’s March to protest Trump.

The Women’s March, which is expected to be the largest protest, is aimed at bringing attention to human and civil rights issues. Honorary co-chairs of the protest include activist Gloria Steinem and actor Harry Belafonte.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

IMAGE: Preparations are finalized on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as America’s 45th president, in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2017.  REUTERS/Mike Theiler

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Member Resigns Rather Than Sing For Trump

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Member Resigns Rather Than Sing For Trump

(Reuters) – A member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has resigned over its plan to sing at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, and more than 22,000 people have signed a petition opposing the choir’s participation.

Jan Chamberlin resigned after five years with the choir, which originates from Utah, over the Jan. 20 ceremony, saying it “will appear that (the) Choir is endorsing tyranny and fascism by singing for this man.”

With three weeks to go before Trump is sworn in, teen classical singer Jackie Evancho is the only celebrity to have unequivocally embraced her role in an inauguration ceremony marked by soul-searching by larger invited groups, and fan backlash.

The 1960s pop group, The Beach Boys, is considering an invitation to perform but has yet to make a final decision, a spokesman for the band said on Friday.

“I simply cannot continue with the recent turn of events. I could never look myself in the face again,” Chamberlin wrote in a resignation letter that she posted on Facebook on Thursday.

A separate petition on change.org started by Randall Thacker, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had gathered more than 22,000 signatures on Friday.

The petition says the participation of the Tabernacle Choir in Trump’s inauguration does not reflect the Church’s values and would harm its worldwide image.

The Church says taking part in the inauguration is voluntary, and notes that the Tabernacle Choir, which hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, has sung at such celebrations for five previous Republican presidents.

Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said on Friday public response to the inauguration plans “has been mixed, with people expressing both opposition and support. The Choir’s participation… is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics. It is a demonstration of our support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power.”

Some dancers in the Radio City Rockettes were also unhappy at performing.

“We do a lot of events, but there have been no events that could cause trauma. And doing this would cause trauma for some people,” one Rockettes dancer said this week, speaking anonymously with Marie Claire magazine.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli suffered a fan backlash on social media after reports that he was planning to sing for Trump. Bocelli and country singer Garth Brooks both backed out of performing at the inauguration.

Organizers have denied they are struggling to recruit big names for the ceremony.

“This is not Woodstock,” Trump aide Boris Epshteyn told CNN this week. “It’s not about celebrities. As Donald Trump tweeted himself, it’s about the people.”

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bernadette Baum)