Doug Elfman

Sarah Palin spoofed at HIV fundraiser

Sarah Palin just helped an HIV charity raise about $175,000. To be precise, at Sunday's successful Ribbon of Life fundraising show, a prominent sketch portrayed Palin as a stupid tool.

In a song-and-dance number called "Red State Love Song," the faux Palin (Pietra Sardelli, wearing Palin glasses and a casual smirk) dismissed rumors she underwent breast "augmentation."

"I will not comment on things I cannot spell," she boasted.

Playing off President Barack Obama's "Hope" campaign, the Palin impersonator gaily promised of her 2012 candidacy, "In the Palin White House, there will be no hope!"

"Come on, boys," she said to dancers during a kooky cabaret song. "Let's dance around the issues!"

Things got really nutty when the Palin performer was joined by the scandalized characters of Nevada U.S. Sen. John Ensign (Scott Lockwood), South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (Jim Sturgeon) and former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig (Doug Baker).

They came out of (closet?) doors with their pants down, to dance merrily with girls and boys.

Funny or not, it could have been dangerous to play politics at the main fundraiser for Golden Rainbow (the charity that helps house and cover housing costs for hundreds of people with HIV). It risked biting Republican hands in the crowd of 1,300 at the Las Vegas Hilton, although not a soul booed.

Then again, Palin isn't exactly known for championing gay rights (or the arts, actually). So you could consider her vilification to be comeuppance from gay-friendly artists (a.k.a. payback is a bitch).

On a more positive (and bolder) note, Ribbon of Life invited Green Valley High School theater performers to stage portions of "Rent."

Last year, some parents sued in a failed bid to stop the school's "Rent" performances. (The musical's themes deal with struggling artists facing drugs and AIDS.) A judge nixed the lawsuit.

On Sunday, dozens of Green Valley High School kids stepped up to center stage and were pretty flawless in their Strip moment, bringing genuine emotion to the theme song and "Seasons of Love."

Ribbon emcee Edie (Christopher Kenney from "Zumanity") alluded to the lawsuit controversy when introducing the high schoolers.

"Was that boy in drag?!" Edie (in drag, in character) gasped in mock indignation.

The crowd nearly roared with approval for the high schoolers, for Edie, and for just about all 300 Strip performers who staged 24 numbers in two hours.

It was, as they used to say, quite the cavalcade. Performances came from "Jubilee" showgirls; Nevada Ballet Theatre ballerinas on point; snake-joined women swinging swords; fantastic stripteases of "Adam and Eve" characters by the cast of "Peepshow"; and original material from casts and crews of Cirque shows, "Phantom," "Jersey Boys" and many other productions.

The event gave performers a chance to do something different, other than the routines they run through 10 shows a week on the Strip.

They chose a nearly flawless musical setlist, from Benny Goodman's "In the Mood" to Prince's "Gett Off" and the standard "Quiz·s, Quiz·s, Quiz·s" ("Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.")

Yet, despite the warmly embraced sexuality of the "Peepshow" bit and the politics of the Palin sketch, the most popular moment (judging by applause) was ... the absolutely G-rated, elaborately choreographed number called "Grease Monkeys" co-starring babies and toddlers.

While the song "Greased Lightning" played, dozens of dancers and choreographers from across the Strip danced with their very little children, making babies do the hand jive, and getting young children to step so correctly (thus hilariously), it was kind of impossible for me to believe my eyes.

If I were reviewing Ribbon of Life as a permanent show on the Strip, I'd give it an A-.

That's remarkable, considering Golden Rainbow, which earns about 85 percent of its yearly budget from the annual fundraiser, operates with just two staffers. Two.

They say one person can't make a difference. But sometimes, two can.

Doug Elfman's column appears on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 383-0391 or e-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He also blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.

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Comments

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1. mimisees Oct. 8, 2010 | 4:02 p.m. Report Abuse

   It looks like a new Sarah Palin spoof is out. Just saw this in the Washington Post.
   
   http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2010/10/sarah_palin_spoofed_in_alzheim.html
   
   Spot-on funny. Looks like the jokes will never end with Palin and that laughter is a good form of disease prevention.

2. Crossbowman Jun. 18, 2010 | 1:22 p.m. Report Abuse

   Lighten up people its just a show! Public figures get roasted all the time even liberals and democrats, which they did a few years earlier in the Ribbon of Life benefit! Why don't you properly educate yourselves instead of drawing lines and threaten to stop donating to a worthy cause? That is just sad. This number was just one out of 24 very entertaining segments. Perhaps if you had actually gone to the show you would understand! Nobody there was offended. BTW, not all the entertainers are liberals, a lot are conservative and still have a sense of humor! Get a clue.

3. Ima.Lindatoo Jun. 17, 2010 | 7:25 p.m. Report Abuse

   Looks like the the Gay community under the apparent guise of Health is
   showing they are political on not human and did just bite their own hand.
   
   I'm sure PresideNOT Barack Obama who hired Gay Basher Donnie McClurkin to
   campaign for a weekend in So Carolina and who has backed away from all his
   campaign promises is just such a friend to this community. Well, I guess
   it can be considered "arts" and they probably got some tax dollar from a
   stimulus and maybe that's all they really care about.
   
   Obviously political and that may be why they chose only Republicans, not
   Democrats. Maybe they just didn't have the TIME to cover all of
   them-Patterson, Spitzer, Edwards, McGreevey, now Gore...oh, the list is
   too long.
   
   Sad.
   
   The truth shall set you free.

4. tink Jun. 15, 2010 | 11:56 a.m. Report Abuse

   Big mistake. They lost my donation for good. Not that I am a Palin supporter but there is a time and place for political statements and fund raisers is not one of them.

5. JessW Jun. 15, 2010 | 9:26 a.m. Report Abuse

   Dirty Harry - If you were there you would know that it wasn't hateful politics, it was for fun. Try to have a sense of humor! Something a lot of people posting here seem to lack. If you didn't notice, the show did a spoof on democrats before too... more evidence that this was for FUN.
   
   There was also a number involving performers and their kids... doing a few songs from Grease... Given that you should probably stop making donations to childrens charities and avoid all automobile lubrication products.

6. Dirty Harry Jun. 15, 2010 | 4:59 a.m. Report Abuse

   "Bawney Fwank" --- now that's funny! Jaded, you made my day.

7. Dirty Harry Jun. 15, 2010 | 4:51 a.m. Report Abuse

   JessW --- You are right, there are "many awful, bitter, nasty individuals left in Las Vegas". Problem is, all those individuals were on the stage making a fool of themselves. When a charity like Golden Rainbow gets involved in politics, especially hateful politics, it can only have a negative impact on their donations. They will never receive a penny from me. I wasn't there, but I will express my opinion anyways, thank you very much.

8. The.Man Jun. 14, 2010 | 10:53 p.m. Report Abuse

   Yes, less piss off those who would like to give money to worthy organizations and will now find better places for their money.
   Politics Have there place and this was not one of them.
   
   Than they wonder why there is so much hate in this issue...

9. Jaded Jun. 14, 2010 | 10:43 p.m. Report Abuse

   Great! When they want to raise money for mental health issues, they can spoof Osama I mean Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Bawney Fwank and all the other left wing nut jobs in congress. As an encore, maybe they can beat up a student that asks them if they agree with the Obama agenda.

10. citizen Jun. 14, 2010 | 9:28 p.m. Report Abuse

    Obviuosly a show designed to polarize a non-partisan issue. Straight people get HIV too, why turn it into a pro-gay, anti-right circus? Seems more money could be raised by not alienating half of the potential donors. And why does the front page headline of this spectacle lead with a slam of Palin if 95% of the show was not a political statement as another poster wrote. Is Elfman trolling?

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