Funny how this week's Big Story in L.A. -- popular, well-connected rich guy offers to buy suddenly "embattled" property from unpopular rich guy -- follows the same template as last week's Big Story in L.A. From The Hollywood Reporter:
Haim Saban 'Interested' in Buying the Beverly Hills Hotel (Exclusive)
The billionaire said he would also like to purchase the Hotel Bel-Air from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, whose properties are being boycotted by Hollywood because of his decision to enact Sharia law in his home country of Brunei.
Media mogul Haim Saban told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday that he would be willing to buy both the embattled Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air if he could purchase the properties at a fair price.
Saban's comments come amid a growing boycott in Hollywood against the hotels' current owner, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who has decided to enact Sharia law -- targeting gays -- in his home country of Brunei.
"We are boycotting," said Saban, a long time friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton and strong supporter of the state of Israel. "And, yes, we would be interested to buy both the Beverly Hills Hotel as well as the Hotel Bel-Air, but we won't pay a stupid price, and if someone else buys it, we'll still enjoy the Polo Lounge and the Wolfgang Puck restaurant at the Bel Air."
The burgeoning boycott against the hotels includes a number of high-profile organizations and entertainment industry people, as awareness builds about Bolkiah's recent decision to enact the strict law that calls for severe punishments -- flogging, amputation of limbs and stoning -- for offenses such as theft, adultery and sodomy.
A reader writes:
Is it me or has everybody read how Charlie Croker ginned up a protest so he could buy real estate at a lower price in Tom Wolfe's A Man In Full?
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21 comments:
The Sultan's fatal mistake was allowing a feminist conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They found out about the Sharia law and went non-linear, with Jay Leno jumping on board the bandwagon. Hollywood wants the Sultan to sell so they all can go back to their previous lives of $25 Bibb salads at the Polo Lounge. Hey, what's good for the slumlord is good for the Sultan.
It makes one wonder how long the Beverly Hills Hotel will remain OFF LIMITS to the Miss Busybody world-improver crowd. It's a hardship!
Haim Saban. Any relation to Nick Saban?
If I'm faced with Sharia or what we have now, I'm going to have to think hard about which I'd prefer.
If I'm faced with Sharia or what leftists are working toward, I don't have to think at all. Sharia, hands down.
Hi Steve, a bit OT but not really, but do you have any perspective on this Pistorius trial, which seems to be a put-up job of epic proportions.
Muslim and Jew fighting it out on our territory. This seems to be the back-story to a lot that goes on.
If the Sultan had a sense of humor he might ask Saban to defend his investments in "The Jewish State" of Israel. I'm sure he could rent a mob of outraged Muslims in LA.
We had the two-week hate for Donald Sterling, next maybe a two-week hate for the Sultan of Brunei. After that, who's up? Maybe Tim Gunn?
Even if the Sterling scandal wasn't orchestrated (seems too far fetched, to be honest), I foresee this type of move--forcing the thoughtcriminal to sell so you can get his property and for below market value--becoming a common occurrence.
Remember the pool club in suburban Philadelphia that was attacked for "racism" after asking a group of badly behaved blacks to leave?
After being sued into bankruptcy, it was bought by a Jewish group.
"The billionaire said he would also like to purchase the Hotel Bel-Air from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, whose properties are being boycotted by Hollywood because of his decision to enact Sharia law in his home country of Brunei."
Why isn't Saban's enterprises boycotted for supporting the Zionist oppression of Palestinians?
Haim's wife Cheryl responds via Twitter.
When I was a kid I used to see the name 'Haim Saban' in the end credits of cartoons, and vaguely assumed that it must be Japanese. I guess 'Saban' looks and sounds a little bit like 'Japan'. Don't you have a theory about some people at some point in the past assuming that 'Obama' was a Japanese name, and that possibly leading or not leading to something?
Sultan of Brunei, absolute Muslim monarch, sitting on a sea of oil, world's richest man? Saban is an annoying nat. The Sultan could BUY all of Hollywood, and close everything down, if he wanted. As noted above he could have a Muslim rent-a-mob running amok in Beverly Hills and onto the studios, should he want. The Sultan does not care, why would he? He could run the hotel empty for decades and not make a dent in his earnings.
He's NOT Sterling. At some point, Sterling cares about his peers in LA. The Sultan being an absolute Monarch in Muslim SE Asia has no peers at all. None. He literally has no social pressure, shame points, anything. It is like threatening Vladimir Putin that Hollywood stars won't hang around him anymore? Why would he care?
Jim and Jeannie Buss would care. But not the Sultan or Putin.
Tom Wolfe should really do a novel about 21st century LA. It would probably write itself, but Mr. Sailer might enjoy playing host and consultant on his home turf.
If he doesn't get started on it by his own initiative, we may need to do a well funded kickstarter campaign to draft him to the project.
If Hollywood Jews feel this way about human rights, I'm sure they refuse to market their movies to China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and etc. because that would be doing business with repressive regimes, and we know that is so terrible.
And of course Israel for the oppression of Palestinians.
Hollywood only does business with democracies. Summer blockbusters for France and UK but none for China and Egypt ruled by a military dictatorship.
economorality.
how moral bs is used to muscle others out.
but then, who controls what is and isn't moral?
We shouldn't buy oil from Saudi Arabia since it would be EVIL to do business with a regime that doesn't allow women to be like Lady Gaga.
Heh. Guess whats playing on KTYD just as i loaded this page
If the locals are boycotting the Hotel the Sultan can convert it to a mosque.
Hordes of muslims from across LA every Friday would enhance the vibrancy of the area!
Rather live under Sharia than liberalism. Healthier.
Say what you will about Sharia, but it shows that Muslims know how to deal with real criminals: thieves, robbers, murderers, rapists (yes rapists), gangsters, con artists, fraudsters, assaulters, slanderers, etc.
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