John Travolta sued over sneakers, not dance, at San Remo Festival
9 May 2024 15:37
Remember when John Travolta danced the "duck dance" at the Festival in San Remo, and the video that hit the internet made the whole world laugh? We can barely remember it ourselves now. After a few months, however, the incident became noisy again. The movie star, who then tried to remove the video from the internet, will again find it no laughing matter. He has just received a lawsuit from the organizers.
About the absurd situation we wrote about in mid-February, John Travolta was the guest of one of the oldest song festivals in Europe (held since 1951) in San Remo, Italy. The "Grease" star first danced on stage with the host, Amadeus, a radio and television presenter, and later was asked to move through the audience to the rhythm known from John Badham's famous "Saturday Night Fever."
In this manner, with his dance step, Travolta walked out in front of the theatre, where, along with a group of people dressed as ducks and two men in "duck" hats with smiles glued to their faces and barely masked embarrassment, he performed the routine – as one can guess – to the famous "duck dance." It was evident, however, that he did not feel comfortable. He even tried to stop the spread of the ill-fated video, but while it's still possible on television, on the internet – not.
John Travolta received a lawsuit from San Remo. It's about the shoes
Unexpectedly, after just under three months, the whole world remembered the unpleasant incident for the actor all over again. All because of a legal suit filed against Travolta by the organizers. And contrary to appearances, it has nothing to do with the "duck dance." It's actually about the white sneakers he was wearing that day.
As the news agency Dire reports, the Italian public radio and television broadcaster RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) accused the American of breaking contract rules, non-compliance with fair competition regulations, and unprofessional action. According to the organizers, the distinctive white footwear with a visible logo was a form of unplanned advertisement. This is particularly troublesome when millions of Italians watch the broadcast.
General director Roberto Sergio commented, explaining RAI matters to the parliamentary committee. In this way, he decided to use the publicity generated by his performance. Consequently, the entity is demanding compensation for the losses incurred, including image damage. Until now, he has not received the full fee for participating in the event.
