- Title: USA: HUNDREDS OF SELECT MEMBERS OF MEDIA ATTEND PARTY AT PLAYBOY MANSION
- Date: 12th August 2000
- Summary: HOLMBY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 12 2000) (REUTERS) 1. SLV PLAYBOY MANSION 0.11 2. MV GUESTS ARRIVING AT PLAYBOY MANSION BEING GREETED BY PLAYBOY BUNNY 0.20 3. WS GUESTS GATHERED AROUND SWIMMING POOL 0.25 4. MV PLAYBOY FOUNDER HUGH HEFNER STANDING WITH PLAYBOY BUNNIES 0.42 5. SLV MEDIA GATHERED AROUND HEFNER 0.46 6. SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEFFNER: "Well this is not a fundraiser this is a party for the media. This welcoming the Washington media - and the other media - to the convention and to LA (Los Angeles) and to Playboy . This was arranged before the all the controversy to the (Representative Loretta) Sanchez event that was going to be held on Tuesday (August 15). Now this turns into something - it turns into the need to explain because I have not made any public statements until yesterday about all the controversy because I wanted to stay out of it. I didn't want it to turn into something personal." 1.26 7. PAN PEOPLE GATHERED FOR THE PARTY. 1.33 8. SLV PEOPLE GATHERED BY THE POOL. 1.45 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th August 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: HOLMBY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA3OS2IEVSK3AGLRUJNAQ54Q4I5
- Story Text: Hundreds of select members of the media have attended a
party at the Playboy Mansion as Playmates handed out drinks
and Hugh Hefner railed against "hypocritical" Democrats who
forced a congresswoman to move a Hispanic fund-raiser to a
more politically correct location.
At least 200 members of the press were bused to
the mansion on Saturday (August 12) where they were greeted by
Playboy Bunnies who handed out drinks and hors d'oeuvres while
a Dixieland jazz band played.
It was one of several parties in the area ahead of the
convention that will formally nominate Vice President Al Gore
as the Democrats' presidential candidate.
The party, held as up to 16,000 accredited media gathered
in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention that
starts on Monday (August 14), came a day after Representative
Loretta Sanchez bowed to career-threatening pressure from the
Democratic Party and agreed to move a major Hispanic
fund-raiser from the politically incorrect Playboy Mansion to
a more sedate location.
Heffner speaking about the controversy surrounding the
Hispanic fund-raiser said: "Well this is not a fundraiser this
is a party for the media. This welcoming the Washington media
- and the other media - to the convention and to LA (Los
Angeles) and to Playboy . This was arranged before the all the
controversy to the (Representative Loretta) Sanchez event
that was going to be held on Tuesday (August 15). Now this
turns into something - it turns into the need to explain
because I have not made any public statements until yesterday
about all the controversy because I wanted to stay out of it.
I didn't want it to turn into something personal."
At another party - paid for by organisers of the
Los Angeles convention - another 1,000 or so news media
workers gathered to eat free food and drink free booze while
performers played Salsa, Big Band sounds and rock and roll at
the Performing Arts Centre of Los Angeles County in downtown.
At the Playboy Mansion, Hefner, founder and
editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine which features photographs
of nude women, said he did not blame Gore for the storm over
the venue for the Hispanic fund-raiser, but thought it could
rebound against Gore.
Pressure mounted all day on Friday (August 11) on Sanchez,
a two-term Democratic congresswoman, to find another venue for
the planned fund-raising party than the Playboy Mansion, with
the chairman of the Democratic party chastising her for
aligning the Democrats with "the Playboy lifestyle" even
though Hefner is a lifelong Democrat and party contributor.
Democratic leaders threatened to come down hard on Sanchez
if she did not change the venue for the fund-raiser for a
bipartisan group that encourages Hispanic voting, Hispanic
Unity USA.
They said she would not be allowed to speak at the
Democratic National Convention and might have her credentials
revoked. They also discussed having her removed from several
Party jobs.
Among Hefner's guests on Saturday were columnist Arianna
Huffington, Bill Maher of HBO's "Politically Incorrect,"
Bryant Gumbel of CBS, and Pat Caddell, former pollster for
President Jimmy Carter and now a TV personality in Los
Angeles.
Also at the party were dozens of reporters, photographers
and broadcast media from Washington who cover politics.
Some clamoured to be photographed standing next to the
Playmates.
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