Dennis RomeroWow. You know you're in low-approval-rating territory when the mayor of New York gets more love than you even when it comes to art-and-culture in your own city.
That was the rap for L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week. After a 60 Minutes profile of local billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad snubbed a quote from the mayor in favor of New York's Michael Bloomberg, a producer of the Hollywood show Glee took a swipe at Villaraigosa today.
Here's what co-executive producer Dante Di Loreto said as he visited with Bloomberg:
We've been filming Glee in Los Angeles for two years — we never met the mayor there. We've been in New York City for six hours and we feel incredibly welcome.
Bloomberg weighed in:
A scene from 'Glee.'; Credit: Fox
Just in case you want to move everything to New York, we'd love to have you. Sorry about the mayor of L.A.
Yeah, Michael, we're sorry too. Seems you have to offer him valuable free tickets in order for Mayor V. to show up anywhere.
Villaraigosa said “I'd be just as happy for the 'Glee' kids to come to Los Angeles and visit the nation's entertainment capital.”
Don't get it? Us either. Villaraigosa's staff had to explain to the Wall Street Journal that Glee is set in Ohio.
Oh, so like, while L.A. gets the benefits of having a hit show produced here, it would be cool, wink-wink, if it also took place here. Then Mayor V. would give it the time of day. Right.
Wow. That is some high-end P.R. spin from a mayoral staff of 200 that is heavily populated by publicists. Good work, team.
Now could you return a reporter's phone call. No? Didn't think so.
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