Sharon Stone Told She's Not Invited To Shanghai Festival

HONG KONG — The backlash in China against Sharon Stone continued Wednesday as the Shanghai International Film Festival said the American actress was not welcome at this year's event.

The 50-year-old "Basic Instinct" star provoked outrage in China after suggesting the recent earthquake in central Sichuan province may have been the result of bad "karma" because of Beijing's rule in Tibet.

French fashion house Christian Dior dropped Stone from its Chinese ads after she made the comments in May during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview.

Stone, who walked the red carpet in Shanghai last year, will not be invited back soon, Shanghai International Film Festival spokeswoman Tang Bing said Wednesday.

Tang said film festival organizers sent Stone a letter protesting her remarks and demanding an apology.

Stone has said she was "deeply sorry" for causing anguish and anger among Chinese people, and offered to take part in quake relief efforts.

The Hollywood actress previously impressed festival organizers with her charity work and her appearance last year, and her comments came as a surprise, Tang said.

"She showed her affinity for the Chinese people and her affinity for Shanghai. She didn't say any bad things," said Tang.

The Shanghai festival is scheduled for June 14-22.

Stone's Hollywood publicist didn't immediately return an after-hours call Wednesday seeking further comment.

Chinese have also lashed out at Western media for allegedly biased coverage of China's crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet in March. Beijing says Tibet is historically part of China, but many Tibetans argue the region was virtually independent for centuries.

Stone's film credits also include "Total Recall," "Sliver," "Casino" and "The Mighty."

The death toll from the May 12 earthquake in China has passed 69,100.

Comments

[LiberalBuzz]

For a so called liberal site the hatred for this woman is mind boggling. What the hell did she ever do to any of you? NO ONE forces any of you to watch her movies or listen to her, so what the hell is your problem?

And by the way:

It is FREEDOM of SPEECH.

AND maybe she was talking about Tibet and how CHINA has murdered and tortured the people who live there, BUT the point is China is due some serious Karma.

This is a country that the CITIZENS routinely murder baby girls on a minute by minute basis.

Mid Wives usually suffocate a baby girl upon birth IF the mother hasn't used medical technology to find out it's a girl in advance and then aborted the girl.

The rivers in China have long been a dumping "ground" for dead baby girls.

So maybe not for Tibet but the entire country is complicit in the nonstop murder of baby girls AFTER they are born just to have male children.

And what is ironic in a tragic way is that because there is such a shortage of females for grown men (gee who'd of thought THAT would happen?) kidnappings and forced marriage along with outright SELLING of girls to men is widespread as well.

So ya know what?

KARMA IS A BITCH!

IF she loses her future income BECAUSE of Communist China and you people CHEER THAT ON then you people need to get a clue.

[jaycg9]

What the Chinese people should have said was that only actors who've been in movies that people give a damn about in the last fifteen years are invited. That way, at least, she knows it's not personal.

[mediamarv]

Why is it a mistake? Chinese religions accept the concept of karma, as well as ancestral worship.
Could indeed be karma, no one can say for sure one way or the other. The main reason for the reaction is that the Beijing government is trying to deal with the fact that they are on the losing side of the Tibet issue and will not tolerate any criticism.
Good for you Sharon, speak your mind freely, after all, that's what distinguishes Americans from the rest of the world.

[dgscol]

You are exactly right mediamarv ! They can pick on Sharon, but how about complaining about their government beating people's heads in? Thousands of people dead, and yet they do nothing about it. Censorship, intolerance, brutality, spying on its citizenry, and foreigners etc. The initial complainant was a Chinese woman going to school in the US, and she said nothing about the lack of regard of the government for its people. But shame on you, Sharon.

Although some Chinese in the government like the commercial success in Shanghai, it has not changed the way the government operates one iota. This is just another example of the idea that "commerce alters a society", is just plain wrong. The basic China is still the same, but some people have more wealth. This guarantees that the traditional way is the way to success.

[coldcanuckinwhite]

Let's not be so hard on Sharon today. People make mistakes. I don't think she'll say that again. It cost her a lot of asian friends and mega $$.

[ohnoyoudidnot!]

I'm sure that Ms. Stone is as lovely on the inside as the outside. If she espouses Buddhist thought, surely she knows that expressing an opinion is the ego flexing itself and represents a disconnection from her true self and the Universe.

[marymansour]

Sharon Stone has always been an outspoken starlet whose only real talent was baring her crotch in Basic Instinct. She's a no boner.

[evalpor]

I edited what is called a "sizzle reel" about Sharon Stone for a recent award ceremony which took place in Hollywood. The reel depicted Ms. Stone's accomplishments in motion pictures as well as her charity work. In the course of my work on this reel, I got to see a great deal of footage gathered from around the world which left no doubt in my mind that, when it comes to her love of the human race, she is the real thing. When I began the reel, I had no feelings about Sharon Stone, one way or the other. When I was finished, I found myself genuinely admiring her.

If you all knew what I know, you'd all cut her some slack.

[andvoodoo2]

Thank you for your post. From everything I've read, Stone is the real deal and her unfortunate remark has probably greatly diminished the amount of money and attention she could have drawn to the Tibetans and the China quake victims. She and both countries are the real losers all because she made what was probably a spur-of-the-moment comment.
That said, I understand why the Chinese would be incensed at her remark. After the levees failed in my city of New Orleans, ignorant people came out of the woodwork saying that Katrina was "God's way" of punishing America for Iraq, New Orleans for being so "sinful" and/or New Orleans for being "too gay". Other equally stupid people said it was karma for the same things. Comments like that, however indirect, attempt to place blame for their loss on the people who were most harmed. You can't imagine how painful it is to be told that 80% of your city was flooded because a POTUS you didn't support took your country into a "war" you abhor. It's almost as bad as being told God flooded your city because of the French Quarter, especially when you consider the Quarter (fortunately) remained high and dry.

[dora rice]

That will teach you to keep your mouth shut, expecially since you doing politics only for publicity. If I was the Chinese You couldn't come to Taiwan either, I would tell the US if Stone comes to Taiwan we will take it back. ha ha

[mediamarv]

WTF???

[evalpor]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

[irisblaauw]

Just came back from the 19th memorial service commemorating the Tiananmen Massacare that took place on June 4, 1989. Speaker Pelosi was there, unabashedly criticizing Chinese human rights violation.

Sharon Stone should not feel bad for speaking what she felt. It's called freedom of speech, a phrase not existing in the Chinese dictionary. Chinese reaction is similar to the Muslims who cannot tolerate anyone to speak ill about their religion. So now no one can criticize China without fearing the reprisal??? We should not be bullied. If anything, the Chinese bully only enhances the suspicion and doubts about a "peaceful" and "harmonious" China.

[freedomisabsolute]

She did not criticize the government she lumped 69,000 people who perished and their families. Freedom of speech in that kind is not tolerated anyone who said Katrina or 9/11 were karmas were then drilled another __hole and blacklisted for that free speech. When "innocent" people are entangled in tragedy, just because they are related to some whose actions are questionable or downright despotic does not justify telling them perhaps they deserved it. This is where she went wrong. And the Tibetan issue is one people really need to look at, get their facts straight and depending what side they're on, be comfortable with the amount of hypocrisy it takes to speak out against someone else's land and remain silent at the occurrences in your own country.
She shouldn't feel bad for speaking what she felt but if she feels that way, that's is what she should feel bad about. She should only say such stupid things to people close to her like the rest of us usually do, not into a microphone.

[tcagle]

That's talent, getting 1,300,000,000 people pissed at you just like that. Hell, George Bush still has some true believers over here after seven years of trying his ass off.

[LeBelAge]

Sharon has misused the principle of karma. Just as Americans were angered by the suggestion we deserved 9/11 the Chinese are justified at being upset with Sharon Stone about her remarks.

Natural disasters are not karmically ordained. The likes of the Christian Right have said the same thing in regards to the Katrina Disaster or prayed that hurricanes Florida for allowing Gay Days at Disney World.

The forces of nature can not be controlled by thoughts.

[emerywood]

It's hard to believe that saying something inappropriate in public could result in this kind of karma.
She made a believer out of me.

[dgscol]

No free speech, and no criticism of Chinese actions, or you will be commercially bullied by the Chinese government.

Is that even "normal" ?

The American people are tired of being bullied commercially by the Chinese.

[dgscol]

This has been blown out of proportion. Sharon, is a lucky sort of woman. She was just making a flippant remark, mostly to show some regard for freedom-loving Chinese. Why don't the people of Shanghai see that? Why do they turn a blind eye?

[tkondaks]

Gosh, I'd love to be able to discern the causes and effects of karma, too.

That's quite a talent.

[GoodbyeKitty]

LOL

She is a shining example of a Beverly Hills Buddhist culture-vulture