ENTERTAINMENT / Gossip
Clooney joins protest over Italy project
(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-23 09:00
ROME - George Clooney has joined a protest to stop construction of
parking lots and a promenade in the northern Italian lakeside town where
he owns a villa because he fears his presence is turning the quiet town
into a tourist attraction.
Clooney was among some 300 townspeople who signed the petition against
the planned construction in the town of Laglio on Lake Como, according to
organizers.
"Yes I signed it. Almost every member of the town signed it," the
46-year-old actor said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Friday.
"My concern is that this village that has stood for hundreds of years
would be destroyed simply because I happened to have lived there for the
last six years. I told my neighbors that I would do what they wanted. And
it seemed that they didn't want to demolish the harbor where all the
local fishermen keep their boats," Clooney said.
Clooney, who won an Oscar for his role in "Syriana," said the petition
appeared to have had the desired effect, and that the mayor had announced
Thursday that at least some of the plans �� which opponents say would
damage the environment as well as the 18th-century old harbor �� had been
scrapped.
"The petition, signed by three-fourths of the town, seems to have proved
the difference. It's a testament to the character of the people in
Laglio," the actor said.
Tourism to the town has increased since Clooney moved to the area.
Calls to the mayor's office in the Laglio City Hall weren't immediately
returned, but the head of the committee leading the protest said only
part of the project, to cost $18.8 million, had been canceled.
Committee chair Manuela Nuti said she did not immediately know what parts
of the project remained. She praised Clooney's participation in the
protest, saying it was of "extraordinary importance for the cause."
"He always keeps himself informed of things that happen in town," Nuti
said in a telephone interview.
Related Stories
� Brad Pitt, George Clooney raise cash for Sudan
===========================================================================
� George Clooney lined up for Bolivian political drama
===========================================================================
� George Clooney: Call me a traitor but I will ask questions
===========================================================================
� George Clooney campaigns in Egypt, China
===========================================================================
� George Clooney named 'Sexiest Man Alive'
===========================================================================
Top Entertaiment News
� Paris Hilton to be released on Tuesday
� Morgan Freeman to play Nelson Mandela in new movie
� Former Beatles flourish on album charts
� "Citizen Kane" leads "Godfather" in movie poll
� Anna Nicole's daughter Dannielynn pouts like her
Today's Top News
� Meeting energy goal a tough job
� China's forex to invest in Blackstone
� Algae 'no longer a threat' to water
� 'N.Korea wants denuclearization'
� US military: 14 troops killed in Iraq
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Free Chinese Lesson, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment