Poppa John can’t win every case.
The High Court in London has just ruled that a spoof column satirizing Elton was not defamatory.
Elton and his camp claimed that the article in The Guardian made fun of Elton’s serious charity work. They claimed it even joked about important events, such as the White Tie Ball, saying Elton only held them for self-promotion and to meet celebs, not to raise serious money.
Puhlease. This is ELTON JOHN! He doesn’t need a charity event to meet stars. He just calls them up!
The article, which was printed this past summer, titled A Peek At The Diary Of…, was written as if Elton were the one writing about the event.
Elton and his camp described it as having a “gratuitously offensive, nasty and snide tone.”
However, the judge disagreed.
Saying, “The words complained of ├óΓé¼┬ª could not be understood by a reasonable reader of the Guardian Weekend section as containing the serious allegation pleaded.├óΓé¼┬¥
Elton was seeking damages and an apology.
As for the paper, they argued that the article was a satirical piece and not a factual account.
And, in a statement, Guardian News & Media said ├óΓé¼┼ôWe├óΓé¼Γäóre sorry that Elton John lost his sense of humour over this article. The judge – and, we suspect all readers – saw the article for what it was; a piece of mild satire. Newspapers have published satire since the 17th century in this country: the judgment is an important recognition of the right to poke the occasional bit of fun.├óΓé¼┬¥
What do U think?
[Image via WENN.]