Ronstadt casino ban may be lifted

Ronstadt said she would continue to support Moore

Singer Linda Ronstadt, banned from a Las Vegas casino for supporting the anti-George Bush film Fahrenheit 9/11, may be allowed back to the venue.

Robert Earl, one of the men buying the Aladdin casino where the incident happened, said he was "very sorry" to hear Ronstadt had been banned.

"We respect artists' creativity and support their rights to express themselves," he said.

Ronstadt had urged the 4,500 crowd to see Michael Moore's controversial film.

I want people to get their head up out of their mashed potatoes and go and vote Linda Ronstadt

The casino's current president Bill Timmins had Ronstadt, 58, banned from the casino after she called film-maker Moore a "great American patriot".

She said Moore was "spreading the truth." His film, which has been an enormous success in the US, is highly critical of President Bush and the US-led attack on Iraq.

Mr Timmins said her support during Saturday's concert had irked some in the audience, with fans ripping down her posters.

'Issues'

Ronstadt later told the Los Angeles Times she would continue to support Moore at her concerts.

"This is an election year," she told the paper. "I want people to get their head up out of their mashed potatoes and learn something about the issues and go and vote."

"I'm not telling them how to vote. I'm saying, 'get information about the issues'," she said.

Meanwhile, blues singer Bonnie Raitt dedicated a classic soul song, Your Good Thing (Is About to End) to the US president at the Stockholm Jazz Festival on Wednesday.

"We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" she said before launching into the song, which was written by soul legend Isaac Hayes.

Raitt's dedication drew cheers and whistles from some of the 3,000-strong crowd.