Chávez Shows Up At Venice Fest
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — pictured (appropriately) at left, with Oliver Stone at right — walked down the Venice Film Festival red carpet Monday amid massive security, marking the first time a head of state has come to the Lido to tubthump a movie about himself. Chavez was in Italy because the Stone-helmed documentary “South of the Border,” in which the director toured South America to canvas opinions from the region’s other political leaders about the controversial Chavez, had its premiere yesterday. It’s ironic that the Venezuelan dictator, who recently shut down radio stations broadcasting opinions he didn’t like, would show up at an event based on freedom of expression.
