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Entertainment & Arts

WikiLeaks: Movie, TV and music secrets revealed!

By Scott Sandell, Los Angeles Times staff writer The release of thousands of secret U.S. Embassy diplomatic cables via Julian Assange's WikiLeaks has ignited a firestorm of controversy as it lays bare the inner workings of American diplomacy. But who would have thought the cables would also invoke " The Godfather," "Desperate Housewives," Michael Jackson, "Harry Potter" and a slew of other entertainment and arts references? At some level, it should come as no surprise, since at the center of Cablegate is none other than Lady Gaga. That's because Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been charged with illegally downloading information including State Department cables, explained his modus operandi thusly: "I would come in with music on a CD-RW labeled with something like "Lady Gaga" ... erase the music ... then write a compressed split file. No one suspected a thing." Who else rates a mention within the United States' diplomatic corps? Read on.

By Scott Sandell, Los Angeles Times staff writer

The release of thousands of secret U.S. Embassy diplomatic cables via Julian Assange‘s WikiLeaks has ignited a firestorm of controversy as it lays bare the inner workings of American diplomacy. But who would have thought the cables would also invoke “ The Godfather,” “Desperate Housewives,” Michael Jackson, “Harry Potter” and a slew of other entertainment and arts references?

At some level, it should come as no surprise, since at the center of Cablegate is none other than Lady Gaga. That’s because Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been charged with illegally downloading information including State Department cables, explained his modus operandi thusly: “I would come in with music on a CD-RW labeled with something like “Lady Gaga” ... erase the music ... then write a compressed split file. No one suspected a thing.”

Who else rates a mention within the United States’ diplomatic corps? Read on.   (Left: Lawrence K. Ho, Los Angeles Times; right: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Elton John

Being the relative of the autocratic leader of a Central Asian nation has its privileges. Among them: being personally serenaded by the Rocket Man (shown above not in Kazakhstan but at the far more mundane Hollywood Palladium).

An April 2008 cable titled “LIFESTYLES OF THE KAZAZHSTANI LEADERSHIP” states: “In 2007, President Nazarbayev’s son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, celebrated his 41st birthday in grand style. At a small venue in Almaty, he hosted a private concert with some of Russia’s biggest pop-stars. The headliner, however, was Elton John, to whom he reportedly paid one million pounds for this one-time appearance. (Note: The British Ambassador relayed a slightly different story, with an unknown but obviously well-heeled friend arranging and paying for Sir Elton’s gig. End Comment.) “  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Nelly Furtado

Like Elton John, this Canadian songbird apparently also flew away to Kazakhstan. According to the same memo, “There have been separate reports that Nelly Furtado performed at the August 2007 birthday bash for Kulibayev’s wife, Dinara Nazarbayeva.”

An added bonus: “Kazakhstan’s political elites also have recreational tastes that are not so exotic. Some, in fact, prefer to relax the old-fashioned way. Defense Minister Akhmetov, a self-proclaimed workaholic, appears to enjoy loosening up in the tried and true ‘homo sovieticus’ style -- i.e., drinking oneself into a stupor.”  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Steven Spielberg

An April 2007 cable detailing a meeting of the Damascus-based Arab League Boycott Office says that the league targeted Spielberg, “who was singled out for his USD one million donation to Israel last year during the summer conflict in Lebanon, according to [Muhammed al Ajami, head of the Syrian Regional Office for the Boycott of Israel]. The committee banned all films and other products related to Spielberg or his Righteous Persons Foundation, Ajami said. Generic enforcement guidelines given to ALBO members include the banning of DVD imports and airing of Spielberg,s films.”  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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Disney World

It’s a small world after all: The daughter of the Tunisian president, Nesrine Ben Ali El Materi, has at least one thing in common with Megan Fox and Brian Austen Green, according to a secret 2009 cable. “Nesrine said she loves Disney World, but had put off a trip this year because of H1N1 flu. Nesrine has, for sometime, had Tamiflu nearby (even taking it on trips). Originally it was out of fear of bird flu.”  (Gene Duncan / Disney via Getty Images)

David Letterman

A section of the Riyadh cable is titled “ David Letterman, Agent of Influence.”  (Ron Hoskins / Getty Images)

Bruce Springsteen

A November 2005 cable from Madrid reveals that Spanish culture minister Carmen Calvo is a fan of the Boss.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Flamenco

Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi has a penchant for flamenco, horse racing and a Ukrainian nurse, according to a September 2009 cable from Tunis titled “A GLIMPSE INTO LIBYAN LEADER QADHAFI’S ECCENTRICITIES.” (Perhaps he should check out “Forever Flamenco,” above, at the Ford Amphitheatre.)  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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