American actor John Travolta found himself at the center of an Italian controversy on Friday after he wore designer shoes and performed a “duck dance” entirely to his taste during the popular music festival in Sanremo.
The consumer protection association Codacons said it had referred the case to the public prosecutor's office and the competition regulator for “disguised advertising” after the “Saturday Night Fever” actor wore sports shoes from an Italian brand during the broadcast on Wednesday of the festival held every year watched by tens of millions of viewers on the public broadcaster Rai1.
It was a new model, presented as a “preview” by the Italian company U-Power, whose owner was sitting in the front row of the gala evening that evening.
According to Codacons, the brand had also announced in advance that it would promote its products on the stage of the Ariston in Sanremo on the same day.
In a press release, the association Codacons said it wanted to clarify “the many unclear aspects of the matter surrounding John Travolta's performance,” without specifying whether its approach was aimed at the actor, the brand or the television network.
The Italian press also reported extensively on Friday about another controversy surrounding the “Pulp Fiction” star.
In Sanremo, festival host Amadeus and comedian Fiorello made them dance to the Italian version of the song “Dance of the Ducks” amid dancers wearing giant girl costumes.
At the end of this sequence, which caused amusement on social networks, Travolta refused to sign an agreement authorizing the rebroadcast of the images, said the presenter of the Rai1 channel, Eleonora Daniele.
Rai said on Friday that the agreement between the channel and the Hollywood actor only covers the broadcast of the live sequence.
The video has since been removed from the Rai1 website but went viral on streaming platforms.
“If Travolta didn’t like it, it’s not my fault. He was warned, no one forced him,” Amadeus defended.