'HELLO, IS IT ME YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? The quagmire worsens: Iraq is now hopelessly split between Shia theocrats, Sunni insurgents, Kurdish separatists and Lionel Richie fans...'
- Mark Steyn, SteynOnline
'... Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name... Iraqis who do not understand a word of English can sing an entire Lionel Richie song. This is the same Lionel Richie who wrote “Say You, Say Me.” This is the same Lionel Richie who is the father of some young woman named Nicole. Yes, that Lionel Richie. Could he really be an Iraqi icon? I decided I had to investigate, and not just investigate, I decided I had to ask Lionel Richie himself. So I called him from Baghdad. Actually it was a formal interview. It was the first interview with Lionel Richie ever on the subject of Iraq and Iraqis. I asked Richie if he knows just how big he is here. He said, "The answer is, I’m huge, huge in the Arab world. The answer as to why is, I don’t have the slightest idea." He has performed in Morocco, Dubai, Qatar and Libya. There is obviously something up there. The more we talked, the more he theorized as to the reasons his music might be so popular here. He thinks it is because of the simple message in his music: Love. Richie says he was told Iraqis were playing "All Night Long," on the streets the night US tanks rolled into the country in 2003...'
- John Berman, "Baghdad’s Lionel Richie Obsession", ABC News (19 May 2006)
'We think we’ve created something really fun, even though our two co-stars are generally not speaking to each other... I think it’s probably easier to fix Iraq than it is to fix Paris and Nicole.'
– Producer Jon Murray on filming The Simple Life: Til Death Do Us Part with two feuding stars.
Just as long as you don't roll a golden apple towards her... or introduce her to Geoffrey Rush's wife.
