Building Bridges Not Walls...

[sbk]

Elton John wasn't the only one who was "a little surprised" by the invite to perform at Rush Limbaugh's wedding last weekend.

"Elton, during the performance made a lot of cracks: 'I suppose you all wonder why I'm here tonight?' " John's longtime partner, David Furnish, told People at the Tony Awards Sunday. "But ultimately, it's a bit like an olive branch, I guess."

Not to mention a great <deleted> moment.

"To put it in Elton's exact words, when he got the invitation, he was 'a little surprised,' " Furnish recalled. "And then, when it turned out to be a genuinely sincere invitation...Elton said, 'Life is about building bridges, not walls.' "

This is the guy who donned a fluorescent suit and teamed with Eminem for a "Stan" duet at the Grammys, right at the height of "Is Eminem homophobic?" mania.

But Limbaugh isn't what one would call a friend of the gay community. Heck, he's not even a passing acquaintance.

Quoting John, Furnish said that the singer thought the conservative talk-radio host's wedding would be an ideal opportunity "to go where people wouldn't expect me to go. And maybe if I can make a great impression, people might change their perspectives on life."

"I wasn't there," Furnish continued, "but from everything Elton told me, he said Rush and his bride were incredibly charming and welcoming. And they have said they want to come and have dinner with us in England, if they pass through in their travels. We have to bring the world together, not apart."

Limbaugh, 59, swapped vows with Kathryn Rogers, 33, at the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., his fourth trip down the aisle. They met six years ago, just as the radio star was getting unhitched from wife No. 3.

Read more: Elton John "Building Bridges," One Limbaugh Wedding at a Time - E! Online

[Suradit]

My initial reaction was that building a bank account may appear even more enticing than building bridges or walls:

On Saturday, Elton John performed at the wedding of Rush Limbaugh, a rightwing DJ who has previously denied the severity of AIDS in Africa. The British singer, a leading AIDS activist, reportedly received $1m (£690,000) for the appearance.

… but if the money actually does go to charity, then I suppose he deserves favorable comment for trying to reach out as well as supporting worthy causes:

Even more unexpectedly, Sir Elton's million-dollar fee may have been a reduced rate. Last year, Reuters reported that the Candle In the Wind singer is the "second most expensive" wedding performer, charging more than $2m (£1.38m) for private gigs. Proceeds from these concerts go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Suradit