Andy Garcia's No Pacino or Baldwin, Lawsuit Alleges

An event management company sued a Sherman Oaks talent brokerage firm today for allegedly breaking a promise to have Alec Baldwin appear at an Italian cultural event in Australia last year, forcing cancellation of the event.

Eventcepts Ltd. filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against One Entertainment LLC. The suit allegations include breach of contract and negligence.

A representative for One Entertainment could not be immediately reached.

According to the complaint, the two sides reached an agreement last August for One Entertainment to have Al Pacino appear as the grand host and featured guest at La Dolce Italia Festival being produced by Eventcepts in Melbourne, where Eventcepts is also located. Eventcepts agreed to pay the defendants $100,000 and made an initial remittance of $15,000, the suit states.

Later that month, One Entertainment representatives said Pacino did not accept the invitation, but said they could have Baldwin appear instead, the suit alleges.

One Entertainment assured the plaintiffs that Baldwin had "unconditionally agreed" to appear and asked Eventcepts to remit $80,000, the suit alleges. Eventcepts paid the requested amount and agreed to turn over $225,000 under a revised agreement, the suit states. In November, Eventcepts paid another $80,000, according to the complaint.

In reliance on One Entertainment's commitments regarding Baldwin, Eventcepts spent money for advertising to market the festival, the suit states. However, in January the defendants said that Baldwin could not attend the festival for personal reasons, according to the complaint. The 58-year-old Baldwin is not a defendant in the case.

After lawyers for Eventcepts demanded a refund of their clients' money in February, One Entertainment offered to provide Andy Garcia for the festival, the suit states. The plaintiffs rejected the offer because he was not a mutually agreeable substitute, the suit states.

Eventcepts has lost revenue because of the festival's cancellation and damage to its reputation, the suit states.

City News Service