Sharon Osbourne fired back at Philip Anschutz, founder of concert promoter AEG, after her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, dropped his antitrust lawsuit against the company. In the filing, Ozzy said that he had tentatively agreed to perform at London's O2 Arena on February 11, 2019 as part of his "No More Tours 2" farewell run, but he claimed that AEG added a provision stating that if Osbourne played an indoor arena within 25 miles of Los Angeles that was promoted by competitor Live Nation during the tour, he would have to play the AEG-owned Staples Center as well. After AEG issued a statement claiming a "victory" following the dismissal of the lawsuit, which came after the company agreed to end its practice of blocking artists from playing certain venues, Sharon slammed Anschutz by purposely misspelling his name and telling him to "bite on our assholes." Sharon Osbourne's statement in full: "We know Mr. Anshultz (aka 'Daddy Big Bucks') is living in his billionaire bubble, but the fact is that Ozzy sued AEG for the right to perform at the O2 in London. We won the case and Ozzy's show at the O2 went on sale on September 5 for a show next year (February 11, 2019) — so in my world that means we won the case. Ozzy is playing the O2 without having to play the Staples Center, which is all that mattered to us. From the start of this dialogue in February, this has been a battle about respect for the artists and their personal preferences. It wasn't then and isn't now a battle between promoters, which is how this is being portrayed by the recent statement from AEG claiming this as a 'victory.' "To say that this 'suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation,' and that 'it was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off,' is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team working on this tour. Whatever differences you have with Irving Azoff, don't presume you know who instigated the lawsuit or you know anything about Ozzy Osbourne, because you obviously don't know anything about Ozzy's history or mine. So stop with your hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and your little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG. "Regarding the allegations in the AEG statement that this 'suit was a transparent public relations ploy,' if that was indeed the case, why then did AEG rush out a statement of victory? While we, throughout this process, until now have only made one statement around the initial filing. "Ozzy's preference was to perform at The Forum, a venue that has been a part of his music history for more than 46 years. From the start, this was not a battle solely for Ozzy, as much as one for other artists who were being forced to abide by these rules and regulations. Let's not all forget why you're here... the artists. "The only thing remotely interesting in your statement was your pitiful attempt at humor with your quote that Ozzy 'had no idea what he was biting off.' If you're interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you bite on... our assholes... see ya loser!" AEG previously told Billboard in a statement that the company "has always worked hard to put artists first. At the same time, we must respond to the actions of those we compete with, specifically Live Nation and Madison Square Garden. Fighting for a level playing field is fair competition at its core." Osbourne wanted a judge to invalidate the provision in his contract that forces him to perform at Staples. Variety reported that AEG's O2/Staples requirement came about in response to a challenge from MSG that found the company refusing to book acts into Madison Square Garden if they played at AEG's Staples Center in Los Angeles instead of the MSG-operated Forum. In response, AEG informed agents and promoters that acts who perform at The Forum instead of Staples will not be booked at London's O2 Arena. Ozzy's final world tour is slated to last until 2020.
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