Pal Blasts Ricky Martin

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday June 08, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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The entertainment roster for this Thursday's pre-Inaugural bash at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington continues to heat up, in more ways than one. Ricky Martin was announced last week as the headliner of the tribute to the incoming prez, along with ZZ Top, Kelsey Grammer and theatrical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Now come reports that Charlotte Church, Jon Secada, Lorrie Morgan & Sammy Kershaw, Tiffany Ameen, Jessica Simpson, Sylvester Stallone and emcee Larry King will join them. But not everyone is pleased with Martin's planned appearance, and that includes his songwriter and childhood pal Robi "Draco" Rosa. Rosa's credits include Ricky's biggest hit, "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "The Cup of Life," the latter of which Martin is expected to sing on Thursday. (Rosa also sang with Martin in the 1980s boy group Menudo.) Rosa opposes Martin's appearance on political grounds. "This is a betrayal of everything every Puerto Rican should stand for," Rosa said in a statement issued over the weekend. Referring to George W. Bush, Rosa said, "This is a president who would have people . . . obstruct the exercise of civil rights, human rights, consumer rights, the right to choose, the right to be free of gun violence and the right to a clean environment." There has been no response to Rosa's comments from Martin.