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Franny Lets Fan Name Her New Baby (April Fools 2017)
Comes as top perk of Kickstarter campaign benefitting Battistelli's llama
Posted: April 01, 2017, 5:00 PM | Category:General Artist Tags: Francesca Battistelli Source: From Staff Reports / April Fools
In the wake of her successful crowdfunding campaign, singer Francesca Battistelli has delivered one of the most unprecedented perks of the Kickstarter era: naming her fourth child.
NRT recently reported that Franny's pet llama, Rodrigo--the one seen in the music videos for "This is the Stuff" and "If We're Being Honest"--was hit by a car in Albuquerque when he wandered off the tour bus and into oncoming traffic.
The accident left Rodrigo with a dozen fractures in his abnormally long neck, and with mounting medical bills pouring in for the beloved pet and musical mascot, Battistelli turned to her fans to help cover the costs.
A quickly launched Kickstarter campaign yielded more than the $50,000 sought, as fans sought to help Rodrigo, get Franny back on the road, and to take advantage of a number of massive perks.
At the top of the list was Franny's promise that the first person to give more than $10,000 would be able to name her fourth child.
Janet Rizelli, 56, of Boca Raton, Fla. was the lucky recipient of naming rights, and has requested that Baby Goodwin No. 4 will be named Chartreuse Janet Goodwin.
"I can't believe this is happening," said Rizelli. "I never settled down to have kids, so it's beautiful that I'd be able to give Francesca and Matt the baby name I've treasured all my life! Chartreuse is my favorite color, and soon it will be everyone's!"
UPDATE: Francesca has retained a lawyer to find out if she's legally obligated to name her child Chartreuse, noting that the crowdfunding campaign and perks were hastily put together "under duress" in the midst of Rodrigo the Llama's difficulty.
(If We're Being Honest... it's April Fools. Get it?)