As if Hollywood making a film based on "Evita" isn't bad enough, many Argentines say casting Madonna as legendary first lady Eva Peron adds insult to injury.

"A total and utter disgrace," President Carlos Menem said. Antonio Quarraccino, archbishop of Buenos Aires, called Madonna "pornographic and blasphemous - an insult to Argentine women."The Broadway musical "Evita" painted the second wife of dictator Juan Peron as a corrupt populist who slept her way to power.

The portrayal angered many Argentines who still consider her nothing less than a saint. It was banned in Buenos Aires.

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