Celebrities And Politics

[Sonic Youth]

I haven't seen it yet, nor will I. Republican or not, I like and respect Clint too much to watch him shanghai his legacy.

[Big Magilla]

Didn't watch it live, but just saw it on Yahoo News. It's truly bizarre.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/defe ... ction.html

[Sonic Youth]

ETA: Okay, I know I said "Not that I'll be watching", but if anyone could get me to watch it would be someone like Eastwood if only out of curiosty. And yeah, that was the convention organizers' idea.

Okay, so I didn't watch. But from what I'm hearing it was a not-to-be-missed moment.

Poor Clint, the James Stockdale of celebrities.

[Mister Tee]

This has puzzled me, as well. It's never been any secret Eastwood was a Republican in the Nixon/Reagan era, but he acknowledged being a Perot voter in the 90s, and most of those I know who voted Perot then have become more vehemently anti-GOP in the years following. Eastwood, though, appears to have decided to double-down -- he loudly defended Palin last time out, and came out for Romney weeks back.

The real oddity is, Eastwood's film work has become more and more, if not liberal, certainly open-minded -- tackling euthanasia in Million Dollar Baby, seeing WWII from the Japanese point of view in Iwo Jima. It's hard to see how the guy who made J. Edgar or even Gran Torino can fit comfortably into today's rigidly right-wing Republican party.

I can only guess there's a tribal aspect to this. There are many people around Eastwood's age -- like my father -- who easily considered themselves Republicans when that could mean Eisenhower (or John Chafee, Clifford Case, Jake Javits). Many (again, like my father) have been appalled at the rightward lurch of recent decades, and now essentally view themselves as Democrats. But some can't let go, for whatever reason -- anymore than a Red Sox fan could suddenly become a Yankee rooter, or vice versa -- and they retain their attachment despite the level of denial necessary.

[Sonic Youth]

But why? He's never struck me as being so high-profile regarding politics other than with local matters. It seems uncharacteristic for him to want to do this.

Plus, he's never struck me as a magnetic speaker, much less one who could galvanize an auditorium of thousands upon thousands. Morgan Freeman could do it, but Eastwood? Yes, he's an American institution and an iconic celebrity, but... I don't know...

Not that I'll be watching.

ETA: Okay, I know I said "Not that I'll be watching", but if anyone could get me to watch it would be someone like Eastwood if only out of curiosty. And yeah, that was the convention organizers' idea.

[OscarGuy]

I wouldn't be surprised.

[Sonic Youth]

I hope this is wrong:

http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/clint-e ... ay-report/


But if it's not.... I'll forgive him anyway.

[Sabin]

1. Jesus Christ
2. Rick Santorum
3. Another kid. It just seems like another kid is their answer for everything, so why not?

[Big Magilla]

Duggars Want Jesus for President, Settle for Endorsing Rick Santorum

Today 7:24 AM PST by Gina Serpe

Nineteen supporters (and counting) down. Just 270 electoral votes to go.

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum received the least Hollywood Hollywood endorsement for his campaign over the weekend, getting some grassroots campaigning help from none other than 19 Kids and Counting's Jim and Michelle Duggar and roughly a dozen of their kids.

The reality family joined the ultra conservative in Iowa in the run-up to the all-important caucuses. So...what, exactly, did they do?

Well, for starters, they readily admitted that he wasn't their top choice for Republican presidential candidate.

In their eyes, that honor instead should go to someone who's not exactly eligible for the position.

"You may not agree with everything that [Santorum] has done in the past," Jim Duggar said. "But you know what, you're not going to find the perfect candidate unless it's Jesus Christ running." But Santorum, to him, is the next best thing.

"He's somebody that doesn't take a poll to know where he stands. I'm asking families, Christians all over America, to get behind Rick Santorum for the next president of the United States."

Duggar made his comments while stumping in Iowa yesterday, where he arrived after packing up a dozen of his kids in a big tour bus, which had been freshly repainted to include Santorum's name (which was misspelled on one of the doors) and website.

His wife, Michelle, recovering from the still birth of their 20th child, remained in Arkansas, though is still doing her part for the cause, recording robocalls which will be sent out on behalf of the campaign.

Jim later spoke with CNN, telling them that he particularly admired Santorum's anti-abortion stance and religion. That they both have proven particularly virile (Santorum has seven kids to Duggar's 19) probably didn't hurt, either.

"He has a proven track record," Duggar told the cable net. "He's a proven Christian Conservative. He has always done what's right.

"He is somebody that goes and really just votes from his heart and votes on his convictions, votes on things based on the Constitution of the United States and the Bible. And that's the kind of man we want to support."

So much for separation of church and state.

Incidentally, though the devout Christian family is backing the former Pennsylvania senator, the Arkansas-dwelling family won't actually be able to vote for their chosen candidate in the Iowa caucuses.

[Sonic Youth]

Good luck to him. He's gonna need a lot of it.

Youssou N'Dour announces Senegal presidential bid
BBC News

Musician Youssou N'Dour has announced he is running in February's presidential elections in Senegal. "I have listened... and I am responding favourably," Mr N'Dour said on his own TV network, referring to requests that he put himself forward, AFP reports.

Mr N'Dour will run against incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, who is seeking a controversial third term. Mr Wade's bid and changes he proposed to the constitution have prompted widespread unrest in recent months.

Senegal is seen as one of the most democratic and stable countries in West Africa - it is the only country in the region never to have experienced a military coup. However, tension is rising ahead of the election and one prominent politician has been charged with murder.

Mr N'Dour said of his candidacy: "It is a supreme patriotic duty. It's true, I haven't pursued higher education, but the presidency is a function and not a job. I have proved my competence, commitment, rigour and efficiency time and time again. I have studied at the school of the world. Travel teaches as much as books," he added.

Proposals made last June by Mr Wade to change the constitution sparked the most violent protests of his 11-year tenure. Mr Wade had wanted to reduce the proportion of votes needed to win a presidential election, and so avoid a run-off - from more than 50% to 25%. He had also wanted to create an elected post of vice-president, which many suspected was meant for his son Karim.

Many opposition activists claim Mr Wade's bid for a third term is unconstitutional. He has been president since 2000 when he won elections, ending 40 years of rule by the Socialist Party.

Mr N'Dour has emerged as a prominent opposition figure in recent months. He has also long been involved in humanitarian causes, being a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Last year he also criticised African leaders over their response to the famine in Somalia.

Mr N'Dour is renowned around the world for his fusion of traditional Senegalese music with salsa, jazz and hip-hop. His 1994 duet with Neneh Cherry, Seven Seconds, was a worldwide hit and won a Grammy nomination.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Youssou N'Dour's candidacy is not much of a surprise - there has been much speculation since he announced he was going to enter politics. He engaged in domestic politics on a number of occasions last year, denouncing President Abdoulaye Wade's attempt to suppress a run-off vote in the presidential elections. He participated in some opposition rallies against Mr Wade's candidacy for a third term.

Mr N'Dour is extremely popular in Senegal, but for his music. Can he now turn hundreds of thousands of fans into voters? His radio and TV networks will be of great help but it is not that easy. Once very close to President Wade - he even used to sing for him - the two men fell out in late 2005.

With barely any school education, Mr N'Dour has become a successful entrepreneur and some critics say he stopped backing President Wade when he figured his businesses would not benefit from the relationship any more. Mr N'Dour may not succeed in the election next month, but he may well manage to force a second round.

[Damien]

From Huffington Post:

Kelly Clarkson Endorses Ron Paul, Gets Twitter Hate Over Racism, Homophobia

The first "American Idol" has announced who she wants to be the next American president. Her choice isn't helping her approval ratings.

"I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last republican nomination and no one gave him a chance," Kelly Clarkson wrote on Twitter and WhoSay on Wednesday. "If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't."

Like Paul, Clarkson hails from Texas. And like Paul, Clarkson is a fan of limited government. But given her status as a pop star, she caught a lot of criticism from fans who were enraged over Clarkson's endorsement amidst the ongoing controversy over racist and homophobic newsletters that were sent out under Paul's name in the 80s.

Addressing the criticism, Clarkson later tweeted:

"I am really sorry if I have offended anyone. Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women's rights, men's rights, white/black/purple/orange rights. I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all. Out of all of the Republican nominees, he's my favorite."

Clarkson later told an angry Twitter follower that "I have never heard that he's a racist? I definitely don't agree with racism, that's ignorant." She told another that, "I love all people and could care less if you like men or women. I have never heard that Ron Paul is a racist or homophobe?"

The pop star continued her defense, saying: "Man my eyes have been opened to so much hate tonight. If y'all ever disagree with something I say please don't feel the need to attack me. I will listen to what you say and any articles or viewpoints you have when you say it with respect. Being hateful is not a healthy way to get people to see or hear you. I was raised to respect people and their decisions and beliefs and I hope you will grant me the same decency. If you don't agree with me simply unfollow me. It's really that easy. I hope you don't because I would love the chance to hear what you have to say but if you're so blinded by hate you can't seek peace and progress then that is your unfortunate prerogative."

Clarkson told a fan that she is a Republican but voted Democrat in 2008. Clarkson performed at a July 4th gala for President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama in 2010.

[Sonic Youth]

Video

I don't love him as an actor, but he's quite the badass.

'Batman' star Bale punched, stopped from visiting blind Chinese activist
By Steven Jiang, CNN

DONGSHIGU VILLAGE, China (CNN) -- As Christian Bale approached an impromptu checkpoint leading to this tiny village in eastern China, four men blocking the narrow path started marching toward him in menacing unison.

"I am here to see Chen Guangcheng," the "Dark Knight" actor said and I translated, with correspondent Stan Grant and cameraman Brad Olson next to us.

"Go away!" the plainclothes guards barked, pushing us back.

Amid the scuffling and yelling, dozens more guards in olive-green, military-style overcoats -- and two gray minivans -- emerged from the other side of the checkpoint, all coming toward us.

"Why can I not visit this free man?" Bale asked repeatedly, only to receive punches from guards aiming for his small camera as they tried to drag him away from the rest of us.

As we retreated, I recognized the ringleader -- the same burly man who had hurled rocks at the CNN team 10 months earlier to force us out of the same location.

A precarious scene ensued Thursday as one of the gray minivans chased our car at high speed on bumpy country roads for some 40 minutes.

When the dust settled, we counted a broken car, a damaged camera -- and a Hollywood star disappointed at -- but not shocked by -- his failure to see a personal hero.

"What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is," Bale said.

The man, 40-year-old Chen Guangcheng, has been confined to his home along with his wife, mother and daughter, and watched around the clock by dozens of guards since he was released from prison in September 2010. A local court had sentenced him to more than four years in prison for damaging property and disrupting traffic in a protest.

Blind China activist recovers amid call for his release

His supporters maintain authorities used trumped-up charges to silence Chen, a blind, self-taught lawyer who rose to fame in the late 1990s thanks to his legal advocacy for what he called victims of abusive practices by China's family-planning officials.

Bale first learned about Chen through news reports, including our coverage in February, when he was in China filming "The Flowers of War," a wartime drama set in 1930s Nanjing in which he plays a mortician trying to save a group of schoolgirls from the clutches invading Japanese soldiers.

Blind lawyer makes Chinese officials jittery

The injustice faced by the activist and his family stirred such strong emotions in Bale that, upon hearing his impending return to China to promote the movie, he decided to do something unusual to raise the international awareness of Chen and thereby to turn up the heat on the Chinese government.

"This doesn't come naturally to me, this is not what I actually enjoy -- it isn't about me," he explained during our eight-hour drive from Beijing to the eastern city of Linyi, where Chen's village is located. "But this was just a situation that said I can't look the other way."

Known to be a media-shy celebrity, Bale reached out to CNN and invited us to join him on his journey to visit Chen.

In the car, he lamented the American public's lack of knowledge on Chen's case, despite senior U.S. officials' increasingly vocal support for his freedom. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gary Locke, the American ambassador to China, have both championed Chen's cause.

Although China's state media has largely ignored the story, Chen's plight has spread online and outraged a growing number of Chinese "netizens." Many have tried to visit Chen, and activists say nearly all would-be visitors have been turned back, often violently, by plainclothes police and local thugs.

Bale appeared a little surprised to learn that Relativity Media, which produced his 2010 Oscar-winning "The Fighter" and recently filmed a comedy in Linyi, was accused by activists of cozying up to the same officials who ordered Chen's detention and torture. The studio has issued a statement denying the allegation.

"I'm not brave doing this," Bale emphasized. "The local people who are standing up to the authorities, who are visiting Chen and his family and getting beaten or detained, I want to support them."

As our car sped toward Beijing in the dark, Bale wondered aloud if he would never be allowed back -- a prospect he is prepared to accept -- even as "The Flowers of War" became China's official entry into next year's Academy Awards.

"Really, what else can I do to help Chen?" he kept asking as the clock struck midnight, with his latest movie -- partially funded by the state -- about to open nationwide in China.

[OscarGuy]

I knew someone who got out of scientology. The higher profile people aren't as obvious as others, but it really is like a cult. They have brainwashing of all magnitudes. Though, I'd say it's no different than most other religions which display similar cultish behaviors.

[flipp525]

I'm surprised that Democrats are so against Scientology. Maybe there's more universal objection to that "religion" than I thought.

It's a cult, not a religion, and everyone should be against it, Democrats and Republicans. I lost one of my best friends to $cientology two years ago. It was almost like he was entirely replaced by another person a la Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Truly horrifying.

[Sonic Youth]

If Gary Busey's supporting Newt Gingrich, that's good enough for me. Has Charlie Sheen endorsed anyone yet?

He strikes me as a Ron Paul kinda guy.