Posts Tagged ‘St. Paul’

If Denver was full of stars last week, it was pretty dark this week in St. Paul.

Celebrities from Scarlett Johansson to Charlize Theron to Ben Affleck rallied for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, but the stars were dimmer and fewer at the Republican National Convention.

Perhaps the hurricane and the subsequent scaled-back first day of the convention detracted celebs. Or maybe it’s because Hollywood’s notorious liberal stance kept them far away from St. Paul.

Nevertheless, Minnesota did have some star wattage.

Jon Voight, Rosario Dawson, Robert Downey Jr., Stephen Baldwin, Kelsey Grammar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Law & Order’s Fred Thompson, The Sopranos’ Joe Pantoliano and Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller’s teacher who droned “Bueller, Bueller…”) attended. While he did not attend, Robert Duvall narrated one of the convention’s short documentaries.

Singers also joined the crowds. John Rich, Trace Adkins, Pat Boone, Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik, Aimee Allen, Sara Evans and Gretchen Wilson lent their support.

While Obama won the contest in drawing out the biggest and most popular stars, McCain won the ratings from everyday people sitting at home. According to E! Online, nearly 39 million people watched McCain’s speech beating out Obama’s 38.4 million.

What began as a circulating Internet rumor has become a full-blown media circus in the announcement of Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy. The issue of Bristol Palin’s teen pregnancy—she is 17—is the hot topic, overshadowing the coverage of the RNC in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Teen pregnancy issues aside, Sarah Palin outshines her running-mate John McCain in media coverage and is featured on the cover of four gossip-oriented weeklies including the National Enquirer, OK!, US Weekly, and People.

Never before has there been such an emphasis on the American political stars in entertainment news and gossip. Not to be outdone by the Republicans in the gossip-arena, first lady in waiting Michelle Obama has been a cover girl too.

Which begs the question: when did politics get so entertaining?

John McCain recently called Barack Obama “the biggest celebrity in the world.” If so, then it’s appropriate Hollywood’s biggest celebrities would come out to celebrate Obama and this week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver last week.

Among the stars included Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lopez, Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, Charlize Theron, Angela Bassett, Ashley Judd, Kirsten Dunst, Chevy Chase, Forest Whitaker, Josh Brolin, Hill Harper, Fran Drescher, Annette Bening, Spike Lee and Jamie Foxx.

And it wasn’t just actors. Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem, and singers Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Kanye West and the Black Eyed Peas were also on hand.

Celebrities publicly endorsing candidates and making a spectacle at the convention is both criticized and embraced by citizens – even among the celebrities themselves.

Private Practice and Wings star Tim Daly, who is the president of the nonprofit group Creative Coalition that brings stars together to discuss important issues, thinks celebrities have every right to discuss their viewpoints.

“Performers are citizens and in the U.S., we are allowed to talk about our beliefs. It’s also the privilege of people not to listen,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “The interesting thing about celebrity involvement is that they’re the only group of so-called lobbyists who stand to gain nothing from what they do, except to support the causes they believe in.”

Yet, Kid Rock tells Showbiz Tonight he thinks stars shouldn’t publicly endorse candidates. In fact, when a big star announces who he or she picked, he doesn’t want to vote for that candidate.

Nevertheless, the stars will continue to mingle with politics. Daly told the L.A. Times the Creative Coalition will also be bringing stars to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this week.

It seems like Neil Young is always touring. Now with a new box set ready to hit stores, he’s on the road again for a fall tour which kicks off on Sept. 20 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The show there will be a benefit for Farm-aid.

Young is a musician who always seems to have an agenda. He doesn’t but he’s been very outspoken about his discontent for our current president and Republican party politics in general – going as far as recording songs like “Lets Impeach the President” and “Looking for a Leader” for 2006’s Living with War album.

The resulting tour for that album (with CSNY) drew the ire of many pro-Bush Young fans with the singer even receiving his share of death threats. The experience is documented in the documentary feature of the tour, an experience Young has no desire, obviously, to ever revisit.

The 2008 fall tour comes at a time when the Bush presidency will, thankfully, be ending. Young will be at a stop in Omaha, Nebraska on election night and there will surely be some celebrating taking place once that show has ended.

The tour makes its way to St. Paul, Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center on Oct. 14. For a complete list of tour dates you can visit neilyoung.com/tour.

As much as I love Jon Stewart and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, I think it might be tough for Stewart to reconcile his connection to the common man while residing at the hippest hotel in the Twin Cities during the Republican National Convention next week.

Rooms go for $400 and up at the brand new W Minneapolis – The Foshay, where it’s been reported Stewart will be staying. This hotel hotspot touts Manny’s Steakhouse and the Keys Cafe, along with a 30th floor open-air perch to view all 360 degrees of Minneapolis. The Foshay is even more highfalutin than the spot McCain and Co. will cool their heels – The St. Paul Hotel.

Jon, you can’t help that you are a multi-millionaire, living the good life. Our welcome mat is out for you, Jon, here in the Twin Cities. As long as you keep us laughing at your funny fake news we will consider you to be one of us.