Did Clint Eastwood lose the plot at Romney's convention?

TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republicans may have made Mitt Romney's day with the presidential nomination he long sought, but it was Dirty Harry himself who nearly hijacked the show with a rambling diatribe against President Barack Obama - addressed to an empty chair.

Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood brought his star power and trademark gravelly voice to the stage of the convention hall in Tampa on Thursday, jetting in as a surprise last-minute speaker to warm up the crowd for Romney's acceptance speech.

Eastwood's cameo appearance, including an ad-libbed monologue with an imaginary Obama in an empty chair, seemed to thrill many in the audience, but was widely panned by observers across the political spectrum.

"Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic," legendary Chicago film critic Roger Ebert said in a message on Twitter.com. "He didn't need to do this to himself."

Former Romney adviser Mike Murphy tweeted: "Note to file: Actors need a script."

The 82-year-old Academy Award-winning director and actor, who endorsed Romney earlier this month, strode to the podium serenaded by the theme music from his classic western, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly."

Eastwood delivered an off-the-cuff, deadpan discourse, at times biting in its criticism of Obama, at times supportive of Romney's candidacy, whom he lauded for a "sterling" business record.

But more often he was nearly incoherent, meandering from one topic to another, including the state of the economy, the war in Afghanistan and the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

At one point, Eastwood said he "never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be president," apparently unaware that Romney holds a law degree.

In one of his lucid moments, Eastwood - squinting, with his gaunt face framed by thinning, disheveled gray hair - told the cheering crowd: "When somebody does not do the job, we've gotta let them go."

Occasionally, he paused to berate the chair, telling an absent Obama to "shut up."

The phrase "invisible Obama" went viral on the Internet, and pictures of people with empty chairs filled Twitter. Obama's own Twitter account posted a picture of Obama sitting in a chair marked "The President" with the comment, "This seat's taken."

DID CLINT BOMB?

Many felt that Eastwood bombed on the political stage.

"What the heck is THIS?" Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod tweeted.

"A great night for Mitt Romney just got sidetracked by Clint Eastwood. Wow. That was bad," tweeted Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman who currently does commentary for MSNBC.

Some in the audience, however, were left starry-eyed.

"He's a fabulous actor," said Rita Wray, a member of the Mississippi delegation, who praised Eastwood's "dry wit." She said she was a fan of his movies, though she couldn't name a single one.

It took some coaxing from the crowd, but Eastwood finally led the delegates in declaring "Make my day" - the signature line of the gun-slinging detective he played in the "Dirty Harry" movies.

Eastwood was reluctantly drawn into the 2012 campaign earlier this year when an ad by Chrysler, titled "Halftime in America" and narrated by Eastwood, ran during halftime of the Super Bowl.

Many people saw it as Eastwood promoting, and possibly endorsing, the Democratic president because Chrysler had received a government bailout.

Eastwood, who backed Republican John McCain's unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid, flatly denied that, saying at the time that he was "certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama."

Eastwood, a long-time Republican, has himself dabbled in politics. He served as mayor of his small upscale hometown, Carmel, California, in the 1980s.

Convention organizers preparing for the final night of the carefully scripted event had fueled buzz about a celebrity mystery speaker by leaving a spot open on the official program.

Just hours before the session began, Romney's campaign confirmed that Eastwood was coming to town. His speech came just before Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced Romney for the biggest test of his White House bid.

Republicans have long criticized Obama for his cozy relations with a bevy of liberal Hollywood stars like George Clooney, but convention planners apparently wanted to show that they too could bring a touch of show-business glamour to bear.

Despite Eastwood's Republican affiliation, many of his views differ with the party. Though he has described himself as a fiscal conservative, he backs gay marriage, favors gun control and abortion rights and supports environmental causes.

That may reinforce some conservatives' suspicions that Romney is himself insufficiently conservative.

(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Sam Jacobs; Editing by Jim Loney and Leslie Adler)

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott welcome son Finn into their ‘kooky’ world, promise ‘wild ride’

Tori Spelling and her family on August 28 — two days before she had Finn (Getty Images)And baby makes six for the Tori Spelling-Dean McDermott clan! A photo of Finn Davey McDermott's itty bitty hand wrapped around his mother's finger announced the arrival of the reality TV couple's fourth child together. "We are so excited to announce the birth of the newest member of the McDermott family," the surely exhausted new mom posted on ToriSpelling.com Thursday night.

Early Friday, McDermott — who also has a child with his first wife — posted an open letter to his third son on his website, welcoming Finn into "this crazy, whacky, amazing world full of joy, good times, bad times, love, loss, friends and foes — and that's just your brothers and sisters!" The 45-year-old promised the baby that his siblings will always be "full of love, laughter and energy. Quite frankly they're absolutely bonkers, too, but you're going to love them. Mom and Dad are a bit kooky, too — that's just how we roll. Not to worry though, we'll grow on you after a while. So strap on your Onesie, because it's going to be a wild ride."

It really has been a wild ride for Spelling, 39, and McDermott, who were both married to other people when they fell in love while shooting a Lifetime movie in 2005. (If you think this sounds a lot like LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian's story, you're right.) Just under a year later, their respective divorces were finalized and they got hitched. Their children were born fast and furiously: Liam in 2007, Stella in 2008, and Hattie in 2011.

Spelling and McDermott with Hattie in April (Getty Images)In fact, Spelling — who has been hosting the TLC series "Craft Wars" — announced her most recent pregnancy in March 2012 — just five months after giving birth to Hattie. "I was shocked, obviously," she told People in April. "It was the second biggest shock of my life. The first was when they said Hattie was a girl when she was born, because we thought she was going to be a boy. And the second was that I was pregnant after my newborn had just turned one month old."

Always a little guilty of oversharing, the "Beverly Hills, 90120" star then detailed how she and McDermott chose to ignore her doctor's advice not to have sex until at least six weeks after her Caesarean section."You're going to have to talk to Dean about this because when we got out of the hospital, I was like, 'Specifically, the doctor said to wait six weeks.' And he was like, 'They tell everyone that. We didn't wait that long with Stella. Or Liam.'" She joked that she gave in because, "I didn't want him to think that the sex was going downhill."

OK then — moving on from TMI land … Spelling's pregnancy with Finn turned out to be her best one yet. "No morning sickness and I have energy — total opposite than the other three," she told People, though she definitely did seem ready to pop as she neared the end of her third trimester. In fact, for a recent trip to the supermarket, an exhausted-looking Spelling had to use a motorized scooter to get her shopping done.

A wild ride indeed. Well, congrats to the happy family!

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• LeAnn Rimes enters inpatient treatment facility for emotional issues

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New parents Giuliana and Bill Rancic detail their first moments with baby Edward Duke

Proud new parents Giuliana and Bill Rancic (Getty Images)By now you've heard that Giuliana and Bill Rancic received their special delivery — a healthy baby boy — and the "blessed" new mother and father are already settling into life as new parents.

Bill was first to share the happy news that their gestational carrier had given birth to their son. "The 'Duke' has landed! Edward Duke Rancic was welcomed into the world last night at 7lbs 4oz.," he posted on Twitter in the wee hours of Thursday morning. "G & I feel blessed beyond words. We did it!"

After a rocky road to parenthood, which included fertility treatments, a miscarriage, and breast cancer, Giuliana happily spilled some details about Duke's arrival, which took place Thursday night in Denver, Colorado, where their surrogate resides. The "E! News" anchor and "Fashion Police" commentator told E! that she and Bill were in the hospital room with their "baby mama," as she jokingly calls their gestational carrier, during the four-hour labor. After the baby was born at 10:12 p.m., Bill cut the umbilical cord and Duke was placed in Giuliana's arms, so she could be the first one to hold their son. Giuliana then passed off the baby to Bill, who had his own little cuddle session, and then they both took turns feeding him. Soon after, Duke had his first bath.

"Bill and I are blessed beyond words to welcome Edward into our lives," Giuliana added. "Thank you so much to everyone who supported us along the way. We are so in love with the little guy already! ... He is doing incredibly well."

This Saturday, the Rancics will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary — and a lot has happened to them since they said "I do" in 2007. They openly shared their struggle to conceive on their Style Network reality series, "Giuliana and Bill." And it was while Giuliana was being treated by a fertility specialist that they insisted she have a mammogram — a test that changed her life. When it was discovered that she had breast cancer, she immediately underwent a double mastectomy last fall. Because she is taking an oral medication for the cancer over the next five years, Giuliana was told she could no longer try to conceive. So the couple took embryos they had stored prior to the cancer diagnosis and tried their luck with a gestational carrier, who immediately became pregnant.

"This was our last stop," Bill said, while announcing the baby news on the "Today" show in April. "This was it. We had those two embryos that we had banked prior to learning about the breast cancer, and with the medicine she was on, this was our last effort. The prayers were answered." And although they've traveled a difficult road, they've been willing to share the details of their experience, which now has the happiest ending of all. "One of the things we've always tried to do is help others with our story," Bill said. "Whether it's with the infertility issues, whether it's with the breast cancer, we said we're gonna turn these negatives into positives. And if we can help others by sharing our story, then it's worth it."

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Susan Sarandon and much younger beau indulge in PDA at the U.S. Open

Susan Sarandon and her new(er) man. (Jean Catuffe/PacificCoastNews.com)Men like George Clooney, Alec Baldwin, and Hugh Hefner do it all the time! Now it’s a woman’s turn. Susan Sarandon, 65, is the latest Hollywood star to show off her romance with someone considerably younger. The "Thelma & Louise" actress was photographed indulging in some PDA with her 33-year-old beau Jonathan Bricklin at the U.S Open in New York on Tuesday. Bricklin, who also is Sarandon's business partner in the Manhattan ping pong club SPiN, held Sarandon's hand and even massaged her shoulders while they sat in the stands and watched the ball get batted back and forth just as they often do at their business, albeit on a much larger court. The happy couple watch the match. (Jean Catuffe/PacificCoastNews.com)

[Related: Susan Sarandon reveals who convinced her to star in 'SNL' digital short 'Motherlover']

Until yesterday, Sarandon had been rather discreet about the relationship. The couple has reportedly dated for about two years, although she only confirmed the relationship in March. In an interview with People, she and Bricklin were described as "inseparable." When asked if they were dating, Sarandon quipped that, "Dating is such a stupid word. You can say we are collaborating in a lot of different areas."

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Before her current May-December romance, Sarandon was linked to actor/director Tim Robbins, who's more than a decade her junior, and is now 53. The "Bull Durham" co-stars were one of Hollywood's most enduring love stories. After 23 years and two sons together, Jack and Miles, they announced their split in 2009.


[Related: Susan Sarandon talks about growing older with passion — and pets]

Interestingly, Sarandon's children are much closer in age to her new love. Robbins' sons are 22 and 19, respectively, and her daughter, actress Eva Amurri Martino, from her relationship with director Franco Amurri, is 27. 

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How brown became the red-hot color for new cars and trucks

Silver was the most popular exterior car color in America for nearly a decade. But while it remains beloved by automotive designers for best showing off a car's styling, its unstinting argent reign was finally overthrown this year. By white. According to Sandy McGill, BMW Designworks' lead designer in color, materials, and finish, this is Steve Jobs' doing. "Prior to Apple, white was associated with things like refrigerators or the tiles in your bathroom. Apple made white valuable."

Valuable, yet boring. So while the rise in white's snowy stock may be good news for the luxury market — white is high maintenance, thus luxurious — it's a pale palliative for those of us with a bit more pigment in their palette. Fortunately, our expert interviews and analysis reveal that more enticing colors are emerging.

Light blue's ascension is connected to environmental wellbeing: clear skies, clean water. Crisp oranges are migrating from the world of high-end outdoor equipment. New paint technology may finally allow fashion's passion for fluorescents to flow from the runways onto the highways. And, as always, the smart money's on gold: as its price and profile have skyrocketed, so has its demand as a coating.

But the most enticing color trend, from our perspective, is the return of brown. After all, what could be more compelling to unicorn-riding Rainbow Brites like us than the hue derived — as any child left too long at an easel will readily demonstrate — from combining every shade in the visible spectrum?

As recently as 2008 articles and experts were prognosticating the "extinction" of brown as an automotive exterior color: it was too rooted in the malaise of the 1970s, it blended in too well with the scenery, it lowered resale value. Even the aesthetically-bereft American Automobile Association (AAA) danced on brown's loamy grave, claiming, in their Car and Color Safety dispatch of 2004 that, "brown, black, and green cars [are] roughly twice as likely as white cars to be involved in crashes resulting in serious injury."

But, like every cinematic hero, the very moment of brown's alleged eradication presaged its incipient resurrection. According to paint giant PPG's Global Color Manager, Jane Harrington, brown's latest uptick is based in its ability to convey stability and comfort, as well as the kind of authenticity that consumers— especially luxury consumers — seek. "Think of the experience of good coffee, good chocolate, great pieces of wood," Harrington told us, referencing the entire field of upscale umbric goods. "You're seeing it across the crafts industry: more genuine materials, something that has longevity. The handmade quality people are looking for in luxury."

High end car makers like Mercedes, BMW, Mini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley have all begun investigating what brown can do for them, with each marque offering at least two — and in the case of Bentley, a full half-dozen — earthy shades on their contemporary offerings. But we're also starting to see brown trickle down into the lower ends of the automotive marketplace. Ford now offers its Taurus sedan andEscape SUV in Kodiak Brown, as well as proffering a caramelly Golden Bronze dip on its best-selling F-150. And Toyota, though famous for producing cars that are both literally and figuratively beige, has also began to polish the mahogany, offering a quartet of browns on models like the Venza, Avalaon, RAV-4, and Tacoma(though, ironically, you cannot purchase a Sienna in brown.)

But brown's delightfully filthy insurgency isn't based solely on its connection to the composted topsoil used to grow your heirloom radishesm or the Kopi Luwak coffee beans pooped out by a Sumatran civet cat and roasted for your artisanal espresso. Nor is it merely surfing the aspirational wave a few coats may bring to the mass-market. It's also fueled by a deep-seated fondness for the past.

Or, at least that's what Alex Nuñez thinks. As Senior Automotive Editor at Consumer Search, and Weekend Editor at Autoblog, he is an industry expert. But it's his role as founder of Facebook's Brown Car Appreciation Society — which now includes nearly 600 members, mainly automotive writers, analysts, and pundits — that catalyzed our interview. "I think it's a nostalgia thing for guys our age. I'm 40, and we grew up at a time when you had all these brown cars in active use," Nuñez said. "Maybe it's that a lot of people who are in decision-making positions in the car industry are of that age, and this stuff is sort of subliminally ingrained as a feel good thing — these browns and earth tone colors."

Experts like Jane Harrington and Sandy McGill are hard at work tracking the next big incipient color trend — bronzes, with their patinaed implication of history and refinement; aluminum flakes that make metallic paints more silky; even digital OLEDs that can display anything, like an automotive iPad. But when we asked Nuñez if there were other color trends he was stalking, he didn't hesitate. "Not really." He is interested only in seeing brown deepen its fecund reign. "I'm disappointed that you can't order a Mustang Boss 302 in brown, or a brown Camaro. So there's still opportunity for expansion."

Bottom photo original: Flickr/dave_7

Edward Furlong’s wallet returned after it was stolen around L.A.’s Skid Row

It must help to have the Terminator on your side. Former ‘90s heartthrob Edward Furlong got his wallet back after it was stolen last Thursday morning while he was walking through Los Angeles’ drug-infested Skid Row area. The “Terminator 2” actor flagged down police after he was robbed and told them he had simply stopped to ask for directions when the person then turned on him and took his wallet.

TMZ caught up with Furlong, 35, on Tuesday and the actor – who was wearing the same exact T-shirt, despite it being five days later – didn’t seem eager to talk about the crime and what he was doing in such a seedy part of town early in the morning, but he did happily reveal that his wallet was returned to him.

It’s been a rough year for Furlong, who was deemed a deadbeat dad by his ex-wife Rachael Kneeland in October when she accused him of owing her more than $15,000 in back child support for their nearly 6-year-old son, Ethan Page. Furlong, who hasn’t worked much over the years, had previously told a judge he was too broke to provide for the boy.

In June of this year, the actor was videotaped stumbling to his awaiting car after leaving the trendy Chateau Marmont. Since 2001, Furlong, who has admitted to abusing heroin, cocaine, and alcohol, has been arrested three times for alcohol-related charges.

Coincidentally, another “Terminator” star, Nick Stahl, who appeared in 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” was reported missing in May after he was last spotted on Skid Row. The married father eventually turned up – and went right into rehab. 

http://omg.yahoo.com/video/arnold-schwarzeneggers-expendables-2-premiere-153000184.html

Mayim Bialik hospitalized after car accident

"The Big Bang Theory" co-star Mayim Bialik, best known for her long-running NBC sitcom "Blossom," was in a serious car accident on Wednesday, according to TMZand People.

Mayiam Bialik, who just received an Emmy nomination for her "Big Bang" role as Sheldon's girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler, suffered "a severe injury to her left thumb" and was taken to a local hospital, says People.

TMZ writes that Bialik was traveling in a Volvo in Los Angeles when her car was struck by another car full of tourists. The tourists were not cited by the police.

People magazine quotes LAPD Sergeant Monte Houze as saying, "From what I was told, there was a lot of blood at the scene."

Bialik, a mother of two, holds a Ph.D in neuroscience from UCLA. Her official site writes that "she is the celebrity spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network, a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting holistic and green parenting and living."

[UPDATE: Mayim just tweeted, "(husband typing) In pain but will keep all my fingers."]

Watch a clip of Bialik as Amy on "The Big Bang Theory" right here:

bbn_BlueTights/bbn_BlueTight_0030.jpg in gallery Big Booty Nayara - Bootylicious Tight Blue Spandex (Picture 31) uploaded by TheKingofBootyz on ImageFap.com

bbn_BlueTights/bbn_BlueTight_0030.jpg in gallery Big Booty Nayara - Bootylicious Tight Blue Spandex (Picture 31) uploaded by TheKingofBootyz on ImageFap.com

Billboards with dummy on noose shock Vegas drivers

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Even by Las Vegas standards, it was a shocking billboard: A mannequin dangling on a hangman's noose below a black sign with the ominous words "Dying for Work."

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Jeremie Elliott says the 911 calls started coming in as the sun came up early Wednesday, with drivers worried the stiff, black-suited dummy swaying at the end of a rope along Interstate 15 near Bonanza Road was a real person.

"It's a publicity stunt, obviously done in bad taste," said Elliott, adding that officials were focused on getting it down quickly to avoid distracting drivers during the morning commute.

The graphic display along the interstate was one of at least two unauthorized signs spotted Wednesday morning in the Las Vegas area. Another found on Highland Avenue and Desert Inn Road was white with black lettering that read, "Hope You're Happy Wall St.," and a similar mannequin hanging off the edge.

A woman who answered the phone at Lamar Advertising Co., which owns one of the billboards, labeled the act vandalism and said the display was being removed. She did not provide her name.

Clear Channel Outdoor, which owns another sign that was affected, said they pulled the display immediately and plan to work with law enforcement to punish whoever is responsible.

"We condemn the destructive behavior against one of our billboards because it is illegal and punishes our advertisers," Clear Channel Outdoor spokesman Jim Cullinan said in a statement. "This is not an innocent protest, but it is illegal and dangerous behavior that Clear Channel Outdoor and the industry will not accept."

Although the billboard alarmed drivers, it's unclear whether regulations in the area ban roadside signs with graphic depictions of suicide. A spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation said there didn't appear to be state regulations on the matter, and a spokeswoman for Clark County was also not aware of rules against the subject matter.

While nobody has publicly claimed responsibility for the signs, the Occupy Las Vegas group, which is affiliated with the larger Occupy Wall Street movement, posted photos of the displays on its website. Its caption says the Nevada governor's budget has slashed social programs and aid to suicidal adults.

Sebring Frehner, an Occupy supporter who posted the photos, told The Associated Press he didn't know who put the hangmen up, but applauded the message behind it.

"People saying it's in bad taste are living sheltered lives and don't pay attention to what affects the working class," he said.