Monthly Archives: September 2015

Trump Gains Celebrity Endorsements, Digs

After what some political pundits called a mediocre second debate performance, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump can rest easy with endorsements from actor Gary Busey and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

“I know him personally. I know him professionally. He’s a great guy. He’s sharp. He’s fast. He can change the country after the last eight years,” Busey told Fox News. The actor endorsed and then unendorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 GOP primary.

On Thursday, Brady said it would be “great” if Trump triumphed in 2016.

Meanwhile, Trump’s taken heat from a slew of celebrities:

Sharon Osbourne: “You don’t expect somebody in that sphere to behave that way.”

Robert Redford: “He’s got such a big foot in his mouth I’m not sure you could get it out.”

Andrew Garfield: “I just don’t understand the blatant lack of humanity that he is proudly exhibiting on a daily basis. [It is] harrowing.”

Salma Hayek: “We have to take this very seriously. This is very scary.”
“This is not a reality show. America is not a reality show. This is not a popularity contest. This is not Miss America or Miss Universe.”

Emily Blunt (To Republicans in general): “I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'”

Bernie Enlists Hollywood Help

A few months ago, many political pundits called Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) bid for the White House a longshot. Today, Sanders leads Hillary Clinton and the rest of his Democratic opponents in crucial states, including Iowa and New Hampshire, according to recent polling.

With momentum picking up, the Sanders campaign released the names of 128 celebrities who have pledged support for the campaign.

Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Will Ferrell, Margaret Cho, Danny DeVito, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Juliette Lewis, Zoë Kravitz, Justin Long, Ezra Miller, Graham Nash, Patton Oswalt, Jeremy Piven, John C. Reilly, Bonnie Raitt, Sarah Silverman, Steve Wozniak and Hans Zimmer.

“We — the undersigned artists, musicians, and cultural leaders of America — are excited to endorse a new vision for our country. It’s a vision that pushes for a progressive economic agenda,” reads the campaign page.

Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon, whose names were also on the list, were early celebrity supporters of Sanders. DeVito maxed out political contributions to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination, earlier this year.

On Friday, Ruffalo shared an image of himself at a Sanders rally in New York City.

#feelthebern2016 This guy is for real.

A photo posted by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo) on Sep 18, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

“Little House on the Prairie” Actress Running for Congress

Photo credit: Melissa Gilbert for Congress

Photo credit: Melissa Gilbert for Congress

Melissa Gilbert, best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on “Little House on the Prairie” and as the Screen Actors Guild president, is running for Congress in Michigan.

The actress announced her candidacy against Republican Rep. Mike Bishop in early August.

Bishop won Michigan’s 8th Congressional District by a 13-point margin in 2014, but Barack Obama carried the district by 6 points in 2008 and Mitt Romney edged Obama by 3 points in 2012.

While the seat may be a pickup opportunity for Democrats, national Republican groups are already attacking Gilbert for not paying $360,000 in federal income taxes.

The National Republican Congressional Committee blasted out an attack of Gilbert following her announcement, according to Roll Call.

“Hopefully tax delinquent Melissa Gilbert didn’t sell her little house on the prairie, because with $360,000 owed to the IRS, she certainly won’t be moving into the House of Representatives,” said NRCC spokesman Chris Pack in a statement.

Gilbert responded to a June article in The Detroit News that detailed her financial difficulties.

“I’ve set up an installment plan to fully pay off my debt and will continue to work as hard as I can to erase this debt and dig myself out of this hole,” Gilbert said. “I am absolutely positive that I can do it.”