Politicians become big celebrities during election
NEW YORK : As she inspected the stage where she would later address the Democratic National Convention, a look of recognition flickered across Hillary Clinton's face when she peered out to see who had asked how she was. "Good! Glad to see you," she called out to Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. She always enjoys seeing him, Clinton added. It was such a paydirt moment that the syndicated newsmagazine used it at the top of its show last week. Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama was a key moment in turning the attention of shows such as ET, Access Hollywood and The Insider to politics, said Bill Carroll, an expert in the syndication market for Katz Television. "Wherever the celebrities are, that's where the celebrity magazines are going to be," he said. Richard Dreyfuss, Ben Affleck, Sarah Silverman and Anne Hathaway were among those interviewed at the convention last week.
'Dark Knight' is 2nd film to surpass $500M mark
LOS ANGELES : Batman's rich alter-ego Bruce Wayne has added half a billion dollars to his riches. The Dark Knight yesterday became the second movie in Hollywood history to top $500 million at the domestic box office, raising its total to $502.4 million, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros. The film hit that mark in just over six weeks, half the time it took Titanic, which reached $500 million in a little more than three months. Titanic, the biggest modern blockbuster, remains No. 1 on the domestic charts with $600.8 million. Despite its brisk pace, The Dark Knight is not expected to approach the total for Titanic, which put up smaller numbers week after week but lingered at the top of the box office for months.
The Boss finishes up his world tour in Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE : Bruce Springsteen ended his world tour over the weekend, toned down but revved up. Springsteen played more than 30 songs over 3 1/2 hours Saturday night on Milwaukee's lakefront for Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration. He made few comments between songs. Only for a few moments before "Livin' in the Future" did the rocker - who often brings his liberal-leaning political comments to the stage - stray into politics. Springsteen said "Livin' in the Future" was about what was happening now: cheese, Harley-Davidson motorcycles (tailoring it to his Wisconsin crowd), trans fats, "500 channels of nothing on" and the Bill of Rights. But he also mentioned wire tapping and rendition - the secret transport of terror suspects from one country to another. "Things that basically at the heart are un-American," he said. The crowd gave spattered groans but mostly stayed silent. He did not play "Born in the U.S.A," his anthem about the difficulties Vietnam war veterans faced, or the anti-war ballad "Devils and Dust" about Iraq.
birthdays
Comedian-actress Lily Tomlin, 69.
Talk show host Dr. Phil, 58.
Singer Gloria Estefan, 51.
Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira, 37.
Guitarist Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy, 24.