STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

Barack Obama spoke in a football stadium. John McCain spoke after a football game.

Ratings-wise, both moves were good. But McCain's was bigger.

Last night's McCain speech at the Republican National Convention was watched by nearly 39 million people, Nielsen Media Research said today.

Keep Reading

Jemal Countess/WireImage.com

Newly minted veep wannabe Sarah Palin's acceptance speech may have drawn impressive ratings at the Republican National Convention, but don't look for her hopping up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch anytime soon.

Despite a Drudge Report story this morning claiming a political battle was brewing behind the scenes of Winfrey's daytime talk show, with staff members pushing for the big O to invite Palin to Chicago for sit-down, Winfrey herself has issued a speedy denial.

"This item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue," she said in a statement. "There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show."

Keep Reading

AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

Ann and Nancy Wilson are hoping the Republicans change their tune—and aren't planning on waiting until November to find out.

The sisterly duo known as Heart sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign Thursday afternoon after their hit "Barracuda" was used—twice—without permission as the official rallying cry for the vice presidential candidate after her nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

The song was chosen as a would-be cute tie-in to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's past—"Barracuda" was her high school nickname.

Only problem, campaign officials failed to ask either the group, Universal Music Publishing or Sony BMG whether the song was fair game to use. It wasn't.

Keep Reading

AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

Sarah Palin just might have been bigger than Barack Obama.

More than 37 million watched the surprise vice presidential pick's speech at last night's Republican National Convention, Nielsen Media Research said.

Last week, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama delivered his stadium-sized speech to a TV audience of a Nielsen-tabulated 38.4 million.

But channel for channel, Palin was the bigger draw.

Obama's speech averaged 3.8 million viewers for each of the 10 broadcast and cable networks counted by Nielsen. Palin's speech, which was carried live by four fewer networks, averaged 6.2 million.

Keep Reading

AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

Sarah Palin might just be what the Republicans need. To boost their TV ratings.

John McCain's surprising vice presidential pick was due to be the star attraction at tonight's Republican National Convention, which in the early going has failed to match the Democratic National Convention as a draw.

Last night's convention coverage was watched by about 21.5 million on six broadcast and cable networks, Nielsen Media Research said.

That's down a bit from the same GOP night in 2004 (22.2 million), and it's down a lot from the same Democratic night last week (26 million).

Nielsen didn't bother to tabulate Monday's ratings as the Republicans scuttled their prime-time show in deference to Hurricane Gustav.

Keep Reading

ODuran/Fame Pictures

When SamRo's away, LiLo will blog. Last night, Lindsay Lohan took to her blog for help locating Dixie cups of marble ice cream before Samantha Ronson returned home and then finished up the entry by dedicating a song to her girl with the lyric “I've been saved by a woman." Yeah, pretty typical stuff.

So that's why we were caught off guard when Linds offered up a particularly fair and balanced political entry this morning. The topic at hand: Republican V.P. candidate Sarah Palin and all that baby drama surrounding her 17-year-old daughter.

Lindsay writes: “I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views, and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place. Its distracting from the real issues, the real everyday problems that this country experiences.”

She continues:

Keep Reading

In light of the Dem delirium in Denver and Barack Obama's sky-high ratings in the Mile High City, not to mention Hollywood's group hug for the historic nominee, it figures that Jon Stewart's goofballs at The Daily Show would bring The One back down to earth. Check out this "stirring" biographical film about a candidate who is "ready enough-ish to lead."

We can't wait to see what they have in store for McCain!

Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Talk about an endorsement. Oprah Winfrey was such a fan of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver Thursday night, she claims to have “cried [her] eyelashes off.” No easy feat.

"I've never experienced anything like this,” she continued. “I think that what he had to offer the country tonight will make us all better.”

Also caught up in the moment was Kanye West, who said, “It changed my life.”
Poor Obama. After being compared to Paris and Britney, the politician may have tried to downplay his celebrity support...but when Oprah talks about crying a river and boldfaced names from Sheryl Crow and Mary J. Blige to Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba turn out to see you speak—well, why fight it?