By ANA SAMWAYS
At least America didn't pay any mind to the stars: You'd think the pulling power of Bruce Springsteen, P. Diddy, Uma Thurman, Brad Pitt and George Clooney would have swung a few states. As would the likes of singer Justin Timberlake, Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro, singing legend Stevie
Wonder, actor Samuel Jackson, Latin pop star Ricky Martin and comedians Whoopi Goldberg and Chevy Chase, who were all wheeled out for Kerry. Some made gruelling cross-country trips in campaign buses, others headlined benefit concerts. Actors Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins went to New Mexico to door-knock. Democratic diva Barbra Streisand, crooner Neil Diamond, actors Matt Damon and Robert DeNiro and country stars the Dixie Chicks also did public turns to support Kerry. But voters ultimately were not dazzled and outspoken celebrities can actually be a liability for a Democratic candidate in more conservative and Republican areas of the US. During his campaign, Bush, who had the public support of few A-list stars - with the exception of California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - mocked Kerry's Tinseltown pals. Sniffed University of Southern California communications professor Marty Kaplan: "Celebrity testimonials may help [sell] erectile dysfunction products, but in politics, they're mainly eye-candy for the media."
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As Ben Lummis has found, the Idol star dulls over time, but his won't shine long enough for a backlash. Unlike poor Clay Aiken's. Comedian Dan Whitney has outraged Aiken fans by telling a joke about the American Idol runner-up on a show called The View. The joke in question? "Hey, it wasn't that bad," said Whitney. "I said I was on the Clay Aiken diet. That's where you pop in a Clay Aiken CD and try to keep food down."
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According to police in Edmond, Oklahoma, Trent Spencer, 27, whose marriage was in trouble, hired two students to break into his home and menace his wife so he could conveniently drop by and heroically rescue her. The scheme started off as planned, but when the wife broke free from her bonds, she called police. When the fake burglars were caught, they ratted on Spencer, who was charged with causing the false police call-out.
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