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U.S. House candidate Mia Love’s prepared remarks yesterday at the Republican National Convention were only 298 words, though there was an intro video beforehand, but they were enough to set the media abuzz and label her a rising superstar.
Townhall spoke with Love less than 24 hours after her primetime debut, but the candidate seemed relatively unaffected by the media demand that followed her speech.
“I wasn’t focused on what the response was going to be from the media” – Love said, when asked if she had anticipated the aftermath of her remarks. “I wanted to get a message out. That message comes from Utah, comes from the 4th district, talks about the America we know, in the past, where we are, where we’re going in the future, and if we don’t change anything, we’re going to end up with an America that we don’t recognize.”
The responses, Love said, were voluminous, especially from Utah. She called yesterday “a good rallying day.”

Mia Love.

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With a rowdy fist-pump, blunt and brash New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lit a fire Tuesday night under the Republican National Convention, labeling Democratic President Barack Obama part of the complacent status quo.
“It’s been easy for our leaders to say not us, and not now, in taking on the tough issues. And we’ve stood silently by and let them get away with it” – the first-term Republican governor said with a rock star’s rasp during the keynote address. “But tonight, I say enough.”
His mission was to make the case against Obama and fire up a convention delayed in its start by a tropical storm.
Like a coach before a football game, Christie implored the thousands inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum to rally behind GOP nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan.
“Everybody stand up. There’s no time left to waste” – the outspoken former prosecutor shouted.
Judging by the thundering cheers inside the arena, Christie hit his mark. That outspoken style made him a Republican Party star and helped earn him the plum, prime-time speaking gig.

Republican National Convention.

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Foo Fighters reportedly ruffled some feathers in Belfast, Northern Ireland earlier this month due to the volume of their performance. The rockers hit the stage at the Tennent’s Vital festival in Belfast’s Osborne Park and hundreds of nearby residents lodged noise complaints during the event.
All together 120 citizens reportedly filed complaints with the Belfast City Council while another 20 called the police. The band appears unfazed by the complaints, however, offering a glib response via Facebook.
Dave Grohl and company invoked none other than rock gods AC/DC – “A wise man once said . . . Rock and Roll ain’t noise pollution. Rock and Roll ain’t gonna die.”
In other news, Foo Fighters are one of the many bands to be featured in the latest iteration of the Rock Band franchise, Rock Band Blitz. Harmonix, the game’s creator, says PlayStation users should expect the release on Aug. 28, while Xbox users should expect it the following day.

Foo Fighters.

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The approach of Hurricane Isaac is having more of an impact on the Republican National Convention here than just the postponement of most of the gathering’s first day.
Buried under the avalanche of concern and attention directed at the storm is the ongoing controversy surrounding Missouri congressman Todd Akin and his comments about rape victims that threatened to dominate the convention’s early going.
Suddenly, the hurricane and worries about storm surges and wind gusts have supplanted Akin as the top news of the moment.
“The whole story here today is the hurricane, the (convention) postponement” – said Ari Fleischer, press secretary to former President George W. Bush.
Republican Cathy Nugent (who’s assisting the Kansas delegation in Tampa) said the weather is focusing attention “back on the Republican Party” and its plans for creating jobs.
The focus is on that, and how delegates are going to spend their time today as the storm rages off-shore in the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rains, isolated thunderstorms and gusting winds are forecast for today.

Hurricane Isaac 2012.

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Look tonight at the moon. And think of Neil Armstrong, reluctant hero, the quiet man whose footsteps still rest upon the moon and in history.
Armstrong was a pilot first and foremost, and with the dust flying, craters looming and fuel running low on July 20, 1969, he never wavered. As everyone else on Earth held their breath on that day, his heartbeat never changed as he and co-pilot Buzz Aldrin made the first piloted landing upon the moon.
“Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed” – Armstrong informed mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, with the restrained aplomb that marked his life. Two and a half hours later with the words: “That’s one small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind,” he stepped upon the moon for the first time.

Neil Armstrong.

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Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer who gave voice to dozens of characters on “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock” and “The Muppet Show,” died at home in Cape Cod, Mass., on Thursday night after suffering from emphysema for several years. He was 78.
A statement on the Sesame Workshop’s website, the company that produces “Sesame Street”, paid tribute to Nelson, saying: “A member of the ‘Sesame Street’ family for more than 40 years, he will forever be in our hearts and remembered for the artistry in his puppetry, his music, and the laughter he brought to children worldwide through his portrayal of Count von Count, Herry Monster, Fat Blue, Sherlock Hemlock, the Amazing Mumford and many other beloved characters.”
Though Nelson retired from physical puppeteering in 2004, he continued to lend his voice to several muppets right up until his death. The 43rd season of “Sesame Street,” which begins September 24, will feature Nelson’s voice as Count von Count in several episodes.

Jerry Nelson.

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Declaring “enough is enough,” Lance Armstrong says he will not fight charges brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a stunning decision that will cause him to be stripped of the seven Tour de France titles that turned him into an American hero.
USADA confirmed late Thursday it will strip him of all results since August 1, 1998 and ban him from all competition for life. Armstrong said his decision did not mean he would accept USADA’s sanctions. His lawyers threatened a lawsuit if USADA proceeded, arguing the agency must first resolve a dispute with the International Cycling Union over whether the case should be pursued.
“It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes” – USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. “This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all-costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition.”

Lance Armstrong.

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Tropical Storm Isaac may grow into a hurricane on a path toward the west coast of Florida, where the Republican Party holds its national convention next week.
The National Hurricane Center’s tracking map shows the system crossing Haiti on Friday and striking Cuba before arriving at the Florida coast below Cape Coral on Monday. That’s the opening day of the Tampa gathering at which Republicans are expected to nominate Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate.
“At this point the (margin of) error in our forecasts is so huge that it’s very difficult to tell what the risks would be” – said Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Mich. “We’re not going to have an idea until Sunday at the earliest what kind of risk this poses to Tampa. It’s quite the drama.”
The center said Isaac may become a hurricane Thursday, return to tropical-storm level over Haiti and Cuba and then regain hurricane strength en route to Florida.
“We’re paying extremely close attention to it” – Florida’s emergency management director, Bryan Koon, said in an interview Wednesday. “We anticipate there will be impact to the state next week. But exactly where and how much remains to be seen.”

Hurricane.

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Avril Lavigne is set to walk down the aisle for the second time in her 27 years after accepting a 14-carat rock from Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.
Her rep told People magazine the couple got engaged on Aug. 8, just a mere six months after first hooking up to co-write a song for Avril’s upcoming album.
“A romantic relationship blossomed as they spent time writing together” – a friend of Avril’s told the mag.
“He makes her so happy” – added a family insider. “Both of their families could not be more excited.”
For Canadian rock music fans this must be a match made in heaven.

Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger.

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Phyllis Diller, the cackling comedian with electric-shock hair who built an influential career in film and nightclubs with stand-up routines that mocked irascible husbands, domestic drudgery and her extensive plastic surgery, died August 20 at her home in Brentwood, Calif. She was 95.
Her manager (Milton Suchin) confirmed the death but said he did not know the cause.
Although there has been a long history of comic actresses, Ms. Diller was among the first to tackle the male preserve of stand-up comedy. She used her first husband for comedic fodder by disguising him as a fictitious character named “Fang.” Her jokes — roasts of Fang’s drinking habits, sexual shortcomings and professional failures — reversed traditional household roles. She once said: “His finest hour lasted a minute and a half.”
Ms. Diller also joked that, much to her chagrin, he was her manager. She complained that he “couldn’t sell Windex to a Peeping Tom.”

Phyllis Diller.

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