Thursday, March 22, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

Barack Obama, U.S. Senator, Illinois/U.S. Presidential Candidate
"He's received a rock star's welcome on the campaign trail, drawing throngs of supporters."
Associated Press

Al Gore, Former Vice President, United States
"'Gore's a rock star now. He's got an Oscar,' said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens)."
New York Post
"Nevertheless, lawmakers treated him like a rock star on Capitol Hill yesterday."
Washington Times

That's two more rock star citings for Al Gore. The man can not stop the rock. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) seems to have gotten his metaphor confused. Rock stars don't win Oscars.

Believe it or not, it's been over two weeks since Barack Obama has been seen here. His last citing was on March 7 and he was losing ground fast to Hillary Clinton. The winner of the Democratic nomination will be the one at the top of the rock star rankings in 2008. Right now, Clinton and Obama would both lose to Joakim Noah.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

Tony Stewart, NASCAR driver
"'It's so much fun racing with the best in the business, and Tony Stewart is certainly that. He's a rock star,' (Jimmie Johnson) said."
Associated Press

Joakim Noah, Forward, University of Florida basketball
"'Joakim Noah has a better chance of reaching his fullest potential because of what he had to deal with this year, going from a complete unknown to a guy who is like a rock star,' (Billy) Donovan said."
International Herald Tribune

Ira Glass, Radio personality, National Public Radio
" 'Ira Glass is a master of this genre,' said Bob Greenblatt, Showtime's president of entertainment. 'He's sort of an institution, a kind of rock star of the intelligent set.'"
Los Angeles Times

Al Gore, Former Vice President, United States
"Gore's sudden rock-star appeal is testimony to the buzz-making power of the Oscar awarded last month to the documentary An Inconvenient Truth."
USA Today

Joakim Noah and Al Gore are big enough rock stars now that they could get together and form their own supergroup. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gore & Noah. It could work.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Today's rock star is:

Al Gore, former Vice President, United States
"Mr Gore continues to enjoy a rock-star-like reception in the US and beyond."
The Courier Mail (Australia)

Al Gore's rock star status just doesn't fade away.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

Tzipi Livni, Foreign Minister, Israel
"For his part, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay described Ms. Livni, a rising star in Israeli politics, as having 'rock-star qualities.'"
Toronto Globe and Mail

Al Gore, Former Vice President, United States
"In December, he spoke in San Francisco to the American Geophysical Union and got a reception fit for a rock star from thousands of attendees."
International Herald Tribune

Terence Tao, Mathematician, UCLA
"Colleagues have teasingly called Tao a rock star and the 'Mozart of Math.'"
International Herald Tribune

Mbah a Moute, Forward, UCLA basketball
"Mbah a Moute was a rock star during last year's run to the national championship game."
Los Angeles Times

That's two rock stars from UCLA. UCLA maybe #2 in the West bracket, but they are #1 in non-rock star rock stars.

And a bonus quote:
"'I've been to this thing four times and I've never seen this kind of electricity,' real estate lawyer Jerry Slusky said of Mr. Obama. 'Hillary is OK, but she's no rock star.'"
Washington Times

Hillary Clinton, per the Washington Times, (who else?) is decidedly not a rock star. This severely affects her ranking.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Todays rock stars are:

Barack Obama U.S. Senator, Illinois/U.S. Presidential Candidate
"Under the old system, Governor Mitt Romney wouldn't be running TV ads. Senator Barack Obama wouldn't be limited to repeating his one-act rock star routine over and over."
Boston Globe

Al Gore Former Vice-President, United States
"Through his environmental work and his Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, he has transformed himself from an election glitch punchline to a global statesman with rock star status among the eco-hipster set."
Toronto Sun (and syndicated throughout Canada.)

Joel Zumaya Pitcher, Detroit Tigers
"The rock star of the Tigers' bullpen plans to turn down his amp this season."
Detroit Free Press

Chris Taylor Video game designer
"Chris Taylor is a rock star in the video game
industry."
San Jose (CA) Mercury News

Barack Obama picks up his second recorded rock star citing, but still trails Al Gore. At this moment, it seems that it is not possible to write about either one of these guys without calling him a rock star. My suggestion for a replacement: "WWE Superstar status."

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

Al Gore, former Vice-President, United States
"He is not oblivious to his new-found rock star status, hamming it up at the Academy Awards by teasing the audience that he was on the verge of nominating for president before he was drowned out by the time-up music."
The Advertiser (Australia)

Architects
"Architecture has become something of a spectator sport; its greatest practitioners jet across the planet like rock stars."
Toronto Star

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

Jerry Glanville, Former NFL Head Coach/Current Head Coach, Portland State University
"Like some sort of rock star with a whistle, Glanville brought entourages to NFL practices, and his posse included country-western singers and stock car drivers"
The Oregonian (Portland, OR), "PSU's sidelines just got interesting"

Al Gore, Former Vice-President, United States
"No wonder he's a veritable rock star now, cheered at the Grammys, mobbed at Cannes and causing computers to crash at the University of Toronto"
Boston Herald, "Al's act very much together; '08 campaign in the script?"

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Today's rock stars are:

David Miller, Mayor, Toronto
"Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley yesterday said cities may have to call on Miller and his "rock star" image to take the campaign across the country, city by city."
Toronto Star

The cast of Spring Awakening, Broadway Musical
"Not since "Rent" have I felt so much youthful drive and energy on Broadway, whether onstage, in the audience or even post-show at the stage door, where the cast, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. especially, are squealed over like rock stars."
The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, "'Spring Awakening' follows in footsteps of 'Rent'"


Al Gore, former Vice-President, United States
"In some ways Al Gore is the biggest rock star on the red carpet."
Chicago Sun-Times, "A spirited Hollywood weekend"

Rudy Giuliani, former mayor, New York/U.S. Presidential Candidate
"Giuliani is called an outside-the-Beltway rock star and truth teller who earned the nation's trust for his leadership of New York City's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."
Boston Globe, "Document shows Romney's strategies"

Joseph Lowery, Civil rights leader/President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
""Joseph Lowery, 85, the SCLC's president emeritus who receives rock-star treatment at organization events, also remains a prominent figure."
Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Young blood at SCLC"