Wendy Davis seeks campaign boost from actress Kathleen Turner

Wendy Davis and Kathleen Turner
Wendy Davis' campaign for Texas governor is struggling, trailing her Republican opponent Greg Abbott by as much as 18 points, according to one poll. That might explain why the Davis campaign has made the move of bringing in a Hollywood celebrity to boost her bid.

Actress Kathleen Turner rose to fame in the 1980s with films like Romancing the Stone and as the voice of Jessica Rabbit, and in recent years, has been a vocal supporter of abortion rights. In an email sent out to supporters Sunday night, Turner made her case for supporting Davis, while asking her supporters to donate to the Davis campaign war chest. The text of her email follows:

Is PETA covering up De Blasio role in groundhog death?

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a dubious reputation for drumming up publicity and manufacturing scandal in the name of protecting animals. Though they claim to love animals, they appear to love sucking up to high-profile liberal Democrats even more. That may explain why PETA is denying the fact that liberal New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is responsible for killing the beloved New York City groundhog who predicts the weather every year.

According to a story on TheWrap.com, GroundhogGate started when Mayor de Blasio participated in a Groundhog Day event February 2. In front of hundreds of spectators and dozens of press cameras, de Blasio held up a groundhog who had just predicted six more weeks of winter, when the rodent suddenly wiggled free and was dropped by the Mayor. The groundhog, who was actually a female named Charlotte on loan from the Staten Island Zoo, was found dead a week later. An autopsy revealed Charlotte died from internal injuries consistent with a fall, but zoo officials insist it was from a fall after the de Blasio drop. Officials did not provide details as to how a groundhog in a cage could suffer a fall greater and more lethal than being dropped by the 6'2" de Blasio.

Of course, PETA is up in arms over the situation, but refuses to blame De Blasio. "We are sure that Mayor Bill de Blasio, who cares about animals, will be devastated," PETA said in a statement. "The blame lies with the organizers, and PETA has been after them for years - and still is - to stop disturbing and tossing around a groundhog for this gimmick.”

PETA did not explain their logic in insisting that organizers of the event are responsible for Charlotte's death, while de Blasio escapes criticism, even though he promoted and participated in the event, and likely provided the fatal drop.

PETA has reason to cover for de Blasio. He recently backed a ban on horse drawn carriages in the city, something the group has been fighting for years, even though the carriages enjoy wide support from New York City residents.

In the case of Charlotte the groundhog, PETA didn't need to throw the animal under the bus. They just let the liberal Democrat drop it.


Note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly noted that horse-drawn carriages were banned in New York City. There is no ban in place, and a ban is currently not under consideration by the city council. We regret the error.

Gwyneth Paltrow to host Obama fundraiser in her Hollywood home

Gwyneth Paltrow, or at the very least, the withered husk that was once the Oscar-winning actress, remains one of President Barack Obama's strongest supporters, even while the rest of Hollywood and America has soured on his multiple failures. To show that support, the actress is opening her home to the President and the Democratic party on October 9 for a fundraiser, with the Democratic National Committee raking in the dough.

According to an invitation by the DNC obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, President Obama will attend a reception at the actress' home, followed by an intimate dinner during which he will answer questions from guests.

In case you're hoping to attend to rub shoulders with Hollywood's elite or ask the President a questions about Benghazi, know that it will cost you. Tickets to the event run between $1,000 and $32,400 (apparently that extra $400 is really necessary). The message is clear: no riff-raff from the middle class allowed.

It is not unusual for Obama to go to Hollywood looking for money to fund Democratic candidates and the general wussification of our once great country. However, President Obama has already held what was billed as his final Hollywood fundraiser of the year in July, when he held events at the home of Shonda Rhimes (creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal), as well as the home of Michael Rapino, owner of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

DC teacher tells kids to compare George W. Bush to Hitler, won't lose job

The Hitler/Bush worksheet
A teacher in Washington D.C.'s public school system made national news recently after giving an assignment in which sixth grade students were asked to compare former President George W. Bush with Adolf Hitler. The teacher at McKinley Tech Middle School (who has not been identified) has admitted to using poor judgment and has apologized, but apparently will not lose his/her job.

The assignment, which was not part of any established curriculum, asked students to use a Venn Diagram worksheet (which uses overlapping circles to note similarities between two subjects) and compare the political overreach of both Adolf Hitler and George W. Bush. The assignment was called "Men Who Abused Their Powers."

The instructions for the assignment stated "Now that we have read about two men of power who abused their power in various ways, we will compare and contrast them and their actions. Please refer to your texts, 'Fighting Hitler – A Holocaust Story' and 'Bush: Iraq War Justified Despite No WMD' to compare and contrast former President George W. Bush and Hitler. We will use this in class tomorrow for an activity!"

Obama Phone provider advertises on "Black Jesus"

"Black Jesus," the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim show that has been criticized as being both blasphemous and racist, has had trouble finding advertisers, but that did not stop SafeLink, the leading provider of Obama Phones, from supporting the show by purchasing advertising time during a recent episode. However, pressure on advertisers by family groups and Christian advocates have had a dramatic effect.

Safelink is owned by TracFone, and its CEO is F.J. Pollak, who is a strong supporter of President Obama, having donated and "bundled" hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign. Safelink provides millions of Obama Phones to individuals on public assistance, although they refuse to release specific numbers on how many phones and how much profit they earn on them.

Safelink first advertised during the August 14 episode of "Black Jesus," but even they have felt the pressure from the American Family Association and One Million Moms, who have organized a nationwide protest against the show's advertisers. Very few advertisers continue week to week, with most bowing to pressure and announcing their intent not to continue buying ad time. Safelink did not buy advertising during the most recent episode (September 4, in an episode in which Jesus and his followers grow and sell weed out of a community garden).

The protest against the show's advertisers has had a dramatic effect. For the September 4 episode, the show only featured one commercial break, while most 30-minute shows feature two. Instead, Adult Swim featured just as many promotional spots for other Adult Swim shows as they did actual commercials. Among the advertisers for the September 4 episode were the following (contact information for each advertiser, where available, is included):

*20th Century Fox Movies (advertising the film "The Maze Runner"). Click here to contact Fox Movies through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter.

*Playstation/Bungie (advertising the video game "Destiny"). Click here to contact Playstation through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter. To contact Bungie (the developer/publisher of "Destiny") click here to contact them through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter.

*Hydroxycut (who has advertised over multiple episodes). Click here to contact them through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter.

*Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures (advertising the film "The Equalizer"). Click here to contact them through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter.

*Southern New Hampshire University. Click here to send them feedback through their website, click here to contact them through Facebook, and click here to contact them through Twitter.

Even with the dwindling advertiser support, the show continues to pull in viewers. The premiere episode had 2 million viewers, and while the audience has shrunk, "Black Jesus" still ranks in the top ten cable shows for the night, with just under 1.5 million viewers.