Red Or Blue, Does It Matter To You?

According to The Tennessean, Tim McGraw and his wife Faith Hill will attend a Nashville fundraiser with Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The fundraiser will reportedly take place in Music City on September 29, but few other details have been released about the upcoming event. Tennessee has traditionally been a state with a conservative majority and several of the Republican presidential candidates have been eying the Nashville area for events on their campaign trails. One of those GOP presidential hopefuls is Donald Trump, who spoke at the National Federation of Republican Assemblies held in the Nashville over the weekend.

      McGraw has voiced his support for Democratic presidential candidates before. In 2008, Tim told People magazine that he is a blue-dog Democrat, saying of his political views, "I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, but that's what I am." A blue-dog Democrat has been described as a Democrat who has some moderate and conservative views. McGraw also told the publication that he supported then-presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Tim said, "My wife and I and our family will do everything we can to support Obama. I like his ideas, I like his energy, and I like the statement he would make for our country to the world."

      So here's our question to you: Does an artist's political affiliations matter to you? Are you less likely to enjoy their music if they don't agree with you politically? Drop me a line and let me know what you think:

john@kicks1063.com

Not Even Jerry Seinfeld Can Escape The Law!

Jerry Seinfeld and his 12-year-old son Julian set up a lemonade stand in their Hamptons neighborhood. A few of Julian's friends were helping out, and the proceeds were going to a children's charity. But a neighbor called the police on them, complaining about all the people it attracted. The cops came by and shut it down, because they didn't have a permit, and cars were illegally parking on the street. Jerry's wife posted an Instagram photo of Jerry and the kids jokingly putting their hands behind their heads as if they were being arrested . . . with the caption, quote, "Lemonade dreams crushed by local neighbor, but not before raising lots of money. Thanks to all of our customers and big tippers!" C'mon, who calls the cops on a lemonade stand!?!

The King And The Clown!

What a stunt! Burger King asked McDonald's to team up on a "Burger For Peace Day", but McDonald's said no! Burger King took out full page ads in the "New York Times" and the "Chicago Tribune" yesterday, as an open letter to McDonald's asking them to team up and make a "McWhopper." They want to do it on September 21st, which is apparently international "Peace Day." They say that, quote, "calling a cease-fire on these so-called burger wars" could help raise awareness. They even started a website called McWhopper.com. And the response from McDonald's was . . . NOPE. Their CEO is Steve Easterbrook, and he responded on Facebook. Quote, "We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference. "Let's acknowledge that between us there is simply a friendly business competition and certainly not the unequaled circumstances of the real pain and suffering of war." He also called out Burger King's entire approach to the publicity stunt. Quote, "A simple phone call will do next time." If you're curious, the McWhopper would be approximately 726 calories with 36 grams of fat.

    So I was thinking, what if some other fast-food chains teamed up? How about Papa John's and Pizza Hut? That would be Papa Hut. Chick Fil A and Kentucky Fried Chicken? They'd be Chick Chicken. And Wendy's and Hardees? That would still be Wendees, just spelled different!

Not So Much Like A Wrecking Ball!

A new survey asked more than 2,000 parents "Are there any celebrities you would hate for your children to idolize?" Obviously the answer is yes, but they also had them name names.
      Miley Cyrus is the #1 negative influence, with a whopping 78% of parents not wanting their kids to follow her example. Nicki Minaj is second with 54%, followed by Kim Kardashian with 43%, Kristen Stewart at 36%,and Rihanna at 34%. Of course, Miley is probably the most problematic for parents since she was once someone they may have encouraged as a role model back in her Hannah Montana" days.
      Kanye West is the #1 negative influence among male celebrities, with 56% of the vote, and Justin Bieber is right below him at 55%. Zayn Malik of One Direction was third with 41%, followed by Shia LaBeouf at 38%.

      Kate Middleton is #1 among the good female influences, with 34% approving of her. But Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Angelina Jolie also made the top five.

      Ed Sheeran is the #1 good influence for the guys at 41% - despite his atrocious chest tattoo - with Harry Styles in second at 26%. Apparently, tattoos are not a problem with these parents. "Late Late Show" host James Corden and Justin Timberlake also made the top five for guys.

      The survey provided the names for parents to choose from though, and it's unclear how many celebrities there were to choose from.

      So drop me an email and tellme which celebs you would not want your kids to idolize: john@kicks1063.com.

I Have No Lips, And Why Would They Kill A Moose!?!

This video is hilarious! This young girl just had her wisdom teeth removed, and if you've ever taken your kids to have that done, then you know that the anesthesia they use can leave them, well, kinda loopy! This girl thinks she has no lips, and that the Moose Tracks ice cream they gave her were made from real moose!

"Mom, Can You Watch The Kids.....Again"

According to a recent survey, grandparents spend up to 600 hours taking care of their grandkids over the summer, and would make as much as $34,000 if they got paid for it. Here are seven jobs they do, and what they'd normally pay:

1. Personal chef, $45 an hour. Although a chef who mostly makes hot dogs and grilled cheese probably doesn't earn that much.
2. Sports coach. Private lessons for things like tennis and golf would normally run you $40 an hour or more.
3. Private tutor, $36 an hour.
4. Nanny, up to $30 an hour.
5. Chauffer, $29 an hour.
6. Event organizer, $29 an hour.
7. Housekeeper, $15 an hour.

The survey also found a third of grandparents spend more than $150 of their own money on their grandkids during the summer . . . 57% said taking care of them can leave them physically exhausted . . . and 35% sometimes feel emotionally drained. But 60% said they do it to make their kids' life easier . . . 35% do it to help them save money . . . and 35% also said it's the most satisfying thing they do. So do you parents out there rely on our folks a lot? And do you grandparents mind getting called up as much as you do? Give me an email: john@kicks1063.com.

The Votes Are In---Kinda!

Ahh, the political season, so much fun! Wouldn't it be great if your favorite movie star would run? That would sure make things interesting! A recent study shows that 57% of Americans believe a celebrity would make a good president, and that Clint Eastwood would DESTROY Donald Trump, by a margin of 72% to 28%. But not all celebrities would beat current politicians one-on-one . . . Oprah would lose to Hillary Clinton, 45% to 55%. Here are a few otherhypotheticals:

George Clooney would defeat Jeb Bush, 57% to 43%. This one crosses party lines. George is a liberal.

It's really hard to imagine Jimmy Fallon being political enough to occupy the Oval Office, but 55% would put him in there overRand Paul (45%).

And super-liberal Ben Affleck would win over Tea Partier Ted Cruz, but by a smaller margin than you might think, just 59% to 41%.

But not all celebrities would be able to beat the current politicians one-on-one . . . Bernie Sanders would edge Jerry Seinfeld, 54% to 46%, and surprisingly, Oprah would lose to Hillary Clinton, 45% to 55%. All four are left-leaning, to varying degrees.

Apparently, not a lot of Americans could see Oprah shouting "You get a stimulus check, you get a stimulus check . . . everybody gets a stimulus check!" It's unclear how they came up with these particular celebrities or pairings . . . especially Fallon, who hasn't really ever seemed overly political. Meanwhile, 23% of Americans think Morgan Freeman would make a good president, which was the highest among the options they provided. Clint Eastwood is next with 20%, followed by Jon Stewart at 16%. George Clooney and Meryl Streep were also options, but the full list wasn't released. Poor Meryl . . . although, as always, at least she was considered, right? Back to the current candidates, when asked which one should DROP OUT of the race, Donald Trump was #1 at 41% . . . followed by Hillary Clinton (25%), Jeb Bush (9%), Ted Cruz (8%), Bernie Sanders (3%), and Rand Paul (2%). Trump was least popular on the West Coast, Hillary didn't get much love from the Midwest, and a larger percentage of Southerners want to see Cruz gone.

One person missing from the celeb list that really surprised me was Harrison Ford! Remember him in Air Force One. Awesome! What celebrity do you think would make a great President? Drop me your idea at: john@kicks1063.com.