bedsitter23

The question is when is it not campaign season in Iowa.

Well, undoubtedly, there is talk right after the election. Even before that, people look 6-8 years out.

But a true barometer is the campaign ad, and sure enough, we got out first one.

So the answer must be 15 months. 15 months since November 2016.

As you might now, the Super Bowl is famous for its ads, but they also save some room for local ads. So, even with all the 5 million dollar ads, you have to make room for the local grocery store and car dealers (and this year, this wonderful Super Bull ad.)

In which case, Presidential candidate John Delaney (and at this point, he is the only candidate) went ahead and bought an ad to air during the Super Bowl.

Yes, 1008 days out.

The ad ran in most of the major Iowa television markets (Des Moines, Sioux City, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids) and cost $37,000 according to CNN, who also reported we are just barely closer to the 2020 caucuses than we are from the 2016 caucuses.

To Delaney's credit, it would seem logical to get his message out before anyone else for name recognition. If eh waits too long, he will be overshadowed by bigger names, and this being 2020, that may not only mean Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Cory Booker, but indeed Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne Johnson and Mark Cuban,

Delaney's ad's theme is one that seems a bit old-fashioned.



(Pic credit: Quad City Times)

Bi-partisianship.

Sounds old fashioned? Now I grew up in those golden Ronald Reagan-Tip O'Neil days, but I look at my social media feeds and that feels like it was 300 years ago, not 30. Bi-partisanship is no longer the buzzword that attracts like it used to. Liberals think of bipartisanship as Bill Clinton selling out a Democrat Agenda to appease Newt Gingrich. Conseervatives attack those who cross the aisle as RINOs.

Delaney indeed won't appeal to the left side of the Democrat party. His most often comparison is that of Joe Lieberman, and given that the caucus tends to pull from the bluest of the blue staters, it's unlikely that wll be considered a good thing.

On the other hand, if he can find an audience, he certainly is trying to play a Conservative Iowa theme that might have some appeal in this purple-ish of states. He's not Bernie. He's not even Hillary. But he does come across blue collar and traditional values.

We will see if his gamble pays off.

That said, there's possible downsides to starting so early. I remember Tim Pawlenty's failure to launch. Pawlenty, similarly had a feel-good approach, and started early to try to offset his uphill climb against established politicos like Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. He just spent a lot of money and was otherwise ignored.

Iowa is just starting another campaign - the 2018 Gubernatorial race. It will be competitive as it is the first time it looks to be really competitive in years. Iowa is about to be besieged with tons of ads and even some candidates they aren't that familiar with.

This probably leaves even less room for Delaney, but we shall see what happens.

3. This summer, PBS ran a special on the Dave Clark 5. The documentary was out to state that it used to not be "The Beatles or the Stones" but "the Beatles or the Dave Clark 5". Sure enough, that is what people who were actually there will tell you- whether it's my mom, or the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, Stevie Wonder, etc (who appeared in the show).

There are two sides of the story, of course, and so you can't blame the need for some re-examining. The DC5 don't fare well in modern re-telling as compared to the Stones, Kinks, or even the Animals. Their run on the charts is pretty amazing and those early singles still stand up.

That said, even though the proposition that DC5 should be considered more important, is hard to arrive to when it seems like the only song they play over and over again is "Glad All Over". "Glad All Over" is fantastic, but from there, it's a bit downhill.

The highpoints are all covered- the influence on Springsteen, 100 million records sold, 15 consecutive Top 20 singles, 18 Ed Sullivan appearances, and first of the British invasion to tour America.

Oddly, the main keypoint about Dave Clark seems to be that he was a smart businessman.  He owned the rights to the music, so was able to limit releases of the material, which happened to coincide with a great demand and the rise of compact discs.  Similarly, he bought the rights to 60s British shows like Ready Steady Go that no one was interested in, and was able to sell high in the VHS age when people wanted the material in the 80s and 90s.

It's a bit of a strecth to make the Clark the genius he wants this show to make him material.  His output after 1970 is certainly not on par with that of solo and band careers of the likes of the Who, Stones, or Kinks.

A big focus was put on his space rock opera Time.  In some ways,

time has helped "Time".

It seems incredibly dated and campy (sorry, Dave) though wholly appropriate to the 80s. No more insane than "Kilroy was here" or "Superman III".

Per wiki, it's the story of a musician and his band who have been transported from a concert to the Hight Court of the Universe in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Time Lord Melchisedic calls on the band to defend their role in the universe and save Earth. So there's that.

You know, I get we want to think of Clark as a lost genius, but maybe if this is a masterpiece, then maybe "Dirty Work", "UK Jive" and "Psychoderelict" are too. Time has helped "Time", in that did feature Lawrence Olivier, Burt Bacharach, and Freddie Mercury, and in a post-Freddie world, it's difficult to say anything he touched wasn't Gold. Since it was 1986, you also have Leo Sayer, Julian Lennon, Dionne Warwick, and Cliff Richard.

I appreciated the focus on Clark and he deserves his due, but also thought things were a bit overdone.

4. While I claim I don't watch a lot of serious television (because of time), it does lead to watch a lot of throwaway tv. Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" is certainly that.

Based on the British show of the same name, CW debuted this show which does to magic what "The Voice" and "American Idol" did for music and what "America's got Talent" has done for all sorts of crap.

Magicians come on and try to 'fool' Penn and Teller. It comes across as the kind of show that no one will get passionate about, but a group of people might agree to watch.

Since it's Penn and Teller, it is entertaining; and since if you just heard this show's plot described to you, you would never think of tuning in, P&T of course bring it to life. I can't imagine even the most diehard fans DVRing this, but if you are a fan of the duo, you do need to check out a show or two (Note: This show debuted this summer, as far as I am aware it is still going)

5. I mentioned it here before, but the new season of H2's "10 things you don't know about" is in full swing. H2 is probably best known as History channel's little brother that spends too much time on shows like 'Ancient Aliens".

"10 things" has been on for a few years now, but last year, brought Henry Rollins in as a host. The nature of the show is that it probably isn't more interesting with Rollins as host. It's all about unknown facts. However, Rollins does have a charisma which does contribute to the show.

Though Rollins's reputation did take a hit this summer with his comments about Robin Williams, I do think suicide is one of those things that affect people in different ways, and think Rollins was just moved in a different way than others would.

Maybe this next generation will think of Rollins more in terms of Dorris Kearns Goodwin and less in terms of Greg Ginn. Okay, probably not, but it's great 'throwaway' viewing, and it does generally hit on history you don't run across (which is probably more history than you would get on the channel's other shows).

Of course. the Ultimate Warrior's death has led to conspiracy theories.  Largely because he made his first appearance on Monday night Raw for the first time in 16 years this week.  Apparently, he flashed Illuminati signs if you know where to look.

The Warrior death led to Nancy Grace taking the most sensationalistic approach possible.  She had Diamond Dallas Page on this week, and though DDP did say everyone used back in the day, that the industry has cleaned up and we know more about steroids than we did 20 and 30 years ago.  Grace also claimed that Owen Hart died of a steroid overdose.

Wrestlers have been angry at Grace all week, and Zeb Colter had the best tweet of all


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Wrestlemania culminate with Daniel Bryan winning the WWE belt.  Bryan is huge with wrestling fans in a way I never expected.

CM Punk did well in recent years and is cut from much the same mold Bryan is- came from Ring of Honor, really into the fans, lives a clean life style, really has put in time to learn the craft, and is an average looking guy.

I never expected Bryan to get as huge as he has.  He's clearly the biggest star (in many ways) since the Attitude era; yet, I don't think that has crossover into mainstream appeal.

Bryan's angle is with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (for pro wrestling purposes- the COO and Owner of the Company).  It is an angle that the WWE has used quite often- but it's the rebel vs the corporation.

Most famously, that was the angle used to make Stone Cold Steve Austin huge.  I think Austin beats Bryan for charisma, and he was one of my favorite all-time wrestlers, but that angle didn't sit right with me.

I know people loved to see Austin tell his boss off or drop him into a Stunner, but if any of us did that ,we would be fired immediately.

The Bryan/HHH angle rings true.  So true to the point of wondering how real it is.  The idea is that the WWE think Bryan is too small to be champion (at 210 pounds, he's smaller than 90% of the roster) and that champions should be muscle bound men like Batista and Randy Orton.  Those are the types of people Triple-H want to see as face of the company.

I really like the angle, and we inevitably got the pay-off, though it felt like we never would.  I do like Bryan (don't get me wrong) and I like him a lot, but I never expected him to be embraced like he has. Crowds go crazy when he is in the ring.

Also, I really liked the way he was awarded his match against triple H.  Of course, as COO, Triple H would never have to put him in a match (kayfabe) but something akin to the Occupy! movement happened with Bryan taking over Raw.


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At Wrestlemania, one of the industries biggest talents John Cena faced Bray Wyatt.

In the last five years, any new WWE talent first has to come through their developmental program NXT.

Some stuff sticks and a lot doesn't (last Monday, Raw introduced a new guy with a Russel Brand-type gimmick. Hmmm...)

Outside of Bryan (who already had a fanbase from Ring of Honor), Wyatt has to be the most successful of these new wrestlers.

He is also one of the most unlikely.  He does have a wrestling pedigree.  He is Mike "IRS" Rotundo's son and related by marriage to the Windham/Mulligan family.  However, he is not the typical wrestler bodytype, to the point that his original name was Huskey Harris.

Like Bryan, Wyatt s one thing the WWE has going that is right.  He's a heel, but I think inevitably he will get too popular.

It's hard to do a scary character in 2014 a la classics like The Undertaker or Kane, but Wyatt nails it.  He is part Charles Manson and part Swamp People or True Blood.

He may have a long career in front of him a la Kevin Sullivan.  Some people just have the talent, and this guy looked like Chum Lee from Pawn Stars and now is one of the most interesting characters in the sport.



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Not much else to cover, except the New Age Outlaws wrestled in a match in Wrestlemania... in 2014.  WM30 started with the sport's three biggest stars- Hulk Hogan, the Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.  Hogan was brought back home to the WWE as his role with competitor TNA never managed to pan out in the form of ratings.

Hogan started the night by calling the Superdome "the Silverdome" which ultimately made him look as old as he really was.  The Rock meanwhile is as good on the mic as anyone who ever set foot in the ring, explaining how there are millions of "Rock babies" from over the years, born 9 months after a Wrestlemania featuring the"People's Champ"

It's the time again for awards shows, and as much as they really aren't relevant in our lives, I can't resist watching them.

Last week was the People's Choice Awards.

The PCAs are the lowest rung on the Awards Show chain.  You can always tell who will win the award because it's the people in attendance.  You almost never see the runners up in the crowd.

There is something a bit satisfying in seeing shows like Psych and Castle winning awards, and you get the satisfaction you don't always get in the Oscars in that Iron Man 3 was named Movie of the Year.

It's easy to see why this is the awards show stepchild when things happen like Britney Spears wins female artist of the year.  No one with any kind of eye would have said that.  She had a couple of singles, but surely Rhianna, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and others were more in the public conscience.

The PCAs also are trying to find a niche for itself which means it feels like a watered down version of MTV's VMAs.  To lively things up, they included categories like 'Best Bromance" and played up genres like Sci-Fi.

The stars of Two Broke Girls -Beth Bliers and Kat Dennings hosted, and I thought they did fine with an unenviable task of making these awards relevant.  I think both are funny and work well together.  Two Broke Girls is a funny series that is going through some growing pains that come with working into a third season, and although it gets a lot of internet hate, I still find mostly humorous (and raunchy, like CBS's other hit Two and a half Men, it's all pot and sex jokes that I wouldn't dream of watching with my kid.

They had a great opening (that included cameos from Christina Aguilera, Bryan Cranston, and others) and their hosting job won't propel them to the next level, but I thought was decent.

This weekend was the People's Choice Awards.  Hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who America (if the media is to be believed) dearly loves.  I am not a Fey fan at all, but Poehler and Fey do seem to have the right combination of humor and tastefulness that makes them work as presenters.

There were plenty of funny moments.  My favorite was presenter Kevin Bacon asking if he was "connected" to anyone at the Awards show, but there were certainly memorable moments like Amy Poehler making out with Bono, Amy portraying Tina's cranky son, Tina's George Clooney zinger ("He would rather float out in space and die than spend time with women his own age" and of course, Alfonso Cuaron telling Sandra Bullockhje was going to give her herpes.

Yeah, thumbs up.  I usually like to be snarky, but credit to the two of them who have made this awards show (which has been an afterthought,. or at least just a show for film diehards) and crossing over to a broad audience.

I am not hip enough nowadays to comment on their selections.  American Hustle clearly has the momentum headed towards the Oscars, and 12 years a Slave and Gravity should fare okay.  I knew there were films that I wouldn't have crossed path with, but there were some like Nebraska and Her that I was completely unfamiliar with.  I am slipping.

TV has become equally obscure.  Ten years, there might be a series on HBO that would steal the spotlight, but there are so many good shows on sucha wide array of channels- AMC and HBO of course, but other pay channels like Showtime have picked their game up and channels that aren't even really 'channels' like Netflix and Starz.

Like last year's Jodie Foster's speech last year, this year's honoree speech was lost on America-  Woody Allen was honored and Diane Keaton gave the speech complete with singing a Girl Scouts song.  While Woody Allen diehards took something away, it seems like the Lifetime Achievement award is the WTF moment  for this show.  Jacquline Bisset similarly gave a speech that was more incoherent rambling than anything else.

As far as snark, yeah, that's what I am here for, but I don't have a lot of it.  I didn't think Captain Phillips was Oscarworthy, but the performances were (It got nominated for Best Film at the Globes).  I am not quite convinced Brooklyn99 is the end-all, be-all comedy, but it is funny. I certainly don't get Andy Samberg winning best comedic actor for essentially being Andy Samberg.

Leonardo DiCaprio took Best Actor.  His speech was a bit overwrought for my tastes, but people seemed to enjoy it, and I really think he is one of our finest actors.  It would be nice to see him win an Oscar this year.

Anyway, that's what I had.  Thoughts?

Credit to Dean Robbins of the Madison, Wisconsin-based Isthmus.

He is a television critic, and the nature of his profession is that as Jay Mohr says "He puts his name on it".

So apologies for making fun of someone I don't know, but he does write about television for a living, so he probably would still think it's worth it.

Dateline-August 22- VMA Awards Preview

MTV Video Music Awards
Sunday, 8 pm (MTV)

Last year's Video Music Awards was a snore, despite extravagant attempts at naughtiness by the likes of Rihanna and Pink. Not surprisingly, it was also the least-watched VMA ceremony in years.

With Miley Cyrus up for three awards, I was all set to skip the 2013 show...until word came of a Lady Gaga performance. Gaga, missing from the VMAs last year, will perform the debut single from ARTPOP, and it's sure to be an event. In previous VMA appearances, she has covered herself in blood, worn a meat dress and impersonated a man. No one knows what provocations she has planned this time, but I think it's safe to say that on Monday morning no one will be talking about Miley Cyrus.

Recently stopped by an Iowa town that is just off I-80 as you enter Iowa from Illinois.  A town that has went zero to hero thanks to a show on the History Channel.

LeClaire has a beautiful overlook of the Mississippi River and is known for two things 1- all things antique and 2- maybe the best spot in the country to Eagle watch.

Oh, and Buffalo Bill Cody.

Cody was born in LeClaire and has a museum dedicated to him.  Unfortunately, about 100 years ago, the town missed the boat on its favorite son.  Cody's childhood home was torn down and reassembled in Cody, Wyoming where it stands today.  His birthplace similarly did not survive the times and is also no longer there.

So, Cody's museum is pretty much on the weak side.  It's cheap, so you can't complain, and it has quite a few interesting turn-of-the-20th century antiques, tools, and a real assortment of things, the most interesting to me was a letter signed by Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton.

While, there's probably not enough Cody memorabilia to justify a trip.  Five dollars also lets you walk around the Lone Star, the last wooden- hulled. steam-driven boat to run the Mississippi (it finally failed inspection in the 1960s, after about 100 years of existence) and the last one of its kind still intact.

That's at least somewhat interesting to me.



LeClaire is also home to the Mississippi River Distilling Company which a friend raved about.

I can't add anything more than I trust him and I have tried the product and approve.

Now, we get to the good stuff.

LeClaire is the home of Mike Wolfe's original antique and collectible shop, which you all know and love via the show American Pickers.

Yeah, that one.



It is what it is. It's a small garage with some assorted junk and a couple of very memorable items.  A second shop being built means there are greater ambitions, but it is a small shop that took off out of nowhere.

The counter is run by a tattooed Suicide Girl lookalike, which more than a few people mistakenly think is Danielle  (It isn't.  Danielle is in Nashville, I believe.).  In fact the three girls working all fit a certain Betty Page/rockabilly chic look which i am not sure is reflection on Mike Wolfe or that the job and genre attracts a certain person.

Mike and Frank weren't there, but they would be in a few days (in which the shop is closed anyway for filming).  The counter cashier was short (as in borderline rude, not a reference to height), though if I was asked "How is Mike to work for?" 100 times a day, maybe I would be similarly disenchanted.

LeClaire isn't very far from the beaten trail since it is on I-80, one of the nation's most popular interstates, so it's definitely worth a visit.  Similarly, Antique Archaeology isn't much more than some dude's garage with some junk which sells t-shirts, but the Pickers seem like cool guys, and it's the kind of place worth a quick pilgrimage.

I watched a little bit of The Bible this weekend- History Channel's retelling of the book.

This is a much buzzed about Television Event in 5 parts and is drawing 12 million viewers (more than American Idol) and 50 million Americans have caught at least part.

You have to credit them for finding an audience.  I have heard a lot of conversations and seen a lot of Facebook posts, and quite simply, this is a good way to get viewers.

Personally, I don't like History's recent direction.  It may just be me, but I prefer the narrative documentary stories to the scripted actors playing roles.  At the end of the day, i really did enjoy The Men Who Built America, but I generally find their acted shows like The History of Us dull and uninteresting.

For the most part, the Bible falls into that last category.  It is done well, but it is not told in a way that really interests me.  In this case, they are picking stories and acting them out with no real additional narrative.  That's probably smart in order to keep it nondenominational and draw a big audience, and some people may enjoy that acting, but I really don't. 

I also must note I haven't seen Vikings and in much the same way I am not excited about the prospect (although the 30 second ads do look good).

Of course, had I stayed and watched more of the Bible, I would got to the interesting part.

The Prince of Darkness.  The Father of Lies



Oops, i mean...




In which, everyone says the Devil looks like Barack Obama. Producer Mark Burnett says it's "utter nonsense", and in which case, the actor has been playing biblical villains for years.

Now, if I was marketing a show towards the Far Right, it would be a stroke of genius; but we will just assume as with most things that a) it's the guy from the 'Whomp There it is"  video or b) just a plain old coincidence.

So, there was Seth McFarland hosting the Oscars.

It's like the old snake parable.  You knew you were getting Seth Mcfarland when you hired him.

So, I find it hard to get too upset over Ted's anti-Semitic remarks or the Boobs song.

McFarland got the attention and the ratings, so no one can be too upset, right?

I thought he was generally good.  He is funny, but he also really loves movies.  he really may be the Mel Brooks of our generation.  Seth was really enjoying those song-and-dance numbers.

Besides, I wouldn't have liked Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (They got a lot of good buzz out of this, but Tina says she isn't interested).  I don't remember anything from the People's Choice Award except Jodie Foster got onstage and gave a speech Clint Eastwood thought was a bad idea.

So, we're likely to get something vanilla next year (a la Hathaway & Franco) and then, followed by a Chris Rock/Gervais/ Colbert 'hip' host that will be hyped, but then the media won't like; until they convince Billy Crystal to come back, as that seems to be the only host America can agree on.

As far as the Awards, it did seem to be the year that Oscar found a way to honor all of the Movies.  It felt like Argo, Django, Les Miz, Zero Dark Thirty, and Lincoln all got appropriate recognition. I haven't seen Argo, but it feels like a banner year for movies.  The kind of year we haven't had since the 90s.  True, last year had a list of great movies that I eventually went out and see (and America did too); but 2013 was a year when the top contenders all had done fairly well at the Box Office.

Indeed, even the year's blockbuster The Avengers (As McFarland jokes, the biggest movie of the year, which is why it only got one nomination) felt a real and deserving part of the Oscar ceremony.

2013 was a good year and the ratings were up.  I don't think this is something that will translate to where you can confirm 2014 will be equally as good, but it is a good sign for the industry.

Partners - At some point, CBS became the king of comedy.  I am not sure how, but sure enough, the shows people talk about and the funniest shows are on CBS (Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, Two Broke Girls) and going back a few years to the golden years of How I met your Mother and the guilty pleasure of Charlie Sheen-era Two and a Half Men.  So, I really wanted to like Partners, which looked like the most promising comedy of the new year.

It's basic enough- two best friends have a relationship that is rocked by the two loves of their lives.  One would guess there's a bunch of comedy to mine here, but there really isn't.  David Krumholtz has leading man potential, but his character isn't likeable in the least.  The same goes for Micheal Urie, the gay best friend, who is confined to Clay Aiken and Bette Midler jokes.  One wonders if CBS decided they are okay with an openly gay lead, by showing absolutely no chemistry between the two gay characters.  Brandon Routh, in that role, is terrible, which is a shame, because he is a local, and is a really good person.

I am reminded a bit of Free Agents, NBC's recent swing-and-a-miss.  That sarcastic Type A character was at least Hank Azaria, and if Azaria couldn't pulloff a sitcom smash, I don't see Krumholtz doing any better.  This is typical sitcom material, but at least, it could be funny.

I think CBS will try to push this as far as I can.  Unfortunately, I don't think there is enough here to keep it afloat.

Vegas-  One of CBS's biggest gambles this year is on Vegas which stars Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, and Carrie Ann Moss.  Okay, that is a strong cast, and I think that this gives the show a big upside (not to mention to be helmed by the writer of Casino and Goodfellas).  Quaid is lampoonable with his permanent scowl, but does give the show a strong lead.  Chiklis, of course, is mesmerizing, and the support for the show is all strong too.

One must always remember this is a CBS show, and one will need to temper their expectations.  This might be a great drama if it was given the Showtime or HBO (or even FX) treatment, but would be a hard sell for network tv.  So, while this show strives to be Boardwalk Empire (the story of a growing 1960's Las Vegas), but is just as much Walker, Texas Ranger (there's plenty of Chuck Norris' style buttkicking). 

This being CBS, this is also not just a period piece with rustlers, mobsters, and DA's.  It is also (like most, if not all of CBS's most successful shows) a procedural crime show.  That bit isn't necessary, but one feels CBS is hedging its bets by sticking to the formula that works.  It's CSI:Noir then.

I liked the first two episodes. though others said it was slow.  The set-up, location and the collection of characters should give a wealth of material to draw from, and the interaction between Quaid and Chiklis as time goes on should be good fun.

I mentioned the 2016 election yesterday with the assumption that the GOP will need a candidate.  I completely forgot the Democrats will need someone.

This is probably the appropriate place to mention that Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley will be headlining Iowa's biggest Democratic fundraiser, the Harkin Fish Fry.  I know next to nothing about O'Malley, but if he's our next President, you heard it here first.

While Biden and Clinton rumors will always fly, former Iowa Governor and current Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has mentioned he might run in 2016.  Vilsack planned a 2008 run, but was unsurprisingly a nonstarter in a field with Clinton, Edwards, and Obama.

I like Vilsack, and I think he a high ceiling.  On one hand, he's a moderate Midwesterner, and maybe, he will be limited on a national campaign like Gephardt.  Still, i think he has some potential to be a charismatic ex-governor a la Clinton, Dubya, and Huckabee.

Speaking of Democrats, the Indie Rocker-in-Chief is in Des Moines this weekend.  I give him this title because he picked the Decemberists as his opening act in 2008.  In Des Moines, he will be accompanied by Chris Cornell and the National.

I will take those bands over Night Ranger's Jack Blades,Taylor Hicks and Three Doors Down anyday.  (Though, Trace Adkins pumping up the GOP crowd by playing his hit "Marry for the Money" seems oddly appropriate to the Right's message.)

Of course, I can't end without some mention of Clint Eastwood's speech last night (which you probably already know was a conversation with an invisible seated Obama),

Opinions will vary, but I liked Eastwood's speech.  Granted, I liked Eastwood a lot, and I am not unopposed to doing something unconventional.  Clearly, there are some major issues with it. 

For starters, I think it was lost on some of the audience.  Maybe it could have been done a different way, perhaps he could have addressed a picture.  He also implies that Invisible Obama (who already has 50,000 followers on twitter) tells him (Eastwood) to go f--k himself.

At best (my opinion) Clint was compelling.  At worst, he appeared a senile old man.  In either case, by preceding Romney, he stole the night.  While I am sure it seemed a good late-minute surprise, the timing of his "act" couldn't be worse.  Although Romney's speech got good reviews (I tuned out), it seems a secondary story.

Ann Romney called Clint's act "unique", which is the same word you tell someone who has made a bad fashion choice.

Once again, I actually liked Eastwood (and it won;t convince me to pull the lever for Willard), but I've got a feeling that I am in the minority here.