What was it Wellington used to say? Something about Napoleon’s hat on the battlefield being worth 50,000 men. I reckon Clint Eastwood, more revered than any living president past or present, could be worth considerably more than 50,000 votes in the battlefield states.
Clint, you may remember, spent most of his time at the Republican Convention talking to an empty chair, representing the incumbent president. His performance seemed to say a lot more about Clint than it did about Mitt Romney.
Now he has finally come off the fence, openly endorsing Romney in a 30 second spot:
American Crossroads, by the way, is a major Romney PAC (Political Action Committee).
Wasted on the mayorship of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Ca, wasn’t he?
Clint Eastwood is replacing Eminem as frontman for Chrysler’s advertising during the Super Bowl this weekend. The ad is to last 2 minutes – meaning an upfront cost of about $14m. And that’s before production and Clint’s fee are factored in.
Still, it’s probably money well spent, since the ad will upstage everyone else’s effort this year. As it happens, Chrysler has got something to brag about. It’s currently doing better than any other US auto manufacturer, posting a 44% increase in year-on-year sales last month. That compares with Ford’s slightly disappointing 7% gain and General Motors’ 6% drop.
The Eminem ad was widely praised at the time and later lionised at Cannes. What Clint will do to surpass last year’s effort is anyone’s guess. But then, that’s the thing about him. He doesn’t have to do very much. Just open his mouth slightly and everyone’s agog. He’s practically the Father of his Country, such is his prestige. It’s certainly greater than that of any living president.
Chrysler is coy about his role, admitting only that he will deliver a “pep talk” to the nation. Should be interesting. One thing we won’t be seeing, I suspect, is a reprise of his last film role, in Gran Torino. Despite the tempting Motown parallel, the movie is about a retired Ford worker who drives about in a classic Ford car. I bet Ford is kicking itself.
UPDATE 6/1/12: And here it is:
PS. Eminem is being sued for $9m by a homeless man, Stephen Lee Pieck, who alleges the rapper stole the above-mentioned ‘Born from Fire’ ad idea from him.
Posted by stuartsmithsblog 
