Author: Randy Slovacek

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Kelly Clarkson endorses Ron Paul – steps in firestorm

First American Idol Kelly Clarkson stepped in a firestorm today when she tweeted her support for Ron Paul.

That tweet generated tons of comments on both WhoSay and Twitter, many insulting her while accusing Paul of racism and homophobia.

Kelly later posted, “I am really sorry if I have offended anyone. Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women’s rights, men’s rights, white/black/purple/orange rights. I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all. Out of all of the Republican nominees, he’s my favorite.”

In the past few weeks, excerpts from Ron Paul’s 1990s newsletters have revealed racist and homophobic statements sent in his name.  He denied having ever writing the articles.

Read more at USAtoday.com

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Holiday sales look strong in year end finish

From Reuters: Retail sales look poised for a solid finish to the holiday season as warm weather and deep discounts encouraged shoppers to hit stores or go online to snap up last-minute gifts, according to data released on Wednesday.

Sales in the week ending December 24 soared 14.8 percent from a year ago to about $44 billion, helped by Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday, according to ShopperTrak, which monitors traffic at shopping malls. Good weather also helped as snowstorms had blanketed some areas at the same time last year.

Sales on December 26, a public holiday this year, soared 25.5 percent to $7.1 billion, ShopperTrak said.

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Rick Santorum latest target after “surging” into 3rd in Iowa

Rick Perry’s campaign wasted no time going after Rick Santorum following the release of a new CNN/Time/ORC International poll that showed the former Pennsylvania senator surging into third place in Iowa.

In a new radio ad released by Perry’s team Thursday, Santorum is portrayed as a free-spending Washington insider who voted for earmarks and wasteful spending during his time in Congress.

The spot features a clip of Santorum saying he was “very proud of the earmarks” he wrote into spending legislation.

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Carol Channing’s husband passes away at 91

Broadway legend Carol Channing lost her husband, Harry Kullijian, Monday, just before his 92nd birthday.

Kullijian suffered an aneurism at the couple’s home in California. He died after being admitted to Eisenhower Medical Center.

The couple attended San Francisco’s Aptos Middle School together. They married in 2003, seventy years later.  Their’s was a true love story that transcended time.

Kullijian, a former councilman from Modesto, had been recently widowed as was Channing. At the suggestion of a mutual friend, he called her for a date. Three months later, they became husband and wife.

“I was so in love with Harry I couldn’t stop hugging him,” Channing wrote in her memoir Just Lucky, I Guess, published in 2002.

Channing, 90, is known for her Broadway role in ‘Hello, Dolly!”  Her films include Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), for which she earned an Academy Award nomination.

Kullijian was also a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He and Channing formed the Channing-Kullijian Foundation, which supports arts education in schools.

As readers of The Randy Report know, I am fortunate to have worked with Carol for over two and a half years during the last revival of “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway.  I love and adore Carol, and my deepest condolences go out to her and her family at this time.