Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Acting Adviser?
The Obama campaign is vigorously denying a report that appeared in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper stating that the actor, George Clooney, is an unofficial adviser to Senator Obama.
The Daily Mail reports that Clooney is trying to hide the relationship, because he fears his left-wing views and playboy image could hurt Obama's White House chances. Insiders quoted by the Daily Mail said the duo regularly exchange e-mails and text messages, and speak by phone at least twice a week.
The newspaper quoted one source as saying, "George has been giving him advice on things such as presentation, public speaking and body language and he also e-mails him constantly about policy, especially the Middle East."
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt tells FOX News the report is inaccurate, and Clooney's representative would only call the story "old and untrue".
Let the Heavens Open
A pro-family evangelical group has removed from its Web site a video asking people to pray for rain during Obama's nomination acceptance speech in Denver.
The Rocky Mountain News reports that Focus on the Family Action pulled the video after complaints from some of its members. The video asked people to pray for what it called "rain of biblical proportions" during Obama's speech at the open-air Invesco Field.
The group's director of digital media says the video was meant to be humorous. Vice President of Public Policy Tom Minnery says, "If people took it seriously — we regret it."
Deviant Delegate
The political director of Colorado's Democratic Party has threatened the status of a Boulder delegate because she made what he calls disparaging public remarks about Senator Obama. A Denver TV station reports that Sacha Millstone admits her comments were critical, but says they were made in an e-mail to a fellow delegate.
Millstone supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary and wrote in the e-mail she was unsure if she could vote for Obama. Her fellow delegate complained, and Millstone was told by the Colorado Democratic Party's William Compton, "You are directed to come into the party headquarters and explain your comments and why you should remain a national delegate."
Millstone says she feels intimidated, adding, "It sounded very totalitarian. I thought it sounded undemocratic... you can't get unity by telling people to shut up."
The Denver Post reports the state committee says it has dropped the matter.
False Impressions
And finally, Chinese officials admit to deceiving the world over some of the highlights at Friday's Olympic opening ceremony.
The London Telegraph reports the nine-year-old girl who was seen singing as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was in fact lip-syncing. Lin Miaoke became an overnight sensation in Beijing, but the ceremony's musical director says the real singer was a seven-year-old girl, Yang Peiyi, who was given the singing spot after a 10-year-old winner of a nation-wide competition was told she was too old. At the last minute, a member of the Chinese Politburo determined Yang Peiyi was unsuitable to be shown on the broadcast because of her buck teeth.
Chinese officials have already admitted that some of the video images of the massive fireworks display at the opening ceremony were actually pre-recorded, digitally enhanced and inserted into the broadcast.
— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.
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