The Democratic National Convention will have some serious star power

Donald Trump has promised that his entertaining and "totally overbooked" Republican National Convention will be packed with "great speakers." "We have winners, we have people that aren't only political people," he said Tuesday on Fox News. "We have a lot of people that are just champions and winners." But it seems the biggest non-political name on the RNC speaker list that emerged on Wednesday night is former football star Tim Tebow. Hillary Clinton's Democratic convention, on the other hand, will include appearances by actor Bryan Cranston, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Cyndi Lauper, George Takei, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and the band the Drive-By Truckers, according to a schedule obtained by ABC News.
The stars of screen and song aren't necessarily going to appear on the DNC main stage — ABC News only got a list of some 170 Democratic side events around Philadelphia during the convention. (Caitlyn Jenner, Kid Rock, and Lynyrd Skynyrd plan to attend the Republican convention.) But the expected list of political heavyweights endorsing Clinton — including President Obama and Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton — also trumps the list of Republicans scheduled to sing Trump's praises in Cleveland next week (no former GOP president or presidential nominee is attending, for instance).
"Republicans have always had a terrible star-power deficit," GOP strategist and Trump critic Rick Wilson tells The Washington Post. "The Democrats have the latest hip-hop or pop act and we've got Lee Greenwood and the Oak Ridge Boys — but now it's going to be even more pronounced. Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren — they're all going to be out there swinging for the fences. But the Republicans, it'll be like a hostage video of people forced on stage."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To be fair, Trump is nothing if not entertaining, and viewers might not miss appearances from either President Bush, Mitt Romney, Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, or A-list celebrities. And it's likely that Trump has some tricks — and guests — up his sleeve. "Donald Trump's run an unconventional campaign from the get-go, and he said right from the outset he wanted an unconventional program with not the usual speakers," RNC member Steve Duprey tells The Post. "Frankly, it might stir up more interest than parading out past luminaries of a party. Maybe the Trump way will work."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen
The Week Recommends From exhibitions to Regency balls, these are the best ways to commemorate the author
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The pressure of South Korea's celebrity culture
In The Spotlight South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was laid to rest on Wednesday after an apparent suicide
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Should lying in politics be a criminal offence?
Today's Big Question Welsh government considers new crime of deliberate deception by an elected official
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published