Trending This Week: 08/25 –08/31

TALK TO THE CHAIR
Lots of online reaction to Clint Eastwood’s strange appearance at the Republican National Convention, where he addressed an empty chair as if it were President Obama. Democraticunderground.com collected some of the best response tweets. For our money, the prize goes to @exavierpope who tweeted, “Clint Eastwood summed up the #RNC perfectly: An old crotchety rich white man fighting against an imaginary black threat.” Comedian Patton Oswalt chimed in with, “’If Clint Eastwood ever talks to a chair on national TV, people will need a way to reassure each other’—inventor of Twitter, March 2006.”

Also, someone used an image from The Simpsons to satirize the speech.

(NOT) MOVIN’ ON DOWN|
Sherman Helmsley is still dead, but he’s not buried, as the actor’s brother is challenging the late actor’s will. The former Jefferson’s star’s corpse is on ice at the San Jose Funeral Home in El Paso, awaiting an order from the court as to whom the body should be given.

Shortly after Helmsley’s death was reported, many people circulated a story from a few years ago that talked about Helmsley’s love of progressive rock. He even managed to work some of his favorite music into The Jeffersons. Here's a clip of him dancing to "Show Me the Way" by British prog-rock band Nektar:

BILL NYE THE ANTI-CREATIONISM GUY
Bill Nye has been making the rounds online, first in a video for Big Think, in which he said that teaching creationism was bad for children, and bad for the future of America. 

Shortly thereafter, rumors of Nye’s death were circulated on Twitter, which were soon put to rest. Then a story appeared on dailycurrant.com saying that Nye was challenging Todd Akin to a debate. The story was believed by many, but it was mere satire.

RIMES WITH BEHAB

30 days in the facility.

Country singer LeAnn Rimes recently checked herself into a “treatment facility,” according to her spokespeople. The singer went for the 30-day inpatient treatment to “cope with anxiety and stress,” her people said.

Shortly before entering the treatment facility Rimes had allegedly been phoning and cursing at a fan who had stopped following her on Twitter. Despite the reports of erratic behavior, her people denied that Rimes is being treated for an eating disorder or drug addiction, which many people take as confirmation that she may in fact be getting treatment for an eating disorder or drug addiction. Of course, we’d never be so cynical to believe anything of the sort.