Clint Eastwood Gets Mixed Reaction to RNC Speech, Mitt Romney Opens Up

Clint Eastwood's speech from the RNC is getting mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney opened up about his family when he spoke to the crowd. INSIDE EDITION has the details.

Was the biggest speech of Mitt Romney's life overshadowed by Clint Eastwood's wacky appearance at the Republican Convention?  

The movie legend wowed delegates by speaking to an empty chair that was supposed to represent President Obama. Dirty Harry got downright bawdy at times.

Eastwood's zingers were largely unscripted and off-the-cuff. He was supposed to speak for five minutes but went on for 12.

Norah O'Donnell on CBS This Morning Friday said, "I saw the red light blinking for another seven, eight minutes, like 'Get off stage.' He just kept going on and on."

The Obama campaign reacted to Eastwood's empty chair speech by tweeting a photo of the president at a cabinet meeting with the caption, "This seat's taken."

And as Mitt Romney walked through the delegates to make his acceptance speech – viewers could hear the reaction of CBS's Bob Schieffer to Eastwood.

Schieffer said, "He has to make one heck of a speech because if he doesn't all people are going to be talking about in the morning is this weird episode involving Clint Eastwood."

The internet is exploding with reaction. A new word has even been coined overnight - "Eastwooding"

Photos have been posted online of people pointing at empty chairs just like Eastwood. One was actually taken on the floor of the Republican convention.

"Sad and pathetic" tweeted film critic Roger Ebert, and "he didn't need to do this to himself. It's unworthy of him."

Star Jones tweeted, "I can't believe I just watched Clint Eastwood turn into somebody's drunk Uncle Harry"

Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers tweeted that Vice President "Biden has to go shirtless at DNC to top it."

But Blake Shelton, host of The Voice, tweeted: "I. Love. Clint Eastwood."

Republicans INSIDE EDITION spoke to in Tampa were thrilled.  

One man said, "I love Clint Eastwood, but he didn't overshadow Romney."

"He added to the atmosphere and the momentum of the crowd," said one woman.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney's speech is being called "solid" and "workmanlike."

The Republican nominee, who has been criticized for not revealing much about himself to voters, brought a woman in the audience to tears when he spoke about his parents, George and Lenore Romney.

"Everyday dad gave mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table. That is how she found out on the day that my father died, she went looking for him, because that morning there was no rose," said Romney.

Ann Romney wore a sparkling blue dress to the big speech, and afterwards the entire Romney clan, including hordes of grandchildren, joined Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan's family on stage.  

Ann Romney spoke to Good Morning America about the sea of balloons that engulfed everyone.

Ann said, "Oh my gosh, when some of the balloons were falling down, I was in my heels and I was diving down, they were buried in there, we couldn't even find them."