By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Monday, March 24, 2008; C03

The Celebrity Nods Keep Rolling In

As the 2008 presidential race narrows, so do the celebrity endorsement opportunities: Jump on the bandwagon, only to see your horse fade in the stretch? Or hold back and wait for the party nominee? Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? This may be the only time it's easier to be a Republican in Hollywood. The latest from the Star-Studded Stump:

Wilford Brimley: Quaker Oats pitchman likes John McCain.

Ted Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen: Stumped for Clinton in Ohio before the primary.

Larry David: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star campaigned for Obama in New Hampshire: "The country needs a shower, a good, long, hot shower. That's what Obama is, a hot shower. So fresh you can smell him. Delicious."

50 Cent: For Clinton; rapper tells Fox News the United States is "not ready" for a black president.

America Ferrera: "Ugly Betty" star is national co-chair of Clinton's youthful "Hillblazers."

Jay Jay French: "Twisted Sister" founder endorsed Obama; reworked "I Wanna Rock" to "I Want Barack."

Jay-Z: Hip-hop millionaire is supporting Obama with automated phone messages.

Elton John: British superstar will perform a "one night only" benefit concert for Clinton next month at Radio City Music Hall.

Madonna: Tells Women's Wear Daily she's for Clinton: "I've got to support the girls."

Leonard Nimoy: Donated $2,300 to Obama.

Eva Longoria Parker: "Desperate Housewives" star appeared at a town hall meeting in Texas; supports Clinton for "hundreds and hundreds" of reasons.

Tom Selleck: "Magnum PI" hunk is a McCain kind of guy.

Russell Simmons: Def Jam founder was undecided for months -- "If you could take Barack Obama's image, add Hillary Rodham Clinton's money and John Edwards's voice, that would be my candidate" -- but finally gave the nod to Obama.

"Whichever one has shown the most persistence and just keeps coming back and coming back and coming back. Whichever one was dismissed early and came on late, that's her."

-- Bill Clinton when asked to compare his wife to a team in the NCAA tournament. (Shall we start calling her Hillary"Davidson"?) The former president made his Final Four predictions --North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and knocked-out alma mater Georgetown -- on James Carville's XM Radio show Friday.

Yeah, yeah . . . Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama-- but who's listening? Everyone's talking about his beard, which has taken on a life of its own. On Super Tuesday, Diane Sawyer said it made Richardson look "very Justin Timberlake"; we thought he looked more like Caps owner Ted Leonsis.

Now it's trimmed to a smart goatee, and getting all sorts of buzz: "Is it just me, or is Bill Richardson kind of hot with that beard?" swooned one blogger. Critics have been less kind, calling it less than would-be-vice-presidential. Even Richardson's own Governor's blog weighs in: "His wife hates it . . . but the media love it!"

On "Meet the Press" yesterday, Peggy Noonan compared him to Rod Steiger in "Doctor Zhivago." (And we hate to bring this up, but what happened to the gray? Only his hairdresser knows for sure.) Love it? Hate it? Tell us at reliablesource@washpost.com .

Seller: Rick Santorum

Price:$850,000

Details: The former senator from Pennsylvania unloaded his 5,040 square-foot Leesburg home in December. In 2001, the Santorums bought the new two-story abode on four acres for $643,361 -- and then found themselves in a political flap back home when questions arose about the residency of the family's five school-age children. The Santorums received $100,000 in taxpayer-paid tuition for his kids to attend an online charter school in Pennsylvania -- Santorum's wife, Karen, insisted they lived near her parents in Penn Hills, Pa.; critics claimed that the property was vacant. Now Santorum is a consultant in the D.C. office of law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott; unclear where the family resides today.