There was a time when a few extra dollars in Eva Longoria's pocket every April 15th would have made a world of difference to the former Desperate Housewives star — but that time has passed, as Longoria, 37, told a screaming crowd of President Barack Obama supporters at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night before Obama accepted the nomination for the Democratic Party.

"Mitt Romney," Longoria, the co-chair of President Obama's reelection campaign, said, "would raise taxes on the middle-class families to cut his own — and mine. "And that's not who we are as a nation, and let me tell you why: because the Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers — she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not," she said to a standing ovation.

Other celebrities that came out to voice their support for Obama included Scarlett Johansson, 27, who appealed to the young American voters that often don't visit the poll booths at all. Johansson also focused on her humble roots in her speech. "I speak to you not as a representative of young Hollywood," said Johansson — whose film credits include The Avengers, We Bought a Zoo, Match Point, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Lost in Translation — "but as a representative of the many millions of young Americans, particularly young women, who depend on public and nonprofit programs to help them survive."

Johansson went on to talk about her family's dependence on social programs when she was growing up and the current importance of Planned Parenthood and Medicaid. "That's why I'm here today," she said. "To use whatever attention I'm fortunate enough to receive to shed the spotlight on what's at stake for all of us."

Kerry Washington, 35, star of ABC's Scandal and 2006's The Last King of Scotland, also starring James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker, took the stage to talk about student loans and Pell Grants. "I'm here … as a woman, an African American, a granddaughter of immigrants who came from Ellis Island, a person who could not have afforded college without the help of student loans and as one of millions of volunteers working to reelect President Obama, she said.

Other celebs who were present for the DNC, which ended last night when Obama spoke and accepted the Presidential nomination, included Tony Shalhoub, Wayne Knight and Rose Byrne.

James Taylor, 64, performed some of his classic hits — "Carolina on My Mind," (apropo since the convention was in Charlotte), "You've Got a Friend" and "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You." When he approached a chair on the stage from which he would play, Taylor quipped, "Don't worry about the empty chair! I'm just gonna sit in it, not talk to it!"

Get Uinterview's FREE iPhone App For Daily News Updates here.

For more like this:

Sandra Fluke Envisions A Romney-Run America In DNC Speech

Hillary Clinton Watches Bill's DNC Speech From East Timor

Michelle Obama Wows With Her Convention Speech

Celebrities Flock To Democratic National Convention

FUNNY: Twitter's Celebrities Respond To Clint Eastwood's Bizarre RNC Speech

Kal Penn Takes A Dig At Clint Eastwood At DNC

Hillary Clinton Meets With 'Texts From Hillary' Bloggers

Julian Castro's Daughter, Carina Victoria, Upstages His DNC Keynote Speech

Leave a comment

Read more about: