The Special Relationship

Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton? Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton? Damn. If I weren't already an HBO subscriber, I would become one for this made-for-cable flick.

Olbermann is not amused

Hillary said a bad, bad thing.

Barack Obama: Superstar

What Tina Daunt of the L.A. Times writes specifically about Barack Obama's appeal to Hollywood insiders may also help explain the candidate's ascending superstardom everywhere:

"[I]n a town that for many months has been divided by head and heart, a lot of entertainment industry people who chose [Hillary] Clinton because she was the smart choice, the 'inevitable' Democratic candidate, are going where their hearts have long wanted to take them -- to a place on the Obama bandwagon (and nobody wants to miss the last seat).

"From the beginning, Hollywood has loved Obama's story -- his 'pitch' as they say -- but were wary of his real box office potential. Iowa and now possibly New Hampshire have lifted that uncertainty. The only thing the town likes better than a great story is a winning one."

Cash for candidates

George Clooney has backed Barack Obama. Oliver Stone is putting his money behind Obama and John Edwards. Steven Spielberg has contributed to Edwards, Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson. But Jerry Bruckheimer thinks John McCain is the man. Those are just some of the revelations offered by a Wilshire & Washington report on campaign contributions by Hollywood notables.

So goes Spielberg, so goes Hollywood (and the rest of the country)?

Steven Spielberg is backing Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Which, according to the Los Angeles Times, is the equivalent of an anointment: "The Academy Award winner's support is considered the industry's Holy Grail; not only does Spielberg's name resonate in Hollywood's plushest power suites where his movie grosses are admired, but also in middle America, where he is seen as one of the most esteemed directors." Gosh, Spielberg is a political kingmaker. Who knew?

'Hillary 1984'

The San Francisco Chronicle says it "may be the most stunning and creative attack ad yet for a 2008 presidential candidate -- one experts say could present a watershed moment in 21st century media and political advertising." But you can't see it on cable or network TV -- yet. Rather, the 74-second pitch for Barack Obama -- which remixes Ridley Scott's classic "1984" ad for Apple Computers to hammer Hillary Clinton -- is available now exclusively on the Internet. Any it might not be there for long -- something tells me that lawyers for Scott and/or Apple will express their displeasure very, very soon.

BTW: Obama's people claim they had nothing to do with it. And as far as I know, I'm no relation to the Peter Leyden quoted in the SF Examiner piece.

Gore for President? Fat chance!

From Nikki Finke: Don't expect Al Gore to announce the start of another Presidential campaign at the Oscars, even if An Inconvenient Truth brings home the gold. Money quote: "As one news report said, 'Gore's weight, which has ballooned since he left office, is widely seen as a barometer of his ambitions, and the Clinton, Obama and Edwards campaigns have been studying his girth closely.'"

As Jeffrey Wells notes, this ties in with a theory about Gore's fighting trim offered last November by Mick La Salle. Does the mean that -- gasp! -- density is destiny?