The Campaign in Hollywood

On Monday night, within walking distance of the White House and on Pennsylvania Avenue itself, a handful of powerful entertainment men briefly forgot about the threat of hurricane Sandy, with a toast that, for them, likely created a sense of foreboding. In the final phase of the crucial election that next Tuesday will establish the re-election of the Democrat Barack Obama or his replacement by the Republican Mitt Romney, this small group had just attended the giant complex Newseum projection of the premiere of SEAL: Team Six, a mix of documentary and drama about the operation that hunted and killed the terrorist Osama bin Laden. It will air next Sunday in the U.S. on the National Geographic Channel.

Is this a final and deliberate push, two days before the elections, for last minute votes in favor of the incumbent president? Is it a ploy for ratings? Whether one or the other, it is a display of the latest trend in political campaigning, in which Hollywood been more involved than ever before. It coincides, in its final stretch, with the premier in Argentina of a film that makes fun of all these issues.

“The Campaign” (whose original title was “Crazy For Votes”) shows how ruthless the struggle for a seat in Congress can be, if its protagonists are played by figures as prone to mocking, outrageous humor as Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. The movie is directed by Jay Roach, a man well-versed in the field of parody (his work includes Austin Powers and the Focker series), who has learned to present more serious observations of current events in North American politics in productions for HBO.

In “Game Change,” Roach narrated the rise and fall of Sarah Palin and the way that she was seen by Republicans as a traitor in the last electoral campaign, which four years ago culminated in the party’s resounding defeat and the arrival of Obama to the White House. But above all we have to look at “Recount,” a major political narrative that reconstructs, in detail, all of the complex electoral processes that took place in Florida and culminated, after several weeks of uncertainty, in consecrating the reelection of Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore.

More than one observer says that this last film should be reviewed in light of what the polls predict will be a tight upcoming race, considering the undecided voters in swing states like Florida. It is important to note that enthusiastic Hollywood figures and much of the entertainment world appear to be ready and determined to fight to the very end for Obama’s reelection, support which many expressed very early on.

As usual, the Democrats have won the sympathy of mainstream artists and there is no stronger evidence of their support than the presence of some very strong names from the Hollywood industry among the major financial supporters of Obama’s campaign. Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, and partner Steven Spielberg each donated $1 million in October alone. So did influential comedian Bill Maher and actor Morgan Freeman, adding themselves to the list comfortably led by George Clooney, who in just one night (at his home) convinced friends and colleagues to contribute $15 million to the campaign. Obama thanked him personally, and would continue to do so in other special fundraising meetings in which he received funds collected by Ricky Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Beyoncé and Will Smith.

From the music world, Katy Perry accompanied the current president to Las Vegas, Bruce Springsteen offered to do a free concert in Virginia, Stevie Wonder composed a song for the campaign (“Keep Movin’ Forward”), Madonna drew Obama’s name on her bare back while performing a few days ago in New Orleans and many other figures, taking advantage of their public presence on TV and through social networks, spared no effort or expense to show their support for Obama’s reelection.

So strong was this commitment that artists whose sympathies lay with Romney set out to prove that not all of the entertainment world sided with Obama. As Clint Eastwood said in his much discussed speech at the Republican National Convention (in which he directed reproaches against Obama, speaking to an empty chair) there are more Republicans in Hollywood than it would seem, they just don’t want to reveal themselves.

Eastwood, who a few days ago recorded a publicity spot asking for votes for Romney, was not the only one to speak out against the continuation of the current administration. Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Tom Selleck, Chuck Norris, Kelsey Grammer, Sylvester Stallone, Patricia Heaton, Jerry Bruckheimer and musicians Meat Loaf, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, among others, did the same. The strongest voice against Obama was that of Kiss’ Gene Simmons (“He’s been a piss-poor president as far as I’m concerned”).

Everyone dreams about their candidate’s victory, but it seems difficult to beat someone so accustomed to winning as Harvey Weinstein, the astute and powerful producer who won at the last two Oscars for his films “The Kings Speech” and “The Artist.” Weinstein is also behind the documentary about bin Laden that will air two days before the elections in the United States. Last Monday, in the midst of the perfect storm, pointing his glass towards the White House, he toasted Obama’s reelection.