Soapbox:

Media savvy

By Aida O'Reilly

---

There was a time when Hollywood was Hollywood and Washington was Washington. One entertained and the other governed. Showbiz and politics did not mix. But the lines between the two started getting fuzzy. It started with Reagan as president and now it is Schwarzenegger as governor.

This blur was very apparent in the last elections. Politicians and entertainers were wooing one another. Music was written about one candidate, with the first song about Obama, and then others joined writing music for their favourite candidate. The brains in the industry created videos in support of, mainly, Obama as in the video made by Steven Spielberg and Leonardo diCaprio.

On the other hand, politicians realised the power of image. Artists were hired to set the stage, others to buy wardrobes, and make-up artists were always on hand. Sarah Palin looked more like a movie star than a politician, and it did not matter what she said, she just looked good and remembered her lines.

Also, the number of movies released this year is amazing. There is W about George W Bush, Body of Lies about the government and the CIA, Frost/Nixon about journalism and politics, Swing Vote about an election where one vote would decide the outcome, with two candidates trying to please that one person. The movie Recount is a docudrama that exposes as corrupt the Florida recount where democratic nominee Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election but the Supreme Court ruled in favour of George W Bush. Meanwhile, TV stations ran old movies about politics and Washington.

All of that proved that moviemakers have a tremendous knowledge of the workings of Washington. This year they acted out that knowledge on the screen. Power to Obama!

This week's Soapbox speaker is past president of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the Golden Globe Awards for outstanding international films.