It’s a love affair like no other.
Celebrities are absolutely head over heels for Barack Obama, and their passion seems to grow stronger each day.
Hollywood has been in love with a president or two before. There was JFK, a soul mate who, when tragically lost, left the stars with broken hearts and feelings that no one would ever take his place. And there was Bill Clinton, the bad boy who made them break out in goose bumps and gush endlessly.
Tinseltown’s past reactions now look more like childhood crushes when compared with the torrid romance Obama has inspired.
Celebrities who jumped at the chance to walk the red carpet that stretches from Hollywood to D.C. include the following: Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Bono, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Black, Marissa Tomei, Rosario Dawson, George Lopez, Steve Carell, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Faith Hill, Ashley Judd, Sting, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Kate Walsh, John Cusack, Steven Spielberg, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Marie Presley, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Dana Delany, Ellen Burstyn, and too many others to mention.
With the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the background, a two-hour concert entitled, “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” featured marquee names such as Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Jon Bon Jovi, Shakira, U2, and Garth Brooks. In between performances, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, and Martin Luther King III read historical passages.
Why the obsession with the new president?
Well, for one thing, the Hollywood crowd is overjoyed to see President Bush leave office. What sweetens things further is the perception that they have been part of a huge win after suffering a series of embarrassing losses.
But an even bigger reason Hollywood has gone gaga over Obama is that celebrities see a fellow star in him, one they long to be, and over whom they themselves are completely star-struck.
Living the Hollywood lifestyle promotes a certain degree of narcissism. The excessive interest that celebrities must take in themselves and their physical appearances as part of their jobs may cause a distortion of reality and feelings that life has taken on a surreal quality.
Because media have defined the persona of many of the famous, celebrities often lose touch with their genuine inner selves and find that they are striving to live up to the way in which they are perceived. Stars may even frequently feel like imposters.
Obama is an individual who is poised to become the most powerful figure in the world. He has star power beyond imagination. In fact, he is the most famous person alive, No. 1 on the global A-list.
In Hollywood’s eyes, he represents the ultimate: rich, telegenic, living out his dreams, adorning magazine covers, his every move photographed, millions of fans, power beyond measure.
His image has been honed and fine-tuned, a fitting leader for the Hollywood Nation.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in media psychology, is a media analyst who also teaches mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and is a professor at Trinity Law School. Visit: Newsmax TV Hollywood: http://www.youtube.com/user/NMHollywood.
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