Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. 'Iron Man''s Robert Downey Jr. No Longer a Liberal
2. Spike Lee Clocks the Clintons
3. Has Oprah Abandoned Obama?
4. Possible Actors' Strike Creates Movie Boom
5. Tom Hanks' Obama-Reagan Comparison
1. 'Iron Man''s Robert Downey Jr. No Longer a Liberal
Robert Downey Jr. may be the actor least likely thought of to play a comic book superhero.
But the critics and public love Downey in Marvel's latest big-screen spectacular, "Iron Man."
"Iron Man" is the first film to be produced by Marvel Studios, although it is distributed by Paramount. Marvel is now financing its own flicks after an impressive track record of blockbusters like "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and sequels.
Meanwhile, during a recent interview with the New York Times, Downey disclosed a change he experienced in his worldview as a result of his troubled past.
The veteran actor noted that his newfound politics would not necessarily be well received by his Hollywood friends.
"I have a really interesting political point of view, and it's not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here," Downey said.
"But you can't go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can't. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since," he added.
The New York Times commented on Downey's educational experience in this way: "Suffice it to say he is not one of the Hollywood types who weeps over innocents trapped behind bars."
The effects of Downey's new views are obvious — he's happily married, a father to teenage kids and far distance away from the struggles he had to endure.
He explained, "If I see somebody who is throwing their life away with both hands and is raging around and destroying their family, I can't understand that person."
"I'm not in that sphere of activity anymore, and I don't understand it any more than I understood 10 or 20 years ago that somehow everything was going to turn out O.K. from this lousy, exotic and dark triple chapter of my life. I swear to God I don't even really understand that planet anymore," he shared.
Things on Downey's new planet turned out really okay. "Iron Man" looks to be the start of a Downey franchise. The movie had the second best opening weekend ever for a film that's not a sequel, with over $100 million being brought in on the domestic front and another $97 million from overseas ticket sales.
In Variety's review, "Iron Man" was contrasted with previous anti-war flops: "Finally, someone's found a sure-fire way to make money with a modern Middle East war movie: Just send a Marvel superhero into the fray to kick some insurgent butt."
2. Spike Lee Clocks the Clintons
When it comes to political speech, Spike Lee is not known for shyness.
While appearing on Bloomberg TV, the Obama supporting filmmaker launched a verbal missile in the direction of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Lee cautioned the public about the tactics of the Hillary campaign, saying, "If you know anything about the Clintons and what they've done in politics, they are gonna knock out some kneecaps."
The director-writer portrayed the former president and First Gent wanna-be as having played "his whole thing like he is the great white father."
He also alluded to statements from Bill that some critics have characterized as racist, saying, "I think that they thought this thing was going to be over Super Tuesday, and Obama's a nice young guy, but they didn't see him as a threat, but when things started to play out the way they did, then they saw their whole thing was in jeopardy."
Lee added, "And that's when he isn't just the nice young little guy anymore ... he's our blood enemy -- and then that's when you start to see the things come out the side of President Clinton's neck, comments he meant in South Carolina."
3. Has Oprah Abandoned Obama?
The last time we saw Oprah Winfrey publicly supporting Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama was back in February, when First Lady of California Maria Shriver stood with Caroline Kennedy and Michelle Obama at a campaign rally at UCLA.
As the saying goes, in the game of politics, a few months is an eternity.
Over the course of the last few months, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright "happened."
The controversy surrounding the pastor has dominated the headlines and changed the political landscape, allowing Obama's opponent Hillary Clinton to gain ground on the Illinois Senator.
Obama sure could use Oprah's help right about now. But where is the daytime diva?
Winfrey has provided cash and media attention for Barack, as well as giving him an assist in drawing large crowds to his campaign events.
But now it appears that on the eve his most critical primary contests, the Dem frontrunner is Oprah-less.
Oprah could help in a major way with the Wright issue, particularly since she has reportedly spent some of her Sundays sitting in the pew of Trinity United Church of Christ where Wright preached.
Could it be that Winfrey has political cold feet?
Posts on her website have indicated so, as Hillary supporters have let their anger be known. Oprah has been called a traitor to her gender.
Although the ratings to her highly successful show remain unaffected, after her campaign appearances with Obama, a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll showed a 13 percent decline in her favorability rating, which went from 68 to 55 percent.
Obama even subtly weighed in on Oprah's extremely low profile status of late, saying, "Oprah's a dear friend — she's got a lot of stuff going on, we've got a lot of stuff going on. And as I made clear even at the beginning, her endorsement and other celebrity endorsements can be useful in getting people who aren't otherwise paying attention to politics to engage, and so that was particularly important in a place like Iowa at the beginning of this campaign."
Indiana borders Illinois, a state in the Midwest where Oprah spends a whole lot of her time. It would be fairly easy for her to pop over the state line for a bit of Obama-boosting, even if her schedule is full.
Next week Oprah interviews Tom Cruise, Barbara Walters, and Cher, and she has a showdown of sandwich recipes.
Maybe for her friend, the gentleman who wants to be the leader of the free world, Lady O might consider skipping out of one of those oh so important TV tapings.
4. Possible Actors' Strike Creates Movie Boom
It's not a sequel anyone wants to see — another lengthy strike like the writers' one that caused big-time losses for the entertainment industry and the So Cal economy.
Unfortunately, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) still seem far from any agreement, even though the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have stepped out of the picture to allow labor talks.
When it comes to labor negotiations in H-wood, Tinseltown is the land of abbreviations. SAG, AMPTP, AFTRA…the list goes on 4eva.
The sticky issue in the actors' union haggle is the same as it was for the writers — new technology. Workers want in on the cash for films streamed and sold on the Internet, cell phones and portable devices.
SAG sent a mailing to members explaining the importance of the digital battle. The document noted that by 2010, the largest 100 media companies would be bringing in a projected $20.7 billion annually from the Net.
After three weeks of dialogue, on the day negotiations were set to end, AMPTP and SAG issued a joint announcement to extend talks four extra days.
SAG would prefer to avoid a strike and reach agreement with the studios before the union's contract expires in June. In order to do so, the Guild has lowered the level of its demands. The union lowered the amount it sought in fees for DVD sales and guest spots on television shows.
AFTRA delayed its talks with AMPTP to give SAG a head start. It reset its negotiations, pushing them further into the week by a couple of days.
AFTRA had its membership ratify a separate contract for syndicated television shows like "Oprah" and "Entertainment Tonight." The expectation is that AMPTP studio heads will probably make deals in separate negotiations with AFTRA long before they settle with SAG.
Does all of it indicate that a settlement can be made before SAG's contract expires on the last day of June?
Maybe so, but studios and production companies aren't waiting around to find out. They're rushing ahead to beat a possible strike. Feature film shoots in the L.A. area are up 11% for 2008's first quarter.
So rather than SAG, AMPTP and AFTRA, the more important abbreviations right now are ASAP, PDQ and LHU.
5. Tom Hanks' Obama-Reagan Comparison
Tom Hanks has officially and wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama via video.
The actor has posted video footage on his MySpace page that is humorously titled "Beware: Celebrity Endorsement."
Lampooning the perception of celebs' political picks, Hanks satirically says, "As an official celebrity I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you."
Still, Hanks is unequivocal in his support for the Illinois Senator, plainly stating, "I want Barack Obama to be the next president of our country."
In a surprising comparison of Obama with presidents of the past, the Hollywood star invokes not only the usual Democrat presidential figures, but he also brings up the name of beloved conservative icon Ronald Reagan.
"He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job," Hanks says.
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