Obama Seeks Hillary's Hollywood Supporters

Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. The Scarlett Johansson-Barack Obama Connection
2. Warren Beatty's Dem Salute
3. Obama Seeks Hillary's Hollywood Supporters
4. Danny Glover's Starring White House Role
5. Star Salaries Slip
 

1. The Scarlett Johansson-Barack Obama Connection

Presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama is often compared to John F. Kennedy.

But one thing JFK didn't have to contend with was email.

Scarlett Johansson's recent revelation that Obama is her regular email pal is creating quite a stir.

The actress apparently gives the presidential candidate advice via email missives and comforts him when he's had a tough day in the same e-way.

"You'd imagine that someone like the senator who is constantly travelling and constantly 'on' — how can he return these personal emails?" Johansson tells the Politico. "But he does, and in his off-time I know he also calls people who have donated the minimum to thank them."

She also says that after a difficult debate he had, she sent Obama an email patting him on the back for "holding his ground."

The Dem candidate emailed the actress that the questioning at the debate was "difficult" and that he was given "one silly question after another."

Johansson says she's not only supporting someone but is "having a personal dialog with them, and it's amazing."

Obama is a fan of the actress' films, his fave being "Lost in Translation."

He's also a "huge movie lover" who "knows who every actor is," Johansson says.

In the past, she joked that she was "engaged" to the Illinois Senator, quipping, "My heart belongs to Barack."

She was also featured in his celebrity filled Internet clip, "Yes We Can," and may be one of the reasons the clip drew more than 13 million viewers.

Johansson is ready to "do cold calls, public service announcements, all different things to help out." She's willing to be "part of a benefit concert or show, and then perhaps hosting after-parties or dinners beforehand," too.

Reactions and questions are surfacing, though.

"Perhaps it's true, power makes men stupid. Why in the world is Barack Obama emailing Scarlett Johansson?" Reny Monk at the Huffington Post asks.

"So you've got a 23-year-old gorgeous, blonde actress e-mailing a married presidential candidate. Well, what could go wrong there, huh?" Jay Leno inquires tongue-in-cheek.

2. Warren Beatty's Democrat Salute

The American Film Institute (AFI) recently held a party to honor Warren Beatty but apparently only remembered to invite Dems.

The guest list for the AFI Life Achievement Award included plenty of high-profile partisans including George McGovern, Gary Hart, Warren Christopher, Jerry Brown and, of course, Bill Clinton.

Old-line celebs were also present for the affair including Jane Fonda, Hugh Hefner, Halle Berry, Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Keith Carradine, Dyan Cannon, Beatty's spouse Annette Bening and sister Shirley MacLaine.

The assembled crowd was treated to the Communist Party anthem from the movie "Reds," Beatty's unfortunate tribute to the Left.

When a video greeting from John McCain appeared on the screen, Beatty felt the need to calm the Hollywood crowd. Evidently, even a Republican who shows up in digital form needs some clarification.

Beatty told the audience not to be fooled by the plasma displays showing the image of his "very, very good friend" McCain.

"I am still an old-time, unrepentant, unreconstructed, tax-and-spend, bleeding-heart, die-hard liberal Democrat," he assured the crowd. "I was a liberal when it was fashionable, I was a liberal when it became unfashionable, and I'm still a liberal when it's coming back in style."

3. Obama Seeks Hillary's Hollywood Supporters

With Hillary Clinton out of the way for the moment and some of her supporters threatening to go John McCain's way, Barack Obama's campaign is conducting a full court press to try and persuade Hollywood's Hill devotees to come into the presumptive Dem nominee's fold.

Barbra Streisand, one of Tinseltown's most visible Hillary helpers, has been persuaded by Obama staffers to once again emerge from retirement.

Streisand has agreed to sing for an Obama campaign supper at a future fundraiser.

Maybe she's been offered a revisit to the Lincoln bedroom.

The Obama campaign also has director and Dem donor Steven Spielberg hosting a fundraiser in the future, despite his having endorsed Senator Clinton in 2007.

Laurie David, environmental activist, producer of Al Gore's global warming flick and wife of "Seinfeld" creator Larry David, also plans a fundraiser at the Dem convention.

Seal is set to sing on June 24 at a star-studded fundraiser, which will be held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Tickets are on sale for $2,300-per-person for the general reception and $28,500 per couple for a VIP dinner.

Obama is also reportedly in talks to have singer Jennifer Lopez record a campaign tune.

4. Danny Glover's Starring White House Role

Roland Emmerich will direct and John Cusack will star in yet another apocalyptic movie from Hollywood called "2012."

The film's premise is that, as the Mayan calendar ends, various natural disasters including volcanic eruptions, typhoons and glaciers threaten life as we know it.

So who's been cast in the role of president of the United States?

Emmerich and writer/producer Barry Chusid have chosen the most left-winged actor possible; that would be Danny Glover.

He's a guy who has called the U.S. "one of the main purveyors of violence in this world."

Glover also said that after September 11, Americans showed a "rabid nationalism" that had the "potential of being maniacal."

The actor has repeatedly visited and praised dictator thugs Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

Guess it could've been worse. They could've picked Vladimir Putin.

5. Star Salaries Slip

There's a new reality in Hollywood economics.

While comic book blockbusters such as "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" are cleaning up at the box office, Hollywood movie stars are losing their clout.

Superheroes themselves, and not celebs, are the ones pulling in filmgoers. Consequently, the studios are gaining the upper hand in contract negotiations.

These days a mega-star will only be paid his or her percentage after the studio gets back its costs. It's called a "cash break" deal.

The big-name participants of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," i.e., Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, were persuaded to receive their percentages after the studio broke even. And Warner Bros.' upcoming "Body of Lies," which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, settled on a similar arrangement.

Fox actually shelved the film "Used Guys," which would have starred Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey, over the talent take tussle.

Likewise the movie version of the hit video game "Halo" was deep-sixed by Universal and Fox over a percentage of gross income to producers that the studios wouldn't go for.

Unlike Tom Cruise's 30%-of-the-gross deal for "Mission: Impossible," JJ Abrams will not get a percentage of gross revenue for "Mission: Impossible 3."

M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," was structured so that he will not be paid his percentage of the movie take until Fox and UTV collect the mega-millions that the movie cost to make.

For Jim Carey's upcoming movie, "Yes Man," the actor had to forego his usual upfront compensation of $25 million and agree to a 33% of gross revenue, which is to be paid only after the studio recoups its expenses.

Even those with secondary parts, who previously may have been paid over a million dollars a project, are seeing their earnings cut to the low six figures.

Looks like instead of popping corks, stars will now be unscrewing caps.