Sarah Palin is on a bus tour and Donald Trump is back in New York. Other than having both starred in Mark Burnett productions, what they have in common is a mastery of dangling the prospect of a presidential run to their maximum advantage. They are meeting tonight for dinner, which may or may not be a signal that either one of them is perhaps planning on running for president. Palin says she hasn't decided. Trump said no but now seems to be hinting a maybe. So what does all this speculation mean? Well, absolutely nothing. (Apologies for the sarcasm).

Update: NBC News has photos of their dinner at La Famiglia here.

First Lady Michelle Obama will appear at a June 13 event at the Writers Guild Theater with representatives from Hollywood's major guilds to promote an initiative to assist military families.

AFTRA, the DGA, the Producers Guild of America, SAG and the Writers Guild of America West have formed a task force to provide creative and production support for the first lady's Joining Forces Initiative, with hopes of also giving content creators ideas for incorporating stories of military families into their productions. The program was unveiled at a White House event in April, with screenwriter Katherine Fugate among those attending.

Obama also will be appearing at a series of fund-raising events that day, including a luncheon in Pasadena and a dinner at the home of designer Michael Smith and HBO executive James Costos.

I'll have more on his new book later in the week, but conservative author Ben Shapiro is out with a new tome, "Primetime Propaganda," a pretty comprehensive look at the history of broadcast entertainment and its tilt to the left.

Shapiro shows how "Happy Days" has a Vietnam subtext, "MacGyver" was anti-gun and even how "The Waltons" had a liberal streak in its promoting of messages of tolerance of everyone.

The one aspect of the book getting headlines is Shapiro's claim that "Sesame Street" was, from the very start, infused with a leftward tilt. Unlike other books that have tackled Hollywood's biases, Shapiro interviewed such series creators as Earl Hammer, Marta Kaufmann, Larry Gelbart, David Shore and Mark Burnett. In the case of "Sesame Street," he writes that Mike Dann, former vice president of the Children's Television Workshop, told him, "It was underwritten and created primarily for black children. Spanish-speaking children. It was not made for the sophisticated or the middle class. And they had a department at Children's Workshop run by Evelyn Davis, a black lady, who dealt with all sorts of civic actvities for black people. And that took a foothold. As a matter of fact, there's no written material in a black household. But there is television."

Is an effort to be diverse evidence that a show is liberal? Shapiro thinks so, and writes that "the politics of 'Sesame Street' would become more overt over time." One 1969 episode, he writes, "had Grover parleying with a hippie and learning subtle lessons about civil disobedience." Other examples he cites are the appearance of out actor Neil Patrick Harris as "the Fairy Shoeperson" and aborted attempts to deal with issues like divorce and, just after 9/11, peaceful conflict resolution.

Shapiro also cites its gritty urban setting as "legitimizing urban liberal lifestyles --- after all, the goal of children's television had swung toward the enforcement of self-esteem, and how could urban children gain self-esteem if children's television didn't totally embrace the urban liberal lifestyle?"

He identifies Bob Keeshan, a.k.a. "Captain Kangaroo," as helping to start a shift in children's television from the pure entertainment of Howdy Doody to shows that relied on experts to boost childrens' self-esteem, something rooted in the work of Dr. Benjamin Spock.

Shapiro doesn't single out all of network television as liberal, as he lists the "best conservative shows in television history," including "Lost," "South Park," "The Cosby Show" and "24." But you can't really match a writers' political stripes with what ends up on screen. Also on the list is "Everybody Loves Raymond," whose executive producer, Phil Rosenthal, is a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates.

The book comes from HarperCollins conservative imprint Broadside Books. Shapiro writes in his prologue, "You'll find out that the box in your living room has been invading your mind, subtly shaping your opinions, pushing you to certain sociopolitical conclusions for years."

London's Independent has more here.

Updated

President Obama's nominee as the next Commerce Secretary, former Edison Intl. CEO John Bryson, is also on the board of directors of the Walt Disney Co.

That will surely bolster Hollywood's ties to the administration, which were already pretty strong to begin with.

Disney president and CEO Robert Iger said in a statement, “John has been an incredibly valuable member of our Board, bringing experience and insight to complex issues.  He is a proven leader, with strong strategic vision and business savvy, along with a keen grasp of policy and its impact on the business environment.  It’s an ideal combination for a U.S. Commerce Secretary, one that bodes well for the country’s long-term economic growth and competitiveness.”

This may be ancient history, but Bryson is a veteran of the turbulent period in 2004 as CEO Michael Eisner found himself at the center of an effort to oust him. Bryson was among the board members targeted Roy Disney and Stanley Gold in their effort to oust Eisner and his allies from the Walt Disney Co. Bryson, who joined the board in 2000, was chairman of the nominating and governance committee, and delivered the news to Disney in 2003 that he was being forced to retire.

Per James Stewart's book DisneyWar, Roy Disney told Bryson, "You're making an awful mistake, and you're going to regret doing this."

Disney and Gold mounted a shareholder campaign to oust Eisner, Bryson and other board members. At the 2004 shareholders meeting, their effort failed, although the 45% disapproval for Eisner was enough for the board to strip him of his chairmanship title. Some 22% of shareholders withheld their support from Bryson and another board member, Judith Estrin. After Eisner departed Disney in 2005, Disney and Gold had a rapprochement with new CEO Iger.

Update: MPAA chairman Chris Dodd issued a statement of praise for Bryson: “In nominating John Bryson as the new Commerce Secretary, President Obama has chosen a man whose extensive experience in the private sector is matched with a strong record of public service.  I look forward to working with him on the protection of creative content, and other issues that are so important to the 2.4 million workers in film and television and the nearly 100,000 small businesses involved in the production and distribution of movies and television.  Nationwide, our industry generates more than $15 billion in public revenue, and we are one of the few industries that return a positive balance of trade.  But it is critical that the Commerce Department, along with the White House and other federal agencies, help ensure that the industry is not decimated by the theft and illegal distribution of its creative products.”

Updated

A group called LulzSec is claiming credit for hacking the PBS website and posting a story that claimed that rappers Tupac and Biggie Smalls are alive. According to the group's Twitter feed, the hacking was retribution for an episode of "Frontline" that they feel painted a negative picture of Wikileaks. “We hope our hacking gave Bradley Manning a smile. That man deserves something nice,” the org said on its Twitter feed. (Washington Post)

Olbermann's Team: Keith Olbermann has named David Sarosi as executive producer of his new Current TV show, set to debut June 20. Variety's Sam Thielman has more details on the show's staffing here.

Comcast Venture: Comcast's David Cohen and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared at a press conference this morning to unveil "Internet Essentials," a program to provide broadband to low-income families. The program also provides access to low-cost computer equipment. Comcast announced its intent to start such a program during the government review period for its acquisition of NBC Universal. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has made widespread adoption of broadband a central part of his agenda.

Stream Scene: MPAA's Michael O'Leary, Acting U.S. Copyright Register Maria Pallante and Copywirhgt Alliance executive director Sandra Aisars testify at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Wednesday on illegal streaming. Congress is considering legislation to make streaming of pirated content a felony.

Stephen Colbert's is spoofing the state of campaign finance laws in his effort to launch a fully functioning SuperPAC, but two campaign finance reform organizations say that it actually could make matters worse.

The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, in filings with the FEC today, are opposing an effort by Colbert to get clearance from the Federal Election Commission to promote his new political action committee on his show without Viacom having to report it as an in-kind contribution.

"Although we recognize that Mr. Colbert submitted his advisory opinion in the spirit of political comedy, an opinion by the FEC permitting all that Mr. Colbert requests would have a sweeping and damaging impact on disclosure laws and the public's right to know about campaign finance activities," said Paul S. Ryan, FEC program director of the Legal Center.

Colbert is asking that Viacom, which produces "The Colbert Report," be permitted to pay for a variety of his expenses for the PAC without having to disclose them. He is seeking a "press exemption" that allows news organizations leeway given their First Amendment protections.

But the two orgs fear that such figures as Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich, all of whom have been or currently are paid Fox commentators, would be able to collect undisclosed contributions for their PACs from their employer, News Corp., without having to disclose.

"Many television show hosts who are serious politicians have PACs that could reap great financial benefit from the expansion of the scope of 'press exemption' to cover the costs of independent expenditure ads for their federal PACs and the payment of such PACs' administrative expenses," Ryan said.

Colbert said in his filing with the FEC that Viacom would be paying some costs of producing ads for the Colbert Super PAC as well as administrative costs. The two campaign finance orgs say that such activities, however, are not "legitimate press functions." as is required by the FEC.

The orgs' full filings are here.

Colbert's SuperPAC plans to buy time on other networks to run ads during the election season, including spots that are for or against a candidate. On May 13, Colbert filed his request for an advisory opinion; the FEC has 60 days to respond.

Michelle Obama will be in Los Angeles on June 13 to raise money for her husband's reelection. The First Lady is scheduled to appear at a cocktail reception at the home of designer Michael Smith and HBO executive James Costos, sources say. Further details will be announced. Obama also will attend a luncheon event in Pasadena. The First Lady chose Smith as decorator shortly before the Obamas moved into the White House in 2009. A profile of Smith and Costos' home appeared in Elle Decor later that year. Tickets to the event will start at $1,000 per person.

Anti-Piracy Bill: This morning the most unpopular person in Hollywood (or at least among studio moguls and unions chiefs) is Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who put a "hold" on anti-piracy legislation aimed at curbing overseas that traffic in pirated content. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously on Thursday.

Bloomberg Vs. Comcast: Bloomberg LP says that Comcast isn't abiding by conditions of its acquistion of NBCUniversal. In response, Comcast says that Bloomberg is misinterpreting the FCC's condition, which says that the cabler has to cluster all news channels in the same "neighborhood" of its channel lineup.

Corporate Cash: A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that the federal ban on corporations giving directly to candidates is unconstitutional. If the ruling holds in higher courts, it would ease restrictions on corporate giving to candidates even further. The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowed corporations to contribute money expressly advocating for or against the election of a candidate, but stopped short of allowing companies to give directly to a candidate's campaign committee.

From DC: Joe and Mika were among those feting Chris Licht at his book party on Thursday. More highlights here. Photo: Bruce Vartan Boyajian/Haddad Media.

Next Week: The post-Memorial Day recess also means a flurry of fund-raising in Hollywood. Among those raising money is Al Franken (D-Minn.), who hosts a $5,000-per-person luncheon at Spago on June 3 for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Ron Burkle hosts a fund-raiser for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) at his home on Thursday (June 2), with tickets starting at $1,000 per person. Also raising money next week in industry circles is Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), facing releection in what is destined to be a tight race.

Billionaire Haim Saban, appearing on CNBC earlier this week, said that President Obama needs to visit Israel as he has other countries in the Middle East. He also said that he doesn't plan to donate to Obama's re-election campaign. But since the interview, the pickup has been something on the order of this.

Saban, the chairman of Univision who made his fortune on "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," is perhaps not the best example of a bellwether for the president's Jewish support for the reason that he never gave to Obama in 2008, either. He was a die-hard Clinton supporter, and after her loss in the primaries, he even met with John McCain. But he kind of just sat out the general election.

Since Obama's election, he has continued to be lukewarm --- but he's not running to the Republicans, either. But in the CNBC interview he also said, "Will I donate if I am solicited? I will donate. But I can tell you that my staunch support in enlisting people to contribute to the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] and to the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] as well as to Democratic senators and congresspeople hasn't weakened in any way, shape or form. I continue to be a very active supporters of Democrats in both the Senate and the Congress.”

Saban has been one of the most prolific donors to the Democrats, so it will also be interesting to see if he goes above and beyond official campaign finance and contributes to the many independent groups collecting six- and seven- figure checks.

Hollywood's lobby is cheering the Senate Judiciary Committee passage of an anti-piracy bill aimed at shutting off support of so-called "rogue websites" that traffic in infringing content. The bill still has to go to the Senate floor and remains to be introduced in the House, but the encouraging sign was the unanimous support on the Judiciary Committee. Some public interest organizations, like the Center for Democracy and Technology, are aware that it's an uphill battle to block the legislation given the bipartisan support, but they are hoping to limit its scope. My story here.

Apologies, Apologies: Ed Schultz apologized to Laura Ingraham for what he called "vile and inappropriate" remarks about her. "I am deeply sorry, and I apologize," he said on his show on Wednesday. "It was wrong, uncalled for and I recognize the severity of what I said." Ingraham today gave an initial response: "Ed Schultz: Apology accepted."

Tonight: Chris Licht, recently named VP of programming at CBS News, appears at a book party in his honor at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington. Most recently executive producer of "Morning Joe," Licht wrote a book called "What I Learned When I Almost Died: How a Maniac TV Producer Put Down His Blackberry and Started to Live His Life." Many in Hollywood could learn from that; so could I. The event is hosted by Constance Milstein, Jon Meacham, Kevin Sheekey and Tammy Haddad, and will be live streamed at WHCInsider.com.

MSNBC host Ed Schultz has been placed on unpaid leave until June 6 for calling radio host Laura Ingraham a "right-wing slut."

"MSNBC management met with Ed Schultz this afternoon and accepted his offer to take one week of unpaid leave for the remarks he made yesterday on his radio program," said a network representative in a statement on Wednesday evening. "Ed will address these remarks on his show tonight, and immediately following begin his leave. Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

Schultz has what I'd call a spirited temper. He sparred with former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele on a recent episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher" that had even Maher asking that they settle down. And he had an on-air confrontation with liberal radio host David Sirota last week, telling Sirota to "Go to Hell!"

Real Clear Politics Scott Conroy got an exclusive look at "The Undefeated," a new documentary about Sarah Palin. Certainly it's not a novel idea for a project, but what is unique is that the movie comes from conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon, apparently at her request. The premiere will be in Iowa.

Conroy writes, "The result is a two-hour-long, sweeping epic, a rough cut of which Bannon screened privately for Sarah and Todd Palin last Wednesday in Arizona, where Alaska's most famous couple has been rumored to have purchased a new home. When it premieres in Iowa next month, the film is poised to serve as a galvanizing prelude to Palin's prospective presidential campaign -- an unconventional reintroduction to the nation that she and her political team have spent months eagerly anticipating, even as Beltway Republicans have largely concluded that she won't run."

Palin even serves as a kind of de facto narrator, as Bannon acquired audio rights to her book "Going Rogue" so he could lay the track of her voice.

Hollywood is a target, as it has been from time to time for Palin in her speeches.

Conroy writes, "To convey Bannon's view of the pathology behind Palin-hatred, the film begins with a fast-paced sequence of clips showing some of the prominent celebrities who have used sexist, derogatory and generally vicious language to describe her.

"Rosie O'Donnell, Matt Damon, Bill Maher, David Letterman, and Howard Stern all have brief cameos before comedian Louis C.K. goes off on a particularly ugly anti-Palin riff.

""I hate her more than anybody," C.K. says at the end of his tirade, the rest of which is unfit to print here."

Essentially, this is a way to use documentary film, certainly not a novel medium, to recast Palin's image. It's not out of the question that what is an old school medium can do so in today's environment: The purpose of "An Inconvenient Truth" was to sound the warning about climate change, but it certainly helped put Al Gore on a different tier in he public's mindset and helped set in motion endless speculation about whether he would run in 2008.

"The Undefeated" sounds like a more overt way to draft Palin into the presidential race, if she hasn't made a decision, one way or the other, already.

Bannon has specialized in a number of conservative pics in recent years, including "Generation Zero," "In the Face of Evil" and "Fire from the Heartland." According to a bio used in the promotion for one of his movies, he's spent the past 15 years in media investment banking and film financing, serving as execuitve producer of Julie Taymor's "Titus" and exec producer of Sean Penn's "Indian Runner." Here's video of him speaking at a Tea Party rally in New York City last year, and an interview he gave at the CPAC convention in February.

Sony has picked up the Kathryn Bigelow-Mark Boal picture about the black ops mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

"With the death of Osama bin Laden, this film could not be more relevant," said Sony's Amy Pascal, per Variety. "Kathryn and Mark have an outstanding perspective on the team that was hunting the most wanted man in the world. Mark is second to none as an investigative journalist, and Kathryn will bring the same kind of compelling authenticity and urgency that distinguished 'The Hurt Locker' and made that film so memorable and special."

Boal was in Washington last week to attend the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation's annual gala as a special guest and presenter.

One of Hollywood's most prominent supporters in its effort to secure new online anti-piracy legislation is First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams.

Today, Abrams sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders giving the greenlight to the Pro IP Act, which is set for markup on Thursday. While opponents, including public interest groups and tech lobbies, argue that the bill threatens free speech, Abrams deems it sufficiently narrow. The law targets sites "dedicated to infringing activities," and gives the government greater ability to shut down domain names or force payment firms, ad services and search engines to cut off support to such ventures.

"The Protect IP Act is not designed to regulate the Internet," Abrams wrote. "Nor is it designed to counter the vast array and forms of online infringement, which are subject to various laws already on the books. The Protect IP Act focuses, instead, on a narrow category of entities which are not simply trafficking in some infringing content, or occasionally breaking federal laws, but which are primarily devoted to providing or selling infringing content in the United States."

Abrams is representing the DGA, AFTRA, SAG, IATSE and the Motion Picture Assn.

For the uninitiated, the words "piracy" and "copyright" can make eyes roll.

But the bill is destined to be this year's most significant piece of legislation captivating the Hollywood lobby in D.C. this year, and this is just the start to furious rounds of lobbying to make sure it passes. The legislation is aimed at curbing overseas sites that traffic in infringing material and are beyond the reach of current U.S. laws. Although it has significant bipartisan support, not just in the Senate but the House, last week Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt suggested that the company would oppose it. The Consumer Electronics Assn. also is critical of the legislation, as is the org Demand Progress. The latter has launched a petition campaign that has been summarily mocked by the MPAA.

Lars Von Trier, expelled from the Cannes Film Festival, apologized again today for making comments in which he said that he was a Nazi and expressed sympathy for Hitler. Von Trier, who has a history of making provocative remarks, sometimes in jest, was reacting to Iran's objections to Cannes shutting him out of the festival. Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari accused the festival of "fascist behavior" --- not exactly the type of defender that Von Trier would want.

''In my opinion, freedom of speech, in all its shapes, is part of the basic human rights,'' Von Trier said, per Variety. ''However, my comments during the festival's press conference were unintelligent, ambiguous and needlessly hurtful.

"My intended point was that the potential for extreme cruelty, or the opposite, lies within every human being, whatever nationality, ethnicity, rank or religion. If we only explain historical disasters with the cruelty of individuals we destroy the possibility of understanding the human mechanisms, which in turn are necessary in order to avoid any future crimes against humanity."

Say It Ain't So: Chuck Norris expresses dismay that Mike Huckabee chose not to run. The action star, who campaigned with Huckabee in 2008, writes on Townhall.com, "I don't know at this time which Republican candidate running for the presidential seat has the overall qualifications to successfully out-debate Obama, win the presidency and get our country back on the right track. I deeply respect his decision, but I was extremely disappointed when Mike Huckabee announced that he will not be making a presidential run in this election. When I was on the campaign trail with Mike, he was connecting with not only the Republican base but also many liberal-leaning people. Mike had a great mix of African-American and Hispanic followers at his rallies, as well."

Alba on the Hill: Jessica Alba joined Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) on Capitol Hill today to urge Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act, which would increase the safety of everyday products and increase access to public safety and health information. "Like many moms out there, I try to buy safe products for my family, but that can't be the only solution," Alba said. "You can't hire a team of scientists to do your shopping for you." Alba, expecting her second child, said that she was inspired to take action after becoming a mother four years ago and doing research on children's environmental health.

Super Injunctions: In Britain, libel tourism has given way to "super injunctions." Those are the court orders that have enabled plaintiffs to block mainstream media from publishing information that is deemed as violating their rights to privacy. As you can imagine, there is quite an outcry among the press there. And social media has made the efforts to suppress details futile, as soccer star Ryan Giggs has learned.

New York magazine's profile of Roger Ailes and his efforts to be a kingmaker in the 2012 election included a comment from a "Republican close to Ailes" who says that the Fox News chief thinks Sarah Palin is "an idiot." The profile is chalk full of juicy information, but Fox News was concerned in particular about the Palin comment. In a statement to the New York Times, the network's executive vice president of programming Bill Shine said that Ailes "admires and respects Sarah Palin and thinks she is smart." The full statement is here.

Update: New York also has a profile of David Brock, who runs Media Matters for America, a thorn in the side to Fox News and Rupert Murdoch for some time now. An interesting tidbit from the Ailes profile: Murdoch's wife, Wendi, plans to co-host a fund-raiser for President Obama along with Russell Simmons.

David Frum writes of the profile, "According to Sherman, Ailes understands and regrets what he’s done to the GOP. That’s why he shut down Glenn Beck. Why he talks regularly to President George HW Bush. Why Fox’s coverage of Sarah Palin has become noticeably less worshipful since the Tucson shooting. Now Ailes is hunting for a more plausible presidential candidate. Yet his programming instincts over-ride everything. On talk radio and cable TV, confrontation sells. If you are imbued with that idea, it’s hard to resist the thought that confrontation will work in politics too, and that NJ Governor Chris Christie must therefore be the solution. The Ailes mind may be able to think the thought that the GOP needs a softer face. But the Ailes programming instinct cannot accept the thought."

Steele to MSNBC: Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is joining MSNBC as a political analyst as the network staffs up for 2012.

Trump: It's Not Over: Donald Trump still thinks there's a chance he'll get into the 2012 race, even though he's (apparently) committed to another season of "Celebrity Apprentice." It could be some remorse over the fact that Mike Huckabee and Mitch Daniels are forgoing a run, with the field of contenders still ripe for a late entrant. "The ones that have announced, I just don't see it," he said on "Fox & Friends" this morning. "At this point in time, they're not going to be beating Obama."

Pawlenty Is In: It's not news that Tim Pawlenty is running for president. He's been doing so for months, but he made it official on Sunday. As such, he's introduced another cinematic video, "A Time for Truth."

Here's my latest column in the print version of Variety, on newsstands today.

Among the many reactions last week to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "love child" scandal was one from Sean Walsh, a former gubernatorial aide. "From his Hollywood life, I don't see this as a surprise," he told KABC. "Were this to occur when he was governor, I would be shocked."

That's not exactly an endorsement of celebrity and politics.

Hollywood certainly has no exclusivity on infidelity, but the Schwarzenegger scandal, and the circumstances involved, may only feed into the stereotypes that are already out there. The advantages of a celebrity making the leap into the political arena -- name recognition, visibility, marketing prowess -- now don't look so advantageous.

"I think that the public will probably view the situation as not just solely about Hollywood, because really when you look at it, crisis or scandals involving infidelity have been equal opportunity offenders, involving people in all walks of life," says Judy Smith, president of crisis communications firm Impact Strategies and former deputy press secretary to President George H.W. Bush. "But this incident will probably add to the public skepticism about entertainers involved in politics."

Schwarzenegger has his movie career on hold as he deals with the fallout. If he returns, he could very well make a comeback, as the public has a history of forgiving celebrities for their indiscretions. However, it may have been different had he chosen to seek another elective office.The public has a different "litmus test" in "deciding to see a movie and deciding to vote for somebody," Smith says.

Entertainment figures who run for office not only have to persuade the public that they are serious, but that they should be taken seriously, and it may be an even greater leap to establish that trust after this week.

Donald Trump's decision not to enter the race for the GOP nomination only gave credence to those who suggested all along that he was dangling the prospect as a publicity ploy or bargaining chip.

Schwarzenegger's revelation seemed to revive criticism of his gubernatorial legacy -- namely, that he was in over his head in his years in Sacramento -- even if private scandal and public performance are not directly related.

Last week on his show, screenwriter-turned-MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell connected the two as examples of politicos who try to appeal to the public with "simple-sounding solutions to complex problems."

Darrell West, VP and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution and the co-author of "Celebrity Politics," says the public has tended to view celebrity candidates as "white knights who can come from outside the political process and clean things up." That was true in Schwarzenegger's case. During the recall campaign in 2003, one of his props was a broom, to show how he'd sweep away Sacramento's budget travails. There was also the famous campaign event where he used a giant wrecking ball to demolish a car as a metaphor for how he'd cut the state's vehicle license tax.

"In the past, people tended to focus on the public lives of celebrities and what they could bring to government," West says. "Now they are going to see if there are private blemishes that might have consequences in public life."

The question is whether the scandal only magnifies the negative aspects of fame -- like the sense of entitlement or a lack of empathy. Schwarzenegger "was an unknown politically, but he had such a following back then that the public gave him much more the benefit of the doubt. But now we find ourselves in such a crisis, people want credentials," says Mark Young, professor at USC's Marshall School of Business and co-author with Drew Pinsky of "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America."

What separates this story from other scandals is not just the public figures involved -- one that has sent mainstream media and sites like TMZ and RadarOnline into overdrive -- but the magnitude of the deceit. Schwarzenegger kept his secret for so long from his wife and family. Political consultant Donna Bojarsky cautions that it's "one individual with abhorrent behavior.

"I would very much hesitate to jump to a place where this is a 'Hollywood' thing. I wouldn't want the entire entertainment industry to be brushed by Arnold's bad stroke."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is raising questions about FCC commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker's plans to depart for Comcast just months after the approval of the cabler's combination with NBCUniversal.

"This announcement has generated question surrounding the transition, especially in light of the recent FCC decisions related to her future employer," Issa wrote in a letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.

Issa added that based "on the public statements of both Commissioner Baker and the FCC, it does not appear she violated any of her legal or ethical obligations in accepting a position with Comcast. Nevertheless, because only a short time has passed since the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, it is imperative that the public can trust the integrity of the process."

Issa has asked for answers to a series of questions, including when Baker notified the FCC General Counsel's office that she was engaged in communications with Comcast over a possible job opportunity.

Baker announced earlier this month that she would depart the FCC just weeks before her term expires at the end of June. She's joining Comcast's Washington office to take a senior government affairs position leading NBCUniversal's lobbying efforts.

"Not once in my entire tenure as a Commissioner had anyone at Comcast or NBCUniversal approached me about potential employment," she said in a statement on May 13. "When this opportunity became available in mid-April, I made a personal decision that I wanted to give it serious consideration."

In her statement, she said that she "immediately" sought counsel from the FCC's general counsel, and recused herself on April 18 from any matters involving Comcast or NBCU. After she departs, she must comply with government ethics and Obama administration lobbying restrictions. Baker, a Republican, was appointed by President Obama in 2009.

Stephen Colbert last week formally asked that the Federal Election Commission issue an advisory opinion on whether he can promote his political action committee on his show. A copy of that request is now posted at the FEC website, and it offers a glimpse at what the Colbert Super PAC plans to do.

Trevor Potter, the attorney for the Colbert SuperPAC and a former chairman of the FEC, writes that the PAC will "make only independent expenditures, advertisements that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and that are not coordinated with any candidate or political party."

"Colbert SuperPAC will also pay usual and normal administrative expenses, including but not limited to. luxury hotel stays, private jet travel, and PAC mementos from SAKS Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus," he writes, adding that the committee will "maintain a website, on which it will discuss political events, solicit contributions and offer opinions on political matters." And of course, it will accept "unlimited" contributions from corporations, individuals, unions and other committees --- which is its satirical purpose. The PAC will not make any contributions to other political committees.

As reported earlier, the biggest issue for Colbert SuperPAC is whether any mention of it on "The Colbert Report" will be considered an in-kind contribution on the part of Viacom. Colbert's team is asking for a press exemption, noting that in the past the FEC has given a "wide berth" to news organizations. As an example, they cited the case of J.D. Hayworth, the Phoenix radio host who challenged John McCain for the GOP Senate nomination last year.

"The Commission ultimately found that [Hayworth's station] KFYI fell within the 'press exemption' because the broadcasts were 'comparable in form to those broadcasts of the show ordinarily issued by the entity, which broadcasts maintained a 'newstalk' format consisting of 'news, commentary, and editorial' material on a variety of topics'," Potter wrote. As such, Colbert's segments on his PAC will "fall well within the traditional editorial framework of the show." The "editorial" may be satire, but it's also shedding light on campaign finance laws.

Perhaps thorniest for the FEC is whether Colbert's plans to show some of the PAC's ads on his show will count as an "in-kind" contribution, especially if they advocate for or against a candidate. Targeted campaigns may not think it so funny. Adding another wrinkle is that staffers of "The Colbert Report" will be enlisted to help make the spots.

Colbert naturally is willing to take the stunt as far as he can take it; He says that he plans to appear before the FEC to answer their questions.

A co-founder of a radical Islamic group has been charged with threats against the creators of "South Park." Per CNN, Jesse Curtis Morton, also known as Younus Abdullah Mohammad, is the second person charged with threatening violent acts ever since Matt Stone and Trey Parker's show ran an episode depicting the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit. In February, Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, who admitted to posting online threats, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Can't Say 'Gay'? Try 'Takei': This may be the most creative political video so far this year. It's "Star Trek" star George Takei protesting a proposed Tennessee law that would ban teachers from discussing homosexuality in the classroom.

"I'm lending my name to the cause. Any time you need to say the word 'gay' you can simply say 'Takei'. For example, you could safely proclaim you are in support of Takei marriage. If you're in a more festive mood, you can march in a Takei pride parade. Even homophobic slurs don't seem as hurtful if someone says, 'That is so Takei!'"

Narrating Newt: Earlier this week, Newt Gingrich's spokesman pushed back against the media onslaught over the former House Speakers rocky start to a presidential campaign, which included calling the GOP Medicare plan "right wing social engineering." The statement the spokesman issued was unconventional, to say the least, and last night it was the subject of a dramatic reading by John Lithgow on "The Colbert Report." It is one not to be missed.

In some of the strongest language yet coming from the Hollywood left, Peter Fonda called President Obama a "f----ng traitor'} in an e-mail the actor said he sent to protest the Gulf oil spill and the response afterward.

Fonda was appearing at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival to promote a documentary he co-produced, "The Big Fix," about the spill and the cleanup.

"I sent an email to President Obama saying, 'You are a f***ing traitor,' using those words... 'You're a traitor, you allowed foreign boots on our soil telling our military - in this case the Coast Guard - what they can and could not do, and telling us, the citizens of the United States, what we could or could not do,'" he said at a press conference.

Here's Katie Couric's final segment on "CBS Evening News," featuring clips of her five years behind the anchor desk. "And to all of you watching, thank you for coming along with me on this incredible journey," she said.

Updated

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has put his acting career on hold as he deals with the fallout from the revelation that he fathered a child with a household maid.

“At the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger, we asked Creative Artists Agency to inform all his motion picture projects currently under way or being negotiated to stop planning until further notice,” a representative said in a statement. “Gov. Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. This includes ‘Cry Macho,’ ‘The Terminator’ franchise and other projects under consideration. We will resume discussions when Gov. Schwarzenegger decides.”

A CAA spokeswoman said the agency had no comment beyond the statement that was released.

After he left office in January, Schwarzenegger had talked up a return to movies, having had bit parts during his governorship in films like “The Expendables.”

Because Schwarzenegger gave no time frame, the statement raises questions about what happens to the projects that were high on his list.

“Cry Macho,” which was to have started shooting this summer, would have seen Schwarzenegger taking on a part different from the action and light comedy roles that were his hallmark during the 1980s and ’90s. Pic is based on the 1975 novel by N. Richard Nash; Schwarzenegger was to play an alcoholic horse trainer who becomes a pawn in an international kidnapping plot after losing his wife and child.

The project’s producer, Al Ruddy, said in an email to Variety, “I have no comment — the statement speaks for itself.”

Schwarzenegger also was attached to another proposed installment of “The Terminator” franchise, with “Fast Five” helmer Justin Lin attached to direct. Producer Megan Ellison had won the auction rights just last week. The franchise’s future had gotten entangled in rights issues, but Schwarzenegger’s involvement helped push the next iteration forward. Ellison’s office at Annapurna Films had no comment.

Producers of a comic book and TV show, “The Governator,” which as originally conceived would have featured Schwarzenegger’s home life as a part of the plotline as he took on the guise of superhero, said that the project has been halted.

Producers said in a statement: “In light of recent events, A Squared Entertainment, POW, Stan Lee Comics, and Archie Comics, have chosen to not go forward with the Governator project.” Update: Producers have issued a revised statement saying merely that the project has been put "on hold."

Schwarzenegger, 63, had hoped to revive his career even in a moviegoing environment much changed from 2003, when he had his last starring role in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” (He appeared briefly in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation” as well.)

The scandal has brought condemnation and scorn, only magnified because of the length of time that Schwarzenegger kept his affair and child secret from Maria Shriver and their family.

Mark Young, professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business, said it would Schwarzenegger’s ability to appeal to middle-aged female auds. “This was something he knew about for so many years but hid it from the one person who stood by him and sacrificed her career for his,” he said.

Judy Smith, prexy of crisis consulting firm Impact Strategies and former deputy press secretary for President George H.W. Bush, said the public has a history of forgiving celebrities. An environment of nonstop news of celebrity travails on TMA, Radaronline and other websites may add a new kind of scrutiny, but such incidents are now common enough in to be less shocking to the public.

“If his goal was to continue in politics, yes, I think it would have had an impact on his career,” Smith said. But there is “a different type of litmus test in deciding to see a movie and deciding to vote for somebody.”

Director Lars von Trier has apologized for his comments that he "sympathized with Hitler" "a little bit," but Cannes has officially kicked him out of the festival.

Was he making the remarks in jest?

Video has surfaced, in which von Trier doesn't seem to be taking on the demeanor of a stand-up comic. Rather, he's making Kirsten Dunst squirm.

Former New York Times reporter Charlie LeDuff recounts having dinner at the Schwarzeneggers not long after he took office, and the governor making some tawdry comments.

He writes on MyFoxDetroit.com, "The governor gave me a Cuban cigar (considered illegal contraband under the Trading with the Enemy Act). He poured me Scotch. And then we sat down with the children to watch the red carpet show. Baena sat behind us on a stool at the counter. My wife sat stiffly next to me.

"On the television, a starlet pranced down the carpet. The bottom half of her dress looked like the bottom half of an ostrich. The top of the dress was nothing more than two straps criss-crossing her breasts. Schwarzenegger, fresh off his groping scandal -- and with an East Coast reporter sitting in his living room no less -- barked out: “Look at her! Some queer told her she looks good in that but her t--s look like s--t!”

"That was Schwarzenegger in a snapshot. Funny. Assured. Raunchy. Self-destructive. Not only did he have a reporter mingling with his family, he had his nanny/mistress."

(Via Howard Kurtz).

Cannes is usually ripe for one or two scenes of outrageousness, and this year is no exception.

From Variety's John Hopewell: "Lars von Trier, director of Cannes Palme d'Or contender ''Melancholia,'' has apologized for statements made today at the film's press conference where he said that he ''sympathized with Hitler, yes, a little bit'' and referred to himself as ''a Nazi.''"

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may not have to worry about his entertainment career, or even his plans to delve into non-elective politics, but the "love child" scandal may leave a lasting impression on the next Hollywood celebrity who decides to seek public office.

In the media, rumor and innuendo that have been the currency of gossip pages won't be so easily dismissed. Among the public, there's bound to be a greater sense of skepticism of means and motive. The scandal may merely reinforce impressions that Californians already had of Schwarzenegger: He left office with low popularity, and his successor Jerry Brown ran a campaign largely based on being everything he wasn't. In 2003, Schwarzenegger's eleventh hour admission of past indiscretions left voters largely unfazed, as he was the action hero candidate coming to save the state; by 2010, Californians gave up on the idea of a celebrity fix.

Donald Trump's tease may have showed just how impulsive the public can be when presented with polling options --- but how impatient they can turn when style doesn't quickly translate into substance.

The immediate impact in entertainment is in late night, where Schwarzenegger is destined to be a punchline for some time to come.

Jon Stewart went through movie titles: "Bonin the Barbarian," "Kindergarten C--k," while Politico led with a story that concluded, "In the end, Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career finished the same way it began: amid questions about whether he was a skirt-chasing Hollywood scoundrel, with California gripped by political dysfunction and another “Terminator” sequel on the horizon."

All the Glitters: On Tuesday Newt Gingrich fended off attacks from fellow Republicans, he had to deal with a report on a six-figure Tiffanys bill, and then he got gobsmacked with glitter in a Minneapolis appearance.

T-Shirt Politics: The Obama camaign is hawking T-shirts with the President's picture and the label "Made in the USA" --- along with a printing of his birth certificate.

Also Ran: Entertainment executive Dan Adler's race for a congressional seat, with Sean Astin as a campaign manager, didn't turn out so well. In California's 36th congressional district, he got 285 votes.

RIP: Joseph Wershba, the CBS News journalist who helped take on Joseph McCarthy on Edward R. Murrow's "See it Now" in 1954, died over the weekend at age 90. His story was part of George Clooney's feature "Good Night, and Good Luck," and Wershba was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.

One of ABC's new fall pickups is "Scandal," in which Kerry Washington plays a D.C. crisis communications consultant. The premise: If a scandal is about to break, this is the woman who will make it disappear. Creator Shonda Rhimes got at least some of her inspiration for the series from Judy Smith, a former White House staffer who has represented Monica Lewinsky, Marion Barry, the family of Chandra Levy and foreign governments including Saudi Arabia, Haiti and Zimbabwe.

The show won't debut until midseason, but the network unveiled a preview today at its upfront presentation.

A little late today with all of this morning's breaking news...

The reaction on talk radio and cable news shows that Arnold Schwarzenegger won't be able to mend his his public image any time soon. Most biting among politicians was perhaps former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who sent out this Tweet after revelations that he fathered a love child. "Another guy guv admits 2 cheating on his wife. Maybe we need more women governors. Guys: keep ur pants zipped, for Pete's sake."

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez tries to define the impact: "Look, we always knew it was about ego with Schwarzenegger. Biggest biceps. Biggest box office. Biggest recall.

"Biggest flop as governor too, and now biggest phony."

Update: Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Arnold Schwarzengger and Maria Shriver, sent this message this morning via Twitter: "some days you feel like shit, some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit, yet i love my family till death do us apart."

Crawford for Romney?: Cindy Crawford supported President Obama in the last presidential campaign, and now she appears in a video for one of his potential rivals, Mitt Romney. She appears in a video to show how Romney supporters can use fund-raising software. Crawford's spokeswoman tells CNN that it was done as a favor to Romney's son. "She's not politically aligned with any party or candidate."

Hollywood is stepping up its lobbying push for a bill that would target foreign websites trafficking in pirated material. The MPAA this week officially launched a new blog called Issues, Innovation and Creativity --- which will address not just the legislation but other issues --- and a new site has been set up by the Copyright Alliance to mobilize the creative community, Artists Against Digital Theft.

Today, 42 state attorneys general sent a letter to Senate and House judiciary committee leaders urging them to support legislation targeting so-called rogue websites. The text of the letter can be found here.

Expressing skepticism about the new law is the Consumer Electronics Assn. One of its chief concerns is that copyright holders --- like studios and record labels --- would be allowed to take action in the courts to shut down sites in certain circumstances, not just Justice Department officials. ""Given the rich history of innovative technologies being targetd by content industry lawsuits, we are concerned that this provision will result in harmful litigation against legitimate entrepreneurs," said Michael Petricone, senior VP of government affairs for CEA.

CNN's Sam Feist is being promoted to Washington bureau chief and senior vice president, overseeing the daily operations of the bureau and programming from D.C.

He succeeds David Bohrman, who was named senior VP and chief innovation officer in March.

Feist has been political director and VP of Washington programming since January, 2009. Before that, he was political director and senior executive producer during the 2006 midterm elections and the 2008 presidential race. Among other things, he coordinated and produced nine presidential debates in the last presidential cycle. He started as a freelance producer in CNN's London bureau in 1990, and joined the network full time in Atlanta the next year. He moved to the Washington bureau during the 1992 campaign.

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's statement to the Los Angeles Times --- that he had fathered a child more than a decade ago with a household staffer ---was what led to his separation with wife Maria Shriver.

Schwarzenegger told the Times, "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."

Schwarzenegger has chosen to return to a movie career, and already there have been doubts that, at 63, he can revive the action roles that made him a $20 million superstar in the 1990s. If you can open a movie and produce results, Hollywood has a history of looking the other way (although the planned Arnold the Superhero comic looks a little awkward for the moment). The question is whether his secret impacted his decision not to pursue another public office. It also colors the way that he handled allegations of groping when he first ran for governor in 2003, and how Shriver stood up for him then.

Update: Shriver gave the following statement to People: "This is a painful and heartbreaking time. As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."

Jon Stewart guested on "The O'Reilly Factor" this evening to debate Bill O'Reilly's attacks on Common's appearance last week at the White House.

Donald Trump insists he was serious. He insists he could have won the GOP nomination. He insists he could have gone all the way to the White House.

On all those points, he may have convinced very few people today, Democrat or Republican, but his lucrative consolation is another season of "Celebrity Apprentice."

That's why his prospective candidacy --- as it was treated in the media --- took the "tease" to a new level. That's the honeymoon period in which a figure dangles the prospect of a run, but doesn't actually get into the race. For an established public figure, the attention elevates their status beyond that of mere celebrity. It's helped Sarah Palin sell books and Mike Huckabee pitch history lessons. On the other side of the spectrum, Warren Beatty was the subject of speculation back in 1999 that he was weighing an independent presidential bid, and although he wasn't ever really serious, he used the platform to try to promote a pet cause, campaign finance reform.

What Trump did is maximize publicity to the fullest with a fortuitous sense of timing. Remember, the ratings for the aging "The Apprentice" were rather dismal last year; at the upfronts today, he was cheered by advertisers. The very idea that the tease could be used as a negotiating tactic was not lost on a past presidential contender.

For the media that covered it all --- cable, print, blogs, me --- it goosed ratings and spiked hits. Trump's non-candidacy capitalized on a void in the otherwise slow-to-move 2012 campaign. The reporters are in place and anxious to get out on the trail. All that is missing are the candidates.

"Trump was never a potential presidential candidate. He's a hustler with a knack for gaming the infotainment machine," says Martin Kaplan, director of USC Annenberg's Norman Lear Center. "The 'tease' was nothing more than a play for free media. The Trump difference was that he used the attention windfall not just to hype his own brand, but to inject poison into the political bloodstream."

The "poison" is what turned out to be Trump's signature issue of his non-campaign: Doubting that President Obama actually was born in the United States, a move that temporarily seemed to give new life to the birther movement until Obama released his long form birth certificate.

Critics called it "race-baiting," the GOP mainstream kept their distance, but it was Obama who got the laugh. In what turned out to be the turning point in Trump's popularity as a politico, the President skewered him at the White House Correspondents dinner. That the guffaws came on the night before the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden only reinforced the trivialities of Trump's role on "The Apprentice."

Regardless of whether he was still riding high in the polls or had he laughed at Seth Meyers' jokes, a bid would have been unlikely, says Alan Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at Northeastern University in Boston and author of "Celebrity-in-Chief: How Show Business Took Over the White House."

Trump is "not the first person who has done this, but as an outsider, he has taken it to new heights," Schroeder says. "I don't think that his talk of running for president was plausible for the reason that this was the third time he has done it. All of that got lost in the discussion this time."

Unlike other prospects who have dangled a run and then decided against it, figures like Colin Powell come to mind, Trump's image does not necessarily come out all the better, Schroeder says.

Trump floated a presidential bid in 1988 and 2000. This time, Schroeder notes, he risked the taint of racism, and realized "he was hurting his own name, his own brand." A speech in Las Vegas, loaded with expletives, seemed to be like a self-unraveling, he adds. By getting out of the race he is "trying to salvage his career and his name."

"This alleged presidential campaign of Trump's really makes a negative statement about the news media in how they were willing to suspend disbelief," Schroeder says. "It shows the power of celebrity and how someone with high name recognition can command the stage. It is taking advantage of the institutional bias of the media, which favors celebrity."

More than likely, Trump's tease won't do long-term damage to his image. As the man who tells contestants, "You're fired!," his negatives already were high, as the man you love to hate. And by the time "Celebrity Apprentice" returns next season, this period may very well seem like ancient history. The media will have moved on to many other presidential prospects. The carnival of the caucuses and primary will be ripe with surreal moments. And chances are Trump will have done something else outrageous that will surely help us forget.

Here's my latest column from the print version of Variety --- on the entertainment industry's role in the expected avalanche of outside spending in the 2012 elections.

When two former Obama White House aides recently announced that they were forming an independent group to raise tens of millions for Democrats in 2012, one name they put forth as offering seed money was Jeffrey Katzenberg.

It was certainly no surprise that a Hollywood figure, particularly one who has been such a prolific donor, would appear on the list of those backing the org, called Priorities USA. But his involvement, along with other outside groups, could very well change are the dynamics of political fund-raising in show biz in the next cycle.

High-profile donors, a sizable chunk of whom are expected to quickly max out on the $5,000 they can give to President Obama's reelection committee, will have another option where they can give unlimited sums and, if they so choose, do it anonymously.

That could put a new degree of importance on the very wealthy donors, who can afford to write seven-figure checks, as opposed to the "bundlers," or those fund-raisers tasked with tapping their network of contacts to round up donors to write four- and five- figure sums for individual candidates.

David Levinthal, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, calls it "the beginnings of a political arms race."

While independent groups have been around for some time, what is new is the campaign easing of restrictions on how and when they can spend their money in the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision last year -- along with a maneuver in which donors can contribute without having their identities disclosed.

Outside groups like Priorities cannot coordinate with with official campaigns, but they have some leeway in running their own ad spots designed to boost Obama and other candidates, or to attack their opponents.

Priorities, set up by former White House officials Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, has established two groups under the tax code, both of which will be allowed to collect unlimited contributions. One, called Priorities USA Action, is set up under section 527 of the tax code, but it will be required to regularly disclose the identities of donors. The other, called simply, Priorities USA, is registered as a 501(c)(4), which allows them to keep the identies of donors secret.

Fred Thompson, who momentarily gave up a TV career to run for president in the last cycle, didn't sound surprised that Donald Trump didn't enter the presidential race.

He does think that Trump gained from the experience of being a prospective candidate.

"I think in his case he is in a more solid position than ever for his show, he got publicity from the campaign, and he probably got a better deal with NBC," Thompson said in an interview with Variety. "I think he played it beautifully."

Thompson cautioned that , "It is presumptuous to try to read another person's mind, but I guess when you are in public life, it is something that can't be avoided." Nevertheless, "I never thought there was much of a chance that he would actually do it. It would not make sense for him politically, or from a business sense, to actually run. He has got a hit television show. I am sure he is like most people not in public office who prefer not to open up their finances to the general public."

He cited not only Trump's TV show, but the extensive financial disclosure that he would have to undertake when he officially got in the race.

And he said that Trump would have to be prepared for being treated differently by the media once he was an official candidate.

"I think with anybody there is a difference once you are in the race," Thompson said. "The media likes to build them up and the media likes to take them down."

Thompson said that he does not yet have a preference for a candidate in 2012, noting that the field is not yet complete.

"I don't think it was an agonizing decision for him to make," Thompson said. "Somewhere along the line, he probably thought seriously about the 'what if?,' maybe for about five minutes."

In contrast to Trump, Thompson said that when he decided to run, he had to give up a primary source of income, appearing on NBC's "Law & Order" franchise, which was no small thing as he was raising young children. He already had extensive experience in the scrutiny of public office, having served as a senator from Tennessee.

"There is the main thing that of course you are giving up your TV show, that is the long and the short of it...The other big [issue], which was not a big issue for me, is the financial disclosure, and that is pretty extensive," Thompson said.

Thompson has returned to acting since his presidential run, appearing on shows like "The Good Wife" and in the movie "Secretariat." He's several times made the switch from politics to show biz and back again. As for the impact that his presidential bid on the latest incarnation of his entertainment career, he said, "It didn't seem to hurt. Whether it helped any or not, I don't know."

Donald Trump teased a presidential bid, but it's Stephen Colbert who's getting serious about the way they are financed.

He filed papers on Friday with the Federal Election Commission to ask them to issue an advisory opinion on whether his "super PAC" would qualify for a media exemption. His plans to start raising money for the PAC are really a riff on the loosened campaign finance rules in the wake of the Supreme Court's Citzens United decision. As the Center for Responsive Politics reported, the media exemption "would allow him to report on the activities of his organization without having to disclose any in-kind contributions from his parent company, Viacom." Colbert plans to use the money from the superPAC --- which allows him to raise unlimited sums, corporate or non-corporate --- for TV spots.

But Eriq Gardner reports at THR Esq that the FEC's decision could shape the PACs of several Fox News commentators like Karl Rove, particularly if Colbert does not qualify for a media exemption.

News Corp. already is responding to concerns about its campaign contributions in the current cycle. Their board of directors decided last month to publicly disclose all of its corporate political contributions on its website, even though they may not be required to do so if they give to certain 501(c)(4) committees.

Colbert said to the horde who showed up at the FEC: "There's some who don't want you to have Colbert Super PAC. But you know what? I am not willing to ride on the back of the bus!"

Video of Colbert's trip to the FEC is below.

McCain Reveal: Entertainment Weekly has the frist shot of Ed Harris as John McCain in HBO's adaptation of "Game Change" here. Pretty uncanny.

Donald Trump announced today that he would not run for president, ending months of speculation that the reality TV host and real estate mogul would wage a bid for the Republican nomination.

"After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency," he said in a statement.

"This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector."

Trump appeared at NBC's upfront presentation in New York and made the same announcement, to cheers from advertisers. He'll continue to host the network's "Celebrity Apprentice."

The rest of Trump's statement --- via CNN --- is below:

Unveiling its fall schedule today, NBC said that "Celebrity Apprentice" will return next season, even if Donald Trump jumps into the presidential race.

"If he decides to run for president and is unavailable to do show, we'll do it and there will be someone else sitting at the head of the board-room table," said Robert Greenblatt, the network's entertainment chief, per Variety. "Who that is we won't really entertain because I'm hoping we'll still have Donald back in the season."

It's hard to say whether Trump's flirtations with a presidential bid have helped or hurt the ratings for "Celebrity Apprentice," but his seen a precipitous drop in the polls ever since the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner, when he was skewered by President Obama, on the eve of the mission in which Osama bin Laden was killed.

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell has been critical of the network's refusal to say whether "Apprentice" would be renewed several weeks ago. He's pressed executives to reveal their plans as a way to shed light on whether Trump is serious.

So now we still don't know whether Trump will run for president --- but he'll still have a job in prime time if he does not.

Near the end of one of the more bizarre hours so far in the 2012 presidential race, Mike Huckabee announced on his Fox News talk show "Huckabee" that he would not run for the White House.

His decision wasn't much of a surprise --- he had not given many indications that he was preparing a bid --- but the way he made the announcement was. He kept viewers hanging almost the entire hour of his Saturday night Fox News show, forcing them to watch him interview Mario Lopez about healthy eating and, at one point, to play bass on "Cat Scratch Fever" with Ted Nugent. Finally, in the show's last segment, Huckabee announced that upon quiet reflection in which he tapped into an "inexplicable inner peace," he decided not to run. "I don't fully understand it myself," he said.

But that was not all. Adding to the reality TV feel of the whole hour, a split second after Huckabee signed off, Donald Trump appeared on screen. A potential 2012 aspirant himself, he congratulated Huckabee on making his decision, mentioning that the former Arkansas governor was building a home in Florida. It surely will inspire speculation that Huckabee will endorse Trump, although the host of "Celebrity Apprentice" has had a precipitous fall in the polls ever since the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner two weeks ago.

Huckabee's decision creates an opening for a social conservative candidate, particularly in Iowa, where he won the caucus in 2008.

ABC has picked up the drama "Scandal," the latest effort from "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, about a Washington DC crisis management wizard.

The pilot, originally called "Damage Control," was inspired by a meeting that Rhimes had with Judy Smith, a former press aide to President George H.W. Bush who has her own crisis communications shop in Washington.

The network doesn't appear to be buying another drama based in the nation's capital, "Georgetown," about twentysomethings getting a start in their careers. The pilot had been from Josh Schwartz, creator of "The O.C."

Updated

Yesterday, it was a kerfuffle on the right, today it is on the left. When Michael Moore expressed dismay at the killing of Osama bin Laden, rather than capturing him and putting him on trial, MSNBC host Ed Schultz criticized it as "intellectual liberal hand-wringing."

Moore said on CNN, “We’ve lost something of our soul here in this country. Maybe I’m just an old-school American who believes in our judicial system. We’re better than them, we don’t just operate in an uncivilized way the way they did on 9/11.”

Coming to his defense is Keith Olbermann, who wrote on his website that while he disagrees with Moore, recently named as a contributor to his upcoming Current TV show, it doesn't mean Moore should remain silent. Olbermann writes, "I believe, with great regret, that the pragmatic circumstances of keeping Bin Laden alive outweighed, very narrowly, what Michael is addressing. But for him to then be accused of “intellectual liberal hand-wringing” by a supposedly liberal commentator on a supposedly liberal television network, is outrageous."

Moore elaborates on his comments here.

Huckabee's Next Move: Potential presidential contender Mike Huckabee says that he'll make a big announcement on his Fox News show on Saturday --- perhaps adding or subtracting his name from the GOP field. Is this a sign that he won't be joining the race? On Thursday, he launched a new educational company, Learn Our History LLC. He says, "America's youth aren't excited about our past because they're being taught history in a way that minimizes what has made America a beacon of hope around the world for over 200 years. Instead, history lessons today often focus on America's faults." Their website gives animated samples of the programs and an unabashed pitch from Huckabee himself offering a risk-free trial.

Update: The announcement, according to Fox News, will be about his presidential run --- will he or won't he?

Turning on Trump: You could have predicted that, even if his was of publicity hadn't stalled at the White House Correspondents dinner, Donald Trump would still have faced a new level of scrutiny. Today that came in the form of a New York Times story in which buyers into Trump-branded real estate projects expressed dismay after the developments went south, and they realized that Trump really wasn't intimately involved in but merely lending his name.

Michael Barbaro reports, "Over the last few years, according to interviews and hundreds of pages of court documents, the real estate mogul has aggressively marketed several luxury high-rises as “Trump properties” or “signature Trump” buildings, with names like Trump Tower and Trump International — even making appearances at the properties to woo buyers. The strong indication of his involvement as a developer generated waves of media attention and commanded premium prices.

"But when three of the planned buildings encountered financial trouble, it became clear that Mr. Trump had essentially rented his name to the developments and had no responsibility for their outcomes, according to buyers. In each case, he yanked his name off the projects, which were never completed. The buyers lost millions of dollars in deposits even as Mr. Trump pocketed hefty license fees."

Another Adler Ad: Entertainment executive Dan Adler, trying to break out of the pack in Tuesday's special election to fill Jane Harman's congressional seat in California's 36th district, has a new web spot out that --- very intentionally --- draws on ethnic stereotypes. Adler, whose campaign manager is Sean Astin, already has tapped the actor as well as his mother, Patty Duke, in spots. (The Ticket)

Hollywood Praise: Industry groups are gushing about proposed federal anti-piracy legislation, but digital rights orgs are still skeptical.

Stewart vs. O'Reilly: Jon Stewart will guest on Bill O'Reilly on Monday over whether Common's appearance at the White House this week was a story or nonstory. (The Wrap) In case you missed it, the thrust of Stewart's piece was that all hopes that ginned up cable controversy would disappear after Bin Laden's death appear to have been dashed by the Common flap. "Are we really doing this again? For this guy, Common, the guy from the Gap ads."

Stewart coined a new term: "Foxygen". From his show last night.

Shriver Thanks: Maria Shriver, who announced her separation from Arnold Schwarzenegger this week, sent this Tweet, "Thank you for all the kindness, support and compassion. I am humbled by the love."

Saturday: Actress Donna Mills hosts California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) to an event at her home called "Let's Get California Off Oil." The brunch, with contributions starting at $200, is a fund-raiser for Environment California.

Glenn Beck somehow got to mocking Meghan McCain, her weight and her skin cancer PSA, so she swung back.

She writes on the Daily Beast, "While we’re on the subject of you vomiting on air, maybe we should have a little talk. Clearly you have a problem with me, and possibly women in general, but the truth is, it’s 2011 and I heard your show on Fox was canceled. Isn’t that an indication that the era of the shock-jock pundit is over? Don’t you think that’s a sign you should be pulling it back a little? I mean, if you’re too conservative and outrageous for Fox, that should tell you something. There really is no need to make something like my participation in a skin-cancer PSA into a sexist rant about my weight and physical appearance, because I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Glenn: you are the only one who looks bad in this scenario, and at the end of the day you have helped me generate publicity for my skin-cancer PSA, a cause that I feel quite passionate about."

All this is part of the noise of cable TV and talk radio, but perhaps she's on to something. Not in what he said about the PSA --- you can't even count the outrageous comments --- but in the idea that the "era of the shock-jock pundit is over."

A group of senators from both parties introduced legislation today that Hollywood hopes will greatly stem the trafficking of pirated movies, TV shows and music online.

The Preventing Real Online Threats of Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PROTECT IP Act, is aimed at so-called ''rogue websites'' that trade in infringing goods. It follows legislation introduced last year that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously in November but never made it to the floor.

A coalition of industry groups, including the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the National Assn. of Theater Owners and the Independent Film and Television Alliance, said in a statement that the legislation will help crackdown on foreign websites ''operating outside of U.S. law'' because they would ''no longer be allowed to exploit U.S. registrars, registries, Internet service providers, payment processors, search engines and ad placement services to sustain their illicit online businesses.''

Authors of the bill say they have narrowed the scope of the previous legislation to address concerns that it would give the government too broad authority to shut down sites. The definition of a site ''dedicated to infringing activities'' has been narrowed.

The legislation no longer includes a provision to streamline the legal process for the Justice Department to shut down domestic domain names of sites dedicated to trafficking in infringing goods -- something that customs officials already are doing --- and instead is aimed at eliminating a site's financial viability.

It would authorize the Justice Department to seek a court order directing third party ''intermediaries'' -- search engines, payment processors, advertising networks and Internet service providers -- to cease providing transactions and support to infringing sites.

The third parties would then be required to take action to either prevent access to the Internet site or cease doing business with them.

Copyright holders also would be given a limited ''right of action'' to seek a court order against a domain name registrant, owner or domain name that is infringing on their copyrights. And the legislation is meant to streamline the process whereby federal authorities or copyright holders can bring action against sites that have been previously seized but are relaunched under a different name.

''The PROTECT IP Act targets the most egregious actors, and is an important first step to putting a stop to online piracy and sale of counterfeit goods,'' said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who introduced the bill along with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Similar legislation is expected to be introduced soon in the House.

Here's video from the appearance of Common at the White House's poetry event this evening. He made no mention of the controversy that preceded his appearance, but sent a Tweet just beforehand saying, "I have no choice now!"

Here's the transcript of what White House spokesman Jay Carney said about the appearance of Common, a.k. Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., at an event this evening.

Carney said, "First of all, the President does not support and opposes the kinds of lyrics that have been written about, as he has in the past.  He has spoken very forcefully out against violent and misogynist lyrics.  Secondly, in regard to the concerns by some law enforcement, this President’s record of support for law enforcement is extremely strong.  He remains committed to the men and women who protect the American citizens and put themselves in harm’s way all the time.  He was able to express that appreciation and support just last week in New York when he met with police and firefighters. 

"And I would say that while the President doesn’t support the kind of lyrics that have been raised here, he does -- I mean, we do think that some of these reports distort what Mr. Lynn stands for, more broadly, in order to stoke a controversy.  I mean, he is -- within the genre of hip-hop and rap, he is what’s known as a conscience rapper -- or a conscious rapper, rather.  And I would quote a report just six months ago from Fox News where he was described as a rap legend and quote, “Your music is very positive and you’re known as the conscious rapper.  How important is that to you, and how important do you think that is to our kids?” 

"And I think that one of the things that the President appreciates is the work that Mr. Lynn has done with children, especially in Chicago, trying to get them to focus on poetry, as opposed to some of the negative influences of life on the street."

Asked whether Common had been vetted, Carney said, "I don’t know specifically about the vetting process.  The fact is, Mr. Lynn has participated in other events in the past, including the lighting of the Christmas Tree, I believe.  I mean, he’s a Grammy award-winning -- multi Grammy-award winning artist.  And he’s been invited to this event about poetry, and partly because of his efforts to bring poetry to audiences that don’t get to experience it.  And we think that’s a positive thing."

President Obama "has spoken out about -- very strongly against -- as an elected official, as an American and as a father, against those kinds of lyrics.  And he opposes them.  But he does not think that that is the sum total of this particular artist’s work, which has been recognized by a lot of mainstream organizations and fair and balanced organizations like Fox News, which described his music as very positive."

Common sent out a Tweet several hours ago in which he said, "Politics is politics and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I respect that. The one thing that shouldn’t be questioned is my support for the police officers and troops that protect us every day. Peace yall!"

FCC commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker will take a senior lobbying position at Comcast’s Washington office as her term on the commission expires at the end of June.

Baker will join Comcast as senior vice president of government affairs of NBC Universal. Her final day at the FCC will be on June 3.

The move comes four months after the FCC gave the greenlight to Comcast’s combination with NBC Universal. Baker, along with fellow Republican Robert McDowell, approved the transaction but said at the time in a joint statement that the FCC’s approach to the review process had become "excessively coercive and lengthy" and that it went "too far" in extracting conditions from the companies.

Baker will report to Kyle McSlarrow, president of Comcast/NBCUniversal for Washington DC, and will work closely with Rick Cotton, NBCU’s executive vice president and general counsel.

Baker has been a member of the FCC since July 2009, having been nominated by President Obama. She previously served as acting assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and acting administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under President George W. Bush.

"I’ve been privileged to serve in government for the past seven years under President Obama at the FCC and President Bush at NTIA. I’ excited to embark on a new phase of my career with Comcast and NBCUniversal," Baker said.

As could probably be expected, public interest groups that were critical of the Comcast-NBCU transaction blasted Baker's move.

Craig Aaron, CEO of Free Press, said in a statement, "This is just the latest -- though perhaps most blatant -- example of a so-called public servant cashing in at a company she is supposed to be regulating.

"As recently as March, Commissioner Baker gave a speech lamenting that review of the Comcast-NBC deal 'took too long.' What we didn't know then was that she was in such a rush to start picking out the drapes in her new corner office."

A Comcast spokeswoman said that discussions started with Baker months after the transaction was approved, when Bob Okun, the head of its Washington operations, announced his departure in April.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement, "For the past two years, it’s been my privilege to serve with Meredith Baker as the FCC has navigated the communications challenges of the 21^st century. Meredith’s wonderful spirit, broad experience and deep policy acumen have made the FCC a more effective agency. She’s made our decisions smarter and our policies better. I wish her well in her new role at NBC Universal.”

Updated

Tonight is poetry night at the White House, and the presence of hip hop artist Common has drawn criticism beyond the usual conservative din. Speaking to ABC News on Wednesday, Dave Jones, president of the New Jersey State Trooper Fraternal Assn., said that an administration official called him to find out more about his objections to the artist's appearance at the event, and was surprised that the official did not know about the background of Assata Shakur, the subject of his song, "A Song for Assata."

“She’s a domestic terrorist who wrapped her criminality and her abhorrent anti social behavior in a cause to try to disguise her disgust for America in this make believe 1960s radicalism,” Jones told ABC News. “In 1973 she executed Trooper Werner Foerster with his own gun after he was already shot and didn’t represent a threat to anyone. And after she shot him she kicked him in the head to the point that hours later after he was picked up his brain was still part of the remnants on her shoe.”

Common, aka Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., has commented on his Twitter page. His supporters have said that his music is a reflection of the frustration among African American men --- not an endorsement of violence against police. He's also hardly seen as a "gangsta" rapper, having collaborated with the Jonas Brothers and created works regarded as "conscious" rapper.

Updated: Per ABC News, White House spokesman Jay Carney said today, “The president does not support and opposes the kind of lyrics that has been written about."

He added that Obama "does not think that that is the sum total of this particular artist’s work which has been recognized by a lot of mainstream organizations and ‘fair and balanced’ organizations like Fox News, which described his music as positive.”

Russell Simmons sent a Tweet this morning: "My man @Common is one of greatest poets the generation has ever known!"

Simmons also told Global Grind, in responding to Sean Hannity's criticism, "Common is a sweet guy, a progressive guy, he's what Hannity would call a soft ass liberal, he ain't a gangster like Hannity, he's not a sexist or racist like Hannity, he's just a sweet, loving person. So it's ironic that a person like Sean Hannity, who I like, would say something like that about Common."

"When it comes to the gangster thing, Common doesn't want to go to war, but Hannity is quick to go to war and blow up sh*t," he continued, "So Hannity is more racist, sexist, homophobic and gangster than Common and for Hannity to call Common a gangster, is the pot calling the kettle black."

Power Couple Split: The Los Angeles Times delves into the reasons behind the Schwarzenegger-Shriver separation. "While many friends said they were surprised by the announcement, two distinctly different narratives were emerging Tuesday about the breakup.

"Some close to Schwarzenegger spoke of a loving marriage that slowly broke apart over time. Friends of Shriver portrayed her as trapped for years in an unhappy relationship that reached a breaking point after the deaths of her parents and a difficult transition back to private life."

At an event on Tuesday night, Schwarzenegger, speaking at the Skirball Center, said, "I want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank our many friends and family for the tremendous amount of support and love that you have given us in the last 24 hours," Schwarzenegger said, adding that he had spoken to Shriver an hour earlier.

"We both love each other very much ... and we are taking it one day at a time."

Astin's Part: Sean Astin is endorsing Dan Adler, an entertainment industry executive running for Jane Harman's old congressional seat. Astin, star of the movie "Rudy," also is serving as Adler's campaign manager, and even appears in a whimsical spot that cites the football pic. Adler faces tough competition in Tuesday's election from two Democratic vets, Debra Bowen and Janice Hahn.

The latest Public Policy Polling results show that Donald Trump's support among Republicans has dropped from 26% to 8%. He's also struggling to retain support among those birthers who are still out there.

We'll see how the ratings to the "Celebrity Apprentice" finale hold up.

Giving his highly promoted speech on immigration reform today, President Obama invoked the name of a man usually a political foe: Rupert Murdoch.

He cited Murdoch's support of immigration reform, which the chairman of News Corp. announced last year in an appearance on Fox News along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He followed it with a PSA for a business group advocating a streamlined process.

In his speech in El Paso, Obama cited the support that reform has from the business community, and said, "I mean, one CEO had this to say about reform:  “American ingenuity is a product of the openness and diversity of this society.  Immigrants have made America great as the world leader in business, in science, higher education and innovation.”  You know who that leader was?  Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, and is an immigrant himself.  I don’t know if you’re familiar with Rupert Murdoch’s views, but let’s just say he doesn’t have an Obama sticker on his car. But he agrees with me on this."

The White House has been promoting the speech for the past several days, even utilizing celebrities to call attention to the issue. Among them is Eva Longoria, who appears in this White House video.

Hip hop artist Common has won multiple Grammys, he's collaborated with the Jonas Brothers and he's appeared in a Gap ad.

But conservative media today is all over his planned appearance on Wednesday at a special White House evening of poetry.

They cite lyrics from some of his works, including a lyric from a 2007 video in which he recites, Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button. A story in the Daily Caller early on Tuesday almost immediately triggered an outcry from a bevy of conservative talkers and pundits, including Sarah Palin who wrote in a Tweet, "Oh lovely, White House."

In citing other lyrics from other works, Pajamas Media also noted Common's connection to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the Obama's former pastor at a south Chicago church whose controversial comments became a flash point of the 2008 campaign.

A spokeswoman for First Lady Michelle Obama, who has held a series of White House events to promote the arts, did not immediately respond for comment.

But Common has. In a series of Twitter comments in which he seemed amused by the whole affair. In response to one message that Fox News had called him a "vile rapper," he wrote, "You aint scared of me?"

While Common is well, pretty commonly mainstream when stacked up against so many other hip hop artists, there is some history of poetry creating controversy. In 2003, First Lady Laura Bush cancelled a planned reading of the works of Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson after protests from several poets over the administration's plans to invade Iraq.

Much ado? As Conor Friedersdorf writes on The Atlantic, there's a long history of occupants of the Oval Office, from both parties, embracing music of bawdiness, violence and even cannibalism. The artists responsible will surprise you.

Update: Media Matters, the progressive media watchdog group, dug up an interview on FoxNews.com in which a reporter told Common that his music was "very positive."

There's also a sharp exchange at Common's Facebook page, and Jason Linkins of Huffington Post puts the lyrics to the controversial work, called "Letter to the Law," in context.

This should draw more viewers to Wednesday night's event --- and to the work of another performer on the bill, Steve Martin.