The Walt Disney Co., Viacom and CBS Corp. are among the hundreds of companies that signed on to an amicus brief opposing the Defense of Marriage Act, which will come before the Supreme Court along with the Proposition 8 case in late March.

Also signing the brief were Wasserman Media Group, Electronic Arts, Google, Facebook, Twitter and the Jim Henson Co.

A central argument is that denial of same-sex marriage benefits at the federal level puts an undue burden on companies, because of the conflicting web of laws from state to state.

“It puts us, as employers, to unnecessary cost and administrative complexity, and regardless of our business or professional judgment forces us to treat one class of our lawfully married employees differently than another, when our success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees,” the brief reads.

Spokesmen for Disney and CBS had no comment, and a spokesman for Viacom had no immediate comment.

A group of companies also filed an amicus brief opposing Proposition 8, but no media comglomerates were among them. The 100 or so companies that did sign included Google, Facebook, Verizon, Cablevision and the Jim Henson Co.

The brief characterizes California’s ban on same-sex marriage as an hindrance to recruitment as well as affecting morale. “No matter how welcoming the corporate culture, it cannot overcome the societal stigma institutionalized by Proposition 8 and similar laws,” the brief against Prop 8 states. “That stigma dehumanizes; it deprives gay men and lesbians of the solidity of married family life that heterosexuals take for granted and makes it more difficult for gay men and lesbians to perform at the highest level in the workplace. Such laws also make it difficult to recruit, hire, and retain some of the top employees who choose not to live in states where they are relegated to second-class-citizen status and prefer instead other states (or countries)—where amici may not have offices or open positions—where their fundamental right to marry is recognized.”

As unusual as the participation of the companies in a civil rights case is, corporate America has generally been ahead of the curve compared to federal and state government entities when it comes to recognition of same-sex couples. It was unclear why the same media companies didn’t sign on to the Prop 8 briefs. They generally refrained from lending their names or financial support during the campaign against Proposition 8 in 2008.

The companies' Prop 8 amicus brief is here.

The companies' DOMA brief is here.

Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement as the Obama administration filed an amicus brief in Hollingsworth vs. Perry, otherwise known as the Prop 8 case that will come before the Supreme Court for oral argument on March 26.

Holder said in a statement, "In our filing today in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the government seeks to vindicate the defining constitutional ideal of equal treatment under the law.  Throughout history, we have seen the unjust consequences of decisions and policies rooted in discrimination. The issues before the Supreme Court in this case and the Defense of Marriage Act case are not just important to the tens of thousands Americans who are being denied equal benefits and rights under our laws, but to our Nation as a whole."

The administration argues that laws that discriminate against gays and lesbians should be subject to "heightened scrutiny" by the court, meaning that there should be a "significant and proper purpose" in advancing such measures. The brief says that the "use of a voter initiative to promote democratic self governance cannot save a law like Proposition 8 that would otherwise violate equal protection. The point of heightened scrutiny is to protect disfavored minority groups from unjustified targeting in the democratic process."

The brief takes on the arguments for Prop 8, like promoting child rearing and that it is the will of the people.

"California's extension of all of the substantice rights and responsilibities of marriage to gay and lesbian domestic partners particularly undermines the justifications for Proposition 8. It indicates that Proposition 8's withholding of the designation of marriage is not based on an interest in promoting responsible procreation and child-rearing --- petitioners' central claimed justification for the initiative --- but instead on impermissible prejudice. ... Prejudice may not, however, be the basis for differential treatment under the law."

The complete brief is here.

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement, "President Obama and the Solicitor General have taken another historic step forward consistent with the great civil rights battles of our nation’s history. The President has turned the inspirational words of his second inaugural address into concrete action by urging our nation's highest court to put an end to discrimination against loving, committed gay and lesbian couples and their families."

The administration's decision to file a brief alters President Obama's previously supported position on same-sex marriage, which is that be backed gay nuptials but that it was a matter that should be left to the states. By filing a brief that says that state bans on same-sex marriage should be subject to "heightened scrutiny," the administration is saying that such laws cannot stand because of the equal protection clause of the constitution. What's striking about the brief is that it is so straight-forward, at a relatively short 40 pages.

Update: Richard Socarides, writing in the New Yorker, says that Obama's position is essentially a broad support for same-sex marriage rights, as the rationale in the brief would essentially render unconstitutional bans on same-sex marriage across the country.

He writes that "the Administration goes on to say that any legislative classifications based upon sexual orientation—like laws that limit marriage to heterosexuals—in order to be justified constitutionally, should be subject to a standard of review known as 'heightened scrutiny.' The implications of this argument are extremely broad.

"Under heightened scrutiny, laws that hinge on sexual orientation are only constitutional if they are needed to advance a compelling or important government interest. Uniformly, in the gay-marriage cases, the only justifications put forth by opponents of marriage equality are those based on tradition, custom, or prejudice. Because those reasons are not 'compelling,' the gay-marriage bans cannot survive the test. The government has advanced a similar argument in the Defense of Marriage Act cases—which involve not the right to marry but the federal recognition of otherwise valid marriages—but never in a pure marriage case."

Updated

Clint Eastwood has added his name to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court signed by more than 100 conservatives and Republicans backing same-sex marriage.

Breitbart News first reported that Eastwood had signed the brief, to be filed today. The brief is asking the Supreme Court to uphold lower court decisions that ruled that California's Proposition 8 is constitutional. Earlier in the week, there were reports that dozens of prominent Republicans and strategists would sign it, including Meg Whitman, who had previously supported Proposition 8. Others signing the brief include Paul Wolfowitz, Romney for President campaign manager Beth Myers and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

A spokesman for the American Foundation for Equal Rights confirmed that Eastwood had signed the brief.

Eastwood has already publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage, when he was asked about it during the publicity tour for his 2011 movie "J. Edgar." The screenwriter of that film, Dustin Lance Black, is on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that is bringing the legal challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage.

A group of 200 companies, including Apple and the Walt Disney Co., signed a brief asking the high court to overturn much of the Defense of Marriage Act, which restricts federal benefits to same-sex couples and requires that only a marriage between a man and a woman be recognized. More than 100 businesses in California also were to sign a brief in opposition to Prop 8. A central argument is that the maze of marriage laws in different states places additional burdens on companies as they determine such things as tax withholding and offering of health benefits.

Today is the deadline for amicus briefs opposing Prop 8. A big question is whether the White House will weigh in on the case. It already has announced that is will not defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

The court will hear oral arguments on the Prop 8 case on March 26, and on the DOMA case on March 27.

Update: The Obama administration will file a brief urging the overturning of Proposition 8, NBC News reports. This is big news, as it represents a shift in Obama's position in support of same-sex marriage but that the states should be left to decide.

Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign put out this statement: "We applaud President Obama for standing-up for millions of Californians who simply want to marry the person they love. The two Supreme Court cases this summer will be a watershed moment for equality and President Obama has put his Administration squarely on the right side of history. Last November,  voters from Maine to Washington stood up for equality. Now it's time for the Supreme Court to catch up with the American public. Discrimination and hatred have no place in a country founded on the principles of liberty, justice and equality."

Second update: Also signing the conservatives' brief, which is led by former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman, are two former FCC chairmen, Kevin Martin and Michael Powell. Martin is significant because the perception during his tenure was that he was a social conservative, as he pressed forward with measures to curb broadcast indecency, and he once even was rumored to be eyeing a run for governor of North Carolina. Powell's father, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, already came out in support of same-sex marriage. The younger Powell serves as the head of the National Cable and Telecommunications Assn.

One more note: Eastwood's entry in the court brief lists him not just as filmmaker, but as the former mayor of Carmel, Calif.

An excerpt from the brief: "Same-sex couples, just like couples composed of a man and a woman,
benefit from the security and bilateral loyalty conferred by civil marriage. There is no reason to believe that the salutary effects of civil marriage arise to any lesser degree when two women or two men lawfully marry each other than when a man and a woman marry."

With increased scrutiny of violence in movies and TV shows following the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., entertainment companies unveiled a public service campaign designed to remind parents of viewing options, ratings system and content blocking technology.

The announcement of the campaign --- which will include broadcast and cable advertising, redesigned websites and social media --- comes amid pressure on the industry to address violent content, even as previous government efforts to regulate media mayhem have not survived First Amendment scrutiny in the courts.

But as has happened in past national tragedies involving gun violence, media conglomerates face criticism from D.C. figures who wield the bully pulpit, as well as parental groups who place pressure on advertisers.

The initiative, announced on Wednesday, is sponsored by the MPAA, the National Assn. of Broadcasters, the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn., the National Assn. of Theater Owners, the American Cable Assn., along with DirecTV and Verizon FiOS.

The campaign includes broadcast and cable advertising, which will remind parents where to find and how to use TV and film ratings systems, and how to use blocking technology. The advertising includes video spots previously created by the Ad Council, as well as other spots created by trade associations and broadcast and cable outlets. Movie theaters across the country also will run ad spots informing parents of the film rating system.

In addition, www.The TV Boss.org, a website that provides information on movie and TV ratings, parental control technology and "media literacy" has recently been redesigned, and the www.FilmRatings.com site has been relaunched. The coalition of trade associations also said that messages will appear in social media and other digital platforms.

Also announced was a public service campaign on mental health, including "creating a style guide to help educate journalists, television and film producers, directors and writers on mental health terminology." Broadcasters, the Associated Press, the Entertainment Industries Council and other orgs are involved in the campaign.

"The public service advertising and collateral materials featured throughout the campaign will help consumers better understand the TV and film rating systems, remind them to 'be the boss' of their TVs, encourage them to consume media together as families, and help children understand the media they consume," the orgs said in a statement.

Interestingly, the initiative does not include any trade associations for videogame companies. In January, when Vice President Joseph Biden met with representatives from entertainment, MPAA chairman Chris Dodd requested that the meeting with TV and movie trade association chiefs and other officials be separate from that of those from the videogame industry, noting the interactive nature of gaming.

As such, when President Obama unveiled his plans to reduce gun violence, he called for a Centers for Disease Control study of the impact of videogame violence on children, as well as the impact of more general "media images" on those who watch it.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said that she sees "no need to request further information" from the CIA on the assistance it gave to the makers of "Zero Dark Thirty," and denied that the Senate Intelligence Committee inquiry was an investigation of the film itself.

Screenwriter Mark Boal has been particularly critical of the Senate inquiry, saying that it raises questions of free speech and whether it will put a "chill" on future projects if movies are put under the microscope on how their creators gathered facts. He also said that he may be subpoenaed to testify.

Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, along with  Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), have been critical of the movie's portrayal of torture as inaccurate. But Feinstein said that the committee "has not made any contact with the filmmakers, did not request documents from any individual associated with the film, and have not conducted any investigation into the film whatsover.

"We have simnply asked questions of the intelligence community pertinent to our oversight responsibities," she said.

The announcement of the end of the inquiry comes just after "Zero Dark Thirty" lost out to "Argo" in the Oscar race for best picture. Quentin Tarantino won the original screenplay award for "Django Unchained" over Boal for "Zero Dark Thirty." The director of the movie, Kathryn Bigelow, was shut out of a nomination. But "Zero Dark Thirty" has been a box office success, generating a worldwide gross of just over $91 million.

Her complete statement is below:

Michelle Obama was the first First Lady to present an Oscar. Daniel Day-Lewis was the first actor to win an Academy Award for playing a president. And this was the first awards season where so many of the contenders seemed to be competing for the endorsement of major political figures, best picture winner "Argo" landing the tacit approval of former president Jimmy Carter.

Nevertheless, the Oscarcast, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, was largely free of the brazenly partisan acceptance speech, snarky political jabs and polarizing moments. Instead, you got a few jokes about Jews, Nazis and nuns, interspersed with a Tony award-like night of tributes to movie musicals and standards of old. Not even the documentary category could elicit a politically charged winner, as Academy voters bypassed "The Invisible War" and "How to Survive a Plague," two impactful entries, for "Searching for Sugarman."

Day-Lewis largely bypassed much speechifying about Abraham Lincoln and instead devoted part of his remarks to a joke about Meryl Streep. The most likely moment of controversy would have been had Mark Boal won for the "Zero Dark Thirty" screenplay, as he would have been expected to say something about the hazing his project has taken on Capitol Hill, but Quentin Tarantino won that award. Outside, there were protesters, but it was over the recent closure of visual effects shop Rhythm and Hues, not some worldly issue.

This was a very political year, not just in the movies but in the Oscar campaigns, as studios sought out political figures for screenings and other events, turning the tables on a D.C. crowd that more often depends on them for endorsements. But when the first lady appeared on screen as a co-presenter with Jack Nicholson, her words were to cheer the movies, an inspirational to young people and "vital" to society. It was all feel good, certainly pleasing to Hollywood and, other than unusual and even surreal nature of it all, very non controversial.
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One of the biggest surprises of this year's Oscarcast was the first-ever appearance of a First Lady to present an award, as Michelle Obama announced "Argo" the winner from the White House.

Obama, wearing a Naeem Khan dress, had appeared at a dinner for the National Governors Assn. meeting taking place this week. She presented the award from the Diplomatic Room, fitting given the subject matter of "Argo."

Kristina Schake, the first lady's communications director to the First Lady, said in a statement, "The Academy Awards approached the First Lady about being a part of the ceremony. As a movie lover, she was honored to present the award and celebrate the artists who inspire us all - especially our young people - with their passion, skill and imagination."

The White House also tweeted out a photo via official photographer Pete Souza.

The First Lady's appearance was unusual, although Ronald Reagan gave a taped statement to the Oscars in 1981 and Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the gathering in 1941.

What would have been awkward is if "Zero Dark Thirty" won best picture, as the cooperation that the White House gave to the filmmakers came under fire from congressional Republicans, a prelude to further controversy over its depiction of torture.

Instead, the first lady delivered a statement about the power of movies to "lift our spirits and broaden our minds and transport us to people we have never imagined."

She called the work of filmmakers "vitally important work" and added, "Every day, through engagement in the arts, our children learn to open their imagination, to dream just a little bigger. And to strive every day to reach those dreams."

The first lady hosted a screening and Q and A with the makers of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" two weeks ago, and President Obama hosted a screening of "Lincoln" in November. But they also have a strong connection to "Argo" via executive producer George Clooney, a longtime supporter who hosted a fundraiser for Obama last May that helped raise almost $15 million.

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"Argo" heads into the Oscars on Sunday as the favorite for best picture, having swept the major pre-Oscar kudos and with 1 to 2 Vegas odds. ("Lincoln" follows with 9 to 6 odds). Columnists like Maureen Dowdand Andrew O'Herir in the past week have taken the film to task for its dramatic liberties, arguably greater than those taken in "Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty" but not as consequential given the historical context and the suspenseful narrative. Others are calling out the movie for its portrayal of Iranians as "irrational, bloodthirsty nut bars."

Janet Janjigian, president of DC Media Group LA and former head of corporate communications at MGM, sends along a piece she wrote around the time of the film's release defending the movie's portrayal of the atmosphere of Tehran at the time. She lived in Tehran in the first half of 1978, when her husband worked at the Embassy. She attests to the feeling of fear and paranoia in the year before the hostages were first held captive.

She writes, "'Argo' realistically documents the hostile, anti-Western, anti-American, (most especially targeting American women) movement gaining noticeable momentum in the streets by mid-1978. It was growing rapidly and palpable, especially in Tehran, where hundreds of Iranian women in the streets began covering up from head to toe in black chadors. More and more, I was followed during the day, luckily somehow always leading them on a trail back to the Embassy. Walking down the street, men and young boys would spit on me, angrily screaming and pushing me into the "jube"- the open water system running between the sidewalk and the streets, forcing me into overly congested, impossible traffic that makes a crowded LA freeway look empty."

CNN's Miguel Marquez, the Los Angeles Times' Bettina Boxall, NBC4's Mekahlo Medina, former Los Angeles Times Assistant Travel Editor Jane Engle and the Long Beach Press Telegram's Phillip Zonkel will be the panelists at Out in the Newsroom, a look at workplace issues gay and lesbian journalists face today. I'll be moderating the event, which will be held on Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood.

The Los Angeles Press Club and the Los Angeles chapter of the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Assn. Are co-sponsors.
While panelists will discuss the evolution being out in the newsroom --- and whether it is an issue or non-issue --- they also will talk about covering gay and lesbian issues as public opinion shifts in a relatively quick period of time.

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The pro-same sex marriage ad launched this week makes a point of the bipartisan support for same-sex nuptials, with Laura Bush, Dick Cheney and Colin Powell shown talking about giving loving couples equal rights.

But Bush is objecting to her inclusion in the spot. Her spokeswoman told CNN, "Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad. When she became aware of the advertisement Tuesday night, we requested that the group remove her from it."

A spokesman for the org the made the ad, the Respect for Marriage Coalition, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While there would probably be a strong fair-use argument in the use of the clip of Bush, her statement suggests that she's irked by the idea of false endorsement not of same-sex marriage, but of the Respect for Marriage Coalition. It brings to mind the use of clips of news personalities in campaign commercials. Journalists have had a tough time getting their names and images removed from those spots.

Meanwhile, the attorneys challenging Prop 8 filed their brief today with the Supreme Court, in advance of oral arguments scheduled on March 26.

An excerpt: "Proponents accuse Plaintiffs (repeatedly) of “re-defining marriage.” But it is pro-onents who have imagined (not from any of this Court’s decisions)a cramped definition of marriage as a utilitarian incentive devised by and put into service by the State—society’s way of channeling heterosexual potential parents into 'responsible pro-creation.' In their 65-page brief about marriage in California, Proponents do not even mention the word 'love.' They seem to have no understanding of the privacy, liberty, and associational values that under-lie this Court’s recognition of marriage as a fundamental, personal right."

Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry are leading the orgs launching a new ad campaign featuring clips of Laura Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and President Obama expressing support, in their own ways, of same-sex marriage.

The ads will run on cable news outlets CNN and MSNBC, as well as on Sunday talk shows. Full page print ads appeared today in the New York Times. The cost of the campaign is reportedly $1 million.

The issue isn't facing a ballot measure any time soon, but the Supreme Court will hear arguments at the end of March in a series of cases challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage and the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Illinois is considering a gay marriage bill, which has passed the state Senate and is being debated in the House. A same-sex marriage bill is about to be introduced in Minnesota, with word that a GOP lawmaker is preparing to co-sponsor the legislation after previously voting to place a measure on the state ballot to ban it. That measure, a constitutional amendment, was defeated in November.

The ad from the Respect for Marriage Coalition is below.

 

Michael Moore will host a discussion tonight at the Academy Theater with all of the nominees for best documentary, but attention undoubtedly will be paid to the ordeal that Palestinian filmmaker Emad Burnat faced last night at LAX.

Moore says that the co-director of "5 Broken Cameras" was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who even threatened to send him on the next plane back to Amman.

When Burnat finally showed up at a dinner for Oscar nominees, Moore writes, "he told us that this sort of treatment is something he is used to 'on a daily basis under Occupation.' He gave an eloquent and moving impromptu speech, in his usual soft-spoken voice, to his fellow nominees. He said this was his 6th trip with his film to the U.S. this year and that this was the first time he was detained. He said they wanted to see some 'official document' that he was an actual nominee. I said, 'Doesn't Immigration have Google?'"

Candidates for Los Angeles mayor are luring stars and moguls for money, but seeking the votes of the Hollywood rank-and-file with the promise to lure more production back to the city.

But even as the contenders talk up the issue of runaway production, there are doubts about just how much can be done at the city level to keep a movie or TV show in L.A.

Councilman Eric Garcetti is proposing a "film czar" to guide producers through red tape as well as a plan to waive city fees for TV pilots that shoot in the city. City controller Wendy Greuel is calling for further streamlining the permit process and pointing to her work on the California Film Commission. Radio talk host and entertainment lawyer Kevin James is promoting a "Los Angeles Production benefit," in which indpendent film producers can access a city database of crew members who are available to work at an "adjusted rate." Councilwoman Jan Perry has proposed ongoing surveying of other cities, like New York and New Orleans, as a kind of barometer to see what they are doing to lure production away.

Yet while producers welcome any effort to streamline the process -- on the idea that time is money -- some question whether it actually is the breaking point in whether a production stays in the city. "The city isn't in a position where it could offer major incentives that would make a major difference in the cost of production," said Kevin Klowden, managing economist and director of the California Center at the Milken Institute. He doesn't dismiss what the city can do at the bureaucratic level, like offering police and fire services at discounted rates on business taxes and fees, and doing what it can to speed the permit process through FilmLA. But they do not create as much of a lure as state incentives, and the real issues in the state incentives are that we don't offer enough of them," he said.

There's also the more vexing problems of labor costs and neighborhood cooperation, he noted.

"In the end, a lot of [bureaucreatic efforts] has been tried, and it it may help, but he longterm reputation for the city comes down to how quickly can things get done," he said.

The candidates have made a point of supporting and expanding the state's production incentive, recently extended for another two years yet capped at an annual $100 million, a sum that is quickly snapped up.

While runaway production may not be foremost on the minds of many donors, even within entertainment, it has popped up in mayoral debates, like a forum sponsored by KABC-TV and the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs on Monday. Producers of lower-budgeted productions and TV movies are especially vocal about the cost of permits and of paying for city police and fire personnel to supervise on set. "It is a lot of money for a small project," said producer Michael McGuire, who pointed to an $800 permit he recently paid to shoot an independent film not on public property, but at a private home in Encino. "I don't see why they can't waive that."

The issue took on renewed importance last year, when FilmLA reported that less than half of primetime dramas were being shot in Los Angeles, while drama pilot production fell. Overall, Film LA reported that pilots show in Los Angeles amounted to just 29% of the total, far and away the most being comedies that are don't carry the same economic punch as one-hour shows.

On Feb. 26, the City Council will weigh Garcetti's proposal to waive fees for TV productions filmed in the city, as well as fees for the first year of a pilot that is picked up for series. In a report last month, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana estimated that the impact on the city's general fund would be a mimimum of $231,000 and an unknown larger amount for the first year of production. He added that the waiver of fees would conflict with a city policy requiring "full cost recovery" for all fees charged by the city.

"Given the nominal amount city fees represent of overall production costs, it is unlikely that this waiver in and of itself would be the determining factor for filming on location in the city versus another location," he wrote.

Rather, he said that the central issues that pilot producers use in choosing where to film are the availabiity of incentives and production infrastructure.

Conan O'Brien will be the headliner at this year's White House Correspondents Assn. dinner, scheduled for April 27.

Fox News' Ed Henry, the president of the WHCA, made the announcement this morning on Twitter.

O'Brien last appeared at the dinner as the featured comedian in 1995, when Bill Clinton was president.

Recent headliners include Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Myers and Jay Leno.

 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has launched a pre-emptive strike on potential Democratic challengers to his 2014 reelection, including Ashley Judd.

Judd is mulling a bid for the Senate, and her celebrity status already has made her the focus of Republican attack ads. American Crossroads, the SuperPAC launched by Karl Rove and others, last month introduced a web video collection of some of Judd's foibles, including declaring that Tennessee, and not Kentucky, is her home state.

McConnell's spot also repeats Judd talking up Tennessee, including a moment when she announced the state's roll call for Obama during last summer's Democratic National Convention, and another when she calls San Francisco her "American city home." The ad's premise is that Obama is fielding a list of contenders to challenge McConnell, who doesn't even appear in the web video.

Update: Judd has "done everything a serious candidate would do," Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) tells the New York Times. She may be a Hollywood liberal, but the Times' Trip Gabriel interviewed residents of Ashland, Ky. who seem open to the idea.

Fox News correspondent Ed Henry, president of the White House Correspondents Assn., lodged a complaint on behalf of the org over the weekend for the lack of access given to them as President Obama hit the links in Florida, including a round with Tiger Woods.

Henry tells Politico that "this is a fight for more access, period." He expressed frustration that Obama was not made available even for a photo op.The press corps has complained about access to other events, as well as meetings that Obama had that were not placed on the official schedule. That included a meeting with donors the Friday before the inauguration, and a meeting with young Hollywood celebrities and other creative types last year when he was in Los Angeles.

Obama did seem to try a "make good": A 10-minute session with the press pool on the way back from Florida on Monday evening. But that conversation was "off the record." So it's unlikely that a pretty distant relationship between Obama and the press corps will suddenly get all warm and fuzzy.

Meanwhile, as Obama was golfing, Vice Presdent Joseph Biden was skiing in Snowmass, Colo., and taking a break for photo ops for anyone who was around. Photo via Tim Johnson of Johnson Production Group.

David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Obama and senior strategist to his campaign, is joining NBC News and MSNBC as senior political analyst.

Axelrod will appear frequently across both networks, according to NBC News. Robert Gibbs, former White House press secretary and adviser to the campaign, joined MSNBC and NBC News last week as a commentator. Other commentators at the news orgs include Steve Schmidt, Michael Steele and Ed Rendell.

Axelrod was recently named director of the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, and a distinguished senior fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy.

In honor of tonight's season finale of "Downton Abbey," Will Raabe, producer on "The Chris Matthews Show," created this video mashup, to be shown on today's show.

Speaking to the National Press Club today, MPAA chairman Chris Dodd talked up the industry's innovation and impact as the trade association continues to reorient strategy after last year's defeat of major anti-piracy legislation.

As he has before, Dodd struck a more conciliatory tone toward Silicon Valley, and signalled that a host of new streaming options and other technologicial innovations could ease the rift that saw Hollywood on one side in support of the Stop Online Piracy Act and Silicon Valley against it. He said a new "golden age" was being ushered in with new options for content, including on Netflix, Hulu and others. The message was that the industry is offering content online, and not exacerbating piracy by failing to offer the option.

"We can and must have an Internet that works for everyone, and we can and must have protection for the creative industry's genius that intellectual property represents," he said, according to prepared remarks, adding that "for the more than two million Americans whose jobs depend on the motion picture and television industry 'free and open' cannot synonmous with 'working for free.'"

He added that "we must together innovate through these challenges. Fortunately, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are making some progress on this front."

His full speech is here.

 

The aftermath of the Newtown tragedy has seen some orgs insisting that research shows an irrefutable link between media and real-life violence, while the entertainment industry is pretty much saying just the opposite.

So what is it? Common Sense Media, the parents org, unveiled a study today that is designed to show why additional research is needed. Anyone who has followed this knows that, going back six decades, major incidents of violence have from time to time been followed by calls for scientific study. Back in the 1960s, Sen. Thomas Dodd (D-Conn.), the father of current MPAA chairman Chris Dodd, led a commission on juvenile delinquency that held numerous hearings and studies on TV violence, with the end result being pretty much inconclusive.

Yet Common Sense Media surveys the research that has been done and concludes that even though the record is ripe, it is inadequate.

"The presence of violent images in advertising seen by children has barely been studied, comprehensive research on TV violence is nearly two decades old, video game research hasn't kept pace with current modes of gaming or tracked the content most consumed by youth, and studies of online exposure are nearly nonexistent," its report says.

Among other things, they are calling for "longitudinal studies that include the most current media, especially the ultra-violent first-person shooter games, and the latest movies and television shows." Longitudinal studies are those that examine a group over a period of a long time, like from age 8 to 18, which is probably why such research is so costly.

Common Sense Media's study that even a small finding can have a significant consequences. The U.S. Surgeon General in 2001 found that "taken together, findings to date suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence," but "research to date justifies sustained efforts to curb the adverse effects of media violence on youth."

Nevertheless, advocates for measures to limit videogame violence say that the industry will always be able to argue that there is no causal relationship, as not all children who play violent video games, watch violent cartoons or see violent movies become violent. An aide to California state Sen. Leland Yee, who authored the state's violent videogame law, points out that tobacco companies have said the same thing among smoking, as not all smokers get lung cancer. That's why Common Sense Media suggests that "it is probably moe accurate and useful to think about media violence as a 'risk factor' rather than a 'cause' of violence --- one variable among many that increases the risk of violent behavior among some children."

The complete Common Sense Media report is here.

The LA Weekly's Gene Maddaus is out with a story today that includes a list of holders of concealed weapon permits, as issued by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

Maddaus writes about the connection between concealed weapon permit holders and those who have given gifts to Baca, including producer Arnold Kopelson and actor James Darren.

Only 341 were granted permits as of May of last year, which is actually a small number relative to the size of the county population. While the list is populated by reverse deputies and judges, it also includes director Richard Donner and producer Jerry Weintraub, whose permits have been reported before. Donner appeared on the National Rifle Assn.'s comprehensive list of celebrities with "anti-gun policies." The names on the NRA list, however, include gun owners, like Bob Barker, who favor Second Amendment rights yet see the need to limit assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

In the two months since the Newtown, Conn., shootings, more than a dozen bills have been introduced at the state level to address violence in the media, with most of the proposals focused on videogames, but once again doubts have been raised that some of the more restrictive measures would ever survive a constitutional challenge.

Proposed legislation includes bills in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to study videogames and the causes of violence; a New York bill to bar the sale of violent videogames to minors; and a Connecticut bill to impose a 10% tax on M-rated videogames.

Yet even as parents orgs, lawmakers and President Obama have singled out the videogame industry, along with the National Rifle Assn., the industry is prepared to challenge any restrictions enacted on First Amendment grounds, given the rather broad Supreme Court majority opinion in 2011 that struck down a California law barring the sale of violent videogames to minors.

With that decision in mind, some lawmakers are crafting legislation that they hope will somehow survive judicial scrutiny.

In Connecticut, Rep. Debralee Hovey, a Republican whose district includes Newtown, last week introduced the bill that taxes the M-rated games, a proposal she says is modeled after other types of "sin" taxes.

A sin tax on M-rated videogames "will cause people to think about what they are actually purchasing," she told NBC News.

Her bill would funnel the tax money to the state's Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services, which would develop public service announcements and other informational materials "to educate families on the warning signs of videogame addiction and antisocial behavior." Shooter Adam Lanza was said to be an avid player of videogames, including the hit title "Call of Duty," in some initial media reports after the Newtown tragedy, but those details were never officially confirmed.

Her legislation seemingly tries to overcome the problem of the government deeming what's too violent and what isn't by placing such distinctions in the hands of the industry's self-regulating Entertainment Software Rating Board, which is a guide for retailers and parents. A similar piece of legislation was proposed in Missouri, with a 1% tax on games rated Teen, Mature and Adults Only and the proceeds going to mental health programs and law enforcement.

Such proposals would nevertheless have trouble surviving a court challenge: Previous efforts to essentially "outsource" the decision about what is taxed and what isn't have been found to be constitutionally suspect, said David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition, which represents videogame retailers, booksellers, record and movie producers in free speech challenges. "The government is giving the job of deciding who should be taxed to a nongovernmental agency," he said. "They basically can't outsource those decision."

He added that the more the legislation focuses on one type of media and one type of viewpoint, the more it will be viewed as "particularly suspect" to free speech concerns.

The prospect of a court challenge doesn't always stop lawmakers from enacting legislation, particularly after past mass shootings. But in the wake of the Supreme Court videogame decision, there seems to be more mindfulness that options are limited.

Steve Hogan, the mayor of Aurora, Colo., the site of a mass shooting at a multiplex last summer, suggested banning the sale of violent videogames or imposing some kind of tax, but he backed off the idea after the city attorney said that such measures would likely not survive constitutional challenges.

Adam J. Keigwin, chief of staff to California state Sen. Leland Yee, a Democrat who authored the state's 2005 videogame law, said that they did not tie their legislation to the ESRB ratings because "previous rulings that the government can't rely upon a private entity's ratings in deciding how to regulate." Moreover, he said, they had concerns that the rating system itself was "inherently flawed," with games rated "inappropriately," so "we tried to create our own definition."

Since then, however, Yee has not sought to recraft his legislation, mindful of the reality of the court 7-2 decision, and has focused instead on public service announcements for parents and other educational measures.

Although Keigwin said that they were very confident of the scientific correlation between videogame violence and real-life aggression, Justice Antonin Scalia actually mocked some of the research that had been done in his majority decision.

Most likely to get passed are proposals that seek to resolve the conflicting claims about the effect of media violence. Some of the state proposals to study the effects of videogame violence bear similarities to ideas advanced by President Obama, who proposed a $10 million Centers for Disease Control study yet stopped short of taking further action to regulate media violence. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, also has proposed a study, to be conducted by the National Academy of Sciences.

The videogame industry has defended its ratings system and has pointed to research showing no link between virtual and real-life violence, but "we certainly view it that more information and better information is always beneficial," Horowitz said.

The concern, he said, is that impartiality be maintained; some of the legislation being proposed "seems to point to a conclusion prior to the research being conducted." He said that the Media Coalition sent a letter to Massachusetts lawmakers expressing concerns about a proposal to create commission that will study videogame violence because the plan also calls for also examining "policy options."

The constitutional limitations on lawmakers, though, do not extend to the bully pulpit. In New Jersey, Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, a Republican, last month introduced a measure aimed at media profiteering from violence. Her bill "urges all responsible television and film celebrities, together with all entertainment and media corporations, to publicly pledge to refrain from appearing in, promoting or profiting from entertainment products that depict the violent use of handguns, semi-automatic weapons, or 'assault weapon' style rifles."

The measure is a resolution -- so it's voluntary, not required.

Wireimage photo: "Call of Duty 2"

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted cast and crew of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" at the White House today, giving the Oscar contender her endorsement and hosting the type of awards-season event that is commonplace for any kudo hopeful: A Q&A.

Director Benh Zeitlin and actors Dwight Henry and Quvenzhane Wallis sat below a portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the State Dining Room as Rachel Goslins, executive director of the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities, queried them on the making of the movie and its message. The event was tied to Black History Month, with an audience of middle and high school students, but speaking before the Q&A, Obama noted that "this is high season for film."

She said that "it's rare these days to find a movie that can so completely and utterly captivate such a broad audience, and that was one of the things that struck me about this movie. It managed to be beautiful, joyful and devastatingly honest." The first lady said she first saw the movie last summer "with a large group of our friends and family."

She also went in to the "Beasts" backstory, how Zeitlin developed the movie "without a huge budget," how Henry, a bakery owner, "never acted a day in his life" before taking the role of Wink, and how Wallis is "the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award."

The complete video is below.

 

Viewership of President Obama's State of the Union Address fell to its lowest level in 13 years, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Some 33.5 million viewers watched, down from the 37.8 million who watched in 2012. Obama drew 52.4 million to his first address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 24, 2009.

Variety's ratings guru Rick Kissell reports that the most recent State of the Union to draw a smaller audience than Tuesday night was the eighth and final one issued by President Clinton, with 31.48 million.

NBC topped the ratings for most viewers, with 6.47 million, while Fox News Channel, with 3.68 million, edging out CNN, with 3.64 million, among the news networks. MSNBC was not too far behind with 3.03 million. The data is from 9:15-10:15 p.m. ET.

For all of primetime, Fox News averaged 3.82 million to 3.36 million for CNN and 2.39 million for MSNBC. CNN led in adults 25-54.

Why the drop in Obama's ratings? The audience actually has been declining since his first address, but second-term presidents generally experience a falloff, Kissell says.

Eric Garcetti's campaign unveiled this new web video in which Will Ferrell endorses his candidacy --- and it is, to little surprised, laced with humor. The video actually debuted at Garcetti's fundraiser last week at the Henry Fonda Theater.

This moment of Sen. Marco Rubio's response to President Obama's State of the Union address was awkward, out of place and authentic. At least we know he's not lip syncing.

 

President Obama's State of the Union address started as a robust call for a more activist federal government, a warning of overconcern about the deficit at the expense of economic growth and a push for all sorts of issues like gay rights and immigration reform that have in the past been defined as liberal.

But the speech's second half was its emotional part, as he drew standing ovations when he introduced the 102-year-old voter who waited six hours in line at the ballot box and recited all of the cities that have been the sites of horrific mass gun shootings. The challenge was for Republicans who have so long opposed his agenda to not step up, stand up and clap. House Speaker John Boehner did clap as Obama urged Congress to bring gun legislation to the floor --- "they deserve a vote" --- but much was made of the fact that he didn't stand for the centenarian voter.

As ambitious as the State of the Union speech was, the divisions in Congress cast doubt that much of what Obama proposed will actually come to a vote, and despite the emotion as Obama talked gun control, the odds still point to an uphill battle for an assault weapons ban and maybe even the expanded background checks and restrictions on magazine clips. All the more sobering is that, just as Obama was starting to talk about gun violence, the news was coming in that the body of Christopher Jordan Dorner may have been found in a burned out cabin in Big Bear, an end of a tense standoff throughout the day that included a gunfight and the death of one police officer. The news networks did not do a split screen --- some of the local L.A. stations kept with the Dorner coverage --- but the State of the Union didn't really need a reminder of the sensational juxtaposition.

I can't help but think that Obama isn't so much laying the groundwork for getting much of his legislation passed in this Congress, but creating enough of a popular movement for a future one, even after he is out of office.

Photo: Tony Bennett, a guest of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, tweeted a photo tonight of him meeting with Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly. Bennett quoted Obama's call for a vote on gun legislation. Also getting plenty of attention, after the speech, on the floor of Congress: Ted Nugent.

Obama's full speech is below:

 

"WarGames" inspires bursts of nostalgia, a kind of time capsule to the very early days of personal computing, when hacking was still viewed as the stuff of geek pranks. The movie, in which a teenager gets into a U.S. military supercomputer, thinks it is a videogame and nearly starts World War III, came at the height of the Reagan-era cold war, when Hollywood was positing a Soviet invasion in films like "Red Dawn" and a nuclear holocaust in movies like "Testament" and "The Day After." In contrast to the cold war of the 1950s, when public service movies actually believed that the keys to survival were bomb shelters and to "duck and cover," the fears of the early 80s were of annihilation, enough to trigger a large-scale movement for a nuclear freeze.

Bob Kazel, a Chicago writer and longtime friend who writes for Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, recently interviewed the director of WarGames, John Badham, to talk not just about the making of the movie but how it was prescient. There is the obvious fear about continued nuclear proliferation, this time to rogue actors or in a terrorist attack. But Badham identifies the whole idea of cyber warfare.

Badham says, "A lot of what 'WarGames' is talking about is technology taking over on us, and even though we may have good intentions and are trying to do our best, it could bulldoze us.

"Of course we see evidence of this all the time. Larry Lasker and Walter Parkes, the screenwriters, and I, started talking back in those early days about the possibilities of cyber war, and what could happen if what was then innocent hacking became really serious stuff. Of course, that’s what we’re watching now. I don’t think we were prescient. I just think we were letting our imagines say, 'Where could this go to?'"

He adds, "Our government’s going in and messing with Iran’s system. The Chinese government is coming in and tapping the New York Times’ addresses. It is sort of spooky. We’re in that age. Information is just flying everywhere, with nobody able to control it the way they’d like to control it."

As Kazel and Badham point out, what made "WarGames" different from other at-the-brink projects of the era is that it set out to be first and foremost entertaining, not to send a message.

Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen have each donated $50,000 to Working Californians, the independent committee set up last month to support Wendy Greuel's mayoral bid.

City ethics commission records show that the contribution was reported on Feb. 7. The trio endorsed her campaign in 2011, and have helped her raise money, but more recently they have backed the independent expenditure committee that can accept unlimited contributions. Spielberg and Katzenberg's political adviser, Andy Spahn, has sent letters to others in the industry, according to the Hollywood Reporter, asking for contributions to the independent org.

Among those who have recently stepped up with checks are Fox's Jim Gianopulos, who contributed $15,000; writer Susan Harris, who contributed $7,500; RealD CEO Michael Lewis, $7,500; and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who each contributed $12,500. Stanlet Gold, Judd Apatow and Norman Lear made contributions last month. Working Californians is also getting money from union sources, most recently Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1277 PAC, which contributed $10,000.

Greuel worked in government relations for Dreamworks from 1997 to 2002.

Update: Greuel unveiled another ad today, reports LA Observed. Also, records filed with the FCC show that her campaign has purchased $316,320 worth of broadcast airtime on local Los Angeles stations during the next week, including spots that will run during tonight's State of the Union address. Garcetti's campaign has purchased $212,210 over the next week, according to the most recent contracts filed with the agency, and he also will have spots run during the president's address.

 

 

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has invited longtime friend Tony Bennett to the State of the Union tonight, a celebrity counterpoint to Ted Nugent, who will be attending as a guest of a Texas congressman.

Bennett last week appealed to lawmakers to pass gun control legislation in a press conference on Capitol Hill. The event was co-sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Nugent is a gun rights advocate who created a stir last year for comments he made at an National Rifle Assn. convention, which led to the Secret Service paying him a visit. Nugent is a guest of Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas).

Meanwhile, Michael Keegan, the president of People for the American Way, has sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, asking him to disinvite Nugent.

Keegan writes, "The First Amendment protects Ted Nugent’s rights to say offensive things, but that right does not extend to making threats of violence against public officials. And it certainly does not give Nugent a 'right' to be granted a privileged position of honor as a guest of the House of Representatives at the President’s State of the Union address."

Update: Nancy Pelosi tells HuffPost Hill: "If a liberal had ever invited somebody who had made the statements Ted Nugent made -- cutting off all our heads, and he'd be dead or in jail if the president was reelected -- if any liberal or progressive invited someone who made those kinds of comments to the State of the Union, can you just imagine? When President Bush was--can you just imagine?"

Keegan's complete letter is below:

CNN has announced that Jake Tapper's afternoon show, set to debut in March, has a name, "The Lead with Jake Tapper." They also unveiled a video promo for the program.

 

 

Tapper talked to Variety about his new show on Monday, as well as about his most recent "Jake Tapper Reports" on Army Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha. The story is after the jump.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama will host the cast and crew of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" on Wednesday for what is described as an "interactive student workshop" with 80 middle and high school students from the DC area and New Orleans.

Rachel Goslins, executive director of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, will moderate a discussion about the film in the State Dining Room, with a focus on its production and "the inspirational themes within it that students can apply to their own lives," according to the White House.

Among those expected to attend are Quvenzhane Wallis, who is nominated for and Oscar for best actress.

The White House plans to stream the event on its website. The movie is distributed by Fox Searchlight.

As I have written about before, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is just the latest Oscar contender to enjoy attention from the highest levels of government. Last week, Vice President Joseph Biden met with "Silver Linings Playbook" star Bradley Cooper and director David O. Russell to discuss mental health. President Obama hosted a screening of "Lincoln" in the White House Family Theater and later had director Steven Spielberg, writer Tony Kushner and star Daniel Day Lewis to the private residence for dinner.

Ted Nugent's comments about President Obama landed him in hot water with the Secret Service last year, so Rep. Steve Stockman's invite to the rocker to attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday is either an audacious warning on gun rights and/or a brazen publicity stunt.

"I am excited to have a patriot like Ted Nugent joining me in the House Chamber to hear from President Obama," Stockman, a Texas Republican, said in a statement.  "After the Address I’m sure Ted will have plenty to say."

To make sure of it, Stockman's office is pre-scheduling interviews with Nugent.

Obama is expected to invite victims of gun violence to his speech, as he makes his case for improved background checks, a limit on magazine clips and perhaps an assault weapons ban.

At a National Rifle Assn. gathering last spring, Stockman said of Obama, "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year." That prompted the Secret Service to meet with Nugent. The Secret Service investigates any threats made against the president.

 

"Saturday Night Live" was all prepared to go with a sketch satirizing the Senate confirmation hearings of Chuck Hagel, showing the great lengths to which Republican lawmakers express their support to Israel. The sketch, which was shot at dress rehearsal, was rejected at the last minute by Lorne Michaels in favor of one about the Super Bowl blackout. While the Israel cold open surely would have triggered some controversy, its bigger problem may have been that it just didn't work in dress rehearsal. Nevertheless, it was posted on Hulu on Sunday, and available here.

 

Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti's first TV spot, titled "Proven," focuses on problem solving, as he talks about leading on "cutting business taxes and on pension reform." He also says that his district --- which includes much of the Hollywood area --- "is number one in job growth in Los Angeles." Garcetti has cited the revival of Hollywood in campaign appearances, as he did at his fundraiser last night, when he noted that it was an area that drew primarily tourists who quickly came and went. Now, it is the capital of L.A. nightlife, where Jimmy Kimmel chose to base his latenight talk show.

"Now, let's do the basics better, like answering phones, filling potholes, and picking up trash," Garcetti says. "Because doing the basics right makes life better for families and makes growth possible."

The spot will start airing this evening during local newscasts on NBC4 and KABC Channel 7, according to FCC records, and is scheduled to also run during shows such as "Extra," "Access Hollywood," "The Tonight Show," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Jeopardy," "Wheel of Fortune" "Nightline" and, of course, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" All told, the campaign has bought just over $300,000 worth of airtime on both stations over the next 10 days, according to FCC records, with plans for spots to run next week on "Meet the Press," "The View," "Castle," "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," "The Biggest Loser" and "Betty White's Off Their Rockers."

City Controller Wendy Greuel, his nearest challenger in most polls, started airing spots last week.

Politicians scramble to earn celebrity endorsements, but the situation is reversed this Oscar season, as Hollywood seeks the nod from the political elite. If they weren't blatantly saying "go see this film," they have helped elevate the profile of projects as more than just a typical movie.

Here's a rundown of which political star has given the stamp of approval to an Oscar contender.

White House photo: Daniel Day-Lewis views the Gettysburg Address in the private residence at the White House last November. President Obama had just hosted a screening of "Lincoln" at the Family Theater.

Variety's Timothy Gray argues that a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into how the CIA cooperated with "Zero Dark Thirty" is the kind of chill on speech that goes back to the blacklist.

He writes, "'Zero Dark Thirty' is the first pic to be singled out for D.C. investigation since the blacklist era more than 60 years ago.

"The horror of the HUAC blacklist is not just that it occurred but that people allowed it to continue for so long. The 'Zero' saga is a modern variation of a blacklist: It's one of many smear campaigns that spread like wildfire in a digital world and that the mainstream media then picks up but never follows through on the outcome."

Boal has been ever more vocal about the Senate investigation, telling a group of college students this week that "it's fine for some senators to say they think I'm wrong about some of the scenes depicted in the movie. It's an entirely different matter for them to launch an investigation over it."

The Senate investigation is of the CIA's cooperation, but Gray reports that Boal may very well be called to testify, which raises the further question: Will that appearance before the committee be in public, or classified for national security reasons?

Boal's argument is that filmmakers in the future may be more reluctant to pursue projects that require intense, investigative research if they have the threat of congressional scrutiny hanging over their heads. Studios may think twice about taking on a movie that offends the very lawmakers their corporate overlords often need to champion their interests. But Sony's investment appears to be paying off: Its worldwide box office is so far over $90 million.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi once deemed "The Colbert Report" too much of a risk for members to appear.

On Friday, host Stephen Colbert not only was the guest at the House Democratic retreat, Pelosi tried to lure him to become a Democrat, even if it was in humor.

"Governor Nikki Haley rejected you; we will welcome you with open arms," she told him, per Politico, referring to the South Carolina governor's rejection of Colbert's suggesting that he be appointed to fill a Senate seat from his native state.

His invite marked an embrace of the comic, who caused a stir when he emceed the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner in 2006 and later caused Pelosi concern that members who appeared on his show would be made to look like fools.

But his humor typically comes at the expense of conservatives. He's testified before a House committee on migrant workers rights. And Pelosi appeared on his show last year. At the retreated, they sat down for an interview, with Pelosi asking the questions.

Colbert's appearance was not open to the press, but details leaked out as House members tweeted some of the Comedy Central star comments and as some aides leaked details to reporters.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) tweeted some of Colbert's comments: "Republicans must embrace Hispanics unless science finds way for Hispanic women to give birth to old white men!" "I am for women I spent 9 months in one."

Colbert's sister is running in a special election to fill a House seat, and he reportedly predicted that she would win, even though she is a Democrat running in a Republican-leaning district.

He also sang the Star Spangled Banner with Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and, per Tribune's Mike Memoli, gave the gathering just the kind of humor they wanted to hear. "Republicans' loss in November has them soul searching...whether or not they have souls."

Twitter photo via Rep. Steve Horsford (D-Nev.).

 

Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, in a race for entertainment industry endorsements against his nearest rival City Controller Wendy Greuel, on Thursday tried to convey that he has the hip, Hollywood vote.

The venue was the Henry Fonda Theater, just down the street from the club district of Hollywood & Vine, and where the Garcetti held what it said was its largest fundraiser to date: $250,000, with some 1,000 supporters attending, most relatively young (i.e. late 20s, 30s and early 40s).

"Five polls in a row now have us in the lead in this campaign," Garcetti told the crowd, after taking the stage following remarks from Jimmy Kimmel and a taped message from Will Ferrell.

Even though polls show Garcetti ahead, the dynamics will change when the field is narrowed to two after March 5.

Garcetti noted that Kimmel, having finished shooting his ABC show earlier in the evening, has "never supported a politcal candidate before," and that Moby had become a "policy adviser," e-mailing him with ideas for what the city can do.

Later, after Moby took the stage to do covers of "Ring of Fire" and "Me & Bobby McGee," Garcetti reappeared to play keyboard to the musician's "Porcelain." Garcetti even tweeted a picture of himself practicing backstage, and he did do a brief set with congas after Kimmel urged him to play an instrument.

Greuel has a Feb. 11 event at the Soho House, with list of cohosts that includes J.J. Abrams, Sarah Silverman, Kate Hudson and Tobey Maguire. It won't be in hip Hollywood, but those names are still relatively young.

Via Twitter, Vice President Joseph Biden's office says that "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell and star Bradley Cooper agree with him "on the importance of acceptance, understanding, and access to treatment for those with mental illness."

They met today in Washington, only the latest in a line of Oscar contenders that have garnered D.C. attention.

Harvey Weinstein, whose company distributed "Silver Linings" and who was a prominent supporter and fundraiser for President Obama's re-election, has been working to elevate the movie's impact on issues of mental health.

Russell has been speaking publicly about his own son's struggle with mood disorders. He said on "Today" earlier this week, "Nothing comes easily to him, and that makes your heart bigger. It was a very healing thing to have written the movie ... I learned a great deal about resilience and about the relationship between the father and the son."

Photo: The White House

Final voting for the Oscars starts on Friday, and the publicity blitz for contenders has been unmistakable via full-page ads, talk show appearances and something that has been especially pronounced this season: The high-profile D.C. confab.

Today, Bradley Cooper and David O. Russell will meet with Vice President Joseph Biden today to discuss mental health, an issue raised in "Silver Linings Playbook." Cooper last week attended a D.C. press conference with former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and reps from the Center for American Progress to discuss removing the stigma of mental illness.

Harvey Weinstein, whose company released "Silver Linings," has been pushing the movie's larger issues about bipolar disorder, but he's certainly not the only one seeking to elevate an Oscar contender by emphasizing its larger societal impact. "Lincoln" screened at the White House and at a bipartisan Senate event on Capitol Hill, while "Argo" features an ending statement by former President Jimmy Carter, who also talked about the hostage rescue in a Warner Bros. featurette.

Updated

Stephen Colbert's sister, running for a South Carolina congressional seat, got a shout out from Stephen Colbert on "The Colbert Report." It's a non-endorsement endorsement, as Colbert says, "As a broadcast journalist, I am obligated to maintain pure objectivity. It doesn’t matter that my sister is intelligent, hardworking, compassionate and dedicated to the people of South Carolina."

Update: Colbert is wading further in to Democratic politics, as he's scheduled to be a guest at the House Democratic retreat on Friday, Politico reports.

Appearing at a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday, singer Tony Bennett and other stars pushed for stricter gun control measures in the wake of the Newtown shootings, while Kerry Kennedy and Martin Luther King III recalled the violence that took the lives of their fathers almost 45 years ago.

The event, organized by Demand a Plan and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was designed to keep pressure on lawmakers to take action on gun violence.

Bennett, however, was the most outspoken when it came to his own view of guns.

He said that he told his children "just don’t ever have a gun. No guns in my house. They are not allowed.

"I just believe that assault weapons, they were invented for war. They shouldn’t be on our streets here."

He warned of a "kind of turn that happened to the great country of Germany when Nazis came over and created tragic things, and they had to be told off. If we continue this kind of violence and accept it in our country, the rest of the world is really going to take care of us in a very bad way."

Bennett was an Army infantryman who was on the front lines as U.S. forces entered Germany in 1945.

He also called himself "a pacifist. I am very far out. I am against violence. I am against war. The average answer is there’s always going to be wars. I personally believe that some day the world will become sane and realize the ignorance of war because life is absolutely a gift."

Updated

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) praises Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," but has sent a letter to the director asking that he make one change to the movie that puts Connecticut lawmakers on the "the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery."

Courtney takes issue with the movie's depiction of the vote over ratification of the 13th Amendment as it shows two of three members of the state's House delegation voting to uphold slavery. In fact, Courtney said that the Congressional Record shows that the state's entire delegation voted to abolish slavery. Courtney even linked to documentation on his website.

"I understand that artistic license will be taken and that some facts may be blurred to make a story more compelling on the big screen, but placing the State of Connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of easily verifiable facts and an inaccuracy that should be acknowledged, and if possible, corrected before 'Lincoln'  is released on DVD," Courtney wrote.

Update: This is all part of the strange fusion this year of Oscar campaigning with D.C. politics. Ben Affleck, whose "Argo" has given "Lincoln" a run for its money in the best picture race, campaigned for Courtney. "Argo" has earned tremendous praise, but also some questions about the extent to which it uses dramatic license, particularly in the movie's climax.

Ashley Judd is considering a Senate bid in Kentucky, injecting a high-profile celebrity into Democrats' ambitions to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) next year.

American Crossroads, the SuperPAC co-founded by Karl Rove, is out today with a spot that should give her a reality check in the rough-and-tumble landscape of present-day politics.

The spot, called Ashley's Story, uses past footage of Judd speaking about her commitment to President Obama, telling a crowd that "Tennessee is home," and talking about "hillbillies." She's also shown calling herself "delightfully radical." The intent is to cast her as a "Hollywood liberal," a characterization that previously hurt George Clooney's father, Nick Clooney, when he ran for a Kentucky congressional seat in 2004.

According to Politico, American Crossroads is spending $10,000 on the online spot.

"Zero Dark Thirty" screenwriter Mark Boal, offering a spirited defense of his movie before a gathering of Loyola Marymount University students, said that he can "certainly feel a chill" on speech from a Senate  investigation into the CIA's cooperation with the project.

The Senate Intelligence Committee started an inquiry in December shortly after its chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), along with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) sent a strongly worded letter to Sony Pictures chairman Michael Lynton, calling for changes in the movie by claiming its depiction of the value of torture in finding Osama bin Laden was "grossly inaccurate." The lawmakers' inference is that Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow were fed the CIA's version of events, as the agency has an interest in defending its tactics used in the war on terror.

Boal, who was addressing the university's First Amendment Week on Tuesday, told the students, "It's fine for some senators to say they think I'm wrong about some of the scenes depicted in the movie. It's an entirely different matter for them to launch an investigation over it."

"It's the kind of reaction that may very well give some future filmmaker, photographer or painter, or writer, blogger or reporter, second thoughts about his or her work." Noting that constitutional law characterizes vague government action as a "chilling effect," he said, "when the Senate Intelligence Committee launches an investigation, I certainly feel a chilling effect."

He added that "as far as I know, Congress hasn't launched a formal investigation of filmmaking since the House Un-American Activities did so in the late 1940s." He was referring to the congressional inquiries that eventually led to the Red Scare and the Hollywood blacklist.

Boal, a former journalist, also devoted the 45-minute speech and short Q&A to defending the movie's blend of fact and fiction, as well as the way that it depicted scenes of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Some critics from the left have chided the movie for overstating the role that such interrogations had in the hunt, he defended the movie's depiction of torture, noting that "interrogations were clearly part of how this lead developed." CIA director Leon Panetta, he noted, recently acknowledged the role of enhanced interrogations.

"If we left torture out, we'd be whitewashing history," Boal said.

He said that from the right, they have been criticized for depicting interrogation scenes "as more brutal than they actually were," or that they show some torture practices performed by CIA officers when they actually were done by "Americans working for the military."

"But every interrogation technique portrayed in the film was performed by Americans, some lawfully, some not, in the war on terror," he said. The scenes in the film "accurately depict the role that interrogations played in the hunt," producing bad information, no information or "a useful scrap."

He said that "Zero Dark Thirty" "has joined a club of films that have come under fierce attack in their time," citing "Bonnie and Clyde" and "A Clockwork Orange," but that his project differs in the speed in which it is turning around its story.

"Despite the overwhelming coverage through the media of the mission in Abbottabad, the central role of the team that hunted bin Laden for ten years was told for the first time not in a newspaper or a book, or even online. It was told at the movies."

"That may be a first. I hope it's not the last."

Politico's Mike Allen reports that Fox News declined to renew Dick Morris' contract, in the latest shakeup among the channel's lineup of pundits.

Late last month, Sarah Palin exited the network after she failed to reach an agreement to extend her contract.

Morris famously predicted, with certainty, a Mitt Romney landslide in the November election, and afterward said he was caught off guard by the size of the turnout for President Obama.

Morris is to appear on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" on Wednesday.

 

On Wednesday, Chris Rock, Tony Bennett, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott and Anna Deavere Smithare among the famous figures who are trekking to Capitol Hill to push for new gun control legislation, according the Politico, working with a coalition of orgs that are trying to keep up the pressure on lawmakers post-Newtown.

Undoubtedly, if they are not on the National Rifle Assn.'s list of celebrities with "anti-gun policies," they soon will be. The list, which was posted to the website of the NRA's lobbying arm the Institute for Legislative Action in September, is surprising not for the names listed but for it's scope. Bennett, for instance, is already on it, but he's long been a champion of gun control and left-of-center causes. The same can probably also be said of Matt Damon, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Douglas, Phil Donahue, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand and Rob Reiner. But Fannie Flagg, Peter Reckell and Cathy Rigby? Who knew they were so outspoken? Peter Bonerz of "The Bob Newhart Show" is on the list, but where does the guy who played Mr. Carlin stand?

Some of the figures on the list, like Jill Clayburgh, passed away several years ago, while all of The Temptations are listed, which could account for more than a half-century of opinion from the two dozen or so who have been members of the legendary group.

Actually, the list is revealing in that it shows the lengths to which the NRA is monitoring what it said about them, or about guns in general. Some journalists who are on the list are treating it like a badge of honor, the way that many treated their listing on President Richard Nixon's "enemies list," although that usually came with a suspiciously coincidental IRS audit.

The intent of the list appears to be to show that show biz, the media and elite institutions are stacked up against the NRA. You can't help but wonder, though, whether the listing of so many names, from Jane Fonda to Sylvester Stallone, actually has the opposite effect, to show that on gun policy, a number of Hollywood figures who've diverged so often on their political views find themselves in agreement on the need for action on guns.

The complete list is below:

A note about the "fleeting expletive" that came through at last night's broadcast of the Super Bowl.

Joe Flacco uttered it at a time when CBS was no doing a five-second delay of its broadcast signal. The network does delay the pre-, post- and halftime show, but not of the game itself. Flacco's expression of jubilation, as players swarmed the field following the Ravens victory, came when the network was still providing live coverage and had yet to go to its post-game show.


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After CBS aired Baltimore Ravens MVP Joe Flacco delivering an f-bomb in the Super Bowl postgame on Sunday, a parents watchdog group is calling for FCC sanctions on the latest instance of a "fleeting expletive."

Flacco said, "This is fucking awesome!" to a teammate, and it was picked up by a network microphone.

Tim Winter, president of the watchdog org Parents Television Council, said, “Despite empty assurance after empty assurance from the broadcast networks that they would never air indecent material, especially during the Super Bowl, it has happened again."

“No one should be surprised that a jubilant quarterback might use profane language while celebrating a career-defining win, but that is precisely the reason why CBS should have taken precautions. Joe Flacco’s use of the f-word, while understandable, does not absolve CBS of its legal obligation to prevent profane language from being broadcast – especially during something as uniquely pervasive as the Super Bowl. The instance was aired live across the country, and before the FCC’s designated ‘Safe Harbor’ time everywhere but along the East Coast."

If this latest instance of profanity slipping into primetime has a familiar ring, that's because it is an issue that has entangled the broadcast networks and government regulators for years. A Supreme Court decision last year, over Cher and Nicole Richie's utterances of "fleeting expletives" during awards broadcasts, struck down the FCC's attempts to crackdown on those instances, but it didn't completely close the door on the agency from policing unexpected four-letter words in the future.

The PTC also complained after CBS showed a split second glimpse of Janet Jackson's bare breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, an incident that the singer infamously attributed to a "wardrobe malfunction." CBS challenged some $550,000 in fines, but they were thrown out by an appellate court. Although the Supreme Court declined to take that case, Chief Justice John Roberts warned that it was a matter of procedure. "It is now clear that the brevity of an indecent broadcast --- be it word or image --- cannot immunize it from FCC censure," he wrote in June.

Winter, in his statement, said, “Now nine years after the infamous Janet Jackson incident, the broadcast networks continue to have ‘malfunctions’ during the most-watched television event of the year, and enough is enough. After more than four years of inaction on broadcast decency enforcement, the FCC must step up to its legal obligation to enforce the law, or families will continue to be blindsided."
 
Whether the FCC will take action is the bigger question, as the agency has an estimated 1.5 million complaints pending. Unlike his predecessor, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has shown less willingness to put indecency on the airwaves as a priority on his agenda, even though he has defended the FCC policies of the past.


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