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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With the March 5 primary just four weeks away, the sexiest issues in the Los Angeles mayor's race seem to be pensions and the city's financial health. So it's no wonder the leading candidates are looking to put a starry shine on their campaigns, wooing Hollywood to gain the perception of momentum -- or maybe even grab on to the real thing.

Overall, as of Sept. 30, Hollywood had contributed almost $1 million to the race, according to local outlets KPCC and NBC4. That's a significant chunk of the total raised, and can be particularly effective in the traditionally low turnout of a city election.

While the money may reflect the realization of the influence city politics can have on the industry in everything from film permits, real estate development, studio expansion, business taxes and runaway production, the list of those who have donated suggest that, typically, biz givers don't necessarily have industry issues in mind.

In the past week, the campaign of City Councilman Eric Garcetti, leading in some polls, unveiled a somewhat irreverent Web video featuring Salma Hayek, who talked about his skills as a dancer, among other things. The campaign has been promoting a Feb. 7 fund-raiser at the Henry Fonda Theater with headliners including Moby, Will Ferrell and Jimmy Kimmel. Also being tubthumped: A list of 200 "entertainment leaders for Garcetti," with laudatory quotes from the likes of Michael Eisner, Showtime's David Nevins and attorney Ken Ziffren, and including the names of Jake Gyllenhaal, Kevin Spacey, Michael Ovitz and Tom Sherak, as well as campaign finance chair, Sony executive Eric Paquette..

Overall, as of Sept. 30, Hollywood had contributed almost $1 million to the race, according to local outlets KPCC and NBC4. That's a significant chunk of the total raised, and can be particularly effective in the traditionally low turnout of a city election.

While the money may reflect the realization of the influence city politics can have on the industry in everything from film permits, real estate development, studio expansion, business taxes and runaway production, the list of those who have donated suggest that, typically, biz givers don't necessarily have industry issues in mind.

Many see the list as a counter to City Controller Wendy Greuel, a former DreamWorks executive, and in particular the high-profile endorsements she gained early in the campaign from her former employers, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Spielberg, Katzenberg and their political consultant, Andy Spahn, have an extensive network of industry contacts to urge to write checks, and sources say they are helping a pro-Greuel independent expenditure committee that can collect contributions beyond the $1,300-per-individual limit placed on the campaigns. Greuel has a fund-raiser at the Soho House on Feb. 11 that features Kate Hudson, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Lourd, Tobey Maguire and Sarah Silverman among the co-hosts, and her campaign has held aloft her endorsement from the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The campaign also released its own list of supporters, including Eva Longoria, Tom Hanks, Haim Saban and Ron Meyer.

City Councilwoman Jan Perry, meanwhile, may not have the same depth of ties to the biz, but she has drawn support from Amy Poehler and George Takei.

And the campaign of Kevin James, a former prosecutor, entertainment attorney at Lavely & Singer and host on conservative talkradio, has released a list of its own supporters from the industry, including Gary Sinise, Bill Duke, Marty Singer, Lionel Chetwynd and Marc Cherry. In addition to being the only right-of-center candidate among the major contenders, James is also openly gay, and has been heavily involved in AIDS Project Los Angeles.

The candidates have been courting the industry to the point where the line that separates support from endorsement has been blurred. James' campaign lists screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and CAA's Kevin Huvane among supporters, and while each has given money to the candidate, Black says he has yet to endorse anyone. Huvane, meanwhile, also appears on Garcetti's list of supporters. And Abrams gave money to Garcetti, but he's now on Greuel's list.

Strange bedfellows indeed.

According to the recent KPCC/NBC4 analysis, the race for industry money has been one of Garcetti vs. Greuel, with Garcetti collecting $488,000 from industry sources to Greuel's $277,000.

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at USC's School of Policy, Planning and Development, sees a somewhat higher level of sophistication now in entertainment figures' support of local candidates than evidenced a few decades ago. None of the mayoral candidates has yet solidified a base or coalition, she notes, adding that Garcetti and Greuel are engaging in a cat-and-mouse game to capture attention within the biz.

"Greuel has the big guns (with Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen), and Garcetti's message is, 'Don't count me out in Hollywood,' " Bebitch Jeffe says.

In this interview with The Hot Button, "How to Survive a Plague" filmmaker David France talks about former New York Mayor Ed Koch's reaction to the movie, as he reviewed the documentary for a small weekly newspaper. Koch, who died on Friday, was criticized for his inaction as the AIDS crisis escalated in Manhattan in the early 1980s and, as France notes, he even called for the arrest of protesters that he later said should be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Included among them is Larry Kramer, who Koch had a restraining order against.

Koch reviewed the film "as though it had nothing to do with him," France says, adding that it is a reflection of the reconciliation that is taking place between leaders of the era and activists of that period.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who was director of the CIA when special forces found and killed Osama bin Laden, has weighed in with his review of "Zero Dark Thirty."

"It's a movie," Panetta said, laughing, during an interview with AFP. "And it's a good movie. But I lived the real story."

"I think people ought to make their own judgments. There are parts of it that give you a good sense of how the intelligence operations do work. But I also think people in the end have to understand that it isn't a documentary, it's a movie."

Three senators --- Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain --- aren't laughing off the film, but in December sent a letter to Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, blasting the picture and asking that changes be made. They later launched in investigation into the cooperation that the CIA gave to filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal in 2011 as they researched the project.

Panetta attempted to set the record straight on the role of harsh interrogation methods in extracting information that led to Bin Laden. Critics of the movie contend that it makes it seem as if torture played a critical role in the hunt, although many others who have watched the movie is to see something that is a bit more nuanced.

Panetta said, "The whole effort in going after Bin Laden involved 10 years of work, in piecing together various pieces of intelligence that were gathered. And there's no question that some of the intelligence gathered was a result of some of these methods."

"But I think it's difficult to say that they were the critical element. I think they were part of the vast puzzle that you had to put together in order to ultimately locate where bin Laden was."

He thinks that the U.S. would have found Bin Laden even without the intelligence yielded from the "enhanced interrogation techniques."

He's portrayed in the movie by James Gandolfini.

Panetta's response adds new fodder for Sony and the filmmakers that the criticism of the movie is an overreaction, and that they were not making a documentary but a dramatization.

In addition to Norman Lear, writer director Judd Apatow and Shamrock Holdings CEO Stanley Gold are among the recent contributors to an independent expenditure committee supporting Wendy Greuel's campaign for mayor.

Apatow gave $2,500 to the committee, Working Californians, and Gold gave $10,000, according to reports filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. Other contributors include investor Beny Alagem, who gave $10,000.

Their contributions, however, are just a fraction of support that Working Californians has gotten from labor. Intl. Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18 gave $250,000, and IBEW's Local 11 PAC gave $150,000.

Working Californians can accept unlimited contributions, beyond the $1,300 limit that individual donors can contribute directly to campaigns.

There's plenty of irony in that Ed Koch died early this morning on the same day that a documentary about his life, titled simply "Koch," opened. Director Neil Barsky and others associated with the project said, in a statement, "Everyone connected with the film deeply mourns the passing of Mayor Ed Koch. He will be greatly missed."

Actually, the many obituaries about his career talk about how much his persona fit the city that he led, and his shoot-from-the-hip style is quite a contrast to other cities, including Los Angeles, where the field of contenders is understated in comparison.

"You have got to get the attention of the public," he says in the documentary. "You have got to get them to follow you. You can only do that by being bigger than life."

Non-New Yorkers knew Koch throughout the 1980s by his cameos in movies, his appearances on "Saturday Night Live" or in taking to the stage in nationally televised Broadway benefits. Afterward, Koch was a judge on "The People's Court," but his short tenure on the TV bench was outshone by Judy Judy, perhaps one of the rare competitors who matched him in pugnacity. He also was a figure in other documentaries, including "Outrage" and the recent "How to Survive a Plague," that cast a critical eye on his response (or non-response) to the AIDS crisis, although Koch defended his record years after he was out of office.

The film trailer for "Koch" is below:

When an independent expenditure committee to support Los Angeles city controller Wendy Greuel in her bid for mayor was announced earlier this month, organizers said that it would be financed by union and entertainment money.

With reports being filed with the city of Los Angeles Ethics Commission, some of the donors are being disclosed. Norman Lear has given $5,000 to the independent expenditure committee, Working Californians, which is planning a media campaign to support her candidacy. Lear and his wife, Lyn, already have donated the maximum $1,300 that they can give directly to Greuel's campaign.

Lear is among the industry's most prominent political activists, having founded People for the American Way and pushed for years for progressive causes.

Organized by political consultants Sean Clegg and Ace Smith, Working Californians has the backing of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18.

Greuel's chief competitor, Eric Garcetti, has been critical of the outside spending. When plans were announced earlier this month for Working Californians, senior strategist Bill Carrick wrote to supporters that "a few people with a vested interest in the election, spending unlimited amounts of money to keep change from coming to City Hall is not what we need in Los Angeles."

Rose Kapolczynski, Greuel's campaign director, said after the independent expenditure committee was announced that "entertainment industry leaders and working families support Wendy Greuel because she means business when it comes to job creation."

 

The 9/11 Family Group is coming to the defense of "Zero Dark Thirty," issuing a statement thatcalls into question the motives of some of the movie's critics, who claim that it overstates the role that torture played in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

"We are greatly concerned that a few pundits, 'film critics' and elected officials are badmouthing this movie because of the waterboarding scenes and because this film directly confronts the enduring terrorist threat," the group said in a statement released Thursday.

As Variety's Justin Kroll writes, the group went on to describe criticisms and political outcry as "censorship": "The use of the term 'torture' by elected officials in hopes of dissuading people to endorse or view this film is antithetical to what our government should be all about."

Last week, director Kathryn Bigelow appeared on the cover of Time and has defended the movie in a Los Angeles Times op-ed, a shift in P.R. strategy which had earlier let the movie speak for itself. But that started to change when senators Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain blasted the movie, called for Sony to make changes and then launched an investigation of just how much cooperation the CIA gave to Bigelow and writer Mark Boal. Yet their actions also have had a backlash, with some creatives in Hollywood questioning why elected officials in D.C. were essentially trying to dictate the content of a movie.

"Nobody wants to think that if they make a work of art they have to answer for it before a government committee," Boal said on the red carpet at the Golden Globe awards.

Bradley Cooper, nominated for best actor in this year's Oscar race, is in Washington where he will attend a press conference with former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy about removing the stigma of mental illness.

Cooper and Kennedy will be joined at the Center for American Progress press conference by Barbara Van Dahlen, president of the nonprofit Give an Hour; and Andrew Sperling, director of federal legislative advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The movie, which is also nominated for best picture, is about a man living with bipolar disorder, which affects about 5.7 million adults in the U.S.

Give an Hour is hosting  a screening of the movie in D.C. tonight at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, followed by a Q&A with Cooper.

A number of movies have held screenings in D.C. during awards season, not only drawing attention to the films but to messages they convey. Steven Spielberg screened "Lincoln" at the White House and on Capitol Hill, while "Zero Dark Thirty" had a screening at the Newseum (in addition to sparking a renewed debate over torture).

The mystery of whether Beyonce lip-synched the National Anthem at President Obama's inauguration is solved: She said today that she sang to a pre-recorded track.

Calling herself a "perfectionist" at a press conference tied to her appearance at the Super Bowl on Sunday, she said that she decided to sing to a prerecorded track becasue "I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show, and a very very emotional show for me, one of my proudest moments, and due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration and I wanted to make him and my country proud."

She said that the use of a prerecorded track is "very common in the music industry" and that she was still "very proud of my performance."

In an ingenious way of tempering any criticism, Beyonce started the press conference by asking the reporters to stand up, and she belted out the "Star Spangled Banner," for real. Video below.

The leading contenders in the race for Los Angeles mayor --- city councilman Eric Garcetti and city controller Wendy Greuel --- are in a battle of perception over who has momentum leading to the March 5 vote. A big part of that is endorsements from the entertainment business, and each candidate has been aggressively courting industry donors for more than a year now.

Garcetti put out a video earlier this week featuring Salma Hayek, who talked about his skills as a dancer, among other things, and has slated a Feb. 7 event at the Henry Fonda Theater with Moby, Will Ferrell and Jimmy Kimmel among the headliners. Greuel has a Feb. 11 fundraiser at the Soho House featuring Kate Hudson, Tobey Maguire, J.J. Abrams. Bryan Lourd and Sarah Silverman among the cohosts, according to the LA Weekly.

Today the Garcetti campaign went a step further, releasing a list of 200 supporters from the entertainment business, along with quotes from Michael Eisner, Ken Ziffen and David Nevins.

Eisner said, in a statement from the campaign: "I strongly support Eric Garcetti. He is exactly what Los Angeles needs from our new Mayor. I have known Eric since he was in high school, on through college, a Rhodes Scholar, and City Council president. If anybody knows LA and how it runs and how to run it, Eric does.”

Greuel unveiled her campaign's first advertising spot on Tuesday, and it began running this week. But she also has the support of an independent group, Working Californians, with support from unions and entertainment sources. Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen endorsed Greuel, a former Dreamworks executive, in the fall of 2012, and there is some expectation that they may be involved in donating to the independent committee as well.

The full list of "entertainment leaders for Garcetti," which also includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Kevin Spacey, Michael Ovitz and Tom Sherak, is below.

"I'm not a debater. And everybody has their own opinion about this." Jim Nabors, 82, to Hawaii News Now, on marrying his partner of 38 years last month in Washington. Although reticent to enter the debate over same-sex marriage, he said that "when you've been together 38 years, I think something's got to happen there, you've got to solidify something."

On "Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday, the late-night host suggested that Al Gore was "enabling" the continued use of fossil fuels by selling Current TV to Al Jazeera, financed by an emirate that reaps a windfall from oil and gas.

But Gore said that Qatar has "ambitious plans" for developing renewable resources, and praised Al Jazeera's news coverage and its stories on climate change.

Letterman's questioning was similar to that of Matt Lauer, who grilled Gore on "Today" earlier this week about the sale of Current, reportedly for $500 million.

Letterman highlighted a problem that Current had all along with the cable lineup: "I never could find it."

"It turns out to be very difficult for an independent network to compete in a world of conglomerates," Gore said.

A video of the interview is below.

MPAA chairman Chris Dodd will be the keynote speaker at the National Press Club's speakers luncheon on Feb. 15.

The MPAA notes that the appearance is just a week before the Oscars on Feb. 24. While the focus is on the impact of Hollywood on the American economy, there's a good chance that the issue of violence in the media will come up in the media forum.

Former Secretary of State James Baker and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) wrote a joint op-ed published in the New York Times today that suggests that the National Rifle Assn. and the entertainment industry have to ease up on their defense of the status quo via the protection of the Second and First Amendments, respectively.

They write, "Absent wide support, any laws passed now might well be rescinded once the partisan balance of power inevitably shifts. A broad-based approach could also help guarantee that any legislation would survive a constitutional challenge. That means that both gun-rights activists and the entertainment industry will have to moderate their positions."

Baker and Dingell share their experiences as hunters, but they question whether society needs high capacity magazines or armor piercing bullets. But they also reference violent movies, TV shows and videogames and suggest further study on the long-term impact on children.

President Obama called for a $10 million study of videogames and media images, to be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, in his plan to reduce gun violence.

Los Angeles city controller Wendy Greuel this morning unveiled the first campaign ad in the Los Angeles mayor's race, a spot that pledges that she will represent "all of L.A." It's a pretty generic message, but the well-produced spot also is an introduction to voters, many of whom undoubtedly haven't paid much attention to the race even with voting five weeks ago.

The LA Weekly reports that the Greuel campaign "spent at least $125,000 on its initial week-long buy with KABC, with an additional, unspecified buy at KNBC." Greuel's spot will get aired during local news as well as Jimmy Kimmel's show, which, as the Weekly points out, is interesting because Kimmel has endorsed Greuel's chief rival, Eric Garcetti.

The complete ad is below:

Mary Matalin and James Carville will be ending their longtime gigs as pundits on CNN.

Carville told Politico that the news network wanted its contributors to be more readily available --- i.e. in D.C. --- but he and his wife live in New Orleans.

Jeff Zucker officially started on the job last week, and today he put into play a big change with the hiring of Chris Cuomo, expected to have a major role in the morning hours. Last month, Jake Tapper also left ABC News for CNN, with plans for an afternoon show.

 

Tonight's debate of five Los Angeles mayoral candidates was free of attack lines and zingers that are part of the national stage, but it also was also largely of that big captivating idea.

With five weeks to go, there have been many. many forums already, but the event on Monday at UCLA that was broadcast in the early evening on NBC 4, ensuring a larger audience. The theme was jobs and the economy, and moderator Conan Nolan put that in stark relief by showing a chart of the city's rising deficit as well as its climbing pension liability, rising to more than a quarter of the general fund by 2016.

While all of the candidates agreed on the need for pension reform, perhaps most surprising was that Kevin James, the former radio host and Republican on the non-partisan ballot, wasn't the rhetorical flame thrower to match the tone of a recently released pro-James SuperPAC ad. He cast himself as a candidate free of special interests when it came to dealing with public sector unions, and talked of freeing business tax calculations from gross receipt formulas. But otherwise seemed to agree with the other candidates on other issues, like the need to support green energy development or to undertake large-scale infrastructure projects.

Instead, most of the criticism of the other candidates came from Emanuel Pleitez, a tech executive and the underdog of the field, who seemed to start just about every answer with the phrase, "I am the only one up here who (fill in the blank)" Didn't Mitt Romney use that line?

A memorable moment for Wendy Greuel came when she announced that, as city controller, she identified $165 million in cuts --- the old adage "waste, fraud and abuse" --- including $7 million for fuel, the mystery being fuel for what?

City councilwoman Jan Perry suggested tying development agreements to job creation, such as setting aside employment for lower-skilled workers.

City councilman Eric Garcetti talked about the turnaround of Hollywood since he's held his seat, one of the few (albeit fleeting) references to the entertainment industry during the debate.

Somehow, though, these things always seem to come down to an issue universal to all, traffic. One of Garcetti's lines drew a rare moment of applause and laughter: "Traffic is strangling our economy and ruining our lives."

These are the remaining weeks of the first round of the race for mayor of Los Angeles, with voters going to the polls on March 4, with a good chance there will be a runoff of the top two vote-getters in June.

But even as the presidential election took away attention and resources, the candidates were aggressively raising money and collecting endorsements. The latest is Salma Hayek, who endorsed Eric Garcetti in a video that the campaign released today. The campaign also has slated a Feb. 7 fundraiser at the Henry Fonda Theater headlined by Jimmy Kimmel, Will Ferrell and Moby.

Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel was endorsed by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen back in 2011. Jan Perry has the endorsement of Dick Van Dyke, who co-hosted a fundraiser for her in November, citing her work in addressing the problem of the homeless downtown. And Kevin James hopes to break through in part with his notoriety as a radio talk host.

The candidates will be at UCLA this evening for a debate that will be moderated by Conan Nolan and aired on NBC 4.

Update: Hayek's spot is below. It is a bit unusual for a celebrity endorsement spot --- she calls him "this guy Eric Garcetti," and notes that he is a chef, gardener, professor, former military officer and an "amazing dancer" --- but irreverence seems to be the point.

Political consultant and ad maker Fred Davis, who is leading a SuperPAC supporting Los Angeles mayoral candidate Kevin James, the right of center alternative in the race, debuted a new web video today that casts his opponents as foxes guarding the henhouse.

Davis is perhaps most notorious for creating Carly Fiorina's "demon sheep" against Barbara Boxer in the 2010 Senate race, but his reputation is for producing spots heavy in imagery, sometimes outlandish and often memorable.

This spot takes on Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry as unable to stand up to employees' unions at the expense of fixing roads and boosting employment. It ends with a shadow of a fox looming over Los Angeles City Hall.

When Sarah Palin was announced as a Fox News contributor in 2010, it was greeted with great fanfare. She had recently resigned as governor of Alaska, published a best-selling book and was widely believed to be a contender for the 2012 presidential nomination. The network even tried her out as a talk show host.

Those plans did not transpire, and now she is ending her gig as a Fox News paid contributor.

Today, Fox News confirmed that they had parted ways with Palin, although it was unclear what exactly led to her departure.

"We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with Governor Palin," Fox News' exec VP of programming, Bill Shine, said in a statement. "We wish her the best in her future endeavors."

During the Republican National Convention, Palin went public with apparent frustration that Fox news had cancelled her appearances on the night that John McCain was to speak.

Real Clear Politics, citing an unnamed source, reported that Palin was offered a contract but turned it down. Robert Barnett, her attorney representing her in the Fox News deal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This post was corrected to reflect that Palin's signing with Fox News was announced in January, 2010.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) on Thursday reintroduced legislation authorizing a National Academy of Sciences study of the effect of violent videogames and video programming on minors.

The legislation is similar to a bill he introduced last month, shortly after the Newtown tragedy, but there was not enough time to advance before the end of the last Congress.

The new bill has four original co-sponsors: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).

In a statement, Rockefeller said that he has been "working closely with Senate leadership and my colleagues to make sure that research like this is a priority, and I'm glad the president's plan includes additional research into the link between violent content and children's behavior."

President Obama's proposals to curb gun violence, unveiled last week, include authorizing $10 million for the Centers for Disease Control to conduct a study of violent content.

"The reality is we are living in an increasingly violent culture which, when coupled with mental illness, can create a very dangerous situation," Heller said in a statement.

Johanns said, "This legislation will allow us to study what, if any, impact this exposure has on our youth, and if it encourages or desensitizes our children to the real-life consequences of violence."

The legislation, the Violent Content Research Act of 2013, would examine whether violent video games and programming cause kids to act aggressively or have other harmful effects, and whether that effect is distinguishable from other types of media.  It also would look at the direct and long-lasting impact of violent content on a child’s well-being.

The NAS would be requried to submit a report within 15 months to Congress, as well as to the FCC, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The legislation cites violent "video programming," which could apply to TV but perhaps to web video and other new technology. In an interview with Variety, Rockefeller said that he was concerned that alternate distribution methods online make content more easily accessible to children with "limited parental control."

 

Vice President Joseph Biden, appearing today at a Google+ 'hangout" on gun violence, said that there was a need for more comprehensive research on the impact of violent videogames.

President Obama's set of gun policy proposals unveiled last week focused primarily on firearms, but it also made mention of media violence, including a $10-million study of videogames and, more generally, "media images."

Biden compared the potential benefit of such research to that of highway safety, including studies that showed the need to for seat restraints to prevent drivers from being impaled by the steering column.

"There is part of the interest group population out there that are afraid of facts," Biden said. "Let the facts lead where they will, and let the research be done, and that is one of the things that the president and I believe very strongly. Let the facts work, including with regards to the entertainment industry."

He added, "There is no hard data as to whether these excessively violent videogames in fact cause people to engage in behavior that is antisocial, including using guns. There is one study done --- the American Academy of Pediatrics --- they said if you watch three to six hours of videogames, a lot of kids do that, can lead to aggressive behavior. They didn’t make the next connection, that leads to violent behavior, but there’s no studies done. So I recommended to the president that we do siginificant research. Let the [Centers for Disease Control], let the National Institutes of Heatlh. Let these people go out and look at the pathology that behind this, if there is a pathology related to gun violence. We shouldn t be afraid of the facts."

 

 

 

 

Kathryn Bigelow, snubbed for an Oscar nomination, nevertheless can celebrate the movie's box office success as well as make a further publicity blitz for Oscar votes, as the pic is up for best picture, screenplay and other categories. She appears on the cover of Time today, and earlier this week was on "The Colbert Report." It is a different strategy than letting the film speak for itself, something that may not be possible when a movie is the target of Senators' furor and criticism from other well-regarded national security journalists.

“This territory has been controversial since the early part of the decade, so I knew that the film was going to be controversial, though perhaps I didn’t anticipate this kind of volume," she tells Time. "... I feel we got it right. I’m proud of the movie, and I stand behind it completely. I think that it’s a deeply moral movie that questions the use of force. It questions what was done in the name of finding bin Laden.”

Although Bigelow says that "there's ambiguity in the film," screenwriter Mark Boal defends its depiction of the use of torture as "true."

"If the general impression you get from this movie is that torture played a role in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, that’s because that’s true. That’s a fact. It doesn’t mean they had to torture people or that torture is necessary or torture is morally right."

Time's Jessica Winter quotes some critics, including Robert McFadden, a former Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent in charge and a senior vice president at the Soufan Group, a strategic consultancy, who challenges that enhanced interrogation techiques "were critical to putting together the mosaic that led to Osama bin Laden." Then again, that notion seems to be contradicted by CIA director Leon Panetta, who wrote to John McCain in 2011 that some detainees subjected to enhanced interrogation "provided useful information" about the courier that eventually led to bin Laden.

The complete story is here.

The U.S. Marine Band now is backtracking on an earlier statement that Beyonce lip synched "The Star Spangled Banner" to prerecorded music.

Now they are saying only that its portion of the National Anthem was pre-recorded, but as for Beyonce's singing, "No one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded," according to a statement from the Marine Corps, per the AP.

The statement indicated that the band did not have a chance to rehearse with Beyonce beforehand so "it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised for such a high profile event."

It is a bit surprising that they couldn't rehearse, given that this wasn't just any old concert or award show. So a guessing game continues, just as people are parsing the performance itself, wondering why she took out her earpiece midway through.

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So Beyonce's rousing rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" was a lip sync. No wonder some in the crowd I talked to thought that she didn't quite have the vocal force they expected, at least not like Whitney Houston.

But according to Entertainment Weekly, Houston's 1991 version also was pre-recorded. Perhaps this latest dose of reality will open a whole Pandora's Box of national treasured moments that aren't quite what they seem. Actually, given all of the coverage and excitement around Monday's inaugural, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that the swearing in was not really a swearing in. That was done the day before in the private quarters of the White House.

The same mini-controversy happened in 2009, when reporters quickly discovered that cellist Yo Yo Ma's performance was prerecorded, as organizers feared that the cold weather would freeze up his fingers. There is no such explanation this time around, as the weather was slightly warmer, and other performers like Kelly Clarkson apparently performed live. I'll admit that I didn't notice anything amiss from where I sat, although reporters standing off to the side of the Marine Band said that they could notice that sound wasn't coming out of the instruments.

A real inaugural performance may be when an artist is forced to improvise. Poet Robert Frost composed a new work for John F. Kennedy's inaugural in 1961, but the glare at the lectern was so great that he couldn't read the words, and he instead recite "The Gift Outright" from memory.

So perhaps that ought to be the threshold for future performers at inaugurals. The new president invites them to attend and then, after the swearing in, makes his request to sing a favorite on the spot.

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There was not a more elegant moment last night when President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama danced to Jennifer Hudson's serenade of "Let's Stay Together."

First it was at the Commander-in-Chiefs Ball, and then it was at the Inaugural Ball. The latter was a massive Super Ball, essentially combining eight of the elegant affairs into two, drawing tens of thousands to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

If you think it had the makings of an Andrew Jackson-era mob scene, you are wrong. Very few of the ball goers were dressed down: very many were dressed to the nines. It many have not been Jason Wu, who designed the First Lady's inaugural gown, but to the many who flowed in through the security, it was obviously their best.

On TV, this Inaugural Ball, with star filled performances, lived up to the themes, classy and inclusive. But to actually be there was to look around, beyond a makeshift stage, and a two-football field sized hall, just slightly decorated, that was pretty dreary, what with exposed concrete and all the charm of an assembly line.

Outside, thousands waited to pass through a security perimeter, many women having made blocks-long walks down Sixth Street in their high heels before reaching a block long line. Then it was another line for coat check. And once finally in, yet another for drink tickets. There were no lines for the food: Cocktail pretzels and Cheez Its.

The saving grace may have been the brief appearance of the Obamas, or top notch entertainment from Alicia Keys, Smokey Robinson, Jamie Foxx and Brad Paisley. In one of her appearance, Keys talked about "this historic moment we are living in, where nothing can stop us, no one can get in our way."

For many there, it may have felt a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By the time they got out, their thoughts were surely on the "once."

Elsewhere, much smaller and less logistically challenging events were spread out across town. Cyndi Lauper entertained at a Human Rights Campaign ball at the Mayflower Hotel, exclaiming to the crowd, "He said 'gay.' Bitch right." It reflected an upbeat atmosphere in the ballroom, primarily because Obama mentioned gay rights for the first time in an inaugural address, as well as put the movement's key moments like Stonewall in the context of Selma and the civil rights battles of the 50s and 60s. Richard Blanco, the inaugural poet, was surrounded as he repeated, again and again, the feeling of being on the Capitol Hill platform and reciting a work before some 700,000 to 800,000. (Official estimates have yet to come in.)

Across town, at the 9:30 Club on V Street, Ke$sha and DJ Jazzy Jeff performed at an event for Musicians on Call and the Recording Industry Assn. of America. It was past midnight. Inauguration Day was over, and they broke through the staid elements of earlier events. Guests were showered in gold glitter.

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WASHINGTON President Obama's inaugural address included a call to end the bitter "spectacle of politics," but on Monday, he still embraced all its pageantry and pomp.

James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson had star turns on the Capitol Hill platform, and Beyonce gave such a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that, at least among those inaugural goers up close, she invited comparisons to Whitney Houston.

But as Obama launches a second term amid plenty of jubilation here, there is a question of just how much he will continue to tap Hollywood. His many trips to Los Angeles were to raise money, by many accounts a ritual he hardly craves but does out of necessity. Compared to his Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, Obama has been somewhat detached: Little late-night courting and conversation. A recent dinner in the private quarters with the team behind "Lincoln" was an unusual gesture during his off time.

But many of his supporters say he will continue to draw on ties to the entertainment industry, even as he is freed from the demands of fundraising for another term.

His inaugural address signaled a renewed commitment to tackling climate change and immigration reform, an unprecedented mention of gay rights and a repeat of his vow to push a major new initiative on gun control.

All are certain to engage many industry activists, with the recent announcement that the campaign apparatus will continue as Organizing for Action perhaps a signal that showbiz figures will be used to rally grassroots support around issues in the same way they were deployed for his reelection.

Bruce Roberts, who along with Eric Ortner led the Entertainment Advisory Council for the campaign, said that the president would "absolutely" continue to engage show biz. Their org helped organize industry figures, such a campaign surrogates, including a meeting with Obama in the fall of 2011.
He said they are now talking about next steps.

"He appreciates what we have done, and of course he will be" tapping show biz, said Roberts from the steps of the Capitol before the swearing in, as the U.S. Marine Band played John Phillip Sousa. "Everything is being planned right now. Everything is being sorted out right now. We have a lot of different things going on. We are really going to push. ...Now we are just going to twist things around and see what we can do."

He added, "Hollywood and Washington are really two different animals, and they don't really speak the same language half the time, but they have the same focus."

In the immediate term, the administration is likely to continue to work with entertainment lobbying groups on gun violence, although Vice President Joseph Biden's recent meetings signalled that it may not have the extensive focus that media mayhem had in the Clinton years. Going forward, a lot of the attention is expected to be on enhancing or promoting voluntary ratings for parents.

But in the long term, Obama's engagement with the industry is expected to continue to reflect the multiracial and multicultural coalition that were critical to his reelection.

The lineup of musical talent for the inauguration --- from Alicia Keys to Far East Movement to the cast of "Glee" --- signals a desire to spotlight diversity, particularly in the arts. The Obamas have revived PBS' "In Performance at the White House," and have appointed many industry figures to an arts policy committee. The choice of one of the inaugural co-chairs, Eva Longoria, was a recognition of the importance of a well-recognized figure who is forging a new role as a Latino activist.

Obama's inaugural address invoked, in an indirect way, the role that the media can play in politics. In doing so he eluded, as he has before, to the discourse on cable news and talk radio.

"We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate," Obama said.

Some veteran Washington figures who have been pushing for compromise --- yet have seen the town descend into even more gridlock --- saw Obama's inaugural address infused with the message that even if post-partisanship fell short, in many ways change didn't.

"He knows he can't force the Republicans to do things, but he is going to try and he is going to use the power of this office, which is considerable, to move them in that direction," said Matt Bennett, VP of public affairs and co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic org. "But mentioning Stonewall, and mentioning gay equality that explicitly twice in an inaugural address and it marks a sea change in American politics where these things went from being the fringes to literally in the center of what an inaugurated president was talking about in his address."

Bennett was at the Old Ebbitt Grill, where his org, along with WHC Insider and Huffington Post co-hosted a party in full view of the parade route.

As revelers hovered around windows to wait for Obama's motorcade, he added, "Things have changed massively. I think that because we live in this hyperfast information age where everyone believes they know everything will be quite different from the judgment of history."

That sense of history is what drove many to DC four years ago; this time around, the mood was different, a mixture of jubilation and even a sense of relief.

Many of the media --- accustomed to being placed toward the back --- found themselves in the front row for the swearing in. In fact, it was movie-theater close, in that the view forced them to crane their heads and the lack of cell service prevented them from Tweeting. If there were complaints, they were a bit sheepish.

There was a bit of a sensation when Katy Perry and John Mayer, bundled up, arrived at the Capitol, stopped a bit in the media area and, still hounded by cameras, left for apparently better seats.
Nevertheless, it was nothing like it was four years ago, when telephoto lenses aimed at the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi to catch candid paparrazi shots worthy of Us.

Logistics were easier.

"I was here four years ago, only I was in the purple tunnel of doom. We never got in," said Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic social justice lobby Network and head of Nuns on the Bus, referring to the hundreds if not thousands who were trapped in a tunnel trying to get in, part of a security snafu.

This time around, she was up toward center front.

"Four years ago, it was like, whoooo. this is great. This is exciting. We did it. Something happened. Now this year I think we realize what hard work we face, how we have got to come together as a nation, none of us can quit. In some ways the election was the easy work, and we have to do policy. And it is way more difficult, but all of us need to come together to do that."

The proceedings went almost flawlessly. A protester shouted from a tree during much of the ceremony, and when Obama spoke, the sound of a train engine could be heard.

That was a far cry from four years ago, when the spirited moment was contrasted with the negative hand gestures and boos aimed at former President George W. Bush's helicopter as it flew off across the Mall.

Elaine Greene brought eight members of her ministry org Sisters With Purpose, having arrived by bus from Brooklyn, N.Y. at 3 a.m. on Monday to make it in time. She was here in 2009, but didn't want to miss this history: The second inauguration of an African American president.

"The first one was even more people, and they got emotional about the inauguration," said Greene, the chair of the org, who along with friend Angela Roper was bundled up in a long fur coat. "This one is rejoicing, and glad to see he won. Before it was tears everywhere around. Now it is rejoicing and happy and glad, hoping that we are going to go forward doing better."

And what did she think of the ceremony the second time around? "I kind of think it went on a little too long," she said, laughing.

Maybe that's the difference between spectacle, and all of Monday's pomp and circumstance. The former is fleeting; with the latter, it takes a bit of time to get to the final act.

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A colorful and nearly flawless inauguration, with a dash of musical performances, greets President Obama's second term. Even though he no longer has to make the trek to LA to fundraise, some of his supporters are hopeful that he will continue to draw on the industry for support. Watch the above video to see him take the Oath of Office.

WASHINGTON Here on Capitol Hill, the gods in charge of seating arrangements do something that you don't get often: They put the press up front, albeit the kind of crane-your-neck movie theater close.

So when President Obama delivered his second inaugural address, Beyonce sang the National Anthem and Myrlie Evers Williams read a spirited inaugural poem, you really were forced to pay attention and put away the tweets. The lack of any cell phone service made sure that will happen.

I'll have more later, but today's ceremony was everything that is promised with inaugural pomp and circumstance. There were few gaffes -- Chief Justice John Roberts seem to have practiced repeatedly to get the words just right --- and the crowds, stretching down the mall, actually looked larger than expected. The weather was just slightly warmer than in 2009.

As for Obama's address, a call for unity and an effort to reinvigorate a new sense of citizenship, only time will tell whether it survives to the history books. The age of instantaneous media has made that ever more difficult to determine the words that will endure. He did, however, disparage the "spectacle of politics," meaning pundit driven division, not what is certainly on display today.

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WASHINGTON As President Obama took the oath of office on Sunday, a couple miles away in Georgetown was a quintessential scene of the D.C. Beltway.

At Cafe Milano, a famed eatery for the city's establishment, cabinet secretaries and Capitol Hill lawmakers mixed with media pundits, a smattering of Hollywood celebrities and other industry types.

Yet despite a crush at this Newsweek-The Daily Beast brunch to get down a short red carpet and to the main dining room, there was still an unmistakable difference in the mood of this inaugural weekend from four years ago. In 2009, there were more people, more parties, more events, but also an obvious historic importance to the swearing in of the new occupant of the White House.

This time around, the sequel is sometimes straining, sometimes sobering in living up to the original.

That is not to say there isn't a lot of media attention around this inaugural. Networks are planning extensive coverage throughout Monday, and are using the day to show off the occasional innovation or twist.

On the National Mall, CNN has erected an elaborate, well-heated stage set, where Wolf Blitzer anchored a special edition of "The Situation Room" on Saturday night as about 100 people watched from behind a fence, sometimes even chanting his name, with a lit Capitol grounds in the backdrop. Much of the hour was to cut away to a Kids Inaugural Concert going on right then. Among the topics: Usher's performance.

It may not be history, but it is what most inaugurals are, pomp and circumstance. At the events surrounding this inaugural, the urgency of being there for a great new chapter for the country has given way to a much more pragmatic need to see and be seen. Gone is the huge branding presence, like a Pepsi campaign that seemed to go hand and hand with hope and change. There is still huge merchandising, the usual T-shirts and caps, but also a framed print that one shop near the White House was selling for $395 called "Callin the Red" featuring Obama playing pool against Lyndon Johnson, with Andrew Jackson, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and other deceased predecessors looking on. Legacy takes strange turns.

"Four years ago it was a singular event," said David Axelrod, the former White House senior adviser, said as well wishers shook hands with him at the Georgetown event. "Everybody's feet were a few inches off the ground. But it is still wonderful."

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said, "It is like being at a wedding and then a fifth anniversary. It is wonderful, and you are glad things worked out so well."

The industry presence is here --- but not what it was like in 2009, when plenty of entertainment figures, like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Lucas, showed up just for the sake of being an eyewitness to history. Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of Obama's biggest fundraisers and donors to his SuperPAC, didn't plan to make it this time around, nor did Steven Spielberg. He dined at the White House recently at the family private quarters along with "Lincoln" screenwriter Tony Kushner and Daniel Day Lewis. Few show biz names were on a recent list of inaugural donors.

Instead, many of the boldfaced names here this time around have a defined role: James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce are here to perform at the swearing in at the Capitol on Monday. In addition to Usher, Katy Perry and members of the "Glee" cast were among the headliners at a Kids Inaugural Concert on Saturday. Will.i.am, Common and John Legend played in the atrium of the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday at an event for twentysomething empowerment org Our Time.

On Monday, some of the performers at the two official inaugural balls include  
Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Chris Cornell, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson and Marc Anthony.

And co-hosting a number of events is Eva Longoria, who was an Obama campaign co-chair, and has established herself as an activist for Latino causes.

Others who are here, like Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon, co-chair of Obama's Southern California finance team, were heavily involved in the campaign. Many members of the finance team, including a group from California, were treated to a weekend of events that included a candlelight dinner, briefings by senior advisers and an event at the White House on Friday where they mingled with Vice President Joseph Biden, as well as choice accommodations like the Hay-Adams Hotel.

Also present is Harvey Weinstein, among the co-hosts of the Newsweek-Daily Beast event, who also raised extensively for Obama.

Speaking on a makeshift stage at Cafe Milano, he put in personal terms of why he worked for the campaign, noting that he grew up in the city projects in rent controlled housing.

"I am a successful product of a government that cares," he said.

The theme of the brunch --- bipartisanship --- was perhaps indicative of one of Obama's high hopes that hasn't come to fruition. some of the talk was a performance by Usher. There were conservatives there, like Grover Norquist, who chatted with MPAA chairman Chris Dodd until Longoria joined them, gave Norquist a hug and posed for pictures.

Quipping about the mix of personalities, Daily Beast editor Tina Brown quipped to the crowd, "All that is missing is Clint Eastwood. He's having a conversation with a park bench."

Others present included current and up-and-coming administration figures Valerie Jarrett, Gene Sperling, John Kerry and Shaun Donavan.

Some expressed hopes that the divisions in Congress are beginning to soften, although the recent fiscal cliff fight and coming debt ceiling battle seem to have pointed to a slog ahead.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Republican who nevertheless endorsed Obama twice, tried to get through the crowd without being slowed by extensive conversation.

As a group of reporters rushed to him to get a quote, he said, "I am not doing interviews." Then he gave away his reason for the rush, a buffet line at the restaurant's rear.

"Look at the food," he said.

Washington D.C. this weekend will be full of entertainment industry figures, the spotlight of of national and international media and very intense security, but the accepted conventional wisdom is that President Obama's second inaugural will be a far cry from the first.

It may be a good thing, what with the crush of as many as 2 million people on and around the National Mall four years ago, when traffic so choked that taxi drivers refused crosstown fares and it was so bitterly cold that musicians playing at a Lincoln Memorial concert had trouble triking chords because of frozen fingers.

This time around, temperatures are expected to be in the 40s, and fewer people are expected, although no one knows for sure whether D.C. will catch a logistical break. The swearing in at the Capitol on Monday, which will feature James Taylor, Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson, isn't even the historic event, but a ceremonial one. Whenever Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday, the Capitol event is moved a day later but the real swearing in, required in the Constitution, still takes place, this time at the White House with limited press coverage.

Yet even as inaugural planners have scaled back their events -- there are two official inaugural balls, down from 10 in 2009, and no concert at the Lincoln Memorial -- news networks and other media outlets are still heavily invested in all of the pageantry, pomp and circumstance.

The broadcast networks will have their lead anchors leading coverage on Sunday and Monday, sweetened with second-screen social media or online streaming of Obama's inaugural address and other events. Here's what they're planning:

CBS News: Coverage, anchored by Scott Pelley, will include Bob Schieffer and Norah O'Donnell, as well as "CBS This Morning" from the National Mall in an extended three-hour edition on Monday.

NBC: Lester Holt will anchor NBC News coverage on Sunday, and Brian Williams will lead coverage on Monday, with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Michael Beschloss among those offering analysis. NBC News.com will include a 180-degree panoramic view of the Monday ceremony.

ABC: Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos anchor ABC News coverage of the swearing in on Sunday, and will be based at the Newseum for coverage on Monday, with plans for an interview with former Secretary of State Colin Powell. ABC News and Yahoo! are jointly producing live-streamed coverage across a number of web platforms, with Dan Harris and Olivier Knox anchoring. ABC News and Yahoo! News also will stream a post-inaugural show on Tuesday, "After: The Second Inauguration of President Barack Obama."

Fox: Fox News' Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly will anchor coverage of the private ceremony on Sunday and public event and parade on Monday, with Brit Hume, Chris Wallace and "The Five" co-hosts Bob Beckel, Dana Perino and Juan Williams offering analysis along with contributors Charles Krauthammer, Stephen Hayes, Kirsten Powers, Karl Rove and Joe Trippi. Jon Scott and Jenna Lee will anchor from New York after Sunday's official swearing-in, while several shows will be live from Lafayette Park on Monday, including "America's Newsroom" anchors Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum; Shepard Smith; and "Your World" host Neil Cavuto.

CNN: CNN has built a large broadcast platform at the National Mall, with an emphasis on putting its lead anchors in the middle of the activity. Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper anchor on Sunday, with a primetime special that evening along with special editions of "Piers Morgan Tonight" and "Anderson Cooper 360." On Monday, Blitzer will be live from the Capitol, and Cooper will be on the National Mall along with the network's team of correspondents and analysts. "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" will be live from Lafayette Park on Monday afternoon, and Cooper will anchor coverage from the Mall that evening, with Morgan and Erin Burnett inside the Inaugural Balls. Author David Maraniss and historian Goodwin will offer perspective. The network also has teamed up with Facebook and Instagram to capture spectators' views and stories.

MSNBC: Chuck Todd will anchor coverage of the Sunday swearing-in on MSNBC, followed by Alex Witt at 12:30 p.m. On Monday, "Way Too Early" and "Morning Joe" will be live from The Dubliner in D.C., with the broadcast open to the public. Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews anchor coverage of the Capitol Hill ceremony and parade, with Lawrence O'Donnell, Ed Schultz and Rev. Al Sharpton, along with a long lineup of contributors and analysts. "Way Too Early" and "Morning Joe" return to The Dubliner on Tuesday morning.