Worlds Colliding

Last night's Democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took place in LA at the Kodak Theater, the usual site of the Oscars. In attendance were all kinds of stars, creating very odd camera pans from the debaters to George Costanza in the middle of a health care question, or to Stevie Wonder in the middle of a tax cut (or raise, as the case may be) question. The article below lays out lots of the attendees, others I saw include: Topher Grace, Isaiah Washington, and Cornell guy from The Office. Click below for the article.

Forget about Denzel Washington's movie The Great Debaters. The Oscars are a whole month away, but the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood drew dozens of A-list stars for the final Democratic debate before Super Tuesday featuring contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on Thursday night.

Steven Spielberg showed up wearing an Indiana Jones-type leather jacket. Leonardo DiCaprio arrived with his dad and his publicist. Stevie Wonder jumped up in glee when a question was raised about the possibility of a Clinton-Obama (or Obama-Clinton) “dream ticket.” And Quentin Tarantino, decked out in shiny sharkskin suit, even jotted down his thoughts in a spiral notebook.

The first two-person debate filled the Kodak Theatre with actors, musicians, comedians, directors, studio executives, and other Hollywood types who cheered and applauded wildly after practically every answer by the candidates.

Director Rob Reiner was hooting as if he was at a Dodgers game, especially gratified when Hillary responded to a question about the ongoing Bush-Clinton dynasties by saying she would “clean up” after this Bush era the same way her husband did after George H.W. Bush’s administration. “That was THE line!” said Reiner.

Despite the entertainment industry’s passionate support for individual candidates, however many of those in the crowd rejected the notion that either Democrat decimated the other. “I think it was pretty evenly matched,” says Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Michael Lynton, an Obama supporter. “It almost seemed like they agreed ahead of time to keep things civil.”


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Stephen Rivers, a longtime Hollywood communications consultant who has worked with politically active stars including Jane Fonda and Oliver Stone, gave the win to Hillary Clinton, but admitted it was a close call. “If I had to grade it, I’d give her about a 55/45 edge,” he said.

Other talent on hand during the debate included Diane Keaton wearing her signature bowler hat and flapper outfit, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, actress-singer Brandy, Simpsons producer James L. Brooks, former Paramount chief Sherry Lansing with director husband William Friedkin, Sony Pictures studio chief Amy Pascal and playwright husband Bernie Weinraub, and comedian Garry Shandling, who kept those seated around him in stitches by whispering a running commentary throughout the night (“Remember when he was under the desk in Baghdad?” he muttered when Wolf Blitzer first took the stage.) No-shows included comic Dave Chappelle.

Dozens of California Democrats were also in attendance, including San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, congresswoman Maxine Waters (sitting next to Chelsea Clinton) and recalled ex-Governor Gray Davis.

While the showbiz crowd was obviously gaga for the Dems, one question did not particularly go over well. Asked about concerns about sex and violence in pop culture, Obama responded that his six- and nine-year-old daughters mostly watch Nickelodeon, but he is still “concerned about what’s going out over the airwaves.” While he “rejects the notion of censorship” in favor of “empowering parents,” Obama decried the showing of slasher horror film trailers shown during family shows such as “American Idol.” “I don’t mean to be insulting here,” said Obama, though, indeed, it was one of the few remarks that drew tepid applause from the crowd.

After the debate, the two candidates stayed on the stage of the Kodak for several minutes, signing autographs and chatting with the crowd. Then it was off to even more important business, as Obama drove up the street to the Avalon nightclub and Hillary headed west towards the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where they each attended $2,300-per-ticket fundraisers. They weren't the only ones out on the town – John McCain was also here Thursday night. From Politico.com