[AGL] Hillary too sexy?

[Harry Edwards]

Think Hollywood stars sold on Sen. Clinton? Not so fast

Some celebrities who vote Democrat call her too famous or say it's too 
soon
By TINA DAUNT
Los Angeles Times

HOLLYWOOD - Depending on whom you talk to in Hollywood these days, 
Hillary Clinton is either too conservative, too polarizing, too famous, 
too stiff or — keep this to yourself! — too sexy.

And those are just the opinions of the celebrities who vote Democrat.

Once the darling of the industry's liberal set, Clinton has come under 
attack from some as she starts to line up support for what many feel 
will be a run for the presidential nomination. But that's not unusual 
for Hollywood — it's almost like a rite of passage, says veteran 
Democratic strategist Bill Carrick: You haven't really made it as a 
politician here until the stars line up to kick your tires.

Plus, Carrick said, "The Democrats want to win so badly, and Hillary is 
such an important leader, they're going to scrutinize everything she 
does."

The chatter started quietly last year, when the Hollywood political 
crowd began speculating that Clinton could be a 2008 contender.

For months, few were willing to say anything negative on the record, 
for fear of offending Clinton and her husband, Bill, who became a 
Hollywood favorite during his political career. When Hillary Clinton 
decided to run for the Senate in 2000, she was greeted with tremendous 
support from the entertainment industry's power brokers.

The Clooney interview
But Hollywood is a fickle place; behind-the-scenes feuding and 
gossiping are just part of the game. In December, the Sunday Times of 
London quoted George Clooney as saying that he was "frustrated and 
disappointed" that the Democratic leaders — including Clinton — had 
"backed themselves into a corner" over the war in Iraq. According to 
the paper, Clooney reportedly called Clinton "the most polarizing 
figure in American politics."

The piece ran with the headline: "Clooney's ambush hits Hillary's 
campaign." Clooney and his publicist said the comments were taken out 
of context.

The big question
Suddenly the Hillary issue became the question du jour in celebrity 
interviews:

How's your movie?

What are you wearing to the Oscars?

What about Hillary Clinton?

Kathleen Turner, starring in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 
London's West End, was asked by a British reporter if she thought 
Clinton could win in 2008.

"I have my doubts about that," Turner told Rosie Millard of the New 
Statesman.

"We don't want a celebrity woman president," she said. "We want someone 
who is really proven, someone with a really good foundation at that 
level, not just a star."

Next, Sharon Stone.

"I think Hillary's fantastic," she told a reporter. "But I think it's 
too soon for Hillary to run. ... She still has sexual power, and I 
don't think people will accept that. It's too threatening."

Clinton is coming back to town for an April 21 fundraiser — accompanied 
by her husband. And as usual, a cadre of stars will be there — if for 
nothing else to corner Clinton and tell her their opinions on politics.