I’ve picked on presidential candidate and ex-senator John Edwards for remaining mute on copyright issues dear to info-populists, but I’d keep my expectations low in the case of other presidential hopefuls as well. This tidbit is from today’s Variety.com, with hyperlinks added to help our readers outside the U.S. and Hollywood track the players:
…Barack Obama‘s cameo appearances in town have created a fervent constituency, and Hollywood likes instant stars. Still, the Hillary backers have power and money and are diligently trying to disconnect her from the debacle in Iraq.
The political star system has its built-in tensions, to be sure. Adam Venit, a honcho at Endeavor, hosted a reception for John Edwards at his agency the other day. Not present was Venit’s partner, Ari Emanuel, who threw a hot Obama bash not long ago and whose brother, Rahm, may (or may not) remain in the Hillary camp.
At the same time, Hollywood loves box office, and Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” has become Paramount’s single most profitable release. Suddenly Gore is a star again.
No, the receipt of Hollywood money in itself doesn’t mean evil, and I’ll judge candidates by other criteria. But it would be nice, wouldn’t it, if some major presidential candidates could come out for balanced copyright law and a moderate rollback of copyright terms.
Related: Identity of Edwards Home’s Buyers Veiled, in the Washington Post. Update: Also see Jan. 28 follow-up from Deborah Howell, the Post’s ombudsman. I think Edwards’ defenders made a good argument that the original story was unfair.
