By Mark Caro,Chicago Tribune
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes greet Obama and Michelle
Hollywood has long maintained a mutual love affair with the presidency. John F. Kennedy was famously friendly with Marilyn Monroe,who serenaded him with “Happy birthday,Mr. President,”and his father,Joseph,financed movie studios and dallied with Gloria Swanson.
The entertainment biz begat Ronald Reagan and embraced Bill Clinton,who returned its affection. Barack Obama’s historic presidential drive took a great leap forward in early 2007 when David Geffen publicly dissed Hillary Clinton around the time Geffen and his DreamWorks partners,Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg,threw a $1.3 million fundraiser for Obama.
After eight years of George W. Bush,Hollywood is eager to embrace a president that it passionately backed. But does that mark a return to the Clinton years,when the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom had a revolving-door policy for such star supporter/donors as Barbra Streisand,Tom Hanks,Ted Danson,Chevy Chase,Spielberg and Geffen? Or will Obama keep the celebrity crowd at more of an arm’s distance,as he did for much of his campaign?