THE DISTANCING OF HOLLYWOOD FROM ITS AUDIENCE CONTINUES: I guess if you support the war, they don't want your money, similar to Apple's recent highly politicized hiring and uber-PC ad campaigns.

The studio moguls who ran Hollywood in its golden era were very, very wise to carefully manage their stars' images. Yet paradoxically, I'll bet the majority of celebrities back then were far more naturally careful to avoid controversy.

And its nice to see such a diversity of opinion on display isn't it?

Incidentally, what's with all the stars who've said they'll sit out the Oscars tomorrow? Is it simply because they fear for their safety (of course, I doubt Cary Grant, John Wayne, or Bette Davis ever missed an early 1940s Oscar awards for fear of a Japanese attack on the theater), or is it the weird belief that "if enough of us don't show, America will wonder why and turn against the war?"

Hey Martha, I don't see Meryl Streep and Will Smith! That's it, this war stinks. I'm joining the protestors!

Update: The Washington Post article linked to above is no longer on the WaPo's site, but was reprinted here.