The Hollywood President
One thing is bothering me. Let me tell you about it.
I love America. I love that it's a democracy, or a republic--whatever. It's great. Quadrenially we trudge to the polls if we can get time off from work to elect a President.
On television and in the movies, Hollywood (and here I'm talking about the metaphysical construct centered in California, not my own Mayberry-like hometown here in Maine) portrays this wonderful democracy many times each year. There are the classic portrayals of past Presidents (Young Mr. Lincoln, JFK, Thirteen Days). And there are also attempts to portray a fictional current President, if the real President is not available or won't work for scale.
So you've got your Dennis Haysbert (24) , Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Martin Sheen (The West Wing), Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact), even Geena Davis, star of the cancelled Commander-in-Chief (or, as my wife's mother called it, "Lady President").
Therein lies the problem: too many Hollywood Presidents. In the last five years alone, at least thirty-five actors and actresses have portrayed fictional Presidents in movies or TV.
Don't mistake me: we have come a long way. Fifty years ago, a black man couldn't eat at a Woolworth's lunch counter in the South. Today, he can portray the President on TV. What a country.
But how can we have a coherent Hollywood foreign policy with such a cacophony, with so many shouted voices? How can we sort out the Hollywood constitutional questions on issues like abortion, Medicare Class D benefits or portraying smoking in the movies? With so many presidents, those problems are simply beyond the scope of any one studio mogul or uber-agent.
Example: Say your typical moviegoer in Bombay, London or Baden-Baden sees five different movies in a year featuring five different Presidents. They'll get confused! "Who's in charge? Who's the President over there in America? Can't they get it together? They need a strong leader who will give them more space for living," etc. America must stand together, be strong and, equally important, be seen to be strong, especially in the foreign markets--which are more important now than ever.
So, now to my idea: America needs one Hollywood President. I propose that we elect, for one four-year term, one actor or actress to portray the President of the United States in all movies and television shows during that time.
Say you need a successor to Jed Bartlet on The West Wing. You have him (or her)--no more cumbersome elections. Say a comet is threatening the earth in the latest Ben Affleck movie. You know whom to hire--and who will decamp to the giant bunker when all appears lost.
I know this raises all sorts of constitutional questions: does the Hollywood President have to be a native of the United States (thereby disqualifying Dan Ackroyd and Alex Trebeck)? Who would be the Hollywood Vice President? What is the chain of succession? How would we elect the Hollywood President--a la the People's Choice award? Modified All-Star balloting? Or should we just add it to the Oscar categories and have the Academy members vote on it? (I have always thought of the Academy as vaguely analogous to the electoral college--but more rational.)
I've gotten the ball rolling. Do your civic duty. Click here to vote for the Hollywood President.
I love America. I love that it's a democracy, or a republic--whatever. It's great. Quadrenially we trudge to the polls if we can get time off from work to elect a President.
On television and in the movies, Hollywood (and here I'm talking about the metaphysical construct centered in California, not my own Mayberry-like hometown here in Maine) portrays this wonderful democracy many times each year. There are the classic portrayals of past Presidents (Young Mr. Lincoln, JFK, Thirteen Days). And there are also attempts to portray a fictional current President, if the real President is not available or won't work for scale.
So you've got your Dennis Haysbert (24) , Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Martin Sheen (The West Wing), Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact), even Geena Davis, star of the cancelled Commander-in-Chief (or, as my wife's mother called it, "Lady President").
Therein lies the problem: too many Hollywood Presidents. In the last five years alone, at least thirty-five actors and actresses have portrayed fictional Presidents in movies or TV.
Don't mistake me: we have come a long way. Fifty years ago, a black man couldn't eat at a Woolworth's lunch counter in the South. Today, he can portray the President on TV. What a country.
But how can we have a coherent Hollywood foreign policy with such a cacophony, with so many shouted voices? How can we sort out the Hollywood constitutional questions on issues like abortion, Medicare Class D benefits or portraying smoking in the movies? With so many presidents, those problems are simply beyond the scope of any one studio mogul or uber-agent.
Example: Say your typical moviegoer in Bombay, London or Baden-Baden sees five different movies in a year featuring five different Presidents. They'll get confused! "Who's in charge? Who's the President over there in America? Can't they get it together? They need a strong leader who will give them more space for living," etc. America must stand together, be strong and, equally important, be seen to be strong, especially in the foreign markets--which are more important now than ever.
So, now to my idea: America needs one Hollywood President. I propose that we elect, for one four-year term, one actor or actress to portray the President of the United States in all movies and television shows during that time.
Say you need a successor to Jed Bartlet on The West Wing. You have him (or her)--no more cumbersome elections. Say a comet is threatening the earth in the latest Ben Affleck movie. You know whom to hire--and who will decamp to the giant bunker when all appears lost.
I know this raises all sorts of constitutional questions: does the Hollywood President have to be a native of the United States (thereby disqualifying Dan Ackroyd and Alex Trebeck)? Who would be the Hollywood Vice President? What is the chain of succession? How would we elect the Hollywood President--a la the People's Choice award? Modified All-Star balloting? Or should we just add it to the Oscar categories and have the Academy members vote on it? (I have always thought of the Academy as vaguely analogous to the electoral college--but more rational.)
I've gotten the ball rolling. Do your civic duty. Click here to vote for the Hollywood President.
posted by Hallovian at 5:47 PM
2 comments
