By far the biggest surprise is how much politics and pop culture have fused, for better or worse, in ways that would be difficult to predict even in 2006. Candidates run for office with winning in mind or the prospect of a lucrative TV gig. Talk hosts are powerful enough to summon a quarter-million people to a rally, or the president to the sofa on their set. Actors return from world hot spots and are summoned to the White House as if they were diplomats. Entertainment activists spearhead a legal effort that marks a turning point in a civil rights movement.
For 5 years Variety has had a outstanding blog devoted to intersection of media and politics, hey I read it every day to know whats going on. Ted is one of the few people (the other being John Nolte of Big Hollywood) who has put things into context in regards to this issue.I could go on and on, but you get the idea that as frivolous as celebrity has become, and as haughty as Hollywood can be, the industry does have a powerful impact on politics and the perceptions of it. This union of Hollywood and D.C., of attention getters and attention grabbers, is still more than a mere curiosity but a matter-of-fact part of the culture, and I hope that through the years I have been able to cover at least some of this with creativity and context.
If you havent bookmarked Ted Johnson's page yet you should.
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