The heiress' entry into politics with a memorable Web video for FunnyOrDie.com earlier this summer may have been purely for laughs, but she's just one of many entertainers using the Internet to express views on the upcoming election.
Politics and celebrity have always been somewhat awkward bedfellows — some fans resent their favorite movie star using their fame to political ends, while most politicians welcome the glitz (and money) that can come from having a celeb in their corner.
Here are a handful of entertainers who are blogging about the race between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. (As you might have guessed, most are for Obama.)
• Gina Gershon: FunnyOrDie's latest political parody stars Gershon as McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Gershon's comedic talents have been underrated, particularly considering a classic appearance last year in "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Her impression here is good, if clearly partisan. She brags, "I only tried to ban one book."
• Jessica Alba: The actress has been blogging on MySpace (http://blog.myspace.com/jessicaalba) and recently posted about her "eye-opening experience" at the Democratic National Convention. Alba, though, isn't blogging so much about her individual views as trying to rally people to register to vote by way of the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Declare Yourself.
• Adam McKay: The film director of "Stepbrothers" and "Anchorman" has his own Web site (he co-created FunnyOrDie with Will Ferrell), but he also — like a lot of people in show business — blogs on HuffingtonPost.com. His political thoughts are always tinged with comedy, making them far more palatable than many ardent bloggers. Referring to fellow Democrats, his recent post was titled: "We're Gonna Frickin' Lose this Thing."
• Alec Baldwin: The "30 Rock" star is another prominent Huffington Post blogger. He posts roughly monthly and has a long held reputation for speaking bluntly about politics, so much so that some have speculated he might run for office someday. Baldwin's most recent post maintained that Palin is more like Pres. Bush than McCain. Baldwin is worth reading if for no other reason than because of his brashness. The same blog on Palin also included a small feud with "My Name is Earl" creator Greg Garcia.
• Lindsay Lohan: The actress-pop star has, like Alba, been making use of her MySpace blog. Earlier this month, Lohan posted a message titled "political blog" that really had more to do with Palin's pregnant teen daughter. Her observations are interesting because they reflect her own knowledge of image control. She writes, "I get Sarah Palin's views against abortion, but I would much prefer to hear more about what she can do for our country."
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EDITOR'S NOTE — Who's your favorite celebrity blogging about the election? E-mail AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle at jcoyle(at)ap.org
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(Reuters)
