The Democratic National Convention went all out in putting together an all-star lineup of actors, singers and athletes. Hollywood has been so pervasive at the convention that Bill Clinton’s speech Tuesday night turned out not to be the headliner, but the lead-in for Meryl Streep and Alicia Keys.
Remember when the Republican National Convention was supposed to be the big spectacle? Donald Trump promised a bigger, more bombastic convention than ever before. That didn’t turn out to be the case, at least in terms of celebrity appeal. Instead of glitz, he just made a bunch of musicians mad at him by playing their music without permission.
Trump was asked by the Hollywood Reporter about the stark difference between the Hollywood contingent at each convention.
“I think we had, if you include my children and the great success that they had, I would say we had tremendous star power,” Trump said. “But I wasn’t looking for star power, I was looking for policy. I was looking for hope for people because people are not feeling good about where the country is and where it’s going.”
Fair enough, Donald. Let’s compare and contrast the contributions of celebrities at each party’s convention.
Note: I do not count Trump’s children as celebrities.
Unity
First and foremost, we have to give Trump credit for picking a group of celebrities who were 100 percent loyal to him. Nobody was extoling the virtues of Ted Cruz.
In contrast, actors Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Rosario Dawson and Shailene Woodley on Wednesday headlined a group protesting the DNC for stripping Bernie Sanders surrogate Nina Turner of her speaking slot.
Sarandon even said she was going to de-register as a Democrat because of the unfair way she feels Sanders was treated.
A day earlier, comedian Sarah Silverman told Sanders supporters they were “being ridiculous” for continuing to disrupt the nomination process for Clinton.
So much for facilitating a perception of party unity.
Talking issues
For the most part, Trump’s celebrity backers spent more time talking up the Republican nominee than going into specifics on the issues that are near and dear to their hearts.
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White lauded Trump’s “sense of loyalty and commitment,” while “Happy Days” actor Scott Baio praised him as a man he trusts “with the lives of my family and the health of our country.”
The Democrats, on the other hand, had most of their celebrities there to discuss a specific issue in addition to showing support for Clinton.
Latina actresses America Ferrera and Eva Longoria railed against Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric. Sigourney Weaver introduced the topic of climate change, and James Cameron directed an apocalyptic video on the subject.
“Girls” creator Lena Dunham talked about women’s issues, pop star Demi Lovato took up the mantle of mental health awareness and “Scandal” star Tony Goldwyn brought up racial injustice before introducing the Mothers of the Movement.
Take from those different approaches what you will.
Why so serious?
There was not much in the way of humor coming from the Republican Hollywood speakers. Their general message could be summed up as: “Donald Trump is an amazing human being, and if we elect Hillary Clinton, we’re all going to die.” Not much room for joking around there.
A few Democratic celebs kept a more light-hearted tone. Some — like director Lee Daniels, who introduced the mother of an Orlando, Fla., nightclub shooting victim — kept their remarks deadly serious.
Others, like Silverman and actress Elizabeth Banks, went all in on the jokes.
“Some of you know me from ‘The Hunger Games,’ in which I play Effie Trinket — a cruel, out-of-touch reality TV star who wears insane wigs while delivering long-winded speeches to a violent dystopia,” Banks said Tuesday night. “So when I tuned in to Cleveland last week, I was like, ‘Hey! That’s my act.'”
Zing.
Tone-Deaf Moments
Two particular moments of celebrities making everything awful stand out, one on each side.
During the RNC, soap opera actor Antonio Sabato, Jr. insisted that President Obama was a Muslim and that “he’s with the bad guys.” In the immortal words of “Mad Men’s” Pete Campbell, “Not great, Bob.”
On Tuesday night of the DNC, Ferrera didn’t recognize the irony of the statement, which followed her calling Trump out on his immigration views: “We know what you’re all thinking: Why should you care what some television celebrity has to say about politics? We feel the same way. But he is the Republican nominee and we need to talk about it.”
Sounds like the pot calling the kettle racist to me.
Musical Acts
The RNC had a house band and an irate Third Eye Blind. Through three days, the DNC has had Boyz II Men, Paul Simon, Alicia Keys and Broadway royalty singing a tribute to Orlando victims.
Advantage: Dems.
