One of President Barack Obama’s biggest laugh lines on Saturday night was when he said that he and Secretary Hillary Clinton are so close now that she gave him a big hug after she returned from Mexico and encouraged him to visit himself.
Yes, even the president couldn’t resist a swine flu reference. Neither could we, so we asked some of the celebs assembled if they were nervous about the virus, being around so many people.
“I forgot my hand sanitizer,” confessed Kal Penn, the former “House” actor who now draws a paychek from the White House Office of Public Liaison. “I’m going to have to go to the bathroom a lot. I know a lot about hand washing — I played a doctor.”
Fox News host Glenn Beck played along, telling us: “I’ve got my mask and gloves. I’m going to wear them later.”
Who better to pose the query to than Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. “Damn right,” he said, when we asked if the virus made him nervous.
Being a noted conspiracy theorist, we asked Richard Belzer of “Law & Order: SVU” whether he thinks the hysteria over the virus is a conspiracy. “A conspiracy of dunces,” he replied.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson thanked us for reminding him. “I hadn’t thought of it before, but now I am,” he said. “Great, thanks a lot. Where’s the hand sanitizer?”
Less bothered was Christian Slater. “No, I think we’re under control,” he deadpanned.
