Celebrity hats in the political ring - do we care?

By: Alyssa Carroll

Posted: 10/10/08

Celebrities tell us how to style our hair, eat, diet, and now, apparently, who to vote for. In the current election, political celebrity involvement in the media and press is at an all time high.

"You can't get much better drama than what we're seeing on the campaign trail," said Charles Lachman, the executive producer of "Inside Edition," in an interview with Julie Bosman of The New York Times. "It's the greatest reality show on television."

By now the majority of us have seen Matt Damon's anti-Sarah Palin rant, where Damon makes such comments like "It's like a really bad Disney movie," and "I need to know if she really thinks that dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she's going to have the nuclear codes."

With celebrity icons such as Chris Rock, Paris Hilton, Oprah, John Cusack and more all coming forward with their political affiliations and opinions, many people begin to wonder what place celebrities have discussing politics in the media.

"I think it's fine to voice your opinion, but [celebrities] need to be careful because a lot of people look up to them and listen to them without knowing the facts," said Nicole Myers, a 5th-semester economics major. "They should stress that people need to do research on their own."

When Oprah recommends a book, thousands buy it. When she endorses Obama, will the same demographic follow? When Paris Hilton wears the same UGGs we do, should we vote as she does?

Even less popular celebrities have become involved.

Jenna Jameson previously came forward about her support for Hillary Clinton, and Gene Wilder, best known for playing the original Willy Wonka, came forward about his donation of $2,300 to Obama's campaign.

"I think celebrity involvement is pointless," said Eli Pearlstein, a 5th-semester political science and journalism major. "[They] may or may not be knowledgeable [about politics] … [The] media thinks parading them around will change voters mind, and I don't get a whole lot of value out of them."

Some celebrities have even chosen to attack each other on partisan issues, such as the apparent preference for the Democratic party. Ted Nugent, a singer best known for the single "Cat Scratch Fever," said in an interview with Jimmy Orr of The Christian Science Monitor, "with all due respect, many in the entertainment industry are deep into mind-altering substance abuse, and when one's logic and intellectual calculating powers are replaced with dopey feel-good, fantasy-driven denial, the Democratic party serves them well."

Many celebrities have gone above just voicing their political affiliations, and are now attempting to get more people, specifically younger demographics, to vote.

A recent public service announcement featuring big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston and more highlights the importance in voting.

"Superbad" star Jonah Hill even endorses getting high, playing Halo and voting in the clip.

"[The PSA] was more down to earth for our generation," said Ralph Merant, a 5th-semester communications major. "We look up to a lot of those people, and we can relate to it. They can open our eyes to an important issue in a different way."