Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety, has what may be today's most interesting media story about Fred Thompson, this piece published at The Politico which looks at Thompson's Hollywood connections and how they might impact his fund-raising and campaign.

...Thompson is hardly a creature of Hollywood, at least compared with Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger or, for that matter, Fred Grandy and Sonny Bono. He doesn't live in the industry town and, save for a few premieres here and there, isn't known as a player in its social scene. As political consultant Mike Murphy noted, "I don't think you're going to find him playing the congas at a Brett Ratner party."

Thompson's Hollywood career was all but an accident, given that he was cast in the 1985 movie "Marie" as himself. In real life, he had represented Marie Ragghianti, the head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons who blew the lid off a gubernatorial corruption scandal.

After that, Thompson rarely veered from the role of the straight-shooting authority figure, whether it was as a prosecutor, military leader or president. These were character parts, and while they may have typecast him into a career of supporting and ensemble roles and kept him off Hollywood's A-list, in hindsight he may be all the better for it. "His movie career is more of a help than it will hurt," Murphy said. "You don't see Fred in 'Portrait of a Serial Killer.'"

After all, what image does the public have other than that of a wise leader with a steady hand on the stern? Not even Reagan could claim to have played commander in chief before seeking the office.

Writer-producer Rob Long, a well-known industry Republican, tells Johnson that Fred Thompson's strength is "He's the Hollywood candidate who doesn't need Hollywood."

Long says of the video, "He was genial, funny, interesting. He really moved fast inside a (news) cycle and didn't have to convene a brain trust."