Berman v. Sherman divides Hollywood

In the end, writes Variety's Ted Johnson, Rep. Howard Berman will get most of the entertainment industry campaign money. He has SKG, as we reported last month. But Rep. Brad Sherman has his backers too, and many in Hollywood (and especially Valleywood) wish the looming primary fight between the two Democrats would just go away.

What could really set the race apart is not just the match-up of two longtime incumbents but that they may be facing each other twice, as California's open primary law holds the prospect of a June primary followed by a November runoff.

Political consultant Bill Carrick said neither candidate has run a competitive race in a long time, meaning that he suspects that there is a great deal of "soft support" in the district or a lot of undecideds.

"The campaign will be fully engaged, and there will be a lot of communications, tons of mail, tons of TV," Carrick said. "This is going to be one where the campaign really matters."