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Motivations behind political campaign donations by Hollywood figures are more complex than they might seem, Variety's Ted Johnson writes. Excerpt from his column:
The notion that self interest is not front and center is also apparent as the Obama administration pitches the Buffett rule -- the idea that the well-to-do will accept higher taxation in the name of the public good.But the reality of Hollywood giving is more complex -- and there's actually increasing pressure on those in the creative community to be much more mindful of showbiz issues, particularly as a major piece of anti-piracy legislation works its way through Congress and the business grapples with further ways to protect its content.
"While the industry gets involved in causes that are about domestic issues -- the environment, jobs, foreign policy -- there has been reluctance on the part of the industry to talk about itself, to talk about its needs," MPAA chairman Chris Dodd says, adding that when he was in the Senate, "I never felt offended when I spoke to some industry and they wanted to tell me what their point of view was. I respected that. They had every right to do so. I think we need to get the (entertainment) industry to step up and do more of that."