In his new documentary "PoliWood," Barry Levinson (director of "Rain Man" and "Diner") examines the weird relationship between TV news and Hollywood celebrity. Filmed at both the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions, the film digs into what Levinson calls an "unholy alliance" of politics and culture: television covers celebrities' political pontificating for the ratings they bring rather than any substantial contribution to the debate. Read more at The Daily Beast.
James Barber has written about music and movies for Slate, Blender, Good and AlltheMusicNews.com. He is also a record producer, band manager and was an A&R guy at Geffen/DGC Records. He has never been a celebrity chef in Canada, even though he gets a lot of internet fan mail for that guy.
![](http://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-04/1time%20red%20o%27neill%20platoon%201200.jpg?itok=w-2J41Bh "John C. McGinley as Sgt. O'Neill in Oliver Stone's "Platoon." (Orion Pictures)")