MoveOn Works the Hollywood Spotlight to Amplify Its Voice

MoveOn Works the Hollywood Spotlight to Amplify Its Voice: "After revolutionizing the political use of the Internet, the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org is now pursuing a leading role in the electoral mobilization of Hollywood.
Even as the 2.25-million-member organization comes under increasing criticism from the GOP for its fierce opposition to President Bush, MoveOn is building what may be the most systematic effort to enlist celebrities in liberal causes in several years.
Within a few days, MoveOn plans to announce that it has recruited a team of prominent entertainment figures � including film directors Rob Reiner and Richard Linklater, writer Aaron Sorkin and musician Moby � to produce anti-Bush ads that it hopes will capture the attention of voters numbed by traditional political messages.
'Most political ads are very dry and didactic,' said Laura Dawn, a rock singer now coordinating MoveOn's new political plans. 'If we use the talent of people � who understand how to reach people emotionally, we might get a lot farther.'
As part of its efforts, MoveOn last week convened more than 4,000 house parties to promote Michael Moore's controversial documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' � after organizing thousands of its members to attend the movie on its opening weekend to increase the film's receipts and visibility. It has also helped fund documentaries criticizing the Iraq war and the Fox News Channel, arranged to sponsor the Lollapalooza rock festival this summer (until poor ticket sales recently forced the tour's cancellation) and held preliminary discussions about launching its own television show. "


by Ronald Brownstein
Los Angeles Times