Natalie and ScarJo Hit the Convention
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson will be speaking tomorrow at the Democratic National Convention, according to news reports. Portman, a longtime supporter of President Barack Obama, is an unsurprising pick. But the choice of fellow actress Johansson, whose support has been far less public, is a pleasant surprise.
More pleasant, we predict, than Clint Eastwood’s appearance at the Republican National Convention. We can be fairly certain that no one will allow any extra chairs onstage this Thursday, when the ladies are expected to speak.
It can’t be ignored that inviting Hollywood speakers is a risky move no matter who is involved. But the two parties seem to have fallen into their stereotypes in choosing which actors to bring in: the Republicans went with Eastwood — old, white — while the Democrats picked Johansson, Portman and Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria as well — all women or minorities.
The appearance of Portman and Johansson, along with Kerry Washington, is only a rumor today [http://www.latinospost.com/articles/3689/20120905/dnc-convention-2012-schedule-speakers-live-will.htm], but we’ll learn its veracity tomorrow. They’re purportedly scheduled to appear after a Foo Fighters performance. Vice President Joe Biden and Obama will also appear on Thursday, though probably in less glamorous outfits.
And, let’s be honest, we’ve heard Obama speak before, and Biden usually puts his foot in his mouth. Bring on the Hollywood stars!
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO