The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> LAUGHING STOCK br> Maybe Bill Clinton is no longer as popular in Hollywood as he thinks. At a charity fundraiser for cardiovascular research in L.A. last Thursday, U2 lead singer Bono was honored by the usual throng of celebrities and hangers-on for his "extraordinary philanthropy." The "Love Rocks" event featured everyone from comedian Drew Carey to Cher . Even Larry King dropped by. Bono is best known for his longtime advocacy of debt relief for third-world nations and has lobbied the United States Congress for debt forgiveness for African and Latin American countries. He's also served as a spokesman for Amnesty International. /p>

Now a self-important Hollywood event wouldn't be self-important if it didn't include Bill Clinton. This time, it was Bill on video, greeting Bono, just after Mick Jagger's video tribute. When Clinton's face appeared on the giant screen over the stage, it was met with not very friendly laughter from the audience, and Clinton's first couple of sentences were inaudible. "It was embarrassing, to say the least," says a spokesperson for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which helped organize the event. "Clinton got less respect here than Sylvester Stallone, and that's saying something with this crowd."

topics:
Trade, Bill Clinton, Hollywood, NATO, Africa