Celebrity vs. Movie Star

Bruce Willis played "Hardball" with Chris (HA!) Matthews this week. He was very soft spoken and focused, intent on getting his bi-partisan message out about respecting and caring for our troops. He maintained they are our "real action heroes." Chris Matthews seemed uncomfortable. Not annoyed, the way Anderson Cooper clearly was whenever he had to cover Paris Hilton. No, Chris Matthews came off instead like an interviewer with a subject he wasn't very into. Another celebrity with another cause. Not something the trips Chris' trigger.

Compare that with his interview with Redford shortly after we all learned that "Deep Throat" was Mark Felt. Matthews began with the premise of talking to the celluloid Bob Woodward about his source. But he couldn't stay on the subject. What about the movie industry? What about the Sundance Institute? What about the environment? What about the death of Johnny Carson? (Huh? What? Do we have any reason to believe Redford even knew Carson?) The questions came so fast that Redford barely had a chance to answer, and instead just looked at his host with weary amusement. That night, Chris Matthews wasn't a journalist or even a provocative interviewer. That night, he was just another movie fan.

Recently George Clooney said that he felt Newman and Redford are our last movie stars. There may be something to that. After all, Matthews, the man who has rattled ambassadors, journalists, candidates and statesman, was practically drooling all over himself when he found himself before The Sundance Kid.