The Hollywood elite have always done their part for liberal causes. The latest one is a little more abstract: Nancy Pelosi's image. The Washington Post reports that the soon-to-be former House Speaker is tapping director Steven Spielberg to help re-brand herself for the coming political term:

Lawmakers say she is consulting marketing experts about building a stronger brand. The most prominent of her new whisperers is Steven Spielberg, the Hollywood director whose films have been works of branding genius.

The Post's Rachel Weiner notes that Spielberg has long been a Democratic "power player" but this new cameo "would seem to be a different--and more expansive--role than Spielberg has played in the past." What might Spielberg have in store for Pelosi? Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin offers a few facetious suggestions: 

"San Fran Nan and the Temple of Doom"? "Tax Me If You Can"? "Jurassic Pork"? "Close Encounters With the Third World"? "Dude, Where’s My Gavel?"

Meanwhile, Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood is a tad skeptical of the Post's scoop. "When I reached out to Spielberg’s longtime publicist Marvin Levy, it seems wise to season this dish with a few grains of salt," he writes. Levy tells Fleming, "I can say as a long-time spokesman for Steven that he has made it his career to direct actors, not political figures.” So is this much ado about nothing? Colby Hall at Mediaite parses the two stories:

While Spielberg’s spokesman has made clear that he is not helping the Democrats "rebrand" themselves in any official capacity, its entirely plausible that there could exist a casual and helpful relationship between Spielberg and House leadership. But for now, the official word is that no one should expect the House Democrats to suddenly morph into a summer blockbuster in the coming years.

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John Hudson