FOX News' Insider
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rob Reiner, waving to the folks in the California delegate section — Sen. Dianne Feinstein and ex-Gov. Gray Davis among them. After Reiner walked over to give Davis a hug, I asked him how he felt about Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor.
"Well," Reiner shrugged, trying to sound optimistic, "it's early yet. We'll see. We'll see."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Then Reiner proudly pointed out how Davis had made him head of the California Children and Families First Commission six years ago, something Reiner still seems quite proud of.
I then asked him what he liked about John Kerry. "His decisiveness," he said, clearly countering the criticism of those who say Kerry has flip-flopped on issues. "His ability to make decisions under fire."
Al Franken was one of the real stars on the convention floor, bombarded by autograph- and photo- hungry delegates. He looked like a man running for office, so I asked him when that day will come, given the chatter that the Minnesota native may one day toss his hat in the political ring. Senator? Congressman?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My answer is 'one race at a time,'" Franken told me, referring to his current efforts to get Kerry elected.
Later, Franken was seen sitting cross-legged on the convention floor, headset on, presumably listening to his radio network, Air America (AA folks surrounded him.) "What a weirdo!" one passerby muttered.
I saw Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, another politico on the floor, and I couldn't help but ask him — no, not about Kerry — but about the all-important Division IAA college football final of University of Delaware vs. Colgate. Colgate had an improbably glorious football season, until it got the livin' daylights kicked out of it by Delaware in the championship game.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Why do I care? Because I'm a Colgate alum, and still hold the Red Raiders near and dear to my broken heart. Biden had been at the game, and my masochistic side couldn't help bringing it up.
He smiled, "You know what?" he said, in a comforting tone, "after that game I did a fundraising event for Colgate, in which I was introduced by Gloria Borger."
Borger, of course, is a contributing editor to U.S. News & World Report and appears on CNBC. But more importantly, she's also a Colgate grad. So Biden helped our alma mater raise money. I guess I can forgive Delaware for that stinging pigskin defeat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Also at the convention: Alec Baldwin, all smiles but not talking as he was trying to whisk his daughter, Ireland, off the convention floor. And Cynthia Nixon and Michael Murphy who are updating their political series "Tanner '88," which was originally on HBO, with a three-part series called "Tanner on Tanner" for the Sundance Channel. Then, as now, "Tanner" is helmed by Robert Altman.
Perry Catches Up on Gossip; Cris Judd Judges Legs
In other news... spied in first class from L.A. to New York this week was ex-"Friends" star Matthew Perry. How did he spend the 5-hour flight? Reading Us Weekly magazine for no less than one hour and 45 minutes!! (And that's a conservative estimate, I'm told.) Boy, that's a long time to stare at pictures of stars, 'cause there certainly aren't enough words in that magazine to keep anyone glued for that long. Then he went on to read In Touch magazine for a good 45 minutes. (Again, a conservative estimate.) Wait, he wasn't finished yet. Lastly came People — but this he had the least passion for. Once Perry got to the human-interest stories — you know, the usually triumphant pieces about real folks who aren't famous — he got bored and tossed the mag aside.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}I tell you, stars love to complain about being hounded by the media, but isn't it funny how they're often its most voracious consumers?
Hmmm....Remember Cris Judd, aka "Mr. Second Ex-Husband of Jennifer Lopez?" He dropped in to the studios at FOX News this week to chat about a "best legs" contest he was judging for Gillette. He's actually a very sweet guy, still dancing, choreographing and apparently none worse the wear from having done "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" with Melissa Rivers. (And he won the dang thing, remember?)
Anyway, I asked him if he was as surprised as the rest of us that J-Lo married Marc Anthony in, like, a nanosecond.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Yes, I was," he responded. "I was at an MTV event when someone mentioned to me that they had gotten married. I didn't have any idea."
Judd was then kind enough to say that Lopez is a strong woman and follows her heart. That he thinks her heart had anything to do with her marriage to Anthony was shocking to me — or, again, at least showed him to be a nice guy. She should have hung on to this one, I think.
One last note: Tune in Sunday to FOX News Live, as we'll be talking about the controversial Showtime series "American Candidate," which premieres that night. It's the reality show in which folks vie to become the "people's candidate" for president. Mind you, these folks are serious, and have some impressive resumes. Among them: Chrissy Gephardt. Her dad, Rep. Dick Gephardt, didn't get the presidential or vice-presidential nomination, but she's tossing her hat in the ring!