海角大神

Does Donald Trump think the Academy Awards hates America? 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥� host Steve Doocy asked the famous real estate mogul/reality-show host that question flat-out on Monday.

First, Mr. Doocy went through a buildup in which he asserted that both 鈥淎rgo,鈥� a movie about US diplomats escaping from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis, and 鈥淶ero Dark Thirty,鈥� a film about the US hunt for Osama bin Laden, got more love from the Golden Globes than from the Academy Awards. The directors of both these movies were nominated for Golden Globes, he pointed out. (That would be Ben Affleck for 鈥淎rgo鈥� and Kathryn Bigelow for 鈥淶ero Dark Thirty.鈥� Mr. Affleck won.) Yet neither got a nod in that category from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

鈥淒o you think both of those movies are being punished by Oscar because they鈥檙e pro-American movies?鈥� Doocy inquired of The Donald, who often appears on the 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥� show.

Without hesitation, Mr. Trump shot this theory down. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think so,鈥� he said. Then he went on to praise NBC for how much it has built up the Golden Globe franchise over the years. (Is it a coincidence that Trump鈥檚 own 鈥淐elebrity Apprentice鈥� appears on that network? You be the judge.)

Anyway, we鈥檇 say that this is one mark for rationality: Both 鈥淎rgo鈥� and 鈥淶ero Dark Thirty鈥� have won an Academy Award Best Picture nomination, after all.

But it鈥檚 true that this year, politics is swirling around the film awards season like never before. Look at who appeared as a surprise presenter on the Golden Globe telecast 鈥� Bill Clinton.

Or, as host Amy Poehler referred to him, 鈥淗illary Clinton鈥檚 husband.鈥�

The 42nd president of the United States introduced a clip of Steven Spielberg鈥檚 film 鈥淟incoln,鈥� which depicts the push to abolish slavery through enactment of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.

鈥淎 tough fight to push a bill through a bitterly divided House of Representatives,鈥� Mr. Clinton said in his introduction. 鈥淲inning it required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue.鈥�

Then, he paused just a bit before adding, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 know anything about that.鈥�

Was his appearance a subtle pro-Democrat move? Well, unlike Abraham Lincoln, Clinton isn鈥檛 a Republican, last we looked. True, he talked about the need for 鈥減rinciple and compromise鈥� to make enduring progress in governing America, which is a suitably bipartisan sentiment. But if the show鈥檚 producers had wanted to say 鈥渓et鈥檚 all come together,鈥� they could have had George W. Bush up on stage with him.

Hmm. Memo to Mr. Spielberg: The Oscars aren鈥檛 until Feb. 24. That鈥檚 just enough time to line up your dream team of presenters 鈥� President Obama, plus a hologram of Ronald Reagan.