Gore crowd faces reality

AL GORE’S Hollywood fans applauded him at the Oscars, cheered at the Emmys and wept proud tears when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. But even now they admit that they’ll probably never get the chance to dance at his inaugural ball.

Over the last few weeks, the core of Gore’s Hollywood support has been quietly shifting its allegiance to other candidates. They have resigned themselves to that fact that, no matter how hard they press him and no matter what good fortune comes his way, the former vice president won’t seek the presidency.

Rob Reiner said he has had conversations with Gore about his intentions and he takes him at his word.

“He’s not running,” said Reiner, who has remained loyal to the former vice president since campaigning with him in 2000. (The director still carries in his brown satchel a signed copy of Gore’s speech declaring that he would accept the Supreme Court decision that, effectively, ended his bid for the presidency against George W. Bush.)

Two weeks ago, Reiner announced that he would be supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Last week he made a campaign ad for her. On Saturday, he and his wife Michelle will host a birthday party for the senator at his Brentwood estate.

Among the guests gathering for the Democratic front-runner’s 60th birthday will be two of Gore’s other major Hollywood fans -- Warner Bros. Entertainment President Alan Horn and his wife Cindy. A Warner Bros. spokeswoman said this week that the couple is endorsing Clinton.

The decision by the Reiners and the Horns is significant. For the last two years, they have worked intensely to encourage a Gore comeback.

Even before he became a movie star in the Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” they were honoring him publicly for his environmental efforts and courting him privately.

And if you think the online effort to draft Gore is impressive these days, it doesn’t compare with the efforts of the movie moguls.

Their pitches are seductive. In addition to the Reiners and the Horns, every environmentalist in Hollywood was urging Gore to give it a go.

It was like the former vice president had became the MacGuffin in a political script.

Then reality set in. Although Gore is slightly Delphic about his plans, his intentions seemed clear to everyone who talked to him on a regular basis.

Lawrence Bender, a producer on “An Inconvenient Truth,” sided with Sen. Barack Obama. (He’s now one of the senator’s top Hollywood campaigners.)

Environmentalist Kelly Meyer, wife of NBC Universal head Ron Meyer, said she has been watching in recent weeks as everyone in her circle of Hollywood friends -- all of them Gore fans -- have started to make their decisions. She and her husband are hosting a fundraiser for Obama at their Malibu estate on Saturday.

“I know everyone is going with Hillary, but I really believe Obama has the ability to inspire people,” Meyer said.

But what if Gore changes his mind and jumps into the race? It wouldn’t be hard for him to raise money, and an Oscar-winning movie and a Nobel Peace Prize would make for a heck of a mailer.

But could he actually win?

“As you know, most people in town have given to multiple candidates,” said longtime Hollywood political consultant Andy Spahn. “If Gore decided to run, people would also give to him. But I think time has overtaken the discussion. We have a strong Democratic field that most of the donor base is happy with.”

He added: “The real factor would be the primary. I can’t see him winning it at this point.”

At the end of the day, it may be that Gore has done what many politicians say they are going to do but don’t: He went out and got a life.

“I talk to him every day, and he tells me he’s not running,” said billionaire Clinton supporter Ron Burkle, who is a major investor in Gore’s Current TV. “But when you go to all those book signings and everyone is applauding, that can be pretty powerful.”

Can he resist staying out of the race? Who knows? But this much is certain, said Burkle: The man has a collection of awards like none other. “Maybe a gold medal in the Olympic triathlon is next?”

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tina.daunt@latimes.com