Livin’ la Vida Dubya

Marilyn Monroe sang to John F. Kennedy. The Oak Ridge Boys twanged to George Bush. Barbra Streisand serenaded Bill Clinton.

Most modern presidencies have a soundtrack that serves as an audio imprimatur as recognizable as the presidential seal. And George W. Bush’s is shaping up to be a melange of Latin lovemeister Ricky Martin, lounge legend Wayne Newton and the Rockettes.

The four-day inaugural romp that began Thursday is low on political octane (there’s only one real speech, and it’s expected to last a scant 12 minutes). But the boundless entertainment portion of the program could offer a window into whom the new president chooses to embrace in Hollywood and who in Hollywood will return his affections.

For eight years, show biz glitterati--from Tom Hanks to Michael Jackson to David Geffen--flocked to see and be seen with a roguish, jet-setting president who couldn’t get enough of the industry. But if the inaugural lineup for the about-to-be-installed Bush is any indication, the White House celebrity guest list is about to slip from A to B-minus, at least in the eyes of some entertainment wags.

“It’s easier to declare yourself a gay, drug-addicted kleptomaniac than to call yourself a conservative in Hollywood,” pronounced publicist Michael Levine, a Los Angeles-based publicist. “Booking entertainment for a Republican inaugural is like trying to push a wet mattress up a spiral staircase.”

Indeed, all has not been smooth going for George Schlatter, the venerable television producer of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” who put together Thursday afternoon’s opening ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. The inaugural committee announced with some fanfare last week that the legendary Van Morrison would be a headliner, only to have a spokesman for the Irish singer announce this week that “Mr. Morrison has no plans to take part in such an event.”

It is also rumored that pop-rock idols the Backstreet Boys declined to appear, perhaps steamed over those awful postelection weeks in Florida. (They’re from Orlando and are saving themselves for the Super Bowl on Jan. 28.)

But critics took another look when the committee landed Martin, the Puerto Rican heartthrob who is up for one Grammy this year and definitely stands out from some of the more retro-talent on hand to entertain the new president and first lady.

Among those appearing during the four-day celebration are actor Sylvester Stallone, former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali, actress Bo Derek, the Beach Boys, music producer Emilio Estefan, actor Chuck Norris, pop rock band 98 Degrees, country-western singer Clint Black and game show host Pat Sajak.

“If Hollywood thinks that lineup isn’t hip, then they’re the ones missing the beat,” said Leslie Goodman, a longtime Bush family supporter who shopped six hours for the Fender guitar that former President George Bush famously posed with in 1989 at one of his inaugural balls. “Ricky Martin really speaks to the times. Was there a single Latin band when Bill Clinton was sworn in?”

Variety editor Peter Bart, a more neutral observer, agreed the Bush lineup was “a pretty shrewd list” of performers. “Obviously, you don’t have Streisand, but the key is to be eclectic. They did better than I would have thought.”

And it should not go unsaid that plenty of people were less than mad about the musical tastes of Clinton, who was personally responsible for disinterring Fleetwood Mac. Indeed, middle-of-the-road may be just the image intended for Bush, whose campaign tried to tether Al Gore to Clinton’s loose morals. The musical roster reflects the Midland, Texas, culture he came from. It evinces Latin flavor, western heritage and the heartland that worships Newton every bit as much as Clinton liberals revere Aretha Franklin. “Ricky Martin is not only a good performer, he’s also young, Hispanic and a little bit hip. That’s a key score,” Bart suggested. “Wayne Newton sends a different message to the Las Vegas constituents who are blue-haired and middle America.”

Hip or not, the 43rd president will have a tougher time than his predecessor winning over famously liberal Hollywood--assuming Bush even cares to do so. Hanging around with movie stars does not necessarily ennoble the leader of the Free World. But celebrity association can be as good for a president as for a soft-drink--and presidents have long taken advantage of the opportunity.

Abraham Lincoln associated with theater people (and met his demise at the hands of one). Franklin Roosevelt was the first to reach out to nascent Hollywood, recognizing “there were other leaders in society besides politicians,” said presidential historian Henry Graff, professor emeritus at Columbia University in New York.

Today, Hollywood is a full-grown political animal, and a performer’s Washington bedfellows seldom go unnoticed. Singer Sammy Davis Jr. took flak from his celebrity brethren for hugging Richard Nixon. When singer Martin announced he would perform “Cup of Life” at Dubya’s inaugural, his producer and the song’s co-writer, Robi Rosa, promptly accused him of “playing the fiddle while Rome burns.”

If Bush decides to pursue Democratic-dominated Hollywood, he’ll choose from a short list of celebrities who support Republicans--or entertainers who are, at the least, apolitical. “President Clinton worked hard at reaching out to the artistic community, and George W. is going to have to build those roads and bridge with that community. Right now it’s a struggle,” said Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs).

But the corporate side of the industry agrees with Bush’s pro-business agenda and may quickly find a friend in the new president. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., which owns such hot media properties as Fox TV, is here for the festivities; his company gave $100,000 to the inaugural committee, according to a corporate spokesman.

And what if Bush never wins over Tinseltown?

“Presidents have succeeded before without the help of Hollywood,” historian Graff notes. And with protection of artists’ rights, piracy and other issues on Washington’s back burner, the industry may need him more than he needs the industry.

“It’s important the entertainment industry has a good relationship with the White House,” said Variety columnist Army Archerd, “not the other way around.”

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Times staff writer Kathleen Howe contributed to this report.