Now Ralph Nader is the one to see on film

A report from the intersection of celebrity and politics.

For anyone who saw Al Gore’s documentary about global warming and can’t get enough of those heavy, thought-provoking films, here comes “An Unreasonable Man: A Documentary About Ralph Nader.”

The title was meant to convey Nader’s unyielding battles against big corporations and mainstream politicians on the part of the little guy.

Remember how in the 1960s he helped kill sales of General Motors’ air-cooled, rear-engine-mounted Corvair by questioning the car’s safety record?

Remember when he ran for president in 2000 and Democrats blamed him for siphoning liberal voters away from Gore, helping George W. Bush become the 43rd president of the United States?

“An Unreasonable Man” opens today and runs through Thursday as part of the annual DocuWeek program at the ArcLight in Hollywood.

And, no, Nader is not planning to appear and sign autographs at the screenings. That would be too much to expect from an unreasonable man.

‘Idol’s’ Cowell loves the pooches

It’s clear by now that “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell has no sympathy for off-note singers and attitude-spouting contestants. (Last year, he told one weepy-eyed singer: “You have one of the worst voices I have ever heard. It’s almost non-human.”)

So, it may come as a surprise to “Idol” rejects to hear that Cowell does have a heart for dogs.

Cowell has teamed with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to star in a new TV campaign warning about the dangers of leaving dogs inside cars in warm weather. The campaign, titled “Too Hot for Spot,” has been airing throughout the summer.

A tip to next year’s “Idol” wannabes: During your audition, you might mention how well you treat your pooch. It may soften the heart of at least one judge.

Moore: More choice words

An emboldened Michael Moore used last week’s primary defeat of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) to dispense advice to Democratic politicians who voted to support the war in Iraq.

“To every Democratic senator and congressman who continues to back Bush’s war, allow me to inform you that your days in elective office are now numbered,” the documentary filmmaker wrote in a letter posted on his website michaelmoore.com. “Myself and tens of millions of citizens are going to work hard to actively remove you from any position of power.”

He warned Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: “I’m here to tell you that you will never make it through the Democratic [presidential] primaries unless you start now by strongly opposing the war. It is your only hope.”

He noted that Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to antiwar candidate Ned Lamont, “just a few miles” from Clinton’s home in Chappaqua, N.Y.

“Did you hear the noise?” he asked Clinton in the posting. “Can you read the writing on the wall?”

He closed the piece by telling Republicans that he was sorry to leave them out of the letter.

“It’s just that our side has a little housecleaning to do. We’ll take care of you this November.”

The letter prompted Internet wags to come out in force. One blogger wrote: “Democrats who have even an ounce of rationality or intelligence left would be wise to jump ship. Their party has been taken over by those who are so far left, they aren’t even on any reasonable person’s page anymore.”

Franken backs Midwest Values

Comedian Al Franken has formed a political action committee -- called Midwest Values -- to raise money for politicians (presumably in the heartland).

So it seems only fitting that some of the top donors were from, you guessed it, Hollywood.

The list includes writer-actor-producer Larry David and his wife, Laurie; Larry Hagman; Norman Lear; directors Jerry Zucker, Barry Levinson and Peter Farrelly; and a number of others from the entertainment industry, according to opensecrets.org.

Some of the recipients of the PAC money include U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Sanders (from Vermont) and House candidates Francine Busby (from California) and Lois Murphy (from Pennsylvania). For his part, Franken recently moved from New York to Minneapolis, where he is said to be considering mounting a challenge against Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in 2008.

Leno’s response to airline carry-ons

It was a stressful week in airport security lines after authorities uncovered a terrorist plot to blow up planes with liquid explosives. Jay Leno tired to bring some levity to the situation.

A sampling from two monologues:

“I was driving to work and I see the huge line outside our studio today. I got excited, then I realized it’s not for our show, it’s the check-in line for the Burbank Airport .... “

“As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the airlines are saying no more hair gels, shampoo, makeup or hairsprays will be allowed in your carry-on bag. Who’s attacking us? Drag queens?”

“On some flights the only thing the airlines will let you take onboard is a passport and some cash. The passport is for identification and the cash is so they can sell you a bottle of water for 20 bucks.”

“We have to give credit to the U.S. and British intelligence agencies for the good work they did in exposing the terrorist plot. Yet with all our intelligence gathering capabilities we still don’t know if Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are engaged.”