Actress Kathy Najimy remains among Clinton's supporters

August 19, 1998
Web posted at: 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT)

From Correspondent Paul Vercammen

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- At least one Hollywood veteran thinks it's a bad soap opera, but President Clinton is getting no bad reviews from Hollywood for his performance in admitting an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Many of Tinseltown's biggest movers and shakers have been unwavering backers of the president. Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and entertainment mogul David Geffen each contributed the maximum $10,000 to the Clintons' legal expense trust, according to the president's supporters. So it comes as no surprise that many members of the entertainment community are not aiming barbs at the president.

In the immediate aftermath of Clinton's admission that "I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate," those top members of Hollywood's A-list were either unavailable or just choosing to remain silent about the speech. Still others said it is time to move on.

"I wouldn't look to Mr. Clinton for moral guidance, but I look to him for dealing with the issues that, historically, other presidents have avoided, and I look for him -- to him for caring about humanity and caring about our country and keeping us out of war and keeping the budget, and he's done all those things," said actress Kathy Najimy of the TV sitcom "Veronica's Closet."

She added that she wished "he wouldn't do things that would embarrass himself," but that it is "none of my business who he has sex with, none."

Spelling

Veteran television producer Aaron Spelling also remained upbeat about Clinton.

"Here's a man that the public loves, he's doing a great job for our country, a great job. He made a mistake," Spelling said, adding that the country should forgive and go on. But it was the producer of "The Love Boat" who didn't like the acting or the script in the Clinton-Lewinsky melodrama.

"I hope we don't go any further on this. I think we're all sick of it. It's like a bad soap opera, and had I written the soap opera, I would have had probably Lewinsky pull off her wig and reveal herself to be a man or something, I don't know, so he could have gotten out of it easier," Spelling said.

Some in Hollywood were unabashed in their support of Clinton. Former "90210" actor Luke Perry said he felt that "in the toughest of situations, the tighest of tight boxes, he handled himself very eloquently, as nobly as they would allow it to be."

Actor Dylan McDermott, who stars in the legal drama "The Practice," said he thought the country is wrong to "want to know everything about everybody." He acknowledged that Clinton "was painted into a corner, and the truth was exposed." His bottom line, however, is that "it's really nobody's business."

"Saturday Night Live" comedian Colin Quinn: Still joking

Even if the movers and shakers of Hollywood feel Clinton's personal life is none of anyone's business, their sentiments didn't stop new jokes from flowing from the entertainment capital of the world.

"If it had just been some femme fatale, I think this whole thing could have been settled. You know, if it had just been like a beautiful woman," said comedian Colin Quinn, who recently took over Norm Macdonald's longtime "news" spot on "Saturday Night Live." "You know, that's nothing against Monica Lewinsky -- I would certainly go out with her -- but I'm talking about for the president. That's a different standard."