Posted on 12/05/2002 10:43:38 AM PST by ejdrapes
De Niro, Friends Visit U.S. Troops TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The usual military order that pervades U.S. Central Command was immediately suspended Wednesday when Robert De Niro (news) and friends showed up. De Niro, who came to visit troops at MacDill Air Force Base and screen his new movie, "Analyze That," brought along co-star Billy Crystal (news) and pal Kevin Spacey (news), touching off a frenzy of several hundred uniformed soldiers clamoring for autographs and pictures with the stars. After meeting with Gen. Tommy Franks, the U.S. Central Command chief who coordinates the war in Afghanistan (news - web sites), the trio took seats under a bayfront pavilion to chat with soldiers, kiss babies and sign uniform caps, dollar bills, DVD cases and anything else thrust at them. Later, about 1,400 base personnel trooped into a base hangar to get a sneak peak at "Analyze That," which hits theaters Friday. The comedy has De Niro and Crystal reprising their 1999 "Analyze This" roles as a neurotic mob boss and his twitchy analyst. "We need to come support everybody and tell them we're behind them, we're with them," said De Niro, whose Tribeca Film Institute hopes to make a habit of screening new movies at military installations. Two-time Academy Award winner Spacey, who seemed to have the best time of the three, said De Niro called and asked if he wanted to tag along on the MacDill trip, and he gladly accepted. "Look at their faces," Spacey said between bites of a hot dog. "What we always have to remember is we come here for an hour or two hours, and we leave. But they don't. "We can see what it means to them, but I'm not entirely sure sometimes that they know what it means to us," he said. "It means a lot." Army Specialist Mario Starks was gleeful after fighting through the crowd to get De Niro's signature on a large poster of the actor as murderous New York cabbie Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver." "I met him before when I was a Ranger at Fort Benning, Ga.," Starks said. "I told him that he was still my hero." Brad Podliska, a first lieutenant in the Air Force reserve, said he was impressed actors of their caliber would take time to visit and publicly voice support for the military. "The average service person doesn't think Hollywood respects what we do out there," said Podliska, who shook hands with them and walked away with their autographs on a base map. "We have the opportunity to relieve their tension for a little bit and tell them we respect what they're doing," Crystal said. "I think every citizen should be able to come here and shake everybody's hand and see the smiles on these guys' and these women's faces."
By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer
Clinton buttlicker extraordinaire! Unapologetically so.
Sad that virtually without exception when an actor I admire opens his mouth on politics he turns out to be an utter jackass.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.