"General Clark definitely has the flavor of the month status," Steve Tisch, a producer and prominent Democratic contributor, said about Gen. Wesley K. Clark of the Army, the newest entry in the Democratic presidential primary contest.
Mr. Tisch may be overstating, or understating, the case. Hollywood may turn out to have a short-term infatuation with General Clark, comparable to the way agents, producers and executives embraced Steven Seagal for what seemed like a few minutes and then dropped him. Or General Clark may have the endurance and staying power of Clint Eastwood.
Whatever the case, General Clark is, in a word sometimes used by Variety about a film or a star, a luminary. He is in town on Wednesday and Thursday for a series of fund-raisers and meetings given by some of the most vocal and affluent Democrats in town. They include Norman Lear, the producer; Peter Morton, chairman of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; Larry David, creator of "Seinfeld"; and Mr. Tisch, a member of the wealthy Tisch family in New York.
The couple Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, longtime friends and supporters of former President Bill Clinton, are also holding an event for General Clark. Richard Donner, the producer-director, and Jerry Moss, the music executive, are planning a fund-raising breakfast. The other week, General Clark had lunch with Steven Spielberg.
Clark and Mary Steenburgen