Obama the Rock Star
I went to Transformers 2 at midnight last night (I know, I'm a nerd, let's just get over that and move on), and lo and behold, two-thirds of the way through the movie, whose name comes up? President Barack Obama. Granted, it was hidden amidst a series of explosions, GM cars (if they could come out with a model that actually transforms it would probably save their brand) and horrible acting, but his name was there nonetheless.
There was something hilarious about hearing a name like that in a Michael Bay film, and it was indicative of Obama's rock star-like draw. Most of the crowd was in the 12-16 year-old age range, but the recognition of his name was clear. Combine that with Bay's inability to mention anything that isn't insanely popular or embedded in pop culture, and it's easy to see Barack Obama's iconic status. The most revealing part of the experience for me was the fact that his name was mentioned without a chorus of boos or catcalls from the audience. I had become so used to the negative reception that President Bush would receive in movies that it was surreal to hear a few chuckles and claps when Obama was mentioned. We truly have a rock star President in the Oval Office.
