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Disloyal Bush girls swoon over 'sexy and strong' Obama

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By Orla Healy
Sunday Oct 19 2008

It's gleefully being called the 'Bush Gal Insurgency' -- the inability of the Bush administration to get the Obama-loving younger women in the family to speak up for the Republican party.

In this month's issue of W magazine, the president's model niece Lauren Bush gushes about Obama saying, "[He] is still so new. He seems like a strong leader. We'll see." (At least she was a little more subtle than John McCain's daughter Meghan who recently described Barack as "sexy" on her blog.)

For the last few years Lauren as been dating David Lauren, son of the famous designer Ralph. The article points out Lauren doesn't appear to want to be associated with the Bush dynasty these days, choosing to call her new eco-friendly clothing line (which includes a $685 reversible cape) 'Lauren Pierce', using her grandmother's maiden name instead of the one she shares with you-know-who.

"It wasn't a conscious decision," Lauren tells the magazine. "Obviously my last name is associated with politics.

"Pierce is my grandmother's maiden name and my younger brother's name. It's not about downplaying my last name as much as it is about loving Pierce. And my brother is very flattered."

Right. Her decision not to use the Bush name, of course, could also have something to do with the fact that her mother, Sharon, (who went through the wars in her divorce from Dubya's brother Neil) is once again trying to cash in on the Bush name: the title of the latest tell-all book about the family she's hawking is Bushology and according to publishing sources, there isn't a nice word about her former in-laws in the manuscript.

Dubya better as a beer buddy

Plenty of industry folk are predicting (or maybe hoping) Oliver Stone's W biopic will bomb at the box office, but the controversial movie-maker and his cast aren't fazed as they believe the interest in politics is at an all-time high right now.

And judging by the buzz their comments -- made at Tuesday's NY premiere -- have generated, it sounds like they could be right.

"I think Bush is a lame duck who made a ton of bad choices," said actor Jesse Bradford, who plays a Yale undergrad who taunts the young Bush early in the film. "I bet he's not a bad guy to have a beer with... I just wouldn't give him the keys to anything."

Elizabeth Banks, who plays the role of Laura Bush, said she believes the First Lady is extremely smart. "Much smarter than her husband."

Asked why, if Mrs Bush is that smart, would she fall for such a dolt, Banks had an interesting take. "I think she was sexually attracted to him when they met and I think he makes her laugh. We're not always attracted to what we're equal to," she added.

McCain misses 'W' opening

Oliver Stone proved he's quick on his feet last Tuesday evening while working the red carpet before screening W: A Life Misunderestimated. Stone was answering reporters questions when he turned around to see what was exciting the crowd behind his back -- and spotted Republican presidential hopeful John McCain standing across the street.

McCain (who, ironically, has been doing everything he can to distance himself from Bush) and wife Cindy were exiting the Hilton Hotel opposite the Ziegfeld Theatre where the W premiere was being held.

Waving at the couple as they took off in their (impressive) SUV motorcade, Stone turned back to the reporters and joked: "I guess they didn't get the tickets," adding, "but given the movie, I assume George [Bush] will finally stop calling me now." Touché.

Fans so over

Queen of Pop

Looks like Guy Ritchie isn't the only person that's over Madonna.

US ticket sales for Madge's Sticky and Sweet tour are flagging due to the reaction of critics to her latest act.

"Has there ever been a colder pop sex symbol?" sniggered the New York Times last week.

And it's not as if Madge can rely on being taken seriously as a film-maker. Monday night's Manhattan premiere of her feature-length directorial debut, Filth and Wisdom, attracted a hip crowd -- Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, Brooke Shields, Jessica Alba, Marc Jacobs and Lindsay Lohan -- most of whom skipped the Dolce & Gabbana-sponsored after-party, probably due to exhaustion from struggling to understand the incomprehensible saga about (seriously) "a Ukrainian immigrant who finances his dreams of rock glory by moonlighting as a cross-dressing dominatrix."

Apparently oblivious to the mind-numbing effect her film had on the audience, Madonna attempted to pre-empt the bad (zero stars) reviews.

"I know there's a certain kind of resentment when people do one thing well -- not to toot my own horn or anything -- and then you try to go do something else," she said smugly. "Then everyone else goes and gets a bug up their ass for it. And that's their f****** problem."

Can't wait to see how that kind of logic pans out.

- Orla Healy