You would think that the "real" journalists in Washington had never gotten to interview the president, the way they're reacting to the news that teen idol Leonardo DiCaprio was able to get some time with the chief. I probably won't watch the interview but hope that they talked a lot about girls or made a bet bout who would be the first to score with Cokie Roberts. Leo's line: "Man, she likes your handling of the economy but she loves my ass." Bill's line: "She may have loved 'Titanic' but she really likes it when I look her square in the eye and say 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.'"

Since I won't be that much fun, I probably won't watch. But I do have to wonder why the Beltway pundits are so mad, isn't it okay for the President to have a televised conversation with an actor? Is the President only supposed to speak to the public through the media? Is Sam Donaldson just miffed that whenever he interviews the Clinton that he's not the best looking guy in the room?

I'd rather watch Leo interview Clinton than have to sit through Larry King's questions. Leo is at least close to my age. He might even come up with the type of questions I'd ask, he might, for once, express the point of view of a guy who's not over forty and pushing fifty. I hope this starts a trend, frankly. Send Ben Affleck on the Gore campaign trail. Let Sarah Michelle Gellar cover Bush for awhile. I want to see Catherine Zeta Jones knock Janet Reno down a few pegs. Janet's line: "Excuse me, I didn't understand the question." Catherine: "I shaid, whuwhy are shou shending that shild back to Qommunist Quba?"

That the line between entertainment and news television has been blurred by all this is... well, it isn't news. He first people to blur that line were the talking heads we have now. You can't convince me that Stone Phillips didn't get his job, in part, because he's a handsome guy and don't tell me that Wolf Blitzer's career hasn't been helped by his cool sounding name. Television news has always been about entertainment. Good looking people offering quick news stories with great graphics and frequent commercial breaks, which are bracketed by dramatic music. Just like movies advertise themselves as being "from the Oscar winning producer of" all the news broadcasts make sure you know how many awards they've won. There are violent newscasts and G-rated family newscasts all aimed at certain viewers who want to be entertained to their tastes, just like movies.

Network television, of course, is all about entertainment. The news is just a small part of network content and networks like ABC are owned by Disney, which is an entertainment organization. All the national news anchors have agents and they're all paid as lavishly as TV stars. But that's the point, they are TV stars.

So, that a TV star is interviewing President Clinton is nothing new for the nation and nothing new for the state of journalism today. It's just that a better-looking TV star who happens to be younger is interviewing him and happens to work for a different program. Think of it as a TV crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer goes to fight Xena's baddies one week and Lucy Lawless has the day off. I'll bet Xena wouldn't whine like some bratty member of the Washington Press Corp.

If Sarah Michelle Gellar very wants to interview the President, Michael Maiello hereby offers to prep her on policy. For a long time, late at night, at her place.