Betting on the B-list

IN Hollywood, they love winners, but they also love underdogs.

Perhaps that explains the celebrity support for some of the most implausible presidential candidates these days.

• Barry Manilow gave $2,300 recently to GOP Texas Congressman Ron Paul's campaign.

• Mark Ruffalo is a strong backer of former Democratic Sen. Mike Gravel from Alaska.

• Paul Simon is on the campaign trail for Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd from Connecticut.

• Pat Boone is supporting Republican Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, though he's also backing former GOP Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's bid.

And Democrat Dennis Kucinich? He's got a cultlike following in Hollywood that dates back years. Sean Penn gave to his congressional race in 2004. His presidential bid has the backing of Paul Haggis, Esai Morales, Deidre Hall, Alexandra Paul, Tom Ortenberg and Max Palevsky.

With all the hubbub over the Barack Obama-Hillary Rodham Clinton showdown in the entertainment industry, the underground support for the B-list candidates makes you wonder what you're missing.

If Haggis' "Crash" could surprise the industry and win the Oscar for best picture, could his candidate win the presidency? Probably not. But the support sends an important message.

"People do it to make ideological statements," said Democratic strategist Bill Carrick. "They see candidates like Dennis Kucinich, and they think he's better on the war, that he supported universal health care, and he's the most progressive on the issues that turn them on."

And there's another factor: Politicians spend years cultivating support in Hollywood. As a result, celebs get to meet candidates years before they become household names.

Actor Morales said he chatted with Kucinich at a small gathering at producer Mike Medavoy's house in 2000. (Penn was also there.)

"He's the most unprocessed politician I've ever met," said Morales, calling on his cellphone this week from the Simi Valley set of his revived TV show, "Jericho." "He's a good man. He stands for what he believes. He's an evolved soul, and he's fearless."

The outsider factor is a big deal. Ruffalo, phoning from Toronto, where he's filming his latest movie, called Gravel "a straight shooter, and he's not owned by anyone."

Morales echoed that sentiment.

"Look, I've met a lot of politicians. You understand the nature of the game. You have to please as many people as possible. Unfortunately, we have a system where money controls the political process. He whose bread you eat, whose song you'll sing.