Was it just one of those things?

Like Democrats across the country, Hollywood activists are still wondering whether Obama has the experience to tackle the country's problems in these dangerously troubled times. "Sen. Clinton continues to impress people, and the more times people see her and listen to her, the more they view her as presidential material, which she absolutely is," said consultant Noah Mamet, who represents Clinton loyalist Casey Wasserman. "She helps herself immensely every time she visits L.A."

Mamet thinks the industry's flirtation with Obama was just a passing fancy, a bit of what-if casting, as in, what if we could get Brad Pitt to play Albert Schweitzer?

"People were intrigued by [Obama], didn't know him, and came out to see and hear him for the first time earlier in the year," Mamet said. "He was like a big opening weekend for a film, which has a drop-off the next week."

Of course, the election is a year and a half away. Spahn says he still sees it as a "three-way race" that includes former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

All three front-runners are back in town this month to raise funds before the next filing deadline to disclose contributions. Obama and his wife are scheduled to be at a variety of events next week, most of them non-industry-related. Edwards will arrive later this month and Clinton returns on June 22 for an event co-hosted by Chad Griffin, Bruce Cohen, Roland Emmerich and Greg Berlanti to shore up her support in Hollywood's gay community.

So will Hollywood's hot, hip and influential fall in line behind Clinton? Right now, the smart money says yes, but then the smart guys always go to the Oscars confident that the best advertising campaign will win. Everybody loves a good story and a longshot, and Obama is both. He wouldn't be the first feature attraction to become the latest thing -- again.

tina.daunt@latimes.com