The moguls have finally chosen the new chief of the Motion Picture Association of America.
It is former Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, named Chairman and CEO on Tuesday.
"I am truly excited about representing the interests of one of the most creative and productive industries in America, not only in Washington but around the world,” Dodd said in a statement.
Dodd, 66, will replace interim head Bob Pisano.
The MPAA had been seeking to replace former chair Dan Glickman for over a year. An earlier courtship with Bob Kerrey ended in frustration last summer, after the former Nebraska senator ultimately turned down the $1.3 million a year position.
The MPAA had been seeking someone who combined deep Washington ties with charisma; something the more mild mannered Glickman was seen as lacking. Glickman, a longtime congressman, was Agriculture Secretary under Bill Clinton.
In Dodd, the moguls have a landed a star to be their top lobbyist -- one with three decades at the height of the political ladder.
Dodd is less of a centrist than Kerrey, but like his good friend the late Ted Kennedy, the silver haired senator was considered a liberal power broker in Washington.
Yet his political career ended on something of a sour note. Dodd opted not to seek re-election in 2010 after a scandal over a controversial loan from Countrywide Financial depleted his poll numbers.
The Senate Ethics Committee cleared Dodd of wrongdoing after a yearlong investigation examined whether mortgages the senator received fro Countrywide Financial violated the Senate's rules on gifts.
Dodd, a Democrat, represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 2011. He ran for president in 2008, but stepped out of the race after placing seventh in the Iowa Caucuses.
He was Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and authored the recent Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. He was also chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997.
“Senator Dodd is a battle-tested leader whose reputation as a strong leader on major issues facing this country has prepared him to serve as the Ambassador for the movie business. I, along with my colleagues, agree that he was worth the wait,” Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman Jim Gianopulos said in a statement.
Dodd is not known to have a close association with the entertainment industry, though he is a friend of "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels and dated Carrie Fisher.
He has also been uite friendly with such players as Universal Studios President Ron Meyer, HBO Co-President Richard Plepler, Robert Redford and Warren Beatty.
His biggest industry exposure, though, may have been a cameo in the 1993 comedy “Dave."
Here is the full announcement:
MPAA APPOINTS SENATOR CHRISTOPHER J. DODD
AS CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
WASHINGTON — The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.
