When Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage to give his first speech as governor-elect of California, he was introduced by none other than talk show host Jay Leno. Leno was careful to avoid making any overt statements of political support for Schwarzenegger, but his very presence at the event raises now-familiar questions about the nature of our increasingly entertainment-dominated society. With the line between “hard news” and softball entertainment programming all but gone from many American minds, the candidacy – and success – of Schwarzenegger is triggering alarm bells for many cultural observers.