Occasionally, we like to take a peek inside the red envelope to see what DVDs are being rented by the rich and powerful... today's celebrity spotlight falls on the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.
You may know "W" as the Commander in Chief and as the star of his own long-running sitcom on the C-SPAN cable network. But when he's not keeping the homeland safe or providing quality healthcare and tax savings for all Americans, "W" likes to relax by munching pretzels and watching movies, just like every other American.
Mr. Bush says that he sits down two or three times a week with his wife Laura to watch the latest DVD releases, but that he alone is both the "decision maker" and "the decider" when it comes to choosing which films to rent.
"I'm not a big fan of Hollywood and I never made much time for movies," the President told us in an exclusive interview. "Then came September 11th. And that changed everything."
Seeking solace in cinema, Bush signed up for Netflix, a DVD delivery service available on the internets.
"I thought it would be good," he says, "because they use the United States Postal Service to deliver the movies. I appreciate that. Dick says they have these 42 undisclosed locations around the country where they ship the movies from and that if Americans can't get next day delivery of their favorite films, then the terrorists have won."
He soon grew tired of the service, though, because none of the movies they sent him would fit in his VCR. "Then my Dad got me one of those new VCRs, the kind that takes the shiny discs," the President explains, "and ever since, I've been a big fan of the Netflix."
"When they started," Bush says, "they had just a few thousand movies. And that was fine. In fact, I thought they were doing a heckuva job. But you know, when you start a new movie renting business, I guess you go in there with the movies you have, you don't go in there with the movies you might want or wish to have."
"They faced a serious challenge and they saw they could do better... and so they surged to over 70,000 titles. Now we have so many good movies to choose from that sometimes Laura and I sit down in front of the TV and don't even have time to watch Shep Smith or Sean Hannity and that other guy."
What else does he like about Netflix besides the large selection?
"They don't charge you late fees," he explains. "I try to leave no DVDs behind, but you know, sometimes it don't always work out. And I've already racked up over $360 billion in late fees on another project I'm working on, so the no late fees thing is big."
What's the Leader of the Free World watching these days? The President was kind enough to share with us the titles at the top of his Netflix Queue and we're pleased to pass them on to you after the jump.
Bring It On
Reality Bites
Cocaine Cowboys
Secrets and Lies
Dazed and Confused
No Apologies
Fox and His Friends
The Great Dictator
Rich Kids
Leap of Faith
Jesus Christ Superstar
The Madness of King George
American Psycho
Curious George Rides A Bike
Barney: The Land of Make Believe
Fearing the Exit
English As A Second Language
Disaster Preparedness For Dummies
History of the U.S. Constitution: 1619 - 2000
We've checked and all these DVDs are indeed available at Netflix, although some are shown with a "Very Long Wait," which may explain why the President has not yet seen many of them.
[Previously: Mel Gibson's Netflix Queue]
[Previously: Netflix Delivers The Real Thing]
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