Hatch & the Rock: Man to Man's Man

Sen. Orrin Hatch and Dwayne Johnson at the Hotel Monaco on Tuesday. (Abby Brack/Getty Images)Enlarge Image

The Rock's biggest fan in Washington? Sen. Orrin Hatch! Who knew?

Movie star Dwayne Johnson brought his action-hero brand of manliness to D.C. yesterday for the Motion Picture Association of America's biennial "Business of Show Business" symposium. Testosterone alert!

"He's such an attractive male -- rugged, strong -- kind of an exemplary man," Hatch told us. A few minutes later, he told Johnson and the luncheon crowd at the Hotel Monaco, "I wish I had a body like yours."

Well, can you blame him? The 36-year-old former pro wrestler still has the ripped athlete's physique that first shot him to fame in the ring; eight years ago, he appeared in his first film, "The Mummy Returns," and became a surprise action-comedy-family movie star, now in Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain."

The MPAA had Joe Biden and Martin Scorsese at last night's awards dinner; it brought in Johnson as the luncheon's keynote speaker to balance the symposium ticket. "We wanted a younger, family-oriented guy," said MPAA chairman Dan Glickman. "Someone that people under 40 would recognize."

Johnson -- in a navy suit, white shirt, no tie -- didn't disappoint.

I know what you're thinking, he told the audience with a grin: "Yes, he is just as attractive as our president." Then he did his "Saturday Night Live" impression (better than Fred Armisen's, we think) of the commander in chief turned Incredible Hulk: "They call me The Rock Obama."

Johnson went on to the serious stuff: A shout-out to local and federal government for allowing movie magic to happen, a heartfelt pitch for the value of the movie biz in today's economy. Then he posed for pictures with his other gaga fans, and slipped out.