Hollywood stars attend Obama fundraiser
LOS ANGELES - Checks from Hollywood's A-list stars such as George Clooney, Eddie Murphy and Barbra Streisand added up to an expected, one-night take of $1 million for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).
Three of the entertainment industry's biggest names — DreamWorks studio founders Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen — planned a private, Beverly Hills fundraiser for the freshman senator from Illinois.
The lineup of celebrities writing checks read like a red carpet's who's who — Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Ben Stiller among others.
Tickets to the fundraiser are $2,300, the maximum individual donation to a federal campaign, or $4,600 for a couple. A later, private dinner at Geffen's home is being held for fundraisers who brought in at least $46,000 for the evening.
The fundraiser underscored the intense competition among the party's leading 2008 candidates for Hollywood dollars and endorsements. The entertainment industry is a perennial source of cash for Democrats, with big names often donating to multiple campaigns while withholding formal endorsements until later.
Spielberg, for example, is a host of the event but has not made an endorsement. Katzenberg and Geffen are backing Obama.
The movie, television and recording industries gave $33.1 million to federal candidates and parties in 2004, with much of that coming from Hollywood, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics.
Obama's display of celebrity sizzle and campaign dollars challenges any assumptions that Hollywood dollars would default to Sen.
Hillary Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who has longstanding ties to the industry, along with her husband, former President Clinton.
"I think this guy is for real," said longtime Democratic consultant Garry South, who is unaligned in the 2008 race. "I was skeptical at first, but something is going on here. ... Whether it can sustain itself remains to be seen."
Before the closed-door fundraiser, the Illinois senator was scheduled to speak to a crowd, potentially numbering in the thousands, at a public rally in Los Angeles.
Clinton will be pulling in Hollywood dollars next month, when a fundraiser is scheduled at the home of supermarket tycoon Ronald Burkle, a longtime friend and fundraiser for her husband.
In addition to money, the state has taken on new importance in presidential politics with lawmakers poised to move its primary to Feb. 5 from June.
Among other candidates, Republican Rudy Giuliani was in the state earlier this month. Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., is planning to appear Wednesday with Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Los Angeles area to discuss climate change.
Obama was on a three-day swing through California, his first since announcing his candidacy. He also held a fundraiser in La Jolla, near San Diego.
Beside the celebrity giving, checks have come in from studio bosses, including Paramount Pictures studio chief Brad Grey; Richard Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Ron Meyer of Universal Studios.
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer
Three of the entertainment industry's biggest names — DreamWorks studio founders Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen — planned a private, Beverly Hills fundraiser for the freshman senator from Illinois.
The lineup of celebrities writing checks read like a red carpet's who's who — Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Ben Stiller among others.
Tickets to the fundraiser are $2,300, the maximum individual donation to a federal campaign, or $4,600 for a couple. A later, private dinner at Geffen's home is being held for fundraisers who brought in at least $46,000 for the evening.
The fundraiser underscored the intense competition among the party's leading 2008 candidates for Hollywood dollars and endorsements. The entertainment industry is a perennial source of cash for Democrats, with big names often donating to multiple campaigns while withholding formal endorsements until later.
Spielberg, for example, is a host of the event but has not made an endorsement. Katzenberg and Geffen are backing Obama.
The movie, television and recording industries gave $33.1 million to federal candidates and parties in 2004, with much of that coming from Hollywood, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics.
Obama's display of celebrity sizzle and campaign dollars challenges any assumptions that Hollywood dollars would default to Sen.
Hillary Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who has longstanding ties to the industry, along with her husband, former President Clinton.
"I think this guy is for real," said longtime Democratic consultant Garry South, who is unaligned in the 2008 race. "I was skeptical at first, but something is going on here. ... Whether it can sustain itself remains to be seen."
Before the closed-door fundraiser, the Illinois senator was scheduled to speak to a crowd, potentially numbering in the thousands, at a public rally in Los Angeles.
Clinton will be pulling in Hollywood dollars next month, when a fundraiser is scheduled at the home of supermarket tycoon Ronald Burkle, a longtime friend and fundraiser for her husband.
In addition to money, the state has taken on new importance in presidential politics with lawmakers poised to move its primary to Feb. 5 from June.
Among other candidates, Republican Rudy Giuliani was in the state earlier this month. Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., is planning to appear Wednesday with Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Los Angeles area to discuss climate change.
Obama was on a three-day swing through California, his first since announcing his candidacy. He also held a fundraiser in La Jolla, near San Diego.
Beside the celebrity giving, checks have come in from studio bosses, including Paramount Pictures studio chief Brad Grey; Richard Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Ron Meyer of Universal Studios.
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer
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