Washington D.C. may not have been as star-studded during this weekend’s inaugural festivities compared to 2009, but many celebrities braved the cold to celebrate and perform for President Obama’s second term celebrations.
Kelly Clarkson, James Taylor and Beyonce serenaded the First family and attendees at the Inauguration on Monday. However, it has been reported Beyonce lip-synced the national anthem with vocals she prerecorded Sunday night.
Here are videos of the performances:
Also spotted at the ceremony was rapper Jay-Z, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Eva Longoria, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, former Boston Celtic Bill Russell, Ashley Judd and John Legend.
John Mayer and Katy Perry Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Jay-Z and Beyonce Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Singer Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Brad Paisley, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Fun were among the performers at the various inaugural balls.
As President Barack Obama’s inaugural weekend quickly approaches, more entertainers are signing up to join the celebrations and events around Washington D.C.
Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor are set to perform during the Inauguration ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol on January 21.
The AP reports that Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson, Usher, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley and Fun are set to sing at Obama’s inaugural galas Jan. 21 and a children’s concert on Jan. 19. Performers including Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and the cast of “Glee” have also signed on to perform at various galas that weekend.
City officials estimate a drop in attendance and predict an the crowd at the inaugural ceremony to be somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 – down from 1.8 million in 2009.
During Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, celebrities flocked to the celebrations. Speakers and performers included Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Ashley Judd, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney, George Lopez, Kal Penn, Marisa Tomei, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Tiger Woods, Master Sgt. Caleb Green, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi with Bettye Lavette, James Taylor, John Legend, Jennifer Nettle, John Mellencamp, Josh Groban and Heather Headley, Will.i.am with Herbie Hancock and Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Shakira, Adam Levine, Stevie Wonder with Usher and Shakira, U2, Pete Seeger, Beyonce and Aretha Franklin.
Beyonce and Jay-Z at the 2009 Inauguration Photo: Reuters
Other celebrities simply attended the ceremony and/or performed at the dozens of galas held around Washington D.C., including Faith Hill, Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, Dustin Hoffman, Magic Johnson, Mohammad Ali, Samuel L. Jackson, Arnold Schwarznegger,Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Sharon Stone, Sting, Elvis Costello, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Spike Lee, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, John Cusack, Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore, Jackson Browne, Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge, Mariah Carey and Robert DeNiro.
Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw at the 2009 Inauguration. Photo: Getty Images
Beyonce famously belted out Etta James’s ‘At Last’ at the Neighborhood Ball. Watch the performances below.
A handful of celebrities hit the campaign trail over the weekend for one final push to reelect President Obama on November 6.
Actors Jon Hamm and Bryan Greenberg campaigned for Obama in Nevada. Greenberg tweeted this photo and stated: “Jon Hamm and I. Two St. Louis boys who want you to vote.”
Actors Ben Mckenzie, Zachary Quinto and ‘The Hangover’ stars Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Ken Jeong were also campaigning in Nevada.
Actress Julianne Moore campaigned for Obama in New Hampshire and tweeted some photos while on the trail.
Julianne Moore Photo credit: Julianne Moore @_juliannemoore
Actress Eva Longoria traveled around Florida over the weekend and encouraged people to vote early.
Eva Longoria Photo credit: Eva Longoria @EvaLongoria
Bruce Springsteen performed for the Obama campaign in Pittsburgh, while James Taylor joined President Obama in New Hampshire and played a few songs. Meanwhile, singer Alicia Keys stumped for the president in North Carolina.
Social media is a crucial communication tool for political candidates to connect and influence voters – especially younger voters. Not only are candidates themselves mastering social media, but so are their celebrity supporters. In just the last week – a handful of celebrities have tweeted their support for President Obama and Mitt Romney.
Team Obama: President Obama is not lacking Hollywood supporters this election cycle. With fundraisers with George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker and dozens of other celebrities – Obama is definitely winning the popularity contest in Hollywood. Just this week Girls star and creator Lena Dunham, singer Alicia Keys, singer Katy Perry and actress/singer Miley Cyrus tweeted photos in support of Obama.
Actress Lena Dunham
Singer Alicia Keys
Singer Katy Perry
Actress/singer Miley Cyrus
Team Romney: Although Mitt Romney hasn’t had the equivalent celebrity support as President Obama, he has had a strong backing from Clint Eastwood, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight and Patricia Heaton. Robert Duvallhosted a fundraiser for him and he recently gained the endorsement of Lindsay Lohan.
Actress Stacey Dash, a former Obama supporter, recently tweeted a picture of her endorsement of Romney. Since the tweet was sent, Dash has been criticized by many on the left and joyfully accepted by the right.
Actress Stacey Dash
With the election still a few weeks away, one could predict that this is not the last of the celebrity social media endorsements. Stay tuned!
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour are throwing a fundraiser for President Obama in Greenwich, Conn., on Aug. 6, according to the NY Post.
The two democratic supporters are set to co-host the event. Other co-chairs have yet to be announced. Tickets are expected to be $35,800 per head.
Weinstein and Wintour hosted an Obama dinner together last year, which included Gwyneth Paltrow, Tory Burch, Alicia Keys and Quentin Tarantino.
Wintour co-hosted an event with Sarah Jessica Parker last month that brought in a variety of supporters from Hollywood and the fashion industry.
Singer Alicia Keyssaid America needs a president who is genuine and has passion, at the President’s Women Vote Summit in Philadelphia on Monday.
“President Obama cares about the issues we care about…,” Keys said. “That’s something I know deep in my core and I think we all relate to. You see him speak, whether it’s on TV or if you get a chance to see him in person, you know that there’s a really genuine spirit that comes from him, it’s a really human spirit. That’s the spirit of a person that I’d like to see run the country – someone that’s human. Thank you! Give me someone human!”
Other attendees at the event included Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Montgomery), Lisa Nutter, senior strategist Valerie Jarrett and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the Democratic National Committee chairwoman.
The Obamas appeared together last Thursday evening at a fundraiser held at the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in New York City. The exclusive dinner raised nearly $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each. The dinner was co-hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour according to the AP.
Among the famous attendees, actress Meryl Streep,Bravo’s Andy Cohen, fashion designer Michael Kors and singer Aretha Franklin dined with the President and First Lady.Although the event was held at his home, Broderick was absent due to his performance in a play.
After the glitzy dinner, the Obamas then headed to a fundraiser in Manhattan, where singer Mariah Carey performed and singer Alicia Keys spoke. The 250-person dinner brought in at least $2.5 million for the Obama campaign.
This is one of the many recent celebrity fundraisers the Obama campaign has held that has raised an estimated $50 million.
This particular event has been scrutinized by conservatives as “elitist” and “out-of-touch.” Pundits such as Glenn Beckcriticized the Obama campaign for tapping Wintour to co-host, due to her harsh reputation.
However, like the George Clooney fundraiser, the Obama campaign held a raffle for donors to partake in with a minimum donation of $3. Two lucky winners were chosen to attend.
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