Celebs Sign On For Inaugural Events

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.

Obama’s Hollywood Pals Helping Until Very End

By now it is clear that Barack Obama is Hollywood’s choice for president in 2012.

Recently, big names such as Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Dave Matthews, Jay-Z, Jon Hamm and Eva Longoria have hit the campaign trail for the president.

However, in the final push before the election, the Obama campaign has released a list of ‘surrogates’ – notable personalities, politicians and celebrities that are campaigning and encouraging voters to head the polls on Tuesday.

Some celebrities include Sheryl Crow, Sophia Bush, Danny DeVito, Anne Hathaway, Mariah Carey, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Taylor, Natalie Portman, Melanie Griffith and Rashida Jones. Here’s the full list via The Hollywood Reporter:

Adam Pally
AG Kamala Harris
Aisha Tyler
Alexis Bledel
Alfre Woodard
Ambassador Luis Lauredo
Angela Bassett
Anne Hathaway
Armando “Pitbull” Perez
Ashley Judd
Beau Biden
Ben McKenzie
Benita Veliz
Bill Clinton
Billie Jean King
Boris Kodjoe
Brandon Routh
Brian Schweitzer
Bruce Springsteen
Carole King
Caroline Kennedy
Cecile Richards
Cecilia Munoz
Cedric the Entertainer
Chanel Iman
Charles Ogletree
Charlie Crist
Chris Rock
Chris Walla
Cynthia Nixon
D.B. Woodside
Danny Devito
Dave Matthews
David Crosby
Deborah Cox
Deval Patrick
DeWayne Woods
DJ Cassidy
DJ D-Nice
Dolores Huerta
Donna Brazile
Dottie Peoples
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (POTUS sister)
Elle Varner
Etan Thomas
Eva Longoria
Felix Arroyo
Fran Drescher
Fred Hammond
Gabrielle Union
Gen. Wesley Clark
Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers
Glenn Howerton (Always Sunny)
Gov. Bill Richardson
Gov. Brian Schweitzer
Gov. Deval Patrick
Gov. Jennifer Granholm
Gov. Lincoln Chafee
Gov. Martin O’Malley
Gov. Ted Strickland
Graham Nash
Henry Cisneros
Hill Harper
Ice Cube
Isabel Framer
Jack Black & Kyle G.
Jake Gyllenhaal
James Taylor
Jason Mraz
Jay Z
Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)
Jeffrey Sanchez
Jennifer Westfeldt
Jesse Williams
Jim James (My Morning Jacket)
Jim Sinegal (CEO of CostCo)
John Cho
John Legend
John Mellencamp
Johnnetta Cole
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Del Arco
Jonathan Sadowski
Julian Castro
Jurnee Smollett
Justin Long
Kamala Harris
Kate Walsh
Katerina Graham
Katy Perry
KeKe Palmer
Kenneth Salazar
Keshia Knight-Pulliam
Kimora Lee Simmons
Kyle Lowry
Lady Gaga
Lala Anthony
Laurence Fishburne
Ledisi
Lily Eskelsen (VP of the NEA)
Liya Kebede
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown
Lucas Neff
Lucy Flores
Luis Gutierrez
Lynette Acosta
Lynn Whitfield
MA State Rep. Jeff Sanchez
Madeleine Albright
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Marcia Dyson
Mario Von Peebles
Marisa Tomei
Marvin Sapp
Maya Angelou
Mayor Angel Taveras
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Mayor Joe Curtatone
Mayor John Barrett
Mayor Julian Castro
Mayor Kasim Reed
Mayor Kevin Johnson
Mayor R.T. Rybak
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Mayor Rob Dolan
MC Lyte
Melanie Griffith
Melissa Fitzgerald
Michael Ealy
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Skolnik
Miriam Sapiro
Natalie Portman
Octavia Spencer
Omar Epps
Prof. Charles Ogletree
Randy Johnson
Rashida Jones
Reggie Love
Regina King
Rep. Charlie Gonzalez
Rep. Chris Van Hollen
Rep. Jim Clybrun
Rep. Luis Gutierrez
Rep. Raul Grijalva
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale
Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley
Rev. Gerald Durley
Rev. Joseph A. Darby
Rev. Marcia Dyson
Rev. Otis Moss, Jr.
Ricky Martin
Rob McElhenny (Always Sunny)
Robert Wolf
Roger Altman
Ronnie Chatterji
Samuel L. Jackson
Sara Bareilles
Scarlett Johansson
Sen. Dick Durban
Sen. John Kerry
Sheryl Crow
Shirley Murdock
Simon Rosenberg
Sleigh Bells (Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss)
Sophia Bush
Stefanie Brown
Stephen Stills
Stevie Wonder
Taraji P. Henson
Tatyana Ali
The Head and the Heart 
Tracee Ellis
Ross Tyler Williams
Valerie Jarrett
Victor Cruz
Vivica A Cox
Will.i.am
Yolanda Adams
Zach Quinto
Zachary Knighton

Anne Hathaway: Vote For Equality, Vote For Obama

Photo: Getty Images

Actress Anne Hathaway explains why she’s voting for President Obama on Tuesday, in a new op-ed in the Advocate.

Hathaway said her support for Obama stems from her brother – who is gay.

“President Obama’s public announcement of support for marriage equality and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” were joyful days for my family and gave us hope for more progress toward equality under President Obama and Vice President Biden,” Hathaway writes.

The actress said reproductive rights were also a a major contributing factor in her decision.

“How did we get here? When I look at the candidates’ messages, I can’t imagine a clearer choice. On one side, someone who doesn’t support a person’s right to marry whoever they love. Someone who doesn’t understand why, as a woman, it is my inalienable right to make choices about my own body. And on the other, someone who gets it, and who knows that we can do better.

Four years ago we dreamed of progress. We voted for a leader who stood up for what was right, a leader who would bring us to a place where all people had equal rights, and who would protect the ones we have already gained.

I want to live in a country where everyone has the same opportunities to build a life, enjoy their liberty and pursue their happiness. This election, that vision only exists with Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” Hathaway writes.

Obama Has 16-1 Hollywood Fundraising Advantage

As of Oct. 28, President Obama has managed to out-raise Mitt Romney in Hollywood donations at a rate of 16-1, reports TheWrap.com.

A total of 208 “celebrity” donors have given $712,874 to the Obama campaign compared to 15 donors who have given $46,500 to the Romney campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, an organization that tracks donations.

The list of actors, directors and producers that donated least $5,000 include: Cameron Crowe, Will Ferrell, Ron Howard, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy, George Clooney, J.J. Abrams, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Brian Grazer, Adrian Grenier, Tom Hanks, Mariska Hargitay, Will Smith, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Quentin Tarantino, Marlo Thomas, Sam Waterston, Ben Stiller, Oprah Winfrey, Kirk Douglas, Hilary Duff, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jack Black, Anne Hathaway, Bette Midler, Tobey Maguire and Rita Wilson.

Other celebrities who donated less than $5,000 include Susan Sarandon, Zach Braff, David Arquette, Martin Scorsese, Don Cheadle and Chevy Chase.

The website also reports that many in the music industry have given $5,000, including Don Henley, Gwen Stefani and Randy Newman – as well as many more who have contributed lesser amounts.

The list also includes authors, athletes and individuals in the fashion industry. This list consists of author Steven King, NBA players Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony and former NBA player Magic Johnson, designer Michael Kors and model Christie Brinkley.

Obama also has a long list of ‘bundlers’ who collect funds from friends, family and associates and then contribute the funds in one large gift.

Some of those that top the list from the industry include Dreamworks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, Harvey Weinstein, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Ron and Kelly Meyer as well as actors Wendell Pierce, Tyler Perry and Eva Longoria.

Many of these individuals collected $500,000 according to the Center for Responsible Politics.

The Romney campaign’s list isn’t as prominent, but still has a few big Hollywood names including  Scott Baio, Jerry Bruckheimer, Neil Simon, Orson Bean, John O’Hurley, Jack Hanna as well as Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

 

 

Obama To Attend A-List Bash in Connecticut

President Obama is set to visit Connecticut Monday for a glitzy fundraiser held at the home of film producer Harvey Weinstein and his wife Georgina Chapman, reports the Hartford Courant. 

The fundraiser is set to be co-hosted by actress Anne Hathaway and Oscar-winning screenwriter and creator of HBO’s The Newsroom, Aaron Sorkin. Also on the guest list is actress Joanne Woodward, the widow of late actor Paul Newman. There are 50 people expected to attend, each paying $35,800 per ticket.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is also set to co-host the event.

Prior to the Weinstein event, Obama will visit a $500 per person reception at the Stamford Marriott with an expected 400 supporters in attendance.

UPDATE: Jerry Springer is in attendance, according to the Wall Street Journal.