Streisand Slams Trump at LGBT Event

Barbra Streisand slammed Republican Donald Trump in an altered version of “Send in the Clowns.” Watch below.

Streisand performed at a Hillary Clinton LGBT campaign event in New York. The Clinton event drew a handful of celebrities, including Cynthia Nixon, Debra Messing, Laverne Cox, Andy Cohen, Kathy Najimy, Mary Louise Parker, Andrew Rannells, Zachary Quinto, Marissa Tomei,  Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg, Harvey Weinstein and Barry Diller, according to The Wrap.

Tickets ran from $1,200 to $250,000, and donors who raised six figures received a meet-and-greet with the Democratic candidate.

Streisand, a gay icon, has been a strong Democratic supporter. Last spring, the singer and actress attended a fundraiser with President Obama in an effort to boost Congressional Democrats.

George Clooney Fundraiser Banks $15 Million for Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton, Rob and Alisa Bair, Amal and George Clooney. Photo credit: Adam Schultz.

Four years ago, George Clooney made headlines when he hosted a fundraiser for President Obama at his Studio City home that took in $15 million and was attended by the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Eddie Murphy and Salma Hayek.

Last month, Clooney held a fundraiser for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, which also raised $15 million. Celebrity attendees included Clooney and his wife Amal, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Jane Fonda, Anna Wintour and Jim Parsons, according to Variety.

Earlier in the day, Clinton and Clooney attended an event at Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Beverly Hills home. Attendees included co-hosts Casey Wasserman, Haim Saban, and Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw. James Cameron, George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson were also in attendance.

Nearly 150 people attended the events. Individual tickets went for $33,400 per person, while co-hosts contributed $50,000, and event co-chairs contributed $353,000, Variety reports.

Outside the events, supporters of Bernie Sanders protested Clinton and the high-dollar fundraisers. Actress Frances Fisher was among the protesters.

Clooney’s neighbor held a “99% Party” in support of Sanders. Attendees paid $27 per person, and co-hosts included radio host Cary Harrison, actor Andrew Keegan and director Matthew Cooke.

In an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Clooney agreed with Sanders’ supporters.

“They’re absolutely right,” said Clooney. “It is an obscene amount of money. The Sanders campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It’s ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics. I agree completely.”

 

 

Obama Fundraises For House, Senate Dems in Hollywood

President Obama made the rounds in Hollywood in early April to fundraise for House and Senate Democrats.

Obama attended a fundraiser Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and wife Cindy Horn’s Bel-Air home. It was the 40th Hollywood fundraiser for the president.

Attendees shelled out $66,800 per couple, and included Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Disney CEO Bob Iger, according to Deadline. Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and wife Katie McGrath, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Norman Lear and Lyn Lear, Barbra Streisand and James Brolin were also co-hosts of the fundraiser.

The fundraiser benefitted House Democrats in their effort to recapture the majority. Many political observers believe presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump would hurt more moderate Republican representatives and give Democrats a favorable chance of winning the majority.

House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), were expected to attend the event.

The next morning, Obama attended a breakfast at Tobey Maguire and wife Jennifer Meyer’s home to benefit the Democratic Senatorial Committee. Tickets were $33,400 per couple.

 

Calif. Senate candidate Kamala Harris raking in Hollywood cash

California attorney general and United States senate candidate Kamala Harris has won the financial support of many big Hollywood names, The Hill reports.

Singer John Legend ($2,000), Family Guy writer Seth MacFarlane ($5,000), actor Sean Penn ($5,000), Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg ($5,200), director Rob Reiner ($2,700) and producer Laurie David ($5,400).

Other names to pop up on campaign finance reports include producers Norman Lear and Chuck Lorre, Steven Bochco, former ESPN personality and now-NFL Network host Rich Eisen, talent agent Ari Emanuel, model Julianne Phillips, producer Brian Grazer, Viacom President Doug Herzog, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer.

Harris is running to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Photo of the Day: Lauren Bacall and President Harry Truman

Actress Lauren Bacall and President Harry Truman.

 

Legendary Golden Age actress Lauren Bacall passed away Aug. 12. Bacall, a Democrat, was politically active throughout her life. She famously supported Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1980 presidential campaign and attended his funeral in 2009. 

Denzel Washington Gives to Georgia Senate Hopeful

Actor Denzel Washington donated to Georgia Democratic Senate candidate, Michelle Nunn, according to FEC Reports.

Nunn is the former CEO of Points of Light, a non-profit organization founded by President George H.W. Bush, and daughter of former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn. She is facing an uphill battle against businessman David Perdue. 

Due to the Peach State’s changing demographics, the usually Republican leaning state is now considered a potential pickup for Democrats this fall. The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss. 

Washington previously donated to President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and attended events for the 2009 inauguration. 

Other famous names donating and campaigning for the Nunn campaign include Samuel L. Jackson and baseball legend Hank Aaron.

Jon Voight Slams Obama, Democrats on Fox News

Actor Jon Voight is not happy with President Obama or the current Democratic Party.

The Oscar-winning actor railed against the president and his party on Mike Huckabee’s Fox News program on July 12. The pre-planned remarks included everything from Benghazi to the IRS scandal to the “targeting” of filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza’s new book.

“Let us remember, let us not forget Benghazi,” Voight said. “Let us not say, ‘What difference does it make?’ Obama found a perfect way to put this under the rug, blaming Republicans, saying that they just want to find fault with his administration. And still to this day we still do not know the truth.”

Voight goes on to blast the Democratic Party and its leadership.

“The Democrat party has become a very negative force. … It’s more socialist in their thinking, and they’ve given young women the wrong ideas about what democracy really is,” he said. “Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the gang leader for all the wrong information to our young women. Convincing them that Republicans are stopping their liberties and freedoms of reproduction when the truth is, as the Supreme Court upheld, that religious freedoms are being infringed upon.”

Voight has been an outspoken conservative in Hollywood and has not shied away from voicing his opinions on the current president and his administration. Voight is the father of Angelina Jolie who, along with fiancé Brad Pitt, visited Obama in the White House in 2012.

Watch the entire Voight interview below:

 

Updated: Grimes Garners Hollywood Support

UPDATE April 13, 2014: 

The list of Grimes’ Hollywood supporters continues to grow. The Hill reported in late October that Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Jon Hamm, Nicolas Cage, Jerry Seinfeld, Cameron Diaz, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mike Meyers, James Cameron, Steven Speilberg, and J.J. Abrams all gave the maximum $5,200 to Grimes’ campaign. Chris Rock and Ted Danson contributed $5,000. Actor Ben Stiller gave $2,500, Barbra Streisand and Aaron Sorkin contributed $1,000, while Woody Allen and Leonard Nimoy gave $500 each, according to FEC filings.

After a closer look the FEC filings, there are a few more names to add to the list: Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Judd Apatow, Rhea Perlman, Mark Burnett, Kate Capshaw, Norman Lear, David Geffen, Ari Emanuel, and Leslie Mann all donating $5,200. Veteran actor Kirk Douglas gave $5,000, Ron Meyer and America Ferrera gave $2,600, Bryan Cranston gave $2,500, Rob Reiner gave $1,250, Renee Zellweger and Kathleen Kennedy gave $1,000, and Nancy Sinatra gave $250.

Stay tuned as more FEC filings become public.

Original post: Sept. 12, 2013

Even though the 2014 elections are more than a year away, Hollywood liberals have already begun fundraising and supporting Democratic candidates. Rising Democratic star and Kentucky Senate candidate, Alison Lundergan Grimes, is the most recent favorite of Hollywood mega-donors.

The Hill reports Dreamworks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg sent an email to prominent Democratic donors stating that there was “no more important election being held next year in this country” and urged donors to support the Kentucky Secretary of State when she travels to California this month.

Katzenberg isn’t the only Hollywood-type to lend his support. Pop star will.i.am. is set to appear at a Grimes fundraiser in coming weeks.

Grimes is running against Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, who is running for a sixth term.

Grimes is the second Democratic candidate to gain Hollywood support for the next election cycle. Newark Mayor Cory Booker (the Democratic candidate in New Jersey’s special election on October 16) has received a large amount of support from the Hollywood community – including fundraisers held by Oprah Winfrey, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Steven Spielberg.

Democratic supporters hope Hollywood’s interest can bring attention and money to the uphill battle of defeating one of the longest-serving Senators currently in the Senate chamber.

President Obama’s Hollywood Love Affair

President Barack Obama visited Los Angeles Wednesday night and Thursday morning for fundraisers with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

On Wednesday night, Obama attended a fundraiser at Glee creator, Ryan Murphy and his fiancé David Miller’s Beverly Hills home.

The event was attended by 70 people, who allegedly paid $40,000 per ticket to see the president speak for 12 minutes, according to DEADLINE Hollywood. After his speech, which had an emphasis on LGBT rights, Obama took questions from the audience, which included: HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo, Julia Roberts, CAA’s Kevin Huvane and Bryan Lourd, Glee star Jane Lynch and Reese Witherspoon. Also in the crowd were CBS executive Les Moonves and wife Julie Chen, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, Disney Worldwide Marketing president Ricky Strauss, Participant Media’s Jonathon Bass, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, singer Cher and transgender son Chaz Bono, Will & Grace creator Max Mutchnick, Hulu’s Jamie Kershaw, NCIS’ Pauley Perrette and Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Ellen DeGeneres and Glee’s Darren Criss performed before Obama’s  speech. Criss filled in for singer P!nk, who had to back out last minute due to health issues. Many of the supporters at the event were large LGBT rights supporters. Murphy announced he was hosting a fundraiser shortly after Obama came out in support for same-sex marriage. After the performances, Obama was introduced by a military doctor who came out after the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” in which Obama signed in 2010.

Early Thursday morning, the Obama campaign held an exclusive breakfast at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with some of Hollywood’s hottest young stars including: The Avengers Jeremy Renner, Glee actress Dianna Agron, Star Trek‘s  Zachary Quinto, Southland’s Ben McKenzie, Jessica Alba, Bryan Greenberg, Adam Rodriguez, Zach Braff, Brandon Routh, Ian Somerhalder, Jared Leto, Kal Penn and Sophia Bush.

Sources said the event was intended to help build the youth support for team Obama and enlist some of Hollywood’s youngest, hottest stars to help out with that effort.

Above: Jeremy Renner with Obama

Above: Zach Braff with Obama

Above: Sophia Bush with Obama

In the last month, the Obama campaign has been teaming up with celebrities for fundraisers and public raffles. George Clooney‘s fundraiser in early may brought in over $15 million for the president. Obama attended a fundraiser with many broadway stars earlier this week that was hosted by former president Bill Clinton. Rocker Jon Bon Jovi played at one event and attended another.

An upcoming fundraiser hosted by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour on June 14 is also expected to bring in a huge haul for the president.

The Romney campaign has yet to receive much Hollywood support and is set to have only one event with “celebrity” Donald Trump in the works.

Glee’s Colfer Praises Obama on Same-Sex Marriage

As many in America ponder whether or not President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage was a political tactic, many Hollywood celebrities are praising the president’s move.

Glee’s Chris Colfer applauded Obama on HLN.

“I was ecstatic at the president’s announcement, just was so excited,” Colfer, who plays a gay student on the show, said. “I think right now people, like, they kind of have a choice to be on the wrong or the right side of history. And I’m glad he’s on the right [side].”

Colfer also said that the Glee cast is “really, really spoiled because we’re on a show that really does so much for people who don’t have anyone else to look up to or compare their lives to.”

Glee co-creater Ryan Murphy announced he would host a fundraiser for Obama last week, after the president announced he was in support for same-sex marriage.