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.
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
With the election days away, President Obama has tapped his Hollywood friends for help during his final campaign push.
Rocker Bruce Springsteen will be joining Obama on a three-state tour, beginning in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday. They will then head to Columbus, Ohio where rapper Jay-Z will join Springsteen onstage. The President and ‘The Boss’ will then finish out their tour in Iowa.
Although absent earlier in the campaign, Springsteen has become one of Obama’s most important celebrity allies in the last month – playing at a handful of rallies in crucial swing states.
Jay-Z has also been a key player in Obama’s reelection efforts by hosting a fundraiser and starring in a web video encouraging people to vote for him.
Katy Perry is set to perform a free concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday.
Perry recently performed for 13,000 supporters at an Obama rally in Las Vegas. The singer also joined big names at a Los Angeles fundraising concert in early October.
Also hitting the campaign trail is actress Eva Longoria, who campaigned with Obama on Thursday in Las Vegas. Stevie Wonder and Marc Anthony joined first lady Michelle Obama at events in Florida on Thursday. On Saturday, singer Dave Matthews will join Obama and former President Bill Clinton for a rally in Bristow, Virginia.
David Axelrod, Eva Longoria and David Plouffe in Florida.
Rapper Jay-Z is featured in a new ad produced by the Obama campaign. In the video, the rapper talks about President Obama‘s influence and why it’s important to vote.
“For so long, there was this voice that was silenced out there as far as exercising your right to vote,” Jay-Z says. “I think it was a voice that was silent because people had lost hope. They didn’t believe that their voice mattered or counted. …Now people are exercising their right, and you are starting to see the power of our vote. He made it mean something for the first time for a lot of people. ”
Last month, Jay-Z and wife Beyoncéhosted a fundraiser for Obama in New York City that raised $4 million for his campaign.
Music power-players, Jay-Z and Beyoncé hosted a fundraiser at the rapper’s 40/40 night club Tuesday night for President Obama that raised over $4 million for his reelection campaign, according to a pool report.
According to the report, nearly 100 people attended the event and paid $40,000 a ticket.
Wearing a red cocktail dress, Beyoncé addressed the crowd and issued her support for Obama.
“I can’t tell you how proud we are to host tonight’s event with President Obama,” Beyoncé said. “We believe in his vision.”
Obama addressed the crowd and thanked the couple for their support.
“To J and B, thank you so much for your friendship.”
He then joked that his family was jealous of him.”Michelle, Sasha and Malia are mad at me because they aren’t here.”
During his address, he also shared his admiration for the couple.
“Beyoncé couldn’t be a better role model for our daughters because she carries herself with such class and poise and has so much talent,” Obama said.
“We both have daughters and our wives are more popular than we are,” Obama said of Jay-Z. “So, you know, we’ve got a little bond there. It’s hard but it’s okay.”
Prior to the fundraiser, the President went on The Late Show and chatted with David Letterman about the campaign and some of Mitt Romney’s latest comments
Update: The Obama campaign confirmed that the couple will be hosting the fundraiser for the president. Similar to other huge Hollywood fundraisers for Obama (George Clooney’s and Sarah Jessica Parker’s), the average person could donate a minimum of $3 for a chance to win an invite to the bash.
The Obama campaign sent out an email from Beyoncé, inviting supporters to enter the raffle that ended at midnight on Sept. 14.
Rapper Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé are set to host an Obama fundraiser at the rapper’s 40/40 Club on Sept. 18, reports the New York Post.
Tickets for the event will run at $40,000 to dine with the president and the couple. The event will be limited to 100 guests. Earlier that day, Obama is set to attend a special reception where families can pose for a photo with him after they contribute $12,500.
Previously, Beyoncé expressed her love for First Lady Michelle Obama in a letter and video. The couple were also big Obama supporters in 2008.
Rapper Jay-Z recently came out in support for President Obama’s same-sex marriage endorsement.
The rapper told CNN that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is discrimination.
“I’ve always thought it as something that was still holding the country back,” Jay-Z said. “What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”
Jay-Z has been a long-time supporter of the president, although he has had some criticisms of the progress being made in Obama’s first term.
“You gotta fix [the country’s current climate],” Jay-Z said in 2011. “Can’t fix it all in one day. Numbers don’t lie, it’s f*cked up out there. Unemployment is still high.”
Political Hollywood 