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 the DNC in Beverly Hills

President Obama raised money for the Democratic National Committee at the Beverly Hills home of Tyler Perry on June 19.

Obama reportedly spoke about criminal justice reform, according to The Hill.

“We should be reforming our criminal justice system in such a way that we are not incarcerating nonviolent offenders in ways that renders them incapable of getting a job after they leave office,” said Obama.

“Little slip of the tongue there. Little Freudian slip. Tyler is going to give me a job once I leave.”

Actress January Jones and “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner were in attendance, as well as former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, former NBA player Jason Collins and Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

Attendees paid between $2,500 and $33,400 for tickets to the event.

Following the fundraiser, Obama privately met with director Steven Spielberg and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to the National Journal.

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.

Hollywood Opens Wallet For Cory Booker

Eva Longoria and Newark Mayor Cory Booker
Credit: Twitter – @mattdonnally

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has been the frontrunner for the Aug. 13 primary election for New Jersey’s vacant Senate seat. He’s also raked in around $8 million for his  bid – and much of that was raised by Hollywood celebrities and industry bigwigs.

In March, Hollywood Democratic fundraising heavy-weights, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, joined notable Hollywood Republicans Bruce Willis and Jerry Weintraub at Weintraub’s Beverly Hills mansion to fundraise for the popular Newark Mayor.

In early April, House of Cards star, Kate Mara, tweeted a picture of her and Booker at a Booker fundraiser.

As the election edged closer, more Hollywood stars came out for Booker.

Oprah Winfrey held a fundraiser Aug. 1 for Booker in Jersey City. Tickets for the event went from $1,000-$2,600 a person and it’s estimated 200 people attended. Winfrey has stayed relatively quiet since endorsing and campaigning for President Barack Obama in 2008. Recently, Winfrey spoke at the Harvard Commencement ceremony and spoke about tougher gun control and advocated for immigration reform. But it seems she’s always been a fan and supporter of Booker’s, writing in Time Magazine in 2011, “Cory Booker is a genius.”

“He’s Newark’s biggest cheerleader now, but I’m looking forward to the day we all get to cheer him on wherever politically he chooses to go,” Winfrey wrote of Booker when he was selected to be one of “Time” magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

Ivanka Trump recently held a fundraiser at her home (on Park Avenue) for Booker. Tickets to the fundraiser were reportedly going for $5,200 a piece. Trump endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, but Politico reports that Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have bundled $41,000 for Booker’s Senate run.

Actress and Democratic advocate, Eva Longoria, hit the campaign trail for Booker in recent days. Longoria joined Booker on his bus tour on Aug. 12.

Booker is running for the seat previously held by Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died in June at the age of 89. Gov. Chris Christie appointed Republican Jeff Chiesa to occupy the Senate seat after Lautenberg’s death. Chiesa decided not seek election in the special election.

‘House of Cards’ star fundraises for Cory Booker

Actress Kate Mara, who plays dogged reporter Zoe Barnes in the political drama ‘House of Cards’, attended a fundraiser for Newark Mayor Cory Booker on April 1.

Booker is allegedly contemplating a run for New Jersey’s Senate seat. Current Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) recently announced his retirement.

Politico reports that the reception took place in Washington D.C. and was for a potential Senate run. Tickets ranged from $40 to $100 and 300 people were expected to attend, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Actress Kate Mara with Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
Credit: Kate Mara @_KateMara

Later this month, Hollywood mega-donors including Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bruce Willis are planning to host a fundraiser for Booker at producer Jerry Weintraub‘s house in Beverly Hills.

Hollywood Fundraising for Cory Booker

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Photo credit: Cory Booker’s Facebook

Although Newark Mayor Cory Booker hasn’t officially declared his Senate candidacy, Hollywood mega-donors are already fundraising for the rising Democratic star.

Industry bigwigs including Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bruce Willis, Bob Iger, Rob Reiner, J.J. Abrams, Troy Garity and Steve Bing are shelling out $5,000 to support the Senate hopeful, according to THR.

The event will be held at the Beverly Hills mansion of producer Jerry Weintraub on April 25. Both Winetraub and Willis are thought of as more conservative figures in the Hollywood community.

Last month, after serving three decades in the Senate, current New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg announced he would not seek reelection in 2014. Booker is thought to be the favored candidate on the Democratic side.

Bill Clinton At The Golden Globes

Former President Bill Clinton introduced Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” at the HFPA Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.

Deadline is reporting that Spielberg helped orchestrate the surprise appearance by the 42nd President. Prior to Clinton’s introduction, few with HFPA knew about Clinton’s presentation and honchos at DreamWorks kept the plan under wraps, according to the Deadline.

Clinton received a standing ovation and praised the “brilliant film” in his introduction.

“Winning it required the President to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue — I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Clinton joked.

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.

Steven Spielberg Praises Chris Christie

It is a widely known fact that Steven Spielberg is not a Republican. However, the Oscar-winning director recently praised New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on his response to Hurricane Sandy and embracing President Obama regardless of their political differences.

“Gov. Chris Christie was a hero for me,” Spielberg told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was able to put party politics aside for the greater good. And the fact that he would, right at the end of the election cycle, tell the truth about his gratitude — he was my hero.”

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.