Hollywood loves Obama
MONEY | Barack tries to bring Hillary's stars into his fold
LOS ANGELES -- The campaign trail is taking a detour down the red carpet.
Movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Malkovich, big-name directors and other celebrities turned out Tuesday night to contribute to Barack Obama, who is counting on Hollywood's reliable support for Democrats, and the Democratic National Committee.
(AP)
(AP)
The guest list for the gala, in which top tickets cost more than $30,000, included actress Jennifer Beals, models Heidi Klum and Cindy Crawford and boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.
Also expected to attend were Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who created two music videos for Obama during the primary season -- including one called ''Yes We Can'' that set music to clips from his speeches and became an Internet sensation.
Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee will share the money from the fund-raiser. Klum's husband, singer Seal, was among the entertainers who were expected to perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
''We hope we do well,'' Obama told reporters just before he landed in Los Angeles. ''Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do.''
Tuesday's asking ticket price for the gala's general reception was $2,300. Tickets to a VIP dinner were $28,500.
Obama wanted to win over the Los Angeles donors who supported Clinton in the primaries.
''I'm sure there will be some Hillary people that are coming over,'' Obama said.
The list of famous donors who already have given to Obama includes George Clooney, Paul Newman, Matt Damon, Larry David, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey.
The Center for Responsive Politics said Obama had collected more than $4 million from the movie, TV and music businesses. His opponent in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, raised $3.4 million from those groups, and Republican rival John McCain managed $636,000.
McCain's boldface backers include producer Jerry Bruckheimer and ''Saturday Night Live'' executive producer Lorne Michaels.