It's party time!

Oprah is lining up celebs for the September soiree she's throwing for Barack Obama at her California mansion that one supporter says will be 'the hottest ticket in town'

WASHINGTON -- Let's see, what does it mean when Oprah Winfrey hosts a glitzy fund-raiser for her Chicago pal, White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), at her stunning California mansion?

"I know this is going to be the hottest ticket in town," said Yolanda Parker, a Los Angeles area supporter on Obama's national finance committee.

Save-the-date e-mails for Winfrey's Sept. 8 splash at her home in Montecito, a wooded community in Santa Barbara near the Pacific Ocean, just started circulating, setting off yet another round of buzz about celebrity fund-raising in the 2008 presidential contest.

"There will be a reception and a concert with a very special guest," said Parker's e-mail to her "list" of friends.

Winfrey is taking a personal interest in lining up the entertainment. Calls are going out to Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and songstress Beyonce.

To get in on the party, the maximum $2,300-per-individual contribution for the primary is being asked. Special VIP access will be given to people who raise $25,000 (they will be called co-hosts), with top bundlers of $50,000 or more to be listed as "hosts" of the event.

Obama and chief rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have been competing for dollars from the entertainment world, each with their dueling sets of stars.

The two are mega-fund-raisers -- reports filed Sunday showed Clinton has banked $63 million so far and Obama has taken in $58.9 million for the first half of the year. They did so with a big assist from California, where they have frequently dipped into what seems like an unlimited cash well; the Golden State so far has put out $9 million for Clinton and $8.3 million for Obama.

In Beverly Hills -- that is ZIP 90210 -- Clinton has pocketed $463,675 to Obama's $257,488.