Obama's battle with Clinton split Hollywood A-listers, but they come together at $5 million gala

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: In L.A., the stars line up for Obama
His battle with Clinton split A-listers, but at a gala that raises an estimated $5 million, they signal they've come together.
By Tina Daunt and Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
June 25, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama's bid for Hollywood's financial support was officially cinched Tuesday night at -- where else? -- a gala attended by celebrities, studio executives, producers, directors and other well-moneyed people.

British recording artist Seal sang Sam Cooke's R&B song "A Change Is Gonna Come" for 900 people gathered at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles to toast the senator from Illinois. It was Obama's first trip to Los Angeles since New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded defeat early this month in the battle for the Democratic nomination.

Although Obama's staff declined to give exact numbers, organizers estimated that the event raised more than $5 million, which will be divided between the Democratic National Committee and his presidential campaign. (The money included about 200 seats at a VIP dinner that cost $28,500 per couple. An additional 700 people paid as much as $2,300 each to attend the reception.)

Many in the Hollywood crowd -- which had been deeply split between Obama and Clinton during the primaries and caucuses -- said they hoped to send a strong message: that the industry A-listers, even those who had sided with Clinton during the primary, were standing firm with Obama. "In the primary, you fight hard and then you have to come together," said producer Lawrence Bender, one of Obama's early Hollywood supporters. "This was a real unifying event."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama25-2008jun25,0,7648164.story

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