Sen. John F. Kerry scooped up $5 million for his presidential bid in a lavish gala in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night that featured an array of Hollywood heavy hitters who took center stage in calling for President Bush's defeat.
The Democratic presidential hopeful was feted by entertainers such as Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal and Willie Nelson at a two-hour program before 2,000 donors at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Though Streisand and Nelson represent longtime liberal voices from the music industry, a parade of younger Hollywood celebrities was on hand as well, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx and Ben Stiller lending their names and time to Kerry's candidacy.
At a pre-show dinner in an airy foyer of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where top donors dined on shrimp and filet mignon, Kerry embraced Streisand and glad-handed a roster of political and entertainment heavyweights: actor Robert De Niro, producer Harvey Weinstein, former California Gov. Gray Davis, City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa and mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg.
Kerry noted that speaking out about politics was "not something that everybody in show business chooses to do."
"Celebrate with me, if you will, each of those tonight who have chosen to put their beliefs out front for America to understand on behalf of our country. And we're grateful to each of you," he said.
He called the gathering of stars "stunning" and noted that his eldest daughter, Alexandra, had just graduated from film school in Los Angeles.
"I figured out that now that she is in the movie business, she has an opportunity to rise to the pinnacle of your business, which is governor of California," he joked, making reference to actor-turned-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Star-powered fundraisers are staples of the Southern California political scene, but Thursday's fully orchestrated concert was substantially more elaborate than the usual mansion-based soirees.
A similar concert featuring Jon Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige and the Dave Matthews Band, among others, is scheduled for July 8 in New York.
Thursday's fundraiser, which was hastily rescheduled this month after the death of former President Reagan, capped a fruitful two-day visit to California for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
He spent much of his trip surrounded by entertainment celebrities and business luminaries, and also addressed 5,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Anaheim.
