`Can I talk to you about Hillary?'

From her vantage point at a table-for-two on a recent afternoon, Ziman watches the lunch crowd with interest at the Beverly Hills Hotel's iconic restaurant. She can see everyone who comes through the door, and she has a full view of the sunlit courtyard, where the elite make their way to secluded tables on a tree-shaded terrace.

Today she's got an eye for more than faces -- it's wallets and purses that capture her interest. The 2008 presidential campaign is on and Ziman, a former model who heads her own film and television production company, is one of political Hollywood's top fundraisers for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

It's a battle for every cent and endorsement.

"Hillary Clinton is the right candidate," Ziman explains. "The nation is in deep need for a mother figure who will lead the people out of a violent world and back into caring for the poor and the disabled, mostly caring for our children, our future."

As she talks, she spots a familiar face, a commercial real estate developer. She whispers: "He's worth millions."

She waves and summons him to the table. "Can I talk to you about Hillary?" she asks.

He looks at her as if she's just exited a spaceship.

"I'm a Republican," he says.

A Republican? In Hollywood? Sounds stranger than science fiction.

Ziman is undeterred. His party registration just makes him that much more challenging -- a potential convert.

"I would love for you to meet her

"No. No. I know the Clintons from Aspen. I'm not interested. I'm supporting McCain. Maybe Giuliani

Ziman smiles. She doesn't miss a beat: "So, can I tell you about the charity I started? It's called Children Uniting Nations

Laborious process

This is how it goes during political season in Hollywood: There's a core group of avid money raisers, many of them established and respected in the entertainment industry. (Clinton has about a dozen of them, including media mogul Haim Saban and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle.) They have Rolodexes that can help raise millions. In previous years, billionaires could open their checkbooks and give staggering sums to a single candidate. But with new contribution limits -- $2,300 per person -- fundraising has become a more labor-intensive process. (Saban said recently: "Every donor must also become a fundraiser.")