The election may be over, but the Hollywood ATM is still kicking out the cash. And if all goes as planned, the entertainment industry money will help put on an inaugural bash like never before.
According to records posted on the Internet by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, the inaugural committee is raking in the cash through private donations to help fund items such as fireworks and American flags for what's shaping up as the Biggest Show on Earth. Bigger than the Golden Globes, "American Idol" and, gasp, the Academy Awards put together, this historic inauguration is the kind of event everyone in Hollywood wants a piece of -- and they're willing to pay.
Consider:
Steven Spielberg has donated $50,000 -- the maximum that Obama's inaugural committee would allow -- for the events. So did Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone, Bradley Whitford, Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. Jamie Lee Curtis kicked in $25,000, as did Magic Johnson and director-producer Reginald Hudlin.
In return for their generosity, the donors will receive a number of prime tickets to inaugural events. No sense in missing out if you have cash on hand.
What's stunning about the latest give is it comes on top of what many believe was a record fundraising season in Hollywood, when the donating started before the last midterms and continued through the last frenzied week before election day. Half the town maxed out ($4,600 per person) in campaign contributions to Obama and then kicked in $28,500 more to the Democratic Party.
This cycle's roster of big givers reads like a who's who of successful Hollywood -- from the executive suites to the names you see when in the credits roll. (And remember, these are post-Bernard Madoff dollars.)
The execs and other notables who gave between $25,000 and $50,000 for the inaugural include former Motown chairman Clarence Avant (his daughter Nicole is key in Obama's fundraising efforts); entertainment attorney Skip Brittenham; music legend Berry Gordy; James Lassiter (Will Smith's longtime business partner); Dodger owner Jamie McCourt; Matthew Palevsky (son of big-time art collector Max); mega-producer Robert Zemeckis and his wife, Leslie; and "Friends" creator Marta Kauffman.
DreamWorks animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife, Marilyn, gave a total of $100,000. George Soros gave $50,000, as did four members of his family.
