STAR POWER WHY HOLLYWOOD STARS ALREADY DISHING OUT BIG BUCKS TO SUPPORT THEIR FAVORITE '08 CANDIDATES.Byline: LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. FRIEDMAN Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The stars are aligning behind Hillary Clinton for the 2008 presidential election. Hollywood stars, that is. More than two dozen Tinseltown luminaries, from Jason Alexander to Daphne Zuniga ''This article or section is being rewritten at Daphne Eurydice Zuniga (born October 28, 1962) is an American actress. Biography Early life Zuniga was born in Berkeley, California. , have dropped money in Clinton's campaign bucket since January 2005, far outpacing celebrity donations to any other presidential hopeful on the national scene. ``Hillary is, of course, the early favorite,'' said Darrell West, a political science professor at Brown University and author of the book ``Celebrity Politics.'' ``She and her husband have been cultivating this group for 20 years.'' The Democratic senator from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , like most of the presidential hopefuls, is still officially undeclared. Yet while the pundits continue to ponder a wide field of possible candidates and remain focused for now on the Nov. 7 midterms, it seems Hollywood has already made up its mind for 2008. Clinton has raised nearly $70,000 from the star set. By comparison, Sen. Russ Feingold Russell Dana "Russ" Feingold (born March 2, 1953) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He has served as a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate and the junior Senator from Wisconsin since 1993. A recipient of the John F. , D-Wis. -- often described as a leftist left·ism also Left·ism n. 1. The ideology of the political left. 2. Belief in or support of the tenets of the political left. left icon for being the only U.S. senator to oppose the Patriot Act Patriot Act: see USA PATRIOT Act. -- has raised $12,000 from the stars. Other lawmakers, including erstwhile and possibly future presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , D-Mass., lag far behind. Yet while money is where it's at in the presidential races, having big names on board is also key. After all, analysts note, when a candidate raises money from famous people, it helps them raise even more money from others. Clinton has the field beat on that score as well, with Chris Rock, Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on , Bette Midler Bette Midler (born December 1 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. and Billy Crystal on her Hollywood lineup. The former first lady also has the New York-based hot list among her donors, including ``Sex in the City'' star Kim Cattrall, comedic legend Chevy Chase Chevy Chase (chĕv`ē), town (1990 pop. 8,559), Montgomery co., W central Md., a residential suburb of Washington, D.C.; founded as a village, inc. 1914. and ``The Sopranos'' psychiatrist Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954[1]) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominated and Screen Actors Guild winning American actress best known for her roles as Karen Hill in Goodfellas and Dr. . Feingold has ``Star Trek'' Lt. Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner Mintz) on his team, in addition to ``Malcolm in the Middle'' mom Jane Kaczmarek Jane Kaczmarek (born December 21, 1955 in Greendale, Wisconsin) is an Emmy Award nominated American actress best known for playing the character Lois in Malcolm in the Middle. She lives in San Marino, CA. . The Wisconsin Democrat also has collected from Kaczmarek's husband -- ``West Wing'' and ``Studio 60'' star Bradley Whitford This article is about the actor. For the musician, see Brad Whitford. Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor. , who has donated to Clinton and other candidates, as well. Meanwhile, among other Democrats, the star power appears dim. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has Jamie Gertz lined up, as well as Indiana native Sydney Pollack. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has ``Saturday Night Live'' producer Lorne Michaels. Kerry, meanwhile, has received donations from Nancy Sinatra. The closest thing to a celebrity next to her appears to be California Controller Steve Westly. It's a far cry from the 2004 election when Kerry had Charlize Theron, Dennis Hopper and Ed Norton sending in the cash and hosting fundraisers. But experts said politicians, of all people, should be accustomed to having fair-weather friends. ``It may be the `in' thing in Hollywood to donate to Hillary, but if Democrats pick another candidate, they'll switch in a heartbeat immediately. See also: heartbeat -- even if that person is more conservative,'' said Larry Sabato, political science professor at University of Virginia. Movie star donations, meanwhile, are predictably absent from GOP coffers. So far only Dennis Hopper and ``Frasier'' star Kelsey Grammer have donated to Republicans: to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., respectively. Sabato said political donations from the rich and famous have their drawbacks. ``To be called the candidate of Hollywood is harmful in flyover America,'' he said. ``The `red' states and even some of the `blue' states don't identify with Hollywood. It's proof that you are the candidate of the elites.'' West said he finds it disingenuous when one candidate grouses about another's Hollywood donations. ``The only people who really complain about Hollywood money are those who can't get it,'' he said. lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com (202) 662-8731 Political Bling Here is a partial list of celebrity contributors to the 2008 presidential campaign: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Nancy Sinatra, $250 Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Jane Kaczmarek, $2,000 Christine Lahti, $300 Brent Spiner Mintz, $4,000 Tommy Schlamme, $4,360 Bradley Whitford, $5,000 Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Jason Alexander, $1,500 Candice Bergen, $2,000 Lorraine Bracco, $1,000 James Caan, $4,200 Kim Cattrall, $500 Chevy Chase, $4,200 Billy Crystal, $4,000 Robert De Niro Noun 1. Robert De Niro - United States film actor who frequently plays tough characters (born 1943) De Niro , $4,200 Danny DeVito, $1,000 Fran Drescher, $1,000 Morgan Fairchild $1,500 Tom Hanks, $2,100 Lucy Lawless, $1,000 Bette Midler, $4,200 Paul Newman, $2,000 Rhea Perlman, $1,000 Rob Reiner, $3,100 Chris Rock, $2,100 Susan Saint James, $3,200 Jennifer Tilly, $250 Bradley Whitford, $3,200 Reese Witherspoon, $1,000 Daphne Zuniga, $1,000 Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. Jami Gertz, $4,200 Sydney Pollack, $1,000 Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. Lorne Michaels, $5,000 Rudy Giuliani Kelsey Grammer, $5,000 Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Dennis Hopper, $1,000 Source: Political MoneyLine, 2005-present CAPTION(S): 19 photos, 3 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Hillary Clinton) (2 -- color) Tom Hanks (3 -- color) Reese Witherspoon (4 -- color) Chris Rock (5 -- color) Robert De Niro (6 -- color) Bette Midler (7 -- color) Chevy Chase (8 -- color) Kelsey Grammer (9 -- color) Bradley Whitford (10 -- color) Dennis Hopper (11 -- color) Nancy Sinatra (12 -- color) Sydney Pollack (13 -- color) Lorne Michaels (14) DODD (15) KERRY (16) GIULIANI (17) FEINGOLD (18) McCAIN (19) BAYH Box: (1) SIX WHO HAVE DONATED TO SEN. HILLARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN ... (2) ... WHILE THESE CELEBS ARE SUPPORTING OTHERS (3) Political Bling (see text) |
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