An early winner in Oscars week will stride up the red carpet in Los Angeles on Tuesday night - Barack Obama.

The Democratic presidential hopeful with the rock star buzz is the guest of honour at a Beverly Hills fundraising party where the celebrity count will match Sunday's post-Oscar bashes.

The reception, hosted by Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks studio colleagues David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg, is expected to draw 700 of Hollywood's most influential players, including declared Obama supporters George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Oprah Winfrey, Oliver Stone and superagent Ari Emanuel.

Sen Clinton retains the backing of key LA players such as the movie moguls Haim Saban and Steve Bing, the father of Elizabeth Hurley's son, Damian. Mr Bing donated $1 million to pro-Democrat groups in the 2004 White House race.

The pair, along with supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, will hold a Los Angeles fundraising gala for Sen Clinton in March, when celebrity backers such as Tom Hanks, Sharon Stone, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld and Martin Scorsese are likely to boost the star power.

By Philip Sherwell in New York Last Updated: 1:52AM GMT 23 Feb 2007
Hollywood's glitterati line up for Obama
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1543044/Hollywood's-glitterati-line-up-for-Obama.html

Celebrity endorsements currently seem to be reflecting the split in the Democrat Party.

John Kerry has apparently captured the political hearts of Jamie Lee Curtis, Kathleen Turner, Dennis Hopper, Aaron Sorkin, Moby, James Taylor, Bradley Whitford, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael J. Fox, Penny Marshall, Peter Yarrow, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmunds, Quincy Jones, Carole King and Uma Thurman.

Left Coast Troops Invade Iowa and New Hampshire
James Hirsen, NewsMax.com Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/1/19/131239.shtml