Raising money has always been more difficult for Democrats than it is for Republicans - who have been able to gather funds from big business with the promise of tax cuts.

Clinton changed that by appealing to the big-hitters in the entertainment world - record industry executives, movie moguls and these days, new media magnates.

At a fund-raiser on Saturday guests paid $1,000 each (£667) to get in and $25,000 (£16,685) to stay for dinner - all going to Hillary Clinton's Senate race.

Actors and singers on stage included John Travolta, Shirley MacLaine, Diana Ross, Cher, Melissa Etheridge, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton and Stevie Wonder.

In the audience were newlyweds Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, actors Rod Steiger and Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, and boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

Monday, 14 August, 2000, 15:27 GMT 16:27 UK
Hollywood's Democratic love affair
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/880011.stm

Aug. 13 — The first couple has gotten a jump on Al Gore’s Democratic National Convention, attending a $10 million brunch today benefitting President Clinton’s future library following a star-studded Hollywood fund-raiser Saturday night for first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s New York Senate campaign. The event, hosted by comic book publisher Stan Lee at the Los Angeles estate of businessman Kenneth Roberts, featured a chart-topping line-up of singing stars including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Michael Bolton, Cher, Toni Braxton, and Melissa Etheridge.

A host of speakers included Red Buttons, Shirley MacLaine, Jimmy Smits, Whoopi Goldberg and Rosa Parks. For good measure, the president’s speech came with warm-up remarks from actor John Travolta.

Move Over and Let the Big Dogs Eat NewsMax.com Thursday, Aug. 10, 2000
http://archive.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/8/10/122308