Thursday, March 28, 2024

UPDATE: Bill Clinton’s Hollywood Night Raises $6 Mil For Haiti, Stars Line Up For Him

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Bill Clinton won’t be at the Golden Globes tonight. When I asked him why–at Sean Penn’s Hollywood Haiti fundraiser on Saturday night–he said: “I gotta get home to my grandbaby.” I did try and push a button. “How are you going to get Hillary elected president?” I asked. Even with swarms of movie stars and Hollywood execs around him, Clinton didn’t miss a beat. “First she’s gotta run,” he responded.

With Clinton there, Penn’s Help Haiti Home raised $6 million from tickets and auction items. The ballroom at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills is not large, folks. I’ve been in bigger rooms where less money was collected. But Clinton’s appearance as honoree for the night caused quite a stir. During the bidding auction there were more paddles in the air than at a ping pong tournament.

And who was there? Well, Sean and Charlize Theron commanded the main table, where they were joined by host Bryan Lourd from CAA, Ben Stiller and Fisher Stevens. Reese Witherspoon and Salma Hayek, looking ever so glamorous, were right there too. Tabloid stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were also front and center. I had a long talk with Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am about his wearable technology, which he was showing to Neil Young’s fabled manager Elliot Roberts– and we got an earful about Neil’s just launched Pono music player.

There were performances by Chris Martin (who was Paltrow-less) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Some other famous people who chowed down and ponied up:  Pamela Anderson, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Bolton, Adrien Brody,  Rebecca Gayheart and husband Eric Dane, Soleil Moon Frye, Balthazar Getty, Josh Hutcherson (of “Hunger Games” fame),  Kyle MacLachlan, Kevin Nealon, Samantha Ronson, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, Rainn Wilson,  and Rachel Zoe.

There may have been more, but the room was so packed– and Clinton caused grid lock since everyone, no matter how famous, got a picture with him. And Clinton is still very much a rock star. He throws off thousands of watts of energy. But physically he is much less a presence in the past. He is very thin looking from his vegan diet. As an orator, though, he can still bring thunder and lightning to any room.

 

photo courtesy of Getty Images

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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