BREAKING… 2:26 PM 5th UPDATE Before attending his publicly scheduled Thursday fundraiser, President Obama had a private early meeting this morning at the Beverly Hilton with a number of young Hollywood stars who are supporting his re-election. The meeting, which was keep off the official White House itinerary, had no media present. However celebs like Jessica Alba, The Avengers’ Jeremy Renner, Bryan Greenberg (pictured left with Obama), Jared Leto, Glee’s Dianna Argon, Tatyana Ali, Sophia Bush and Kal Penn, who quit Hollywood for a year to work for the administration, took to social media like Twitter to give POTUS shout-outs and post photos of themselves meeting Obama.
The President’s 9 AM Thursday morning fundraiser was at the View Park home of developer Charles Quarles and his wife. Tickets for that event are $2,500. All the money the President raised during his time in LA goes to the Obama Victory Fund. After the Quarles event, Obama left LA for more events in Las Vegas and then to head back to D.C. in the evening.
There’s more glitz money in the incumbant’s near future. The President and the First Lady will be in NYC on June 14 for a fundraiser at Sarah Jessica Parker’s house co-hosted by the Sex and The City actress and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Like the May 10 dinner at George Clooney’s house, the Parker/Wintour event will include a raffle for donors who give $3 to the campaign to win two tickets to attend. No word on how much the face value price of the tickets to Parker’s house are or how many people are expected. New York, like LA is fertile fundraising territory for the incumbent. Obama was in the Big Apple earlier this week fundraising with former President Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi by his side.
4th UPDATE 9:10 PM
“I will not be singing tonight,” President Obama told the crowd tonight at Glee creator Ryan Murphy and his fiancé David Miller’s house. Obama made the joke after being introduced to the crowd of around 70 people by Murphy at the $40,000 per-couple fundraiser. Obama spoke for about 12 minutes starting at 8:15 PM and then took questions from the audience. That audience included HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo, Julia Roberts, CAA’s Kevin Huvane and Bryan Lourd, Glee star Jane Lynch and Reese Witherspoon. The President hit similar themes as he had at the LGBT gala earlier in the evening, talking about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the record of his first term. Obama left Murphy and Miller’s house at 9 PM. The motorcade drove by supporters out on the street and headed back to the Beverly Hilton where Obama is staying tonight.
Here’s the scene from the pool report:
The scene: outdoor interior courtyard paved in brick. Obama spoke framed by a white arch. Eight tables of 8 to 10 arrayed around a central fountain. Chairs draped in white. Very pleasant weather. Neighbors with impossibly well groomed lawns seemed not tons thrilled to see all the cars and have us tramp on their grass a bit.
Witherspoon, a fellow Harvard Law graduate of the president if you count Legally Blonde, was in a place of honor at one of the closer-in tables.
3rd UPDATE – 8:40 PM President Obama has arrived at Glee creator Ryan Murphy’s Beverly Hills home. Julia Roberts, Glee star Jane Lynch and Reese Witherspoon are among the 70 guests joining Murphy and his fiancé David Miller at the $40,000 per-couple fundraiser. Obama is supposed to speak around 8:55 PM.
2nd UPDATE: 7:40 PM - President Obama arrived at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for the LGBT Leadership Council gala to big applause and chants of “four more years!” CBS boss Les Moonves and wife Julie Chen were spotted in the crowd. So were Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, Disney Worldwide Marketing president Ricky Strauss, Participant Media’s Jonathon Bass, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Cher, Will & Grace creator Max Mutchnick, Hulu’s Jamie Kershaw, NCIS’ Pauley Perrette and Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The first President to openly support same-sex marriage, Obama started speaking to the roaring crowd of several hundred at around 7 PM. Ellen DeGeneres and Glee’s Darren Criss performed before Obama’s 30-minute speech. Obama was introduced by a military doctor who came out after the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” The President started with a potentially off-color joke about Ellen claiming that Michelle Obama “didn’t go down all the way down” in a push-up contest with the TV host. Taking a more serious tone, Obama told the crowd that his repeal of DADT is because “we are just trying to make this union a bit more perfect.” The President left the LGBT gala around 7:40 PM and is now on his way to Glee creator Ryan Murphy’s house in Beverly Hills for a smaller gathering of 70 guests.
UPDATE: 4:43 PM Air Force One has landed at LAX. Obama is in Marine One and heading over toward Beverly Hills where he will drive to his first event of the night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Street closures on Santa Monica Blvd in Century City and Beverly Hills have now gone into effect.
PREVIOUS: President Barack Obama is coming back to LA today for some more Hollywood campaign cash. Less than a month after raising a record breaking $15 million at George Clooney’s house in a fundraising dinner, Obama is back tonight for the LGBT Gala and a $40,000 per-couple intimate dinner at Glee creator Ryan Murphy’s house. Air Force One is expected to arrive at LAX at around 4:20 PM from campaign events in San Francisco earlier today. That means snarled traffic for Westsiders as the Secret Service and the police close down streets both tonight, until around 10 PM, and Thursday morning. The first event of the evening for Obama is the LGBT Leadership Council Gala. The gala was originally scheduled for the SLS Beverly Hills Hotel but was moved to the larger Beverly Wilshire Hotel due to a surge in demand after Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage on May 9. Obama is scheduled to speak at the $1,250 per-person event at 7:15 PM. Ellen DeGeneres is hosting with Glee’s Darren Criss, replacing a sick Pink, providing the tunes for the audience of about 600. After that the President will drive on over to Ryan Murphy and his fiancé David Miller’s Beverly Hills home. Like the Clooney event on May 10, the dinner at the Glee creator’s house is smallish. About 70 people are expected to be in attendance. Couples paid $40,000 for their tickets and single guests paid $25,000. Obama is expected to speak at the dinner at around 8:55 PM. The President will be playing to a very different audience on TV tonight. Both Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney will both be appearing in videos segments on the CMT Music Awards. The President has another LA fundraiser early Thursday morning at the View Park home of developer Charles Quarles and his wife. Tickets for that event are $2,500. All the money the President raises during his time in LA goes to the Obama Victory Fund. Obama will leave LA for more events in Las Vegas in the later Thursday morning.
Not that there isn’t more glitz money in Obama’s near future. The President and the First Lady will be in NYC on June 14 for a fundraiser at Sarah Jessica Parker’s house co-hosted by the Sex and The City actress and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Like the May 10 dinner at George Clooney’s house, the Parker/Wintour event will include a raffle for donors who give $3 to the campaign to win two tickets to attend. No word on how much the face value price of the tickets to Parker’s house are or how many people are expected. Obama was in the Big Apple earlier this week fundraising with former President Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi by his side.
Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.


Can’t he please choose to have fundraisers in places and at times that don’t completely snarl West side commuter traffic? (what’s wrong with taking a helicopter to Malibu instead?) Almost makes me want to vote for the other guy.
As a fellow Angeleno, I understand your frustrations, but this presidential traffic jam issue is so bogus. People simply whine about this extremely infrequent occurrence, or they use it as a partisan cudgel to beat up on the President as if he’s personally taking care of logistics and mapping his routes.
you’re wrong, johnny, some people who really don’t care who is elected get fucked over by the traffic snarl-ups that occur simply because obama’s advance team doesn’t really know l.a. very well. reagan had it wired. clinton used reagan’s plans. the truth is, obama doesn’t really know l.a. i say this as a supporter and l.a. native.
Love the President, but — I feel the same when he comes to Chicago. Everything stops traffic-wise. And are these the only three cities he can raise money — Chicago, NYC and LA? What happened to Iowa and Georgia? LOL
Oh, trust me… Atlanta gets its share as well! And with our poor mapping and lack of public transit, it pretty much locks the city down.
I totally agree. Adding an hour to the commute of the 99% so he can squeeze more cash out of the 1% is getting old in a hurry. I suppose he doesnt care, since CA is not in jeopardy politically. How about a simple rule: official business during the work week (or at least the work day!) and fundraising or whatever else on weekends. Destroying traffic at 8am on a weekday is very uncool.
I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with the entertainment industry?? please keep the politics out of this.,
Are you really so naive you think attending A-list fund-raising events is merely about raising money for a cause?
How convenient, Obama says he’s all right with gay marriage (and does not suggest anything he’ll do to get it made legal), and the LGBT groups fawn all over him. Remember, actions speak louder than words.
For one, his administration had already stopped defending the Defense of Marriage Act in the courts. Furthermore, when our nation’s leader makes a pronouncement on a big cultural issue like this, it’s a form of action. The words of the President carry enormous weight, whether you like them or not.
“So let it be written, so let it be done, so says Pharoah”.
Get a clue, he knows most Americans oppose it so he doesnt get specific so he can play both sides. He talks all the time and not much comes of it, where have you been the last 4 years?
Alex, I’ll take business clichés for $200.
As president, he’s quite limited in what he can do about gay marriage (see: The Constitution). He’s actually done quite a bit by pushing through the repeal of DADT (with Congress) and having his Justice Dept. stop defending DOMA by publicly stating that his administration has taken the position that it’s unconstitutional. Of course, the GOP-led house continues the hate by buying their own counsel to fight it in the courts, but I digress.
And, I agree with Johnny Ringo that his pronouncement of support for gay marriage (see: Presidential use of the bully pulpit) goes far beyond what a President can actually do with regard to legal maneuvering.
Just because you are too blind to see doesn’t mean others are.
I’m so tired of this “fawning, politically expedient” argument. How expedient was it to come out for gay marriage the day after swing state N. Carolina voted against it by 20 points. The word for that is courage.
For the last two years gay couples have been allowed to jointly file their federal taxes. That’s the essence of marriage on the Federal level.
This President overturned “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” That’s huge.
Never have so many innocent commuters suffered so much for so little.
Every time he comes here it’s a traffic nightmare. He could get everywhere he needs to by helicopter but he limits Marine One to short flights instead of using it for the whole visit. He’s arrogant and so out of touch.
The limousine liberals always seem to avoid the traffic nightmare don’t they?
You obviously weren’t around when Ronald Reagan lived here. Each time he went out for a haircut at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, everything in the area was blocked for security reasons. Those outings were far more frequent than a fundraising event that takes place every four years.
He doesn’t limit Marine One to anything. Do you expect them to land 4 helicopters on top of the Beverly Wilshire? It’s a logistics issue, not the President or his staff being out of touch. Since the nightmare debacle a few years ago they do everything possible to ease traffic congestion, but unfortunately the memory still remains.
Yes they could land Marine One on the roof or in the parking lot. He could get everywhere by helicopter even to private homes for fancy expensive dinners. Why do I need $25,000 to go to one of these dinners? Why can’t I attend if I just contribute $25? That’s all I can afford.
Money and his own needs first, otherwise he would have just sent an 11th-hour tweet.
Obama probably thinks the excitement in LA is all about him. Hey Mr. Pres…it is the KINGS. You are just an afterthought and traffic inconvenience.
Please, do not come back this fall when SC has a home games.
Guess what: Most people in L.A. don’t give a damn about hockey, like most people in the country.
Kings fever is real.
@Ragnar — Most people don’t care about soccer, too, but that doesn’t make them any less cretinist.
The president surrounded by throngs of actors. That place had to have one thick, musty air of insecurity and inadequacy about it.
And i bet you voted for Reagan.
If you hate actors so much, why the F are you on an entertainment site?
But the Republicans in Wisconsin bought that election by outspending the Democrats! Raising and spending lots of money on elections is bad! Oh, wait…
Yeah, kind of like how the unions purchased the governorship for Jerry Brown a couple years ago. That’s working out great, isn’t it?
It’s completely false that unions purchased the California governorship because conservatives outspent liberals by a large margin.
Meg Whitman and the Republicans outspent Jerry Brown and the Democrats in the 2010 California gubernatorial election. Whitman spent $178.5 million ($144 million from her personal fortune of $1.2 billion) while Brown spent $36.5 million. Outside groups spent about $32 million: $7 million in support of Whitman and $25 million in support of Brown.
Whitman: $178.5 + $7 = $185.5 million
Brown: $36.5 + $25 = $61.5 million
Whitman outspent Brown by 3 times.
According to the dictionary, savvy means “shrewdness and practical knowledge, especially in politics or business.” It looks like you conservative trolls need to learn the meaning of the words you use. LOL.
Like I said earlier… it’s already been decided at Bilderberger, in HOLLYWOOD terms, his contract has been renewed, he’s been picked-up, re-upped.
Regardless of ratings, his “show” is guaranteed four more seasons!
Do you still really think, we ever have any say in this… or anything else?
How long has he been campaigning and raising money?
Since January 21, 2009.
Every four years? Obama has been here at least four times in the last year! At least be honest with you facts.
But we were told by liberals that money is the problem with politics.
Oh, they just meant other people besides liberals having money. That figures.
Money does have a corrupting influence. That’s why many things like financial reform didn’t get anywhere because Wall Street has a gigantic lobby and gives large sums to our politicians. Oh wait, you’re just interested in attacking liberals. Speaking of money: it’s too bad Mitt Romney could only secure the GOP nomination by outspending his opponents. Conservative trolls sure have an Etch-A-Sketch memory…
Liberal trolls seem to have forgotten Obama outspent McCain by a 3-1 margin in the 2008 election. That does seem to be the talking points among the libs now — the excuse for 4 years of utter failure.
I assume “utter failure” means things are getting better compared to the utter apocalyptic nightmare we experienced 8 years before Obama with our last CEO President.
Money is corrupting, that’s why we get Presidents and politicians supporting gay marriage. Because of fundraisers like these. The problems with liberals like you is that you see what you want to see.
You must live under a rock. A lot of Democrats in California and particularly Hollywood support gay marriage. It’s no surprise that Barack Obama would as well if he wants their help. This fundraiser hardly changed anything when 6 states (New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire) have already legalized same-sex marriage, the earliest since 2004.
You really want to talk about seeing only what you want? All right. Here’s the biggest example of conservatives not acknowledging their flip-flop on healthcare reform.
In 2006, as Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney signed legislation that mandated every resident had to carry health insurance. When he wanted to become the Republican presidential nominee, he started acting as though this never happened. In fact, the GOP devised the idea of the individual mandate in the late 1980s and the most conservative Republican senator, Jim DeMint, declared that Romney’s healthcare reforms were a model for the entire country. Only when the Democrats adopted this concept did it suddenly become unconstitutional in the eyes of Republicans.
How do you reconcile this? Oh, you don’t. It’s apparent that conservatives like you only see what they want. Oops.
No, the problem isn’t necessarily money in politics. It’s SECRET money in politics…which is exactly what Super PACs (via Citzens United) has created.
You can find out who paid $40k to be at this dinner. What you can’t find out is the one multi-millionaire or billionaire that donated $5 or $10 million to a Super PAC to influence an election outcome/buy a vote for some legislation. THAT is the problem.
I heard he wanted to cancel the event three weeks ago and his staffers said no. So instead, he hits and runs with a 20-minute appearance. Not that I blame him. That’s 17 1/2 more minutes than anyone should have to spend with Ryan Murphy. If i had spent 40,000 to be there I would have been furious.
but you didn’t spend the 40 so thanks fr your view, but, no thanks.
What was more interesting than his stump speech tonight at the gala was who spoke before him. Who had face time on that stage in front of a lot of valuable donors. Attorney General Kamala Harris was a show-stopper.
Can we just stop the silliness of bitching about traffic whenever a President (of EITHER party) comes to town. I heard it about Bush/Cheney all the time and now Obama. It’s a fact of life. We have a president. He (maybe someday, she) moves around the country. Protecting them is difficult. Should they never leave the White House?
If you know the president will be in town, plan accordingly. Leave early. Work from home that day. Cancel the stupid play date. It’s really not that difficult.
Where else can you get 40 thousand dollars a couple but if not with the entertainment industry …an over paid group of awesome people !!!! Me included ..yay!!!!!!!
Oh look another 1% party where only the rich and connected can attend. Isnt this the same person who was against the 1% and wanted to tax them more?? Funny that they dont seem to be concerned since he will always let his friends off the hook.
Oh well. Obama comes to get the LGBT money, never really mentions HIV/AIDS and the crowd does not give a damn. 20% of the gay male urban population under 25 is HIV positive and 20% of them DON’T KNOW IT. Our first black President is just simply not talking about a virus that is truly running rampant in communities of color. I like Obama, yet it is true: Bush was MUCH better on the issue of HIV/AIDS than this administration. But as long as we have access and get our picture taken…We don’t care. Oh well.
37 million people have died from AIDS. 33 million people are living with AIDS. Oh well. The cocktails and dessert were terrific.
What made me angry was at our weekly staff meeting this morning, the damn Co Prez attended last night and it was all he wanted to talk about though he is a conservative republican! We all set as he bragged and several of us felt ill..shut the F up and do the job your pompous A get’s paid for. No one cares you shook hands with the POTUS. Just do your job!!
If he wins a second term, the White House will probably move to Hollywood. Our President has an ego only matched by overpaid, unintelligent annoying celebrities. He belongs with them.
After reading these comments, it’s a wonder anything entertaining comes out of Hollywood at all. You sound so miserable. You people make enough money to weather either president and you’re complaining about traffic in a city with no real commuter system. I’m glad you have each other for sympathy’s sake because no one here in flyover country feels sorry for any of you.
/standing ovation
Every person outside of Californication agrees with you on this one.