When President Barack Obama raised a glass to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at a state dinner last week, he did so in the opulently decorated East Room, packed with tables of business leaders, lawmakers and foreign dignitaries. But one of the president?s key constituencies was noticeably absent: Hollywood.
Gone were the Beyonce?s and Streisand?s of the world who have created buzz at other Obama state dinners. The closest thing to a celebrity was Billie Jean King, the onetime tennis champ, and John Cho, the not quite A-list actor from the movie ?Harold and Kumar.?
Continue ReadingWith another state dinner not scheduled for the foreseeable future, it?s hard to know if glitz-free dinners are a trend. But it?s hard not to conclude that as Obama enters the 2012 campaign with a down economy at the forefront of the nation?s conversation, the White House is keeping Tinseltown at bay ? at least when the president?s fine china is being used.
?I believe it?s a conscious decision,? said one source who worked in the Clinton administration and is familiar with social events. ?I think you?re always conscious of what it looks like from the outside. I think we were very conscious. You have to be very careful.?
At the same time, Hollywood stars are hardly absent from the White House or Obama events. Just on Friday, reporters were startled to see Will Ferrell ? in town to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday at the Kennedy Center? amble into the briefing room, where he posed for photos behind the podium with White House press secretary Jay Carney. And in Los Angeles Monday, Will and Jada Smith, Eva Longoria, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas will be helping him bring in the bucks at two high-dollar fundraisers.
A review by POLITICO of events including movie screenings, concerts, the annual Easter egg roll, state dinners and private visits shows that more than 150 celebrities ? from Reese Witherspoon to Jon Bon Jovi ? have visited the White House since Obama took office. Many are repeat visitors, including Longoria, Jay-Z and John Legend.
Still, the fundraisers that attract celebrities tend to be held in private homes, away from prying reporters and photographers. And while drop-bys and impromptu tours still occur at the White House, more common now are appearances that have a theme consistent with policy initiatives like saluting military families, promoting mentoring programs, cultural concerts or government groups such as Obama?s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Education to which Colombian-born singer Shakira was recently appointed.
The mutual attraction is nothing new. Obama?s 2008 campaign was a magnet for celebrities, who helped enhance the generational contrast with his Republican opponent, John McCain. Singers, supermodels and sports stars including Will.i.am, Nicole Scherzinger and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sang ?Yes We Can.?
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