Saturday August 12 8:42 PM ET
Stars Shine for Clintons in Fund-Raising Tribute

By Arshad Mohammed

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Stevie Wonder, Sugar Ray, John Travolta and Goldie Hawn will serenade and celebrate President Clinton on Saturday at a gala to raise at least $1 million for his wife's U.S. Senate race.

The star-studded evening is one of the most lavish parties and fund-raising events bringing together Tinseltown's beautiful people and Washington's policy wonks ahead of the Democratic convention that starts on Monday and will crown Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites) the Democratic nominee on Thursday.

Illustrating the tight embrace between Hollywood and Washington, two dozen cinema stars and musicians will gather in the tony Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood to pay tribute to the president and pour money into his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton's political future.

The event's title -- the ``New York Senate 2000 Hollywood Gala Salute, Concert Tribute to the President'' -- suggests the blend of agendas as Clinton basks in the waning limelight of his presidency and works to propel his wife into a Senate seat from New York.

White House Denies Stealing Spotlight

The White House has exhibited a bemused frustration with news media reports suggesting Clinton and his wife are stealing the spotlight from Gore just when the vice president needs it most as he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.

Four new opinion polls showed Gore lagging Texas Gov. George W. Bush (news - web sites), the Republican nominee, by between 9 and 14 percentage points. That was a narrower gap than a week ago, but still showed the vice president has a steep climb ahead.

``Just think what they would be if we hadn't stolen his spotlight,'' said an ironic White House spokesman Joe Lockhart, who has been denying such reports for days.

Mrs. Clinton's campaign has sought to cast doubt on a New York Times report that the concert will raise as much as $4 million for her race against Republican Rep. Rick Lazio, saying it expects only $1 million.

But the math does not add up.

Guests were asked to pony up $1,000 to nibble on appetizers of tempura shrimp, Spago pizza and spicy tuna and to hear Paul Anka, Michael Bolton, Toni Braxton, Cher, Natalie Cole, Melissa Etheridge, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, Sugar Ray and Stevie Wonder perform.

The were asked to pay $25,000 a couple for a lobster dinner with the president, who will be toasted by Red Buttons, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Anjelica Huston, Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Dylan McDermott, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Smits, Mary Steenbergen and Ted Danson.

A White House statement said the campaign expected 150 couples at the dinner, implying a take of $3.75 million if everyone contributed, and 1,000 at the concert and reception, suggesting up to $1 million more.

Playboy Hosts Media

One of the most controversial parties to be held this week was moved to a different location on Friday when Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat, scrapped plans for a fund-raising event on Tuesday at the Playboy Mansion.

Some Democrats felt that the mansion, where Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has for decades frolicked with the nude models splayed across the pages of his magazine, was an inappropriate venue for a political event.

Under pressure from the Democratic Party, which canceled and then restored her speaking time at the convention, Sanchez moved the event to B.B. King's Blues Club at Universal Studios.

But Playboy will get to host at least some of the thousands of people of have flocked to Los Angeles for the convention.

Playboy has invited selected media to a party on Saturday night promising that Hefner, who often entertains in his pajamas, would attend along with unnamed celebrities.

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