Having soured on the Clintons after raising huge sums of money for Bill and sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom—twice—Geffen found himself enamored of Obama from the first time he saw him on TV, giving a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. "I thought he was a remarkable guy," Geffen told me today. "After I heard him give that speech, I called him up and said, 'You're going to run for president and I'm going to support you.' " Geffen says Obama laughed and said he was very flattered, but that he wasn't running.

Cut to two years later. "He called me one day and said with a laugh, ' David, I guess you're right. I am running for president and I'd like your support.' And of course, I said, 'You have it.' "

Geffen then leaned back in his Carbon Beach chaise lounge, asking his second assistant's second assistant to bring over the master to-do list. "Cross out 'Make Obama run for president,'" he instructed, as the assistant's felt-tip marker hovered past "Flowers for Seann," "Bollywood!" and "Smear toothpaste on all the doorknobs at Paramount."

• Geffen on Obama: 'He'll be an inspiring president' [LAT]

House parties spilled out into the noisy streets and local bars—if our own destination was any indication, all of America was marking this seismic moment by getting down to Jermaine Stewart's one hit, blissfully wasted on a heady mixture of well vodka and hope. There was of course that one gigantic bummer hanging over the proceedings, and the party would occasionally pause to hiss at a TV monitor showing a Yorba Linda Ramada ballroom of inbreds cheering wildly over their successful attempts at snuffing out the happiness of thousands people they don't know, and hope never to meet. "Prop 8 = Religious Freedom," read their signs. Well, then, free at last, free at last, thank God almighty they are free at last, and marriage's sacred definition as something that can only be shared between a Michael Jackson and a Lisa Marie Presley has been secured, for the time being at least. Hurray!

But let's not let the bastards get us down, shall we? Let's focus on what we do have: A new President! One who possesses a kind heart, a probing intellectual curiosity, a masterful command of the English language, and a general air of giving a shit! In other words, everything we haven't had for the past eight years. A new era has begun. Let's see what famous people think about it:

· If the night belonged to anyone whose last name isn't Obama, it was Oprah Winfrey, weeping during Obama's victory speech like a proud Mother Earth: "I'm vibrating. [I want] to be fully present. I'm just trying to take it all in. I can't even talk about it. This has been the greatest experience of my lifetime. I haven't seen a sense of unity like this since 9/11. Now, we're all brought together in the name of hope." [Us]
· George Clooney: "I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory and now it's time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."
· P Diddy: "I felt like my vote was the vote that put him into office. It was down to one vote, and that was going to be my vote. And that may not be true, but that's how much power it felt like I had." [AP]
· Star Jones is filled with pride! [ET Online]
· Harvey Weinstein: "It's a great day for America." [NY Daily News]
· Jessica Alba: "I was surprised that McCain brought race into his speech. I guess he was trying to bring people together." NY Daily News]

A representative from the 42West public relations firm declined to make a substantive comment to the Huffington Post, saying only, "why would we want to get Britney Spears involved in presidential politics?"

Why, indeed? Meanwhile, Hilton's parents can't be much happier with the ad attacking their daughter — after all, they donated the maximum $4600 to McCain's campaign. Unavailable for a comment, TMZ instead turned to the next best thing:

Former Paris Hilton impersonator Natalie Reid is weighing in on the new McCain commercial scandal. She tells TMZ, "McCain is obviously jealous cuz Obama's hot."

Meanwhile, a spurned Scarlett Johansson types furiously into her MacBook Air, sending the McCain camp an email ("John, I'm available!") that they, unfortunately, will never read.

• Britney Camp Bristles at McCain Ad [HuffPo]
• Fake Paris Gets Real Serious About McCain [TMZ]

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. [...]

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb.

While celebrity endorsements continue to evade a stump-shy Hollywood electorate, Obama can now count at least one celebrity-parent-of-a-much-bigger-celebrity as an enthusiastic detractor—something he can spin to his advantage by hosting the $2000-a-plate "Gala Evening of Unprecedented Bloodbaths and Hope" fundraiser at the Jolie-Pitt compound.

• VOIGHT: My concerns for America [Washington Times]

23-year-old Scarlett Johansson was by Obama's side in the home stretch, speaking to a small group of high school and college-aged "Barack Stars" at a rally in Coralville, Iowa, on Tuesday.

"She actually seemed a little shy when she first started speaking," audience member Jason Millsap told PEOPLE. "But [she] warmed up to the crowd, who were eager to ask questions. . . . It was pretty exciting and inspiration to see someone as big as her come and talk to her peers."

"She was asked a question as to why she chose to support Obama and answered it very well in my opinion," added high schooler Peter Caroll, another caucus-goer. "She [explained] how she did research him and found Obama to be [passionate about] most of the issues she deemed important."

We're thrilled to hear that informed-voter Johansson managed to find her political sea-legs after a slightly tentative start, as the star of The Nanny Diaries has made no secret of being entirely energized by this "exciting time for youth culture." In light of her candidate's thrilling victory, and the great strides being made to mobilize young voters through her grassroots, cleavage-based initiative, Scarlett Johansson's Bazooms for Change, the United States might very well have its first African American President in 2008.

• Scarlett Johansson and Chuck Norris: Political Power Players? [People]

· Scary Movie visionaries Keenan Ivory, Shawn and Marlon Wayans are bringing their light, satirical touch to a send-up of cop movies, in which no more than three unlucky officers will be stabbed to death with engorged penises. [Variety]
· Dax Shepard signs with CAA, who've promised the actor that they'd make sure he's no longer only getting the scripts Ashton Kutcher has passed on. [THR]
· Roger King, the executive who first delivered Oprah Winfrey to a national television audience, has died of a stroke at 63. [THR]

When the socially conscious star offered to help the Democratic contender's presidential campaign, he was turned down, our sources report.

Obama's advisers felt Pitt was "a great guy," said a knowledgeable source, but they didn't want their candidate - who already has the endorsements of Pitt pals George Clooney and Matt Damon - to appear to be "too Hollywood."

What's more, as politically correct as Pitt's partner, Angelina Jolie, is now, the source ruminated that it might be hard for some Americans to forget that she used to wear a vial of blood around her neck.

Sadly, without Pitt on board, Clooney's inspired idea for an Oceans-themed TV campaign—in which the three actors pause from a high-stakes heist of the fictional Bush's Palace casino to ask, "Well, America—are you in or are you out?," at which point getaway driver Don Cheadle screeches up in a bulletproof Humvee to soberly announce, "This message approved by Obama '08,"—will never see the light of day.

• Barack Obama camp elects not to use Brad Pitt [nydailynews.com]

Credit whatever soul-consignment agreement the savvy Clinton signed during her secretive visit to CAA's political-strategy dungeon back in February (Bryan Lourd has had the piece of baby-skin parchment containing Hillary's bloody signature framed for display above his desk) for the timely delivery of client Spielberg's vote of confidence; in addition to the evil agenting monolith's endorsement-packaging services, as a new member of the Creative Artists family, Clinton will also enjoy their vaunted protection benefits, which will ensure that she makes it at least as far as the primary without being snuffed out by nemesis David Geffen.

• Steven Spielberg Endorses Hillary [HillaryHub.com via Wiretap]
• Previously: Brett Ratner Donates Unparalleled Party-Throwing Skills To Clinton Campaign [Defamer]
• Mrs. Clinton Goes To The Death Star [Defamer]
• Obamamania: David Geffen Declares War On Hillary [Defamer]

With a minimum ticket price of $250, Ratner's event was aimed at "young Hollywood," but the crowd would more accurately be described as "young-ish," as it drew a mix of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, hardly the hardcore tabloid-bred nightclub crowd of the Sunset Boulevard. Nevertheless, paparazzi was in full force as web site TMZ.com captured donors as they crossed Benedict Canyon Road to Ratner's home, called Hilhaven. Inside, it was a bit more staid than when Ratner allowed "Entourage" to shoot a scene in which bikini clad women wandered around his property, a riff on his image as the consummate party host. He did, however, open up his basement disco, installed when Allan Carr lived there in the 1970s

Stars such as Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Will.I.Am, Jeremy Piven, Angie Banicki, Michelle Trachtenberg, Brent Bolthouse and Chris Klein mixed with Steve Bing, James Toback, Quincy Jones, Brian Grazer, Kevin Smith, Holly Wiersma, Pauly Shore, California State Assemblyman Mike Feuer and political and fund-raising consultant Noah Mamet, among others. New NBC chief Ben Silverman also was there, often consumed with pressing business, and eying and typing into his Blackberry. Absent were any gift bags — people asked — as the campaign forbids such gifts at the risk of violating finance laws.

While those pesky campaign finance laws prevented the distribution of freebies, the disappointed looks on the faces of empty-handed donors hoping to get at least a Kiehl's sampler and a coupon for a Burke-Williams rubdown for their contributions did give the politically nimble Clinton an opening to address the hot-button issue of gift bag taxation. Over the disco's state-of-the-art sound system, the senator pledged that once elected, eliminating the hated, controversial tax would be the topmost item on her agenda, supplanting "the bullshit that you don't need to care about, like health care reform and the Iraq and whatever."

• Hillary Clinton draws a crowd [Var]

They waited patiently behind the red velvet rope. Inside they sipped on any of three brands of vodka, lounging comfortably to a loud beat. And when Barack Obama arrived at this fund-raiser at Hollywood nightclub Boulevard3, they swarmed him like the paparazzi would pursue a tabloid darling.

It was not the Paris Hilton crowd, but this was a decidedly younger, looser group of entertainment industry professionals — actors, producers and managers in their late 20s and 30s — who came to hear Obama's inspirational message. [...]

But the key to Obama's Boulevard3 event was its $500-per-person cost — a bargain when it comes to entertainment political fund-raisers. Although such politically active figures as Lawrence Bender, Oliver Stone, Nicole Avant and Jane Fonda were in the mix, many in the crowd were political neophytes, drawn to Obama's call for a new kind of politics. [...]

The event, which raised more than $300,000, was organized by O08 the Movement, a group of industry professionals seeking to reach a younger pool of donors and activists. Among its members is actor Hill Harper, one of Obama's law-school classmates. (He admitted that some of the fellow actors to whom he spoke had to be informed that there would be no red carpet). The group helped draw such celebrity names as Jessica Biel, Gabrielle Union, Taye Diggs, Anthony LaPaglia, Dave Annable, Kate Walsh, Nia Vardalos, Joy Bryant, Henry Simmons, Amy Smart and Regina King. Cedric the Entertainer introduced Obama on a makeshift stage.

Realizing that even the relatively modest $500-per-head of this event would still price out many thousands of low-level industry donors, the savvy Clinton campaign—never willing to concede their show business turf to the senator from Illinois—already has a plan to counter Obama's Young Hollywood strategy: they'll soon announce a $25 buy-in Assistant Beer Pong Tournament, in which Hillary herself will field a team, explaining her stances on national security, Iraq, and health care to her politically curious Beirut opponents in between chugs from red Solo cups full of cheap beer.

[Photo: Getty Images composite]

• New methods for campaign dollars [Variety]
• Obamamania [Defamer]

So when Obama, an Illinois Democrat, told Clooney last year that he was thinking about running for president, the actor was excited but cautious. "I told him I would do anything for him, including staying completely away from him," said Clooney, speaking recently on his cellphone from the South Carolina set of his latest movie, "Leatherheads."

Obama, however, welcomed Clooney's involvement and support. They got to know each other a year ago while attending a rally to raise awareness about the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and have stayed in touch. When asked about Clooney at a recent event, Obama broke into a smile, gestured expressively and said simply: "He's a good friend."[...]

"We were at a rally on Darfur," Clooney said. "People were standing around backstage. All of a sudden, Obama walks out and steps onto the stage. Everyone stopped to hear what he had to say.... I've never been around anyone who can literally take someone's breath away."

Although the actor may not be campaigning publicly for Obama at the moment, he is certainly working for him behind the scenes.

"I spend a lot of time talking with other people, and I tell them, 'You really have to educate yourself on Obama because the guy is real,' " he said. "He fascinates me. People say, 'Oh, he's too young,' you know. But you cannot learn or teach leadership. You either have it or you don't."

The savvy Obama seems to have chosen the perfect Hollywood publicity partner to mesmerize (he's dialed back the charm ever so slightly since his bewitching of David Geffen drove the billionaire completely insane); he's obviously learned a crucial lesson from John Kerry's ill-fated choice to woo lesser Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, whose rampage across America on the doomed candidate's behalf resulted in an ugly chain of post-election recriminations that could have forever devalued the entertainment industry's important contributions to political discourse.

• Clooney steps cautiously into Obama's camp [LAT]

• Clinton doubles Obama sum in Hollywood fund-raiser [Reuters]
• Previously: Mrs. Clinton Goes To The Death Star [Defamer]
• Obamamania: David Geffen Declares War On Hillary [Defamer]

It's doubtful that the entire affair will last much beyond a day —- or that it will play much of a factor in either side raising money in Hollywood. Clinton is scheduled to visit Los Angeles today for a series of receptions with high-dollar donors including events hosted by Haim Saban, Sim Farar, Ron Burkle and John Emerson and another gathering at CAA.

That Clinton would seek the help of the evil agenting monolith in securing Hollywood's souls should indicate how desperate the candidate is not to lose the industry to Obamamania; she's obviously willing to look the other way as the agency's political consultants greedily gnaw on plump infant legs while spitballing ideas about how to change the current course of the campaign, deciding whether it's a better strategy to have the troublemaking Geffen's limousine blown up on the way to the Oscars or just turn their roof-mounted cannon towards Malibu and incinerate his entire compound as he sleeps.

• Geffen ignites Clinton-Obama feud [Variety]
• Previously: Obamamania: David Geffen Declares War On Hillary [Defamer]