Celebrities rally behind Hillary Clinton with big cash

Glance at the list of Hillary Clinton’s biggest donors and you could be forgiven for thinking she was funding a Hollywood movie rather than a presidential campaign.

Actors, studio executives and other employees of the film, TV and music industries have donated $20.7 million to Ms Clinton’s run for the presidency, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign funding.

Donald Trump has meanwhile raised less than $350,000 from Hollywood.

Film titans Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg gave $1 million each, while Star Wars director J. J. Abrams gave $500,000.

Ms Clinton’s supporter George Clooney hosted back-to-back dinners in San Francisco and Los Angeles in April which reportedly raised over $15 million.

Ms Clinton attended 17 fundraisers in California over the summer, including an August 22 cocktail reception for 500 people — including actor Samuel L. Jackson — hosted by NBA legend Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie. That was followed by an event put on by billionaire media mogul Haim Saban and his wife Cheryl at their Beverly Hills home. One hundred guests paid at least $50,000 each.

The next day involved fundraisers in Piedmont and Laguna Beach, each requiring donations of $33,400 from attendees, and a 75-minute swing by the Hollywood Hills home of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. Guests there — including Jennifer Aniston, Tobey Maguire, Shonda Rhimes, Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes — raised more than $3 million.