HOPE

At this point in the previous presidential election cycle, Barack Obama was a Hollywood heartthrob. The entertainment industry's ardent Democratic activists couldn't dig deep enough into their wallets to finance his ambitious run for the Oval Office. An Obama fund-raiser described the process as "tough, tough, tough" but Obama still is raising major money in Hollywood -- $2.53 million during the first six months of 2011, with two more events scheduled for Sept. 26. As Andy Spahn, one of Obama's chief showbiz fund-raisers, points out, "We've sold out every event." Doing so, however, has required deft organization and more than a little arm-twisting. Four years ago, candidate Obama's mere presence guaranteed a turn-away crowd. But that was before Obama took office and started to compromise. - The Hollywood Reporter