Celebs Amuse Each Other at Private Political Fundraiser: Steve Martin, Larry David, Ben Affleck

Fundraisergraphic
Did you know Diane Keaton could sing? She doesn’t, in public.

But this is the kind of thing celebrities do when no one is looking: they amuse themselves. At a no-media-allowed fundraiser for six Democratic Senate candidates at the home of CAA partner David ‘Doc’ O’Connor on Saturday night, a crowd of 400 glittering celebrities kicked back and let loose. The evening was a far cry from the serious Obama event in Hollywood a couple of weeks ago, and at a $1,000-plus per head, it was a lot less pricey too. (Over $1 million was raised.)

Martin Short emceed the evening as his alter ego, Jiminy Glick. Marc Shaiman accompanied him on the keyboard, as per usual. Steve Martin led his banjo band in some rousing tunes. Catherine O’Hara killed the crowd with her portrayal of a boozy, over-the-hill singer. Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber sang. Ben Affleck and Sally Field introduced the honorees. But it was Larry David who rocked the house with his introduction of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He explained that he was antithetical to everything Kennedy stood for: the Kennedy family stands for sailing, touch-football, outdoor sports. David’s family never, apparently, went outside.

The evening’s beneficiaries, candidate Mark Udall of Colorado, Mark Begich of Alaska, and others, were delighted, naturally. Especially when Diane Keaton took up the microphone to sing. She did a whispered chanteuse rendition of "God Bless America."

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