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Broad, Geffen make Forbes' list of top billionaire collectors July 24, 2009 When it comes to wealth-porn lists of billionaires and their possessions, no one does it with more enthusiasm -- and regularity -- than Forbes. The publication today released its list of the world's top billionaire art collectors and the ranking contains many of the international art world's usual suspects: Eli Broad, David Geffen, François Pinault and more. Unlike the more comprehensive ARTnews 200 list that was published a few weeks ago, the Forbes list concentrates on billionaires and excludes gallery owners and other art trade notables. Topping the...

Obama's Billionaires Claire Obusan President-elect Barack Obama has had a slew of billionaire backers with him on his journey to the White House--plutocrats who provide economic and political advice and help to raise money. Lots of money. Obama's Billionaire Buddies Obama's national finance chairwoman during his presidential campaign was Penny Pritzker, one of 11 members of the famous Chicago family that appear on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans (combined net worth as of September: $21.6 billion). As of Nov. 24, 2008, Obama's campaign had raised a record-breaking $742 million during the election, according to the Center for...

In 1985, Barack Obama traveled halfway across the country to take a job that he didn't fully understand. But, while he knew little about his new vocation--community organizer--it still had a romantic ring, at least to his 24-year-old ears. With his old classmates from Columbia, he had talked frequently about political change. Now, he was moving to Chicago to put that talk into action. His 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, recounts his idealistic effusions: "Change won't come from the top, I would say. Change will come from a mobilized grass roots. That's what I'll do. I'll organize black folks....

They were supposed to be the A Team in American politics. The Clinton Machine that inspired fear and admiration throughout the political world. They had guided Hillary through two successful Senate races in a state where she had never lived and helped her recover from scandals that nearly crippled her -- the pardons, the White House gifts, the Peter Paul fundraiser. They seemed invincible. But ever since the presidential campaign started, the Clinton operation has looked amateurish, flat-footed, defensive, and tactically clumsy. They don't seem to be at all ready for the big time. Obama has repeatedly outmaneuvered Hillary's campaign,...

WHY HILLARY'S MAGICALLY APPEARING THESIS IS LIKE CLINTON'S FOLEY HIT JOB (and not like her Rose Law Firm billing records)     by Mia T, 3.03.07       illary's thesis hit the fan just in time to stop the bleeding. Another week of falling stars 1 and dropping numbers 2 and Barack Obama would have missus clinton dead and buried before the IRS 3 could say "David Geffen." 4 The means of delivery was MSNBC "investigative" reporter Bill Dedman's scoop, 5 Reading Hillary Rodham's hidden thesis. The online article announced to the world that ms. rodham's senior thesis,...

HILLARY CLINTON = 'GANGSTER POLITICS, DUAL MONARCHY AND THE MORAL CONSISTENCY OF A DOORKNOB': Pat CaddellCLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO-PART FIVE by Mia T, 3.02.07 THE CLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO: THE SERIES HILLARY! Can a chintzed-and-powdered villain win the White House?LEADING INDICATORS SAY 'NO'MISSUS CLINTON'S SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE PROBLEM - PART FIVECLINTON-GEFFEN IMBOGLIO-PART SIX AL GORE, THE OSCAR, THE NOBEL, THE CLINTONS + DAVID GEFFENCLINTON-GEFFEN IMBOGLIO-PART FOUR HEAR DENNIS MILLER: WHY GEFFEN DUMPED HILLARY,WHY CLINTON 'DOES NOT WANT TO LOCK HORNS WITH DAVID GEFFEN'CLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO-PART THREE (video and transcript) CLINTON vs. GORE + GEFFEN: POST-OSCAR ANALYSIS (HAS HOLLYWOOD DUMPED HILLARY?)CLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO-PART TWO WHY THE...

HILLARY! Can a chintzed-and-powdered villain win the White House?LEADING INDICATORS SAY 'NO' by Mia T, 3.01.07 ven the most casual observer of the American political scene would agree: It's a tossup as to whose stage presence, hillary clinton's or Al Gore's, is the more ridiculous. But as opposed to hillary-on-stage, Al thereon has a saving grace: He doesn't try to appear human. To the contrary, Al Gore embraces his humanoid essence. (In fairness to missus clinton, 'inhuman' is a measurably less salable descriptor than 'humanoid.') To better understand why this is such an advantage for Mr. Gore, simply consider...

HEAR DENNIS MILLER: • WHY GEFFEN DUMPED HILLARY • WHY CLINTON 'DOES NOT WANT TO LOCK HORNS WITH DAVID GEFFEN' CLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO-PART THREE (video and transcript)   by Mia T, 2.27.07       TRANSCRIPT: DENNIS MILLER: Listen. Hillary Clinton looked bad yesterday because Obama is the "new." She looks very old to me. And this Wolfson thing that they released today. This press release by Wolfson.... David Geffen is a friend of mine. He's always been kind to me and my wife. But let me say this. He's a BIG, BIG BRAIN. And you know how they always...

CLINTON vs. GORE + GEFFEN: POST-OSCAR ANALYSIS(HAS HOLLYWOOD DUMPED HILLARY?)CLINTON-GEFFEN IMBROGLIO-PART TWO PART ONE:WHY THE GEFFEN IMBROGLIO SIGNALS CLINTON'S END 'HILLARY'S STRATEGY--NOBODY GETS TO CRITICIZE HER' -- CHRIS MATTHEWSwith a WARNING FOR DAVID GEFFEN by Mia T, 2.26.07 ot sure whose stage presence is more ridiculus, hillary's or Al's. But at least Al Gore doesn't try to sound human. To understand why this is such an advantage for Gore, simply consider missus clinton's recent 'conversation' (with herself). It was risible. Unintentional theater of the absurd: The villain a soulless, angry, arrogant scold oozing cloying, saccharine-coated evil, pulsating to the...

AL GORE, THE OSCAR, THE NOBEL, THE CLINTONS + DAVID GEFFEN Gore is taking the outside route but definitely is seeking to run. He can ride his environmental hobby horse to the endearment of all the idiots out there, and avoid all the internecine slashing and burning in the process. Gore remembers Nixon after his 1960 and 1962 defeats, coming back in 1968 to take it all. After hillary and obama beat each other up some more, Gore will look like water in the desert to exasperated 'rats.--hinckley buzzard   by Mia T, 2.25.07 delicious scenario, although Al Gore...

Sources say the diminutive movie mogul is motivated by jealousy because his old friend Bill Clinton now prefers the company of supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle. Geffen's animosity is also fueled by Burkle's attempt to buy the Los Angeles Times, which Geffen had wanted to purchase for himself.

Sources say the diminutive movie mogul is motivated by jealousy because his old friend Bill Clinton now prefers the company of supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle. Geffen's animosity is also fueled by Burkle's attempt to buy the Los Angeles Times, which Geffen had wanted to purchase for himself. ... said one West Coast source. "Geffen is on a jihad right now." Bill Clinton used to stay at Geffen's mansion (once owned by Jack Warner), but now he stays at Burkle's estate (the former home of silent film star Harold Lloyd) whenever he's in town. Another Democratic source scoffed at Geffen's explanation...

I hope this doesn’t get me kicked out of the conservative pundit’s union, but I haven’t been following the Obama-Hillary!-Geffen cage match this week. Having brought myself up to speed this afternoon by reading Bill Kristol’s and Peggy Noonan’s coverage of the affair, I guess I’ve missed quite a show. Kristol gives us a delightfully catty summary of the affair to date in an editorial titled “You Go Geffen.” (Do I spot the dark skills of Jonathan Last at work in crafting that hilarious headline?): David Geffen spoke truth to Maureen Dowd last week. Here is what the Hollywood mogul...

With Hollywood as the backdrop, the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama traded furious insults yesterday, each accusing the other of rank hypocrisy as the race for the Democratic nomination erupted in astonishing bitterness. The ugly bare-knuckle brawl - coming a year before the first presidential primary - was triggered by Tinseltown movie mogul and Obama supporter David Geffen's lengthy disparaging remarks about Hillary and Bill Clinton - his former friends.

Hillary Clinton's campaign apparently didn't take too kindly to the harsh rhetoric from L.A. music mogul David Geffen, courtesy of today's Maureen Dowd. Geffen, who is backing Barack Obama, called Bill Clinton "reckless" and clearly is still upset that Clinton didn't grant a pardon to cause celeb native American Leonard Peltier. More Geffen: "Marc Rich getting pardoned? An oil-profiteer expatriate who left the country rather than pay taxes or face justice?" Clinton chief spokesperson Howard Wolfson, in a release this a.m., is "demanding that" Obama "disavow personal attacks" from Geffen. Wolfson: "While Senator Obama was denouncing slash and burn politics...

NewsBusters' mission is that of exposing and combating liberal bias, and that's what I spend the great majority of my time here doing. But I hope our readers -- and my editors -- will indulge me when I offer a bit of personal analysis here. The outbreak of nastiness between the Obama and Hillary camps -- initiated by comments made by Obama supporter David Geffen and quoted by Maureen Dowd in her column today -- is stunning. For the Obama camp to come out this early -- and this hard -- against Hillary has taken the political world by...

WASHINGTON — The battle to be the 2008 Democratic candidate for president went negative Wednesday, as leading contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama got into a virtual shouting match. With more than a year and a half remaining before the next presidential election, the campaigns exchanged heated words after Clinton suggested Obama return funds to Hollywood bigwig David Geffen, who insulted Clinton in a newspaper article. "We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with...

He benefits from their name-calling, but is it 'cheap political points'? LOS ANGELES -- As he seeks the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama is campaigning against "the smallness of our politics" and "scoring cheap political points." It would seem, then, that Team Obama has a higher self-imposed standard when it comes to responding to shots, even cheap ones, lobbed at the Illinois Democrat. It makes life on the trail much tougher, but that's the high-minded course Obama set for himself. The volley aimed at Obama came Wednesday via a live-fire e-mail from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign. The New...

As I discussed here, yesterday's clash between Hillary and Barack Obama was perhaps the most bitter and open infighting between Dem presidential candidates in many an election cycle. Particularly given that it was comments by David Geffen quoted in a column by the New York Times' own Maureen Dowd that touched off the fracas, you would have thought the Times would have gone out of it way to highlight the intra-Dem battle. So . . . how did the New York Times portray the matter in its headline this morning? In Both Parties, 2008 Politeness Falls to Infighting. That's...

(CBS) LOS ANGELES -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will visit Los Angeles Thursday to conduct a series of fund-raisers for her presidential campaign, one day after a former ally's criticism sparked a dispute between her campaign and that of Senator Barack Obama. DreamWorks SKG co-founder David Geffen made sharply critical remarks about Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. "Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it's troubling," Geffen said. Geffen's comments prompted the Clinton campaign to issue a statement calling for the Obama campaign to return the...

His personal attack made this week on Hillary Clinton harkens back to then-President Bill Clinton’s refusal to pardon an American Indian activist Geffen believes was falsely convicted of murder.

WHY THE GEFFEN IMBROGLIO SIGNALS CLINTON'S END'HILLARY'S STRATEGY--NOBODY GETS TO CRITICIZE HER' -- CHRIS MATTHEWS with a WARNING FOR DAVID GEFFEN by Mia T, 2.22.07   hy did hillary clinton take the bait? The answer is actually quite simple: David Geffen's comments to Maureen Dowd topple the clinton machine's extravagant, fanciful and elaborate construction and expose the candidate for what she is: Defective. Fatally defective. How is hillary clinton fatally defective? Let me count the ways: the clintons' documented abuse of power 4 (redacted via clinton abuse of power!) the clintons' terrorism failure 3. the clintons' 1 rape of...

...Another Democratic presidential candidate, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said at the candidate forum that Obama should denounce Geffen's comments. "We Democrats should all sign a pledge that we all be positive," Richardson said.

MIDI - CAMP GRENADA David Geffen, how ya doin'?…with the witch there’s trouble brewin’ You’ve called Hillary a loser…so you’ve made it clear that you’re not gonna choose ‘er Think of all the implications…perhaps your evisceration People cross her and are sorry…the results, I am afraid, can be quite gory If you’re using words to strike ‘er…you’ll find there’s no one who’s like ‘er Pellicano did her bidding…you have no idea what you might be getting Pretty soon you may not smile…do not doubt she has your file In D.C. she has them frightened…around your neck you may feel...

As Obama rails against "slash & burn" politics, his top Hollywood fundraiser - David Geffen - personally attacks Hillary & her family Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson issued the following statement today demanding that Barack Obama disavow personal attacks that his campaign finance chair made against Senator Clinton in this morning's New York Times: "While Senator Obama was denouncing slash and burn politics yesterday, his campaign's finance chair was viciously and personally attacking Senator Clinton and her husband. "If Senator Obama is indeed sincere about his repeated claims to change the tone of our politics, he should immediately denounce these...

Jan. 24, 2007 — - Is Hollywood abandoning Hillary? On Wednesday morning, hundreds of Hollywood's movers and shakers received an invitation that they may find hard to refuse. They've been invited to come meet Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's new superstar. He already has the buzz, but can he bring home the prize? Movie moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg want their Hollywood peers to join them at a Feb. 20 fundraiser the three are throwing for Obama. For $2,300 a person and $4600 a couple, they can meet the candidate at a reception at the Beverly...

Entertainment mogul David Geffen has made a $2-billion all-cash offer for the Los Angeles Times, but the newspaper's corporate owner has declined to accept or reject the bid as it continues to seek offers for the entire company, a source said. Geffen made the formal offer last month to Tribune Co. but was told by representatives of the Chicago-based media conglomerate that they would not consider it until they had fielded offers for all of Tribune, according to a source familiar with the interaction who requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. Several private equity firms, newspaper giant Gannett Co....

Its sinister maneuvers in the Foley scandal have put George Soros' Shadow Party on a collision course with the FBI. THE SCANDAL over Congressman Mark Foley’s sexual misconduct has generated some unexpected blowback.  It has pitted George Soros’ Shadow Party against the FBI. The Soros-funded group CREW has effectively declared war on America’s top federal law enforcement agency. CREW has called on the Justice Department to investigate the FBI.  In an October 5 statement, it accused the Bureau of having “fabricated and disseminated” falsehoods about CREW, as part of an FBI “cover-up” of the Foley scandal. (1) In the war of...

Three Billionaires Bidding for LA Times Three billionaires, including Hollywood mogul David Geffen, have expressed interest in buying the Los Angeles Times, but have been rebuffed for the time being by its owner, Tribune Co., the paper reported. Geffen, property developer Eli Broad and supermarket investor Ron Burkle each wrote to the board of directors of the Chicago-based firm, which is under pressure from shareholders to boost its flagging share price, the paper said in its Saturday edition. The report, citing unidentified sources, said Tribune's directors considered the three letters at a July 19 board meeting. Tribune Chairman and Chief...

Dissident group says will continue efforts for sale or breakup of company... Tribune Co. shares gained ground Tuesday, rising as the media company that's been working to revamp operations amid shareholder unrest announced the results of a Dutch tender auction. Analysts said any gains could prove short lived, however. Chicago-based Tribune Co said that about 45 million, or 15%, of its common shares were tendered and that it expects to buy the shares at a price of $32.50 each. The number of shares tendered came in 8 million short of the maximum that the company had initially authorized in the...

bill's bud explains1.... by Mia T, 11.26.05 Hillary, it seems, is not only "watching me like a hawk," as Bill puts it at one point,1 Having failed to snare the Nobel Peace Prize by ignoring terrorism, clinton has apparently decided to intensify his America-bashing on foreign soil, the method employed by Jimmy Carter to great (if somewhat belated) effect. (The Nobel committee, sufficiently mollified only after 24 years of the peanut president's America-bashing, awarded Carter his 1978 Peace Prize finally in 2002.) Meanwhile, back in the Senate, the missus, the other half of the clinton construct, maintains her hawkish...

HEAR CHRIS MATTHEW + MAUREEN DOWD DEVOUR HILLARY (viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE) THE DANGER OF RUNNING VICARIOUSLYBill O'Reilly chews up and spits out the hillary clinton candidacy(clip included) for the birds(THE INCOMPETENCE OF HILLARY CLINTON) IT TAKES A CLINTON TO RAZE A COUNTRY SCHEMA PINOCCHIO how the clintons are handling the hillary dud factor NANO-PRESIDENTthe danger of the unrelenting smallness of bill + hillary clinton HILLARY FLUNKED D.C. BAR EXAM"the smartest woman in the world" sought less competitive venue HILLARY'S COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PROBLEM(see descriptor morphs) Why hillary clinton should never be allowed anywhere near the Oval...

LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- David Geffen has reportedly become the latest rich and powerful Los Angeles resident to consider buying the hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times. The Times reports Geffen, who made a fortune in the music industry and is now a partner in DreamWorks SKG, has told three civic leaders recently how much he would like to own the paper. Dennis J. Fitzsimons, chief executive of the Tribune Co., which owns the Times, said he and Geffen had a meeting this summer at Geffen's request and he told Geffen the paper is not for sale. While the...

The cameras were rolling and one of Hollywood's biggest producers was watching. And on Thursday, an excited group was auditioning for what could be this summer's hottest feature: Malibu beach-going.Coastal-access advocates set foot on the sand at Tinseltown titan David Geffen's sprawling beachfront estate, some for the first time, celebrating the opening of a 9-foot-wide public pathway to the ocean. Creation of the walkway came after Geffen reluctantly made good on a 22-year-old legal promise to let the public onto part of Carbon Beach, a mile-long stretch of sand east of the Malibu Pier. The public will have access to...

The junior senator from New York has had a tough week (about to get tougher). Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain are part of a five-member congressional delegation that is meeting with U.S. officials and members of Iraq's interim government. During the orchestrated photo ops she said, "The results of the election are a strong rebuke to those who did not believe that the Iraqi people would take this opportunity to demonstrate their own commitment to their own future." Gee, do you think maybe OUR election in November could have been "a strong rebuke to those" who cling to...

Friends no more? I hope Sen. Hillary Clinton isn't counting on help from Hollywood mogul David Geffen in her possible run for the White House in 2008. Geffen, a generous supporter and pal of Bill Clinton when he was President, trashed Hillary's prospects last night during a Q&A at the 92nd St. Y. "She can't win, and she's an incredibly polarizing figure," the billionaire Democrat told his audience. "And ambition is just not a good enough reason." Geffen's dis was met with hearty applause.

Support The DrudgeReport; Visit Our Advertisers GEFFEN UNLOADS ON HILLARY: 'SHE CAN'T WIN' Thu Feb 17 2005 23:13:00 ET Sen. Hillary Clinton should not count on help from Hollywood mogul David Geffen in her possible run for the White House. Geffen, who was a generous supporter and pal of Bill Clinton when he was president, trashed Hillary's prospects last night during a Q&A at the 92nd St. Y in New York City. "She can't win, and she's an incredibly polarizing figure," the billionaire Democrat told his audience. "And ambition is just not a good enough reason." Lloyd Grove reports...

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, the principals of DreamWorks, have privately expressed anger over the film, said an executive close to the two men. The chairmen of two other major studios said they would avoid working with Mr. Gibson because of "The Passion of the Christ" and the star's remarks surrounding its release. Neither of the chairmen would speak for attribution, but as one explained: "It doesn't matter what I say. It'll matter what I do. I will do something. I won't hire him. I won't support anything he's part of. Personally that's all I...