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Clinton Fundraiser: No Shoes, Full Service
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ShareMay 31, 2007 4:38 PM
ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: One day after holding a swanky Hillary Clinton fundraiser at his lavish Beverly Hills home, "X-Men" director Brett Ratner drew criticism Thursday for requiring scores of guests standing in his living room to remove their shoes while waiting to have their photos taken with the former first lady.
"If you're hosting a party for Hillary Clinton, suck it up, and let your guests keep their shoes on," sniffed an attendee who spoke with ABC News on the condition of anonymity.
"This is ridiculous," groused another attendee who had to fish around a pile of designer shoes once the indoor, high-dollar portion of the evening ended.
Upon entering Ratner's Tudor revival-style house which was once occupied by Ingrid Bergman, guests were asked by a young redheaded woman working the door to remove their shoes. Asked why the shoes had to come off, the woman surmised that it was to protect Ratner's newly refinished hardwood floor.
Among the better-known shoeless guests walking around at the Wednesday evening fundraiser were Eric Dane, who plays "Dr. McSteamy" on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Rebecca Gayheart, who first gained recognition in the 1990s as "The Noxzema Girl," and Pauly Shore of "Encino Man" and other classics.
Some of the more powerful players in attendance, including Ratner himself, music maestro Quincy Jones, and former Elizabeth Hurley beau Steve Bing, were allowed to keep their shoes on.
Clinton as well as Antonio Villaraigosa -- the Los Angeles mayor who endorsed the New York Democrat's presidential bid earlier in the day -- also escaped the general footwear prohibition.
None in attendance, however, escaped with a full wallet; each indoor guest donated up to the maximum of $2,300 per person (or $1,150 per shoe as it were).
Those who remained outside the mansion reportedly contributed just $250 -- ironically, likely much less than the average price of the footwear tossed about the entryway.
May 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4)
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Shoes off? If The Hillary gets to be President you'll lose the shirt off your back! All that taxing and spending will wipe our your paychecks and savings.
Posted by: John Smith | Jun 1, 2007 1:08:22 AM
Agreed, John. Shoes are the last thing I'd worry about!
Don't worry, she'll take one shoe to give to the poor, of course, and you get to keep the other.
Posted by: Ann B | Jun 1, 2007 9:23:51 AM
I am a Hillary supporter and my famil and I will all be voting for her. However, if this guy is so rich why didn't he just rent or buy carpets to protect his floors for the evening? What a jerk.
Posted by: Mary Theanopoulos | Jun 3, 2007 5:08:47 PM
i like hillary and think she is a good person and excellent choice for prez but why did she go barefoot at her own fundraiser?
Posted by: jack p | Jul 29, 2007 2:28:46 PM
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