Success often spawns imitators, especially when it comes to blockbuster movies, reality TV shows, and apparently now campaign fundraisers.

A couple of weeks ago 150 Hollywood stars and entertainment industry insiders showed up at George Clooney’s home and dropped a cool $6 million into President Obama’s campaign war chest.

To supplement the fundraising take, the Obama campaign came up with an idea of a nationwide contest, dubbed “Obama, Clooney and You,” where for a suggested donation of $3 participants would be entered into a raffle, with the ultimate winner of the contest being allowed to go to Clooney’s home and meet the star and his friend, the president.

The winners ended up being New Jersey science teacher Beth Topinka and Florida utility company employee Karen Blutcher. Both women came with their spouses, and the two couples were reportedly given seats toward the rear of the tent.

The fundraising tactic brought in an additional $9 million, and the resultant $15 million overall take was the largest amount ever raised in a single presidential campaign finance event.

Results such as these leave political operatives breathless.

Consequently, the fundraising format is being emulated. Sarah Jessica Parker is set to host an Obama fundraiser at the West Village home that she shares with husband-actor Matthew Broderick. The fundraiser will parallel Clooney’s record-breaking model.

Parker’s party will reportedly utilize the same kind of online raffle component as the Clooney fundraiser, with tickets even having the exact same suggested contribution of $3. Participants will be entered into a drawing, where one winner and his or her guest will be selected to attend the event and will also be given airfare and tickets to a Mariah Carey performance.

Obama and the first lady will appear at the “Sex and the City” star’s home next month in New York for the event billed as “A New York Night With the President, First Lady and Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Parker’s message in a campaign email pushed many of the Obama campaign themes, beginning with the actress touting her gender and business acumen as she evoked the “fair share” mantra, which has been a part of so many of the president’s speeches.

“As a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur, I need to believe our country can be a place where everyone has a fair shot at success,” Parker wrote.

The actress reinforced the idea of a tax increase on the wealthy by suggesting that the upcoming election “will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we’re forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden — while people like me, who don’t need tax breaks, get extra help.”

At the last State of the Union Address, the president criticized what he called the “corrosive influence of money in politics.” What a difference a reelection aspiration can make.

Parker, who has been a longtime Obama supporter, ended her email with the following message: “I hope you’ll help me welcome President Obama and the First Lady to New York. It should be fabulous.”

Kate Upton is used to wearing bikinis—but now the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover girl is actually designing them.

Upton has teamed up with swimwear line Beach Bunny to create her own line of super pricey swimsuits.

The "Kate Bikini Set," which is encrusted with gems, retails for $284 online.

"I can't wait for you to see what I designed for Beach Bunny," Upton says in a promo video for the line. "It's so much fun and it's glamorous. It's what I love—it's me."

Upton recently shot Beach Bunny's Spring/Summer 2012 campaign in Belize and here's what happened...

This is one of the two bikinis Kate designed for Beach Bunny. On their website, it retails for $284 and is available in sizes XS through XL.

This is Kate's other design. It is labeled a "Best Seller."

Kate shot the Beach Bunny Spring/Summer 2012 campaign On Sanctuary Island in Belize.

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With last year’s passing of filmmaker Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Prince of the City), I wondered if police dramas would ever be the same.  It was an all too sentimental notion since that genre, along with the Western and film noir, are always subject to innovative and gripping interpretation.

French filmmaker Maiwenn’s morally ambiguous and absorbing narrative Polisse, which details the lives of members of the Paris CPU (Child Protection Unit).  The film begins with the camera focusing on a wide eyed girl answering questions about her father, who’s accused of molestation.  The questioner, a CPU member, has her back to the camera as viewers listen to the girl’s harrowing story.

The opening moments are just many sequences which stand out in Polisse, as we encounter the police’s frustrations with bureaucracy and, most of all, the exacting tragedies suffered by the families (an inescapable pain also takes its inevitable pound of flesh from the dedicated officers).

During our interview with Maiwenn, the director talked about working with the child actors in Polisse:

Polisse, now playing in select theaters, is also available (starting today) via Video on Demand from Sundance Selects.  The feature was honored with the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

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Posted by: Greg Srisavasdi (Twitter: @gsrisavasdi )

Judges for the Miss USA 2012 pageant have been announced and all I can say is it is a very interesting list. Yep there are names you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be judging the show.

The infamous pageant run by Donald Trump has chosen Rob Kardashian, Joe Jonas, Fashion Police co-host George Kotsiopoulos and former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky. I told you the names were not people you would normally expect and I have to wonder where in the world did the powers that be that run the pageant come up with these judges. I totally get George and Ali but Rob and Joe are kind of random if you ask me.

Jonas, Kardashian, Fedotowsky and Kotsiopoulos will judge the lovely ladies in the pageant on swimsuit, evening gown and of course the personal interview portion. These four hold the fate of who is crowned Miss USA in their hands and I gotta say I don’t have much confidence in these guys. However that doesn’t necessarily mean they will suck but we can all find out just how well Rob, Joe, Ali and George do as judges on June 3^rd in Las Vegas on NBC of course.

Along with those famous Z-listers who are judging the show it will be hosted by my girl Giuliana Rancic and Andy Cohen, which I am super excited about. I think those two will be amazing hosts. Plus the newest Celebrity Apprentice winner Arsenio Hall will have something to do with the pageant as his first task from Donald Trump, rumor is he too will be a judge but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Other famous faces viewers will see include Fashion Police co-hose and co-worker to Kotsiopoulos Kelly Osbourne and How I Met Your Mother star Jeannie Mai, both of these ladies will be commentators for NBC throughout the show.

I love watching the Miss USA pageant and with the recent announcement of the judges, hosts and commentators I have to say I kind of can’t wait for the show next week. That is what I think what are your thoughts?

Photos by: Wenn/Daniel Tanner/Dan Jackman/Ivan Nikolov/DJSM