Obama rubs fundraising elbows with Weinstein, Paltrow and Wintour

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President Obama tried his hand at being schmoozer-in-chief in New York on Thursday, attending a fundraiser in his honor at the home of studio exec Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein and wife, Georgina Chapman, welcomed celebs including Gwyneth Paltrow and hubby Chris Martin, Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Fallon, Pharrell Williams and cosmetics heiress Aerin Lauder.

The fete cost $35,800 per guest, with 50 guests reportedly seated at a total of 10 tables. The West Village townhouse was heavy on glamour, with some humor sprinkled between courses. ‘This is a pretty good-looking crowd,’ Obama said, knowing exactly which string to pull in a room full of entertainers.

Weinstein intimated that he’d been begging his wife for three years to hold a housewarming party. She finally did (For the record: One Ministry housewarming had bottles of La Crema, a premade crudite platter and, alas, no Gwyneth).

Obama touched on the stock market, debt crisis and healthcare in his speech to the exclusive crowd. He also mentioned that Weinstein was nice enough to loan him a rough cut of ‘The King’s Speech’ on his Martha’s Vineyard vacation last year.

This year, Weinstein will send along ‘The Iron Lady,’ featuring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, according to Time.

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photos, from left: President Obama, Georgina Chapman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anna Wintour and Harvey Weinstein. Credits, from left: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press; Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images; Andrew Gombert / EPA; Ian Gavan / Getty Images; Fred Prouser / Reuters.