Cast in that Wasserman power-broker mold

This column explores the juncture between celebrity and politics.

Bill Clinton arrived in L.A. this week to the usual warm Hollywood reception. Mega-moneyman Steve Bing came out to see him. So did Barbra Streisand (who donated $1 million to Clinton’s foundation to fight global warming). And the former president stayed with supermarket magnate Ron Burkle at his rambling estate.

But this time Clinton also spent a little quality time with Casey Wasserman, owner of the Los Angeles Avengers arena football team and grandson of legendary movie mogul Lew Wasserman.

Wasserman, 32, and the former president lunched at Burkle’s house on Tuesday, then that evening the young politico hosted Clinton at a small dinner party at his Beverly Hills home. (The gathering -- attended by Streisand, her husband James Brolin and others -- also served as an impromptu fundraiser, with 10 couples donating $25,000 each to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.)

“I was fortunate enough to have a family that was interested and active in politics, and that was part of my upbringing,” Wasserman said in an interview. “It’s something I care about.”

He and his family give about $1 million annually to various politicians, making them among the top political contributors in the city. (The majority of the recipients are Democrats, although Wasserman did give money to former Avengers player Greg Hopkins, running for the Pennsylvania Legislature as a Republican.)

On the philanthropic side, the family has made $10 million in pledges this year.

It’s no surprise, political watchers say, that Wasserman suddenly finds himself on Clinton’s personal VIP list (a spot his grandfather also enjoyed).

“Casey comes from a tradition of activism and politics,” said Donna Bojarsky, a Hollywood political consultant. “Obviously, he’s a big plus for the philanthropic and political world. And he’s still young. He has years ahead of him.”

J.Lo aids Amnesty

Actress Jennifer Lopez has joined with Amnesty International to start a bilingual website with information on the situation in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico, where more than 350 young women have been murdered since 1993.

“This bilingual site will enable us to educate millions of people around the world about the femicide that has been occurring there for over 13 years,” said Bonnie Abaunza, director of Artists for Amnesty.

Abaunza said she joined up with Lopez last month in Mexico to meet with some of the mothers of the victims. Lopez offered to finance the website to help educate the public.

The actress became interested in the issue while working on her upcoming film, “Bordertown,” in which she plays a Chicago-based reporter who travels to Mexico to investigate the murders. (Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen costar.)

Of the women found dead, 100 were serial-type murders that targeted young, attractive and poor Latinas who worked in Juarez factories. They were raped, strangled and dumped in the desert.

Last month, federal officials in Mexico quietly closed their investigation into the murders, according to the Associated Press, amid allegations of state police corruption and incompetence.

A Dixie Chicks fan

Willie Nelson came to the defense of the Dixie Chicks this week, saying the trio got a “raw deal” in 2003 for expressing their disapproval of President Bush.

The group’s lead singer, Natalie Maines, told a London audience shortly before the start of the war in Iraq that the Dixie Chicks were “ashamed” that Bush was from their home state of Texas. The comment prompted protests and death threats. (The group wrote about the experience in their current song: “Not Ready to Make Nice.”)

The 73-year-old country singer -- long known for his liberal politics -- told Time magazine that he too has made critical remarks about the president.

“I was at a press conference overseas and they were asking me about our wild Texas cowboy president. I said, ‘He’s not from Texas, and he ain’t a cowboy, so let’s stop trashin’ Texans and cowboys.’ It got a chuckle, but I didn’t get run out of the country.”

Jumpin’ for Joe

Politicians and celebrities should know by now that appearing on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” takes nerve.

The show’s host, Stephen Colbert, mocks the all-too-serious news anchors with his arched brow and deadpan delivery of absurd questions. (He asked the Rev. Jesse Jackson a few months ago, “What are you doing with your time now that racism is no longer a problem?”)

Not surprisingly, beleaguered Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) has ignored Colbert’s repeated invites. Colbert has already had Lieberman’s Democratic challenger, Ned Lamont, on.

Now the host is pulling out the big guns. If Lieberman comes on before next week’s election, he can expect to be plied with some of his favorites: a bowl of Cocoa Puffs (Lieberman is said to love chocolate); a CD of Lieberman’s favorite singer, Andrea Bocelli; a DVD of Lieberman’s favorite movie, “Mystic River”; and two tickets to Lieberman’s favorite vacation spot, Boca Raton, Fla.

Speaking to Lieberman over the airwaves, Colbert says: “All of this could be yours if you have enough ‘Joementum’ to get to my studio before primary day.”