OPRAH BACKS OBAMA

Oprah's finally throwing her weight behind Obama.



Save-the-date e-mails for Winfrey's Sept. 8 splash at her home in Montecito just started circulating for a celebrity fund-raising in the 2008 presidential contest.

"There will be a reception and a concert with a very special guest," said Parker's e-mail to her "list" of friends.

Winfrey is taking a personal interest in lining up the entertainment. Calls are going out to Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and songstress Beyonce.
To get in on the party, the maximum $2,300-per-individual contribution for the primary is being asked. Special VIP access will be given to people who raise $25,000 (they will be called co-hosts), with top bundlers of $50,000 or more to be listed as "hosts" of the event.

Obama and chief rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have been competing for dollars from the entertainment world, each with their dueling sets of stars.

The two are mega-fund-raisers -- reports filed Sunday showed Clinton has banked $63 million so far and Obama has taken in $58.9 million for the first half of the year.