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Obama to attend fundraiser at the home of 'Scandal' creator Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes, creator of Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, has been a champion of diverse casts and crews, on her shows.
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Obama to attend fundraiser at the home of 'Scandal' creator Shonda Rhimes
President Barack Obama will attend a fundraiser Wednesday night for the Democratic National Committee at the Los Angeles home of Shonda Rhimes.
Rhimes is the creator of the ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy," but she's best known for the gritty D.C. drama "Scandal." It features Kerry Washington, who is the first black actress to star in a primetime network drama since the 1970s. She plays as a political fixer who pulls strings at the highest levels of government.
Rhimes recently received a prestigious Peabody Award for the series. Judges singled out the show for the diversity of its cast. The award was an official confirmation that Rhimes is breaking barriers in the entertainment industry.
"Since Scandal has become a hit with a black female lead, then that creates this domino effect in the industry," said Ana-Christina Ramon, a professor and co-author of a UCLA study on minorities in film and television. "It's the effect of Shonda Rhimes."
Scandal isn’t the only Rhimes show that incorporates politics into its storyline. A recent episode of "Grey's Anatomy" dealt with Obamacare.
Rhimes is also a player in the real world of politics. She has donated nearly $60,000 to Democrats in recent years. Democratic fundraisers are hoping the "Rhimes effect" will extend to politics.
"It's a lot like middle school,” said Palmer Gibbs, a reporter for the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that tracks campaign spending. “If one of the cool kids is coming to your slumber party, then a lot more of the other people that you invite are going to come too."
Seats at Wednesday's dinner cost between $1,000 and $32,000 a piece.
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