‘Veep’ Reunion Fundraiser Brings in $735K for Harris-Walz

As a die-hard fan of Veep, I was absolutely thrilled to witness the cast reunite for this epic table read event! The way they seamlessly slipped back into their characters and delivered lines that are now more relevant than ever was truly a sight to behold. It felt like we were all gathered around the TV again, laughing hysterically at Jonah’s antics and marveling at Selina’s sheer audacity.

During the reunion of the cast from “Veep” on Sunday evening, viewers watching the live table reading event were cautioned, “No animals were harmed in the creation of this production.

The remark – a jab at the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, reminiscent of one made on Saturday Night Live’s political segment the previous night – was presented in a voiceover by Gary Cole, who portrayed Kent Davidson, the strategic advisor to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Selina Meyer. In the show, Selina served as both the 45th and 47th president of the United States on HBO.

The following remark was made by Matt Walsh, portraying Meyer’s press secretary, Mike McLintock: “Many people believe that Kamala Harris and Selina Meyer are the same person, but let me clarify: Kamala Harris is absolutely not Selina Meyer, and vice versa. While Selina Meyer isn’t Kamala Harris, she is, indeed, one of the presidential candidates this year. Selina Meyer, in fact, resembles Donald Trump.

The start was flawlessly suitable for over 20,000 enthusiastic “Veep” supporters, who received a Zoom invitation following their donation to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin – with aspirations of electing Harris and her running mate Tim Walz as the President and Vice-President in 2024. (Notably, these supporters are privy to the ultimate “Veep” joke, where Meyer stands for Trump.)

The event lasted nearly two hours and featured a table read of the season three episode “Crate,” which is more relevant than ever given the current political climate (in this episode, Meyer learns she’ll be president because the incumbent is stepping down). There were also Q&A sessions moderated by Stephen Colbert with real-life politicians from Wisconsin, the creator of Veep, Armando Iannucci, the Veep cast, and a host of special guests who took on various roles. These guests included Larry David, Jason Alexander, Kevin Smith, Kumail Nanjiani, and an unexpected guest – Patton Oswalt, who was previously part of the Veep team.

Along with Walsh and Cole, an Emmy-winning troupe that included Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Sam Richardson, Sarah Rutherland, Clea DuVall, and Sufe Bradshaw were all present. In fact, David stepped in to read for the cast member Kevin Dunn, who unfortunately couldn’t attend the event.

Money was collected during the event and by the end of the night, contributions amounted to over $735,000 as confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday by WisDems. This total included donations from six individuals who chose to remain anonymous, offering a match of $145,000.

A significant lead may help reach the decisive stage in the 2024 election, according to WisDems Chair Ben Wikler at a recent event. He revealed that in Wisconsin, there’s barely a two-point difference between Harris and Trump, with polls indicating they’re virtually tied.

Here’s a suggestion for paraphrasing:

In 2020, WisDems collaborated with Hollywood on a virtual event series, where casts spanning from “Princess Bride” to “Happy Days”, including “Veep”, united to support crucial battleground states. The reunion of the “Veep” cast managed to gather over half a million dollars, and in 2022, they teamed up with “The West Wing” cast for an event during the intense midterm elections.

Following the surge of popularity for the show “Veep” after President Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t run again in 2024 and endorsed Vice President Harris instead, comparisons between Vice President Harris and the character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on “Veep”, Selina Meyer, arose. This was surprising since Meyer was often associated with Trump-like characteristics, but the scene from “Crate” where an ecstatic Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) shares her newfound presidency dream with Gary (Tony Hale), who gets so excited that he has a nosebleed due to his excitement, started being shared again.

Viewers who missed the final season of the 17-time Emmy-winning series “Veep” may want to revisit Louis-Dreyfus and Hale’s iconic scene from 2015, as watching it again could be a worthwhile investment for anyone still pondering why such an acclaimed show ended in 2019.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this: “During a recent Q&A, when someone asked if Veep could potentially make a comeback in today’s world, Ianucci shared what the team has been saying since 2020 – The real-life events have simply moved faster than our show ever could.

The show’s creator explained that the outcome of the show is uncertain based on who takes over. “Veep” relies on a sense of apprehension about potential mistakes being discovered, which requires maintaining the illusion that rules are being followed. If an episode featuring Trump were made, where he said something like “They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the dogs!” during a debate, the staff’s reactions wouldn’t show concern or surprise because they would be indifferent to rule-breaking.

He summarized, “Everything needed is available. There aren’t any restrictions. Therefore, it will function again – political satire [will return]. It could be similar to Veep, if there’s a politician or politicians who understand the rules and abide by them.

To add a humorous finale to the occasion, the writers of “Veep” maintained their custom of equipping the cast with fresh Jonah Insults – these are the notoriously vulgar jabs aimed at Simon’s character. Iannucci and Oswalt also added their own insults to conclude the evening. Some of the most memorable ones, delivered by the cast (many of them laughing uncontrollably), were: “TwatGPT,” “Satellite Licker,” “face circumcised” and “stock photo for sperm bank reject.

2024-10-01 04:55

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