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Barack Obama may have California's electoral votes in the bank, but that doesn't mean he won't make a quick trip to the ATM en route to Election Day. In what's expected to be his last rally of Hollywood pals before Nov. 4, Obama will attend a pair of sold-out, back-to-back fundraisers tonight in Beverly Hills. First up: an intimate dinner for 250 at the Greystone Mansion, followed by a trip down the street to the customary Streisand Kiss-of-Death Variety Hour at the Beverly Wilshire. Total miles one-way: Three. Total windfall: Roughly $9 million — by one estimate, a single-day fundraising record for a presidential candidate. And celeb-culture darling Sarah Palin won't even be there! We break the evening down after the jump.For all its flak and flubs, the Palin phenomenon has managed to neutralize Obamania since her selection to the GOP ticket on Aug. 29. That much is obvious; the rest, not so much, with a panicked Hollywood dumping out its collective wallet between tonight's $28,500-per-plate Greystone dinner and the $2,500-per-ticket Streisand/DreamWorks fete (with special guest Ben Harper, no extra charge!). Politico's Jeffrey Ressner suggests this is some kind of benchmark, though a one-day record can't be substantiated unless all the checks clear at once. Or something. Just as long as they clear, right? And just as long as Obama and Co. listen, notes Variety, which informally surveyed industry backers who think their cash may yet (and/or should) buy some long-haul influence:

What is also true is there is no shortage of advice — which is natural in a business made up of creative minds and marketing wizards. The creative community in particular has been consumed by the race, privately offering their own take on how Obama should better frame his message against the resurgent McCain campaign. "I think people are a little edgy because there is an ebb and flow to campaigns, and because it seems like (McCain and Palin) are taking their fight to us," said literary agent Mitch Kaplan, who has been raising money for Obama. "Their volume is up higher."

Well, yeah. GOP operatives now arrive at Sarah Palin appearances waving lipstick tubes, as efficient a campaign expenditure as anyone has made on Obama's behalf in more than a year of campaigning. (All the more elegant, as well, since Obama and the mean media elite cranked that particular note to 11 last week at no additional cost to John McCain. But we digress!) Short of locating Obama's celebrity doppelganger they can splash on Saturday Night Live, how can the Dems make their $9 million Hollywood payday work for them? No, seriously — we're asking. Barbra For Barack's imminent iTunes success notwithstanding, is anyone even listening to these guys anymore?