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Trump celeb crew await turn in spotlight

Fabio, the golden-haired model who graced the cover of hundreds of romance novels, was wrapping up Thanksgiving dinner at Donald Trump's South Florida club when the president-elect began making the rounds to greet his guests.

Fabio, who goes by his first name only, said he hit it off with the newly elected Republican, who asked the brawny model how he stays in shape.

On a second visit to the Mar-a-Lago club around New Year's, Fabio huddled with incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer and offered his assistance on veterans' issues.

"I want to help," said Fabio, who plans to be in Washington for Trump's inauguration.

Trump is persona non grata with many Hollywood A-listers, particularly those who have rolled in President Barack Obama's circles.

Trump, a celebrity in his own right from his days as a New York tabloid fixture and reality television host, has attracted a motlier crew.

Actors Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato Jr spoke at the Republican National Convention and Stephen Baldwin was among Trump's earliest celebrity endorsers, despite having been twice fired from Trump's reality show Celebrity Apprentice.

"Let's just say, when he fired me the second time, it was between me or Gary Busey, so I was a little pissed off for a couple of weeks," joked Baldwin, who starred in The Usual Suspects and Bio-Dome.

Baldwin took the role of celebrity endorser seriously. Before doing interviews during the election, he said he would contact the campaign and see if there were any talking points he should emphasise.

Baldwin's older brother Alec plays a snarling Trump on Saturday Night Live.

Despite Trump's entertainment background, few headline-making stars have been announced for his inauguration.

"They've tried to hire some of the top people in the business and nobody's interested," Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman said. "Everybody's told them no."

One celebrity who has said yes is Wayne Newton, the popular Las Vegas entertainer.

Newton, who has performed for seven presidents, said he's discussed the inauguration performance with Trump, though he's not certain exactly what his role will be yet.

Newton said he was disappointed that many in the Hollywood establishment are giving the inauguration a cold shoulder.

"I certainly agree with their right to do and handle that in any way they choose to, but they have no idea, truly, what they're missing," Newton said.

"When they look back on this at some point in time in their life, they're going to realise that they missed a truly important and magnificent moment in American history."