Celebs, Execs, Lobbyists on White House Visitor Logs

(NEWSER) - Time has unveiled its latest tallying of the world’s 100 most influential people, and yes, of course, Barack Obama is on it. But the other 99 choices aren’t as obvious. Bernie Madoff makes the list, as do Rush Limbaugh, George Clooney, and 4Chan’s Moot. And as usual, Time has snagged some celebrity writers, making for some great pairings, like JK Rowling on Gordon Brown, Ashton Kutcher on the Twitter guys, and Arnold Schwarzenegger on uncle-in-law Ted Kennedy. More»

Oprah, Paris, Will.i.am make a difference

(NEWSER) - It’s been a big year for celebrity activism—so big that it deserves its own year-end top 10 list, Tina Daunt writes in the Los Angeles Times. Some famous faces that made a difference in 2008:

• Oprah Winfrey fought hard for Barack Obama, including hosting a traffic-stopping garden party.
• Norman Lear targeted young people in an online, nonpartisan get-out-the-vote effort.
• Paris Hilton became a YouTube phenomenon—for politics.

Obama, Clinton seek star power, cash

(NEWSER) - Democratic frontrunners Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are actively recruiting an army of Hollywood stars to help on the campaign trail. The LA Times runs down the supporting casts: Besides Oprah Winfrey, Obama has the support of George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, and Halle Berry. Clinton's star backers include Magic Johnson, Steven Spielberg, and Rob Reiner. More»

Oscar Ortega-Hernandez: I'm the 'modern-day Jesus Christ'

(NEWSER) - Glimpses into the disturbed minds of accused assassins do not usually come in the form of audition tapes made for Oprah Winfrey. But alleged White House shooter Oscar Ortega-Hernandez bared his soul in just such a tape, Fox 5 DC reports. Wearing a black suit and a rosary, Ortega-Hernandez begs Oprah to put him on TV so he can spread God’s word. “It’s not just a coincidence that I look like Jesus,” he says in the video, shot two months ago. "I am the modern day Jesus-Christ that you all have been waiting for." More»

... Mark Zuckerberg cracks the top 10

(NEWSER) - When it comes to the world’s 5 most powerful people, Forbes doesn’t offer many surprises. Barack Obama heads the pack, with other world leaders in the next three spots. The full list of 70 powerhouses, however, does offer some food for thought: Mark Zuckerberg (9), for example, is almost as powerful as the pope (7) and more powerful than British PM David Cameron (10). Bill Gates is No. 5, while new Apple CEO Tim Cook is way down at 58; no posthumous place for Steve Jobs. More»