Dems Vie for Stars' Support

Released records list 96 Obama meetings

(AP) - George Clooney, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and prominent lobbyists, corporate executives and Democratic fundraisers were among the first to score visits with President Obama, Michelle, or top aides at the White House, newly released records show. The White House late yesterday afternoon posted a list of roughly 480 records in response to questions about whether specific people visited the president's home. More»

Pres ranks as world's most stylish

(NEWSER) - Americans would rather see Brad Pitt in his undies than any other man, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rounding out the top five in a Jockey survey pegged to Father’s Day are Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Jackman, Will Smith, and President Obama. Underwear fantasies aside, Reuters adds, the president is the world’s most stylish man, according to an unrelated poll of 3,000 men. More»

(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.

Winfrey's endorsement gave candidate huge boost, especially during primaries

(NEWSER) - As an early backer of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey may have made the difference in the close primary contest against Hillary Clinton, Jake Tapper writes for ABC’s Nightline. One statistician estimates Winfrey—whose choices for her book club, for example, have an astronomical impact on book sales—delivered between 400,000 and 1.6 million primary votes for Obama. She laid low for the rest of the campaign, but now that he's won, expect a more open role. More»