Oprah Will Attend Convention—Quietly

But did he have the truffle popcorn?

(NEWSER) - Michelle couldn't make it, so Oprah did the honors last night, joining the president for a dinner celebrating his 49th birthday at Graham Elliot , a chic but playful restaurant in Chicago known for serving truffle popcorn instead of bread. Also on hand were Oprah pal Gayle King and Obama stalwarts Valerie Jarrett, Marty Nesbitt, and Eric Whitaker. Obama is packing a trio of fundraisers into the trip—one for the Democrat running for his old Senate seat, Alexi Giannoulias, and two for the Democratic National Committee. More»

Tune into Ellen and The View for TV's most penetrating look at politics

(NEWSER) - The days when politicians could take refuge on daytime TV, hiding behind softball interviews and happy talk about favorite recipes, are over, Rebecca Traister writes for Salon. Tracing the trend from soaps through Phil Donohue to Oprah and Ellen to the unrivaled supremacy of The View, she observes, "It has recently become more common to see politicians, especially John McCain, made uncomfortable by the directness of the conversation on daytime television." More»

Has she helped him? And is this hurting her?

(NEWSER) - Is the mighty Oprah endorsement helping Barack Obama… or Oprah Winfrey? Kathleen Rooney, author of a book on Oprah’s Book Club, unveils five myths about the Oprah effect in the Washington Post:

1. Oprah’s viewers will do whatever she tells them. In fact Oprah’s flock is selective. They ignored her William Faulkner recommendation, and Beloved bombed at the box office.
2. Celebrity endorsements don’t matter. Oprah’s seems to. Obama says one appearance with Winfrey yielded 10,000 new volunteers.

Talk-show host calls Dem's acceptance speech 'transcendent'

(AP) - Oprah Winfrey is leaving Denver with the candidate she wanted, but reportedly without her eyelashes. The talk-show host said she was moved to tears by Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC. "I cried my eyelashes off," she said from Invesco Field. "I think it's the most powerful thing I have ever experienced," she added, calling Obama's words "transcendent." "He's not an African-American candidate, he's a candidate for Americans." More»

John Lewis may switch vote; another House member already has

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton is starting to lose the support of prominent black leaders—and superdelegates— who previously backed her. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who carries great influence in Congress, says he's now tilting toward Barack Obama. Another Georgia Democrat, David Scott, already switched, the AP reports. “Something is happening in America," Lewis said, "and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.” More»