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»

Winfrey-Obama relationship breaks down, Edward Klein alleges

(NEWSER) - BFFs no more? A new, unauthorized, and contentious Barack Obama biography alleges that the relationship between Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey has been deteriorating ever since the early days of Obama’s presidency, the Telegraph reports. According to The Amateur, by former New York Times Magazine editor Edward Klein, Obama advisers Valerie Jarrett and Desirée Rogers grew worried about Winfrey’s closeness to the Obama family and Michelle herself became jealous of the influence Winfrey had over her husband. More»

George Clooney, 'Downton Abbey' actors, John Legend in attendance

(NEWSER) - British Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha were the honorees at last night's state dinner, but the real VIPs were the other 350-something people who managed to score a ticket. Among them: George Clooney (who sat next to Michelle Obama at the head table, but of course), Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, Harvey Weinstein, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern (of Downton Abbey fame), Idris Elba, top golfer Rory McIlroy, and John Legend, who performed after an opener by Mumford & Sons. More»