Barack Obama

Paris Hilton: McCain Spoof "a Lot of Fun"

Mandi Illuzzi — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:47:33 -0400

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She jokes she'd run for president "only if I can bring Tinkerbell to the White House"

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Paris Hilton's mock presidential ad may have boosted her interest in politics.

"It was a lot of fun," she told WWD.com of the clip, in which she says, "I'm, like, totally ready to lead." (Watch here.)

What about Hilton's own presidential chances?

"We'll see what happens," the 27-year-old heiress said. "Only if I can bring [my dog] Tinkerbell to the White House."

See photos of stars on the campaign trail.

Hilton's comments in Copenhagen, where she's showing off a new handbag line, come the day after her spoof was posted on FunnyorDie.com. The satire pokes fun at a John McCain commercial that compares Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears. (Watch here.)

"That wrinkly white haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president, so thanks for the endorsement white haired dude," she says in the ad.

Hilton explained to WWD.com that she agreed to respond because she's "a big fan of [site founders] Adam McKay and Will Ferrell."

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This picure taken in Washington on August 5, 2008 shows a satirical presidential ad by US socialite Paris Hilton.

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Scarlett Johansson Blames "Extreme Sexism" for Hoopla Over Obama E-Mails

Lindsay Powers — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:12:23 -0400

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If <b>George Clooney</b> had made the comment, "nobody would even talk about it," she says

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Scarlett Johansson is blaming "extreme sexism" for the hoopla made over her comments that she had an e-mail relationship with Barack Obama.

"I kept thinking to myself, 'God, if this was just, like, Kal Penn or George Clooney, or any of the other [Obama] surrogates or supporters ... there wouldn't be [any] question about it," the actress, 23, tells the Associated Press. "Nobody would even talk about it."

In June, Johansson said she had a "personal dialogue," via email, with the Democratic presidential hopeful.

Obama later downplayed her remarks, saying she only sent one email to his assistant, who forwarded it to him. "Suddenly we have this email relationship," Obama told the Washington Post.

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But Johansson now tells the AP she didn't mean to suggest the two were pen pals.

"I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama's commitment in his campaign in every aspect, and his interest and his support [in] his surrogates, and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is," she says. "And it was manipulated into such an unfortunate media frenzy of kind of a non-story."

Johansson – who kisses Penelope Cruz in her new movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona (out Aug. 15) – also says she isn't in a rush to walk down the aisle with Ryan Reynolds.

The two announced their engagement in May.

"We're just enjoying our time," she says. "We're just recently – very recently – engaged. So, you know, we're just taking it easy. And no big plan yet.

"But it's a good time, and we're just ... enjoying our time to be young and engaged," she adds. "I mean, I'm 23. There's no reason to rush into it. Everything feels very natural and relaxed."

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Tyra Banks Poses as Michelle Obama in Harper's Bazaar

Lindsay Powers — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:32:07 -0400

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Of the Democratic presidential hopeful, she says, "Without Michelle, he wouldn’t be there"

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Tyra Banks pays homage to Michelle Obama in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Clad in a slinky black shift dress and pearls, she poses next to a Barack Obama look-a-like in the White House.

See Barack Obama's "Just Like Us" moments.

"When Barack won the nomination, I just started bawling," Banks, 34, says in the issue (out August 19). "I started calling all these people, and everybody was talking to me like I was crazy. They’re like, ‘Well, he hasn’t won yet,’ but I’m like, ‘Yes, he has, because he’s gotten this far.

"So what gives me tears is if Barack Obama wins, kids are going to say that a black man can be president, too," she goes on. “I think it will give so many people – black, Latin, Asian, even white people that feel forgotten – hope. I did not think I would see it in my lifetime, and I’m only 34.”

Of course, Barack (who turned 47 Monday) couldn't have done it without his wife, she says.

"With Barack Obama, his becoming president is them becoming president because Michelle was there from the beginning," Banks says. "Without Michelle, he wouldn’t be there.”

The talk show host calls Michelle "one hot mama."

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Banks' prescription for a modern first lady?

“Oh, I want her to not take herself too seriously," she says. "She’d need to know how to take a fierce picture, but at the same time be able to eat fried chicken, have grease on her fingers, and be okay with getting photographed like that, too. I’d want her to feel like every child in America is hers – to have a true connection.”

Banks says if she were First Lady, her Secret Service acronym would be "KMFA: Kiss My Fat A--."

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Pregnant Jennifer Garner Pokes Fun at John McCain Ad

Alissa R — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:35:30 -0400

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At an Obama fundraiser Saturday, she tells the crowd she wants to "audition" for his next TV spot

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Forget Britney and Paris.

Jennifer Garner wants a spot in John McCain's next ad.

Speaking at a Barack Obama fundraiser in Miami on Saturday, she joked: "I'm here to audition for the next John McCain TV commercial."

(McCain ignited controversy last week by airing a clip that compared Obama to celebs like Spears and Hilton.)

See Barack Obama's "Just Like Us" photos.

Clad in a black satin dress, Garner showed off a bigger bump at the $1,000-per-person reception, which she attended with husband Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, who are expecting a baby girl.

While their husbands yapped about their love for Obama, the wives dutifully listened on.

"All of us are here because we just want Barack," a passionate Affleck told the crowd. "We believe in what he wants to do: Ending the war in Iraq, universal health care.

"The extraordinary thing about Barack Obama is that he understands there is no limit to what the American people can do," Affleck said, adding that Obama inspires "people across the country to do a little more."

He went on: "We've seen something much more extraordinary than what you'd see in a regular presidential campaign."

Affleck then introduced longtime pal Damon, whom he also called "extraordinary."

"We could go issue by issue — there's so many reasons he inspires me," Damon said of Obama.

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attend the reception to benefit the Obama Victory Fund held at Set in Miami Beach on August 2, 2008.

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Kathy Hilton Slams John McCain's Ad Featuring her Daughter Paris

Rachel Paula Abrahamson — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:28:32 -0400

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"It is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President," she says

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Kathy Hilton has responded to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's ad, which features shots of her daughter Paris and Britney Spears. (Watch above).

"I've been asked again and again for my response to the now infamous McCain celebrity ad," Hilton told The Huffington Post. "I actually have three responses. It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States.

Meanwhile, Paris' rep told Usmagazine.com: "Miss Hilton was neither asked, nor did she give permission, for the use of her likeness in the ad, and has no further comment."

The Obama campaign responded in a statement: "On a day when major news organizations across the country are taking Senator McCain to task for a steady stream of false, negative attacks, his campaign has launched yet another. Or, as some might say, 'Oops! He did it again.'"

McCain's campaign reportedly is spending $140,000 a day to run the ad in battleground states, Foxnews.com reported.

“We’re running against a celebrity. He is someone who gathered throngs of fans overseas,” McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds told FOX News on Saturday.

McCain's team attacked Obama again, Saturday, for agreeing to three presidential debates, but not at town hall like McCain wanted.

"It's disappointing that Senator Obama has refused his offer to do joint town hall meetings,” McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in a statement. “We understand it might be beneath a worldwide celebrity of Barack Obama ’s magnitude to appear at town hall meetings alongside John McCain and directly answer questions from the American people, but we hope he’ll reconsider."

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Tell Us: Do you agree with Kathy Hilton that John McCain's ad is a waste of money?

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Kathy Hilton at the opening of 'The Good Life,' June 2008 and John McCain at Time's 100 Most Influential People gala, May 2008.

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John McCain Compares Barack Obama to Britney and Paris in New Ad

Henry Seltzer — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:56:24 -0400

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Obama's camp says it adds to McCain's "steady stream of false, negative attacks"

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Republican presidential candidate John McCain has released a new ad featuring shots of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton (Watch above).

Both stars appear briefly as a narrator describes Democratic opponent Barack Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world."

The narrator then asks, "Is he ready to lead?"

Meanwhile, Hilton's rep told Usmagazine.com: "Miss Hilton was neither asked, nor did she give permission, for the use of her likeness in the ad, and has no further comment."

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis explained in a conference call with reporters: "What we decided to do is find the top three international celebrities in the world, and I would say from our indications, Britney and Paris came in second and third.

"It is not our campaign that is trying to make him into an international celebrity," Davis added. "It's his campaign... I don't know Paris Hilton and Britney Spears but they are international celebrities, so, you know, apples to apples."

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Lindsay Powers — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:59:32 -0400

Angelina Jolie's Dad Slams Barack Obama

Mandi Illuzzi — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:43:25 -0400

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"Democrats have targeted young people [to] program their minds," <b>Jon Voight</b> writes in an op-ed

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Actor Jon Voight, the 69-year-old father of Angelina Jolie, has penned a biting critique of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way," he wrote in the Washington Times Monday.

"The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds," he wrote, comparing Obama's campaign with the "Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement" in the 1960s.

Voight theorizes that "Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger" who "will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America" if he is elected.

The actor concludes: "If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way."

See photos of Barack Obama: Just Like Us.

Jolie has yet to make up her mind about the election.

"I think people assume I'm a Democrat," she told Entertainment Weekly. "But I'm registered independent and I'm still undecided. So I'm looking at [John McCain] as well as Obama."

She has also used the editorial page to get her opinion out.

In February, she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post about the "moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families."

See photos of Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight.

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, reportedly turned down an offer from Jolie's beau Brad Pitt to appear for the candidate.

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Cindy McCain Speaks Out on Michelle Obama: "There's No Rivalry"

Mandi Illuzzi — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:00:54 -0400

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"The only thing she cares about is her husband and that is certainly the case [for me]," she says

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Cindy McCain insists "there's no rivalry" with Michelle Obama.

"We are here because of our husbands," McCain, 54, said on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM show Wednesday. "We believe in them and believe, in both cases, that they'd be the right person for the job.

"The only thing she cares about is her husband and that is certainly the case [for me]," McCain added.

The competition, she went on, "is between the two men, who are vastly different on the issues and will be a clear choice for people in the fall."

McCain said if she and her husband "were lucky enough to be elected," they would bring style to the White House.

"The White House is not our house; it's America's house, and we would, of course, make it shine," she said, adding that their goal would be to make themselves "and America look our best."

See photos of last year's worst dressed stars.

McCain also revealed her secret hobby: Racecar driving.

Her dad fueled her interest in it as a kid - but one of her sons really got her into it.

"We built a drift car together and began racing, and it's kind of gone on from there," McCain said. "This is very amateur stuff. I'm not Nascar-ing, but I enjoy car racing.

"It's always been a smart part of our life," she added. "It's fun to do something with your children."

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Christina Aguilera: My Son Got Me "Excited" About This Election

Alissa R — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:02:54 -0400

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The singer admitted it's "embarrassing" that she got involved in politics so late

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Credit Christina Aguilera's newborn son Max with getting her involved in this year's election.

"Being a new mother, it was really important for me to get excited about this election," she told Larry King during an interview Wednesday about her involvement with Rock the Vote.

This election "is such one of change and new development for our country and for the future of my son," she added. "I want the best possibilities for him."

See photos of Christina Aguilera's baby bump.

Aguilera — who would not reveal which candidate she supported — told King, she registered to vote "as soon as I could" but admitted she didn't "exercise that right until the last election.

"I grew up in a house where politics weren't discussed," she explained. "It was a hopeless situation.

"As a woman, that's embarrassing that it took [me] so long [to vote] because we weren't always given that right," she said.

As she grew up, Aguilera said her interest in social issues increased (she has spoken out about surviving childhood abuse).

"Certain issues were brought to me where I felt I can voice my opinion," she said.

As for why other young people don't vote, she said maybe they feel politics "doesn't affect them" and they think it will matter to them "later on down the road.

"But time goes quickly," she cautioned. "I'm already 27."

See more pics of Christina Aguilera at Larry King Live.

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Christina Aguilera and son Max record PSA for Rock the Vote on April 24, 2008 at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles, California.

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Paris Hilton: McCain Spoof "a Lot of Fun"

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Scarlett Johansson Blames "Extreme Sexism" for Hoopla Over Obama E-Mails

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Tyra Banks Poses as Michelle Obama in Harper's Bazaar

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Pregnant Jennifer Garner Pokes Fun at John McCain Ad

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Kathy Hilton Slams John McCain's Ad Featuring her Daughter Paris

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John McCain Compares Barack Obama to Britney and Paris in New Ad

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