Hillary Rodham Clinton

We love politics at The Hollywood Gossip, but we tend to keep our posts geared towards Ashley Dupre, or George W. Bush and the Easter Bunny.

In other words, we try to keep opinions to ourselves and focus on humor or scandal. Other celebrity gossip sites, however, can't help themselves.

A post on Perez Hilton today rips Democratic candidate Barack Obama over his connections to another controversial minister, Rev. James T. Meeks.

Perez details Rev. Meeks' inflammatory comments on gays and race, yet declines to mention that Obama has condemned homophobia on many occasions, and even met with gay leaders in New York in the last 48 hours. Disgraceful indeed.

It's a blatant and shameful attempt by Perez, a devout Hillary Clinton supporter, to slander Barack Obama, who he apparently thinks should be held accountable for the political views of every person he has ever associated with.

Noticeably absent from the article as well? Any connections Hillary might have to shady individuals. The former First Lady is a strong candidate for president, but there are more than a few skeletons (and ugly clothes) in that closet, no?

Perez Hilton needs to stick with what he's good at (or at least best known for), rather than subjecting us to his political opinions - and making cheap attacks.

You could least try to give a more balanced portrait, Perez. We don't judge you based on everything your BFF Spencer Pratt says or does. Think about it.

It's one thing to scribble lame comments on celebrity pics. It's another to back up your nonsensical, biased views. It's time for Perez to put up or shut up!

Enough is enough. The Hollywood Gossip hereby challenges Perez Hilton to a fair debate on the candidates... anytime, anywhere.

Can we taunt the blue-haired one enough to make him accept? With your help, readers, Yes We Can! Follow the link to his article HERE, leave a comment on Perez's site and tell him to respond to The Hollywood Gossip's challenge!

Let's see what this hack is made of.

Well, about half of it anyway. Which is pretty solid.

One young voter who has been squarely in the camp of Hillary Rodham Clinton throughout the 2008 presidential race is Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, 23.

The actress, a native Californian of Honduran descent, has been a vocal supporter of the former First Lady and attended a seminar called Breaking Barriers: Women in Politics at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Saturday.

The Ugly Betty star, who also attended two other campaign events Saturday, was seen travelling in New York with boyfriend Ryan Piers Williams on Friday.

Hillary Clinton narrowly trails Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination - and celebrity endorsements - but is closing the gap in both departments. The Pennsylvania primary is April 22.

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are running such a competitive race for the Democratic presidential nomination that many voters want them to run in tandem.

Good luck getting one to agree to take the V.P. spot. Still, one artist's rendering of an Obama-Clinton ticket took on a whole new meaning this week. Gross!

Opposing Obillary, of course, is John McCain, who (at least regarding the Iraq war) is sounding more like President Bush each day. We'll call it McBush!

Which candidate below would you vote for? There's little doubt that the frightening lagoon creature on the left has the diversity vote locked up ...

Interestingly, the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton image is actually taken from a real ad for a school in Brussels, Belgium, with the visible tagline "why choose if you can combine?" The gist - it's a college and university in one! Clever!

Meanwhile, our celebrity gossip presidential primary remains a tight race!

Hillary Clinton's fear-mongering "3 a.m. / red phone" ad helped propel her to big win in the Ohio primary this week - but it turns out one of the stars of the commercial is actually a huge Barack Obama supporter.

The first child featured in the ad - which asks people who they want to answer the phone in the White House at 3:00 in the morning - is actually Casey Knowles, an Obama volunteer in the state of Washington.

The footage was shot eight years ago when she worked as a TV extra. Getty Images owns the footage and can do with it as it pleases.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M70emIFxETs[/youtube]

Knowles (no related to Beyonce, Solange or Shanica Knowles) turns 18 in April, and told a Seattle TV station that she is for Obama all the way:

"It's really sort of ironic that my image would be used to advocate for Hillary Clinton when I myself do not."

Barack Obama won yesterday's Wyoming caucuses, giving him a modest boost in an increasingly tight race for the Democratic nomination.

A Clinton spokesperson responded that this means nothing, and that she had been planning to lose 59-40 percent in Wyoming for the past 35 years.

Okay, we're just kidding about the last part, sorry about that - but admit it, you kind of bought it for a second, didn't you?

We're not sure if Natalie Portman is still dating Nathan Bogle. We haven't heard from that alleged male model in quite some time. Sad.

But we know she's throwing her support behind Hillary Clinton in the race for president, although she likes the other contenders too.

Natalie tops Elle Magazine's April 2008 "Intelligent Women" issue, and in her interview, here's some of what she shared about politics:

"A lot of the stuff people say about [Hillary Clinton], I hear it and my stomach falls because it's so sexist. You ask people why they don't like her and it's because her husband cheated on her! That was obviously not her choice."

THG NOTE: We respect everyone's opinion, but really, Natalie? Didn't you go to Harvard? We would love to know the name of one person who actually used that reasoning.

  Natalie Portman is sharing some political views in the new Elle.

"She's so much more polished and experienced than anyone else. Last night, a friend, a social worker in L.A. who works with underprivileged kids, was saying how these girls who have never been interested in politics before are so excited a woman might be president. I mean, look how many women are in government ... Hillary Clinton is one of, what, [a handful of] female senators?"

THG NOTE: 16, actually, Natalie. There are also 71 U.S. Congresswomen, including the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, plus eight state governors and the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Which is great. We're just saying.

"I also like Barack Obama. I even like John McCain. I disagree with his war stance â€" which is a really big deal â€" but I think he's a very moral person. I met him and Hillary on the same day, actually, when I went to Washington with Finca [a nonprofit that gives loans to businesswomen in developing countries]. Hillary was by far the smartest person I met that day. Just totally focused, and knew more about the issues than anyone else, and was so able to go from one thing to the other."

You gotta love fear-mongering.

When your back is to the wall, throw everything at your opponent and see if it works. Why not, right? Especially if you can prey on ... FEAR!

Mwwwa-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!

First, leaking a photo of Barack Obama in traditional African attire in hopes of sparking fears that the Illinois senator is secretly a Muslim.

Then, when asked about the falsehoods on 60 Minutes, kinda sorta not really fully denying he's Muslim in a shameless attempt to stoke the rumors.

If today's primaries in Texas and Ohio are to be the last stand for Hillary Clinton, she has no intention of going quietly. Or with dignity.

Check out her non-denials of the Obama-Muslim rumor ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHFREDHB-nQ[/youtube]

Follow the jump for another video, this one of a new Clinton campaign ad.

It's message, in a manner of speaking, is that Obama isn't going to keep children safe at 3:00 in the morning. Or something. Gotta love the use of kids ...

Continue Reading...

Live from New York it's... Hillary Clinton! After ripping last week's episode in an actual debate, the former First Lady slipped off the campaign trail and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.

The show began with a satire of Tuesday night's Democratic debate, poking fun at Clinton's stance on health care and the softball questions posed to her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama.

"Life is too short to deal with this awful woman. Just give her what she wants," Amy Poehler as Clinton said.

Following the SNL skit, Hillary Clinton appeared to praise the "reenactment ... sort of," she said, standing next to Amy Poehler wearing a matching outfit.

"The campaign is going well," Clinton said when asked by her impersonator how things have been progressing. "Why? What have you heard?"

Hillary Clinton then exclaimed the trademark line that has opened the show for three decades, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"

Ellen Page hosted the show, with Wilco - a band hailing from Chicago that has endorsed Barack Obama - as the musical guest.

A possibly-funny, possibly-bitter Hillary Clinton actually cited last weekend's SNL skit at the onset of this week's debate with Barack Obama in Ohio.

"In the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time," the New York Senator said. "I don't mind. I'll be happy to field it. I just find it curious if anybody saw Saturday Night Live ... maybe we should ask [Barack Obama] if he's comfortable and needs another pillow."

Here's the terrific Saturday Night Live skit in question, featuring cast members Fred Armisen as Obama and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNol2-DV6Ug[/youtube]

Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels requested another skit featuring Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to open the program this week.

With Ellen Page hosting, the Juno star might play Chelsea Clinton.

A photo of Barack Obama donning traditional Muslim attire as a goodwill gesture during an overseas trip has sparked controversy.

The picture, which mysteriously surfaced yesterday, was attributed by The Drudge Report to sources within the campaign of Hillary Clinton.

The site did not reveal who might have released the photo, but it reeks of political fear-mongering. Here's the picture in question...

Barack Obama donned the traditional Muslim garments during a trip to Kenya in 2006. Like many high-ranking U.S. visitors, he received such clothing as a gift.

Obama's father is Kenyan, his mother from Kansas. The senator is Christian and has been a member of Chicago's United Church of Christ for 20 years.

These facts did not stop some Clinton volunteers from circulating e-mails that falsely claimed Barack Obama is a Muslim late last year.

That bogus rumor (which he has worked hard to dispel) and the release of this picture are pathetic ploys to stoke the fears of ignorant Americans.

Hillary Clinton aides also suggested that his drug use as a young man might make him vulnerable to GOP attacks if he were the Democratic nominee.

She makes a point there. Thank goodness Bill Clinton didn't inhale, otherwise he might have left himself vulnerable to GOP attacks. Phew!

How much more shameless and desperate can the former First Lady get? Stay tuned - the proverbial bar just keeps finding a way to go lower.

George Clooney says he won't beat out Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor at Sunday's Academy Awards, drawing a political analogy.

"For me, it's like being Hillary Clinton," the Michael Clayton star said. "If it weren't for Barack Obama, it would have been a very good year."

"I thought Daniel Day-Lewis had the best performance of the year."

Apart from his own race, the boyfriend of Sarah Larson handicapped all the other major categories, boasting to Time Magazine that he's never lost an Oscar pool. We'll see how accurate his picks are Sunday, February 24.

George Clooney did not say if he prefers Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, choosing instead to discuss his recent film, Best Picture nominee Michael Clayton.

"Our film is the best it can be in that genre," he says of its Oscar chances, "but there's a ceiling on that genre."

Instead, Clooney predicts that No Country for Old Men will take the top prize, and its directors Joel and Ethan Coen will nab the Best Director trophy. He also gives a nod to Javier Bardem as Best Supporting Actor.

"If [Michael Clayton] has a shot at anything, it's Best Supporting Actress with Tilda Swinton," he says - although George Clooney officially made Amy Ryan, from Gone Baby Gone, his pick in that category.

The actor was also impressed by La Vie En Rose's Marion Cotillard.

"She does an old person trying to be young, instead of what everyone does - a young person trying to be old," he says. "It's a stunning performance."