Posted Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 4:06 pm | 20 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama, John McCain
Clay head molds of U.S. presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama were presented at Madame Tussauds Studios in London today.
A studio team has been working on wax figures of both candidates, to be certain that the new U.S. President is ready to take up office at Madame Tussauds London come inauguration day in January.
Now the question is, which one to choose….?
Posted Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 11:06 am | 14 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
AskMen.com has just unveiled its annual list of the “Top 49 Most Influential Men” for 2008.
Based on over 200 000 votes by readers, these are men who influence the way men behave, buy.
Coming in at #1? Barack Obama. Rounding out the top ten? John McCain. In between? A bunch of celebs and athletes.
Barack Obama, Democratic nominee
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer
Robert Downey Jr., actor
Stephen Colbert, TV show host
Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef and star of Kitchen Nightmares
Christian Bale, a.k.a Batman
Rob Kay, Rock Band lead designer
Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer phenomenon
John McCain, Republican nominee
Posted Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 7:40 pm | 16 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama, magazines
Barack Obama opens up in an exclusive interview in the November issue of
Men’s Health magazine, on newsstands October 21, about how health and fitness has driven his success in life, love and leadership.
Only weeks from the presidential election, Obama shares how he balances his time on the campaign trail, the promise he made his daughters, how he avoids disappointing others and his personal battle to stay fit and healthy while running for President, which he admits has not been an easy road, “I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout. Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There’s always a tradeoff between sleep and working out.”
Barack on why he works out: “My blood pressure is pretty low, and I tend to be a healthy eater. So I probably could get away with cutting [my workouts] back a little bit. The main reason I do it is just to clear my head and relieve me of stress. It’s a great way to stay focused.”
Barack on staying healthy on the campaign trail: “I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout. Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There’s always a tradeoff between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, 6 days a week. I’ll lift one day do cardio the next.”
Barack on trying to quit smoking: “There have been a couple of times during the campaign when I fell off the wagon and bummed one, and I had to kick it again. But I figure, seeing as I’m running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack. There wasn’t some dramatic moment. Michelle had been putting pressure on me for a while. I was never really a heavy smoker. Probably at my peak I was smoking seven or eight a day. More typical was three. So it wasn’t a huge challenge with huge withdrawal symptoms. Eliminate certain key connections–that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink. If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help.”
Barack on how he would improve the health af Americans: “We need to have an awareness built in throughout various agencies charged with improving health. I’ll give you a specific example. My grandfather died of prostate cancer. As men age, regular checkups are critical. But it’s hard to get them to go in for that mildly unpleasant checkup. Increasing awareness of the difference it could make shouldn’t just be the activity of the Department of Health and Human Services. A good friend of mine who was the head of the Illinois department of public health designed this wonderful program targeting black men, where health information was provided through barbershops. The idea was that black men underutilize doctors and don’t talk about health much. But they go to the barbershop, and that’s where they kind of let loose. The department designed programs where clinics at different barbershops would provide various health screenings, talk about prevention. Those kinds of strategies have to be developed and targeted, perhaps, because a lot of the time we’re most resistant to going to doctors. That kind of thinking should be embedded in a lot of the work we’re doing.”
Barack on what he would change in the White House: “We’re going to do a thorough evaluation, but it may need an upgrade. The bowling alley, I understand, offers us some potential for expansion. Barack on managing his time on the campaign trail: “I’m part of an organization, and one of the things I really try to push in the organization is to make sure that everybody is focused on the two or three things that are really going to be game changers. I ask them to design my schedule in a way that focuses not just on what’s coming at us, but on being active instead of reactive. I think we’ve been pretty successful. I don’t spend a lot of time returning phone calls or e-mails. If somebody needs something, most of the time there’s somebody else who can handle it. Eliminating TV has been helpful– I’m still a sucker for Sports Center. The most difficult thing is to carve out time to think, which is probably the most important time for somebody who’s trying to shift an organization, or in this case, the country, as opposed to doing the same things that have been done before. And I find that time slips away.”
Barack on being a father and presidential candidate: The pledge is, they’ll get their dog, win or lose. Their main concern was, ‘When are we going to get a dog?’ They did ask about what they called ’secret people,’ which were the Secret Service folks. ‘Are we going to have to have these people with sunglasses and earpieces following us around all the time?’ And I told them, well, not right away. They’ve adjusted wonderfully. And I’ve tried to make sure that they haven’t had to participate too much in the political process. What I’ve been able to do is create a zone of normalcy for my kids. I have been able to transmit to them my absolute interest in them and my absolute love for them. I don’t miss the important things. I haven’t missed a dance recital. I haven’t missed a parent-teacher conference. But there are some things I do miss, and those are some of the tradeoffs you make. But, look, there’s no question there are sacrifices involved here. I’d like to say that quality time replaces quantity, but sometimes it doesn’t. You know, a lot of the best moments of family life happen spontaneously. If you have less time to devote to them, there are fewer of those moments.”
Barack on what being a father means to him: “I would like to think that most of the issues related to my father have been resolved.” “That’s part of what writing Dreams from My Father was about: understanding him, his own personal tragedy. He wasn’t a presence in my life, he was an idea that I had to wrestle with for a long time. Somebody once said that every man is either trying to live up to his dad’s expectations or make up for his dad’s mistakes. And I’m sure I was doing a little bit of both. But I feel that somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s I sort of figured out what his absence had meant. It is part of what I think has made me a pretty good dad. I don’t think it would have too much of an impact on my decision-making as president. There’s no doubt that it has contributed to my drive. I might not be here had it not been for that absent father prodding me early in life.”
Barack on not disappointing himself or those around him: “I always try to make sure that my expectations are higher than those of the people around me. A lot of people have a lot at stake in this election. The American people are having a tough time. I never want people to feel as if I’ve overpromised to them. I try to explain in a real honest way how difficult some of the changes I’m talking about will be. But I never want the effect to be that I’m not working as hard as I can on their behalf…that I’m not continually trying to improve. I’m actually glad for the high expectations. One of the interesting things about a campaign like this is that it really does push you to the limit and then some. And it turns out that you have more in your reservoir than you expected.”
Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm | 21 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama, Faded-Fashion
Barack Obama is everywhere. Literally.
Jean-Charles De Castelbajac clearly had the presidential hopeful in mind when the French designer showed off his Spring 2009 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
No word on whether consumers will get a discount price should the Democratic leader fail to make it into the Oval Office.
[Flynet]
Posted Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 7:30 pm | 17 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
Guess who was just spotted leaving the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City?
None other than Barack Obama!
The Democratic presdential nominee was on hand to tape a segment for tonight’s edition of the Late Show with David Letterman.
Might Obama address his controversial “lipstick on a pig” comment regarding VP wannabe Gov. Sarah Palin?
Republicans have condemned them as “disgraceful” and “sexist.” The Illinois senator says it’s an old phrase — one that McCain has used — in reference to the Republican economic plan.
What will the public have to say?
Posted Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 3:39 pm | 44 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
No only did Barack Obama fill up the Invesco Field on Thursday night, but it appears Americans everywhere were glued to their seats to watch the Senator’s address to the Democratic National Convention.
Over 38 million television viewers reportedly tuned in last night to watch Barack officially accept the party’s nomination.
In comparison, John Kerry’s speech in 2004 garnered 24.4 million viewers and George W. Bush’s was watched by 27.5 million.
And now we wait for the Republican Convention. Will they be able to rally up the same support? Stay tuned!
Posted Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 10:56 pm | 35 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
Denver officials tell the Associated Press the crowd inside the stadium tonight to watch Barack Obama accept the Demcratic party nomination is larger than your standard town.
The wire service reports that “more than 84 000 people have jammed into Invesco Field at Mile High stadium to hear Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech.”
The stadium normally holds 76 125 people, but additional seats were reportedly placed on the football field where the Denver Broncos play.
One (of the many) highlights of Barack’s speech came when he took on one of Republican John McCain’s themes — that the Democrat is a “celebrity” who isn’t ready to lead the nation — by talking about his life and family:
“When I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She’s the one who taught me about hard work. She’s the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she’s watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.
“I don’t know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.”
Meanwhile, as Barack is filling up stadium after stadium, McCain is stuggling to capture the same enthusiasm for next week’s Republican convention. Buses have been reportedly dispatched by campaign organizers from neighbouring cities in hopes of being able to group up a measly 10 000 supporters.
Posted Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 1:33 am | 23 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
Barack Obama makes a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention today after he and running mate Joe Biden officially won the nominations for their Party’s presidential ticket.
Earlier, former President Bill Clinton ripped into the GOP and hailed Obama’s “historic chance.”
As day three of the convention wrapped up, it was announced that there was a “surprise special guest.” Senator Obama then took the stage to frenzied cheering and applause.
While his celebritydom is in question, there’s no doubt that Obama is a total Barack star!
[Fame]
Posted Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 7:54 pm | 30 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama
Kicking off next week, the Democratic National Convention is expected to be more star-studded than the Oscars.
The names coming out to see/hear golden boy Barack Obama? Ben Affleck, Josh Brolin, Annette Bening, Spike Lee, Anne Hathaway, Susan Sarandon, Richard Schiff, Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington.
Musical acts will include James Taylor and Kanye West. Vanity Fair is hosting a party.
Just how big is the soirée? Barry Levinson is reportedly considering making a documentary about it. No, seriously.
And lastly, a more unlikely star has voiced his support for B.Rock — Toby Keith. While out promoting his new movie Beer For My Horses, the country crooner said: “I think he’s the best Democratic candidate we’ve had since Bill Clinton.”
Posted Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 4:00 am | 33 Comments »
Filed under: Barack-Obama, Beach Body Alert
Barack Obama continues to enjoy his Hawaiian family vacation in advance of the Democratic National Convention.
The candidate for president showed off his buff bod yesterday as he went body surfing at Sandy Beach in Honolulu.
Yes he can! (Over and over again…)
