Sen. Barack Obama takes the cover of People magazine’s latest issue.

Joining the 46-year-old Democratic presidential candidate on the cover is his wife Michelle Robinson, 43, and his two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. Here’s a little sneak peek:

– Barack’s daughters get a $1 per week allowance from Dad for doing their chores, like setting and clearing the dinner table.
– The kids receive no birthday or Christmas presents from Mom and Dad, who spend “hundreds” on birthday slumber parties and, as Barack puts it, “want to teach some limits.”

Also featured on this week’s cover is the debut of former Pregnant Man’s baby girl, Susan Juliette.

“She’s so precious, I just can’t stop staring at her,” Thomas Beatie tells People in his first interview since he and wife Nancy returned home. “Just holding her is the best feeling in the world.”

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is publicly endorsing presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

“I’m Tom Hanks and I want Barack Obama to be the next president of our country,” he said in his short video titled, “Beware: Celebrity Endorsement.”

Continuing, Hanks said, “I want Barack Obama to be president of this country, a country that once said that people of his skin color were only 3/5 of a human being. My support for Obama isn’t just about breaking boundaries, it’s because of his character and vision.”

“As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you,” the 51-year-old actor quipped.

Watch the video below!

Sheryl Crow is speaking publicly about her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Here’s the gist of what she had to say via her blog (all references to Barack were changed from Barak because she spelled it wrong each and every time):

“I am proud to support Barack Obama in his desire and mission to see America return to her greatness. I have carefully watched, like everyone else, the campaigns of both the democrats, as well as the republican candidate, and I could safely say that only one candidate is speaking to the beliefs I feel this country was founded on.

“I believe, like Barack Obama, that we can change our future, but not by repeating our history. …And, I will not be deterred in my support of Barack Obama because of ad campaigns that are meant to incite fear in us where our security is concerned, when the candidate running the ad voted to take us into war.”

The View gals asked Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama this morning to help clear up the rumors that he’s related to Brad Pitt.

“I guess we are ninth cousins something removed or something,” Barack said.

Jokingly he added, “I think he got the better looking side of the gene pool.”

Barbara Walters couldn’t agree more: “We thought you were very sexy looking (applause). Don’t you think so? (to audience)”

Apparently, the other Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, is cousins with Pitt’s partner, Angelina Jolie, twice removed.

Um, yeah. Just so you know! Watch the clip of Barack on The View here.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner host a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at a Boston nightclub “Rumor” in Massachusetts on Sunday.

Sold-out “pre-party” tickets ($250 each) allowed some one-on-one time with the couple. Regular $50 tickets allowed entry into the club, where Bennifer mingled.

Ben and BFF Matt Damon recently agreed to help judge a contest sponsored by MoveOn.org to find the best ad supporting Obama’s campaign.

Jen has a run in her stockings! But cute Christian Louboutin Mary Janes…

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama answered a few questions for Us Weekly. They even asked him what kind of underwear he wears!

On his familiarity with Us Weekly My wife reads it.

On his daughters Sasha and Malia ever asking about Britney Spears Actually, yeah. But they’re very sensible. They’re pretty down on Britney and Paris and all of that. They think that’s very “yuck.” They’re way more into Hannah Montana and Beyonce. They got to go backstage and meet Beyonce and they just love her to death.

On wearing boxers or briefs: I don’t answer those humiliating questions. But whichever one it is, I look good in ‘em! (Bill Clinton said he wore boxers in a 1992 interview with MTV.)

DOES BARACK OBAMA seem like a boxers or briefs kinda guy?

CNN host Anderson Cooper just blogged about a shooting at a junior high school computer lab in California that happened two weeks ago. Consequently, as a result of a hate crime, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot to death.

Anderson, 40, posed the question, “When does bullying become a hate crime?” Here’s his entry:

“We are focusing on a story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. The story is about a young man named Lawrence King. He was 15 years old. On the morning of Feb 12, a classmate of Lawrence’s allegedly walked into the computer lab in front of some two dozen other students and shot Lawrence in the head. He was declared brain dead later at the hospital. According to authorities, this was not a random killing, it was a hate crime. Lawrence had recently told people he was gay, and apparently wore clothing that was viewed as effeminate. According to many accounts he had been bullied repeatedly, and some parents have even claimed students knew of threats to Lawrence’s life. At this point it doesn’t seem clear how much school officials knew of the bullying, but a full investigation needs to be done. If this had been an African-American student bullied by a teenage skinhead would it have received more attention? Would school officials have taken it more seriously if it had been a Christian campus leader attacked by another student because of his/her religious beliefs? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I do think they are worth asking. Bullying is a problem in schools across the country. We’ve seen this time and time again. Is enough being done to stop it?”

In response to this hate crime, both Democratic presidential candidates released statements regarding this tragic event:

Said Hillary Clinton, “I was deeply saddened by the recent death of 15-year-old Lawrence King who was killed at his school in Oxnard, CA. No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity.We must finally enact a federal hate crimes law to ensure that gay, lesbian and transgender Americans are protected against violent, bias-motivated crimes. We must send a unified message that hate-based crime will not be tolerated.”

Barack Obama is on the same page, adding, “It was heartbreaking to learn about Lawrence King’s death, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. King’s senseless death is a tragic example of the corrosive effect that bigotry and fear can have in our society. It’s also an urgent reminder that we need to do more in our schools to foster tolerance and an acceptance of diversity; that we must enact a federal hate crimes law that protects all LGBT Americans; and that we must recommit ourselves to becoming active and engaged parents, citizens and neighbors, so that bias and bigotry cannot take hold in the first place. We all have a responsibility to help this nation live up to its founding promise of equality for all.”

The L.A. Times also has a write-up of last week’s memorial service for King: “At a memorial attended by more than 500 people in Port Hueneme, Lawrence “Larry” King was remembered Friday as a sensitive child who liked to draw, paint and crochet. One Christmas, he helped his mother crochet hundreds of scarves so that U.S. troops in Afghanistan wouldn’t be without a holiday gift.”

You can also visit the website that King’s family set up: RememberLarry.com.

Rosie O’Donnell likes both candidates (Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama) equally and even wants them to run together! She writes:

“It’s still early yet, but so far I find both candidates believable. They are different, with a different mix of talents to bring to the political table, but they both seem to have the passion, plans, drive, and intelligence I want in my next president.

“Could a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket be our future? I hope so. I think America would benefit from the strengths of either individual, but if those strengths were combined, we might just have the Democratic powerhouse the country needs to turn itself around, and back into peace, prosperity and opportunity.

“May they both release the desire to receive for oneself alone — and save the world together.”

Read the full post at The Huffington Post.

DO YOU AGREE with Rosie that Barack and Hillary should run together?