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.

Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live!

She responded to a parody of Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, which poked fun of her stance on health care and the softball questions posed to Barack Obama.

The senator then shouted the trademark line, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

Ellen Page hosted the show, with musical guest Wilco. Watch the clip below! Or watch the full SNL intro here. It’s what Hillary responded to, basically. Check it!

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.

Chelsea Clinton gets lei’d by a few dozen natives as she arrives in Maui, Hawaii on Sunday to campaign for her mother, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The 27-year-old former first daughter (and possible future first daughter) did her best to dance hula after she arrived.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you with my hula efforts,” Chelsea said.

Hillary may have a hard time winning the Democratic primary this week in Hawaii, as her opponent Barack Obama was born and raised in the Aloha State.

More Here! »

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?

Chelsea Clinton gets down and dirty, sitting on the filthy floor of a Starbucks location in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old daughter and only child of former US President Bill Clinton and United States Senator Hillary Clinton was able to grab a cup of Starbucks coffee unnoticed but didn’t have any luck finding a seat. Chelsea resorted to sitting on the floor in front of an emergency door and started typing away on her laptop. We hope she had some butt sanitizer handy!

Chelsea reportedly still lives in the Gramercy area of Manhattan.

DO YOU THINK Chelsea is on her way back to the White House?