Barack Obama Archives

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares for his new role of Commander-in-Chief, he, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, chat with the weeklies on how they plan to handle the transition.

People reports that their new lives will be quite a change (new home, new friends, new dog), but Michelle shares with OK!: “We try to keep things really normal.”

Though they’ll be moving into the spotlight, Michelle tells Us Weekly she plans to have her girls stick to the same low-key routines–”homework, chores, dance and soccer”–they had before becoming the First Family.

As for Barack himself, Michelle knows he’ll stay committed to family as they move into their new life: “He’s an incredible husband and father. Not sure if the world knows yet, but they should!”

Bigger cover pics inside… More Here! »

Jennifer Garner and husband Ben Affleck proudly show off their “I Voted” stickers after casting their votes for President-elect Barack Obama at St. Martin of Tours church in Brentwood, Calif., on Tuesday morning.

The patriotic pair were spotted exiting the polls at different times. Jennifer, 36, who is expecting her second child this winter, emerged all smiles with baby bump in full view, while Ben, 36, was especially excited to show off his sticker to paparazzi.

Later in the day, Jen was seen picking up 2-year-old Violet from preschool.

Below are the very first celebrity reactions of Barack Obama’s winning the race for the White House. Among the 125,000 people at Tuesday’s victory rally were Brad Pitt and a tearful Oprah Winfrey. Here we go:

Oprah: “There are not even words to talk about what this night means. It’s one of the greatest moments I could ever imagine. That’s how great it is.”

Madonna: “I’m so f—ing happy right now”

Lindsay Lohan: “YES WE CAN.”

Samantha Ronson: “YES WE DID!!”

Kanye West: “HI MOM, OBAMA WON!” (His mom passed away about a year ago.)

Usher: “Isn’t this incredible news? Man, this is incredible. It’s so incredible to see that this historical thing has happened.”

President-elect Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, after being elected into the White House Tuesday night. Here’s the transcript of his speech:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

(Click inside to continue reading Barack Obama’s Victory Speech…) More Here! »

Democrat Barack Obama was elected as the first black president of the United States of America on Tuesday night.

The 47-year-old senator from Illinois defeated Republican Sen. John McCain. Officials said voters came out in record numbers on Election Day — 130 to 140 million people.

The crowd is going wild in Grant Park in Chicago, where Obama will give his first public speech as president-elect.

Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President on January 20, 2009.

Ryan Phillippe casts his vote for Barack Obama in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Election Day.

The 34-year-old actor was spotted walking into his local polling station, where he spent about 30 minutes waiting to vote. When asked who he voted for, he replied with a question, “Who do you think?”

Phillippe continued, “I spent the weekend in Missouri campaigning for [Obama].” He also mentioned that he’s planning a party to celebrate an Obama win.

Ryan also said that he voted NO on Prop 8, which seeks to ban same-sex marriage.

Sen. Barack Obama’s grandmother died of cancer at age 86 in Honolulu, his campaign said this afternoon.

The 47-year-old Democratic presidential nominee and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, 38, released this joint statement about Madelyn Dunham (their maternal grandmother): “It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.

“Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.”

RIP.

• Barack Obama urges people to pray for Jennifer Hudson
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony make it to Manhattan
• Get the best bedding money can buy
• Listen to Ludcaris‘ “Last of a Dying Breed“
• Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale dress up as eggs and bacon
• Lara Flynn Boyle walks barefoot on the red carpet
• Hayden Panettiere shows Ellen her boxers
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year has topped the US box office, taking in $42 million, beating horror sequel Saw V into second place, according to early studio estimates.
• Jennifer Hudson and her family offered a $100,000 reward Sunday for the safe return of her missing nephew. Chicago police have asked the FBI to help find the missing 7-year-old nephew of Hudson after her mother and brother were found shot to death a day earlier.
• Javier Bardem will star in the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-directed, Spanish-language film, Biutiful. He will play a man embroiled in shady dealings who is confronted by a childhood friend. Production begins in Barcelona next week