You gotta get up really early to make history. Or, in the case of 28-year-old Tom Krieglstein, stay up late. Hours before anyone else thought to line up for tonight's rally in Grant Park for Senator Barack Obama, the Wrigleyville, Chicago, native proudly took his place as the first person in the queue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, a full 24 hours before the doors open for the event.

"It's history," he said, explaining why he showed up so early. "Having Obama as president is history, and that's why I wanted to be the first person in line." For two and a half hours, Krieglstein was the line, since his fiancée got sick and bailed on him. Then, around 10:00 p.m., a second person showed up. The #3 slot didn't get filled until early Tuesday morning.

"It was a long night," Krieglstein said, noting that police kept moving the first two squatters back every few hours because no one had figured out where the official line should actually start.

Krieglstein's brother joined him eventually Monday night, and the duo took turns holding down the line and taking catnaps in the lobby of the Congress Hotel, across Michigan Avenue. Sneaking in to crash on a couch in the Congress next to a homeless person, Krieglstein, wearing an Obama T-shirt, said he's obviously hoping for an Obama win — he voted early — but more important, he's hoping for a new America.

"I wasn't there for the civil rights [era]," he said. "But my connection to this is if I'd imagine 40 years from now that a gay man or a gay woman would become president, I feel like that's what it's like for Obama to become president right now. I want to be a part of history." Krieglstein also hoped that a peaceful rally Tuesday night would erase some of the lingering negative image of Chicago that followed the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention there.

Krieglstein co-founded a company called Swift Kick — which teaches college students and administrators how to use applications like Facebook and Twitter to reach young people. He said he's also excited because he thinks Obama's campaign realized the strength of those social-networking tools and made them work for them to get out the youth vote.

"I hope that Obama sets a plan not just for America, but for the world," Krieglstein said about his expectations for what he was sure would be a victory rally Tuesday night. "I feel like he's showcasing himself and the United States to what his presidency is going to look like for the next eight years. And then Michelle Obama in 2016."

MTV News is at the polls in all 50 states — check out our coverage all day long on MTV and right here on MTVNews.com. Then, tell us why you voted! Comment below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience. Your message will appear on our election map and could appear on TV today!

OK, OK. The lines may be a bit of a pain as you queue up to cast your vote for the next president of the United States today. But if his Diddyness can muster up the spirit, so can you! And let's see you try to do it with 10 cameras following you.

Well, perhaps his trip was a bit expedited. In fact, once Sean Combs entered the Coalition School for Social Change, his polling station in Midtown Manhattan, his visit to the voting booth probably clocked in at around eight minutes. And during those eight minutes, Diddy did what he does best: electrify the room. Sullen, drowsy would-be voters were jolted awake. Frowns and droopy eyes were quickly replaced with smiles, hugs and flash photography. Combs was cordial and friendly as many, including an 80-year-old fellow marathon-runner, struck up conversation with the entertainment titan.

As he was ushered into the booth, Diddy asked, "Don't I need to sign in first?"

"Yes, yes, of course," an attendant sheepishly admitted, obviously having been so swept off her feet that she forgot to direct him to the sign-in table.

When Combs exited the voting booth, he let out a resounding "Yeah!"

And so it was done. Diddy came. He saw. He voted. And in doing so, he's made history. Sometimes making history involves a short wait in line.
  
Now it's your turn. Get out there, people!

MTV News is at the polls in all 50 states — check out our coverage all day long on MTV and right here on MTVNews.com. Then, tell us why you made your voice heard and tell us why you voted. Comment below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience, and your message will appear on our election map, and could appear on TV today!

The Obama campaign has reportedly asked some of his famous supporters stay away from his rally Tuesday night in Chicago's Grant Park, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Although the campaign is reportedly grateful for the high-profile support, several prominent celebs have reportedly been asked "politely but very firmly" to skip the rally and focus on attending the Obama inauguration in January, should that occur.

An Obama insider reportedly told the newspaper's Bill Zwecker that Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Ben Affleck were among those asked to stay away from tonight's festivities.

"There really only needs to be one star in Grant Park, and that's Barack," the insider reportedly said. "There will be plenty of time for a new President Obama to be surrounded by famous fans, all hopeful about a new administration."

However, the paper reported that early Obama supporter Oprah Winfrey is confirmed to make an appearance at the rally in Grant Park. It is also expected that Winfrey will be with Obama as well as his family and inner circle throughout the night at their hotel in Chicago.

As the paper said, "No one says no to Oprah!"

Why are YOU voting? Comment below, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience, and your message will appear on our election map, and could appear on TV today!

Now that I've talked to him again, this time just outside Las Vegas, I believe that's even more true. He comes off like a regular person — a regular person who just so happens to be running for president.

And that's what makes it so, well ... it's hard to put into words.

See, when I started doing this, I didn't know how far the MTV News job would go. I never thought I'd be considered a journalist. I didn't go to school for that. But when you're talking to Barack Obama, when you're sitting with him, everything that you say could potentially be historical. If you f--- up a question, you go down in the record books as that guy who f---ed up the question. Even if you don't mess up, however he may respond to what you ask, the whole world can view your work.

So you have to bring your A-game. I lose a lot of sleep before I interview him. You could call it a comfortable nervousness. I want to rise to the occasion.

But the thing with Barack, man, it just feels like you're having a dialogue. He's so laid-back, in a sense, you don't get nervous. Considering all that's on his shoulders, all the tasks he has in front of him, he really is stable and calm.

That's what I mean when I say it's like talking to a regular person. He's the type of person you feel like you've already met. It feels like you're talking to someone you've known already, if that makes sense.

Like, get this, I was wearing Wallaby shoes. If you grew up in the '80s or '90s, you know these are classic, kinda casual, sporty shoes. Barack took note! "Man, those are Wallabies, those are nice," he said. "You're looking real sharp!" For him to know about these shoes says a lot to me. You gotta be hip but also street-smart a little.

I'll say this: Barack is probably the most intelligent person I've ever interviewed. I don't know if that sounds like I'm dissing anybody, demeaning anybody. It's just the man knows what's what.

At this point, after all these experiences as far as interviewing goes, I'm not sure that anything could top what I did on the campaign trail this year. I did Biggie's last interview and Tupac's last interview — President Bill Clinton, I've interviewed him. Bono, man, Bono!

All due respect, those interviews were magnificent, but this beats them all. And I think all those guys would agree and understand why nothing tops this.

You'd think after getting smacked down by the Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp, Heart and Jackson Browne (who actually filed suit against McCain for using "Running on Empty" in an ad broadcast in Ohio) that someone, anyone, in the McCain camp would vet song choices at least as thoroughly as they vetted vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (OK, maybe that's a bad example).

But in the latest song snafu, the guitarist for '80s rockers Survivor has asked the McCain/Palin campaign to stop using their "Rocky III" anthem "Eye of the Tiger" at events, according to a post on the band's official Web site.

"Survivor has no affiliation with John McCain or Sarah Palin. They have no right to use 'Eye of the Tiger' in any way as part of their campaign. Using our music without our permission can give people the impression that we are supporters — this is not the case," guitarist Frankie Sullivan wrote in a statement.

"The thing I like best about politics is the song ['Politician'] by Cream," Sullivan added. "Politicians have a habit of saying what they think you want to hear without ever really saying what you need them to say — the truth. There's the truthful answer, and then there is the political response. The political response is the one to beware of, for it is not a response at all; it's spin."

Since no one else seems to be doing it, we are therefore offering our services as jukebox jury for the McCain/Palin ticket. Just one tip before we sign on, though: Stay away from Pearl Jam's "Alive." It's not about what you think it's about.

Those are just some of the rants, raves and rhetorical questions that came up in the MTV News editorial meeting on Friday morning following Thursday night's vice-presidential debate between Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Democratic Senator Joe Biden. Except for the copious cursing, it was probably not unlike a million other conversations that took place at those now famous Average Joe and Jane Six-pack breakfast tables all across the country.

By our count, the debate that had the potential to be a Lindsay-Lohan-meets-Britney-Spears-during-their-dark-years train-wreck on top of a shipwreck turned out to be, for the most part, a tie. But you'd never know it if you slipped into the spin alley/zone/corner/vortex of the media. The homepage of the unabashedly left-leaning HuffingtonPost.com currently reads: "The Verdict: GOP Strategist: Palin's Performance Will 'Help Stop The Bleeding... It Won't Change The Trend Line' ... CNN: Biden Dominated Among Undecideds... CBS Focus Group: Biden Won." The blog's founder, Arianna Huffington, has a decidedly more partisan take in a column titled, "VP Debate: McCain's Big Gamble Comes Up Snake Eyes."

Over at the conservative Drudge Report, there is a poll that has Palin beating Biden by a 70 to 28 percent margin. CBSNews.com says, "He Looked Presidential, She Looked Mayoral." The Boston Herald smirks, “Smilin’ Sarah Palin Sinks With Winks.” The New York Times' TV critic praises Palin for recapturing her image, and the Washington Post goes so far as to say everyone won (including moderator Gwen Ifill, who wasn't even running for anything), even as one of its chief political writers claims in his column that Palin is a "Hockey Mom on Thin Ice."

For the most part, outside the conservative blogosphere, Biden is considered the winner. Former Clinton White House insider George Stephanopoulos told "Good Morning America" that Biden's strategy edged out Palin's. Time magazine's Joe Klein states that "Plain Was Fine, But This Debate Was No Contest," and a commentator on CNN.com decides that "For Palin, a tie is a win."

So, what do you think? Tell us your verdict on the debate now!

Joining a chorus of celebrity critics that already includes Matt Damon and Margaret Cho, Lohan took to her blog on Sunday to lay into the Alaska governor for her views on abortion and homosexuality, not to mention for posing for the cover of celebrity rags when she's, like, not even a real celebrity.

"I really cannot bite my tongue anymore when it comes to Sarah Palin," Lohan wrote. "Is it a sin to be gay? Should it be a sin to be straight? Or to use birth control? Or to have sex before marriage? Or even to have a child out of wedlock? ... I find it quite interesting that a woman who now is running to be second in command of the United States only four years ago had aspirations to be a television anchor. Which is probably all she is qualified to be."

Lohan was particularly angered by an Associated Press story that Palin's church promoted a conference devoted to the "conversion of gays." She ends the rant by quoting that great Canadian stateswoman, Pamela Anderson, who once said, "She can suck it."

Just typing about Palin, whom Lohan called a "narrow-minded, media-obsessed homophobe," apparently filled her with so much "fear, anxiety, concern, disappointment and stress" that she reportedly punched a paparazzo in the nose later that night, after tripping over a metal barricade that she mistook for a photog's foot, according to TMZ.

In more dire news, Lohan's pal, DJ Samantha Ronson, who can't vote anyway because she's not a U.S. citizen, begged her American friends to do their research, "and if you're in doubt — vote for Obama! Mainly because if she gets elected, my green card probably won't get renewed!!!"

Finally, someone is talking about the real issues!

Please give it back. Seriously, it's not funny anymore. Really, I'm not writing this to be snarky or make fun of shut-ins still clinging to their prepubescent glory days (this isn't another "open letter to New Kids on the Block Fans," after all). I'm doing it because I care. And because I can still remember a time when "Rock Star" wasn't a catch-all term used to describe junior senators from Illinois and governors from Alaska. It was a state of mind, a way of life, a swearing, swaggering, strutting thing, one that wanted to sleep with you (or your sister), steal all your drugs and then get into a fight with a bouncer. You could point at someone and go "now that guy — the one with the bottle of Jack, the leather pants and the sh--ty attitude — THAT'S a Rock Star."

Now? Not so much. Over the past few weeks, I've seen the term used to describe the magnetic appeal of both Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (in pieces like this and this) and Republican VP nom Sarah Palin (here and here). While I certainly admire the political pundits (and basement-dwellers with a Blogspot account) of this great nation for trying to, you know, "rock the vote," I will most respectfully have to disagree with all of them.

More of James' argument, plus your chance to agree or disagree, after the jump!

Because Barack Obama is not a Rock Star. Sarah Palin isn't either. It takes more than just the ability to energize a crowd (which, in almost every story I've read, always seems to be a strike against Obama but, strangely, a bonus for Palin) to achieve Rock Star status. Rock Stars do not work at law firms or call themselves "Barry." They are not married mothers of five who previously operated a commercial fishing business. Just because you used to go by the nickname "Barracuda" (and conveniently co-opted the Heart song of the same name to emphasize that fact) or hang out with rock-and-rollers doesn't mean you actually rock. Basically, Rock Stars cannot be created — they must earn the right to be called as much. Let's see Obama punch out a photographer at the Whisky or Palin slip into Robert Plant's trousers before we anoint them heirs to the Rock Throne.

So, I guess you're asking, what is a Rock Star then? Well, it most certainly isn't an energy drink or anyone who's ever been photographed holding one. It's not a now-canceled CBS reality competition featuring Brooke Burke and Dave Navarro (though Dave is a Rock Star) or a company that designs video games. A Rock Star is someone like Slash, Tommy Lee (as long as you forget about Methods of Mayhem), David Lee Roth or even that dude from Nickelback. Axl Rose, Scott Weiland, Vince Neil, Ted Nugent, Marilyn Manson ... they're all Rock Stars too. And you don't even have to be a guy to be one either. Joan Jett, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Lita Ford — they're all welcome in the Rock Star club anytime they want.

Basically, you need to live with a willingness to die. You have to have a taste for danger and an appetite for the illicit. You need to never take "no" for an answer, to have a confidence and a swagger that knows no bounds. You must be aware that anytime you walk into a room, everyone is looking at you. And you must love that fact. You should be ready to fight and spit and claw at the drop of a hat. You should dabble in porn — or at least date a porn star. You must smash cars and trash hotel rooms and bleed and sweat on a stage each and every night. You must be larger than life. Indestructible. You must strive for greatness — without ever appearing to actually be striving — and you must succeed.

So please, let the whole "Rock Star" thing go. Stop using the term on people who really don't deserve it, no matter how nice it looks in a headline on your totally snarky politico blog. It's only hurting the real Rock Stars out there, and it doesn't make you sound cool or with it or anything like that. It makes you sound like a tool with a totally snarky politico blog. OK? Thanks for listening. You rock.

Sincerely,
James

Luckily for him, like at the Tent State University site across town, there was plenty of space. In fact, the soccer-field-size, heavily fortified parking lot with barely a glimpse of the Pepsi Center in the distance was empty except for a fellow blogger from Kravitz’s bluemassgroup.com site and a local Denver college couple who were also hoping to see some real live protestation.

So Kravitz did what any opera singer worth his salt with an open stage and a public address system at his disposal would do — he belted out a powerful rendition of “God Bless America” as one of the shock-troop-looking cops took some personal video and gave him a round of applause. The dozen heavily fortified officers on the other side of the impenetrable fence near the cop joined in on the applause, happy to have any action in the zone, which they said has been a virtual ghost town since it opened two days earlier.

Though the Tent State University group had vowed to march across town and stick it to The Man by setting up their tent city in the zone every night of the convention, the cops said after the first night there hadn’t been a single sleepover. “About 30 of them came on Sunday, but the bright lights were on all night and they left,” said one officer. “Nobody’s really been back since.”

Not surprisingly, the protesters preferred to stage their actions on the streets of Denver, which had already led to two nights of pepper-ball-filled clashes with cops and more than 100 arrests.

The cops asked Kravitz for an encore, so he gave them “The Star-Spangled Banner” before hopping on his bike and speeding off, leaving the hum of a power generator as the only sound in the quiet zone.

A bulletin board meant to provide a schedule for the day’s roster of speakers had turned into a makeshift mock-morial, with inspiring quotes for a series of historical greats.

“You can’t cage freedom.” — G. Washington
“This is awesome.” — J. Stalin
“Say hello to my little cage.” — T. Montana

Maybe they were taking a walk when we stopped by today, but just a day before Rage Against the Machine are scheduled to headline a show in support of the protest, the scene at the far-flung park — several miles from the Pepsi Center — was more like a Sunday picnic with your mellowed-out buds than a 1960s-style revolutionary effort to disrupt the Dems' party. Local media had reported some clashes between anti-war protesters and other anarchist groups since Sunday, including an intense clash just blocks from the Pepsi Center last night, during which police used their pepper-ball rifles to disperse crowds near the 16th Street mall and later arrested 90 protesters.

More on the Tent State University protest plus photos after the jump.

But the scene at Tent State was way, way mellower. Amid a smatter of a few dozen tents hawking organic clothing, supporting marijuana legalization and a full-size replica of one of the tiny cells holding terror suspects at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the massive park was mostly empty on this sweltering afternoon, with a few shirtless men dozing under the shade of trees and a handful of bored-looking bicycle police leaning on their rigs across the way.

(Check out more photos in our 2008 DNC photo gallery)

Chris Scully, a volunteer who is helping the Tent State masterminds keep things organized, said it's been pretty quiet since around 10,000 or 12,000 people turned up on Sunday to sign up for tickets for the Rage show. By yesterday, he said the number was about half that, and today, among the 100 or 200 people in the park, the biggest portion were squatting on the ground under tents signing up for their shot at tickets to the show.

In one corner, an elderly speaker on the Martin Luther King Jr. Classroom stage was discussing the origins of the anti-war movement to a small group crammed under a tent together to maximize the shade, but nobody seemed to know where Tent State organizer Adam Jung was. "Um, maybe he's out doing the protest or something?" offered one volunteer in the medical tent; Jung didn't answer his cell phone when we called.

Iraq veteran Ben Schrader, 28, there with the Iraq Veterans Against the War, was doing interviews and talking about what he hopes Senator Barack Obama says Thursday night during his speech at Invesco Field.

Michael Gorniak, 26, was doing — well, we're not entirely sure. As his ballerina girlfriend spun in circles and smacked a drum along to the Doors tune "Break on Through," the beatific Gorniak attempted to explain the concept behind his company Original Te.

Handing out free T-shirts bearing the company name and adorned with a tree growing in two directions, Gorniak said he's spending the money he received from a college fund he didn't need — he got scholarships to pay for undergrad and graduate school — to start a company that will "teach kids to make films. We're going to raise funds by making films, doing concerts and using the Internet," he said. "The name is based on an old Hindu, I mean Chinese philosophy, and the idea is, we're going to support the community and not hold each other down. I had a choice: I could have been a drug addict or tried to change things."

Right on. Right on.