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.
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Chris 'Boomer' Berman and Senator John McCainBy Nicole Guanlao

It doesn't matter which teams are playing. Millions of people tune in to "Monday Night Football" every week for that one matchup because they love the game. What better way to reach those Americans — all the "Joe Six-Packs" and "Joe the Plumbers," not to mention many females — than by getting some face time in between all of the helmet bashing.

So, can you really blame Barack Obama and John McCain for putting on their game faces for an interview with Chris "Boomer" Berman the night before Election Day?

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Last time I spoke with Senator Barack Obama in Greensboro, North Carolina, right after the first presidential debate, I wrote afterward that it felt like I was talking to an "everyday citizen."

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.

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Did you hear that we're talking to Barack Obama on Saturday? Well, actually, you're talking to him.

You can upload your video or written questions to YouRHere.MTV.com, we'll take the best ones to Senator Obama, and we'll broadcast his answers on air next week. But that's not all — be sure to check your e-mail in the coming days, because if your question is chosen, we'll want to know your reaction to his answer. We'll broadcast your response to his answer on air and/or online Sunday night and Monday.

Does that sound a little too complicated? Trust us — it's simple. YouRHere user mikebauer already uploaded his video question for Obama. Check it below, and make sure to get in the dialogue today.

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Senator Barack ObamaKanye West, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead ... Senator Barack Obama? The Democratic presidential candidate has booked the same area in Chicago's Grant Park that hosts several of the stages at the annual Lollapalooza festival, and if early estimates hold, the crowd in his hometown on the evening of November 4 could best the daily totals put up by the granddaddy of alternative-rock festivals. Maybe the Lolla attendees who were bummed that Obama didn't show up in August should have stuck around.

It's still unknown if attendees wishing to join the party will need to register online to get a ticket in advance, but Obama's team has already begun prepping the park for what is expected to be a "massive" rally on election night, according to the Chicago Tribune. Security will likely be tight for the event, with the area fenced off, much as it is for Lollapalooza, and attendees going through metal detectors. The Obama campaign has promised to pick up the tab for such expensive measures.

Organizers are expecting a crowd of 100,000 or more, rivaling the 75,000 daily totals for Lolla, which is spread out over an area twice the size of the one in which Obama will be setting up. No other details about the rally have been released yet.

The campaign of Republican rival Senator John McCain has not yet announced where it will be on election eve.

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Senators Barack Obama and John McCain
In just over two weeks, one of the two men vying for our nation's highest office will be out of a job. One will get ready to move into the White House, and one will head home — or to one of his seven homes. Sure, the loser will still have a gig in the Senate, but with this year’s presidential campaign winding down, could either John McCain or Barack Obama — who hoisted verbal attacks at each other during the third and final debate Wednesday night — secure future work on the stand-up circuit? Last night, both candidates attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where they swapped punch lines about themselves and each other.

(Watch the video after the jump!)
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Jay-ZBy Joseph Patel

Whether you're a Republican, Democrat or Independent, there's no denying that one of the most ubiquitous images to emerge from the 2008 presidential campaign is the red, white and blue Barack Obama "Hope" poster. Created by one-time street artist Shepard Fairey, the poster features an austere portrait of Obama, manifest in a screen print that looks like one of those funny 3-D magazine pictures, with one of the primary slogans of his campaign written boldly underneath: hope.

For supporters of the Illinois senator, the poster has become a symbol of the potential of an Obama presidency as it adorns windows, billboards and the sides of buildings all around the country. For supporters of John McCain or Hillary Clinton, the portrait has sometimes earned derision for being emblematic of Obama's "celebrity" status.

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Wyclef JeanWyclef Jean announced on Thursday that he's joining the bill for Jay-Z's "Last Chance for Change" free voter-registration concert in Miami's Bayfront Park Amphitheater this Sunday. The show, hosted by Obama for America, will encourage young attendees to get involved with the Obama campaign. Jean will not be on the bill the previous night at Jay's free show in Detroit, which like the Miami show, is open to fans 18 and older.

And it looks like that other staple of Obama's playlist, Bruce Springsteen, is upping the ante in supporting the candidate. In addition to the Obama benefit with Billy Joel on October 16 in New York, Springsteen has also announced a series of free solo acoustic dates that will double as Obama rallies and voter-registration drives, Billboard.com reports. The Boss will play an open-air rally on Saturday in Philadelphia, followed by a Sunday show on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus.
He'll also perform next Monday at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Anyone interested in attending the Philly show has to sign up on Obama's Web site. Tickets for the Eastern Michigan show will be available on campus on Friday, and Columbus residents can get tickets at the Obama campaign offices on the OSU campus.

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Jay-ZWe already know that Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama is a fan of hip-hop. Now Jay-Z, one of the artists he's given a shout-out to on the campaign trail, will return the favor this weekend by putting on two free shows encouraging young voters to get out and support Obama in Detroit and Miami.

Read more about Jay-Z's concerts for Obama here.

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By Dave Harrison

Even though the voting age is well-established, that doesn't mean you have to wait until age 18 before you can get involved in politics. Just earlier today, I experienced one of the coolest, most inspirational sights of this entire election while volunteering at the local Democratic Headquarters in Los Angeles.

Max and Jamie, two 13-year-old students from Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, California, both chose to volunteer their invaluable after-school time to Obama's campaign, making phone calls to voters in swing-state Nevada.

"We'll do anything we can for Obama," Max said. Well, unfortunately, voting for Obama is one thing they can't do — so instead, they got creative and found another valuable way to contribute. "[Jamie] lives right down the street, so we just had to volunteer. ... We talk about Obama all the time at school."

It's shocking to think that even in Obama's best-case scenario — a bid for re-election in 2012 — Max and Jamie still won't be able to vote for him. But after hearing them on the phones, they exhibited the same commitment as the lifelong Democrat sitting on my other side, who had shaken hands with Bobby Kennedy back in the day. So no matter who you will be supporting in November, let Max and Jamie serve as an example — even if you feel like your vote doesn't count (or if you can't vote!), your time and opinions can make a difference.

To find a local Democratic HQ, paste http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/**offices into your browser, replacing the ** with the two-letter abbreviation of your state.

Head here to find local events for Senator John McCain, then enter your ZIP code.

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