Yesterday I got the chance to sit down with one of my favorite musicians on the planet, Conor Oberst.

The setting was a Mexican restaurant in the East Village, about halfway between his house and mine — though admittedly it was a pretty obvious location choice. You see, earlier this year, Mexico was the place where the nomadic Oberst holed up with a bunch of pals to work on his first solo album in many years, a self-titled release due out August 5th. And yes, he sees a big difference between a solo record and a Bright Eyes record, something he explained in our nearly hour-long conversation.

Conor was in great spirits, and in addition to the new album — which is more spare and stripped down than last year’s terrific Cassadaga — we also talked about California (he likes it, I don’t), relationships (not his forte), his aversion to hospitals, and, of course, politics. O, as you might have heard, is a big supporter of O.

So check back with MTVNews.com in the coming weeks for all that — plus a track-by-track rundown of the entire album…

Steve Novick is a 4′9″ populist with no time for Big Money, a hook for a hand, and a beer named for his hook hand. And in this charming campaign ad, he happily opens a brew for a pal…using his hook! Oh wait, did we mention that half of all of indie rock is backing the man’s Senate run?

Politics cannot get better than this!

Novick is a Democrat running for Senate from Oregon. His supporters include R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, Krist Novoselic, Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, Corin Tucker, the Decemberists‘ Colin Meloy, and Rufus Wainwright. Barack Obama clearly isn’t the only candidate with major star power behind his campaign.

“We think people are looking for something a little different,” the self-identified progressive told Politico. “And I’m little, and I’m different.”

Where did this guy come from??

Right now he’s polling neck-to-neck with fellow Dem Jeff Merkley, who has the support of more establishment members of the party in next week’s primary. The winner will face off against Republican Sen. Gordon Smith. If Novick wins the primary, Pearl Jam will play four east coast shows and donate the proceeds to Steve’s campaign.

Did you see the opener to this weekend’s edition of “SNL”? And were you as shocked as some of us here at MTV News to see Amy Poehler’s caricature of Hillary Clinton? As Clinton, Amy announces, “Sore loser, racist supporters, no ethical standards — qualities Sen. Obama simply can’t match!” Um, what?? Since when was this fair play with a presidential candidate? Did “SNL”’s campaign coverage just go from clever to completely biased?

As the clip made its way around the office, some of the MTV News crew jumped into the fray:

Liz: Um. I thought it was pretty over the top, to say the least.

Jim: Hmm…One might argue that “SNL”’s coverage jumped the shark from day one. The show’s political coverage has been a disaster ever since Jon Stewart and “The Colbert Report” dominated airwaves.

John: It was only a matter of time before the Obamabots on the 8th floor of “30 Rock” showed their true colors, and dispensed with even an attempt at even-handed jabs.

James: I think the point of this is that Hillary basically has no way of winning the nomination, yet she continues to campaign — and speak — as if she’s got it all wrapped up. She’s delusional, as are her supporters, and they’re painting her as such.

Joseph: The jokes were exaggerations on the perception that a) she’ll do anything to win; b) she’s playing up race with her race-baiting comments to USA Today last Thursday; and c) she’s delusional to think that she has a shot even though all the empirical evidence speaks to the contrary.

What do you think? Has “SNL”’s political satire gone too far?

That’s right! Ron Paul has won — the #1 slot on Amazon’s new and future book releases, that is. Hopefully this victory is some sort of consolation for the Congressman’s legions of fans on the Interwebs.

The Revolution: A Manifesto is in bookstores now, but, oddly enough, we have not gotten a review copy here at MTV News. We would happily trade not one but TWO Dairy Queen Blizzards (the good Doctor’s favorite treat) for a copy, but not dollars. We only deal in Ameros.

It’s a little early to start making veep predictions, but here are a few things we already know:

1. John McCain is old and needs a young running mate.

2. Everyone wants Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama — except for, well, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

3. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia would add (swift)boatloads of clout to a Democratic ticket in the general election regardless of which candidate makes it there. And he hasn’t said no to the job, as you can see in the clip above.

OK, so Webb hasn’t said yes either. But that’s pretty close for down there in Washington!

It would be a long trip from where he started, as a Republican (Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan) and Hollywood writer. Strange as it may sound, a look back in the MTV News archives shows he’s had White House support for a while. Check out this gem of a photo from just after he won his Senate seat in 2006 (in the race that gave us the term “macaca moment”). John Norris was in DC covering an anti-war rally when a bunch Webb-lovers walked by our stand-up. That’s some ready-made support!

Back in March, on the night of the Texas and Ohio primaries, we were invited down to the NYC headquarters of FOX News to see first-hand how FOX does it up on primary night. To cut a long story short…we were introduced to Bill Hemmer and his equally-famous ‘Bill Board’ — in essence, a plasma screen on steroids!

Well, about a week after that piece aired, we got a call from none other than rival mega-network CNN — casually asking us if we’d like to come pay them a visit and see how they do it!

So yesterday, on the night of the Pennsylvania primary, myself, cameraman Brendan Kennedy, and producer “Monty” Montalto headed down to the impressive CNN Election Center. We soon found ourselves face-to-face with John King and his “Magic Wall.” And in all seriousness, his plasma screen gave FOX a run for their money.

At 81 x 48 inches, the touch-screen plasma is an impressive piece of kit (a stripped-down version will set you back $100,000). Originally created for use by the military (yes, the military), the screen has become a popular feature in their election coverage. As the legendary Wolf Blitzer (who does an hour everyday on the treadmill: FACT) rehearsed his lines behind us, King gave us an impressive demonstration as to what the “Magic Wall” was capable of.

The same size and color as FOX’s bad boy (the screen that is!), the CNN touchscreen didn’t seem all that different, aside from the software — and, of course, the guy standing beside it!

And yes, after having gotten close to the “Bill Board,” I insisted on playing with the “Magic Wall.” But it would be impolite to tell you which was a better time.

We’ve seen Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama bust some moves on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, and they did not fly. But after the shellacking he took during Wednesday night’s Democratic debate — which has been roundly dissed for its tabloid-style focus on old skeletons in the closet — Obama used Thursday to tap into his inner Jigga.

In this mash-up video that’s been making the rounds, Obama is seen tipping his hat to Jay-Z’s 2003 track “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” by brushing off the comments made by rival Hillary Clinton. Jay’s “Moment of Clarity” thumps under a highlight reel of Clinton and Wednesday night’s moderators bashing Obama before the music swells. That’s when “Dirt” comes in, as Obama explains to a crowd (in a speech yesterday) that when you’re running for the presidency, you have to just “kind of expect” the attacks. That’s when he brushes a bit of dirt off his shoulder — and makes hip-hop history.

We kind of agree that this may be “the coolest subliminal cultural reference in the history of American politics.” Though he’s not down with the misogyny and materialism of some hip-hop, Obama said in a recent interview that he is down with Jay’s music.

You know that if Obama wins the primary, the next mash-up’s going to be “99 Problems.” Oh wait — guess we missed this. Yikes.

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton dismissed her characterization of a 1996 trip to Bosnia — which she several times described as a dire, dangerous situation — by saying she just misspoke. I mean, people should’ve known that if the trip was made with “comedian” Sinbad, then really how dangerous could it have been? We at MTV know from first-hand experience, though, what the situation was like in 1996 post-Dayton-Peace-Accord, BECAUSE WE WERE THERE, YO!

MTV News sent our own Tabitha Soren (remember her? of course you do) to Tuzla about six-weeks before Clinton (and Sinbad) made their sojourn, 12 years ago. She produced the piece below, and earlier today told us her recollection of that trip. And guess what? No sniper fire.

Is anyone dying to know where Tabitha Soren is up to now? Is that something we should put up on the blog?

“Are my MTV boys still with me?” Senator Hillary Clinton asked as she exited the auditorium where, moments earlier, she’d delivered one of the finest speeches of her career after winning the New Hampshire primary. And yes, we were!

Just before, as Hillary made the rounds, warmly thanking her supporters, I thought it would be a good time to say thank you to her daughter, Chelsea, for making our exclusive interview with her mother happen earlier in the day. Chelsea, who has rarely been more than a few steps away from her mother over recent weeks on this campaign, was doing what I had seen her doing earlier — making friends, taking photos, shaking hands and, most importantly, talking to young people, who had turned up to see her mother win the primary. Now, after what Chelsea had done for us, I must admit I felt a little cheeky asking if her mom would like to talk to us again. But I figured there was no harm in asking — and again, the lovely Chelsea came through, for which we are very grateful.
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They just called it! Many thought it wouldn’t happen, but it did: Hillary Clinton has won the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

The atmosphere here at the Hillary Clinton HQ in Manchester has gone from calm, quiet confidence to total elation, with hugs, smiles and high-fives all around the room. Not even those on the outskirts of the room are standing still. It is hysteria. People are literally jumping for joy. From where I am standing it is a sea of hands — hundreds of them all clapping to the chant of, “HILLARY, HILLARY, HILLARY!”

And then she appears, the face of a victor. Perfectly poised and with a big smile, her first gesture is that of thanks to the crowd. Both Chelsea and Bill take the stage briefly and both warmly embrace her. Then it is time for her victory speech.

The crowd quiets down immediately, everyone listening intently, hanging on her every word.
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