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. Read more...

Remember all those people who gave Diddy a hard time when he ran around in that "Vote or Die" shirt during the 2004 presidential election? Remember how they said that kind of celebrity showboating never works and that young voters don't really pay attention when stars like Christina and Beyoncé tell them to go out and vote? Turns out those people were wrong. Researchers from Washington State University surveyed 305 students on campus and found that "celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand" and that the star voting initiatives four years ago helped lower complacency among voters 18-25.

So, do you pay attention to celebrity get-out-the-vote campaigns?

We've more than exhausted our allotment of boxing metaphors to describe the presidential campaign. But here goes one more: Whoever is in charge of picking the music played at Republican candidate Senator John McCain's rallies is either punch-drunk or down for the count.

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.
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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.

Getting a little bit worn down by all the Democratic primary debates? Yeah, us, too. I mean, let's face it: no amount of commentary is going to tell us where the chips will land, whether Hillary really should bow out, or if Obama really is buds with that guy from the Weather Underground. It's all become pretty exhausting.

Oh wait, what's that? Soulja Boy feels the same way...?

Democratic candidate Barack Obama will make an appearance on tonight’s “Idol Gives Back” telecast, and both Hilary Clinton and Republican John McCain are expected to join him.

They're not going to be covering the Beatles or whatever -- rather, according to CNN, they’ll be appearing in pre-taped pieces set to air throughout “Idol”'s second-annual charity show.

And while McCain has bizarrely become linked with another uber-popular TV show, "The Hills," Obama is now claiming that "Idol" is the winner in his household, saying that his daughters Sasha and Malia are both "big 'American Idol' fans."

Last year "Idol Gives Back" raised more than $76 million for charities in Africa and here in the U.S.

And if you missed last night's "Idol, check out Jim Cantiello's recap.