US President Barack Obama reportedly asked Harry Potter author JK Rowling for her autograph.
The President has apparently read all the books to his daughter Malia and both are said to be big fans of the boy wizard and his gang.
So when he met Rowling at a Downing Street party this week, he played the good dad card and got her signature to take home.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter actress Emma Watson is being courted by environmental campaign group Greenpeace to be a global ambassador.
The 18-year-old was apparently approached by the organisation after she said "I cannot not be green".
Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has previously revealed that her end of school project was on global warming and Hurricane Katrina.
She's also a keen recycler and prefers to take public transport.
The actress, who studied at Headington School in Oxford, has also said she is prepared to turn her back on Hollywood to go to university after getting three A-grades in her A levels.
It was hard to miss the moment on television when Barack Obama lifted his right hand to take the oath of office as the nation's 44th president. The transfer of power was everywhere you'd expect, on the CNNs and ABCs of the TV world. But ESPN also interrupted its sports highlights to show it. MTV cut away from self-obsessed "Real World" roommates. Business networks CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox telecast it, although the stock market tickers stayed on the screen. BET and TV One celebrated the arrival of a black president, and BBC America took its focus off Britain. Not since the September 2001 terrorist attacks have so many television networks shown such a unity of purpose, this time for a moment of hope. The networks bore witness both to a history-making event and a uniquely American ritual, with coverage that was most effective when anchors and commentators faded to the background. There were spectacular pictures: the sweep of a huge crowd cheering as if at some massive sporting event; the motorcade taking the Obamas and Bushes to the Capitol; Michelle Obama handing a gift to Laura Bush; and former presidents greeting one another before taking their seats. "What a moment for the man, what a moment for the country," ABC's Charles Gibson said after Obama assumed the presidency. On NBC, Lester Holt noted simply how many people were singing the National Anthem, when that is not always the case. CNN analyst David Gergen seemed to nail the day's mood early. "It's almost like Mardi Gras in January," he said, "with a much more serious purpose." The networks faltered when they let giddiness get the best of them. Gibson talked about getting chills, and not because of the weather. "There's just something about this day," he said. "The buildings are a little brighter." Anderson Cooper should wince at a playback of his attempt at music criticism: "There are three first ladies on this stage," he said. "Aretha Franklin is the first lady of soul." (Actually, since he overlooked Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton, his count should have been six.) Like an election night, news networks hauled out some expensive tricks, such as Fox News' impressive graphic map of Washington used to place the events. CNN contracted for a satellite to take a shot of Washington from space, and asked its viewers to send in pictures of the exact moment Obama took the oath of office. With a small search of its archives, NBC could have had a real memorable moment: Andrea Mitchell, reporting among the dignitaries on the reviewing stand, mentioned how she interviewed young Sen. Barack Obama there four years earlier during the Bush inauguration. It would have been priceless to see a clip of that interview. While the networks all assigned reporters to cover a crowd estimated at more than 1 million people, they were underused. The ordinary Americans who stood in the cold to witness history were a bigger part of the story than was reflected, as was evident by the rock starlike cheers that rang out during the Obamas walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. NBC's Norah O'Donnell and CNN's Dana Bash contributed quick, clear-eyed reporting Tuesday afternoon when Sen. Edward Kennedy had to be taken from a luncheon in a medical emergency. Kennedy, ill with a brain tumor, suffered an apparent seizure and was taken in for evaluation. There was no immediate word from medical personnel on his condition, although fellow senators said he remained conscious as he was taken for further evaluation. Obama's inaugural address largely drew a thumbs-up from the TV reporters covering it. Fox's News Channel's Brit Hume called it a "marvelously eloquent speech delivered in the characteristically flawless way by the new president." CBS historian Doug Brinkley said it was a "very beautifully written speech." Many commentators noted, though, the undercurrent of criticism at outgoing President George Bush that may have undercut the polite way the two men dealt with each other. "I suspect that if President Bush had read the speech before they had that ride to the Capitol, it may not have been as warm," said NBC's Tom Brokaw. On MSNBC, Peggy Noonan noted the visible warmth between the two families, epitomized by Michelle Obama's gift to her predecessor (a journal and pen for writing her memoirs). Yet it was undercut by a crowd singing "na na hey hey goodbye" as the Bushes helicopter took off. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who the night before had urged Obama to prosecute Bush for war crimes, couldn't hide his glee at the moment. "We have liftoff ... and to all a good night," he said.
Will Smith has set his sights on playing the new US president Barack Obama. Smith is a big fan of the president-elect, and is desperate to play him in a big screen biopic.
However, Smith will wait until Obama finishes his stint at the White House before he makes the movie. Asked by MTV if he'd fancy the role, he replied, "That would be fantastic. There are so many aspects of that story that people don't know — that people would love to. I'm going to give him eight years, though. I don't know if I'll be too old in eight years, but we'll give it a shot." (Re-electing him already, Will?) The I Am Legend actor also revealed why he's perfectly cast to play Obama. Pointing to his prominent ears, Smith joked, "It's right here. That's the key. America loves ears, you know? Mickey Mouse started it; Goofy and Dumbo followed behind. And America just loves the ears."
NEW YORK – Last winter, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison received a phone call from Sen. Barack Obama, then the underdog to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Obama had contacted Morrison to ask for her support. But before they got into politics, the author and the candidate had a little chat about literature.
"He began to talk to me about one of the books I had written, `Song of Solomon,' and how it had meant a lot to him," Morrison said in a postelection interview from her office at Princeton University, where for years she has taught creative writing.
"And I had read his first book (`Dreams From My Father'). I was astonished by his ability to write, to think, to reflect, to learn and turn a good phrase. I was very impressed. This was not a normal political biography."
For Morrison and others, the election of Obama matters not because he will be the first black president or because the vast majority of writers usually vote for Democrats. Writers welcome Obama as a peer, a thinker, a man of words — his own words.
"When I was watching Obama's acceptance speech (Tuesday night), I was convinced that he had written it himself, and therefore that he was saying things that he actually believed and had considered," says Jane Smiley, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "A Thousand Acres" and other fiction.
"I find that more convincing in a politician than the usual thing of speaking the words of a raft of hack speechwriters. If he were to lie to us, he would really be betraying his deepest self."
"Until now, my identity as a writer has never overlapped with my identity as an American — in the past eight years, my writing has often felt like an antidote or correction to my Americanism," says "Everything Is Illuminated" novelist Jonathan Safran Foer.
"But finally having a writer-president — and I don't mean a published author, but someone who knows the full value of the carefully chosen word — I suddenly feel, for the first time, not only like a writer who happens to be American, but an American writer."
"Dreams From My Father" and Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" have each sold millions of copies and have been praised as the rare works by politicians that can actually be read for pleasure. Obama's student poetry was even lauded — and compared to the work of Langston Hughes — by the most discerning of critics, Harold Bloom.
Morrison, whose novel "A Mercy" comes out next week, endorsed Obama in January, even though she was a friend and admirer of Hillary Rodham Clinton and had famously labeled Bill Clinton the country's first black president. As if reviewing a new book, Morrison released a statement citing Obama's "intelligence, integrity and rare authenticity," and his "creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom."
Morrison finds herself wondering how some of her late friends would have reacted, like James Baldwin ("How I miss him now," she says), who in the 1960s had scorned as condescending Robert Kennedy's prediction that the United States would have a black president in 40 years. Were "Invisible Man" author Ralph Ellison still alive, he would have renamed his classic novel "Visible Man," Morrison joked.
Ayelet Waldman, whose novels include "Daughter's Keeper," is an Obama fan dating back to when both attended Harvard University. Her husband, novelist Michael Chabon, came to support him through "his writing, the quality of his prose," Waldman says. They in turn persuaded author and former Hillary Clinton supporter Rick Moody.
"I heard an Obama speech on NPR, sometime before the New York primary, and was moved to tears. At that point, I suppose I did start thinking of him as a writer, in the sense that he had, and has, a very good ear for le mot juste," says Moody, whose novels include "The Ice Storm" and "The Diviners."
"But I think the larger issue is cultural. There's a trickle down from the top in the way art exists inside and outside of the culture as a whole. Here in the USA, you could feel in the Bush years how little regard there was for it. People who disliked art, literature, dance, fine arts, they had a lot of cover for this antipathy. There's reason to believe that we are in for a much better period."
The Material Girl celebrated Barack Obama's victory Tuesday night with a glittering rally of her own, leading thousands of fans at her concert in San Diego with a rousing introduction to her song "Express Yourself."
In a video posted on YouTube, Madonna claps her hands and declares, "This is a historical evening! ... We are lucky to be sharing it with each other!"
Other celebrity supporters of Obama echo Madonna's good cheer.
Oprah Winfrey, who cried during the celebration in Chicago's Grant Park, told the TV show "The Insider": "I was so, so, so excited and then just sort of a calm came over me. It feels like it actually is kind of real, so it feels great."
Asked what this means for the country, she said, "It means democracy at its finest. It's just the best. We did this. America did this."
George Clooney said in a statement: "I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it's time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."
Actress Scarlett Johansson, who stumped for Obama throughout his campaign, said the "overwhelming hope that Obama inspires is infectious."
"I've always maintained a strong faith in the power of Obama's positive campaign and am so proud of every citizen who took a stand, participated in the political process and insisted their voices be heard," Johansson said in a statement.
Singer John Mellencamp reflected on the election on his Web site, saying he never thought he'd see the day when "a man of color could be president of the United States. But today I am so proud of America."
Singer Colbie Caillat, who cried when Obama won, said she thinks "our country is in safe hands."
Stars including Lindsay Lohan, Michael Moore and Kanye West posted messages online.
Reacting on her Myspace page, Lohan gushed, "OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT!" and said that everyone who voted, "no matter their choice ... should be proud for voting in the first place."
West, whose mother Donda died last November, posted a portrait of the president elect on his blog with the message: "HI MOM, OBAMA WON!"
Meanwhile, director-provocateur Moore responded on his Web site, saying, "Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair."
Even more stunning: a concession from John McCain supporter Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who said Wednesday on TV's "The View" that she'll follow Obama's lead.
"I will jump in that line and support our president because that is what as an American I believe we should do," said Hasselbeck, who received a fist bump from co-host Whoopi Goldberg.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Barack Obama's victory speech may have electrified the nation, but the dress worn by his wife, Michelle, has attracted almost as much feedback in Internet chatrooms and among fashion aficionados.
Michelle Obama appeared onstage at a huge Chicago rally late Tuesday wearing a black cardigan over a scoop-neck black sheath with splashes of red in the upper and lower half separated by a band of black at the hips.
The outfit was a slightly modified version of a dress presented by designer Narciso Rodriguez in September for the 2009 Spring season.
"I voted for Obama, but I didn't vote for that dress," homemaker and mother of three Jessica Bettencourt from Wisconsin told The New York Times.
"I don't know what was worse," Chicago lawyer Karla Wright told the paper, "that stupid criss-cross band around the middle or that black sort of border coming up from the hem."
Not all comments were negative.
"That dress was unpretentious," Julie Gilhart, fashion director of New York's top-price Barneys clothing store, told the Times. "It said, Be who you are -- don't let someone else tell you how to be.'"
The Italian daily La Stampa dubbed the dress "the look of victory" and said the black symbolised mourning for Obama's grandmother, who died on the eve of the election, while the red was for passion.
A contributor to the website of the German newsweekly Focus also suggested there was hidden meaning in the colours, perhaps red for the political left and black for the first African-American to win the US presidency.
"It is more about the symbolic effect of the colour combination red/black. Because the daughters were also in red or black. Very unusual and surely no accident," the reader said.
Others were dismissive, describing the subject as superficial besides the historic importance of Barack Obama's election win.
"The USA must be doing pretty well if it is worrying about the First Lady's dress!" one typical Focus posting said.
One fashion expert described the interest attracted by the frock as "depressingly trivial... and yet fascinating" because of what it told us all about Obama.
"You may like or dislike Michelle Obama's dress, but that's not as interesting as the agenda behind it, because you can be sure there was one," wrote fashion editor of the London Times Lisa Armstrong.
"This was one of the most choreographed First Family Elect Appearances in history," she said, adding that "even seven-year-old Sasha Obama had been dragooned into that monochromatic colour scheme."
Carola Long of the London-based Independent said Michelle Obama's fashion sense was a far cry from the traditional first lady look "reminiscent of the uptight Bree from Desperate Housewives," a reference to a popular television series.
"The presidential race may only just have come to an end, but the battle for fashion supremacy was sewn up months ago," she wrote.
Whatever the significance of the dress, one thing is certain -- the world is going to hear much more on the subject over the next four years.
"At the least, it promises four lively years of fashion-watching at the White House," added the New York Times.
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