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In the end, the 2024 US presidential election may be remembered not for a celebrity endorsement, but for the opposite. When George Clooney wrote in the New York Times last month, "I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee," he upended the contest. Less than two weeks later, the president announced he would not be seeking re-election. Danny Ocean, the bank robber and conman Clooney played in the Ocean's Eleven series, couldn't have pulled off a more spectacular switcheroo.
JFK had the Rat Pack; Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra. But actually, Australia arguably led the way in getting famous names involved in politics with Gough Whitlam's "It's Time" campaign in 1972. The surprisingly groovy music video, featuring Bert Newton, Jack Thompson, Jackie Weaver and others, must surely also hold the record for the most people wearing skivvies at any one time.
In the US, everything changed in 2008. Who can forget Beyoncé singing "At Last" during her close friend Barack Obama's inauguration? That event was the capstone of an election season in which everyone in Hollywood came out swinging for the coolest candidate ever to run for the Oval Office.
Former US President Barack Obama danced with his wife and former First Lady Michelle Obama as Beyonce sings "At Last" during the first Inaugural Ball on January 20, 2009, in Washington, DC. Image: Getty.
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