Pick your celebrity president
The road to the White House can be a long and lonely one, so if you can get there with a little help from your friends, the better. And if those friends happen to be world-class celebrities, you're surely on to a winner.
The celebrity endorsement has been a staple of presidential politics for almost a century, from Mary Pickford in 1920, to Clint Eastwood in 2012. But what if the tables were turned, and the celebrities themselves were candidates for the highest office in the land?
We have gathered runners and riders from across the celebrity spectrum - from sports stars to celebrity chefs - for a more glittering election in 2012.
Answer the questions and find out who you would likely vote for in a showbiz showdown for the keys to the White House.
Continue reading the main storyQuestion of 6
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Alice Cooper
Alice CooperWant your president to shake hands with foreign dignitaries with a python coiled around his neck? Then Cooper's your man. The veteran shock-rocker was a high profile supporter of George W Bush. President Cooper would no-doubt host air-guitar parties of presidential proportions after a long hard day at the Oval Office.
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Jane Fonda
Jane FondaA key election pledge for the 74-year-old Hollywood legend is likely to fight obesity in America, and her classic workout videos would no doubt be reissued, by government decree, to help fulfil it. Fonda is one of Hollywood's most famous activists: from Vietnam to feminism, from the Native American cause to the environment, Fonda's campaigned for it all. She endorsed Barack Obama in 2008, and claimed that the candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination "scared" her.
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Freddie Prinze Jr.
Freddie Prinze Jr.So you want a power-couple in the White House? Then President Prinze Jr and First Lady Sarah Michelle Gellar shall surely satiate your appetite. The former teen heartthrob currently spends his days producing professional wrestling contests on TV. He is a Republican supporter.
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Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake GyllenhaalKnown for his penchant for roles in off-beat, cult films, President Gyllenhaal may opt for a less mainstream approach to the hot political topics of the day. The 31-year-old pin-up has long shown an interest in social issues, and campaigned for Democratic candidate John Kerry in 2004.
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Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett JohanssonThe 27-year-old movie star pumped her fists in the air at the Democratic National Convention this year as she voiced her support for President Obama's re-election campaign. She helped launch a range of pro-Obama clothing and accessories in early 2012, with Vogue Editor Anna Wintour. She is an ambassador for Oxfam.
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Don King
Don KingSo you want a president who knows talent when he sees it? Then the flamboyant 81-year-old boxing promoter is the commander-in-chief for you. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield have all passed through his stable. King gives away thousands of turkeys every year, to low-income families in Florida. King was a prominent supporter of George W Bush in 2004.
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John Grisham
John GrishamThere will certainly be bodies left on the floor of Congress during a Grisham presidency. The legal-thriller writer, who has sold more than 250million copies of his page-turners worldwide, is a master of intrigue, deception and legal high-drama and will likely ensure that American politics has never been so nail-biting an affair. Grisham supports the Democrats.
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Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte"Day-O! Da-a-a-y O!..." it's President Belafonte! The 85-year-old "King of Calypso" may have brought the sounds of the Caribbean to American shores, but as president, he would give the nation its moral compass too. A prominent member of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, he is also a champion of humanitarian causes worldwide. Belafonte is a Democratic supporter.
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Chris Rock
Chris RockIf you'd rather your president be able to get people rolling in the aisles than achieving world peace, then you have chosen wisely. Rock's routines usually involve themes like race, class and the family - all subjects that will fill a president's in-tray. Rock's great-great-grandfather fought in the US Civil War. Rock is supporting Barack Obama in 2012.
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Joan Rivers
Joan RiversPresident Rivers would take few prisoners during showdowns with Congress, having built her 50-year comedy career on the glitteringly barbed put-down. A key election-pledge is likely to involve tax-breaks for cosmetic surgeons. The 79-year-old New Yorker revealed that she is a Republican in 2002.
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Andy Garcia
Andy GarciaIt isn't unheard of for key political decisions to be made on the rolling greens of a golf course, and the 56-year-old movie star has an impressive handicap. The Cuban-born Oscar-nominee would have an international outlook as president: he once gave a cameo appearance in a Turkish soap opera.
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Britney Spears
Britney SpearsFew presidents have ridden the rollercoaster of life quite as furiously as President Spears. From the dizzy heights of pop superstardom to the dark day when she shaved her own hair off in a Los Angeles barbershop, President Spears has seen it all. She supports children in need through the foundation she set up, and is reportedly a Republican supporter.
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Clint Eastwood
Clint EastwoodOK, so what if your president talks to empty chairs from time to time? Few presidents wear the status of national treasure quite as comfortably as Clint Eastwood does. As president, he will be willing to negotiate with anybody, be they good, bad or ugly. The Oscar winner was the star draw at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
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Hugh Hefner
Hugh HefnerThe idea of what a Hefner White House would look like makes the eyes water. Bevvies of Bunnies romping around Rose Garden, scantily clad soirees in the Oval Office. At 86, the Playboy founder would be the oldest president in American history, breaking the current record by 12 years (held by Ronald Reagan). He is a Democratic supporter.
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Taylor Swift
Taylor SwiftA president as wholesome as apple pie, that's what you've voted for in Taylor Swift. The country music superstar has given a generation of lovelorn American teenagers the soundtrack to their adolescence, and has sold over 22 million albums in the process. The 22-year-old Pennsylvanian would likely be a conciliatory figure in the White House - she has close links to the Kennedy family and performed a television special for President George H.W. Bush in 2010.
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Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi YamaguchiYamaguchi figure-skated her way into the nation's heart at the 1992 Winter Olympics, clinching gold for Team USA. The Californian has since triumphed in the US TV series Dancing with the Stars and appeared in a sports-themed commercial earlier this year, praising Mitt Romney's management of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
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Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprioHeart-throb presidents don't come much more heart-throbby than Leonardo DiCaprio. Showing he's not afraid to put himself on the line for matters of the heart in Titanic and Romeo and Juliet, and demonstrating a steelier streak in The Departed, DiCaprio has the qualities a presidency demands. The 37-year-old actor is a prominent Democratic supporter.
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Alec Baldwin
Alec BaldwinThe star of 30 Rock might be America's favourite funnyman, but family feuds might well be a regular feature of a Baldwin White House. Brother Stephen is a vocal Republican. If the rumour mill is to be believed, Alec Baldwin is considering a run for Mayor of New York City in 2013.
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Demi Moore
Demi MooreA new wing might need to be added to The White House during a Moore presidency - she is reported to have once bought a house for the sole purpose of accommodating her 2,000-strong doll collection. The actress, who turns 50 this year, has pledged her support for President Obama in 2012, and recently founded a charity to fight child sexual slavery.
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Tina Turner
Tina TurnerHow many presidencies could boast a soundtrack as fist-pumpingly feelgood as President Turner's? She is semi-retired, and would be the first Buddhist incumbent of the White House. Turner has only broken her self-professed political neutrality twice - for Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern in 1972, and for Barack Obama in 2008.
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Andre Agassi
Andre AgassiPerseverance is a key quality for a president and the former Wimbledon champion and bad boy of 1990s tennis has it by the bag-load. He turned professional at 16 and kept raking in the silverware for 20 years, before he retired in 2006. Agassi reportedly supports the Democratic Party.
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James Earl Jones
James Earl JonesA president must be able to overcome adversity, and James Earl Jones certainly knows how to do that. The 85-year-old actor battled with a stammer as a child, growing up to become one of the most famous voices in Hollywood - he voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars films. As such, a President Earl Jones is likely to poll well among voters called Luke.
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Paula Deen
Paula DeenThe TV cookery queen was once described as the most dangerous woman in America, thanks to her brand of high-calorie, butter-and-cream-laced recipes. She campaigns for diabetes awareness, having famously being diagnosed with the disease herself. She is a Democrat, and taught Michelle Obama how to cook in a TV special in 2008.
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Cindy Crawford
Cindy CrawfordA supermodel president for a world superpower. A Crawford electoral victory is likely to hang on the support of two key groups - the fashionistas of America, and the nation's chemical engineers (she won a scholarship to study the subject at university, before dropping out to become a model). She appeared in a promotional video for Mitt Romney in 2011, but threw her weight behind Barack Obama four years ago.
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Pat Boone
Pat BooneNo president will be able to croon his way out of a political crisis quite as smoothly as President Boone. The 78-year-old music veteran is one of the Republican Party's most prominent celebrity activists and hosts an annual golf tournament, to raise money for charity. He was spotted at this year's Republican National Convention in Tampa.
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Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright"God Bless you. God Bless the United States. And eat my shorts." This is what the closing lines of President Cartwright's inauguration speech might sound like. Most famous for giving Bart Simpson his voice, the 55-year-old actress would be America's first scientologist president. She is reportedly a Republican supporter.
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Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester StalloneNever did the presidency look so brawny. As president, Stallone will likely put himself on the line for his country - as a film star the 66-year-old is renowned for doing his own stunts, and once broke his neck in the process. The Rambo and Rocky actor supports the Republican Party, and is rumoured to have once had an audience with President Reagan in the White House.
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Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth HasselbeckA former reality TV star and now a staple of American daytime television, the 35-year-old Republican presenter knows how to put a president in his place. She famously grilled President Obama this year when he appeared on her talk show The View. State dinners would be gluten-free occasions under President Hasselbeck - she suffers from celiac disease.
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Ivanka Trump
Ivanka TrumpState banquets will never have been as glittering as they will be under America's first socialite president, Ivanka Trump. Whether a Trump administration would be a family affair remains to be seen. Billionaire father Donald as Treasury Secretary? Socialite mother Ivana as representative to the United Nations? Ivanka is a supporter of the Republican Party.
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Stephen Baldwin
Stephen BaldwinPresident Baldwin is likely to keep it in the family during his first four years in the White House - big brother Alec as ambassador to Belgium? Other brother Billy at the Department of Transport? Baldwin is a self-professed born-again Christian, and supports the Republican Party.
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Lady Gaga
Lady GagaThe flamboyant pop superstar, renowned as much for her wardrobe as for her music, supported the Democrats in 2008, and is a prominent anti-bullying campaigner. The odds on whether President Gaga's inauguration outfit would be made from something that used to graze in a field aren't likely to be that appetizing, however.
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50 Cent
50 CentNever thought you'd see the day when the State of the Union address was delivered entirely through rap? Then, fear not, President 50 Cent shall satisfy your needs. The 37-year-old rap star turned businessman once said that he would have voted for George W. Bush, had his criminal record not barred him from the ballot box. He supported both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008.
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Madonna
MadonnaDon't mind who your president offends on the world stage? Then Madonna is your woman. She recently infuriated concertgoers in France by likening the far-right political leader Marine Le Pen to the Nazis. The Queen of Pop is the queen of re-invention, a useful quality in a president. She is supporting President Obama in 2012.
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Ben Affleck
Ben AffleckNo prizes for guessing who President Affleck's celebrity Veep pick would be. Both he and fellow movie star Matt Damon have proved themselves to be a dream team - they won an Oscar together for screenwriting in 1997. Affleck campaigned for Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, and supports same-sex marriage.
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Kid Rock
Kid RockA bold choice. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter may be best known for his tempestuous relationship with the former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, but he is a staunch supporter of the US armed forces, having performed for the troops overseas on several occasions. His hit song Born Free is the official anthem of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.
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Shirley Temple
Shirley TempleA President Temple Black wouldn't merely be all giggles and ringlets and good-ship-lollipops - the 84-year-old movie legend has served her country well beyond the silver screen. President Ford appointed her Ambassador to Ghana in 1974, and she was US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia at the end of the Cold War. She is a Republican.
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Gloria Estefan
Gloria EstefanThe Cuban-born pop superstar will likely have no trouble getting Florida to vote for her in a presidential showdown. The star lives in Miami, and owns a string of restaurants and hotels in the city, and recently bought a small stake in the Miami Dolphins American football team.
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Gabby Douglas
Gabby DouglasAmerica's somersaulting sweetheart of the London Olympics, Douglas has shown herself to be as comfortable soaring between parallel bars as she is on the political stage - she read the Pledge of Allegiance at this year's Democratic National Convention. Those itching for a President Douglas will have to wait, however - the 16-year-old still can't vote, and won't be able to run for office until she's 35 (31 December 2030, a date for your diaries).
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Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneresThere isn't much that Ellen DeGeneres hasn't done. Hosting one of America's most popular talk shows? Done. Fronting the Oscars? Done. Rolling around on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Done. The 54-year-old is one of the most prominent openly gay entertainers in the United States, and is a campaigner for marriage equality, having married her partner (Australian actress Portia de Rossi) in 2008.
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Nicole Richie
Nicole RichieThe 31-year-old tabloid star may have had a rough ride over the past couple of years. She was jailed for 82 minutes in 2007, for driving under the influence. It's unclear what role fellow socialite and best friend, Paris Hilton, would play in a Richie administration. Nicole, the adopted daughter of Motown legend Lionel, recently co-founded a children's charity with her husband, and endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.
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Hilary Duff
Hilary DuffA President Duff would likely be a self-sufficient leader, if her celebrity track record is anything to go by. She'd listen to her own pop hits in the shower, read her own teen novels during her down time, and likely wear her own perfume to state functions. The 25-year-old has a strong philanthropic streak, and performed at President George W Bush's inauguration in 2005.
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Jay-Z
Jay-ZJay-Z is rap royalty and one of President Obama's most prominent supporters in 2012. A Jay-Z presidency would be flashy, yes, but would boast a Bootylicious First Lady in his wife, Beyonce. Jay-Z currently spends his days as an entrepreneur and philanthropist - he's made millions from his clothing line and gave $1million to support victims of Hurricane Katrina.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle GellarThe vampires of the world fared pretty badly when they pitted themselves against the Buffy star, so political opponents beware. But if driving a stake through the heart of a presidential rival might seem a little excessive, the 35-year-old mother of two also has a black belt in taekwondo. Both she and husband Freddie Prinze Jr support the Republican Party.
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Beyonce
BeyonceThe pop superstar and soon-to-be Superbowl sensation is a veteran of the more sparkly side of presidential politics. She provided the live soundtrack to President Obama's Inauguration Ball in 2009, and recently hosted a star-studded re-election fundraiser for him in New York. Social welfare is likely to be at the heart of a Beyonce presidency - she is the founder of a training program for recovering drug addicts.
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Marie Osmond
Marie OsmondUnleashing the mighty Osmond dynasty upon Washington DC is a bold move. Donny as Secretary of State? Little Jimmy at the Department of Agriculture? Where would it end? Marie is a businesswoman too, and has made a fortune from her line of dolls, which would make good gifts for visiting dignitaries. She is reportedly a Republican supporter.
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The Rock
The RockIf you want a president that can wrestle his way out of a political quandary, both literally and figuratively, then The Rock is your man. The former WWF star is likely to be a conciliatory presence in the White House however - he appeared at both Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 2000, urging Americans to get out and vote.
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Meat Loaf
Meat LoafMeat Loaf will do anything for your vote, but he won't do that. A key campaign pledge is likely to involve government subsidies for the handkerchief industry. The 65-year-old rock star turned actor is still wildly popular overseas, which would help confirm President Meat Loaf as a world statesman. He is supporting Mitt Romney in 2012.
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Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow's acceptance speech for the best actress Oscar in 1998 is still one of the longest, and most emotional, on record. The big speech on inauguration day might, therefore, be a challenge. She is an ambassador for Save the Children, and campaigns to end poverty in New York City. She recently hosted a fundraiser for President Obama in London.
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Bruce Springsteen
Bruce SpringsteenSpringsteen's fans hail the rock superstar as having given a voice to the working-man in his songs, and The Boss would no doubt do the same as president. Few presidents could boast as patriotic a soundtrack as President Springsteen, either. He is campaigning for President Obama in 2012.
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Peyton Manning
Peyton ManningOne of America's most famous sportsmen, the American football star has shown himself to be a safe pair of hands at the Denver Broncos. Whether he would choose his brother Eli (star player for the New York Giants American football team) as his Veep nominee remains to be seen. Manning, 36, donated $2,000 to George W Bush's re-election campaign in 2004.
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-LevittThe former child star is no stranger to the heady world of American politics - his mother ran for Congress in 1970. As much a feature of Hollywood blockbusters as lower-key art house films, the 31-year-old actor is an entrepreneur too. He is reportedly a supporter of the Democratic Party.
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Jenna Jameson
Jenna JamesonA rather raunchy presidential choice, that's for sure. America's favourite retired porn star might not be to everyone's taste, and neither will the additions she'll likely make to the interiors of the White House - mirrors on the bedroom ceilings, silk bedsheets in the guest rooms, and so on. She's a businesswoman these days and has endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012, saying: "When you're rich, you want a Republican in office."
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Vince Vaughn
Vince VaughnBy golly, the next four years are going to be a riot. The 42-year-old star's movies - which include capers like The Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball - have made hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, which would surely go some way to lowering the debt ceiling. He is a prominent supporter of the Republican Party, having supported Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012.
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Oprah Winfrey
Oprah WinfreyWinfrey is as famous for her philanthropy as she is for her status as a television icon. It's unclear whether voters for a Winfrey presidency would be rewarded with a new car, a home makeover or a two-week holiday to Australia, like audience members of her now-cancelled TV show once enjoyed. The billionaire famously backed President Obama in 2008.
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George Clooney
George ClooneyKnees would weaken and cheeks would flush at the White House press briefing room as President Clooney arrives on stage. One of the most prominent celebrity Democrats, the 51-year-old has travelled the world in 2012 raising money for President Obama's re-election campaign.
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LL Cool J
LL Cool JThe veteran rap star is bound to give a corker of an Inauguration speech, having built a 25-year career on the power of words. As president, he would have an unparalleled grasp of the criminal justice system - he currently stars in police drama NCIS: Los Angeles. He has campaigned for the Republican Party in the past but describes himself as an independent voter.
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Eva Longoria
Eva LongoriaThe Latina television star is a national co-chair of President Obama's re-election campaign, and gave a rousing speech at this year's Democratic National Convention, in which she called for fairer taxation. Desperate Housewives fans won't be surprised that a President Longoria would make it compulsory for White House gardeners to work with their shirts off.
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Matt Damon
Matt DamonA president needs to be versatile and Matt Damon is certainly that. He blasted his way through international diplomacy in the Bourne trilogy and played a cerebral, chameleon-like game in The Talented Mr Ripley. The movie star championed President Obama in 2008, although his support seems to be waning in 2012.
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Eminem
EminemFor those waiting for an inauguration day speech given entirely through rap, your time has come. President Eminem may not be to everyone's taste - his work is no stranger to controversy - but boy can he slice a rhyme. He is reported to be a supporter of the Democratic Party.
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Meryl Streep
Meryl StreepNot many people can say that Barack Obama has a crush on them. Meryl Streep can. The Hollywood legend can also claim experience of politics at an international level - she won her third Oscar for playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She is supporting President Obama in 2012.
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Jessica Simpson
Jessica SimpsonThere's a strong chance a President Simpson would open up The White House to the TV cameras, if her reality TV show Newlyweds (in which she and then-husband Nick Lachey began married life together with the cameras rolling) is anything to go by. The 32-year-old Texan pop star was a vocal supporter of George W Bush in 2004.
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Loretta Lynn
Loretta LynnFew of the grandees of American show business have such healthy presidential connections as America's 80-year-old "Queen of Country Music" - she counts Jimmy Carter and both presidents Bush as friends. Women's health would likely be at the heart of a Lynn presidency - her 1975 hit The Pill championed contraception for women.
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Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro"You talkin' to me?" "Yes, President De Niro," said the King of Bhutan. Just one word uttered in the Hollywood veteran's gravelly drawl would be enough to send shivers down the spines of friends and foes alike. But the Oscar winner has a giving side too: he has been garlanded for his charity work as often as he has for his acting. He supports the Democratic Party.
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Halle Berry
Halle BerryHalle Berry is used to making history. She became the first black woman to win the Academy Award for best actress in 2001. She may have hyperventilated her way through her acceptance speech then, but there's no telling if her State of the Union addresses will be quite as emotional. She campaigned for Democratic candidates John Kerry in 2004 and Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Production: Paul Sargeant, Ransome Mpini, Tom Lewis, Tom Housden
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