Barack Obama knows that to create an economy built to last we need to focus on middle-class families. Families who stay up on Sunday nights pacing the floor like my dad did while their children tucked in bed dream big dreams. Families who aren't sure what Monday morning will bring but who believe our nation's best days are still ahead.
I haven't been baptised. My dad's not in the church and is not a religious person. My mum is more spiritual - she does Thai-chi and goes to Stonehenge and things like that. I'm proud to be pagan. Finland is not really a religious country. I'm still looking for my god.
I think my dad is a lot cooler than other dads. He still acts like he's still 17.
My dad is still Christian Scientist. My mom's not and I'm not. But I believe in God and that there's a higher power and an intelligence that's bigger than us and that we can rely on. It's not just us thinking we are the ones in control of everything. That idea gives me support.
When my mom ran for the Senate my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice 'Why should women have any less say than men about the great decisions facing our nation?'
The one thing I learned the most about acting is it takes a tremendous amount of courage to go there and stand still. It takes courage and guts to step out of your mind frame and depict something.
I'm still shy - I'm no good at my children's parent-teacher conferences and I'm slowly learning how to ask for what I want. But I now know that I have a reserve of courage to draw upon when I really need it. There's nothing that I'm too scared to have a go at.
One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars and the world will be better for this.
Then there is a still higher type of courage - the courage to brave pain to live with it to never let others know of it and to still find joy in life to wake up in the morning with an enthusiasm for the day ahead.
There can be no failure to a man who has not lost his courage his character his self respect or his self-confidence. He is still a King.
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
I'm in a comic book now. That was cool. That's something that I'm still sorta reeling about 'cause I read comics as a kid. Someone drew me and actually did a pretty good job!
I was never interested in making cool distilled pure objects.
The alternative scene for a couple years now has been taken seriously and that's a cool thing. I don't think it's exploded or anything but I think it's pretty cool that it still exists it's still affecting people.
I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon Ben Affleck Mark Wahlberg - they made a great career out of it and they found a way to do it and still be cool guys so that's kind of where I want to be.
Even though I never worked with her it was still really cool to have Brooke Shields on set. She was so nice and so funny.
You don't want to be too cool. But you don't want to be too dorky. Still I find it so much better to see a guy at a club being a dork and having fun than trying to be sexy.
My dad was kind of a pool shark and had a Frank Sinatra Dean Martin thing going on. I've always been fascinated by the fifties because of him. There was a hip cool anything-goes atmosphere back then but looking good was still a priority.
I'm way better in person than I am on things like Twitter. I know Twitter is the best and fastest way to connect with fans who really appreciate you but I'm still not cool with it - although I am trying! I try my best but I'm a one-on-one person and I don't want to tell people I'm on the toilet or I just brushed my teeth.
I used to lie between cool clean sheets at night after I'd had a bath after I had washed my hair and scrubbed my knuckles and finger-nails and teeth. Then I could lie quite still in the dark with my face to the window with the trees in it and talk to God.
All this stuff is so mind-blowing to me that I get to do in my life. Throwing the first pitch out at the White Sox game on a random Wednesday? Like who am I? How did I get this life? I'm glad I'm not jaded and little kids are the least jaded people in the entire world so it's fun to be around people that still find wonder in how cool things are.
You make your first album you make some money and you feel like you still have to show face like 'I still go to the projects.' I'm like why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it's so cool?
Hip-hop is still cool at a party. But to me hip-hop has never been strictly a party it is also there to elevate consciousness.
If I wasn't even famous or had any success I would still wake up and put tons of make-up on and put on a cool outfit. That's always been who I've been my whole life so that's never gonna change. I love fashion. I love getting dressed up. I love Halloween too.