Just Like Us!(The Talk of the Town)(celebrities)

Back in 2005--the era of Britney's marriage to Kevin Federline and Lindsay's turn in "Herbie Fully Loaded"--Janice Min, the editor of Us Weekly, argued that even smart, well-informed people need a "safe place," free from hard news. But in 2008--as Lindsay emerges from rehab, and Britney from the psych ward--Min has had a change of heart. For the past month, Us Weekly has been breaking political stories: Hillary Clinton mocked her fashion faux pas in a photo spread ("It's not my fault: It was the '60s"); Camille Paglia called Clinton's put-on victimhood "a disgrace" in an exclusive interview; Barack Obama posed for a "Stars--They're Just Like Us!" campaign edition. (From New Orleans: "When is hot sauce an appropriate condiment? Barack . . . says, 'Absolutely always.' ")

"I've always said that celebrities are like politicians, in that they need the public to support them to stay in office," Min said the other day. "An unloved celebrity is no longer a celebrity." Min was sitting in her office, wearing a black Michael Kors suit with baubly buttons. She had stayed up late the night before watching the primary returns. "I'd noticed that there's an incredible interest in what's going on with the Democratic nomination," she said. "You look back to when Kerry was running--it was hard to get much enthusiasm mustered up. But it became pretty clear to me that the Us audience is also following these two candidates, who have a lot of star power. You go to dinner with friends and the conversation goes from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to Britney. They are a legitimate part of--for better or worse--the celebrity orbit."

It was time for work: the editors' weekly issue-planning meeting. Min walked next door to the office of Elizabeth Betts, her creative director, and settled down on a couch, tucking her legs underneath her. The editors sat in silence, typing on their Treos. After a minute, Catherine Romano, an executive editor, looked up. "I don't understand the viewing-party idea," she said, referring to a concept pegged to an episode of the MTV series "The Hills."

"We're not doing it this week," Lara Cohen, the news director, said.

"I like ...