Reggie Love: The Man Behind the Man

Reggie Love is the personal aide, or better known as “body man” in political circles, to Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. The morning after the last presidential debate, Senator Barack Obama was fundraising in front of a small group of Democrats inside of Manhattan's Metropolitan Club. He spoke about the financial crisis on Wall Street and thanked the Clinton supporters who were present, before explaining how he felt at the start of the final phase of the election.

"As some of you know, I have a body guy named Reggie Love, who is very famous because he's young and good looking. You know, cooler than the candidate," he began. "But the reason I'm raising his name is that the other day, somebody said to him, 'Hey Reggie, how are you?' He said: '20 days!' And so, from here on out, any time someone asks Reggie what's going on, it's '17 days!' After two years of campaigning, that is basically our entire perspective."

The shared perspective between Barack Obama and Reggie Love is the result of an intense two-year campaign which they have experienced like buddies on a ridiculously long road trip.

Senator Obama likes to say that he lives vicariously through Love, trapped as he is inside the restraints of a presidential candidate's life. It was Love who introduced Obama to Jay-Z, loading the New York rapper's music on to an iPod which he bought as a birthday present for his boss. (Love himself spends most of every campaign flight wired into his own iPhone.) And it was Love who introduced Obama and his wife Michelle to dap (fist-bump) that Fox News suggested was a greeting between terrorists. In truth, it was a greeting between Love and the staffers and reporters who were pretending to be as cool as him.

Reggie Love is more than a body man, whose official duties are to look after the candidate's personal needs. He carries the candidate's pens, his favorite snacks and drinks, an endless supply of chewing gum, as well as numerous bottles of water. He lines up the podium before the candidate steps out, and adjusts the autocue machines to the correct height, a few inches lower than his own. In reality, there is no official job description for a body man or woman. The personal aide shadows the senator and anticipates everything he needs — and everything he does not need. He is not a bodyguard (security is provided by the Secret Service), but rather the ultimate assistant, rarely more than a body length away from the candidate.

But the official duties don't come close to capturing Reggie's close bond with Obama, who plays a role that is part boss and part big brother. At the start of Obama's day, Reggie is with him in the hotel gym or local YMCA, where they work out together. As the day rolls along, he travels with the nominee in his armored SUV, managing the phone call list and dialing the numbers. At events, he is his personal photographer and stopwatch, alerting the candidate to the need to wrap up his comments and stick to his schedule.

At 6ft 4ins, the 26-year-old Love is a standout presence on the campaign - and not just because of his bald head or his proximity to the candidate. He was a forward for the Duke Blue Devils basketball team, and played on the 2001 team that won the NCAA national championship. Love was suspended from the team in 2004 due to alcohol-related incidents, but returned and was a captain of the 2005 team. “You make mistakes and you learn from them, and you try to use them to make you a better person,” Love said. He also played wide receiver for the Duke football team, and tried out unsuccessfully with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys football teams.

He graduated in political science and public policy. A year later, he applied for an internship in Congress and landed an interview in Senator Obama's office, rising to the position of deputy political director.

Love remains the best basketball player on Team Obama, and one of a handful of the candidate's regular teammates who can dunk the ball. Back in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, Love is something of a college legend. At a rally there earlier this year, Senator Obama called him on stage and led the crowd in a chant of his name.

With his prominence has come an unusual degree of public attention. People magazine named Love one of America's most eligible bachelors. Vanity Fair listed him as one of its In items. Love was featured in the ESPN documentary show "E-60" for his role on Senator Obama's campaign.

Reggie Love has his sights set on something other than being a body guy. As the campaign winds down, Love is cramming for law school exams. His goal: to return to Duke and emerge with a law degree.

Oprah No. 1 on List of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities

Oprah Winfrey remains No. 1 on Forbes’ list of the Celebrity 100, a power ranking based on both earnings and fame. Despite weakening television ratings and magazine circulation, Ms. Winfrey earned $275 million before taxes in the past 12 months, and she remains one of the most famous faces in the world. Ratings for the self-made billionaire's flagship production, The Oprah Winfrey Show, may have diminished, but her earning power appears bulletproof. She will debut the Oprah Winfrey Network in partnership with Discovery Communications next year. She also has a three-year, $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio. Her Harpo production company helped create Dr. Phil and The Rachael Ray Show.

The Celebrity 100 is Forbes' list of the world's most powerful -- and best-paid -- celebrities. To generate the list, Forbes estimates celebrity earnings, then factors in media hype like Google hits, press mentions, TV/radio mentions and the number of times an A-lister appears on the cover of more than 50 consumer magazines. Earnings estimates are for June 2007 to June 2008 and consist of dollars earned solely from entertainment-related income.

Golf star Tiger Woods retained the No. 2 spot on the list, raking in $115 million. Tiger chalked up another monster year on and off the course in 2007. He won his ninth PGA Player of the Year award and a seventh Vardon Trophy (given to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average) and was the top money winner for an eighth time. He added $10 million by winning the inaugural FedEx Cup. Off the links he parted ways with American Express after a decade together. He still has big contracts with Nike, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. His latest endorsement: a five-year agreement for his own line of Gatorade drinks.

Beyonce Knowles was No. 4 and husband Jay-Z was No. 7. Beyonce had a monster year, pulling in $80 million ($50 million in tickets sales alone) between a highly successful concert tour, private shows, a fashion line, endorsement deals with L'Oréal, American Express and others. Jay-Z left Def Jam Records to sign a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation. The deal provides the rapper and entrepreneur with money for recording, tours and other entertainment endeavors for the next decade. He also released a second platinum comeback CD, American Gangster.

Will Smith, ranked 11th, is the highest paid actor in Hollywood, bringing home $80 million, including an estimated $20 million for his role in the upcoming anti-superhero flick "Hancock."

Hip-hop star 50 Cent was the third-highest earner on the list (he ranked 26th overall), taking in $150 million before taxes. Last summer Coca-Cola paid $4.1 billion for Glaceau, the beverage company that owns Vitamin Water. Fifty owned a small stake in the company.

Beyonce & Jay-Z Married?

Power couple Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, reportedly got married last night at his New York Penthouse. They wanted it to be a really private affair – close friends and family, a source close to the couple told People magazine. News of the reported wedding comes after days of speculation following reports, which surfaced on Tuesday, that Jay-Z and Beyonce had taken out a marriage license in Scarsdale, New York. The couple reportedly followed their private ceremony with a star-studded reception that included former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, close friends actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Coldplay singer Chris Martin, and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker among others. Beyonce’s family, parents Matthew and Tina Knowles, and sister Solange, and Jay-Z's close friends were there.

Jay-Z's favorite man on the turntables, DJ Cassidy, was at the reception spinning, according to the source. "Cassidy mentioned a week ago that he was really excited for the Jay-Z and Beyonce's wedding party to happen," the source said. Speculation of the couple was marrying reached a new high as a host of media including four live trucks were stationed outside Jay-Z’s Tribeca building in preparation for coverage of the suspected wedding. More than three dozen reporters and paparazzi were outside with the numbers growing. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams hid behind an umbrella when they arrived while Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were mobbed by paparazzi on the scene. A fight broke out between paparazzi as Beyonce's father arrived and dozens of them surrounded the vehicle he was being carried in. Solange, arrived shortly after her father, dressed in a white dress. A SUV believed to be carrying Forest Whitaker also turned up. The rooftop penthouse, owned by Jay-Z was adorned in flowers and tented scaffolding. A Maybach luxury vehicle arrived at the location shortly before 7 PM and drove past as it was mobbed by paparazzi. Jay-Z reportedly owns one of the super high-priced cars.

It is believed the couple chose this date 04-04 because the number four has particular significance to the couple. Both Jay-Z and Beyonce were born on the 4th - Jay Z was born on December 4, 1969, while Beyonce was born September 4, 1981. The couple have been "dating" for six years, though they have never publicly acknowledged they are together. It was a big week for the hip-hop mogul. On Thursday, concert promoter Live Nation Inc. said it was in talks with Jay-Z over a potential business deal. The Los Angeles-based company stopped short of confirming reports that the deal would give Live Nation a stake in virtually every aspect of Jay-Z's career and land him a potential windfall in excess of $100 million.
A person familiar with the negotiations between Live Nation and Jay-Z told The Associated Press that the proposed 10-year deal was worth about $150 million and would cover three albums. Live Nation is currently producing a tour with Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.