Hollywood stars unite for Obama

Reuters

Actress Scarlett Johansson addresses the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Charlotte, North Carolina - United States President Barack Obama had some star power on his side at the Democratic convention on Thursday as a handful of Hollywood A-listers shared the stage with well-known musical acts and politicians.

Actresses Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington said they supported Obama not just as stars, but as women who came from backgrounds where they saw the impact of government programmes first hand.

“I speak to you not as a representative of young Hollywood, but as a representative of the many millions of young Americans, particularly young women, who depend on public and nonprofit programmes to help them survive,” Johansson said, recalling accompanying her mother into the voting booth as a child.

“This last election, I finally got to punch those buttons for me, for real,” she said. “I wore my 'I voted' pin the whole day. It was my finest accessory.”

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria also reflected on her past as she used her star power to attack Republican tax plans.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney “would raise taxes on middle-class families to cut his own - and mine”, she charged. “That's not who we are as a nation, and here's why: The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers - she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not.”

Musical entertainment was provided by James Taylor, the Foo Fighters and Mary J Blige, while Marc Anthony sang the National Anthem. - Sapa-dpa