Taylor Swift in Rodarte. Photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue.

Taylor Swift talks to Vogue about musicians, fashion designers, and of course, guys.  But who really makes her see stars? Political and charitable advocates Caroline and Ethel Kennedy (JFK's daughter and RFK's widow). 

"The only time in my life I have been starstruck was meeting Caroline and Ethel Kennedy," the singer songwriter tells Vogue. "I got to spend the afternoon with Ethel a couple of weeks ago. She is one of my favorites because you look back at the pictures of her and Bobby and they always look like they are having the most fun out of everybody. You know, eleven kids, all these exotic animals on their property.  I've read a lot about them."

She keeps the compliments coming. "Sometimes you see these people who are just so - God - so affected by all of [their success], where ambition has taken precedence over happiness.  But when I meet people who really embody this serenity of knowing that they have had an amazing life - James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson and Ethel Kennedy...." She smiles her twinkly-eyed smile. "They just seem to be so effervescent."

Check Taylor out on the cover of Vogue's January 2012 issue, which is on news stands now.  And yep, that's her pictured above - sporting a new look with straight hair and all - in a Rodarte blue chiffon dress paired with jeans.

She also shares how she handles recent portrayals of her as an "angry black women" by some media outlets.  "I just try to be me," the First Lady tells Gayle. "And my hope is that over time people get to know me, and they get to judge me for me."

You can watch the full interview here. CBS disabled the embed code, so we were unable to post the video to Polichicks.  Aaaargh!  Anyway, a penny for your thoughts in the comments.

• Charlize has voted only twice in her life: once for Nelson Mandela and once for Barack Obama. (C'mon, Charlize, you gotta start voting more often!)

• She wants Democrats to do more. "I wish Democrats would put more action into what they tell people," she told Piers. (Hmm.. in what way, we wonder.  Wish she had gone into more detail on this one.)

• Charlize doesn't think people should be able to go all willy nilly with gun ownership.  "I don't think anyone should have a semiautomatic weapon for anything," she said.  Sadly, the actress is no stranger to gun violence.  In 1991, she saw her mother shoot and kill her father, who was drunk and shooting at Charlize and her mom.  The actress notes that this tragic experince may have influenced her views on gun control.

• She is so in favor of gay marriage.  "I think love is love, and we should all have the same rights."

• Charlize, an immigrant from South Africa, noted that her first language is Afrikaans and she still struggles with her English sometimes.

You can check out the trailer for Charlize's new film, Young Adult, below. 

In addition to movies, marriage and children, Jennifer dished a bit on politics and whether a political career is in her future.

On husband Ben Affleck, who is an outspoken Democrat: Will he run for office?

Every four years the subject seems to come up. I don't know the answer. I don't know what'll spark him, but he's really into doing what he's doing right now. Maybe if he could just be plopped into office without running? He'd be really good at it.

On whether she'll run for office herself.  Afterall, she was asked by some in her home state of West Virginia to run for the U.S. Senate when Sen. Robert Byrd retired.

 It's been made so unattractive. And it doesn't fit in with my life right now.

So nope, she has no plans to run.  She's enjoying life as an actress, producer, wife and mom-in-chief way too much for that.

Shakira has been an education advocate since 1995, when she founded the Barefoot Foundation to operate schools and education projects in Columbia, South Africa and Haiti.

In 2010, Shakira and her Barefoot Foundation formed an alliance with the World Bank to create educational programs for children across Latin America. She also served as the 2008 Honorary Chair of the Global Campaign for Education's Global Action Week and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in 2003.

Shakira is a founding member of  Latin America in Solidarity Action, a coalition of artists and business leaders seeking to promote integrated early childhood public policies.

Statement by the President on the Passing of Steve Jobs

Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.

By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity.  By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun.  And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last.  Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve's wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.