Obama and McCain reveal pop culture favourites

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Holy politicking, Batman. U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have unmasked their favourite pop culture icons, including superheroes, with McCain favouring Batman and Obama choosing Spider-Man and Batman.

In interviews with Entertainment Weekly magazine posted on its Web site on Thursday, McCain, 71, and Obama, 47, also gave their picks for best on-screen president, top singers and most-liked television shows.

Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, said he chose Spider-Man and Batman because "they have some inner turmoil." McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, said Batman is a quiet hero who pursues justice "against insurmountable odds."

Both chose a winner. The new Batman movie "The Dark Knight" is burning up box offices with earnings of more than $400 million (206 million pounds) in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales.

In the world of music, McCain revealed a weakness for the Swedish disco-era band ABBA, late singer Roy Orbison and 1970s star Linda Ronstadt.

"But I like Usher too," McCain said, explaining he appeared on the TV comedy show "Saturday Night Live" with the 29-year-old rhythm and blues singer.

Obama favoured an eclectic group of musicians, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow and John Coltrane.

As for TV, Obama listed throwback programs like "M*A*S*H" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show," while McCain named the more recent "Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Dexter."