UPDATED: 'E&P' at Democratic Convention -- On the Floor For Roll Call Vote as Obama Makes History -- Plus Weymouth and Will.i.am

By: E&P Staff Starting Monday, E&P has provided items and reports from Denver, where the Democrats are meeting all week to officially nominate the Obama-Biden team.

The pieces are written by one of our current columnists, Maegan Carberry, and Charles Geraci, a former intern here who covered the 2004 GOP convention in New York. Geraci now works for The Herald Journal in Logan, Utah, a daily paper, and is one of 50 correspondents affiliated with MTV this election year as part of its "Choose or Lose" team.

So here are the latest postings-- so far. Return for more later, updated from the top.
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WEDNESDAY 11:30 PM ET The term ?sensory overload? could not be more appropriate for how I?m feeling right now. The 16th Street Mall was a nightmare today, crowded with protesters (and their large signs with pictures of mutilated fetuses), cops, delegates, staffers ? my head is spinning just thinking about them all!

I just encountered some Republicans driving a Toyota FJ pulling a large, inflated electric blue elephant down the middle of a very busy street. Not to mention, as I Twittered earlier this afternoon, I was almost run over by Dennis Kucinich outside of Barnes & Noble a couple hours ago while searching for a functional wireless outlet, which has been pretty spotty even at The Big Tent.

We spent last night at a party for up-and-coming elected officials, hosted by my LA City Councilman Eric Garcetti. I enjoyed some spirited conversations with policy-wonk types while Shepard Fairey DJed. All week it?s felt like I?ve been transported to a dark bar in Adams Morgan, flanked by preppy Hill dudes everywhere I turn, and this crowd was a little more low-key, which was a welcome change.

The best part of yesterday, though, was a conversation I had with a local woman I wound up having a beer with while waiting for Blaise and Melissa. She?d tried to volunteer to help at the convention and hadn?t been contacted back (which happens with the excess of volunteers). She?d left work early hoping to check out the action and meet inspired people. --Maegan Carberry
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8:30 PM ET. E&P was just on the floor of the Democratic National Convention for the roll call vote, and the environment was electrifying for the audience.

The states individually reported their votes for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but not all got to give their results, as Clinton dramatically appeared and moved that the process cease after two thirds of the states had reported.

If any antipathy exists among the pledged Clinton delegates, it wasn't apparent Wednesday evening, as chants of "Yes We Can" and "O-BA-MA" erupted through the Pepsi Center.

Once Clinton was finished speaking, the O'Jays "Love Train" immediately started playing. Hands were waving in unison, and nearly everyone--press excluded, of course--was singing. One delegate in particular caught my eye. A tall, buff man--who is probably intimidating in most settings--was waving his arms and singing every word with the biggest smile on his face.

E&P spoke with a superdelegate from Utah, Helen Langan, who said the roll call was her favorite part of the convention so far.

"It's electric," Langan said. "This is so exciting. We've had some great speeches and there have been a lot of highlights," adding, "So far this is my favorite moment." -- Charles Geraci
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3:00 PM ET: Another rapper has come out against the Fox News Channel, this time telling E&P the network represents what "saddens me about America."

When E&P spotted will.i.am--who is in Denver this week for the Democratic National Convention-- at Tuesday night's John Legend concert at the Beta Nightclub and requested an interview, he initially said he was "talked out." But one simple question quickly got him going.

We asked the Black Eyed Peas' frontman what media he's been following this election year. He said he's often on the blogs, the Internet and his cell phone, noting, "I don't really read the newspaper." While reading newspapers may not be his thing, will.i.am said he tries to avoid the Fox News Channel. "If I do watch media, I watch NBC and ABC, CNN, and stay away from Fox," he said.

Specifically, the rapper expressed dismay at the report of a Fox affiliate--Fox News Chicago: "Why would you want to interview members of the KKK and even put that in the air that they want to assassinate Obama?" he asked. "Why would you do that?"

Will.i.am also brought up comments that Fox News Channel contributor Liz Trotta uttered on the air in May. Trotta said, "And now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama. Well, both, if we could." She later apologized.

Making it clear that he doesn't want to "seem like I hate on Fox," will.i.am added, "It saddens me at some of the things they report on and their comments. We're all American. I travel the world and I see Fox from abroad, and it's embarrassing."

In July, the rapper Nas led a protest outside the network's Manhattan headquarters, calling Fox News a "propaganda machine." He also released a song this year titled "Sly Fox," which blasts the channel for having a "secret agenda" and disseminating "misinformation."

The Black Eyed Peas are scheduled to perform at the Creative Coalition's benefit concert tonight at the Fillmore Auditorium. Will.i.am will also be hosting the "Yes We Can" celebration Thursday night at the Hyatt Regency Denver Convention Center.

Will.i.am said he's enjoying the convention, noting he got to see Michelle Obama speak on Monday. "The convention has been overwhelming," he said. "The energy's been awesome--people's enthusiasm." In January, will.i.am wrote a song, "Yes We Can," in support of Obama's presidential run. The lyrics originate mostly of excerpts from Obama's speech after the New Hampshire primary. The video features numerous celebrities, and now has over 9 million hits on YouTube. -- Char.les.Ger.ac.i
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TUESDAY 11:40 PM ET: A cast of entertainment, media and political heavyweights discussed the role of new media in the 2008 election this afternoon. Moderated by Charlie Rose, the lineup included Rahm Emanuel, George Stephanopoulos, WaPost?s Katharine Weymouth, will.i.am, YouTube?s Chad Hurley and the guy who plays Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live.

While a lot of the usual arguments were being made, Will.i.am stole the show (to much applause) by talking about passion and inspiration. Noting that stepping out politically as he has this year is ?detrimental? to his career, he said ?I?m willing to take that risk for my country? because he?s been so inspired by BO. He was also convinced that the web would enable more people to connect and communicate without the corporate revenue-driven model that predominates creativity and information. And for my E & P readers, he also argued that entertainment information is a viable source of news (which I?m not entirely convinced on; it really should be more of an entry point).

I caught up with WaPost publisher Katharine Weymouth and talked about preserving reporting resources for newspaper brands in the new media realm and she really seemed to get it. She was realistic about the non-competitive nature of the web. She also said she thinks readers will enjoy vertical-driven information, where they can access the things they like most. We both expressed concern with that model, however, that readers would not benefit from the stumbled-upon factor of news they don?t seek out directly. I suggested that it may be made up for through social networking, since friend recommendations and sites like Digg serve as entry point to news you weren?t necessarily tuned into.

Since I?m jetting off to The Big Tent now, I?m going to bullet point some other things that stood out to me:

-- Rahm Emanuel argued that the web is 2008?s equivalent to Bush?s tactic of mobilizing church groups in 2004. He also said the next step is how the example of BO?s candidacy will lead local politicians to implement new media strategies.

-- Charlie Rose asked George Stephanopoulos why the Republicans haven?t embraced the internet (because they?re too busy gabbing on talk radio!!) and he said they didn?t have the right talent, like BO has Facebook?s Chris Hughes.

-- SNL guy (sorry I can?t remember your name right now! I?ll look it up later!) said that he is most interested in seeing how comments evolve in 2012, which is one of the things I?m interested in too. They are such a great value in terms of interactivity and expanding the conversation, but they?re expensive to moderate and crowded with drivel. -- Maegan Carberry
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8:40 PM ET. E&P caught up with the Fox News' Alan Colmes, who was wandering the Pepsi Center Tuesday.

The co-host of "Hannity & Colmes," who brings a liberal perspective to the show, said he has been enjoying his time at the convention so far, including sitting next to Al Sharpton on the plane ride to Denver.

"I got a chance to sit next to Al Sharpton on the plane coming here, and he was watching 'The West Wing' on his computer, which I thought was really interesting," Colmes said. "Because we're all doing time-shifting now, nobody can actually watch live television. It was fun sitting next to him. We had a great conversation."

He's also been following a few newspapers in particular during the DNC.

"USA Today is always very good," he said. "I love The New York Times. I love The Wall Street Journal, now owned by the parent company of the Fox News Channel where I work. But I've always loved The Wall Street Journal, and I think the idea is to get a variety of editorial views, which I get a chance to do."

But when it comes to a certain television network, Colmes was playing coy Tuesday. Asked if the Fox News Channel had any antipathy to CNN for getting extensive access to the floor of the Pepsi Center--Colmes and Sean Hannity are reporting from a booth in the skybox--Colmes said, "Who's CNN? Who are they?"

His advice for Barack Obama on Thursday: be inspiring and specific. "His detractors will say one of two things," Colmes said. "If he gives a broad, overarching, inspiring speech, his detractors will say, 'See, he still doesn't give specifics. He's too vague.' If he gives specifics, they'll say, 'You see, he didn't give that inspiring speech. He's lost it.'"

Colmes continued, "I think he's got to do a combination of (being) inspiring--with 75,000 people at INVESCO, hopefully, he'll be able to do that--and give some specifics. Let people know A) who he is, and B) what he will do as president of the United States." --Charles Geraci
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7:30 PM ET Was just chatting with WaPo's new publisher Katharine Weymouth about the need to embrace readers' desire to experience news from various sources, including competitors, because the web is about linking and exposing people to new material.

I got the impression that she really gets what needs to happen in the coming years.

She made some great points at The Huffington Post panel, where she also proclaimed she didn't want to be a part of "old media" and said that WaPo reporters are here Twittering. She declined to predict what will happen with election coverage in 2012, saying it's too soon to tell, but she did say she hopes that the engagement we're seeing now in the country persists. --Maegan Carberry