Celebrity News:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey is backing Barack Obama, singer Barbra Streisand is behind Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and actor Sean Penn backed Republican Dennis Kucinich.

But does a celebrity endorsement translate into votes? No, says a new study.

The number of celebrity endorsements in the United States' 2008 presidential election are on the rise, with John Edwards joined on the campaign trail this week by actors Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins, while Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt are to perform at one of his meetings.

Actor Robert Duvall is backing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Martin Sheen, who played the president on television, is endorsing Bill Richardson as actor Chuck Norris backs former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

But new research backs up the findings of two polls released this year that suggest while celebrity endorsements might help a campaign earn visibility, the support of the stars actually yields little return in the voting booth.

"In terms of voting behavior, family and significant others are more influential than celebrities in engaging support for a political candidate," said Natalie Wood, a marketing expert at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Wood's research on celebrity endorsements, which was recently published by the Journal of Political Marketing, found one group in particular was being targeted by the celebrity endorsements -- young, first-time voters.