Some celebrities refuse to say who they back as President of U.S.

Not all celebs want to be political opinion-shapers - not if it costs them money!

Many people think that a voting booth is like a confessional, and that their vote is a private matter. But some stars don't want to take a public stance for any candidate for fear they'll alienate their customers.

We asked David Spade who he was backing.

"If I say who I like, I lose half the crowd," he admitted. "I just don't want half my fans to hate me overnight. I'd rather people not think I'm smart, when I'm dumb anyway."

The other night at a party, Billy Joel told us: "I'm very excited about one of the candidates. But I'm not going to say who."

He cast a meaningful smile at his wife, Katie. "You can say whatever you want," he told her. "I still gotta sell tickets."

We told him that people would still probably buy tickets to his Shea Stadium shows - on July 16 and 18 - even if he were for, say ... Barack Obama. Billy would neither confirm nor deny.

Billy's ex Christie Brinkley, Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Toby McGuire, Bette Midler, Rosie O'Donnell and Tom Hanks are among the celebs who've given to both Obama and Hillary Clinton (though not necessarily because they fear for their careers).

Obama may be just as happy, right now, that Hollywood refrains from hugging him. Despite the popularity of the video Will.i.am did for him, Obama's strategists are said to worry that he could become too fabulous for Middle Americans to trust. Some campaign watchers have sensed the Illinois senator distancing himself from his famous supporters.

But some celebs can't restrain themselves from freelance campaigning. On Monday, Spike Lee declared his allegiance to Obama at the University of Dayton. "The months leading up to the election in November will determine which way this country is going to go; forward or backward," the filmmaker told a crowd. "It's up to you to do the right thing."

We asked Paul Rudd who he'd voted for on Super Tuesday. "Huckabee all the way, baby," he deadpanned. Then the "40-Year-Old Virgin" star lifted his jacket to reveal a giant Obama sticker.
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