Cheat Sheet
Washington is about to get glee-ful. First lady Michelle Obama has invited the cast of the hit high-school singing show Glee to perform at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 5. The first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha are supposedly big "gleeks," and the producers did some last-minute rescheduling to honor the request. The hit Fox comedy's cast—which belts out a mix of show tunes and pop—will probably help the first lady with her "Let's Move" initiative, meant to encourage youngsters to become more active to battle obesity. Glee The Music Volume 1 just debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. album charts, topping Lady Gaga. No word yet on what the cast will be singing.
First Lady Michelle Obama urged governors to take up the fight against childhood obesity at the National Governors Association’s winter meeting. “There's no place for politics when it comes to fighting childhood obesity,” Obama said, “Because with a phone call or the stroke of a pen, you can determine whether a child can see a doctor or get a decent education or have a safe place to play...” The first lady spoke approvingly of several successful state programs, including one in Arkansas, for which she gave former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee high marks. She praised the creativity in West Virginia of bringing the dance game Dance, Dance Revolution to schools (and noted the president had yet to master the difficult game). Obama stressed that lowering the BMI of the nation’s youth was not only morally right, but financially smart.
Mike Huckabee has booked Michelle Obama for a weekend chat about childhood obesity. Huckabee says he “commends” Obama for her work on the issue. "It is not a left/right, liberal/conservative, Democrat/Republican issue. This is an issue that falls beyond what I call the 'horizontal' issues of left and right and rises to the 'vertical' level of up or down," Huckabee said. "The tragedy would be for conservatives to sit it out and not ensure that the approach is indeed vertical and focused on the cultural and generational changes that are needed." Huckabee added it’s not a problem “that government can fix and shouldn’t attempt to regulate people’s behavior.”
Time to slim down: First lady Michelle Obama unveiled her anti-childhood obesity program, called “Let’s Move,” this week. Joining Obama are 40 executives of major food producers and agribusinesses, including the CEO of Kraft Foods and Sara Lee. “Too many of our children are seriously overweight, and our companies stand ready to work with you to address this health crisis,” the CEOs wrote in a press release. The president is also behind the plan: He signed a memo on childhood obesity providing “optimal coordination” among the relevant federal agencies to fight the obesity epidemic.
First Lady Michelle Obama introduced a national task force to tackle childhood obesity Tuesday. The task force will have 90 days to create a plan that helps the federal government coordinate with nonprofit groups and the private sector. The efforts will focus on making nutrition labels easier to read and putting calorie counts—especially of sodas—on the front of labels to encourage healthy choices. School lunches will also face scrutiny; many kids eat more than half their daily calories at school, and more than 30 million of those kids are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program. The Obama administration wants to allocate $10 billion over the next decade to improving the quality of school breakfasts and lunches by adding more fresh produce and low-fat dairy, and cutting fat and salt. Health experts will educate parents about healthy body mass indexes, and doctors will be able to write official prescriptions for healthy living if a child gains too much weight. More exercise will also be encouraged.
First lady Michelle Obama turns 46 Sunday, but friends threw her a surprise birthday bash in Dupont Circle Saturday to help her celebrate. Dressed to impress, per usual, Michelle was seen sporting a classic black dress and patterned coat while noshing at Restaurant Nora, which is known for its organic menu. The first couple was joined by guests such as Michelle's mother, Eric Holder, and inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander. After the celebration, far different from last year when she spent her birthday on a rail car tour, a crowd outside the restaurant serenaded her with their rendition of "Happy Birthday."
James Cameron’s Avatar could not evade the first family, which went to see the country’s No. 1 film Thursday morning. Barack and Michelle Obama brought their daughters, Sasha and Malia, to a movie theater near their rented Hawaiian vacation home before noon to see the visually stunning 3-D film in a theater all to themselves, according to officials. Before heading the movies, however, the president, a self-described movie buff, worked on getting to be another kind of buff at gym facilities at the nearby Marine Corps base. After the movies and gym session, however, the Obamas plan to return to the White House in 2010, just a few years short of Avatar’s 2154 setting.
The Obamas’ holiday cheer endured a little humbug when the website Big Government chastised the first family’s inclusion of an ornament featuring Andy Warhol’s Mao Zedong on their tree. The Pop artist’s silkscreen, “Mao,” depicting the Chinese communist dictator Marilyn Monroe-ized with make-up, did not sit well with some Republicans, who furiously took to blogs questioning the image. Though the exact source of the ornament in question is unknown, First Lady Michelle Obama explained in a press release that the nearly 800 ornaments on display were left by previous administrations and sent to local community groups to decorate to “pay tribute to a favorite local landmark” and return for the Obamas’ many Christmas trees.
All Obama wants for Christmas is a little peace and quiet, a White House spokesman told reporters as Air Force One made its way from Washington to the president’s birthplace of Hawaii Thursday. Bill Burton said Obama would like to spend his holiday away from current occupational stresses and has not scheduled any public events during his time on the island. The president, as Burton told reporters, “would like for you to relax and to not anticipate any public announcements or news-making events,” causing some to laugh in disbelief. As they know, the news stops for no one—a lesson Obama learned during his summer vacation to Martha’s Vineyard during which Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was renominated and Senator Ted Kennedy passed away. His journey to Hawaii was even delayed on the day of Christmas Eve as top advisers reportedly wanted him to witness the U.S. Senate health-care bill passing. But once everyone finally boarded America’s most famous jet—with every seat full—Burton suggested this would be his last White House briefing of 2009. Obama’s sister, brother-in-law, and their daughters awaited the first family’s arrival on the tarmac, as the president himself awaited some calm on the golf course—though red phones remain wired and emergency binders sit on shelves, prepared for any breaking situation.
Even though her show will be expiring in two years, that doesn't mean Oprah is receding to the sidelines just yet. She's about to add President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to the A-listers she has interviewed over the years on her show. The episode, "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special," will air December 13, and will take audiences behind the White House doors to peek at the holiday preparations. Oprah came out as a loud supporter for the president during his 2008 campaign and was credited with getting him out in the lead for the primaries. It will be Oprah's first sit-down with the man in the White House since he took office.
Obama's first State dinner went off without a hitch, although rain forced the welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inside. Nearly everything about the dinner was symbolic, from the use of bipartisan Clinton and Bush presidential china to the sustainably harvested decorations of magnolia (native to both India and the U.S) to the meatless menu featuring arugula grown in the White House garden and pumpkin tart as an homage to Thanksgiving. The 338-member guest list was studded with celebrities like Stephen Spielberg, famous Indian-Americans such as writer Jumpa Lahiri and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, as well as policy wonks and members of the media. The event was held in an outdoor tent to accommodate the large number of invitees, which included Hillary Clinton, but not her husband. The first lady dazzled in a gold strapless gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, while Washington's most eligible bachelor, Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau (one of People's 100 Most Beautiful People of 2009) attended the festivities without a date, and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania experienced a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet when his cummerbund dropped to the ground as he posed before a coterie of photographers.
Google an image of Michelle Obama, and the top hit will be a racist caricature. Though Google won't be removing the image because it doesn't violate the company's Webmaster Guidelines, it did feel the need to explain itself because "the image is offensive to many," a spokesperson said. Google issued a statement explaining that the image was purely a result of the company's search algorithm, and was not in any way a reflection of the beliefs or preferences of Google employees. A Google spokesperson hypothesized that the image could be top hit if people were linking to it to condemn it. The image had been removed once before after a complaint was filed, but not because Google had issued a judgment that the content was racist, rather because the original host site was also serving malware.
Jennifer Hudson, the American Idol-contestant-turned-Oscar-winner, will sing at Tuesday’s state dinner at the White House, according to her label. Hudson, who like the Obamas hails from Chicago, also performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last year. The singer has maintained a somewhat lowered profile since the murders of her mother, brother, and nephew in 2008, but she'll be fully in the spotlight with this gig, performing in front of a crowd including former DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg; Sony Pictures chair Michael Lynton; super-agent Ari Emanuel; director M. Night Shyamalan and actor Kal Penn—not to mention the guest of honor, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The event is the Obamas' first state dinner in the White House.
All eyes are on the Obamas as they prepare to make their hosting debut on Tuesday, when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh comes to the White House. Though the affair coordinators have been tight-lipped about the event, it is known that curry will be making its first appearance on the menu of a White House banquet. To accommodate Singh, who is a vegetarian, vegetables from Michelle's garden will be used, and the dinner's goodie bag will include a jar of honey from her beehive. The menu will primarily be American, "with a nod to the Indian palate." In deference to economic hard times, the Obamas are keeping the guest list to a modest 130. Dinner will be followed by dancing on the lawn, to which 200 additional guests are invited. Rumored to be on the guest list are Oprah Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy.
When New York Daily News writer James Meek headed to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the graves of three veterans, he didn't expect to meet the president. But Obama, stopping to lay a Veterans Day wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, unexpectedly stopped and visited with many of the grieving relatives and friends who had chosen to visit their loved ones' plots on the rainy holiday. Shaking hands and giving hugs, the president soon found himself, by coincidence, face-to-face with Meek, who was standing at the grave of his friend, Pfc. David Sharrett, who died in Iraq in 2008. "We appreciate his service very much," the president said to Meek, as the first lady told the writer there was "no finer place to be on Veterans Day." "I'm sure the cynics will assume this was just another Obama photo op," writes Meek, but "his presence in Section 60 convinced me that he now carries the heavy burden of command."
Barack Obama unexpectedly visited the section of Arlington National Cemetery where troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried on Wednesday as part of his first Veterans Day as president. After performing the traditional role of laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns, the president and Michelle Obama surprised family members of recently fallen soldiers who were paying their respects and took some time to speak with them. During the conventional portion of his day at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Obama said, "There is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice." He also promised veterans and troops that, "America will not let you down."
The art collection Michelle Obama selected for the White House from various national museums received some skepticism from critics, but one particular work from Alma Thomas garnered serious negative attention. The African-American artist was targeted as a plagiarist by right-wing bloggers, who claim one of her compositions is a Matisse ripoff. Thomas’ 1963 Watusi (Hard Edge) was appropriated by flipping around one of the famed modern artist’s paintings and changing its color scheme. Critics accused Obama of being both too oblivious of Thomas’ creative homage and partial to the artist herself because of her race. By the end of last month, the White House had quietly removed Thomas’ painting, which was reportedly intended for the first lady’s office, from their list of desired works. Though the owner of the painting, the Hirshhorn Museum, confirmed its return, no one would say why the Obamas opted not to include Thomas’ work in their collection.
Forget Girl Scouts. What if your afterschool activity was to hang out at the White House? In another first lady first, Michelle Obama is launching a mentorship program that pairs local high-school girls with successful female leaders, including the first lady herself. The initiative’s inaugural round of students will include 20 Washington-area sophomores and juniors and feature discussions revolving around college, careers, and motherhood. Several members of Obama’s female staff will join her as mentors, and Monday’s launch will include a visit to the mentors’ offices and a group dinner. The program was developed from a March event at the White House, when the students spent time with Obama, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, Mae Jamison, and other women. The first round of students was selected by local high schools, the Girl Scouts, and Gold Star families.
Barack Obama likes his date nights with Michelle and doesn’t like when they become a political issue. He teases his wife by calling her “Flotus” (First Lady of the United States). He quotes Michelle in Oval Office meetings. Friends have spied them making out in the White House halls. But things weren’t always so picture perfect, Jodi Kantor reports in this week’s cover story for The New York Times magazine. When Barack first turned to politics, Michelle felt abandoned. “The bumps happen to everybody all the time,” Michelle said. “She was in a lot of ways a single mom,” a friend said of Michelle’s life when Barack first became a state senator, “and that was not her plan.” If their biographies more resemble those of Bill and Hilary Clinton than any other First Couple, their personalities often work in the opposite way. “She is really Bill,” a friend told The Times, “and he is really Hillary.”
Will Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden dine on peanuts and Cracker Jacks Wednesday night? The first and second ladies are headed to the new Yankee Stadium to catch the first game of the World Series. While Obama isn't expected to root for either team, Biden is apparently a big Phillies fan. Major League Baseball is dedicating the series' first four games to a theme. Game 1 will feature Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, while Games 2 through 4 will promote community service, cancer awareness, and encouraging sports for inner-city children. In keeping with Game 1's theme, Biden and Obama will be headed to a veterans medical facility in the Bronx before the game, and a 20-year-old wounded Marine from the Bronx, a veteran of the Iraq War, will sit with the two women.
