The Obama's Broadway Date Night [PICTURES]

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk to board a small jet serving as Air Force One for a personal visit to New York City from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, May 30, 2009.

US President Barack Obama swept First Lady Michelle Obama off to a Broadway show -- to honor a promise made in the heat of his gruelling 2008 campaign. The Obamas flew to New York, not on the iconic presidential jet, but aboard a small military plane -- still dubbed Air Force One with the president aboard -- for a meal in Manhattan's West Village and a night at the theater.



Obama, in a statement issued through a spokesman, said: "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished." The epitome of glamour, the Obamas earlier left the White House aboard his Marine One helicopter. At Andrews Air Force base outside Washington, they boarded the plane, the president in a smart dark suit with no tie, and the First Lady in a black cocktail dress (very "Alaia-esque" IMO...) and heels. After landing in New York, they helicoptered into Manhattan and motorcaded to the Blue Hill restaurant, before heading to the Belasco Theater and the Broadway revival of the August Wilson play "Joe Turner's Come And Gone."


[photos via Reuters]

Michelle Obama Visits Bancroft Elementary School in D.C.

First lady Michelle Obama smiles as she listens to presentations during her visit at Bancroft Elementary School May 29, 2009 in Washington, DC. The first lady placed a visit to the students who have participated in the White House Kitchen Garden events throughout the spring.



First lady Michelle Obama plants bell peppers and cucumbers with 5th grade students Carlos Escobar (C), Elmer Turcios (L) and Hirut Sheta (R) as White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass looks on during her visit at Bancroft Elementary School May 29, 2009 in Washington, DC. The first lady placed a visit to the students who have participated in the White House Kitchen Garden events throughout the spring.

Michelle Obama Named Among White House's Greatest Hostesses...

by Leslie M. M. Blume via HuffPo:

When the Obamas ascended to the White House earlier this year, many Washingtonians breathed a sigh of relief: after serving a grim eight-year sentence in the Prison of No Fun, they were finally up for parole. The capital's social life was about to come alive again at last.

Looking back over the last 220 years of American administrations, it's quite amazing how the First Couple - and the First Lady in particular - has set the social tone of Washington, and often that of the country and even the world. Last December, President-elect Obama pledged that, as a First Couple, he and Michelle Obama (l. in a green Kai Milla dress/Spring 2008) would "open up the White House and remind people this is the people's house."

Since moving into the White House, the Obamas have thrown poetry slams, hosted glittering galas, and planted a First Vegetable Garden. Michelle Obama in particular has ushered in new era of style and entertaining - and making good on her husband's promise, she's chosen to include us in the fun. Ms. Obama's open doors and open persona has not just made for good spectating; it has encouraged the rest of the country to follow suit.

Other First Ladies have dripped in a certain glamor, but they liked to keep it to themselves. Closed-door White House hostesses, such as a Galanos-clad Nancy Reagan or Oscar de la Renta-outfitted Laura Bush may have entertained on an elite level, but often left the public with its nose pressed up against the glass when it came to participating in the world of the White House.

Continue reading this article here.

Michelle Obama Not Afraid To Be Honest (About Cooking)...

THE perilous question came from an earnest schoolboy, who posed this doozy of a query to the new first lady: “Do you like cooking for your family, even though you have cooks and all of that?”

In the rarefied world of presidential spouses, this has long been treacherous territory. Other first ladies have parsed their comments carefully to avoid suggesting that they had cheerfully relinquished kitchen duty. (Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush both touted their homemade cookies at times though neither cooked much at all in the White House.)

But Michelle Obama did not mince words.

“I don’t miss cooking,” Mrs. Obama said, laughing, as she took questions from students visiting the White House. “I’m just fine with other people cooking. Their food is really good.”

Mrs. Obama has long been known as frank and down to earth. Now, as first lady, she is bringing some of that sensibility into the Executive Mansion, particularly when it comes to laying out the day-to-day thrills and challenges of her domestic life.

Continue reading this article here.

Labeling the First Lady: How the White House Clue's You In on What She's Wearing...

DRESS POLICY (via WWD): First Lady Michelle Obama’s on-again, off-again fashion nods have some in the design and journalism communities wondering what the White House protocol is behind giving out those fashion credits. Her press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, explained it to WWD this way: “It is not an announcement from the office. We simply let folks know on the nights of big events like the ballet, state dinners and events hosted here, or when she is traveling. Of course, there is a great interest on higher-profile nights and for those periodic requests, we let pool reporters know. Otherwise, for daytime trips or daytime activities that she might do, like taking the kids to school, or hosting a service event, which occur more frequently and are lower profile, we obviously do not announce anything. But for the big events, there is a great interest.”

And while it might seem hit and miss — since what some might consider “high profile,” like this week’s Metropolitan Opera House appearance, the White House doesn’t (it didn’t reveal she wore Alaïa and Thakoon) — Carl Sferrazza Anthony, historian at the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, Ohio, said the First Lady’s approach is “dead-on.” “I think maybe some mornings Mrs. Obama says, ‘Well, I have to do a school event at 11, a luncheon at 12 and leave early to tape a public service announcement and it’s hot out,’ and she may not know what she is wearing and it is possible that her press office doesn’t even know,” Anthony said. “Their approach [to releasing information about Obama’s wardrobe] is a very reality-based way of functioning. At the same time there is a really highly conscientious effort and there has always been a conscientious effort historically, to be aware that what they wear will help define the administration and help serve as a symbol for the administration and beyond themselves as an individual. Mrs. Obama has struck the right balance.”

Michelle Obama to Accompany POTUS to Africa, Possibly Russia & Italy...

First lady Michelle Obama will travel with her husband to Accra, Ghana, from July 10 to July 11, 2009. Details are still being worked out in the East Wing as to whether the first lady will accompany the president to Moscow and Italy for the G-8 summit there. The Obamas last trip to Africa was in August 2006, when they visited Kenya, where the president’s father was born. I'm sure she'll dazzle everyone on this international trip just as she did during the G-20 and NATO Summits. Stay tuned...

Michelle O. & Jackie O. A White House Wardrobe Comparison...

Jackie and Michelle: The White House Wardrobes
Comparisons are inevitable: two elegant women, catapulted into the national spotlight by their charismatic, ambitious husbands. The upbringings of Jacqueline Kennedy and Michelle Obama hold no resemblance, but their roles as standard-bearers for a renewed American hope certainly do. A pictorial of fashion’s favorite First Ladies, then and now.





See the rest of Jackie and Michelle: The White House Wardrobes over at Vanity Fair.

Michelle Obama Covers TIME Magazine...

via People: The White House has bestowed a surprisingly calming influence on the First Family, according to Michelle Obama – who says the residence has been a particularly positive experience for daughters Malia 10, and Sasha, 7.

When it comes to living in the Executive Mansion, the First Lady tells Time magazine for its latest issue, on sale Friday, "It has been the greatest single benefit of this for us as a family. It means that we see each other every day. And that hasn't happened for most of the kids' lifetime."

As the wife of Illinois's junior senator, Mrs. Obama was once asked if she would consider a move to Washington, D.C. "I was like, no," she remembers. Now, she's enjoying having the man of the house at home.

"It's rare [for most families] to have dad at home for dinner, to see him in the mornings, to have him there when you go to bed at night, just to be able to have the casual conversations that happen about life at dinnertime," says Mrs. Obama. "That's been terrific. It's normal. It's more normal than we've had for a very long time



Still, it is the White House. On maintaining their perspective and keeping the family intact, Mrs. Obama says, "We stay 100 percent in their world all the time. And I don't know if you understand that, but their lives are very disconnected from this [place]. You can do that with kids when they are young, because they just don't care."

The Chief Executive agrees. "Among the many wonderful things about being President," Barack Obama tells Time, "the best is that I get to live above the office and see Michelle and the kids every day. I see them in the morning. We have dinner every night. It is the thing that sustains me."

He also takes work breaks for what he terms "Michelle time," when retreats from his office to the residence. Every now and then, his wife shows up in the West Wing with family dog Bo or the kids for what the magazine calls "a brief but lively interruption."

"And if the kids really, really need to see him, they can," she says. "They're free to walk in. They're welcome wherever they want to go around here."

To read the full and fascinating TIME Magazine interview with Michelle Obama, click here.

First Lady Michelle Obama Has Broad Appeal... [VIDEO]

Michelle Obama Attends the American Ballet's Spring Gala...

First Lady Michelle Obama attended the American Ballet Theatre's spring gala (wearing Azzedine Alaia) at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC, where she addressed the audience along with Caroline Kennedy. The glittery event is a highlight on the city's social calendar




A nice full view of her dress...

Michelle Obama in Lavender Isaac Mizrahi at the MET...

First lady Michelle Obama spoke at a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially re-open the Charles Engelhard Court, centerpiece of the newly renovated American Wing, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 18, 2009 in New York City.

First lady Michelle Obama says she and the president hope to give America's children better access to the arts and the ability to turn their artistic talents into careers. "The arts are not just a nice thing to have," Mrs. Obama said Monday at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she cut the ribbon for the newly renovated American wing. "They define who we are as a people."

"The president and I want to ensure that all children have access to great works of art," she told a crowd that included students from four New York City public schools that specialize in the arts. "We want all children who believe in their talent to see a way to create a future in the arts community, either as a hobby or as a profession."

She said she and the president had their first date in a museum. "After 20-odd years with a guy, you forget that your first date was at a museum. But it was, and it was wonderful. It worked."



The first lady in pre-fall 2009 Isaac Mizrahi.

Michelle Obama Gives the Keynote Speech at the University of California Merced...

First Lady Michelle Obama met with students prior to her commencement speech (in a dress very similar to the black Michael Kors she wore in her official portrait) at the University of California, Merced on May 16, 2009 in Merced, California. *Confirmed* Michelle is wearing the same black Michael Kors dress that she wore in her official portrait. The 500 graduating students receiving diplomas are the first graduating class since the university opened in 2005.



First Lady Michelle Obama talks with graduating students prior to during her address to the first four-year graduating class at the University of California Merced in Merced, California May 16, 2009.

The inspiring video "We Believe" made by UC Merced students for the first lady below:



"You inspired me. You touched me. There are few things more rewarding than watching young people reach their dreams, and you did just that," Obama said. "Your efforts were on full display to get me here for this special occasion." -First Lady Michelle Obama speaking to UC Merced Graduates


First lady Michelle Obama waved to students before the start of graduation ceremonies at the University of California, Merced, in Merced, Calif. , Saturday, May 16, 2009. The first lady gave the keynote speech for the graduation. At left is University of California President Mark Yudof, left, and at right is Richard Blum, chairman of the UC Board of Regents.[Watch VIDEO of Michelle Obama's Keynote Speech at UC Merced]
[photos via Reuters, AP photo]

Michelle Obama Fitness Tips...

Both the President and the First Lady have exercise routines that would put most to shame. Mr. Obama has made it known that he has a priority to start his day with a workout. Mrs. Obama is equally devoted to her fitness routine, telling People magazine last summer that she manages a 90-minute workout three times a week.

Michelle Obama has only been the First Lady since January, but her toned arms have already become legendary. But it doesn’t stop there. Mrs. Obama has the abs, legs and overall physique that makes us scratch our heads and wonder…“How does she do it?”

We caught up with fitness expert to the stars Kacy Duke and top New York City nutritionist Jeffrey Morrison, M.D., to get the insider scoop. Keep clicking for the 411 on getting and keeping a body like First Lady Michelle Obama’s.

Read more tips on getting First Lady Michelle Obama’s body over at Essence.com.

Bo Obama Beanie Babies Flying Off the Shelves...

via Politico:

Beanie Baby company Ty had to scrap its Sasha and Malia dolls after objections from Michelle Obama -- but that hasn’t discouraged the toy company from rolling out a new line of Bo dolls.

For $4.99 you can buy your own soft, shaggy, black-and-white Bo in Beanie Baby form— that is, if you act fast. The AP reports the first dog dolls are selling out in suburban Chicago, and they’ve even hit the eBay market, where one Bo goes for a steep “Buy It Now” price of $139.95.

And yes, there is even more Bo Obama Gear available over at Cafepress. Click the button below to browse and shop!

Michelle Obama Listed #93 on MAXIM'S 2009 "Hot 100" List

First lady Michelle Obama is still gracing magazine's "Top Lists" as she came in at #93 on MAXIM Magazine's 2009 Hot 100 List:

He may be dealing with two wars, an economic meltdown, and a rapidly graying dome, but at least our Commander in Chief gets to come home to the hottest First Lady in the history of these United States. (Sorry, Martha Washington!)

Click here to see the full "Table of Hotness" (their term, not mine..)

Michelle Obama in Lanvin Resort as She Reads to 3rd Graders...

First lady Michelle Obama dropped by a D.C. school Wednesday to read to a group of third grade students (wearing Lanvin Resort 2009) at the Ferebee-Hope Community School in Southeast Washington. Obama sat with about 18 students from low income families and read a book called “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” by Judith Viorst.

The class, mostly made of eight year olds, is part of the Community in Schools program and the students receive one-on-one tutoring for 45 minutes every Tuesday. Obama also met with the Community In Schools board to discuss how the program works to keep kids from dropping out.

Michelle Obama Goes "Off the Shoulder Chic" for Jazz & Poetry at the White House..

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama (wearing Basso & Brooke) arrive looking great for an Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word in the East Room of the White House May 12, 2009 in Washington, DC. Even the couple in the background can't help checking 'em out...



Can you remember a first lady who looks consistently chic, trendy and modern as Michelle Obama? Yeah, me neither... first lady Michelle Obama participated in "an evening of poetry, music and the spoken word" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 12, 2009 looking FIERCE. Her hairstylist stepped up his game, even more than usual on her hair. Fabulous...

[photos via AP Photo]



Michelle Obama wore Basso & Brooke Spring 2009 and white Maison Martin Margiela cropped trousers along with a pair of statement silver shoes.

VIDEO of Poetry, Music & Spoken Word at the White House...

Check out the first lady in her "sexy off the shoulder" look by Basso & Brooke! A brief video of the first lady's introductions below. More pics to follow...

Designer Michael Kors Talks About Michelle Obama Wearing His Dresses...

Attention stayed focused on fashion after Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. After First Lady Michelle Obama wore a Michael Kors dress for the event, some more-cynical insiders wondered whether it was her way of making up to the designer, whose outfits have been miscredited by the White House on more than one occasion. But at least one person doesn’t think so: Kors himself. “I am sure a woman as smart and organized as Mrs. Obama knew in advance what she planned to wear this week for both events,” he told WWD. “I am honored that she chose to wear my clothes to two events in the same week and looked so chic at both occasions.” [via WWD]

Obama's Hosting a Jazz/Poetry Event at the White House...

More than 100 people are invited to the White House tonight (5/12/09) to attend a jazz and poetry event with the Obamas in the East Room which will be streamed live on the Internet.

Featured performers include James Earl Jones, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman (Michael and Ayelet are married -- they are writers and of Jewish background), Esperanza Spalding (singer and bassist), Eric Lewis (pianist), Lin Manuel Miranda (rapper/composer), Mayda Del Valle (poet from South Side of Chicago), Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio (HBO Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Finalist), Joshua Brandon Bennett (HBO’s Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Finalist). There will be an emphasis on dialogue and communicating with each other about diverse experiences.

The evenings festivities will be streamed LIVE HERE at 7 PM EST.

Michelle Obama #3 on Glamour Magazine's 50 Most Glamourous Women of 2009 List..

Michelle O. wearing Isabel Toledo
First Lady Michelle O. (#3) even beat out Angelina Jolie (#4)! Congrats...
Where to begin? “She’s intelligent, self-assured and chic,” says Norman Jean Roy of the trendsetting First Lady. The arms, the sheaths, the cardigans, the belts…the confidence.

Click here to see who else made the list.

Michelle Obama Pretty in Pink at the White House Correspondents Dinner...

First lady Michelle Obama stands for the national anthem (in a Michael Kors dress & St. Erasmus necklace) at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (A-list Hollywood really showed up for this thing..) in Washington, May 9, 2009.


Watch the First Lady assist with giving out scholarships below..


I actually think that wearing Michael Kors is a fabulous fit for the first lady as he designs very clean lines which Michelle is known to gravitate towards often. He's definitely one of my favorites..



President Obama had jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner (To watch Pres. Obama's FULL speech from the dinner, click the link above).
[photos via Reuters]

The Obama's Parent/Teacher School Outing...

President Obama chatted with his wife Michelle upon returning to the White House on May 8, 2009 in Washington. The Obama's returned to the home base after attending their 10 year old daughter Malia's parent-teacher meeting at Sidwell Friends where Malia attends school.[photo via Getty images]

Michelle Obama's Arms are A-List Superstars All On Their Own...

Lol! I really enjoyed watching this, it was super funny, but still a nice tribute to the first lady's hard work (on her fabulous arms) in the gym. Enjoy...



Want Michelle Obama's fabulously toned arms? Click here to find out exactly how!
[Thanks John]

Inside "Michelle Style, Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion".. A Few Book Excerpts

It comes as no surprise that writer Mandi Norwood decided to harness all of this fashion-related energy into a book called 'Michelle Style' (Harper Collins), which hit bookshelves on   May 5. In the book, Norwood thoroughly examines some of Obama's iconic looks (like her white Inauguration gown by Jason Wu or the purple Mario Pinto sheath she wore when her husband accepted the Democratic nomination) and offers a breakdown of "What Mrs. O Knows" about fashion. Hint: Mrs. O knows a lot. And there is a lot that the average woman can learn from her, like how to rock cool accessories, blend bold colors and modernize classic silhouettes.

"Michelle Style" also features original design sketches and quotes from several designers like Carolina Herrera, Obama-fave Isabel Toledo, Nicole Miller and Isaac Mizrahi, who referred to Michelle as "our shining hope for the future." Clearly, that's a lot of pressure to put on one single first lady -- even if it's only clothes we're talking about -- but that's just how exciting she is to those in the fashion world and beyond.via AOL BV Style Spotter:




Available now at Amazon.com, order your copy of Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion Today!

Michelle Obama Talks About Work-Life Issues [VIDEO]

First lady Michelle Obama spoke at a meeting with representatives from Corporate Voices for Working Families in Washington May 7, 2009.

Michelle Addresses the TIME 100 Most Influential in a *Correction* Black Michael Kors...

*scroll down for a picture of first lady Michelle Obama with Oprah Winfrey who was also an honoree..



Michelle Obama spoke during the Time's 100 Most Influential People (a prestigious list in which both the President and first lady were included) Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 5, 2009 in New York City. Michelle looked fabulous in a black fitted Michael Kors floor length gown and Peter Soronen corset. (via Fashion Week Daily).





Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey were both honored at Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World event in NYC Tuesday.