Jezebel: Obamas

Don't You Wish Obama Was Your Basketball Coach, Too?

Katie J.M. Baker — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST

Get ready to aww: President Obama is coaching his daughter Sasha's basketball team, and he's not taking his duties lightly. "He hasn't missed a game," the First Lady said of his devotion. "I think he was hoping to get this weekend off, but I'm gone." Apparently, if there's no game scheduled, he'll take his kids and their friends to shoot hoops on their own. No word on whether he ever yells mean things at the opposing team during particularly stressful moments. More »

Don't Call Michelle Obama an 'Angry Black Woman'

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:46:00 EST

The ostensibly "explosive" White House tell-all The Obamas came out this week and CBS just debuted a new morning show, so it's the perfect time for an exclusive sit down interview with Michelle Obama. More »

Meghan McCain: Obamas Deserve an 'Emoticon' of Privacy

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:17:00 EST

Depending on your feelings on Meghan McCain, this clip either shows that we all misspeak sometimes, or demonstrates the dangers of nepotism. Today on MSNBC, McCain declared the Obamas deserve an "emoticon" of privacy, then repeated the word in case anyone didn't hear her. Feel free to speculate on what that might look like in the comments. More »

Not Even an 'Explosive' New Book Can Make the First Lady Seem Unlikable

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:35:00 EST

New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor has a new book coming out this week called The Obamas, about—as you might have guessed from the title—the Obamas. For the book, which many are calling "explosive" for its revelations about the very private Obama White House, Kantor says she interviewed 33 members of Obama's staff. She seems to have a gotten a fairly deep look into the administration's inner workings, but particularly into Michelle Obama's role in the whole show. There are plenty of juicy details (for instance, did you know the Obamas threw a lavish Alice in Wonderland Tea Party during the worst of the recession but didn't tell anyone about it?), but mostly what emerges is a picture of a very smart woman struggling to adapt to her new life in the public eye—and mostly succeeding. More »

The Obamas Are Bummed That The Holidays Are Over

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:12:34 EST

Washington, DC, January 3: The Obama family walks from Marine One after the end of their 10-day vacation in Hawaii. The President managed to cheer Malia up, but Sasha was inconsolable. [Getty] More »

The Curious Case Of Malia Obama's Growth Spurt

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:57:00 EST

There's a shocking report out of the White House today: Though she's only 13, Malia Obama is nearly as tall as her mother. The L.A. Times reports: "Estimates put her at 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10, not that unusual for a child with tall parents, but definitely taller than most children her age." More »

Tense Moments in the First Family's Living Room

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:24:00 EDT

Washington, DC, July 17: President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters Sasha and Malia watch the US Women play in the Women's World Cup Final. (via White House Photostream) More »

What To Do When The President Comes For Dinner

Sadie Stein — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EDT

Having the POTUS dine at your restauarant must be a rush — but also a major hassle. How, exactly, does it work? More »

Michelle Obama Gets A Wonderful Birthday Surprise

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:45:00 EST

[Washington, D.C., January 17: As the Obama family arrives at a community service event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Michelle Obama is surprised by everyone singing Stevie Wonder's version of "Happy Birthday." She turns 47 today. Image via AP.]

Obamas Aren't Invited To William & Kate's Wedding

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:31:00 EST

Palace sources say the Obamas aren't invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. Since it isn't a "state occasion" they aren't obliged to invite dignitaries they've never met. Just don't expect Americans to buy any more commemorative engagement china. More »

Vacationers Hungry To Meet Obamas, Settle For Cupcakes

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:20:00 EDT

After a Secret Service agent was spotted near Sweet E's Cupcakes shop on Martha's Vineyard, vacationers and news crews gathered, requiring police for crowd control. The Obamas missed the scene, as they were actually dining at Nancy's restaurant miles away. More »

Desiree Rogers Forced Out For Being A Grinch?

Anna North — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EDT

The latest explanation for the departure of White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers: she didn't send Christmas cards to some of Obama's major donors. Although given the flak the Obamas got for sending kids ornaments, who can blame her? [Politico] More »

What Does The White House Social Secretary Do Anyway?

Anna North — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST

Outgoing White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers will be replaced by Democratic fundraiser Julianna Smoot, and one strategist says the "social aspect of the job will be a little bit secondary for her." But what is the Social Secretary's job? More »

White House Crashers Say They've "Been Misrepresented By The Media"

Anna North — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:30:00 EST

White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi went on the Today Show this morning to claim they were actually invited to last week's state dinner. Unsurprisingly, the White House and Secret Service disagree. More »

Duke Publishes Book By Obama's Mom

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Ann Durham Soetoro was probably best known as Barack Obama's mom, but she was also a dedicated economic anthropologist. Thanks to Duke University Press, her dissertation on metalworkers in Indonesia will soon be available as a book. [PublishersWeekly] More »

Art In America: Painting Gets Pulled From White House Following Furor

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

As soon as the list of art works requested for display in the White House was released, every political blogger suddenly turned into an art critic, and Watusi by Alma Thomas somehow made it to the center of the storm. More »

Edward Norton On His Behind-The-Scenes Obama Documentary

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Today on Good Morning America, producer Edward Norton shared video of the Obama girls at home and Barack calling his grandmother from the HBO documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, which premieres November 3. Clip at left. More »

The Window Treatment

Anna Holmes — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:10:00 EDT

[Rome, July 9. Image via Getty]

Barack Vs. Michelle? Everything's A Contest

Anna North — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:20:00 EDT

The Associated Press asks who's more popular: Barack or Michelle? Answer: Michelle, unless you measure by Internet searches. Anna asks: "What's next, Sasha vs. Malia?" Michelle's left bicep vs. her right? [AP, via MSNBC] More »

Unsolved Mysteries: How Can The Obamas Eat Burgers, Still Be Healthy?

Anna North — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:30:00 EDT

NY Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd and others in the media are all abuzz over the Obamas' mysterious and possibly subversive decision to eat both burgers and healthy foods. More »

The First Dog: Once More, With Feeling Springing

Anna Holmes — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:10:00 EDT

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[Washington, D.C. April 14. Image via Getty]

Even First Kids Have To Make Their Beds • Writers Question Slumdog's Authenticity, Title

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST

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• We'll point it out again for those who missed it: The First Couple are strict parents. Sasha and Malia have to make their beds, scoop dog poop, and be in bed by eight. • More »

Jennifer Hudson Smiles… In Gap Ads

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Despite mourning her family tragedy, Jennifer Hudson is in the Gap's holiday ad campaign, wearing a bright red sweater and smiling. Gap gave J.Hud the option to back out, but she wanted to go ahead and have the ads run. [Yahoo News via E!]
Jennifer Hudson writes on her MySpace blog: "I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Thank You All." [People]
Beyoncé is on the cover of Seventeen and she certainly appears to have her wits about her. She says she would never get married before the age of 25. "I feel like you have to get to know yourself, know what you want, spend some time by yourself, and be proud of who you are before you can share that with someone else." Plus! She's super critical of herself: "I have my YouTube days, when I watch every performance," she says. "I listen to my music, and I watch my videos to figure out what I need to do, what I need to fix, and how to become a better singer." [People]
Kate Winslet on her Vanity Fair pix: "The whole shoot was about doing the character. I feel like I was playing the part and not me — it doesn't feel like me. It took six hours to set up the lighting and the hair and make-up, because I obviously don't look like that all the time." [Daily Mail]
The brother of the American Idol reject who killed herself outside the star's L.A. home is blaming Abdul for crushing his sister's dreams. "[Abdul] didn't speak up for her. She let everyone take her down," Charles McIntyre says. [NY Post]