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President Obama Invites Young Hollywood Power Players To Breakfast

Posted 6/8/12 11:45 am EST by in Activism, Celebrity, Obama

President Barack Obama has always had a way with young people, and when it comes to his re-election bid, the POTUS is turning to young Hollywood to make sure it stays that way.

The youth vote was key to the president's election in 2008. He captured two thirds of voters under the age of 30 last time around and wants to recapture the magic again, so the Commander in Chief invited 25 lucky stars to a private breakfast at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday (June 7) to discuss the Young America Effort, an initiative that encourages young people to vote.

Jeremy Renner, Ian Somerhalder, Dianna Agron and Zach Braff were among the stars to chat up Obama, whose well-known charm won over the famous crowd. After the meet-up, many of the famous faces in attendance took to Twitter to post anecdotes about their convos with Pres as well as plenty of pics, which you can check out below.

Read on for more! Read More...

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President Obama Sings Again!

Posted 2/22/12 12:01 pm EST by in Barack-Obama, Obama, Politics

By Uptin Saiidi (@uptin)

At this rate, we might see an added concert element to President Obama's re-election tour this year. Last night in the East Room of the White House, the Commander-In-Chief sang “Sweet Home Chicago” during a blues performance filming for PBS. "In Performance at the White House" will air on Monday night and is set to recognize Black History Month. The follow-up performance to “Let’s Stay Together” when he sung at a Harlem event, had the President singing the words, “Come on, baby don’t you want to go?”

Unlike his Harlem performance, where he stood behind a podium, the President was front and center with the microphone and laughed alongside First Lady Michelle Obama.

Mic Jagger, B.B. King and Jeff Beck were among the attendees at the event

Buddy Guy prompted the singing after saying he'd heard the president sung part of Al Green recently and then told him, "You gotta keep it up."

Once Jagger handed over the mic, Obama had no choice but to comply. And yet he didn't seem to hold back.

According to the Associated Press, Obama reflected on what the blues genre meant to him saying, “This music speaks to something universal. No one goes through life without bothjoy and pain, triumph and sorrow. The blues gets all of that, sometimes with just one lyric or one note.”

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President Obama's Reelection Campaign Turns His Al Green Solo Into a Ringtone

Posted 1/23/12 2:53 pm EST by in Obama

Obama

President Obama's campaigners have always had their finger on the pulse of America's young people. Just check out that "wish list" of celebrities they hoped would publicly endorse and campaign on behalf of the POTUS; all of the cool kids are there, including Jay-Z, Vampire Weekend, Janelle Monáe, Neil Patrick Harris, Anne Hathaway, Jack Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Mila Kunis, Blake Lively, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, the Roots, Wilco and Arcade Fire, among many others.

(We secretly suspect Obama's hot young speechwriter Jon Favreau had something to do with the list. We know the president likes himself some Jay-Z and Wilco, but Favs strikes us more the Vampire Weekend/Arcade Fire/Jack Johnson type. Would you agree?)

So it should come as no surprise that they're taking one of Obama's most viral moments and transforming it into an even bigger boon to the campaign. Recently, the president decided to sing a bit of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" during a speech at New York's Apollo Theater, and now the clip has been converted into a ringtone that is available on his website.

"President Obama was inspired to sing a bit of Al Green during a recent campaign stop at the Apollo Theater," the site reads. "And now you can have his rendition of 'Let's Stay Together' as a ringtone."

It's a bit of genius, don't you think? Read More...

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Helping Michele Bachmann Find A Campaign Song

Posted 6/29/11 12:45 pm EST by in Gay Rights, Obama, Politics

Open-minded political figure Michele Bachmann, she of gay people being “part of Satan” and Medicaid being a form of socialism (despite her husband’s acceptance of $137,000 of it!) fame, is ruffling the feathers of yet another musician. This time around, it’s Tom Petty, whose management sent Bachmann’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter to halt their use of his song, “American Girl.”

This is the second time in two weeks that Bachmann’s camp has been asked to not use a song on the campaign trail. The Tea Party wonder entered the conservative RightOnline conference in Minneapolis, Minn., to Katy Perry’s “Firework” on June 18, prompting a big WTF from journos confused why the fervently anti-gay pol settled on one of the most mainstream pro-tolerance anthems in recent memory.

Now she’s harshing Petty’s buzz. The Minnesota rep played “American Girl” in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday when she officially kicked off her presidential campaign and again following a speech in South Carolina last night. Not cool, Bachmann!

In light of her campaign’s inability to comprehend that almost no one wants to be associated with her politics, we have a few suggestions for Bachmann’s camp to find that perfect anthem. Read More...

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Michelle Obama Continues Africa Trip With Speech At Young African Women Leaders Forum

Posted 6/24/11 12:30 pm EST by in Activism, Obama

FROM MTV ACT BLOG:

After a trip to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mrs. Obama and the first daughters made their way to historic Regina Mundi Church in the South Western Township, or Soweto. There, the First Lady paid homage to the young activists who fought for change a generation ago, and to 76 young women making those same strides today.

The fight began 35 years ago when a group of students peacefully protested a law that would require them to take their courses in Afrikaans. Their desire to get the education they deserved was met with retaliation, leaving hundreds dead.

“And it is because of them that we are able to gather here today,” Mrs. Obama said. “It is because of them that so many of these young women leaders can now pursue their dreams. It is because of them that I stand before you as First Lady of the United States of America.”

Mrs. O went on to explain the importance of Africa's role in the future of all nations. Sixty percent of Africans are under age 25, and two-thirds of South Africans are under age 30. The African youth of today, no doubt, will play a huge role as future leaders--combating corruption, building a strong democracy, battling disease and poverty, and creating jobs.

For more, visit MTV Act Blog, and check out video from Mrs. Obama's trip to Africa below. Read More...

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Follow Michelle Obama’s Trip To South Africa On MTV Act Blog

Posted 6/22/11 3:30 pm EST by in Obama, Politics

From MTV Act Blog:

@MTVbaseAfrica is live-tweeting First Lady Michelle Obama's youth empowerment trip to Africa this week, starting with today's stop at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. Check out pics from the tour:

(Above) The First Lady arrives at the South African Apartheid Museum. Apartheid was a period of racial segregation enforced by law in South Africa from the 1940s to the 1990s. Citizens were classified into four groups--"white", "black", "coloured" and "Asian"--that often led to violence and nonwhite groups being subjected to limited employment, housing and schooling options.

All pictures provided by Selae Thobakgale of MTV Base.

For more, visit MTV Act Blog.

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Will Justin Bieber And President Obama Make A Little Girl's Dream Come True?

Posted 5/12/11 7:36 pm EST by in Music, Obama

By Nuzhat Naoreen

Late last week, New York magazine's Daily Intel blog jokingly implied that President Obama promised too much when he told the teenage daughter of a 9/11 victim, Payton Wall, that he would help her meet the man of her dreams: Justin Bieber.

According to the New York Post, Payton was inspired to write a 1,500-word letter to the White House detailing her grief about the loss of her father after watching Justin Bieber's documentary "Never Say Never." The Post said the White House responded to Payton (who had also tweeted to Biebs to no avail) the next day and invited her to attend a wreath-placing ceremony at Ground Zero last Friday, which is where Obama told the young girl he'd help her meet Justin.

Now it's one thing to promise world peace or an end to hunger (totally doable, right?), but a meeting with the Biebs? The bloggers at Daily Intel wondered why the prez dared make such a commitment.

"Doesn't he know the PR machine around Justin Bieber is more impenetrable than Donald Trump's ego?" Intel bloggers asked.

Well, apparently not. Justin (whom we're guessing just got wind of the story) responded to the doubters a few hours ago via Twitter (with a link to Intel's post), to make it clear that he planned to help the president keep his promise.

"I think you're wrong. pretty sure President @BarackObama will keep this promise. #payitforward," Justin tweeted.

The Biebs and the president working together? No offense, Mr. Biden, but if we were in your shoes, we'd be a little nervous about that 2012 vice-presidential slot ...

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Sotomayor Nominated For Supreme Court (Yay!); California Upholds Prop 8 (Boo!), By Kim Stolz

Posted 5/26/09 6:40 pm EST by in Obama, Proposition 8

Judge SotomayorIn a decision that I find disappointing, California's Supreme Court decided to uphold Proposition 8, thus continuing California's ban on same-sex marriage. The one positive caveat to the decision was that the 18,000 marriages already completed in the state would remain in tact. 18,000 of the millions of gay people in California have equal rights. Yay? Oh well.

The decision ratifying Prop 8 runs in stark contrast to the apparent temperature of much of the United States, with what seems to be a domino effect of same-sex marriage legalization: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Iowa have all legalized same-sex marriage, Vermont's law will take effect in September, and New York is (hopefully) not far behind.

The bright side of this dark decision comes twofold today. One, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court. A month ago, I wrote a piece for Fox Forum predicting Sotomayor to be the best choice for the position. I argued that she fulfilled Obama's call for change, as her appointment would be a historical one (she'd be the first Latino on the Court), and her experience with community building and pro-socal work is extensive. Further, she was named a U.S. District Court judge by George H.W. Bush in 1992 and elevated to her current seat on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by Bill Clinton, giving her a bi-partisan background. She's a liberal judge, but Obama claims that she will "interpret" laws rather than make them.
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Michelle Obama's Outfit: What Was She Wearing At The Inauguration?

Posted 1/20/09 1:30 pm EST by in inauguration, Obama

While most people were talking about Barack Obama's historic inauguration, every fashionista was asking just what the first lady, Michelle Obama, was wearing at the inauguration.

According to New York magazine's blog, Michelle chose a yellow dress with silver overlay, some embellishment on the neckline and matching jacket. The designer is Isabel Toledo. The dress, a throwback to the retro fashion that made women clamor to look like Jackie Kennedy, was paired with Glacier pumps by Jimmy Choo and matching yellow scarf.


Michelle Obama

Toledo told the New York Times that the coat and dress were made of Swiss wool lace, backed with netting for warmth and lined in French silk. "I wanted to pick a very optimistic color, that had sunshine," she said. "I wanted her to feel charmed, and in that way would charm everybody."

The look was simple, sophisticated and appropriate for such a momentous occasion. With her hair down and just a pair of earrings to go with the outfit, Michelle's look did not overpower this important day for her husband, who wore a simple black suit and a red tie.
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What Will Michelle Obama Wear On Inauguration Night?

Posted 1/16/09 3:52 pm EST by in Fashion, inauguration, Obama

Michelle Obama

Sure, President-elect Barack Obama may know what he's going to wear on inauguration night, but the big question on everyone's mind is what will his fashionista wife Michelle Obama be wearing?

Of course, many have compared our next first lady to the most famous of fashionista first ladies, Jackie O, so designers are clamoring to get their designs on her. Here, we've rounded up some possible choices for the big night, thanks to Women's Wear Daily:

1. Michael Kors, who is known for his classic American style, has imagined a belted, one-shoulder, royal-blue gown for the future first lady. It is both glamorous and simple, a winning combination for a night like the inauguration.

2. Diane Von Furstenberg confirmed that she submitted some sketches to Michelle. In one sketch, we see the dress as a reimagining of her famous wrap dress: long, straight and white with a big bow at the waist.
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