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Kellan and Ashley Joke About Robert in SF, Aniston Hits the Stage in NYC, and Twilight Dominates People's Choice Noms!

Molly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:29:32 -0800

Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene popped up to San Francisco yesterday for a fan event where they joked about shaving Robert Pattinson's head and what vampires smell like. They also have reason to celebrate - the Twilight saga dominated today's People's Choice Award nominations. Plus, we have video of Jennifer Aniston at last night's 24 Hour Plays in NYC and Spencer Pratt threatening to get a vasectomy. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

Front Page: Michelle and Jill Have a Night at the Ball Game

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:51 -0700

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden attended game one of the World Series last night, watching the Phillies beat the New York Yankees. - Huffington Post
The US economy grew for the first time in year last quarter, with GDP expanding at an annual rate of 3.5 percent. - New York Times
There's growing speculation that Michael Jackson's This Is It could win an Oscar. - AP
Friends of the girl who was gang raped outside her school's homecoming dance are blasting school officials over lack of safety. - CNN
Kenya will hold a census of its gay population with hopes that the information will boost HIV prevention. Homosexuality is a crime in Kenya, punishable by 14 years in jail. - BBC News

First Lady Offers First Rate Advice

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

For its annual Women of the Year issue, Glamour made Michelle Obama the first First Lady to grace its cover. The issue honors Michelle for her commitment to mentoring young women, and the First Lady shows off these mentoring skills inside the magazine, where she offers readers advice on life and love. Here are some excerpts:

On how it's important to invest in yourself: "I have always tried to put my kids first, and then. . . put myself a really close second, as opposed to fifth or seventh. One thing that I’ve learned from male role models is that they don’t hesitate to invest in themselves."
On what to look for in a partner: "Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul. . . When you’re dating a man, you should always feel good . . . You shouldn’t be in a relationship with somebody who doesn’t make you completely happy and make you feel whole."

Do you think Michelle offers some solid advice?

First Couple Had to Negotiate Their Roles in Marriage

TresSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Last night, President Obama spoke to NBC about how he and Michelle had a discussion about gender roles and marriage once they had kids. He explained:

"Michelle was trying to figure out, OK, if the kids get sick why is it that she's the one who has to take time off of her job to go pick them up from school, as opposed to me? What I tried to do was to learn to be thoughtful enough and introspective enough that I wasn't always having to be told that things were unfair."

Based on the Obamas's visibly happy marriage, and the new study that suggests splitting housework leads to a better sex life, it seems that sharing responsibilities for the family and house can only be a win-win for spouses. Still, the president admits that because she's a woman, Michelle still had to make sacrifices he didn't have to. Have you ever spoken to your partner about expectations based on gender roles?

To see video of the president talking about his relationship with Michelle, read more.

Michelle Obama Action Figure - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Michelle Obama has been turned into an action figure just in time for the holidays! Starting Nov. 20, you can purchase a first lady action figure for the low, low price of $12.99.

Michelle comes in three different sleeveless outfits, but I think my favorite is the Narciso Rodriguez dress she wore on election night. It translates well to plastic.

The White House has "no comment" on the action figures, but what do you think about them?

Should the Media Stay Away From Michelle Obama's Heritage?

TresSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Yesterday, the New York Times ran a piece on Michelle Obama's connection to slavery. Using old public records, fading photos, and recollections of older family members, the New York Times, along with genealogist Megan Smolenyak, uncovered details that fully connect the first lady to the history of slavery for the first time. While the piece was captivating, some worry that it was not appropriate.

The issue of race in America's past and present is undoubtedly a sensitive subject. Many Americans, including African-Americans, want to celebrate the Obamas' path to the White House, and the story about Michelle Obama's slave roots helps shed light on just how far our society has come. In addition, the fact that Michelle's great-great-great-grandfather was white might remind this diverse country that we share a common past. Yet other people feel that the independent piece on her heritage violates her privacy or focuses on her race when the Obamas have made it clear that they want to move past it.

The first lady has declined to comment on the article due to its personal nature. Now that Michelle Obama is first lady, is it fair for the public to take an interest in her genealogy, or was this piece in bad taste?

New York Times Traces First Lady's Slave Roots

TresSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700

The New York Times ran a captivating historical piece today about a six-year-old slave named Melvinia. The paper traces her family's five-generation journey from slavery to modern success.

It's a fascinating American story that just so happens to be part of first lady Michelle Obama's story, too. Using old public records, fading photos, and recollections of older family members, the New York Times, along with genealogist Megan Smolenyak, have uncovered Melvinia's story, which fully connects the first lady to the history of slavery for the first time.

To see an excerpt from the piece, read more.

In 1850, the elderly master of a South Carolina estate took pen in hand and painstakingly divided up his possessions. Among the spinning wheels, scythes, tablecloths and cattle that he bequeathed to his far-flung heirs was a 6-year-old slave girl valued soon afterward at $475. In his will, she is described simply as the “negro girl Melvinia.” After his death, she was torn away from the people and places she knew and shipped to Georgia. While she was still a teenager, a white man would father her first-born son under circumstances lost in the passage of nearly two centuries.

In the annals of American slavery, this painful story would be utterly unremarkable, save for one reason: This union, consummated some two years before the Civil War, marked the origins of a family line that would extend from rural Georgia, to Birmingham, Ala., to Chicago and, finally, to the White House.

Melvinia Shields, the enslaved and illiterate young girl, and the unknown white man who impregnated her are the great-great-great-grandparents of Michelle Obama, the first lady.

To many, Michelle's family story powerfully represents African-American advancement. But her mixed background is also representative of Americans in general, as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explored in his definitive documentary on genealogy called African American Lives. A historian who discovered that he had black relatives when he researched his memoir tells the New York Times: "We’ve all mingled, and we have done so for generations."

Front Page: Barack and Michelle Go For the Gold in Denmark

TresSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:45 -0700

Michelle Obama promises "take no prisoners" when she and Barack go to Denmark Thursday with hopes of nabbing the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. - CNN
The US plans to economically isolate Iran if the country does not allow international inspectors in to examine its nuclear program. - Washington Post
At least 240 people have died in the Philippines as a result of severe flooding. - Wall Street Journal
An overreach by Roman Polanski's lawyer may have been behind the director's arrest. - NY Daily News
Predictably, abortion is complicating the healthcare debate. - New York Times
Things are looking good for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after she won re-election over the weekend. - New York Times

Front Page: Italian Prime Minister Calls Obamas "Suntanned"

TresSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:15 -0700

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi calls Barack and Michelle Obama unbelievably "suntanned" after meeting them at the G20. - The Telegraph
Meanwhile, Barack and Michelle will visit Denmark this week to pitch for Chicago as the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics. - Politico
Dick Cheney's daughter, Liz Cheney, is a rising star in the GOP. - New York Times
Iran test fired long-range missiles today that are capable of reaching countries including Greece, Russia, and Italy. - CNN

Oh Snap! Smile Diplomacy

TresSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:00:26 -0700

First Lady Michelle Obama posed with Indonesia's Kristiani Herawati, France's First Lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy, and other spouses of G20 leaders earlier today. Michelle hosted the spouses at the Creative and Performing Arts School in Pittsburgh, PA.

View 5 Photos ›