These are some newish photos of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore on their Valentine’s holiday in St. Barts this weekend, plus some photos of Ashton solo in London and Paris last week. In the St. Barts pics, they both look kind of homely, in my opinion, but they’re on vacation and they’re still celebrating their love, so God bless. I think Ashton has been promoting No Strings Attached internationally while Natalie Portman’s bitchface stays stateside, which explains why there are so many Ashton-only interviews floating around. Apparently, while Ashton was in London, he did a radio interview with the BBC, and he got questions about his attendance at the SuperBowl, where he sat in the luxury VIP suite right behind President Bush and Laura Bush. You can see video of it here (and I’ve screen capped it below) – Ashton was spotted in the same video with Cameron Diaz hand-feeding Alex Rodriguez. When Ashton got a question about his proximity to Bush, Ashton whined about how Bush was rude to him:

Punk’d? Ashton Kutcher was spotted sitting right behind former President George W. Bush in a luxury suite at last week’s Super Bowl, but it turns out the two weren’t exactly sharing a bowl of dip and a bucket of hot wings.

Talking to BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills on Thursday, Kutcher said he got a rude reaction from the former President.

“I don’t think he’s very happy with me,” he said. “He just was not very nice to me. He just kind of snubbed me a little bit.”

But why the cold shoulder?

“I think I said some mean things [about Bush] during the election. I feel like he probably doesn’t like me very much.”

In fact, Kutcher campaigned for the Democratic Kerry/Edwards ticket in 2004 in what he called an effort to make up for his vote for Bush in the 2000 election.

“I voted for him because I thought he was like me,” Kutcher told a late October crowd in Iowa. “I thought he was a good old boy like me… [he's] not going to fool me again. I’m here to take responsibility for my mistakes.”

Kutcher and wife Demi Moore endorsed then-candidate Barack Obama for President in 2008, and in 2009 Kutcher helped The White House spread the word about National HIV Testing Day over Twitter. Kutcher and Moore have also involved themselves with former President Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative, battling modern slavery.

[From HuffPo]

Wow, Ashton voted for Bush in 2000? That’s surprising. That’s the most interesting part of this story. As for whether or not Bush “snubbed” Ashton – while I’m not one to give Bush credit for anything, I think it’s more likely than not that Bush simply didn’t know who Ashton was. It’s not like Dubya is some noted That 70s Show fanatic. It’s not like Bush is at all interested in pop culture. Dubya probably just thought Ashton was some random dude. That being said, I love that Ashton thinks he’s so important that a former president would know all of these details about his political involvements.

Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.

Last week, one of the biggest stories ended up being about Kanye West, George W. Bush, and a little incident that occurred more than five years ago. It seems that when Kanye West declared “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during the Hurricane Katrina telethon back in 2005, it was Bush’s “all-time low”. Yes, Bush thought Kanye calling him a “racist” was the worst moment of his presidency. Hours after that revelation, Kanye responded in an atypically gracious way, telling a radio deejay that he is now sorry he said what he said, and that now he knows it was a “lack of compassion” that lead to him tearing Bush down. And now, the follow-up. Bush sat down for yet another exclusive with Matt Lauer this morning on the Today Show, and Bush explained how he and Kanye are now buds and that he (Bush) is “not a hater.”

George Bush says he and Kanye West have patched things up. After Bush, 64, bashed West, 33, in his new book for once calling him a racist, he said on the Today Show Wednesday that he has “absolutely” forgiven the rapper.

West “stopped by to see me yesterday,” Bush said. “He seems to have changed his tone rather dramatically.”

West famously declared on the 2005 televised Concert for Hurricane Relief, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” blaming him for the reason that America helps “the less well-off as slow as possible.”

When Today’s Matt Lauer showed Bush a tape of West’s rant, Bush said, “I appreciate that. It wasn’t just Kanye West who was talking like that during Katrina. I cited him as an example. I cited others as well. I appreciate that.”

But he stressed that they have both moved on.

“I’m not a hater,” the former president said. “I didn’t hate Kanye West. I was talking about an environment in which people were saying things that hurt. Nobody wants to be called racist if, in your heart, you believe in equality of race.”

[From Us Weekly]

So now it’s over. And Bush and Kanye can be buds now. You know what’s remarkable? I actually think Kanye apologized to Bush, and that he meant it, and I think Bush probably also truly “forgave” Kanye. They probably are buddies now.

Funny story though – Kanye now is a Matt Lauer hater. Kanye ranted about Lauer for a half an hour this morning – go to Kanye’s Twitter for the whole thing, here’s a portion:

Ugh. I can’t even with Kanye this morning. This is just an FYI: Matt Lauer is officially a HATER.

One last thing – did everybody see this? Bush really wanted to endorse Obama, but he only endorsed McCain because he “had to”. UPDATE: Bush denied this. Well, his spokesman denied that he would have endorsed anyone but McCain, but he didn’t deny that he told British journalists that he would have endorsed Obama.

Earlier today, we brought you President George W. Bush’s pop culture moment of Zen, his complaint that Kanye West’s “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” moment during a 2005 Katrina telethon was his (Bush’s) “all time low”. Bush’s reasoning is that Kanye was calling him a racist, but it was certainly interesting to hear Bush describe THAT moment as “one of the most disgusting moments” of his presidency.

So I’ve been waiting all day to see Kanye West’s response to Bush. In emails to CB, I’ve been CHANNELING KANYE IN PREPARATION. I’ve been checking in on Kanye’s Twitter. Nothing! Well, there was “Never put me in a box” but I thought Kanye was talking about vagina, not B/bush. As it turns out, though, Kanye has responded – he called into a Texas radio station for a pre-scheduled interview, and he got the question about Bush. Kanye’s response was… shockingly gracious. Sorry, SHOCKINGLY GRACIOUS.

Kanye West has responded to former president George W. Bush’s recent statement regarding his controversial post-Hurricane Katrina remarks. West’s surprising reply: Now that five years have gone by, he can sympathize more with the man he once said “doesn’t care about black people.”

Bush recently told Matt Lauer that hearing West say those words during a Hurricane Katrina benefit telethon was “a disgusting moment.” He recalled telling his wife at the time that West’s comments were in fact the single worst moment of his presidency. Today, an interviewer from a Houston radio station asked West for his thoughts on the matter.

“I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me, where I got accused of being a racist,” West replied, referring to the aftermath of his run-in with Taylor Swift last fall. “For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. With him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing, him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. For me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, I think we’re all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I’m more open, and the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went [through] — and now I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level.”

[From Entertainment Weekly]

The interview clip is online, so you can hear Kanye too – he sounds… nice. Thoughtful. Isn’t it weird that in this mini-battle of a former president and an egotistical pop/hip-hop star, Kanye is the one who has grown up and changed for the better? That Kanye is the one who seems to put in some (not all, but SOME) of the work of becoming a better and a bigger man? Am I saying that Kanye will never do anything douchey and stupid every again? Of course not. Just that he made a smart move this one time. TEAM KANYE.

Do I have real, actual gossip to cover? Sure. Is it difficult to concentrate this morning because I’m still checking on individual congressional races? Sure. But this site is about celebrities, and so I won’t be discussing Rand Paul or Harry Reid or John Boehner. Instead, we’re going to talk about Kanye West. Is it weird and funny that this Kanye West gossip comes from George W. Bush, former two-term Republican president? Yep.

Okay, so… does everyone remember Hurricane Katrina? Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and thousands of Gulf residents were left homeless, and the local, state and federal governments all dropped the ball and failed to properly give basic support to many areas, notably the city of New Orleans? Shortly after Katrina, Hollywood organized a telethon to raise money for charities supporting Gulf residents. At one moment during the telethon, Mike Meyers and Kanye West stood together to offer yet another short speech, likely about some specific Gulf residents who struggled in the storm. Instead of following the script, Kanye went off in an emotional speech and blurted out “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Here’s the video:

F-ck, I forgot how funny the reaction shots were. The look on Mike Meyers’ face is priceless, and the cut to Chris Tucker is GENIUS.

Anyway, George W. Bush has written a memoir, as nearly every former president does. In the book, he describes this moment, this KANYE MOMENT as “one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency” and “an all time low.” Pres. Bush and Matt Lauer discussed the incident in a new interview, and Gawker has the transcript:

MATT LAUER:
About a week after the storm hit NBC aired a telethon asking for help for the victims of Katrina. We had celebrities coming in to ask for money. And I remember it vividly because I hosted it. And at one part of the evening I introduced Kanye West. Were you watching?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Nope.
MATT LAUER:
You remember what he said?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yes, I do. He called me a racist.
MATT LAUER:
Well, what he said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
That’s – “he’s a racist.” And I didn’t appreciate it then. I don’t appreciate it now. It’s one thing to say, “I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.” It’s another thing to say, “This man’s a racist.” I resent it, it’s not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency.
MATT LAUER:
This from the book. “Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust.” You go on. “I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn’t like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all time low.”
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt ‘em when I heard ‘em, felt ‘em when I wrote ‘em and I felt ‘em when I’m listening to ‘em.
MATT LAUER:
You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And– it was a disgusting moment.
MATT LAUER:
I wonder if some people are going to read that, now that you’ve written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this–
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Don’t care.
MATT LAUER:
Well, here’s the reason. You’re not saying that the worst moment in your Presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You’re saying it was when someone insulted you because of that.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
No – that– and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There’s a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.

[From Gawker]

OH NOES. KANYE WILL NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

But seriously, Mr. President? You’re going to say Kanye was “the worst”? For real?!?

In case you ever wondered if former president George W. Bush had any deep thoughts on literature, here’s the answer to your question: he took it very, very literally. Apparently there’s no room for fantasy in the former president’s view, especially when it comes to children’s lit. Former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer revealed that the president refused to give Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her books “encouraged” witchcraft. The same argument given by close minded pro-censorship folks everywhere.

Noted Muggle/compassionate conservative George W. Bush was apparently a devout Harry Potter hater.

The former commander in chief wasn’t about to honor J.K. Rowling, the talent behind the book series, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom…and for quite the logical reason.

“People in the White House…actually object[ed] to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft,” writes former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer in his book, Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor.

That’s right. Good ol’ Dubya and his administration dissed the mega-selling British author, refusing to let her join the ranks of James A. Michener, Harper Lee and John Steinbeck. (Guess he figured the Secret Service could handle any Avada Kedavra curse flung his way.)

Bush distributed 81 medals during his time in office, mostly to war-related allies.

[From E! Online]

While I am not personally a reader of the Harry Potter books, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: anything that gets kids that excited about reading is a great and wonderful thing. Most kids read here and there because they have to for school. But the Harry Potter books don’t encourage witchcraft so much as they encourage a lifetime love of reading. The kind of love that gets devotees to stand in line for hours to get their hands on a book. How often do kids really do that sort of thing anymore? Sure, they’ll stand in line for hours to get their hands on the hottest video game or newest pair of “it” shoes.

How great is it that there’s a writer so inventive that she’s brought back an extreme devotion to reading – against all odds. Kids have so many other things to keep them entertained and over stimulated. It’s so close-minded and ignorant to say that J.K. Rowling wasn’t deserving of the medal of freedom because her books talked about magic. It’s fantasy. Would the former president refuse to let children watch a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat if he were given the option? Because Harry Potter has about that much reality. It’s fun and entertaining, and should be honored for it.

Shortly after Will Ferrell left Saturday Night Live, and a several months after the Iraq War started, I read an interview with Ferrell that has always stuck with me. Ferrell was taking about how much he missed SNL and being able to spoof the president on a weekly basis. He then recalled Bush’s famous “Mission Accomplished” speech, where Bush was wearing that flight suit, the incident only a few months old at the time. Ferrell said (and I’m paraphrasing), “I thought, that’s it! From here on out, every time anyone does an impression of Bush, he should wear the flight suit and stand under a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner. Bush going out to eat, in the flight suit. Bush standing in the Oval Office, in the flight suit.”

To say that Ferrell has genius-level comedy instincts is an understatement. Now it seems that Ferrell is going to play perhaps his greatest character one last time. Will Ferrell will be playing George W. Bush in “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush”, a Broadway show that plays February through March. The stage show will also air on HBO.

Will Ferrell, the man who invented “strategery” and other Bushisms, is taking his spoofs of the 43rd president to Broadway and HBO.

The “Saturday Night Live” veteran will star in “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush” at New York’s Cort Theater, with previews in line for Inauguration Day.

The show will take a chronological look at Bush’s life — from his college days and time as the governor of Texas to the 2000 race for president and his two terms in office. Ferrell, who poked fun at the president with his successful impersonations on “SNL,” told CNN he likes that Bush “never thinks he’s wrong.”

“He’s arrogant with a school-boy attitude, and combine that with the fact that he is commander in chief — and, unfortunately, it’s very funny.”

He says viewers should “expect the unexpected” from the show — and some goofy nicknames, something Bush is known to dole out to members of his administration. The show will premiere on February 5 and run through March 15. HBO has also picked up the show, to air live on an undetermined date.

[From CNN]
`
Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush was and is a thing of beauty – he’s the only comedian to really give the “character” of Bush the needed pathos, snark, silliness and oblivion. I was happily surprised when Ferrell returned on one of the Thursday night SNL mini-episodes, before the presidential election, to play Bush to Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin. I tend to think that Ferrell should have done this show a few months ago, but perhaps the timing is apt. By February, President Obama will be in office, but Bush’s legacy will still be affecting the world for decades to come.

Photo credit: PRPhotos

Laura Bush is like the Sphinx of the Bush Administration. No amount of good or bad news affects her, or her sky-high approval ratings. She’s calm and collected in the face of tragedy, a dutiful and loyal partner to the outgoing president. Through her eight-year tenure as First Lady, she carefully picked the issues that she worked on and spoke out about. Her most prominent issues included Afghan women’s rights, literacy, Burmese civil rights and her husband’s increased funding for health projects in Africa.

Several months ago, the rumor was that Laura Bush was offered a multi-million dollar book deal, but details were sketchy, and Mrs. Bush never confirmed anything. With two weeks left in office, though, Mrs. Bush has finally confirmed the deal. She will write her memoir for an undisclosed amount thought to be in the multi-millions, and it will most likely be published in 2010.

U.S. first lady Laura Bush has agreed to publish her memoirs with Scribner, the publisher said on Monday, giving the normally soft-spoken former librarian a chance to offer her views on the Bush presidency.

The book is expected to be published in 2010, said Scribner, an imprint of publishing giant Simon & Shuster, itself part of CBS Corp. Scribner said it would offer “an intimate account of Laura Bush’s life experiences, including eight years in the White House.”

The publisher did not reveal terms of the deal, though publishing experts have said she could command a multimillion dollar advance. Susan Moldow, Scribner’s executive vice president and publisher, negotiated the agreement with Washington lawyer Robert Barnett, Scribner said. Barnett is known for brokering publishing and media deals for heavyweight politicians including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and President George W. Bush’s former aide Karl Rove.

Laura Bush said in a statement through Scribner she would “tell the stories of the extraordinary events and people I’ve met in my life, particularly during my years in the White House.”

From Reuters

I have no doubt that Mrs. Bush’s memoir will be one of many from this administration attempting to salvage President Bush’s legacy, but I still think it will be an interesting read. Mrs. Bush, a former librarian, is something of a elite reader, citing Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov as her favorite book. (The book has a torture scene, by the way). I’d be willing to bet this is one memoir that won’t be ghost-written.

What’s sort of funny (to me) is two things: first, notice how no one is offering George W. Bush any amount of money to write his memoirs. No comment on that. Second, Laura Bush already has a sort-of ghost-written, fictionalized account of her life – Curtis Sittenfeld’s The American Wife is a bestseller, and Sittenfeld has openly stated that she based her book almost completely on the life of Laura Bush. We’ll see if Mrs. Bush’s take is any better.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Laura Bush and George Bush are shown outside returning to the White House from their vacation on 1/1/09. They are also shown on 12/19/08 unveiling their official portraits at the Smithsonian. Credit: WENN. My acting coach in high school told me never to cross my legs away from someone if I wanted to make it look like I had affection for them.

Don King knows boxing. As the promoter of most of the top level professional boxing matches in Las Vegas, King has witnessed some of the best in the business not only hit like a pro, but duck like one, too. When King saw the President’s reflexes in ducking that flying shoe, King undoubtedly saw dollar signs light up in front of his eyes.

The boxing guru was so impressed with Bush’s shoe evasion tactics over the weekend, that he gave a statement to TMZ saying, “Bush has unbelievable reflexes … he can stick and move like a boxer!”

King, who is currently in the middle of a huge charity event in Florida, even came up with a trademark rhyme — calling the duck-and-move, “Aggression but with protection.”

[From TMZ.com]

You know Don King is readying a presentation for January 21st to deliver to Bush to try to get him in the ring. He could hype it it as a big charity event like Michael Lohan did. Offering the opportunity to get in the ring with George Bush would raise millions… hell, it may even finance the recent bailouts. Nations would pool together to pony up the money to put someone in the ring with W. It would be epic.

Of course this will never happen. It’s just fun to consider the possibilities.

George Bush is shown making a speech on 3/14/08. Don King is shown at the Angel Ball on 10/29/07. Credit: PRPhotos.

There’s a lot of buzz over this clip of President Bush going down the line of world leaders at the G20 Summit and not shaking anyone’s hand or being offered a hand to shake. Many people note that this video is misleading because he had already met with everyone earlier in the day and shook all their hands and that’s why he’s just kind of walking by, head down. One commenter on Huffington Post calls it “diplomatic protocol” and another says “But this is clearly not about being shunned by global leaders as he had previously met with each for a ceremonial hand-shake photo-op.” Others say it really looks like there’s a coordinated effort not to shake his hand and note that no one really looks him in the eye.

One of the most accurate comments may be this one:
“It makes sense that nobody is shaking his hand because they had seen each other previously, while some of the others had not seen one another. HOWEVER, the fact remains that they are still ignoring him. Other people would still chat or smile or laugh or toss off an aside. Not here. He is pretty much the invisible man.”

To me it looks like he’s trying to avoid shaking anyone’s hand for whatever reason, probably because he already met them all, and that toward the end of the line the other important people pick up on it. Once he starts looking up they figure he’s not into shaking hands and don’t offer one. It’s not like Bush put his hand out and got ignored, but there’s definitely some tension in the rarefied air.

The National Enquirer has a new story this week that seems like speculation about how Laura Bush’s new memoir may be a tell-all about her husband’s problems. They say she’s going to dish about how Bush started drinking again after 9/11. They also claim that Laura thought Bush had something going on with Condoleezza Rice at one point, though, so their source is a bit suspect.

President elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle visited current President George Bush and his wife Laura at the White House yesterday. Thousands of people waited at the gates of the President’s mansion to welcome Obama, who will take office on January 20.

Laura Bush gave Michelle a tour of the living quarters in the 132 room mansion, which is six stories and includes 35 bathrooms, and introduced her to the staff. Mrs. Bush told Entertainment Tonight that there is a lovely connected suite of two bedrooms which would be perfect for the first daughters, Sasha and Malia. Michelle has spoken positively of Laura Bush in the past and it is thought that the current and future first ladies would get along well.

Their husbands, on the other hand, have an understandable political rivalry and people thought there might be some awkward small talk involved in their meeting. According to Obama’s spokesperson they discussed the economy and foreign policy.

President Bush called Obama to congratulate him when it was known he was the victor on election night, and said in that oddly phrased way of his “What an awesome night for you, your family, and your supporters. Laura and I called to congratulate you and your good bride.”

Obama’s good bride Michelle said she would ask her mother, Michelle Robinson, to come with her family to the White House in January to help her granddaughters ease into their new lifestyle. The first grandmother is still deciding whether to take her up on the offer. As the Telegraph mentions in the quoted text below, it would be the first time that three generations have lived together in the White House.

There is also speculation over where Sasha and Malia will go to school and what kind of dog they’ll adopt as a pet. Their dad famously promised them a puppy, but said in a press conference on Friday when asked about it that the dog needs to be hypoallergenic because 10 year-old Malia has allergies, and they are also interested in a rescue dog. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, says that Obama’s quest for a hypoallergenic dog gives the wrong impression to the public because there is no such thing and even hairless dogs trigger allergies to some extent.

When the Obamas do finally move into the White House in January, they will be determined to take their normal family life with them – and that includes Michelle Obama’s mother, who has reluctantly agreed to leave her home on Chicago’s South Side and move to Washington. The nation’s new First Granny is Marian Robinson, 71, who regularly looked after Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, while their parents were campaigning. Remarkably, the Obamas have never had a paid nanny.
It is the first time in living memory that three generations of a presidential family have all moved to Washington, although Mrs Robinson has not yet decided whether to take rooms in the White House or live nearby. Mrs Obama “begged” her mother to come with them. “The girls are going to need her, as part of their sense of stability,” she told Newsweek. “And what is true for my mom is that she does anything for us and her grandkids.”

Concerns for the children’s transition are uppermost in Mrs Obama’s mind. She has already called Hillary Clinton – not just for advice on her new role but also on the challenges of bringing up children in the glare of the media spotlight. As President-Elect, Barack Obama continues to drive his girls to school, but once they get to Washington they will never travel anywhere without a secret service guard of at least five.

Sasha and Malia are currently students at the exclusive Chicago University Lab schools. Despite their liberal politics, the Obamas are expected to opt for another private establishment in Washington. The three under consideration are believed to be Georgetown Day School, Maret School and Sidwell Friends School, the Clintons’ choice for Chelsea. Wherever they go Sasha and Malia will have to get used to constant supervision. Jackie Kennedy was so concerned about Caroline going out to school that she brought other children in and installed a classroom in the White House.

Lack of freedom is something the family will increasingly have to get used to. Susan Ford, daughter of Gerald and Betty, said the trouble with the place was that you could never do anything for yourself. Drop a sweater and more than one staff member would fight you to pick it up. Gone are the days, it would seem, when arguments about leaving out the butter are heard in the Obama household. Gone, too, are the pleading requests from the girls to have a dog.

[From Telegraph.co.uk]

Do you remember when Obama reluctantly stepped forward with his mother in law after his victory rally at Grant Park? Joe Biden presented his 90 year-old mother and it was like Barack was obligated to show his mother in law. Obama is totally unflappable but I bet you that his MIL gets on his nerves. Not all husbands would willingly live with their MIL, but the White House is huge enough that it doesn’t seem like something Obama will need to worry about much if it does happen.

Photos are courtesy of Whitehouse.gov and were taken by Joyce N. Boghosian (Michelle Obama and Laura Bush seated), Chris Greenberg (header photo above), and Eric Draper (all other photos)