It’s no secret that military life is tough, and sometimes it feels even harder on the families of deployed and mobilized soldiers than on the enlisted members themselves. Even though we live in a highly technological age, a lot of these services aren’t available for the military; for example, one of my friends just shipped out in Japan on the USS George Washington (CVN-73), and he told me that even Facebook is blocked on board the vessel. This is not to mention the fact that video casting services like Skype also present many difficulties as well. Of course, the Navy has banned these services for security purposes, but it creates a highly frustrating process for soldiers to make any sort of contact with those they leave behind as they serve our country.

As such, the Nickelodeon show “iCarly” (which focuses upon a teenage girl and her friends, who star in their own web-cast series) has filmed an episode about families trying to reach out their loved ones as they serve abroad, and First Lady Michelle Obama makes a guest appearance:

Michelle Obama has gone from the White House to Nickelodeon. The First Lady will appear as very special guest star on the hit Nick show, “iCarly.”

According to E! Online, Obama dropped by the set Monday to film her guest spot, which she hopes will shed light on Joining Forces, a program dedicated to helping and honoring U.S. military families.

The episode revolves around Carly (played by Miranda Cosgrove) who breaks some rules in an attempt to set up a video chat with her dad, who is serving overseas. The First Lady, playing herself, hears about Carly’s attempts and drops by to talk about how important it is for families and soldiers overseas to connect.

[Popeater]

In slightly related news, Mrs. Obama has also made a handful of recent apperances on the Disney Channel for a PSA series called “Magic of Healthy Living.” Here’s one of the episodes in which she interacts with some of the Disney’s teen stars to teach them about healthy food portion sizes. It’s great that Michelle Obama is taking so much time out of her schedule to target tween-related issues, and it’s especially beneficial that she’s placing great emphasis (with the “iCarly” appearance) upon military familes because so many of us are still in the process of missing our own soldiers. The “iCarly” episode won’t air until next January, but here’s a behind the scenes clip:

“iCarly” still courtesy of TeenStarsWorld and Nickelodeon

Oooooooooooh!!!! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Waity Katy) met the Obamas TODAY, at Buckingham Palace. These are the first photos of Kate and Will since their honeymoon. If possible, Kate looks even THINNER? Did she eat anything on the honeymoon? Good Lord. Anyway, William and Kate couldn’t be bothered to invite the Obamas to their wedding, so this is the first time the Obamas and the Cambridges (meh on that name) are meeting all together. I like that the president and William are the same height – they’re both super-tall dudes. And I don’t like how twig-like Kate looks standing next to FLOTUS. Look at her! (UPDATE: More photos at the end of the post!)

Newlyweds William and Kate greeted the Obamas in the grand 1844 room of Buckingham Palace at the start of the US state visit to the UK. It was the first time Kate had undertaken a role as a member of the royal family since her wedding. There were no television cameras nor reporters in the room for the meeting.

A Clarence House spokeswoman said the couples spent around 20 minutes together, chatting informally.

William and Kate returned from their romantic honeymoon in the Seychelles at the weekend and made a special trip to the Palace to see the President and Mrs Obama. The American leader and his wife did not attend the couple’s recent wedding but the state visit has been seen by form of sweetener instead.

Mr Obama told how his country was fascinated by the Westminster Abbey service when he met the Duke’s father, the Prince of Wales, at the White House in Washington a few weeks ago.

William and Kate will be visiting the US during their first overseas tour as a married couple, which begins at the end of next month. The Obamas met the royal couple shortly after arriving at the Palace ahead of the formal ceremonial welcome in the gardens.

Kate, looking slim and tanned after her honeymoon, was pictured deep in conversation with Michelle Obama. Dressed in a pale coffee-coloured cap sleeved knee length dress, she held a black clutch bag as she chatted to the First Lady.

William, in a dark suit with a handkerchief in his pocket, gestured with his hands as he talked with President Obama.

[From The Telegraph]

Us Weekly says that before meeting the Cambridges, the Queen arranged a private tour of Buckingham Palace for the Obamas, and the Queen also arranged a 41-gun salute by the Scots Guards, as well as a performance of The Star Spangled Banner. Nice. I think the Queen really likes the Obamas. Michelle especially, considering the two women had a touchy-feely moment during Michelle’s first trip to England.

The Obamas came to London after a brief stopover in Moneygall, Ireland, which is where President Obama became Barry O’Bama, the Irishman. He drank Guinness at a pub and he probably danced a jig.

UPDATE: Here are some additional photos of Waity & FLOTUS.

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame/Buckingham Palace.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are profiled in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar. I have no idea what’s going on with them – they rarely do press, but Mary-Kate is the cover girl for Marie-Claire, and now this? Did they get a new publicist? Is this a new era in their press relations? I don’t know. Anyway, the whole Harper’s piece is pretty good, albeit somewhat short. The Olsens are basically promoting their line, The Row. My favorite quote is from Ashley: “I’d love to get Michelle Obama in the Row. The simple suits and things. It’s all made in America, so why not?” Michelle should be wearing The Row. I wonder why she’s not?

Walk into the Row’s studio in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood and you will see no clothes. Sure, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, designers of the Row, have been credited as key to what those of short memory call “new minimalism,” but this is a little method.

“Oh, man, the clothes are gone,” sighs Mary-Kate, looking fine in a vintage red-and-black-spotted Yves Saint Laurent blouse, jeans, and skyscraper heels. “They’re off in sales,” explains Ashley, on brand in a slouchy Row sweatshirt, pant-skirt, and flat sandals.

That’s what happens when everyone wants what you’re selling. After 24 years of growing up in front of the American public, Mary-Kate and Ashley now occupy a desirable, influential position in the fashion world. After only three years in business, the Row, born with a luxury T-shirt, sits next to Rick Owens, Lanvin, and Azzedine Alaïa in the world’s best retailers.

But this success didn’t come by accident or through money or connections. “We work,” the two stress almost simultaneously (six days a week, commonly). It’s a knee-jerk defense bred from years of intrusive pictures and tabloid gossip insinuating they did anything but. “Remember that crazy time when all of us young girls were being followed?” Ashley says. The two were like hunted animals, their only defense a venti Starbucks. Now that they have both moved to New York full-time, oddly, we see them less. “We’re either at home or here at the studio,” Mary-Kate notes. “I think they got bored of us.”

While you might guess that the Olsens’ sartorial preference—a long, covered-up look—might come from a desire not to be seen, you’d be wrong. Mary-Kate explains, “We’ve always been attracted to longer—” “Layers, silhouettes,” Ashley says, finishing her sentence.

“When we were growing up, our mother taught us never to have your belly button exposed,” Mary-Kate adds. This low-key, tempered sensuality is the spine of their collection. The Row lady doesn’t need to put it all out there because she has something going on “in here.”

This mood was reflected in the Olsens’ Fall 2010 presentation, just 19 looks in a simple palette, worn with the same summery flat: a black wrap coat, a precise white shift dress, a languid jumpsuit—all the pieces girls want but have a devil of a time actually finding. Resort had a similar quiet confidence, each look paired with vintage Prada loafers. Both Olsens are huge Prada fans.

“Miuccia’s spin always has a sense of humor, which I love,” Ashley says. “Céline’s quite amazing too,” adds Mary-Kate.

Though the two don’t fantasize about giving anyone a “Row-over,” they would like to dress the first lady. “I’d love to get Michelle Obama in the Row,” Ashley says. “The simple suits and things. It’s all made in America, so why not?”

But the two chalk up their first success to Lauren Hutton, whom both are “obsessed with” and who was shot for Forbes in 2007 “on a motorcycle in our leather leggings. I think there’s nothing chicer than that,” says Ashley. The Olsens have in fact already appeared in Forbes—the first time as kids. Toddler titans? “Nah,” says Ashley, giggling. “The Most Powerful Crawlers.”

So, newly 24, newly East Coast, but always in control, Mary-Kate and Ashley are, yes, getting their ducks in a row. And 24, the age when you can take New York by storm, is the perfect time to do it. “Ah, but,” says Mary-Kate, looking at Ashley with an old-soul smile, “we’re 48.”

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

I like them so much more now that they’re just doing the fashion thing, honestly. I buy them as legitimate designers with a vision of how a woman should dress. I’m not saying I agree with their vision 100%, although I do think The Row is one of the better houses out there – I’m just saying I buy them as legit designers, right up there with Narciso and Jason Wu and all.

Header photo courtesy of Bazaar.

Here are some new photos of Karl Lagerfeld looking like an ancient grandpa trolling for strange in downtown Miami. What he’s really doing is being driven around with his “muse” Baptiste Giabiconi in Paris. Interesting…

Anyway, in the July issue of Vogue (the one with Marion on the cover), there’s a big article about the Met Gala, which was back in May. It’s hilarious and interesting, mainly for the Lady Gaga and Oprah parts, of which there are too many to even go into. You should buy the mag just for the whole article, just take my word for it. Within the piece, Vogue asks various designers and models and actresses what they think of Oprah (who was the co-chair of the event) and Gaga (who was the headlining performer at the event). When they got around to asking The Kaiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld, his comments were very interesting:

Karl Lagerfeld walks past.

“Oprah and Mrs. Obama are really the American women,” he says. “At least that is the way Europe sees it.”

And where does Lady Gaga fit in?

“I like the idea that they are so different. I hate average. And they are certainly not average.”

[From Vogue, July issue, print]

You know what this means, right? We have to throw another piece onto Karl Lagerfeld’s ongoing List of Hate. I can’t even keep up with all of the additions from month to month. He hates children, potato chips, fat mothers, the sun, and so, so, so much more. And now he hates “average”. But he seems to have a strange kind of affection for Oprah. What would you pay to see Lagerfeld interviewed by Oprah? I mean, I can’t even. That would be too golden.

Header: Karl Lagerfeld on June 23, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Last night was only the second formal state dinner of the Obama Administration, and it is the first black-tie event since the somewhat over-played disaster of the first state dinner last fall, in which those dumbass party-crashers became the story. From what I can tell, at last night’s dinner for the Mexican president and first lady (Felipe Calderon and Margarita Zavala), everyone behaved themselves, there were no crashers and nobody got invaded.

But this is about fashion! I love love love Michelle Obama’s gorgeous Peter Soronen gown. She’s worn Soronen before, and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorites of Michelle’s favorites. Michelle is showing off her arms again, of course. And even though I’m not a general fan of the whole one-strap/one-shoulder thing, the cut of the neckline and strap compliments Michelle’s shoulders and bust, so it works on her. I’m sure there will be those who talk about the hint of cleavage – I like it, it’s sexy. She doesn’t have her boobs on a platter, she just offering the barest hint of cleavage and it’s not trashy in the least. I’m also loving Michelle’s hair for the event. In the South, we call that “having your hair twitched.” Sure, her hair looks (over) worked. But the effect is dazzling, and it softens her so much. And oh yeah, the President looks great in black tie. They really do make such an attractive (and tall) couple.

By the way, what in the Walmart nightgown hell was the Mexican First Lady wearing? That dress looks like A) cotton jersey B) budget C) horribly cut D) all of the above. Fashion fail, Margarita Zavala.

Michelle & Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala at the White House on May 19, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Last April, Oscar de la Renta made some comments about Michelle Obama that many (including me) found very bitchy and snotty. Speaking to WWD, de la Renta basically claimed that it the First Lady’s duty to wear established America designers and established fashion houses because “American fashion right now is struggling.” He said that wearing young, unknown designers (at the time) like Jason Wu was not “the right message at this particular point….I don’t object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J. Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it’s wrong to go in one direction only.” He also complained about what Michelle wore to meet Queen Elizabeth, saying “You don’t…go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater.’”

So it got intense. And de la Renta got criticized for being so critical of Michelle, and many thought de la Renta was just mad because he had dressed several First Ladies for major events and Michelle had chosen not to wear his stuff for anything, and was instead going with new designers with a fresher, less stuffy approach. He had to backtrack a little, and he later said “I don’t object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J. Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it’s wrong to go in one direction only.” Well guess what? He’s still miffed.

First ladies are “an American phenomenon,” Oscar de Renta told our colleague Robin Givhan. No other country, he said, obsesses about the spouse of its leader or imbues her with such profound meaning. The only reason the French are particularly interested in Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is because she was a model and girlfriend to rock stars, not because they consider her a symbol of their country.

“This country has always been very different about that,” he said. “And it’s a learning process. He was elected president. She wasn’t. But at the same time, there’s an expectation about her that perhaps she was not even ready for.”

So far the only de la Renta that the current first lady has worn has been Moises de la Renta, the designer’s son. That’s in keeping with her tradition of wearing clothes by less-established designers. And that, of course, makes a father proud. But still …

“I’d love to dress Mrs. Obama,” he said.

The designer said he was struck by her style at the Governors Ball in 2009 when she wore a sparkling pewter Peter Soronen gown and Tom Binns necklace. “She looked so fantastic,” he says.

Then he laughs. Kinda sorta. “I was dying of jealousy.”

[From The Washington Post]

I think he still sounds bitchy. Am I being too sensitive this morning? Perhaps. But seriously, “It’s a learning process. He was elected president. She wasn’t. But at the same time, there’s an expectation about her that perhaps she was not even ready for.” Bitch, right? It sounds like de la Renta thinks that every First Lady should wear his clothes because that’s just what is expected of them. If they don’t wear his clothes, they “weren’t ready” for the position. Why doesn’t it occur to him that Michelle Obama is just a young First Lady who wants to celebrate new, young designers as well as affordable ready-to-wear?

A few days ago, The National Enquirer printed a rumor that President Obama had an affair back in 2004 with a staffer on his Senate campaign. At first the Enquirer claimed to have hotel surveillance video that proved that a woman named Vera Baker visited Obama at his hotel. Then they retracted that part and have only the testimony of a limo driver who allegedly drove Baker to the hotel where Obama was staying, as if that claim is even strong enough to suggest an affair. To add more suspicion to this story, there’s a $1 million offer on the table by an anonymous benefactor to anyone who can prove that Obama had an affair. I’m so sure there’s no political agenda there. It’s also kind of a shame that the Enquirer is squandering the good will they earned from uncovering the Edwards affair with poorly sourced stories like this one.

The Obamas are reportedly ok with these rumors, as annoying as they are, because they know that they’re inevitable when you’re a high profile political figure. Compare their alleged response to Hilary Clinton talking about the “vast right wing conspiracy” against her husband. There may have been a conspiracy, but that doesn’t mean her husband wasn’t cheating.

White House insiders tell me Barack and Michelle Obama are less upset by the National Enquirer rehash of an old story about an alleged infidelity by the president than are some of their aides.

”The president and first lady know it’s all bulls—. They know they have a good marriage and fully understand that unfortunately these false stories go with the territory when you live in the White House.”

The Enquirer revisited the long-denied tale about a rumored romance in 2004 between Obama and campaign worker Vera Baker during the president’s run for the U.S. Senate.

[From The Chicago Sun Times]

Given all we’ve heard about cheating men lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama had an affair or multiple affairs. That’s purely based on the bad behavior of other men (and Presidents), though, and not Obama specifically. As it is this is not enough evidence to suggest that this woman even visited the President in his room – even for work purposes. You think that if there’s some dirt on Obama someone would have dug it up by now to use against him.

It looks like Barack and Michelle have a very loving, committed relationship and I don’t think that the President would jeopardize that. You never know, however, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from near constant gossiping it’s that appearances can be deceiving. So can rumors, though, especially when you consider the motivations of the people who start them.

I was going to make a Big Bird joke about the yellow cocktail dress that Jessica wore to the big Correspondents’ dinner in Washington on Saturday, but I can’t. She actually looks really good, in my opinion. The bright yellow kind of works on her. Maybe it’s the blonde hair? Yellow does tend to work better on blondes, in my opinion. Anyway, for some reason Jessica was invited to Washington’s biggest night, and she even told People Magazine about her girl-crush on the First Lady. Jessica actually sounds really sweet here:

Jessica Simpson is a singer, actress and reality star, but now she has a new goal: She wants to be Michelle Obama.

“I really do,” Simpson told PEOPLE before the White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington, D.C., Saturday. “She’s such an incredible woman, and she’s with such a powerful man.”

What does Simpson admire most about the First Lady? “Everything she does she exudes confidence,” says the singer. “I’m really just here to celebrate her.”

Simpson was just one among many celebrities who came out for the annual event and mingled at the packed pre-party. Other starts included Sex and the City star Kristin Davis, Michael Douglas and Bradley Cooper.

“It’s sort of like Oscar night,” mused comedian Bill Maher, who joked: “It’s great to mingle with America’s real intellectual heavyweights. I saw the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Jessica Simpson, Ryan Seacrest – I can’t wait to talk politics.”

Despite all the bold-faced names, the most mobbed star of the evening was teen heartthrob Bieber. “Look at that guy: He’s got more secret service than [President] Obama,” quipped Entourage’s Adrian Grenier.

[From People]

It’s interesting that Jessica had such respect for Michelle Obama, because to my knowledge, the Simpson family is very conservative. I believe Jessica even “endorsed” Pres. Bush, or tried to. And Papa Joe is all about courting the conservative Christians for his daughter’s career, or at least he used to be like that. But Jess is growing up and getting her own ideas about politics, and it’s nice that Michelle Obama is a role model to someone like Jessica, as well as a role model for young women and girls all around the world.

Here are some more photos of Jessica, posing with Quinton Aaron (from The Blind Side) and Gaby Sidibe. I’ve also thrown in a few photos of the First Lady, who looked really pretty, I think:

Header photo: Jessica Simpson in Washington on May 1, 2010. Credit: WENN.

The cast of Glee has been invited to perform at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. First Lady Michelle Obama invited them and EW’s Ausiello reports that Michelle and her daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 8, are big fans.

Being the president’s wife apparently has its perks.

Sources confirm to me exclusively that First Lady Michelle Obama has invited the cast of Glee to perform at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 5 — and, barring any last-minute glitches, they’re gonna do it!

Rumor has it Mrs. O and her daughters are big fans of the show. And since a White House gig is an offer that’s pretty darn hard to refuse, Glee’s producers did some lickety-split schedule rejiggering in order to honor the request.

All in all, not a bad stretch for the Glee club: Glee The Music Volume 1 just debuted at No. 1 on the UK album charts, ahead of the ubiquitous Lady Gaga!

What do you think, folks? Do you already have your trip to D.C. booked? Are you salivating at the prospect of a Puck/Michelle Obama photo op? Sound off below!

[From EW]

The Jonas Brothers must have been busy. The Glee cast has been tweeting about how excited they are to perform for the President, and E! Online has a recap if you’re interested. I’ve been seeing ads for the new season of Glee on Fox and it’s like a big tease because the show doesn’t come back until April 13. All the ads do is remind me that it’s tax season.

Meanwhile there’s speculation that Michelle Obama is “too sexy” for a first lady. I think she does casual and semi-dressy well with grace and a modern twist. Sometimes her fashion is a little too risky, but she doesn’t cross that line too often and I would call it more contemporary than sexy. Hollywood Life reports that Michelle wore a sleeveless black dress, vampy eyeshadow and her hair slung over her eyes at the Governor’s Ball. I think she looks fabulous! (Photo below)

Michelle Obama sat down with Matt Lauer of the Today Show for an exclusive interview about her first year as first lady. I guess one of the big headlines coming out of the interview is that Michelle says that she’s “not interesting”. She also expresses confusion about why people think Pres. Obama is interesting. I get that she’s trying to be modest and everything, but seriously? Enough, Michelle. This is like some of the dumb stuff she said when she first started campaigning for her husband, back in 2007. Anyway, here are the basics of the interview (video at the bottom), courtesy of MSNBC:

When she moved to the nation’s most prestigious address, Michelle Obama’s husband told her that rough times were ahead. The country was in recession, people were out of work, the political parties were in open warfare — and the man who was going to be blamed for it all was President Barack Obama. But you won’t hear the first lady utter a peep of complaint.

“The truth is, there are a lot of folks who are hurting. And there’s no way I’m going to sit here and complain; I’m sitting in the White House,” Michelle Obama told TODAY’s Matt Lauer during an exclusive, far-ranging White House interview that aired Wednesday.

It’s just over a year since Michelle Obama set up housekeeping at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And while she’s been much in the spotlight during that time, she maintains that she’s still the same person she always was.

“I still see myself as Michelle Obama, the girl who grew up in the South Side of Chicago — Marian and Fraser’s daughter. I’ve got this husband who does these interesting things — and I’m Malia and Sasha’s mother,” she said.

“I approach this position like I approach my life,” the first lady went on. “I try to be as authentically me as I can be, because it’s easier to maintain it. So what people have seen over the course of the year is really Michelle. And I find a level of comfort in that role.”

Juggling challenges
Mrs. Obama has already taken on the cause of addressing the special problems and concerns of military families. Now, she’s launching an initiative that could define her term as first lady. She’s taking on childhood obesity.

“There are the shocking statistics that are there,” Mrs. Obama said. “One in three kids are obese in this nation. And the numbers go up when you’re talking about the African-American and Hispanic communities. The most shocking sort of reality that really hits you is that, because the young generation is on track for the first time in this nation’s history of being less healthy, having a shorter life span than their parents.”

If it seems like a lot for one woman to do, Mrs. Obama said she really has a very manageable schedule that’s built around her daughters.

“Just like many working parents, it’s balance. People may have said I’ve taken on too many issues or what have you, but I usually work two or three days a week, and we try to pack everything into a day,” she explained. “I don’t work on the weekends. I don’t travel on the days that I’m not there.”

She doesn’t start work until the girls leave for school, and she returns to the White House living quarters when her daughters come home in the afternoon. The president joins them for dinner and doesn’t bring his job with him.

Roses and thorns
At the dinner table, the family plays a game called “roses and thorns,” which means each person reports the day’s good events — the roses — and the bad — thorns.

Lauer asked Mrs. Obama what her roses and thorns for the day would be.

“Well, the best thing is always dinnertime, so it hasn’t happened yet,” Mrs. Obama said. “Haven’t had a thorn yet.”

In fact, the first lady’s public perception is rosier than her husband’s. While President Obama’s approval numbers have dropped below 50 percent, Mrs. Obama’s have remained sky-high — around 70 percent.

“You were named to Forbes magazine’s most powerful women list, People magazine’s most beautiful list, Time magazine’s most influential list, and you made Maxim magazine’s list of hottest women,” Lauer told a bemused first lady.

“I didn’t hear that,” she said, laughing at the Maxim pick.

Shades of gray
The year has treated the first lady well, even as it has seemed to age her husband, whose hair is noticeably grayer than it was a year ago. Although Mrs. Obama said she hasn’t noticed that the president has aged, she does remind him about his hair.

“I tease Barack all the time,” she said. “The gray issue is interesting, because his mother, his grandfather, they were all completely gray. So he was going that direction anyway.”

If he’s gotten there a bit quicker, it’s just a reflection of how hard the job is — and the Obamas knew that coming in.

“Hope and change are hard-fought things,” Mrs. Obama said. “Barack warned us about this over the course of the campaign. He talked a lot about hope, but he said that with that comes compromise and sacrifice. And it’s painful, and it takes time. It’s true, and we’re sort of feeling the pain of that.”

“My goal overall is just to be helpful. I mean, fundamentally, I want to look back on this time and feel like I affected somebody’s life because I was here,” she said. “And if that’s kids, it’s wonderful. If I’ve shined the light on our military families, and they feel more appreciated, and the country is more focused on the care that we need to give to them; if people feel more sane in their work and family lives, if we have more kids teaching in schools, and doing national service, and people say that it’s because of me, that’s great.

“I feel blessed and privileged,” she told Lauer. “Our job is to work to ensure that more families feel the security that everyone wants living here in America.”

[From MSNBC]

I’ve noticed Pres. Obama’s grey hair too. It’s more noticeable under certain light, just because he keeps his hair trimmed so short. I remember when Pres. Clinton lost what was left of his brownish hair and just became grey-silver. Personally, I thought Clinton looked (looks) better with the silver, and it’s really not that big of deal in general.

As for the actual interview, I do think Michelle Obama comes across very well, and I think she’s gotten so much better at knowing how and when to “soften” the image of their family, and when to talk straight. Her approval ratings show that – 70% approval is nothing to scoff at, but the numbers will go down if Michelle tries to tackle anything with a whiff of controversy. So far, she’s done the tight-rope act that is the “First Lady” job description very well, in my opinion.

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