andPOP » Barack Obama

Drake Wants to Play Obama in Biopic

Natalia Buia — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:54:54 +0000

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He’s starred in t.v. series, he’s rapped with just about everyone, he’s made a graphic novel and now he wants to play the president in a biopic.

Although he is not American like Barack Obama, he does look a lot like him. When he was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, Drake told reporters he’s eager to play the presidential role.

“I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him,” he said.

“That’s the goal. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions.”

Do you think Drake would make for a good Obama?

Kramer Finds Out There’s A Black President

andPOP Staff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:50:12 +0000

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Infamous clip from the banned Seinfeld episode “Mr. Kramer Goes To Washington”.

Zooey Deschanel Gets Birthday Letter From The President

Natalia Buia — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:10:31 +0000

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Most girls get gifts from their friends and letters from their parents on their birthyday but Zooey Deschanel isn’t like most girls. She gets birthday letters from Barack Obama.

The actress/singer turned 32 yesterday. The First Lady, Michelle Obama also celebrated a birthday yesterday.

The president took the time to send her a special letter, thanking Zooey for all the work she’s done with her website Hello Giggles, that gives girls around the world a platform to be themselves.

The president doesn’t send letters to any one. He sends them to empowering men and women that are making a different in America. The way Zooey encourages young kids to be themselves, no matter how silly or offbeat they are, is truly admirable. Happy belated birthday, Zooey!

Obama Sings Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’

Natalia Buia — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:07:09 +0000

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YouTube user Barackdubs has uploaded footage of Obama on the podium to create the entire delivery of Lady Gaga’s hit anthem “Born This Way”.

Obama doesn’t actually sing but his voice and all the words found in the “Born This Way” lyrics are used. It’s a genius creation that must have taken the YouTube user hours to complete.

Obama and Lady Gaga may never perform together on stage but they have met in person to discuss anti-bullying campaigns for high school across North America.

The Obamas are rubbing with celebrities all over the place. First Lady Michelle Obama is set to appear in an upcoming episode of the kid’s show “iCarly”. She won’t be singing, though.

Check out Obama “singing” in this video below.

Lady Gaga Scared Barack Obama

andPOP Staff — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:11:51 +0000

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Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of gay and lesbian activists about his run-in with Lady Gaga.

Obama said, “I held some productive bilateral talks with your leader. She was wearing 16-inch heels. She was eight feet tall. It was a little intimidating.”

The You And I singer tweeted: “I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it.”

Donald Trump and Jerry Seinfeld Feud over Barack Obama

andPOP Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:22:33 +0000

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Yet another celebrity feud – this time it’s between Donald Trump and Jerry Seinfeld. Donald is pissed that Seinfeld pulled out of a charity event, and he has called him out in an open letter.

According to Page Six, Seinfeld was scheduled to attend a Sept. 13 event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Eric Trump Foundation. However Seinfeld has pulled out over remarks Donald made regarding President Obama.

“I just learned you canceled a show for my son’s charity,” Trump wrote to Seinfeld, “because of the fact that I am being very aggressive with respect to President Obama, who is doing an absolutely terrible job as our leader.”

“We don’t care that you broke your commitment,” he continued, “even though the children of St. Jude are very disappointed, and despite the fact that your manager clearly stated you are ‘truly a man of his word.’”

Adding insult to injury, Trump took a shot at Seinfeld’s NBC show, ‘The Marriage Ref,’ which Trump appeared on last year.

“What I do feel badly about is that I agreed to do, and did, your failed show, ‘The Marriage Ref,’ even though I thought it was absolutely terrible,” Trump wrote. “Despite its poor ratings, I didn’t cancel on you like you canceled on my son and St. Jude. I only wish I did.”

So this feud does have some merit, as it seems to be politically based. However leave it to Donald Trump to make it a childish pissing match. We side with Seinfeld.

Ed Harris to Star as John McCain

Lauren Treihaft — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:45:32 +0000

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We have already reported that Julianne Moore will be starring as Sarah Palin in the upcoming HBO film, based on the best-selling book, Game Change. EW.com, reports that Ed Harris (A History of Violence, Stepmom) has been cast as John McCain.

The film will be a portrayal of the controversial 2008 election. There is no word as to who will be playing Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton but surely they will be well known and possibly Academy Award nominated actors, like Ed Harris.

The film will attempt to truthfully document the politics and publicity surrounding the election. This month HBO’s Mildred Pierce will be released, judging by the quality of the show and its popularity will give a good indication as to what Game Change may be like.

President Barack Obama Sneak Preview on ‘Myth Busters’

andPOP Staff — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:36:21 +0000

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Further evidence that Barack Obama is the coolest President of all time. President Obama will be making an appearance on “Myth Busters,” despite his busy schedule. “I am a big fan of ‘MythBusters.’ I am, and so are the girls,” he tells the hosts in a preview for the upcoming show.

Obama is presenting a challenge to hosts Adam and Jamie to test the myth of Archimedes’ solar ray. Check out the preview below!

President Obama Has Pop Culture Quiz on ‘The View’

andPOP Staff — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:11:45 +0000

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President Barack Obama appeared on “The View” today where he was quizzed on a variety of topics, including pop culture.

Quizzed by Joy Behar in a “lightening” round, Obama was asked if he knew if Lohan is in jail. “I actually know that, yes,” the President responded.

However, Obama is not a fan of “Jersey Shore” it turns out. “Should Snooki run as mayor of Wasilla?” Behar asked. Obama, laughing, responded, “I gotta admit, I don’t know who Snooki is.”

Obama also discussed that he was up to date on the legal problems of Lindsay Lohan, but did not offer any views about Mel Gibson and whether he needs anger management.

“I … I …,” the President stuttered and then joked, “Let me answer the Afghanistan question!” He informed the panel he “hadn’t seen the tapes.”

Barack Obama Coming Back To ABC’s ‘The View’

andPOP Staff — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:08:21 +0000

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Daytime TV will make history on Tuesday with President Barack Obama appearing as a guest on ABC’s “The View.”

PopEater reports this is a landmark event as its the first time a sitting U.S. President has appeared on a daytime talk show. Barbara Walters announced that the topics will include jobs, the economy, the Gulf oil spill and family life inside the White House.

The last time Obama appeared on the show was in March 2008 as a U.S. Senator. Obama will be interviewed by Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd.

Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga Top Time’s 100 Influential People

Angelina Irinici — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:28:45 +0000

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We wait for it all year, and no it’s not Christmas time. But it is Time’s 100 World’s Most Influential People, and this year some of our favorites made the cut.

Hollywood stars Lady Gaga, Conan O’Brien and Kathryn Bigelow were the top three in the artist section and others like Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher and Robert Pattinson closely followed behind. Sandra Bullock, Lea Michele and Marc Jacobs were also on the list.

There were some obvious ones like Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton. Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva topped the leaders list.

Ben Stiller was near the top of the heroes list for his charity StillerStrong.org, to help build schools in Haiti.

So is it fair to put Lady Gaga in a list with Barack Obama? Her fashion sense was only a small part of why the magazine put her on the list. “Lady Gaga’s art captures the period we’re in right now,” they say.

A young 20-year-old Taylor Swift made the list and Stevie Nicks reminded us why. “Taylor is writing for the universal woman and for the man who wants to know her…It’s women like her who are going to save the music business.”

It’s also a time when other celebrities actually have nice things to say about one another. Here are a few other stars weighing in on the list, according to E! Online.

Olivia Newton-John credits Michele with “inspiring young people to get involved in musical programs in schools and encouraging communities to fund them.”

New Moon director Chris Weitz raved about Pattinson, describing him as seeming “to answer Freud’s rhetorical question, ‘What do women want?’ “

Sean “Diddy” Combs was gracious about his friend Kutcher. “Most people use it to promote themselves, but [Ashton] uses Twitter to connect, to strike up conversations, to send positive messages to the millions of people who read his words. This guy will show us the future. And it’s gonna be a blast.”

See the whole list at Time.com

President Barack Obama still likes Jay Leno

andPOP Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:34:29 +0000

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Jay Leno has had it tough over the past month. Not only are audiences rooting against him, his fellow entertainers and late night hosts aren’t backing him. With his popularity at an all time low, the fact that he is emceeing this year’s White House Correspondents Association dinner is kind of strange. Well maybe not completely?

It appears that The White House chose Jay Leno to host the dinner before the NBC debacle got heated. Also Jay is qualified for the job. He has hosted the dinner three times before and you can always depend on him to put on a relatively safe show. So at least Leno has Obama on his team, which maybe not all that bad.

President Obama Has Faith in Tiger Woods

Vanessa Baker — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:12:38 +0000

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United States President Barack Obama said he believes alleged sex addict Tiger Woods can recover from his addiction.

“I don’t want to comment on his personal relationship with his wife and family, but I’m a strong believer that anybody can look within themselves, find their flaws, and fix them,” he said.

Obama Administration Issues New Medical Marijuana Laws

Emma Renda — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:45:10 +0000

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New legislation from the Obama government is urging American prosecutors to crack down on violent marijuana dealing circles, rather than reprimanding those who legally buy and sell the drug.

Fourteen states in America have legalized the selling and smoking of medicinal marijuana, which is where the new policy will be enforced.

According to My Way News, two Justice Department officials say the legislation will encourage prosecutors to avoid wasting their time pursuing people who comply with state laws to provide medical marijuana. However those using medical marijuana to cover other crimes will still be under scrutiny.

The Bush administration enforced federal anti-pot laws across all states, regardless of the individual state laws in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Dispensaries - that is, stores selling marijuana (similar to the ones you see in Weeds) - are common California, and Colorado is catching up. Rhode Island and New Mexico are currently working to provide licenses to some businesses, according to My Way News.

The official memo is expected to be published Monday, and will grant discretion to prosecutors when it comes to who is charged for violating the laws and advise them to avoid spending time charging those who are in compliance with both state and federal laws. Instead, prosecutors will be advised to turn their efforts to charging drug circles involving violence, the illegal use of firearms, selling pot to minors or money laundering.

This policy arrived just days after President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, an announcement that has been receiving considerable criticism.

The Marijuana Policy Project, an organization advocating the decriminalization of marijuana, sees Obama’s new policy as a huge victory.

“This is a major step forward,” said Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “This change in policy moves the federal government dramatically toward respecting scientific and practical reality.”

Seth Meyers Loves to Make Fun of Barack Obama

Vanessa Baker — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:07:21 +0000

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Seth Meyers, head writer for NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, said he was pleased with the fresh material provided by President Barack Obama, reports CBC.

“I was here for the eight years of the Bush era,” said Meyers, who joined the cast in 2001 after doing improvisational theatre in Chicago. “While it started fun, it got a little redundant for a lot of comedians. Anything new is great for us. That being said, you need to get to know someone before you can poke fun at them and we’re getting to know Obama more. The trickiest thing with Obama is he has a great sense of humour, he’s so self-aware and he may beat comedians to the punchline.”

The on-air anchor of Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update said there can sometimes be a fine line when writing about current events and trying to remain tactful. “I think you have to follow the news and we try very hard never to let a story pass without taking a crack at it. We want our audience to know that no matter what the news is, we’re going to try to make a joke about it. If you watch cable news, I feel like they’re trying harder to be entertaining and I feel like comedy shows are trying harder to be accurate. You definitely want to research your points so your joke doesn’t feel like an attack. Once you make jokes that seem like mean for meanness sake, you lose your authority.”

Meyers became co-head writer of the show with Tina Fey in 2006. He then assumed the position of head writer when Fey left the program.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are Related

Vanessa Baker — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:17:44 +0000

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Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been good friends and writing partners for awhile, but now it’s reveled the two are actually distantly related, reports E! News. The New England Genealogical Society says both actors are descendants of bricklayer William Knowlton Jr., making Damon and Affleck tenth cousins, once removed.

Affleck is also revealed to be related to 16 American presidents, and Princess Diana, while Damon shares DNA with 11 former presidents.

“Ben is an eleventh cousin to Obama,” said genealogist Chris Child. “We just found that connection this week. They share a common ancestor in the Hinckley family of Cape Cod. It might be kind of one of those neat things to say at cocktail parties.”

New York Philharmonic Concerts Cancelled

Vanessa Baker — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:04:58 +0000

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The New York Philharmonic Orchestra has had to cancel two concerts planned for Havana, Cuba on Oct. 30 and Nov. 2, due to American travel restrictions, reports CBC.

“This shows that the U.S. government is the only party responsible for the failure of this major cultural project,” said Alejandro Guma, vice-president of the Cuban Institute of Music. “This is a project, by the way, that was not conceived by Cuba, but by the American institution, and we imagine that at this point, the organization must be disappointed.”

U.S. President Barack Obama said he will not lift a trade and travel embargo against Cuba that has been in effect since 1961 unless there are democratic reforms put in place.

While the musicians had been approved for the trip, approximately 150 patrons and sponsors who paid $10,000 each will not be allowed into the country. Without this support, the orchestra will be unable to play.

Representatives of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra say they still hope to play in Cuba at a later date.

Obama Apologizes For ‘Special Olympics’ Comment

Joelle Tomlinson — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:18:59 +0000

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President Barack Obama’s controversial statement hadn’t even aired yet when he got on the phone from Air Force One Thursday night to apologize for comparing his infamously bad bowling skills to the Special Olympics.

While on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Obama talked about how he’d gotten better at bowling and had been practicing in the Whilte House bowling alley. It was toward the end of his approximately 40-minute taping when he told Leno, “I bowled a 129.”

Leno replied with a sarcastic, “That’s very good, Mr. President.”

Obama quickly quipped, “It’s like the Special Olympics or something.”

According to abcnews.com, the chairman of the Special Olympics board, Tim Shriver, told “Good Morning America” that President Obama seemed very sincere in his apology. “He expressed his disappointment and he apologized, in a way that was very moving … he did not intend to humiliate this population, certainly didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or just suffering, I would say,” said Shriver. President Obama made the remorseful call to Shriver as he was flying back to Washington.

U.S. President Barack Obama Books ‘Tonight Show’ Appearance

Eva Lam — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:05:12 +0000

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Late-night television is set to welcome one of its biggest guests yet: U.S. President Barack Obama.

The commander-in-chief will drop by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Thursday as part of his trip to California, which also includes two town hall meeting and a factory visit.

Obama will discuss his economic plan and other topics with Leno over three segments, according to a “Tonight Show” spokesperson.

Leno joked about the president’s upcoming appearance during his monologue on yesterday’s show: “President Barack Obama is coming on our show Thursday night. We are very excited about that. This might be awkward for our second guest that night, Rush Limbaugh. We may have to do some rescheduling.”

The episode with Obama will air Thursday at 11:35 p.m. EST on NBC and ‘A’ in Canada.

Expert Judges Obama’s Dance Moves

Ilan Mester — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:49:18 +0000

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President Barack Obama surprised the world with his dance moves alongside wife and first lady Michelle Obama. The couple danced at the Neighborhood Ball, and “America’s Best Dance Crew” judge Shane Sparks has given his opinion on the President’s moves.

“I think they did really good,” Sparks told MTV News. “I was actually really proud. It looked like my man got rhythm. It looked like he was in control. … It looked like he really loved her, and I loved that.”

However, the judge did give the Obamas some constructive criticism, “Their posture wasn’t perfect. I would honestly say I’m sure they could take a few lessons. They could use a little Shane Sparks in there,” Sparks joked to MTV News.

Still, the President and the first lady get at least one thumb up from Sparks, “”It was really smooth,” he told MTV News. “It looked like they knew exactly what they did and when they wanted to do it. It was 50/50. It wasn’t perfect, but the good thing was they didn’t look uptight”.