Michelle Gets a Gig With a 'View'

Angela Merkel, followed by Hillary Clinton

(NEWSER) - Want to get onto Forbes ’ annual 100 Most Powerful Women list? Better get yourself into one of these six categories, which is where all of this year’s candidates came from: billionaires, business, lifestyle, media, nonprofits, and politics. Candidates were ranked by money, traditional and social media influence, and their “reach” or power base. The top 10:

1. Angela Merkel: Chancellor of Germany
2. Hillary Clinton: Secretary of State, United States

The first lady beats Hillary Clinton ... and Lady Gaga and Beyonce

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton is pretty powerful, but she’s still no Oprah Winfrey. The secretary of state does, however, wield more heft than Lady Gaga on Forbes ’ annual list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. This year's list still took wealth into account, but gave more weight to social and creative influence and media attention, the Independent reports. The top 10:

1. Michelle Obama
2. Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive of Kraft Foods
3. Oprah Winfrey
4. Angela Merkel, German chancellor
5. Hillary Clinton

Barbara Walters will greet first sitting president to join ABC chatfest

(NEWSER) - President Obama will appear on The View on Thursday, and his visit will be only the second-most-anticipated of the day: Co-host Barbara Walters will return to work for the first appearance on the ABC chatfest by a sitting president, reports Broadcasting & Cable . Walters had surgery in May to replace a heart valve and had planned to return in September. "We are so pleased and honored that President Obama will be a guest on The View," she said in a statement. For more on Michelle Obama's June 2008 co-hosting gig, click here . More»

First lady's approval rating soars over her husband's

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s approval ratings are sinking, but Michelle Obama’s remain sky-high, with 71% of the country holding a favorable opinion of her. Only 16% of respondents in a new Pew Research survey held a negative view of the first lady. That puts her well above Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, who had 60% and 64% favorability ratings, respectively, after their husbands had been in office for 1 year. More»

And yes, there's a Sarah Palin character

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's 2008 campaign is the subject of Hope!, a musical set to premiere Jan. 17 in Frankfurt. The production features musical-theater versions of the major players: Michelle, Hillary—looking quite young—John McCain and even Sarah Palin, who sings a solo surrounded by scantily clad dancers. Writer and composer Randall Hutchins, who is American, tells Der Spiegel he got the idea for the production "right at the start of Obama's electoral campaign. I found the atmosphere exciting and that was my inspiration." More»