Obamas Keep Celeb Media on Short Leash

Paparazzi competition heats up for snaps of future first family

(NEWSER) - Hordes of photographers are gearing up to make their fortunes with photos of the glamorous new first family, Elizabeth Wolff writes in New York magazine.The transition team is trying to carefully manage images of the Obamas, but they're up against patient and wily paparazzi trying to sneak shots of the family that photo agencies are ranking right up there with the Pitt-Jolies for celebrity status. More»

But says he's still got work left to do

(NEWSER) - President Obama says the first family would be just fine if they were just a regular family. “If I said, ‘You guys, I want to do something different,’ they’d be fine,” Obama told the TODAY show this morning. “They’re not invested in daddy being president or my husband being president.” He added that if Michelle “didn’t think that what we were doing was worthwhile … she’d be the first to say, ‘Why don’t you do something else that’s a little less stressful?’” More»

Obamas' purchase a suprise for Malia, Sasha

(NEWSER) - When Malia and Sasha Obama came home from school Wednesday, there was a surprise waiting for them: a swing set from their folks, the Chicago Tribune reports. The excited girls played on the set, complete with four swings, a fort, and a picnic table with the names of all the presidents, for nearly an hour. The set normally goes for $3,500, though what the Obamas paid wasn’t released. More»

(NEWSER) - After a wait that felt almost as long as the presidential campaign, the Obamas have decided to adopt a Portuguese water dog, People reports. Her daughters can hardly wait, Michelle Obama said. “So Sasha says, 'April 1st.' I said, 'April.' She says, 'April 1st.' It's, like, April!" the first lady said. “You can't get a new dog and then go away for a week.” More»

Barack gets teary as new life begins

(NEWSER) - Like millions of other children, the Obama girls returned to school today. Unlike the rest of the nations’ kids, they were accompanied by a cadre of police, Secret Service agents, and media, the Washington Post reports. The Obama family’s new life in Washington is off to its official start, with the president-elect acknowledging that leaving his Chicago home yesterday left him “choked up,” the Chicago Tribune reports. More»