Women Celebrate Michelle O.

First lady dishes on husband's skills with Jay Leno

(NEWSER) - If you thought the recent clip of President Obama singing was a fluke, think again: "He does have a beautiful voice, and he sings to me all the time," Michelle Obama told Jay Leno last night. Her husband often sings that very same song (Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), she said, adding, "He sings a lot of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, a little Stevie [Wonder]. He likes the classics." More»

'Jazzy' family embraces 'white' and 'chic' fashion codes, says columnist

(NEWSER) - French Elle's outrageous "compliments" for the Obama family's "jazzy" style have sparked a race row. Finally, Elle gushes , the First Family is following "white fashion" codes. "Chic" has at last become a "plausible option" for a community until now pegged to "streetwear," writes columnist Nathalie Dolivo. As if that wasn't a big enough foot in the mouth, Dolivo adds that the "black-geosie" can always add "ethnic" touches from their "roots," such as a "batik-printed turban," to keep it real. More»

First lady responds to claims made in Jodi Kantor's book

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama says she hasn't read Jodi Kantor's new—and, at times, unflattering—book on the Obamas, but she does take offense to what's in it. Speaking to CBS co-anchor/long-time pal Gayle King, Obama explains that she has grown weary of people portraying her as "some kind of angry black woman." Kantor's book sets a scene in which tension (and, on one occasion, profanities) ran rampant between the first lady and Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs ; the New York Times reporter also depicts Michelle Obama as a somewhat unwilling participant who felt wary of and constrained by life in the White House. More»

Details of Jodi Kantor book continue behind-the-scenes look

(NEWSER) - Details from The Obamas, by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, continue to trickle out , and ABC News reports on revelations of a personal nature. According to Kantor, Michelle Obama felt "frightened and alone" during her first days in the White House. The first lady wanted to stay behind longer in Chicago with her two girls, and worried about living in a bubble and her daughters bumping into White House tourists during playdates. And the pressure was enormous. "She saw the responsibility, the impact, the potential of her role,” writes Kantor. And "everyone was waiting for a black woman to make a mistake,” an adviser told the author. More»

First lady has been a powerful player in her husband's White House: Book

(NEWSER) - A new (unauthorized) book by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor depicts Michelle Obama as an "unrecognized force" in her husband's administration, according to an adaptation of The Obamas in the Times . Though initially reluctant to be a meddling first lady, she began voicing concerns when she felt her husband's big-picture agenda was getting sacrificed to mundane politics and even pushed the president to shake up his team of advisers, writes Kantor. Some highlights:

• Clashes with Rahm: She had a testy relationship with former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and he "chafed" at her influence. The president once passed along a criticism of hers to his staff ("She feels as if our rudder isn't set right"), and Emanuel reportedly repeated it with disdain to others. The excerpts also note that Emanuel offered his resignation at one point, when his criticisms about health care reform went public.