Michelle Pushes Healthy Meals —on Iron Chef

Not surprisingly, White House exec chef wins the day

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama made her much-hyped guest appearance on Iron Chef America last night, in a “Super Chef Battle” featuring the White House executive chef. Cristeta Comerford teamed up with celebrity chef Bobby Flay against the two-celeb team of Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali, while Obama’s role was to rock a bright orange dress and introduce the secret ingredient: “Anything from the White House garden.” More»

2009 list also includes sports figures, politicians, royalty, entertainers, artists

(NEWSER) - Vanity Fair’s 2009 International Best-Dressed List is as glamorous as ever, but the magazine didn’t ignore the global pinch of the recession. A sampling of the honorees, along with their favorite recession-friendly bargain-hunting locale or item:

• Michelle Obama: J. Crew
• Barack Obama: Secret Service employees’ store
• Alicia Keys: Barneys warehouse sale
• Brad Pitt: Make It Right Foundation T-shirts

Theater, jazz, poetry collide in East Room event

(NEWSER) - Spoken word, jazz, and theater took the White House by storm last night in what has been called the first presidential poetry jam, the Washington Post reports. “We're here to celebrate the power of words,” President Obama said, adding that his wife is his poet. The jam, Michelle Obama said, was something she had wanted to do “from day one.” More»

Mayda Del Valle, ELEW among invitees

(NEWSER) - Check off another campaign promise. President Obama is hosting the White House’s first-ever poetry slam, part of his vow to open up “the people's house” to artists, WNBC-TV reports. The 100 guests include actor James Earl Jones, writer Michael Chabon, jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. “To see our nation’s talent and be part of history is amazing,” says one guest. More»

Singer making return to stage in Atlantic City

(AP) - Michelle Obama was with the single ladies this weekend, joining 5,500 fans at a Beyonce concert in Atlantic City. The first lady took daughters Sasha and Malia to Revel Resorts, where Beyonce performed two dozen songs last night. No sign of the president, but Gov. Chris Christie was among the sell-out crowd. Michelle Obama and the girls appeared excited throughout the concert, cheering Beyonce on. The daughters even sang along to the old school-sounding jam "Love on Top." More»