Olive Garden, home of unlimited breadsticks, and Red Lobster, purveyors of fine cheddar biscuits, are shaping up at Michelle Obama's request. more ›

The USDA defines a "food desert" as an area where residents must travel a mile to reach an adequate grocery store, and even has a "Food Desert Locator" on their website. According to the agency, East New York doesn't qualify, but city officials beg to differ. While the USDA claims that only 26K New Yorkers are living in food deserts in Staten Island and Queens, the city's own figures bring that number up to 3 million spread over all five boroughs. "We think their map needs work," the city's food policy coordinator tells the Daily News, echoing the city's dismissal of the Fed's census count. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, the students at PS 161 in Harlem were in for a bootylicious surprise during their PE class, when none other than Beyonce herself stopped by the gymnasium to dance to her song "Move Your Body" with them (in four-inch heels, no less). Looking fine while shaking in her tailfeather in an all-white getup, Miss B is clearly having a good time, and the kids are nothing short of thrilled. more ›

Chris Christie may now hold the answer to his "do or die" dilemma on whether to run for president in 2012. A Quinnipiac poll asked respondents to rate leaders from 0 to 100 degrees on a 'feeling thermometer,' with the highest numbers reflecting the warmest feelings," and New Jersey's possibly svelter Governor was rated the highest politician, with 57 degrees. Barring an unexpected shakeup at the editorial board of Teen Beat, this is perhaps the only time Christie's name will sit next to the word "Hottest" in a headline. more ›

Former TLC reality show star Sarah Palin has criticized First Lady Michelle Obama's plan to get kids active and healthy, saying, "What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat." But GOP members Chris Christie (whose suits are growing baggier!) and Mike Huckabee are coming to Obama's defense, reminding everyone that the government won't be outlawing dessert any time soon. Christie said on CBS, "I think it's a really good goal to encourage kids to eat better...If a kid can avoid that in his adult years or her adult years, more power to them." Huckabee even says that obesity is a matter of national security! more ›

Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton are preparing for their nuptials next year. Which means it is about time for that old parlor game, guest list guessing! And you know who most likely won't be invited? Oh, just the leader of the free world. The Daily Mail reports that since waity-Katie and Wills won't be having a state wedding—as William is neither the king nor the heir to the throne—the couple won't be inviting so many heads of state. So no Obama—but Sarkozy might still get an invite. But what is the real reason behind the snub that hasn't actually happened yet? This isn't because Michelle has (gasp!) started wearing vintage is it? more ›

This coming Monday, fashion designer Donna Karan is hosting a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama (followed by a concert at the St. James Theatre), and according to the NY Post, "Karan's personal chef is cooking for expected guests at her Greenwich Village home, including Tory Burch, Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Kors." Who wasn't invited, however? PETA! But they have no problem crashing. more ›

While the husbands were off discussing international affairs at the U.N., Michelle Obama and 31 other state wives headed up to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for a farm-fresh lunch with local schoolchildren. After the first ladies and the local third graders harvested vegetables and collected eggs, everyone sat down to a lunch of vegetables from Stone Barns and from the White House garden. The lunch dovetailed with Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity, and she applauded Blue Hill's work in getting people more connected to their food: "Many of the kids may never learn that ketchup comes from a tomato or that french fries actually come from a potato...When they grow it and they touch it and they taste it, they believe in it more than anything we could tell them." more ›

OMG—iCarly/Miranda Cosgrove is going to be in Riverside Park, along with Keke, Victoria Justice and a bunch of other Nickelodeon stars whose names (Robbie Amell, Matt Shively, Ashley Argota) we had to Google for today's Worldwide Day Of Play event. Nickelodeon and its sister stations (like Nick Jr.) are going off the air for three hours starting at noon—First Lady Michelle Obama will appear in a taped message to kick things off— to encourage kids to get up, go out and get moving! more ›

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were the stars of a fundraiser for the Clinton Global Initiative in Manhattan last night, and in his speech introducing his wife, Obama gushed with pride. "While I get plenty of good advice from a lot of people during the course of the day, at the end of each day, it is Michelle — her moral voice, her moral center — that cuts through all the noise in Washington and reminds me of why I’m there in the first place," Obama told the audience of dignitaries and celebrities. Then he thanked Bill Clinton for somehow surviving what with Hillary being gone all the time. more ›

Next month, to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, First Lady Michelle Obama and former FLOTUS Laura Bush will appear at ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed after the crew and passengers fought back against terrorists who were planning on flying the plane to D.C. Politico reports, "Administration officials said the event will build on Michelle Obama's focus on the heroes of Sept. 11 — celebrating their heroism, honoring their memories and supporting their families." The National Park Service said both women will be keynote speakers and notes that fundraising for the memorial is still under way. more ›

First Lady Michelle Obama faced some tough questions from a 2nd grade class in Maryland yesterday when a little girl accused the president of "taking everybody away that doesn't have papers." Michelle Obama attempted to smooth things over, and said, "That's something that we have to work on, right? To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers." But the child wouldn't let her get off that easily, promptly responding, "but my mom doesn't have papers." Awkward. more ›

Michelle Obama took her mother, daughters, and three of their friends to acclaimed Brooklyn pizzeria Grimaldi's yesterday, and what started out as a casual lunch is now reigniting longstanding tensions between two bitterly warring factions: the Chicago-style pizza crowd vs. NYC. more ›

We've gotten numerous reports that First Lady Michelle Obama is still in town (she took the kids to The Addams Family musical on Broadway Monday night), and she's been spotted today in Brooklyn. First we heard she was checking out the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge Park (which was closed off to the public during her visit), then she took the kids for lunch at Grimaldi's, which probably didn't help the already infamous line outside the pizzeria. more ›

While the eyes of America were on the floor of the House of Representatives for yesterday's historic vote on health care reform, First Lady Michelle Obama turned to Broadway, surprising a Memphis matinee audience by arriving just before the 3 p.m. curtain with her mother and daughters Malia and Sasha. There was no announcement accompanying their entrance, but one audience member tells the Daily News, "When they came in, everybody noticed and started taking pictures. Then people started clapping too and there was a standing ovation for them." Twitter user pooniepoonster may have summed up the reaction best: "OMFG MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER GIRLS are sitting 4 rows behind me at Memphis." (Apparently even when you're married to the President, pooniepoonster can still score better seats.) more ›

Today Michelle Obama joined her husband, when a new wax statue of the first lady was unveiled at Madame Tussauds' in New York. The Barack figurine arrived a year ago, and likenesses of the presidential pair already stand at the London and Washington D.C. branches of the wax museum, reported AP. For the moment, both Obamas are wearing formal attire—Michelle has on the white John Wu number she wore to the inaugural ball—but in two weeks they'll swap the outfits for casual wear. According to the museum, Michelle will wear a "mint green J. Crew skirt and an embellished cream cardigan," while her husband will switch his tux for a business suit. How do you take off wax pants, anyway? We certainly can't imagine cerebral, no-drama Obama melting them. more ›

Brooklyn-born Scott Baio (he's from Dyker Heights, to be exact) is probably regretting his decision to open a Twitter account. The 48-year-old posted an unflattering picture of Michelle Obama on Tuesday, saying: "WOW He wakes up to this every morning." The Twitterverse quickly blew up, with many calling him out as being racist. Of course, it wasn't really racist, but Baio's backpeddling was pretty classic. He mentions numerous times that his wife's friend is black (even posting proof!), and of course, who can forget that time he worked with the Wayans brothers? The Daily News now reports that he's been on the receiving end of death threats for days, and has even contacted the FBI. Today he tried to direct the heat at J. Lo, asking his new followers if she's racist for calling Sarah Palin "a crazy bitch." more ›

Last night, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama held their first state dinner at the White House. According to Politico, the "first couple applied their formal-but-comfortable style to a social event with international implications," with the President toasting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a giant tent on the White House lawn, "Mr. Prime Minister, today we worked to fulfill our duty — bring our countries closer together than ever before. Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership — the bonds of friendship between our people." more ›

While game 1 of the World Series didn't end the way Yankees fans wanted it to, fans were happy to see legendary catcher Yogi Berra. During the pregame ceremony honoring the country's veterans (the MLB has been "welcoming back veterans" all season), Berra was accompanied to the mound by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden—and Yankees captain Derek Jeter gave both women a kiss on the cheek. more ›

Sure, you probably know by now that the First Couple dined at locally-sourced Greenwich Village restaurant Blue Hill on Saturday night, but there are still lots of juicy details to pore over! Like the wine: a 2007 Hirsch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, according to Eater. Besides the vino, the First Lady was also observed knocking back two martinis! (It's unclear if she had any of the Pinot.) more ›

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made their first, joint trip to NYC a "personal" one—it was date night for the First Couple. The President released a statement explaining, "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished." more ›

First Lady Michelle Obama has made two visits to NYC since the inauguration, but the Big Apple will finally get to welcome President Barack Obama today. The First Couple will be making a "personal visit" to the city; the Caucus reports they will go to the 8 p.m. performance of the critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated play Joe Turner's Come and Gone, written by August Wilson. It's unclear whether there will be street closures in Midtown (expect at least some flashing lights and a motorcade). No other details of their plans have been leaked. The Daily News adds, "The First Couple will be traveling on one of the smaller planes in the Air Force VIP fleet instead of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet," which might be because it's a "personal visit" or maybe because the last time the Boeing 747 was here...well, you know. more ›

Yesterday Michelle Obama was in town for a second time since becoming the First Lady, this visit emphasizing the important role of the arts. She helped reopen the newly renovated American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where she commented on how she spent her first date with the President at a museum), and later on attended the American Ballet Theatre's Spring Gala. With our cultural institutions suffering during the current financial climate, it's nice to hear the First Lady remind people, "Nearly 6 million people make their living in the nonprofit arts industry. Arts and cultural activities contribute more than $160 billion to our economy every year." more ›

While Barack Obama hasn't visited New York since becoming President, First Lady Michelle Obama has returned time and again. She was just on Sesame Street earlier this month, and now she's back with a few cultural stops on her schedule today. "This visit is crafted, according to East Wing guidance, to allow Mrs. Obama to continue to demonstrate her interest in and support for the arts by attending the ribbon cutting for the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Wing. In the evening she will attend the American Ballet Opening Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House." Doesn't sound like she'll be visiting the portrait of her at the New Museum, but expect high security in those other areas today and tonight! [via Mrs. O] more ›

Michelle Obama has experienced a lot of exciting, historic stuff this year, but yesterday she visited Sesame Street and according to Newsday declared it to be the most exciting thing to happen since her time as First Lady. more ›

Last night, Time magazine held its annual Time 100 Gala at the Time Warner Center. Emceed by Jimmy Fallon, the night celebrated those featured in the issue, a range of people from the First Lady to the Twitter guys, from Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. to financial advice guru Suze Orman. The attendee list was long and glittering, including a wide variety of people, like Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman (a Time 100 honoree), SNL producer Lorne Michaels, former JFK speechwriter Ted Sorenson, and the joined-at-the-hip celeb-trio of Liv Tyler, Stella McCartney and Kate Hudson. more ›