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 ›

Toy manufacturer Ty is getting ready to ship its new "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha" dolls to retailers eager to cash in on Obama fever. While Ty claims the dolls are not in any way related to the Obama daughters, the owner of Source, an Upper East Side toy and party store, told Crain's New York, “They’ll definitely sell, everybody’s Obama crazy." First Lady Michelle Obama's office was perturbed enough to tell Crain's Chicago, "We believe it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes," but Ty says, "There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls. It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not." The dolls are part of the TyGirlz Collection which sort of seem like Beanie versions of less slutty Bratz dolls. And we'll await the TyGirlz mix of Rick Warren's "Malia and Sasha" hit. more ›