White House Dyes Fountain Green for St. Patrick's Day
Green dye was put into the fountain on the North Lawn of the White House to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They also did this last year. The Chicago River was also dyed green as it is every St. Patrick's Day. Take a look:
Glee Cast to Perform at White House Easter Egg Roll
Entertainment Weeklyreports that the cast of Glee has been invited to perform at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 5th. First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Malia and Sasha, are reportedly big Glee fans. The Glee cast is said to be likely to accept the invitation.
Photo: 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Dalai Lama Meets With President Obama at the White House
The Dalai Lama was in Washington D.C. today for a meeting with President Barack Obama. The Chinese government did not want the meeting to take place. Reuters reports that China condemned the meeting. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said of the meeting today in a statement:
The President met this morning at the White House with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China. The President commended the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government. The President stressed that he has consistently encouraged both sides to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China.
The Dalai Lama tossed snow toward a group of press gathered in front of the White House. The Dalai Lama is at the White House to meet with President Obama. The press were told the Dalai Lama will take questions after his meeting with the President. The Dalai Lama told the press to prepare some questions and to ask some "good questions" and not to ask silly questions. Take a look:
Bo, the First Dog, played in the snow on the south grounds of the White House during last week's blizzard. Bo looks like he really enjoyed the snow but most Washington D.C. residents are hoping they are done with the series of monster snowstorms dubbed Snomaggedon and Snoverkill.
Photo: Former President George H.W. Bush Visits President Obama
Former President George H.W. Bush paid a visit to the White House to met with with President Obama. The photograph above was taken in the Oval Office, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. The visit was described as a social call. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush also visited the White House with his father.
Video: Michelle Obama Talks Childhood Obesity, Balancing Family Life
In an exclusive interview with Matt Lauer, Michelle Obama talks keeping family life a priority at the White House and about her new focus on preventing childhood obesity. Michelle says that parents need help, because they work so hard and endure so much stress. She then talks about the family's "Roses and Thorns" ritual that they participate in every night, in which they each reveal the best and worst thing that happened to them that day. Take a look:
President Barack Obama shared a laugh in the oval office with his predecessor, George Bush and Bill Clinton. The photographs were taken on January 16, 2010.
The White House has launched a free iPhone/iPod Touch app. The app will contain live video streaming of the President's public events, key speeches and press briefings. The President's upcoming State of the Union speech will be streamed live and people with the app will be able to watch it on their iPhone or iPod Touch. The app also includes news from White House Blog and the Briefing Room as well as the latest photos.
The White House app can be downloaded here from the iTunes App Store.
Iron Chef heads to the White House for a special battle. Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse battle Bobby Flay and White House chef Cristeta Comerford. Michelle Obama participates in the battle, but the secret ingredient is still a secret. From the preview it looks like they will have to use items from the White House garden. It airs on the Food Network on January 3. Take a look:
First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to a Virginia warehouse to deliver some of the toys collected for Toys for Tots from a White House toy drive. Over 500 toys were collected. Michelle Obama talked about the Marine Corp's efforts to help make sure kids have toys for Christmas. Michelle Obama said one of the challenges with Toys for Toys is finding toys for older kids ages 11 to 14. She says more donations of toys for those age groups are needed. Take a look:
HGTV Airing Special on White House Christmas Decorations
HGTV will offer an insider's look at the White House Christmas decorations with its White House Christmas 2009 special. The holiday tv special will air on HGTV on Sunday, December 20, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Designer Genevieve Gorder examines this year's decor theme, "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew," and its traditional yet eco-friendly decoratoins.
"HGTV is excited to continue its longtime tradition of bringing the splendor of the holidays at the White House to the American people," said Freddy James, senior vice president, program development and production, HGTV. "The special captures the energy and spirit that the new First Family brings to this historic place."
Inside the White House, Gorder chats with White House volunteers to determine how they interpreted First Lady Michelle Obama's desire for a contemporary twist on this year's decorations. The decorations use natural elements such as pine cones, dried flowers, pepper berries, painted magnolia leaves and cranberries. Viewers will also see the First Lady and daughters Malia and Sasha receive the Blue Room Christmas Tree from the West Virginia farmers who grew it.
In the kitchen, Executive Chef Cris Comerford showcases the holiday menu, while Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses displays a magnificent gingerbread house and other holiday pastries. The special also highlights the work of 90 volunteers as they adorn the White House in just two days.
You can see a short video of the 2009 White House decorations here.
Simon Doonan, Creative Director for Barneys New York, dragged a camera crew around the office to find out what his co-workers wanted for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or whatever holiday they happen to celebrate (so long as it involves gift giving). Amazingly enough, they each knew of a fabulous Barney's product that they were dying to have. Simon, who decorated the White House this year, famously despises Holiday Gift Guides, so this is his way of complying with the gift guide mandate while making the process all his own. He is a scream. You can find all the things that Simon mentions at your local Barney's, or shop for gifts online. Take a look:
Video: Michelle Obama Unveils White House Christmas Decorations
Michelle Obama unveiled the White House Christmas decorations as a press conference. The theme for this year is "Reflect, Rejoice and Renew." Decorators took 800 ornaments left over from prior administrations and sent them out to 60 community groups. They were asked to decorate them with a local landmark and send them back to be put on the White House Christmas tree.
White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and his team made sure that the annual white chocolate-covered gingerbread White House really reflected the current inhabitants' tastes. So this year there is the first lady's vegetable garden and a replica of first dog Bo. For the first time the gingerbread White House includes a replica of the State Dining Room, complete with miniature furniture made of dark chocolate. Take a look:
White House Crashers Made Official White House Flickr Feed
The White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi even made it onto the offical White House Flickr feed. You can see the photograph here. There are over 170 comments, which doesn't seem like very many considering how widely the story has been reported. The caption underneath the photo reads, "President Barack Obama greets Michaele and Tareq Salahi during a receiving line in the Blue Room of the White House before the State Dinner with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Nov. 24, 2009."
The photograph was taken by White House photographer Samantha Appleton.
