MICHELLE OBAMA REPLIES BEYONCE'S OPEN LETTER

US first lady Michelle Obama has replied the open letter written to her by multi-talented singer Beyonce Knowles.

The  letter, which lauded the first lady as the Ultimate example of  ‘a truly strong African American woman’ came out a few days ago and immediately went viral.

And the first lady has replied via her twitter account, saying to Bey ’Thank you for the beautiful letter and for being a role model who kids everywhere can look up to.–mo’.

The Beyonce and Michelle Obama relationship started way back in 2009 when Beyonce performed at the Etta James staple ‘At Last’ for the Obamas at the Neighborhood Ball on inauguration night in 2009.

She also performed at the White House State Dinner that hosted Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon in 2010.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE OBAMAS' WEDDING PHOTOS?

Yesterday was the First Lady's 48th birthday (she and the President celebrated at BLT Steak near the White House—delicious!), which got us browsing the First Family's Flickr feed. Have you seen this photograph of the Obamas on their wedding day? The couple married in Chicago in 1992—the President donned a crisp tuxedo and Michelle, ever the style icon, wore a lovely off-the-shoulder gown with a sweetheart neckline. Beautiful! To see more off-the-shoulder dresses

MICHELLE OBAMA MAKES APPEARANCE ON US TV SERIES

Michelle Obama, the United States’ First Lady will be making a guest appearance on an episode of popular Nickelodeon comedy series ‘iCarly’.

Obama recently recorded a cameo appearance on the show in Nickelodeon in line with the White House’s support for U.S. military families.

According to the Nickelodeon website, Obama who plays herself in the episode meets up with the main character of the show Carly and praises her for being a supportive daughter to a father who is serving his country.

It even gets more interesting as she dances with the cast too!

‘I’ve been doing the show for a long time and I usually don’t get nervous, but having the first lady on the set, I was really nervous‘, Miranda Cosgrove, who plays Carly says.

This isn’t Obama’s first appearance in a TV series as she appeared on the ABC show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ for the same cause back in July 2011.

The episode of ‘iCarly’ featuring the first lady will air January 16 on Nickelodeon.

TOP 10 STYLE AND FASHION ICONS OF 2011

Who has been your fashion or style icon this year?

Not in any particular order, here are ten women who were undeniably anticipated, watched and looked up to for fashion and style inspiration during 2011:

One. Michelle Obama: because she was the First Lady of the United States but also because she wore affordable labels!

Two. Kate Middleton, a.k.a. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: because whatever she wore looked fabulous on her but because she wore affordable labels like Zara!

Three. Lady Gaga: for her outrageousness – the hair, the shoes, the unwearables and unmentionables… Or was she a style iconoclast?

Four. Sarah Jessica Parker: classy, high-profile and present at many events, works out and it shows! Those arms…

Five. Pippa Middleton: because she is Kate Middleton’s sister, is slim and has a fabulous asset (you know what I mean!).

Six. Katy Perry: because her hairstyles and tints kept changing and she always manages to look terrific!

Seven. Kim Kardashian: we may regret it but it was interesting keeping up with KK! The fur vests, the thigh-high boots, the animal prints, the hardware (jewelry)…

Eight. Miranda Kerr: her girl-next-door looks, fame as a Victoria’s Secret Angel and all those fashion shows she did as well as tabloids following her around – how could she not be?

Nine. Lindsay Lohan: we loved her, we hated her, we loved to hate her as we kept up with her legal issues and criticized what she wore incorrectly or forgot to wear!

Ten. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi: come on – admit it – you were curious to see what Snooki of the Jersey Shore was wearing!!! Famous for her leopard boots, leopard sunglasses, leopard crop tops, leopard… Did I forget anything?

Enjoy the slide show to get your fix of these fashion icons (and iconoclasts!) and thanks for reading my articles this year!

MICHELLE OBAMA TO GO ON A DATE IF THE PRESIDENT APPROVES

You read it right. If President Obama says it’s ok, First Lady Michelle Obama will be headed to the 2012 Marine Corps Ball with Lance Cpl. Aaron Leeks.

The 20 year-old solider asked a surprised Mrs. Obama to accompany him to the Ball as she passed out gifts at the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in DC.

Meeks says he is admires the first lady’s work with the military and says she is gorgeous.

And what did Mrs. Obama say to the invite? According to Leeks, “She said she’d love to go. Actually, she said I’d need to speak to her husband, too, but she said she’d love to.”

So while the nation is giving and getting ready to enjoy the holiday and end of year, there is one Marine corporal out there waiting to see if he will land possibly the date of a lifetime with the First Lady of the U.S. (and probably with the President in tow).

The White House has participated in the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign for the past three years. This years was the biggest, as 800 toys were gathered up for the campaign.

During the event Mrs. Obama encouraged others to give. “It’s not too late to donate. It’s still important to nudge our neighbors to give, give, give.”

'GENEVIEVE NNAJI MORE STYLISH THAN MICHELLE OBAMA' - SIDEVIEW MAGAZINE

This will shock and surprise you – Nigeria’s Sideview Magazine says superstar actress Genevieve Nnaji is more stylish than US fashion- influencing first lady Michele Obama. And there’s more.

At the Magazine’s awards which held in Lagos on Saturday, December 17, 2011, Genevieve, 33, beat timeless beauty Nike Oshinowo, fashion-forward broadcaster Eku Edewor, style connoisseur and image consultant Ifeoma Williams to emerge most stylish woman for 2011.

In addition, Genny picked up the award for ‘Best Actress’ edging out stiff competition from bonafide contenders Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Stephanie Okereke and Nse Ikpe-Etim.

Respected fashion designer Deola Sagoe however was the biggest winner of the night, walking away with three awards – ‘Best Nigerian Designer’, ‘Outstanding Contribution To Fashion’ and ‘Luxury Fashion Brand’.

Other winners of the night include Charly Boy who picked up the award for ‘Style Influencer’ and Uche Eze of Bella Naija for ‘Creative Communicator Of The Year’.

The event which took place at the Blowfish Hotel, Victoria Island was hosted by TV star IllRhymz.

Check out the full list of winners below…

STYLE INFLUENCERS

Charly boy

MOST STYLISH WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Genevieve Nnaji

CREATIVE COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR

Uche Eze for Bella Naija

LUXURY FASHION BRAND

Deola Sagoe

LUXURY RETAIL BRAND

Polo Luxury

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

2face

BEST NIGERIAN DESIGNER

Deola Sagoe

BEST INTERNATIONAL DESIGNER

Adebayo Jones

BEST MAKEUP ARTIST

Lola Maja

NEXT YOUNG DESIGNER

Bukole Are for House of Versatile Style

BEST ACTRESS

Genevieve Nnaji

BEST ACTOR

Olu Jacobs

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO FASHION

Deola Sagoe

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT

Ifeanyi Dike Jr

Obama honors Muslim holiday"Eid Al-Adha"

"Michelle and I extend our greetings for a happy Eid al-Adha to Muslims worldwide and congratulate those performing Hajj, Obama Says Providing U.S. President Barack Obama congratulations and best wishes to Muslims all over the world on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, and wished a safe journey for those who perform the Hajj.

Gathered nearly three million pilgrims from more than 160 countries - including the United States - in Mecca and neighboring sites for pilgrimage and pray together. On the day of Eid, Muslims honor and distribute food to those less fortunate - a reminder of the values ​​and common roots of three major religions of the world.

On behalf of the American people, we offer our best wishes during the pilgrimage season this - Eid Mubarak, an accepted Hajj. "The Eid and Hajj rituals are a reminder of the shared roots of the world's Abrahamic faiths and the powerful role that faith plays in motivating communities to serve and stand with those in need, Obama Says

Lady Gaga launches Indian Formula One with performance!

Lady Gaga is on her Indian tour, where she wears a gown by New York based Indian designer Naeem Khan and says she’s a kind of an “Indian Hippie” who loves books by Indian philosopher Osho! Sporting a bun on her head tinted in the Indian flag colors of orange and green, the Queen of Pop wore a colorful one-strapped Naeem Khan gown.

Gaga also greeted the Indian press in Delhi on Friday with a “namaste,” saying that she felt so “blessed” that she was finally able to come to India to perform and meet her amazing new Indian fans. Graciously, Lady Gaga said that the “sights in India are beautiful but the most beautiful sights are the people, ” later sipping some hot tea during her press conference.

In preparation of her Indian tour, Lady Gaga posted via her Twitter account on 28 August, quoting a line from the Indian mystic Osha, also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, “creativity is the greatest form of rebellion.” When asked by a reporter about her “Born This Way” album, Lady Gaga said that it was all about reincarnation!

Mother Monster is there as part of a star-studded unveiling of India’s first Formula One race, which took place on Sunday October 30. Explaining that she had built a “special stage” for the Sunday show held after the launching of the Formula One race. Lady Gaga added that the stage was unique for India and never been done before. Gaga said that she had also collaborated with Indian DJs such as Bollywood remixer DJ Aqeel for her performance, which she put her whole heart and soul into!

Back to Indian designer Naeem Khan, First Lady Michelle Obama also wore Naeem Khan’s pale gold and silver sequin embellished gown in 2009 to host their first State Dinner to welcome Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur to the White House. Naeem Khan’s creations have been a favorite among celebrities such as Brook Shields, Eva Longoria, Beyonce and Carrie Underwood.