State Dinner guest list…where was Oprah?

November 25, 2009

Update 2: Couple crashes State Dinner; Inauguration

Update 1: still don’t know why Oprah wasn’t there but she announced there will be an Oprah primetime Christmas special filmed at the WH.

Hello Mrs Perkins:

Here is the official guest list prior to the State Dinner.

Oprah was most definitely not there – Gayle King was. How’s that for paying Oprah back? King said Oprah was out in California working on her plans for her cable network, as if that’s more important than the first black president’s – who she went out of her way to help get elected – first state dinner.

Don’t know the real reason. Will have to see what I can find. Thank you for your kind words.

Guest List (alphabetical)

The President & First Lady Michelle Obama

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur

The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative
Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal (Guest)

His Excellency Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Mukesh D Ambani

Mr. Tim Dutta (Spouse of Ms. Pia Awal)

The Honorable (Mr.) David Axelrod, White House Communications
Mrs. Susan Axelrod

Ms. Preeta Bansal, OMB – General Counsel

The Honorable (Ms.) Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Mr. Marland E. Buckner

The Honorable (Rep.) Howard Berman, United States Representative (D/California)
Mrs. Janis Berman, Spouse of United States Representative (D/California)

Mr. Om Prakash Bhatt

Mr. Hunter Biden
Mrs. Kathleen Biden

The Honorable (Vice President) Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden

Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Robert O Blake, Jr., Assistant Sec for South and Central Asian Affairs, State Department
Mrs. Sofia Blake

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York, NY
Ms. Diana Taylor

The Honorable (Mr.) John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism, Homeland Security Council
Mrs. Katherine Brennan

The Honorable (Ms.) Lisa Brown, Office of Staff Secretary
Mr. Kevin Cullen

Mr. Donald Browne
Ms. Maria Junqera

The Honorable (Ms.) Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change
The Honorable (Mr.) Tom Downey

Mr. William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
Ms. Lisa Carty

General James E Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Sandee Cartwright

The Honorable (Senator) Bob Casey, United States Senator (D/Pennsylvania)
Mrs. Terese Casey, United States Senate Spouse (D/Pennsylvania)

Mr. Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Mrs. Julie Chandrasekaran

Mr. I.S. Chaturvedi, Personal Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Senator Satveer Chaudhry, State Senator
Colonel Ravi Chaudhry (Guest)

Ms. Rohini Chopra

Mr. Deepak Chopra
Mrs. Rita Chopra

The Honorable (Secretary) Steven Chu, Secretary of the Department of Energy
Mrs. Jean Chu

The Honorable (Secretary) Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State

The Honorable (Rep.) James E. Clyburn, United States Representative (D/South Carolina)
Mrs. Emily Clyburn

The Honorable (Senator) Kent Conrad, United States Senator (D/North Dakota)
Ms. Lucy Calutti, United States Senate Spouse (D/North Dakota)

Mr. David Cote

Ms. Katie Couric
Mr. Brooks L Perlin

Mr. Greg Craig, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
Mrs. Margaret D Craig

Mrs. Paula Crown
Mr. Jim Crown

The Honorable (Rep.) Elijah Cummings, United States Representative (D/Maryland)
Mrs. Maya Rockeymoore

Senator Swati Dandekar, State Senator
Mr. Arvind Dandekar

Mr. Rajesh De, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Nancy Ann DeParle, Office of Health Reform
Mr. Jason P DeParle

Ms. Bhairavi Desai
Javaid Tariq

Dr. Vishakha N. Desai
Robert Oxman

The Honorable (Senator) Chris Dodd, United States Senator (D/Connecticut)
Mrs. Jackie Clegg Dodd

Mr. John Doerr

The Honorable (Mr.) Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor, NSC
Ms. Cathy Russell

The Honorable Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director
Mr. Bob Bauer

Mr. Ari Emanuel
Mrs. Sarah Emanuel

The Honorable (Mr.) Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff to the President
Ms. Amy Rule

The Honorable (Mr.) Jon Favreau, Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting

Ms. Sarah Feinberg, Office of the Chief of Staff

The Honorable (Mayor) Adrian Fenty, Mayor of the District of Columbia
Mrs. Michelle Fenty

Ms. Michelle Flournoy

Mr. Thomas Friedman
Mrs. Ann Friedman

The Honorable (Mr.) Mike Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, NSC

Dr. Ashok S Ganguly

The Honorable (Mr.) Patrick Gaspard, Office of Political Affairs
Mrs. Raina Washington

The Honorable Robert Gates

Ms. Charlene Gaynor
Mr. Richard Heiss

Mr. David Geffen
Mr. Jeremy Lingvall

The Honorable (Secretary) Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Ms. Carole Sonnenfeld

The Honorable (Mr.) Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary

Mr. Anish Goel, Acting Senior Director, South Asia Affairs, NSC

Mr. Senapathy Gopalakrishnan

Mr. Mark Gorenberg
Ms. Wendy Wanderman

Mr. John Gorman
Mrs. Tamra Gorman

Representative Jay Goyal, State Representative
Kiran Goyal

Representative Raj Goyle, State Representative
Mrs. Monica Arora

The Honorable (Governor) Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan (D)
Mr. Daniel Mulhern, First Gentleman of Michigan

Mr. Earl G. Graves
Mrs. Barbara Graves

Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta
Mr. Arvind Gupta

Mr. Raj Gupta

Mr. Rajat Gupta
Mrs. Anita M Gupta

Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Mrs. Rebecca Olson Gupta

Mr. Lee Hamilton
Mrs. Nancy Hamilton

The Honorable (Ms.) Kamala Harris
Ms. Maya Harris

Mr. Kamil Hassan
Mrs. Talat Hassan

Mr. George Haywood
Mrs. Cheryl J Haywood

The Honorable Fred Hochberg, Export-Import Bank
Thomas P Healy

The Honorable (Rep.) Paul Hodes, United States Representative (D/New Hampshire)
Mrs. Margaret Hodes

The Honorable (Attorney General) Eric Holder, United States Attorney General, Department of Justice
Dr. Sharon Malone, MD

Dr. John P. Holdren
Dr. Cheryl E Holdren

The Honorable (Rep.) Eleanor Holmes-Norton, United States of Representative (D/DC)
Mr. John Norton

Mr. Robert D Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, State Department
Ms. Camille Massey

The Honorable (Rep) Steny Hoyer, United States Representative (D/Maryland)
Ms. Kathleen May

Mr. Chris Hughes
Mr. Sean S Eldridge

Mr. Jeff Immelt

The Honorable (Senator) Daniel Inouye, United States Senator (D/Hawaii)
Ms. Irene Hirano, United States Senate Spouse (D/Hawaii)

Mrs. Deepa Iyer
Mr. Parag Khandhar
Mr. Vasudeva Iyer

The Honorable (Administrator) Lisa Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Mr. Kenneth Jackson

The Honorable (Ms.) Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor

The Honorable (Governor) Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
Mrs. Supriya Jindal, First Lady of Louisiana

The Honorable (General) James Jones, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor
Mrs. Diane Jones

Mrs. Ann Jordan
Mr. Vernon Jordan

Mr. Anil Kakani

Mr. Farooq Kathwari
Mrs. Farida Kathwari

Mr. Neal Katyal, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Office of the Solicitor General

Mr. Jeffrey Katzenberg
Mrs. Marilyn Katzenberg

Ms. Maneesha Kelkar, Manavi
Vinay Vaishampayan

The Honorable (Senator) John Kerry, United States Senator (D/Massachusetts)

Dr. Harish Khare, Media Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Indian Delegation

The Honorable (Mr.) Bradley Kiley, Office of Management and Administration
Mr. James Coley, Jr.

Ms. Gayle King

The Honorable (Ambassador) Ron Kirk, USTR
Mrs. Matrice Ellis-Kirk

The Honorable (Mr.) Ronald Klain, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Office of the Vice President

Mrs. Chanda D Kochhar

His Excellency S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Ms. Gaitri Kumar, Joint Secretary (Americas), Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Vivek Kundra

Mrs. Jhumpa Lahiri
Mr. Alberto Vourvoulias

Mr. Marc Lasry
Cathy Lasry

Mr. Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary, Department of State

The Honorable Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce
Mrs. Mona Locke

The Honorable (Mr.) Christopher Lu, Cabinet Affairs
Ms. Kathryn Thomson

The Honorable (Senator) Richard Lugar, United States Senator (R/Indiana)
Mrs. Char Lugar, United States Senate Spouse (R/Indiana)

Mr. Michael Lynton
Ms. Elizabeth Jamie Alter

Mr. Surinder Malhotra

The Honorable (Chief of Protocol) Capricia Marshall

The Honorable (Ms.) Alyssa Mastromonaco, White House Office of Scheduling

Mr. Brian Mathis
Mrs. Tracey Kemble

Ms. Kiran Mazumda-Shaw

The Honorable (Senator) Claire McCaskill, United States Senator (D/Missouri)
Mr. Joseph Shepard, United States Senate Spouse

The Honorable (Rep) Jim McDermott, United States Representative (D/Washington)
Mrs. Therese Marie Hansen

Mr. Zarin Mehta
Ms. Carmen Lasky

The Honorable (Mr.) Jim Messina, Office of Chief of Staff

Mr. Judd Miner
Mrs. Linda Miner

Mr. Newt Minow
Mrs. Josephine Minow

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal

Kalpen Modi, Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Deborah Mullen

The Honorable (Secretary) Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security

His Excellency M.K. Narayanan, National Security Adviser of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Shantanu Narayen
Mrs. Reni Narayen

Mr. Raju Narisetti
Durga Raghunath

Mr. Martin Nesbitt
Ms. Anita Blanchard

Mr. Konrad Ng
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng

Ms. Indra Nooyi

The Honorable (Rep) David Obey, United States Representative (D/Wisconsin)
Mrs. Joan Obey

The Honorable (Mr.) Peter Orszag, Director, Office of Management & Budget

Mr. Jim Owens
Ms. Katie Owens

Mr. Deepak Parekh

Mr. Eboo Patel
Ms. Shehnez Mansuri

The Honorable (Governor) Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts (D)
Mrs. Diane Patrick, First Lady of Massachusetts

The Honorable (Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, United States Representative (D/California) and Speaker of the House
Mr. Paul Pelosi

Mr. Dan Pfeiffer, White House Office of Communications

Mr. Sam Pitroda
Mrs. Anjana Pitroda

General Colin Powell
Ms. Alma Powell

Dr. Rachakonda D Prabhu
Dr. Lata Shete Prabhu

Mrs. Penny Pritzker
Dr. Brian Traubert

Ms. Kavita Ramdas

Her Excellency Nirupama Rao, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Ms. Preetha Reddy

The Honorable (Governor) Edward Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania (D)
The Honorable (Judge) Marjorie Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania

Mr. Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting

The Honorable (Ambassador) Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Mr. Ian Cameron

The Honorable (Governor) Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico (D)
Mrs. Barbara Richardson, First Lady of New Mexico

Ms. Robin Roberts

Mrs. Marian Robinson

Ambassador Timothy Roemer, US Ambassador to India
Mrs. Mary Johnston

Ms. Desiree Rogers, Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary

Mr. John Rogers

The Honorable (Dr.) Christina Romer, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers

Mr. Dennis Ross, NSC

The Honorable (Rep) Edward Randall Royce, United States Representative
Marie Therese Royce

Mr. Michael Sacks
Mrs. Cari Sacks

The Honorable (Rep.) Linda Sanchez, United States Representative (D/California)
Mr. James Sullivan, Guest of Then Honorable Linda Sanchez

Mr. Pankaj Saran, Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

His Excellency Shyam Saran, Special Envoy to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Indian Delegation

Mr. Jaideep Sarkar, Personal Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Parag Saxena

The Honorable (Rep.) Jan Schakowsky, United States Representative (D/Illinois)
Mr. Robert Creamer

The Honorable (Mr.) Phil Schiliro, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Mrs. Jody Schiliro

Ms. Annetta Seecharran
Seema Agnani

Mr. Stuart Seldowitz, Acting Director for South Asia, NSC

Dr. Amartya Sen
Ms. Emma Georgina Rothschild

Under Secretary Rajiv J Shah, Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics, Department of Agriculture

The Honorable Sonal Shah, Deputy Assist to the President, Director Office of SICP, Domestic Policy Council

Mr. Vinod Shah

Her Excellency Meera SHANKAR, Ambassador, India

The Honorable Susan Sher, Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff to the First Lady
The Honorable (Mr.) Neil Cohen

Mr. M. Night Shyamalan
Mrs. Bhavna Shyamalan

Ms. Amrit Singh
Mr. Analjit Singh

Mr. Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Balvinder Singh
Mr. Mohinder Singh

Mr. Lakhwinder Singh
Mrs. Sukhbir Kaur

Ms. Upinder Singh

Mr. Steven Spielberg

Mr. Sri Srinivasan
Ms. Carla Garrett

Ms. Srinija Srinivasan

The Honorable (Mr.) Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State
Ms. Sherburne Bradstreet

Mrs. Semonti Stephens, Deputy Press Secretary, Office of the First Lady

Mr. Andy Stern
Ms. Anna Burger

Mrs. Jane Stetson
Mr. Bill Stetson

Honorable (Dr.) Larry Summers, Director, National Economic Council
Dr. Elisa New

The Honorable (Ms.) Mona Sutphen, Office of Chief of Staff
Mr. Clyde Williams

Mr. Ratan Tata

The Honorable (Ms.) Tina Tchen, Office of Public Liaison

Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally, Ambassador, Embassy of Belize
Mrs. Barbara Thummalapally

Mr. Jim Torrey
Ms. Rose P Lynch

Mr. Richard Trumka
Mr. Paul H Lemmon

Ms. Urvashi Vaid
Ms. Kate Clinton

Mr. Kirk Wagar
Ms. Crystal Connor

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker
Dr. Cheryl Whitaker

Mr. Brian Williams
Mrs. Jane Williams

Mr. Wellington Wilson
Mrs. Wilson

Mr. Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary, Department of Treasury

Ms. Alfre Woodard
Mr. Blair E Underwood

Mr. Fareed Zakaria
Ms. Paula Throckmorton Zakaria

Tags: barry soetoro, citizens against proobama media bias, Dr. Manmohan Singh, first lady michelle obama, flotus, Ms. Gursharan Kaur, obama administration, obamahoax, oprah winfrey, president obama, Prime minister of India, proobamedia, State Dinner, State Dinner guest list

Oprah Christmas special with POTUS/FLOTUS

November 25, 2009

Well this is interesting – in general and also the timing of its release.

Oprah wasn’t at the State Dinner but she will be hosting a hour-long primetime Christmas special (Dec 13) with the first couple: Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special. Set to air December 13, 9 pm CST on ABC.

Would like to know when Oprah was invited and how long this has been in the works because it’s a mystery why she wasn’t at barry’s State Dinner. (List of guests)

Still haven’t discovered an explanation. Oprah the media mogul could have used the opportunity to hype the special.

Oprah’s website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 2009

CHICAGO — Oprah Winfrey will usher in the holidays at the White House, visiting President Barack Obama and the first lady as they prepare for their family’s first Christmas there, on Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special, airing Sunday, December 13, at 10 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.

The intimate, informative and entertaining hour-long special will include a one-on-one conversation with the president, marking the first time Oprah has interviewed him since he took office, as well as an exclusive sit-down interview with the first couple. The special will showcase behind-the-scenes preparations as the White House gets ready for the holiday season.

Tags: ABC, Christmas at the White House, Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special, citizens against proobama media bias, first lady michelle obama, flotus, harpo studios, MICHELLE-OPRAH FEUD, obamahoax, Oprah, oprah winfrey, POTUS, president obama, proobamedia, the oprah winfrey show

Susan Boyle to Oprah: “I’ve got millions of new friends now”

Updated: Susan Boyle posts (5-11)

Susan Boyle on Oprah: “It’s like a dream come true”

May 11, 2009

Here’s a mini video clip supplied by ITN

ANORAK supplied a bit of the transcript:

SUSAN BOYLE: Welcome to my home. I have been born and raised here for the past 48 years. I was the youngest of nine, so it used to be quite hectic. My mother used to sing to us a lot, especially when she was working, so it’s a sort of habit I picked up from her. At school I was encouraged to be in choirs. I was kind of a slow learner in school, so something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and boosting my confidence.

I sang at karaoke, which most people do for fun. I did sing at one or two occasions within the family.

Mum died two years ago. After that there was a wee period where I didn’t sing. You try and keep going through that pain.

And that’s what I try to do with that singing. I was very slowly getting over it.

One of the reasons I applied for the TV show was to try to see if I could perform in front of an audience.

Oh no. I am not lonely. Everyone has been so nice. I’ve got millions of new friends now.

Fame?

It all takes a bit of time to take in. Things have happened so quickly. It’s pretty awesome. Every quick change is always very hard to come by at first. But I’m really enjoying it, really enjoying every second of it. It’s like a dream come true.

Chances on BGT?

I have every chance, but at the same time there are a lot of other talent in the competition, so I’m willing to take my place with them. There’s a lot of other talent on the show.

Susan Boyle on Oprah: “It’s like a dream come true”

Updated: Susan Boyle posts (5-11)

More Susan Boyle on Oprah: “I’ve got millions of friends now”

May 11, 2009

Susan Boyle was on Oprah via satellite. It was a show called “The World’s Got Talent” featuring Simon Cowell. One forgets what an utter delight Ms Boyle is. Her mini-makeover made absolutely no difference and folks should just leave her alone. She had been depressed ever since her mum died in 2007 – not even singing. Who knows if she had always wanted to have a little something done but had been reluctant to do so because of how folks already made fun of her. So let it go folks. It’s clear she isn’t going to do anything she isn’t comfortable with. Enjoy her for what she is: lovely, in all ways.

Here’s the story from Oprah’s website.

One phenomenon Simon did not expect was Susan Boyle, the 47-year-old Britain’s Got Talent contestant whose voice has taken the world by storm. Simon says he was in a bad mood and anxious to get the show’s auditions over with on the day he met Susan.

SIMON COWELL: This lady came up, and I’m kind of thinking, ‘This will take five seconds, and I can go have a cup of tea’.

Once he heard her sing, Simon says he immediately knew he’d made a mistake.

COWELL: [I thought], ‘I’m going to look really stupid in a few weeks’ time.’

He’s been doing that for years already.

Since that first audition, Susan’s performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” has gotten more than 100 million hits on YouTube.

COWELL: There was something Susan said before she came out on stage…’I'm going to rock this audience.’ She knew we were going to have that reaction, and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through—it was one of my favorite moments.

I liked that part the best. She was most convincing when she said it. And then she went out there and did it.

And her Britain’s Got Talent audition where she sings “I Dreamed a Dream” is #5 all time on You Tube. As of May 6, she had 186 Million hits so she could be over 200 million by now.

Susan, the youngest of nine, says she started singing when she was 12 years old. Music, she says, helped her cope with a learning disability.

SUSAN BOYLE: I was kind of a slow learner at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and so boosting my confidence.

Susan says her biggest supporter was her mom, who died in 2007.

BOYLE: After that, there was a wee period where I didn’t sing. You try and keep going through that pain.

To help cope with the loss, Susan says she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent.

BOYLE: I am very slowly getting over it. One of the reasons I applied for the TV show was to try to see if I could perform in front of an audience.

It was the performance of Susan’s life—and everything changed overnight. Paparazzi now camp outside of the home she’s lived in for 48 years, and her mailbox is filling up with fan mail—with a few letters for her cat, Pebbles, mixed in.

BOYLE: I get asked for autographs.

I’ve been getting quite a few letters and quite a few cards from all over the globe.

Susan says she’s embracing every moment of her newfound fame.

BOYLE: It’s like a dream come true.

Despite constant public scrutiny over her appearance, Susan says she hasn’t had a makeover.

BOYLE: It depends what you mean by a makeover. I said to my best friend, I said, ‘How’s about you do my makeup?’ I mean, that’s hardly a makeover.

Though she cut and colored her hair, Susan says it wasn’t part of a dramatic transformation plan.

BOYLE: I did a bit, but that was just to tidy myself up like any other female would have done.

No matter what, Simon says the competition is all about Susan and her voice.

COWELL: It’s all about you and your singing voice now. Whatever you feel comfortable with, you do. You’ve got practically the whole world behind you now. So I want to say congratulations and wish you the best of luck.

Susan Boyle to be on Oprah (5-11)

Susan Boyle to be on Oprah (5-11)

Updated: Susan Boyle posts (5-9)

May 9, 2009

Susan Boyle will be on Oprah - Monday, May 11th. Simon Cowell will be a guest. The show is titled: “The Worlds Got Talent” and it w

Oprah’s crew traveled to Blackburn, Scotland to interview Ms Boyle. There will be no singing, however. She would have an unfair advantage over the other Britiain’s Got Talent constestants. As if being on Oprah’s show isn’t already a advantage. Not like Ms Boyle needs one or has ever been given one.

Octuplets: Octo-sculpture 1

March 25, 2009

Updated list of octuplet posts (3-24)

What do you make of this?

Daniel Edwards, the Britney birthing sculpturer’s take on Nadya. The octopus is expected - the rest?

“String of Babies’, holds a baby bottle upright“

EDWARDS: I can sexualize anything, it’s my ace in the hole.

Oprah Sarcophagus

Clearly. I wonder what Oprah thought…

=======

Octo-sculpture 2

“O” Magazine = Oprah + Michelle Obama

March 6, 2009

For the first time ever, Oprah Winfrey’s magazine “O” cover has someone on it besides her photoshopped image. She has shows about how unrealistic magazine photos are and how damaging they are to young girls’ psyche and yet each week hers is airbrushed perfection.

This month’s cover, due out March 17th, shows First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah - both of them standing - dressed in Easter egg colors.

FIRST LADY about the Inauguration: Well, we still had family here, so it was almost like a wedding. A huge, very complicated wedding. The last visitors didn’t leave until Sunday. And then the first Monday was kind of weird. You know: Now we live here, and Barack is getting up and going to work, and it’s just us. This is our home now.

She also told Winfrey that she felt very “privileged” to live in the White House and that she wants her “kids to be treated like children, not little princesses.

Source: CNN’s LAUREN KORNREICH

Octuplets: Grandfather on Oprah

February 25, 2009

Now the grandfather, Ed Doud (67) steps forward to tell his sob story and how he has to go back to Iraq (where he was born) to work because he has only $100. Mind you they had already abandoned a house in 2007, filed bankruptcy in March 08, have received a notice of foreclosure Feb 09 and the birther had been on disability and food stamps. In addition, and much more heinous, three of her six oldest children have neurological disabilities (ADHD, autism, speech delay/mild autism) and have been getting federal assistance as well.

All this going on when she selfishly chose to implant 6 more embryos.

See links below for details.

There is no way to spin this. What she did was premeditated child neglect, child abuse and welfare fraud. And having 14 children while on disability for a "bad back" smacks of workman's compensation fraud. It also speaks to her lack of any type of insight and judgment - maternal or otherwise.

I tried to find a transcript/video. Here is what is available on Oprah's website. Dr Oz lets loose as well. Listen to how defensive and how completely out of touch the grandfather is of what will be needed to care for all the children. Pay close attention to how he said he told her enough! Same lame thing the grandmother did and neither of them stopped her. All they had to do was call the State Medical Licensing Board or Child Protective Services.

No one affiliated with those children have sound judgment. Eight premature infants should not be entrusted to their care. No one mentions the six children she selfishly, willingly, willfully and with forethought and malice, did this do. She sentenced to a life without a childhood and to a life of neglect. Dr Oz goes one further and calls it "child cruelty".

She should not be allowed to ruin any more lives.

My opinion - speaking from the bottom of a double digit family that was not artificially created.

The following is from Oprah.com

On January 26, 2009, Nadya Suleman, already an unemployed single mother of six, gave birth to eight babies in a California hospital…and a media frenzy began almost immediately.

Days after the birth, Nadya agreed to an interview with NBC News correspondent Ann Curry. "I personally do not believe I'm irresponsible. Everything I do revolves around my children. That was always a dream of mine, to have a large family, a huge family. And I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that I really lacked, I believe, growing up. And I personally believe that need to fill something inside that's not there, the void, the feeling of emptiness. I think everyone has that."

ED DOUD

Ed, who lives overseas for work, says he used most of his savings since returning to the United States and now has just $100 left. "I have either one week, maybe two weeks maximum. Then I have to go back. Do I really want to be 10,000 miles away from my grandchildren who I love so much? But I have to."

Ed, who is now divorced from Nadya's mother, says he thinks his daughter was not herself for the NBC interview. "They took her out of the hospital by midnight to a secret location. They did not even give her a chance to rest or sleep while she's still under medication and not feeling well. This is not Nadya who I know. Nadya's a very, very, very, very sophisticated young lady. Very intelligent. Very smart."

OPRAH says many news outlets—including The Oprah Winfrey Show—competed to get the first interview with Nadya, and no one forced her to do it. "Somebody on her team, or she, made the final decision that that interview would go to NBC's Ann Curry, who I think did a really terrific job of being sympathetic and open to her. And so are you saying that she did that now under duress?"

To most people, Ed says, Nadya may have appeared to be in control—but not to him. "I know my daughter," he says. "When she's under tremendous physical pain, it's very hard to tell."

Though she already had six children, Nadya became pregnant with octuplets through in vitro fertilization. Her doctor implanted six embryos—eggs fertilized with a donor's sperm—in her uterus. Right up until she was in labor, doctors thought she was going to have seven babies. "[The eighth baby] was hiding somewhere," Ed jokes. Despite her already large family, Ed says Nadya wanted to have those six embryos implanted in part for religious reasons and also because she trusted her doctor.

Oprah: Do you think the doctor was irresponsible?

Ed: Absolutely irresponsible. Exactly.

Oprah: Do you think your daughter was irresponsible?

Ed: Irresponsible, too. Yes, ma'am.

Oprah: Do you think your daughter is mentally stable?

**Ed: That's a very good question.

How did Nadya come to want such a large family? Ed says his daughter always wanted to have kids, but she learned that though her eggs are fertile, it would be difficult for her to conceive without in vitro fertilization treatment.

When Nadya decided she wanted to get pregnant the first time, she was not married, Ed says, so she turned to a friend to be her sperm donor. After that child was born, she decided to have another baby, then a third child and a fourth.

At this point, Ed says he told his daughter she had to stop having more kids. "She loves the children and she wants more. But this is it. No more."

"It looks like someone sitting at a bar and saying, 'I'm going to have a drink.' And, well, after that, 'Well, one more.' And then, 'One more'. And that's where I can't stop her, even though I talked to her."

One day after his fourth grandchild was born, Ed says he answered his phone—and found himself talking to Nadya's fertility doctor. "He said, 'I'm checking on her status to see how she's doing.' I said, 'She's doing fine. What exactly do you mean by that?' He said, 'Well, didn't she tell you? She's pregnant.' 'Pregnant!'"

Ed says he told the doctor how much stress Nadya's pregnancies were causing. "Don't you understand that enough is enough?" he says he told the doctor. "Don't you see that you are putting so much burden on her mom and on me? Don't you understand that what you're doing is hurting the family?"

The doctor, Ed says, claimed he didn't know anything about Nadya's family situation. "After that, I thought, 'That's it. Over.'"

Now that Ed has 14 grandchildren, he says he plans to do what he can to help his family. "They're my life. There is nothing that will stop me from continuing working to help as much as I can."

For additional help, Nadya has set up a website to accept money donations. Ed says asking for help the way Nadya has was something he was never able to do. "I never in my life—and that was something maybe negative about me—I never asked for help."

Although Ed says he never felt he could ask for a hand, he doesn't want his daughter to suffer for doing so. "Do not punish my daughter for what she had done, and do not punish the babies, because they were given by God," he says.

DR OZ

Dr. Oz weighs in on the the vitro fertilization controversy, saying it has become the "Dracula of medical technology." "It sucks out all of the good stuff that medicine often provides, all the wonderful conceived children that occur every year. It also strips money out of the system."

Beyond the several million dollars Dr. Oz says it will take to get the octuplets ready to leave the hospital, he has a message for Ed. "It's going to cost about a quarter million dollars per kid to get them to age 18, so you better start working. I hope you're in good health."

Money aside, Dr. Oz addresses a more important issue. "I'd like to shift gears a tiny bit because we've been judging Nadya a lot and someone has to speak out for the kids. Because, ultimately, this is a form of child cruelty, I think, and we have a very cavalier and careless attitude to conceiving children in this country. Not just Nadya—this happens all over the place."

Dr. Oz says Nadya's pregnancy is a major failure in professionalism. He compares the situation to a Middle Eastern proverb. "It takes one fool to throw a coin down a well. It takes 99 wise men to pull it up. There were 46 very wise physicians and other healers getting these babies out that day at an incredible expense. Despite that, it's hard to keep up unless someone preempts the act."

Dr. Oz says it's a natural gut reaction to question why there are no laws to stop in vitro fertilizations like Nayda's. "There are some countries, like Italy, that actually have rules. You're not allowed to implant more than three embryos, for example, there. But we don't want the government involved in a very personal relationship that we have to have with our doctors about such a sensitive topic."

DR JAMIE GRIFIO

Many people are asking how it's possible that Nadya gave birth to octuplets—aren't there regulations on in vitro fertilization? Dr. Jamie Grifo, the program director of the NYU Fertility Center, says the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has published the following guidelines for women seeking in vitro fertilization:

• Women under the age of 35 should have no more than two embryos implanted.
• Women ages 35 to 37 should have no more than three embryos implanted.
• Women ages 38 to 40 should have no more than four embryos implanted.
• Women age 40 and over should have no more than five embryos implanted.

According to the guidelines, Nadya, who is 33, falls under the two-embryo category. However, Dr. Grifo notes that these are guidelines, not laws. "Eight babies born at once is a failure of our treatment. Our goal as practitioners is to help these patients have a single healthy pregnancy, because those pregnancies have the best outcome."

-------------

**That's all that was included on this line of questioning. I would have liked to know more - a simple follow up like, why is it just dawning on you now? Or if he ever thought she needed psychiatric help when she wouldn't stop. Contrast those statements to his other characterizations of her. I would also like to know if Oprah asked him about the extent of cosmetic surgery, who paid for it and whether he knew she was on disability for a bad back while she was pregnant.

***

(1-30) Octuplets: Ethics of fertility treatment?
(1-30) Octuplets: What is really going on?
(2-9) Octuplets: Should not go home with that woman
(2-9) Octuplets: Octuplets: already filthy house unfit for children (pix)
(2-23) Octuplets: Mother vs grandmother caught on tape
(2-24) Octuplets: Cosmetic surgery, IVF, food stamps, disability, bankruptcy & foreclosure
(2-24) Octuplets: Mother before/after plastic surgery & Angelina Jolie (pix)
(2-25) Octuplets: Grandfather on Oprah daughter “not mentally complete”
(2-25) Octuplets: Hospital questioning her ability to care for children
(2-26) Octuplets: Video of inside the home
(2-26) Octuplets: Body language mother vs grandmother video (Part 1)
(2-26) Octuplets: Body language mother vs grandmother video (Part 2)
(2-27) Octuplets: Man claiming to be sperm donor
(2-27) Octuplets: Grandmother on The Early Show (Part 1)
(2-27) Octuplets: Grandmother on The Early Show (Part 2)
(2-27) Octuplets: Grandmother on The Early Show (Part 3)
(2-27) Octuplets: Grandmother’s first interview (Feb 9th)

VP Biden apologizes - did barry?

January 28, 2008

This is how crazy political coverage has gotten. Joe Biden is Joe Biden. He is not going to change. You want transparency - he's it. The choices are leashing or banishing. barry's attempt to muzzle him last week was unsuccessful and the little dig at Chief Justice Roberts' about barry's botched oath (#2) popped right out. You could see it coming. He did apologize to Justice Roberts - but now he is being banished to Germany (a real international trip) with chaperone and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Gen James Jones, to attend the annual security policy conference in Munich. barry's probably still ticked with Dr Jill Biden's remarks on Oprah. But he had no problem "kissing" her at the Convention. Did barry apologize about...that?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7E50HNurkM]

2tellthenews

Ranks up there with Al & Tipper and Lisa Marie & Micheal Jackson.

Dr Biden gaffe: VP or Secretary of State?

January 22, 2009

VP and Dr Biden were on Oprah (1-19-09). They were having a nice little chat until Dr Biden leaked a secret that I'm sure barry wanted never to get out. It must be a family thing. She said her husband had the choice between Secretary of State and Vice President. Enlightening. We know that Sen Clinton was never in the running for VP. So it appears she was never on barry's short list for either.

Who was the other choice? Richardson? Kerry? And what kind of leader gives the decision to the person he will be appointing? That's what's most bizarre. Recall that it was the most important barry made as it was his first decision and he turfed it in his usual fashion. It's quite funny in a way and then add in VP Biden's not very well taken joke yesterday about Chief Justice Roberts' memory concerning the Oath of Office. (Take #2). I find him very refreshing. He says what's on his mind and calls it like he sees it and it seems his wife too.

Barry wants transparency? There's no one more transparent than Biden...or his wife it seems.

lukalicious13

Biden was discussing his VP job with Oprah. How he said he needed some time to take to "Jillie" to see what was best for the family. He then went on to joke that "besides, we have public housing now".

Oprah then asked Dr Biden why she thought it would be good for the family.

JILL (6:00): Because I think--Joe had the choice to be secretary of state or vice president.

Came right out. She was looking at Oprah and saw hubby react and she stopped.

JOE: Shhhh!

JILL looked at the audience - who was loving it - and said no big dealwise: Well. Ok. He did.

OPRAH: It's ok. It's ok.

JOE, red-faced with his lupine grin laughed and hugged her and said: That's alright. Go ahead.

OPRAH: Why did you say it was good for the family?

JILL: So I said, 'Joe, if you're secretary of state, you'll be away...we'll never see you...you know. I'll see you at a state dinner once in awhile. But I said, if you're vice president, the entire family - because they worked so hard for the election -can be involved. They can come to our home. They can go to events, they can be with us all the time.' And that's what's important to us.

Joe sat there with his frozen smile probably happy it wasn't him. Oprah ever the professional and friend of barry went right past it. Problem is she asked if he was "worried about being number two since he wanted to be number one."

JOE: I think Barack was worried about it!

He couldn't help himself either. Their conversations at home must be interesting. Dr Biden is a beautiful woman. Hard to believe she is 57. Must be all that running. They look like they have a lot of fun together.

Then came the expected Joe Biden spokesperson statement. From WSJ's SUSAN DAVIS:

Elizabeth Alexander: Like anyone who followed the presidential campaign this summer, Dr. Jill Biden knew there was a chance that President-elect Obama might ask her husband to serve in some capacity and that, given his background, the positions of Vice President and Secretary of State were possibilities.

Dr. Biden's point to Oprah today was that being Vice President would be a better fit for their family because they would get to see him more and get to participate in serving more. To be clear, President-elect Obama offered Vice President-elect Biden one job only — to be his running mate. And the Vice President-elect was thrilled to accept the offer.

An interesting and conflicting note:

However ABC News notes that today was not the first time a Biden suggested the state job had been offered. In an Oct. 20 New Yorker article, Biden is quoted discussing his options with Obama, who noted his interest in foreign policy.

"[Obama] wasn't offering me this, but he said, 'Would you rather be Secretary of State instead of Vice-President?' And I thought a lot about that," Biden told the magazine. He said he consulted with his own advisers who said he'd be better as a running mate. "They convinced me that I could have more influence on policy as a Vice-President with Barack," Biden said.

UPDATE: Pregnant man pregnant again

November 16, 2008

Thomas Beatie aka "The pregnant man" is pregnant for the second time. He gave birth to a healthy girl on June 29th. He is considered a transman: female-to-male transition and clearly has not undergone gender reassignment surgery - though he has had a double mastectomy. Since he has had prior testosterone injections, his clitoris has hypertrophied into a "penis" and he is able to grow facial hair. His wife had a hysterectomy but is able to breastfeed. Nine doctors refused to inseminate him - so they bought sperm over the internet and his wife inseminated him with a syringe from a pet store.

Female factoid: He was a Miss Teen Hawaii finalist and modeled.

He told Oprah: "I actually opted not to do anything to my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day. I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn't define who I am. I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human need. I'm a person and I have the right to have a biological child."

Yes, he has the right to do anything he wants - but he has involved an innocent soul. What about her needs? She had no choice in the matter - nor will the next. And what about the donor sperm? How well was it and the donor screened? How do they really know whose sperm it was?

How is a woman a man when he intentionally preserved his right to be pregnant? Pregnancy is the fundamental essence of femaleness. How can one be a man and yet retain his femaleness? I don't buy it. Especially when they started out in a lesbian relationship and she had been married and has two children in their late 20's.

How much are their children going to suffer because of his need and his right to do whatever he wants? They've gone on so many press junkets that the information is all over the internet and it will be there for every one of the kids' classmates to find. How much thought did they give to that? What he and his wife have done is the ultimate act of selfishness. My opinion.

Full Barbara Walters 20/20 interview.
Teaser from The View.

video courtesy of silveryseven
Excerpt from the show courtesy of StephanieKayStevens


UPDATE: He was on Larry King tonite (11-17) to hawk his book, their business, their TV special and to find a lawyer to help them with the birth certificate. Wonder how much money he's made so far and whether it has been put into trust for his children's therapy bills.

Telling quotes:
BEATIE: I have a very real need to pass down my genes, so we were going to try that first and then look into surrogacy.

KING: What would happen if, god forbid, you pass away? Would somebody fight over this baby?

BEATIE: It's very likely. That's what I'm very afraid of and that's why we need help. We need an attorney to help us make it right.

KING: Is it you can't afford one?

BEATIE: No. We -- we'd like the help of any attorney that could help us. We did approach the ACLU. Unfortunately, they declined to help.

BEATIE: Well, babies aren't born with prejudice or bias.

BEATIE: They're taught it. Absolutely. We're going to raise our daughter with dignity and respect for other people. You know, a lot of children go through -- they get teased, et cetera, but we're not going to allow other people's opinion of us to --

BEATIE: When I got a little bit older, mainly when I hit my teens and my father pressured me to enter a beauty pageant and do some modeling, I started to feel conflicted.

BEATIE: It wasn't terrible. When I hit my college years, I realized there was another path in life I could choose and to follow my heart.

A mother emailed him to tell him she sat her 7 y/o son down to watch Barbara Walters' interview so the child could understand diversity in the world. I must be living on another planet when it's ok to thoroughly confuse a 7 y/o in the name of tolerance. There is not a single 7 y/o - no matter how enlightened or tolerant - who has the mental capacity to understand the complexities of gender, sexuality, homosexuality, heterosexuality, gender identity disorder, transgenderism, hermaphroditism, gender reassignment surgery, artificial insemination, sperm donors, pregnancy and/or surrogate breastfeeding. Imagine what will go through this child's mind when he comes across a less than masculine looking man with a mustache and protuberant abdomen or God forbid an unfortunately hirsute pregnant woman.

Maya Angelou

November 3, 2008
Another interesting Q & A with Maya Angelou. Her words speak for themselves.

CNN: Have you been in touch with Oprah lately about the election?

Angelou: I spoke to her about a week ago ... [During the primaries], a newspaper reporter said this proves that Oprah Winfrey doesn't listen to everything Maya Angelou says, because she was supporting Sen. Obama and I was supporting Sen. Clinton.

And when I was asked by the reporter, "What do you say to Oprah?" my answer was, "I say nothing, she's a woman who thinks carefully and profoundly and she has courage. So she's chosen the person she thinks would be the best person for our country. I do the same."

The primaries proved that Oprah had selected the one that most people wanted, so I went to Sen. Obama right after that. Hillary Clinton ... telephoned me and thanked me for my unwavering support, and then asked me to please put that same energy behind Mr. Obama.

Maya Angelou: What I've encouraged voters to do is to vote for the person I am extolling, and also don't expect that if your man or woman gets in, that all things will be rectified immediately. It's taken us a long time to come to this place of weariness and almost hopelessness.

So because Obama gets in or McCain gets in, it's not going to be repaired overnight. The economy is not going to be repaired, the schools -- the disaster in our schools -- will not be repaired overnight. Nor will the social conversation be repaired overnight.

oprah & gail on "white folks"

Here's an interesting conversation between Oprah and Gail.

GAIL: YOU could work for some good white folks.
OPRAH: (affected voice) I hope you get some white folks like I did. I worked for some good white folk.”
GAIL: They're so nice to you. They give you clothes and food to take home.
OPRAH: They give food and clothes to take home. And they give you good clothes too - not all worn out. That’s what my grandmother used to say. And now say that I wish she would have lived to see that I did grow up to get some good white folks…working for me.
GAIL: Working for you.
OPRAH: Working for me. Look around here. All these good white folks.
(Laughing)
GAIL: There’s white people everywhere.
OPRAH: Everywhere. (affected) One black man in here.
(Laughing)
OPRAH: There's one everywhere you look. There's George. More white folks thumbing up."
(Laughing)
GAIL: Yeah there's George is giving a thumbs up." (Laughing.) 'I'm a good white folk.'
(Laughing)

***
Imagine Ellen talkin bout black folks. It's okay for Oprah because it's black folks talking about white folks? Because Oprah's ancestors were slaves and the white folks in the room are descendants of slave owners? How many of these white folks gave their life fighting slavery? How many white folks helped black folks on the road to freedom?

Who are these "white folks". White folks who arrived in the US after slavery? White folks who arrived after the 60's? What percentage of these white folks in the US have had anything to do with Oppression of the Southern Negro?

Obama himself hasn't.

dear oprah

I respected you when you said you would remain out of politics but you did anyway. How else can your endorsement be explained other than identity politics? How much pressure were you getting from the black community? Didn't they think you were "black enough" with your screaming rich white lady audiences and white hollywood celebrities? How could you pretend it was ok to endorse someone who has been wright's disciple for twenty years? You know who wright is, you know what he represents and you know who he associates himself with and yet you said nothing. You have lost my respect. And why did you go into hiding after Iowa? Because your ratings dropped? Why did you reappear after he secured the nomination?

This is what I wonder most: you established your school in South Africa because you believed women are the key to solving the problems in the world and yet when the most qualified American woman runs for the most powerful position in the world you endorse the most inexperienced man on the ticket. How else to explain but identity politics? What did your girls think? It's ok you picked a man because his father was Kenyan?

Oprah & Caroline Kennedy stump for Obama

February 4, 2008
UCLA

Oprah disses her white audience because someone asked her in Iowa, "How could you?"
Oprah: "She was surprised by that comment and insulted....I am not a traitor."

"We are free to be led by our hearts. We are free from the prescriptions of gender and race."

Affected voice: "Trouble with your mens."

(Mind you, this was before her audience had begun to boycott her show and her ratings. And when that happened she suddenly disappeared from the scene. Integrity.)

She quotes Tony Bill is the first black president Morrison saying that Barry has "creative imagination". True. But does he know how to use it in reality? Here's her full letter of endorsement.