ABC News did not get around to the story that Michelle Obama wore a $42,000 set of bracelets to a Democratic fundraiser. But they certainly helped the Obama campaign by touting her appearance on Sunday night's season debut of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Obama campaign used the appearance to promote the First Lady's work on behalf of military families (and let's not recall how her liberal husband won the Democratic nomination by promising to clear American soldiers out of Iraq by like, yesterday.) This episode dealt with a woman helping homeless female vets.
On Thursday's Good Morning America, news anchor Josh Elliott prodded Extreme Makeover host Ty Pennington to tell the folks at home just what a "cool lady" the First Lady was, and promote the "very special episode" ABC made. Pennington insisted she wore low-top Converse sneakers [video follows page break]:
JOSH ELLIOTT: And, you know, you mentioned the First Lady, Michelle Obama. We do have a little bit of that very special episode. Take a look. [Clip]
FEMALE RECIPIENT: That would be overwhelming.
TY PENNINGTON: Well, guess what.
RECIPIENT: What?
PENNINGTON: It gives me great honor to introduce the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.
RECIPIENT: Welcome, welcome, welcome. [End of clip]
ELLIOTT: You look at that reaction. I mean, it's priceless. What was it like working with the First Lady?
PENNINGTON: I mean, well, you know what's funny, we were all so nervous that she was coming, but she immediately has this ability to make you feel relaxed and calm, which is, I was just like sort of stunned. And she's wearing like low-top Converse. And I'm like, no way. [She didn’t wear her 500-dollar sneakers?]
But I have to say, like dealing with her, you don't realize how big of a deal it is. You sit and have a conversation, you know, and then over the corner of your shoulder, you realize that there's a guy with, you know, a rifle, just in case, you know. And they're telling you, 'Oh, by the way, don't make any loud noises or sudden moves.' And you're like, that's sort of what I do. So I'm like, you know, just walking really slowly. So, but, no, it was incredible, it really was.
ELLIOTT: That's great, and you said right before we went on air, she's cool, she's - a cool lady.
PENNINGTON: She really is. And she's genuine. And she's real. And she, and she just enjoys conversation. She's really engaged.
That's not the First Lady's only scoop of TV Campaign Helper. On Saturday, she filmed on the Ellipse in D.C. for Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play. The Washington Post gossips reported:
All were waiting for co-star Michelle Obama to join them for the taping of a short public-service skit. In a feel-good effort to get kids out of the house for some fresh air, Nickelodeon went off the air for three whole hours Saturday and deployed much of its young talent to the Mall.
The first lady taped a ceremonial pulling-of-the-plug with boy band du jour Big Time Rush...She also turned out to oversee the obstacle course antics (taped to run after Nick went back on the air) – and while Justice’s lines were spelled out on cue cards (“Do you have any tips for training for this obstacle course, Mrs. Obama?), the first lady was simply instructed to “ad lib on Let’s Move initiative.”
Mrs. Obama is also going to appear on the Nickelodeon show "iCarly" to promote military families (and the Obama campaign) in 2012:
[MTV] Network president Cyma Zarghami told the press on Wednesday that Michelle Obama will appear in an upcoming iCarly episode, which will be aired at the beginning of next year.
On this episode Carly Shay, who is the daughter of a military man serving the country overseas, is celebrating her birthday. Her friends, Sam and Freddie, break some rules setting up a web chat to surprise Carly on the birthday, but their misconduct attracts the attention of Michelle Obama, who comes to talk to them “in the most positive way possible”, Cyma Zarghami told Associated Press.
The episode was written by the TV show’s creator and producer Dan Schneider especially for the first lady’s military initiative. Michelle Obama entered the show in order to promote Joining Forces, a project initiated with the purpose of raising awareness among the population and supporting the military families.
