WASHINGTON – Michelle Obama is pushing back against the notion that she and President Obama don’t socialize enough in Washington.
The first lady says in an interview in the April issue of Vogue magazine that she and the president were straightforward when they said — before moving from Chicago to Washington in 2009 — that their family, including two young daughters, would be their priority.
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She said “the stresses and the pressures” of the White House are so real that they prefer to spend free time with their daughters, now 14 and 11.
“Our job is, first and foremost, to make sure our family is whole. You know, we have small kids; they’re growing every day. But I think we were both pretty straightforward when we said, ‘Our No. 1 priority is making sure that our family is whole,”‘ Mrs. Obama said in the magazine interview, which hits newsstands on March 26.
The first lady, who makes her second appearance on Vogue’s cover, noted that most of the couple’s friends are parents, too, and said that when she and the president go on vacation, usually with longtime friends or relatives, they are surrounded by children.
“The stresses and the pressures of this job are so real that when you get a minute, you want to give that extra energy to your 14- and 11-year-old,” she said.
The interview, conducted in January, was released in the midst of Obama’s attempts to do more reaching out to lawmakers, particularly Republicans, to help get his agenda through Congress. The list of action items includes legislation to limit access to firearms, overhaul the immigration system and make progress toward deficit reduction, among other issues.
‘Lies’ taking a toll on the ‘Bieb’
Justin Bieber has taken to Instagram to unload frustration over what he says are the “countless lies” being circulated about him.
In a passionate post Thursday, Bieber wrote that he’s “tired of all the countless lies in the press right now,” denying rumors that he’s going to rehab. Bieber railed against those he perceives as against him, writing that “I’m 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning.”
He originally ended the post with a jab at Lindsay Lohan, saying any comparison between the two was wrong. Before deleting the line, he wrote, “Look at her 2012 tax statements.”
Bieber recently collapsed backstage during a London concert, tousled with paparazzi and canceled a performance in Portugal.
Selena calls and Disney answers
You would think Selena Gomez would have enough to keep her busy with working on a music career, starring in four feature films and being the focus of every tabloid magazine and TV show.
But despite everything going on in the life of the 20-year-old performer, Gomez decided one day that she needed a little more work.
Gomez picked up the phone and called Disney to see whether there was any possibility of making a reunion movie based on her former cable series, “The Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Like magic, her wish came true, and the Russo family returns Friday night in the made-for-cable show, “The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex.”
“I realized how much I missed the show. All of these people watched me grow up, and we are definitely like a family,” Gomez says of the original series.
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