I temporarily suspended my disappointment in Oprah for not telling me her "Favorite Things" this year when I watched her ABC special, "Christmas at the White House," last night. Aside from getting a tour of the sweepingly beautiful decorations and the 27 different Christmas trees they've got going on over there, it was another opportunity to get to know the Obamas as a couple. In a particularly intimate sit-down with the President and the First Lady, Oprah asked them about their gift-giving rituals (above), and the President claimed that he gives nicer stuff than he gets. I don't even remotely believe that, but Michelle was sporting a pretty pearl necklace that somewhat undermined her rebuttal.

But Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia aren't the only ones who are about to experience their first Christmas in the White House. It's Bo's, too! Last week we learned of some "accidents" he had on Air Force One, but last night, the fluffy young man redeemed himself with some spiffy Lassie moves. And he doesn't even get performance anxiety when Oprah, a stranger, gives him the command! Check him out, here.

Everyone knows that only good boys get presents in their stockings on Christmas...which must've made First Dog Bo Obama a little nervous. You see, according to Wall Street Journal reports (Brian Williams mentions them, above), Bo left a few "unexpected surprises" in inopportune places this year, like on Air Force One. But, since he's a dog, and therefore not held to human potty-training standards, First Lady Michelle Obama has still laid out a stocking for Bo this Christmas. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she explains, "Santa loves Bo, too." What I want to know is what the guy who picked up after Bo is getting from the Obamas for Christmas. I hope it's more than just college credit.

Last night, Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009" special aired on ABC. She is proud of her selections and calls it the most "provocative" group of people she's ever had. Watch the clip above from "The View" to hear her thoughts on her interview with the fifth most fascinating person, and click "continue reading" to see who else rounded out the list (but maybe shouldn't have).

Whoa there, Nora O'Donnell. It's unfortunate your producers asked you to report on Michelle Obama's "sliding" poll numbers (described above, on "Today"), because I'd take a bullet for that woman. So if you expect to prove that our First Lady isn't a shining beam of light by explaining the reasons why people are turning their noses up at her, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to push back a little bit.

One of your sources, Nia-Malika Henderson, attributes Michelle's 11 point drop in a Gallup popularity poll to people feeling the "need for her to do something more substantial." I understand that Nia-Malika is an analyst, so my beef isn't entirely with her. But "some people" want Michelle Obama to do something more "substantial" than holding events that teach children how to eat healthier? I don't know if "these people" have heard or seen any around recently, but America's kids could really use some help in learning to differentiate between a string bean and a deep-fried Twinkie. Mrs. Obama is right on target in emphasizing it's "cool" to grow your own vegetables, and saying it's okay to splurge on french fries every now and then, if you're getting the right stuff most of the time. But since "some people" think her agricultural efforts are futile, I'd like to know what term they think a kid could type into Google that would bring up that same lesson.

Michelle Obama is trying very hard to get Americans to eat healthier, with a special focus on kids' diets. She planted a vegetable garden at the White House, and shops at Farmer's Markets (above), but there's only so much she can do at home in Washington, DC. So for her next trick, she's going big -- all the way to "Iron Chef America's" Kitchen Stadium, where she will unveil the secret ingredient for the show's January 3rd episode.

The episode will pit White House chef Cristeta Comerford and chef-lebrity Bobby Flay against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse, and the ingredient will be something that grows in the White House's garden. The smart money's on kale, with swiss chard as a potential dark horse. If it's brussels sprouts, I'm changing the channel.

Conan O'Brien brought something to our attention last night that, quite frankly, we probably should have noticed earlier. It turns out that Barack Obama -- the man we elected to fix everything wrong with our country -- hates women; you can hear it loud and clear in a portion of his interview with NBC News (above). I'm all for equality between the sexes, but I really think this one's our fault. We should have considered how living with three other women (four if you include his mother-in-law) could affect his outlook, and knew he would pass tons of anti-women legislation as a way of reclaiming his manly dominance. But it's too late now -- he already got his Nobel Peace Prize, his (male) dog, and an awesome Christmas party to look forward to, so we're just going to have to make do with his anti-woman ways.

Jay Leno had First Lady Michelle Obama on his show last Friday for his "10@10" segment, and we made our guesses about what the host would ask her. Well, I think they turned out to be pretty accurate. I don't want to say Jay Leno's predictable, or that we probably could've done without this interview...but hit "continue reading" below and come to your own conclusions.

This morning, the White House released the official family portrait of President Obama and his family. On September 1st, celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz sat arguably the country's cutest family (seen above talking about their pet peeves) in the famed Green Room, and said something to elicit the whitest smiles I've ever seen. And the poses! There's just a ridiculous amount of love in this photo. If this were a portrait of any other family, you'd be angry you were born to such a disfunctional group, and you'd hate this absurdly perfect and humble family because it wasn't yours. But it's the Obamas, and it's impossible not to smile right back at them. Click "continue reading" to see it; if you're not grinning after five seconds, I'll give you five dollars. (Okay, three.)

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama met with 100 kids and their parents on the South Lawn of the White House to talk about the importance of healthy eating, at the "Healthy Kids Fair." She confessed when the First Family isn't shopping at farmers' markets (above), they love "good" burgers. She also admitted she "dearly" and "deeply" loves french fries, and would eat them every day if she could (I'm swooning). Then she explained how she's teaching Sasha and Malia to eat right: "I tell my girls this: 'If you're getting the right foods for most of the time, then when it's time to have cake and french fries on those special occasions, then you balance it out.'" I wonder what she'd say about my problem with peanut butter.

The other part of the fair made good use of the lawn, where there were hula hooping contests and jump ropes for double dutch. The First Lady had some trouble with double dutch, but she killed it at the hula hoop: she rotated the hoop an impressive 142 rotations before it fell to the ground. Click "continue reading" to see her in all her playground-game glory.

First Lady Michelle Obama will appear on "The Jay Leno Show" on Friday, and get "grilled" in Leno's "10@10" segment. I've already shared my feelings about Leno's "10@10" bit (spoiler: It's the worst), but maybe I was being too hard on ol' Jay: How else would we know that the last book John McCain read was "Twilight" (above)? That's essential information for our nation.

But honestly, we already know how Jay's Michelle Obama interview is going to go. Hit "continue reading" for our preview.