Barack Obama News

President Barack Obama's proposed budget includes an increase in National Endowment for the Arts funding.

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music professor of piano André Watts will receive the 2011 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and art patrons by the United States government.

The COLUMN AWARDS Board of Directors and the Executive Director/Producer announced today that Tony Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Chita Rivera will be the Co-host for the 13th Annual COLUMN AWARDS Gala.

James Taylor and his band are coming to the Fox Theatre on Friday, July 20 for one intimate and memorable night!

On the February 4th edition of NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, actor Channing Tatum will guest host. Musical guest for the show will be Bon Iver.

On FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, in honor of National Wear Red Day which kicks off American Heart Month, Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd ('The View'), Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall, Daphne Oz ('The Chew') and Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, Harley Pasternak, Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry and Dr. Jennifer Ashton ('The Revolution') will all be seen on-air wearing the color RED in a unified effort to show support in the fight against heart disease in women.

THE NAKED SIDE OF GRACE: The Final Concert of Grace Fullest and Violet Tendencies plays February 29th and March 1st at 7:30 and March 2nd and 3rd at 8.

People's Light & Theatre will feature staged readings of four plays this year as part of its pilot program Community Matters. The readings include Dispatches from (A)mended America on Monday, February 27th at 7pm; Eclipsed on Monday, March 26th at 7pm; Beautiful Boy on Monday, May 14th at 7pm; and Schoolhouse on Monday, June 11th at 7pm.

MTV and Logo, two Viacom networks, jointly announced today that Dan Savage, syndicated columnist, author, co-creator of the It Gets Better Project, and star of MTV's upcoming series 'Savage U,' will anchor a 60-minute 'It Gets Better' special, which will spotlight the emotional and societal struggles many LGBT youth face.

According to The Huffington Post, AMERICAN IDOL producer Nigel Lythgoe has invited President Obama and recording artist Al Green to perform on an upcoming episode of the Fox singing competition.

Michelle Obama will make her late night talk show debut as the First Lady of the United States on NBC's THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO' (Monday - Friday, 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET on NBC) on Tuesday, January 31.

On FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, in honor of National Wear Red Day which kicks off American Heart Month, Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd ('The View'), Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall, Daphne Oz ('The Chew') and Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, Harley Pasternak, Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry and Dr. Jennifer Ashton ('The Revolution') will all be seen on-air wearing the color RED in a unified effort to show support in the fight against heart disease in women.

Judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson go to Houston on tonight's episode of AMERICAN IDOL; hopes are high, as this is the city where the original IDOL, Kelly Clarkson, had her audition. As one of the show's success stories - with a fifth major studio album that hit stores in October - everyone's hoping for a piece of Clarkson's success.

The exclusive network interview will air Thursday, January 26 on a special 'ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT with Diane Sawyer' broadcast from Las Vegas.

Star Jones, one of the five original co-hosts of ABC's Emmy Award-winning talk show THE VIEW will make her first guest appearance, live, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET). Jones last appeared on June 27, 2006 when she announced nationally, while grabbing hold of Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck's hands, that 'after much prayer and counsel' she would not be returning to the program.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) announces the following concerts going on sale this week.

Michelle Obama will make her late night talk show debut as the First Lady of the United States on NBC's THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO' (Monday - Friday, 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET on NBC) on Tuesday, January 31.

A spokesperson for the ABC news division has confirmed that the network will air an exclusive interview with Newt Gingrich's Ex-Wife Marianne Gingrich tonight on NIGHTLINE. The inteview will take place just days before the South Carolina Primary.