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April 5, 2010

America: The Fairy Tale Alive and Well

By Michael Shaw

the-obama-family-reads-green-eggs-and-ham-during-the-annual-easter-egg-roll.prev.jpg

Disneyworld Space Shuttle.JPG

Thought it might be a good time for a fantasy break.

Except for the green eggs being upside down, gotta love how the Obamas morph with the holidays. This idyllic and sing-songy Easter portrait celebrates America’s first pastel family in the White House. And then, leave it to Disney to claim the trail of the Space Shuttle for Cinderella.

(photo 1: Charles Dharapak/AP. President Barack Obama holds “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss as he hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 5, 2010, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Also pictured are first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia Obama. photo 2: Kent Phillips/Disney via Getty Images. caption: In this handout photo provided by Disney, the sunrise over Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom creates a multi-colored effect in the sky as the sun shines through the trail left after Space Shuttle Discovery launched from nearby Cape Canaveral on April 5, 2010 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. At 6:21 a.m. EDT, Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canveral, Florida with the crew of STS-131.)

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  • jobberwacked

    greneggs&Ham

  • bystander

    Fantasy break, Michael? If only. More like hitting a concrete abutment at 65 mph. Going from your previous photo study to this one is thoroughly disorienting. Green eggs pretty much matches my sense of vertigo from the transition, but the pretty pastels in contrast to the gray graininess of the preceding has me reaching for an air sickness bag.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/bagnews Michael Shaw (The BAG)

    The way traditional media sites now glomb the day’s pictures together in photo gallery dumps — from violence and tragedy around the globe, to sports photos, to the requisite cute animal or two — the back-to-back here is not completely unintentional. Irony is my middle name?

  • bystander

    I’ll go with it; Michael Irony Shaw. Works for me! HowSomeEver, it’d be a genuine kindness for you to install a 6 point harness for those of us a bit less accustomed to the sharpness of the curves. Thanks for the response. Had a feeling it wasn’t totally “accidental.”

  • http://www.ninaberman.com Nina

    I would love to see more corporate photography hand outs. “Sunrise over Cinderella Castle,” It is a photograph I wish I had made. Great find Michael.

  • Gasho

    I’m with you, bystander – seeing these two together was horrific. Hell, just seeing the video stills was horrible.. but the buck stops with the Commander in Chief and what is HE doing.. OH yeah, this. PUUUKE.

  • Gasho

    Ok, now that I’m done PUUUKing due to the juxtaposition..
    Does anyone else find it strange that the Fairytale Family here are all equipped with Microphones?? Aren’t the girls a little old for Green Eggs and Ham? I understand the desire to model family behavior on Easter and all, but I think they are REALLY over doing it in a way that seems extremely unreal. As the Beastie Boys would say — “You can’t cut the mustard when you’re frontin’ it all! “

  • g

    It’s a bit dorky, but it appears to be to be in the context of a staged reading to the audience of Easter Egg guests. A performance. Hence the stage platform, the stage decor (potted plants).If he’s going to be reading a book to a crowd, you might as well mike him.
    Not knowing the tradition of the Easter Egg hunt, I can’t say whether this is in line with previous custom or a departure. I imagine it’s not that different than previous recent Prez’s.

  • robertdsc

    I don’t know how or why, but Michelle Obama has become so magnetic as First Lady. I don’t remember a lot of her during the campaign but as FLOTUS, she’s magnificent.

  • crabby

    I don’t see any green eggs – just a pink one. HELP

  • of a certain parallaxed age

    it’s not easy to find things i’ve hidden from myself
    rainbows halo (and shadow) everything i see
    i can’t discriminate

  • Emjay

    The President is holding up a copy of “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss. I’m pretty sure that this picture was taken on the day of the White House Easter egg hunt with lots of young children present. Why be so critical of something like this?

  • http://www.woodka.com donna

    Obama was not president in 2007. I’m sure there will still be military mistakes made and tragedies and stupid comments made by the perpetrators, but this was not on Obama’s watch.

  • bystander

    Yo!, Donna
    Was Obama president in February of this year?

  • crabby

    ah, I couldn’t see the book name, it is upside down I am guessing? Like Bush and the goat book.
    I didn’t know Muslims did Easter :)

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