Obama Party Guest Al Roker: 'I Got to Boogie With the First Lady!'
Calling in to Monday's NBC Today, weatherman Al Roker was giddy as he told his fellow co-hosts about attending Michelle Obama's White House birthday party: "...it
was literally a house party. It was a house party that happened to be
in the White House. My wife Deborah and I went. And it was – yeah, there
were all these stars, which was kind of terrific." [Listen to the audio]
Referencing Roker's long-running bromance
with the Vice President, co-host Savannah Guthrie joked: "Did you and
Joe Biden do like a conga line or anything like that?" Roker mentioned
seeing Biden but was really thrilled by the First Lady: "I
actually got to boogie a little with the First Lady....Deborah and I
were dancing and all of a sudden I turned around and there was Mrs.
Obama....And I'm thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm dancing with the First
Lady.'"
Introducing
Roker, fill-in co-host Carson Daly touted: "500 guests helped the First
Lady celebrate her 50th birthday on Saturday night. Sources say the
star-studded bash turned into a late-night dance party. Beyonce was
there, she sang 'Single Ladies'....Some of the other big-name guests:
Bill and Hillary Clinton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney."
Roker described being star-struck: "I mean, literally at one point
while, you know, Beyonce was performing, Paul McCartney was talking or
was kind of grooving with Stevie Wonder. And I thought, 'Oh, my gosh,
ebony and ivory right there.' It was unbelievable."
News reader Natalie Morales told Roker: "Just pinch yourself."
Guthrie chimed in: "Oh, my gosh, it sounds like the Star Wars bar of celebrities there, Al."
At the end of the segment, Morales added: "We're glad you had a great time, Al."
Late
in the 9 a.m. ET hour, Morales talked to Google technologist Daniel
Sieberg about the First Lady's party being one of the "hottest searches"
online over the weekend. Sieberg declared: "Fabulous at fifty. A big
bash, of course, at the White House....Of course, lots of celebrities
showing up. Magic Johnson was there with his wife, Samuel L. Jackson,
Gayle King, Beyonce, of course, performed....a lot of people just
searching to figure out what's happening during this party and wanting
to see more about Michelle Obama."
NBC spent days celebrating Mrs. Obama's birthday and excitedly previewing the details of her Saturday party. On Sunday's Today,
White House correspondent Kristen Welker proclaimed: "Michelle Obama is
not afraid to have fun. And it seems turning 50 has been no
exception....The woman whom for many has become a fashion icon and model
mom is now an example of how to hit a major milestone with ease."
— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.
