Obama cracks Special Olympics joke on Leno show

President Barack Obama might have rolled a gutter ball on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

Toward the end of the interview on Thursday, Obama told host Jay Leno he's been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129.

Leno complimented Obama on the score, but the president quipped, "It was like the Special Olympics or something," which prompted laughter from the audience.

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the president's offhand remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at the commander-in-chief's bowling skills.

"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton told reporters flying back to Washington with Obama aboard Air Force One.

A call for comment to a Special Olympics spokesman was not returned late Thursday.

Despite making fun of his score, the president appears to be getting better the more he visits the White House lanes, which President Truman installed in 1947. During a campaign photo op a year ago at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., he rolled only a 37 in seven frames. The clip of the disastrous game was replayed on late night television shows such as Leno's - one of Obama's few campaign gaffes.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_SPECIAL_OLYMPICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-03-20-04-40-48

`Tonight' is friendly turf for President Obama

If TV talk shows have become a battleground where hosts and newsmakers duke it out, Jay Leno and President Barack Obama didn't get the message.

"Mr. President, I must say this has been one of the best nights of my life," a beaming Leno announced at the end of Obama's visit Thursday to the "Tonight" show.

Leno queried Obama about difficult issues - including AIG's executive bonuses and criticism of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - but with minor exception allowed the president to answer without challenge.

It was a sharp contrast to the recent high drama of CNBC host Jim Cramer's painful woodshed appearance on Jon Stewart's show or David Letterman's roasting of John McCain during the presidential campaign.

Of course, a sitting U.S. president is a different animal, and Obama was the first to visit "Tonight." (He'd already appeared twice as a candidate.)

"I'm excited, I'm honored to introduce my next guest, the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama," Leno said as his studio band played "Hail to the Chief."

Obama might have sensed from the outset it would not be a grueling exercise. Leno asked if it was fair to be "judged so quickly" after less than two months in office.

"I welcome the challenge," Obama said. "In Washington, it's a little bit like `American Idol,' but everybody is Simon Cowell. Everybody's got an opinion."

The tone turned serious when the economic crisis was the topic, but Leno wasn't going to make the president sweat.

Obama had appeared "angry" and "stunned" about the AIG bonuses, Leno observed.

"Stunned is the word," Obama replied, then launched into a lengthy, wonkish description of how the insurance giant foundered and why the company bonuses symbolize the larger issue of Wall Street's "attitude of entitlement."

If Leno had a bone to pick, it was with federal efforts to tax the AIG bonuses out of existence.

"If the government decides they don't like a guy, all of a sudden, `Hey, we're gonna tax you,'" the talk show host said.

He did tweak Obama at one point, after bringing up criticisms of Geithner. As Obama defended the treasury secretary for taking the right steps against a host of problems, Leno joked, "I love that it's all his problem."

But the biggest dig was against Leno's own network.

"A lot of people were surprised that the president came to NBC. You'd think by this time he'd be tired of big companies on the brink of disaster with a bunch of overpaid executives," Leno said during his monologue.

It was a far different atmosphere when CNBC "Mad Money" host Cramer appeared on Stewart's "The Daily Show" earlier this month and the Comedy Central host railed at him for putting entertainment above journalism. Last year, Letterman gave McCain a tough time after the GOP presidential contender canceled a "Late Show" appearance.

The White House scheduled the "Tonight" appearance as part of a broader outreach to promote Obama's agenda - one that's already had him on ESPN's "SportsCenter" this week and includes a "60 Minutes" interview airing Sunday, plus a prime-time news conference Tuesday.

On "Tonight," Obama had enough running room on to display his comedic chops as Leno delved into what he called "some personal things" with the president.

Leno pressed him on when daughters Malia and Sasha would get their pet dog.

"This is Washington. That was a campaign promise," Obama replied to the pet question, drawing audience laughter. "No, no, no, no, no, I'm teasing. The dog will be there shortly."

"How cool is it to fly in Air Force One?" a dazzled Leno asked at one point.

The 35-minute presidential interview was the only one on the show, which ended with a performance by Garth Brooks - and with Leno warmly applauding Obama.

It may be tough times in Washington for Obama, but not on Leno's "Tonight."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TV_OBAMA_LENO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-03-20-01-01-49

Obama scores a first with Leno appearance

President Barack Obama will take his economic strategy to Jay Leno's comic couch on Thursday in the first appearance by a sitting U.S. president on a late-night TV talk show.

NBC said in a statement that Obama would sit down before a live audience on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on March 19 to talk about his economic plan and "other topics."

Obama's visit to the Burbank studio near Los Angeles, where the top-rated late-night TV show is recorded, will come during a visit by the president to Southern California this week.

NBC said it would be Obama's first sit-down talk show appearance in studio with a live audience since his election last year, and the first ever appearance by a U.S. president while in office on a late-night chat show.

Obama appeared on the "The Tonight Show" in October 2007 during a presidential election campaign that broadened the reach of political campaigning into popular television, the Internet and text messaging.

The two-month-old Obama administration has already won passage of a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at lifting the U.S. economy out of a deepening recession.

But Obama's record $3.55 trillion budget plan faces opposition from Republicans, and some Democrats, over its high costs and bold moves on healthcare, education and global warming.

Leno announced last week that he would host a free benefit concert on April 7 in Detroit -- one of the cities hit hardest by the recession. A second show has since been added to meet strong demand.

The comic host is leaving the late-night slot on NBC in May after 17 years and launching a new, prime-time chat show at 10 p.m., five nights a week, in the fall of 2009 on the same network.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE52F5MR20090316

Obama plans concert for Stevie Wonder

The White House is planning a concert this month to honor Stevie Wonder, whose music provided part of President Barack Obama's campaign soundtrack.

The White House says the president and first lady Michelle Obama will present Wonder a Library of Congress award on Feb. 25. The concert will be broadcast the next day on PBS as part of its "Performance at the White House" series.

The award-winning and chart-topping Wonder performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on the night Obama accepted his party's nomination. He also performed at a concert during the week of Obama's inauguration.

His song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" became a theme song during the campaign. Obama also used "Higher Ground" during campaign stops. - AP