The Half Light: Obama and the End of Nonviolence

By Shane Ryan at 2:35 PM on September 25, 2012

Before we begin, I’d like to apologize in advance for getting political. I tried to avoid it, and failed miserably. But I am trying to be fair. Okay? Okay. Now then… There’s an excellent essay by Thomas Frank in the September issue of Harper’s exploring President Obama’s tactics in his first term as President. Frank is an avowed liberal and the author of books like What’s the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America and Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right. You can tell by those titles where his allegiances...  read more

Found in: Culture, Columns

SNL Casts Jay Pharoah as President Obama

By Brian Tremml at 2:10 PM on September 13, 2012

Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels announced in an interview with The New York Times that the role of Barack Obama has been handed to cast member Jay Pharoah. Veteran cast member Fred Armisen has been portraying the commander-in-chief since 2008. But Michaels stated it was time to “shake it up.”...  read more

Found in: TV, News

The National to Open for Barack Obama in Des Moines

By Ryan Bort at 10:30 AM on August 27, 2012

The National will be opening for Barack Obama during a Sept. 1 campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa.  read more

Found in: Music, News

Watch President Obama Sing “Sweet Home Chicago”

By Hilary Saunders at 4:31 PM on February 22, 2012

After President Barack Obama’s glorious rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” last month, we didn’t think we’d see anything better from the President, musically, at least. Last night, however, stars that included Mick Jagger, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck and Keb Mo gathered in the East Room of the White House for a blues concert in honor of Black History Month. The event was part of the series “In Performance at the White House,” and the entire show will be broadcast on Feb. 27 on PBS. As President Obama stated at the event, “This music speaks to...  read more

Found in: Blogs, Awesome of the Day

Presidential Playlist: A Song for Every Commander-in-Chief

By Bonnie Stiernberg at 8:41 AM on February 20, 2012

Today, as the nation honors our fearless leaders, we at Paste pay tribute to the country's highest office with a track for every president (before you ask: Grover Cleveland only gets one).  read more

Found in: Blogs, List of the Day

Steve Jobs: 1955 - 2011

By Tyler Kane at 7:12 AM on October 6, 2011

Apple co-founder, chairman and former chief executive Steve Jobs died Oct. 5. He was 56. Although a cause of death had not been released initially, Jobs had been battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer.  read more

Found in: Culture, News

Watch Lupe Fiasco Debate Bill O'Reilly

By Riley Ubben at 11:20 AM on June 21, 2011

Lupe Fiasco went on The O’Reilly Factor yesterday to discuss some of his criticisms of President Obama that even the conservative pundit couldn’t get behind. The rapper defended his statement that “the biggest terrorist is Obama in the United States of America,” saying that his real beef was with U.S. foreign policy. O’Reilly shot back, defending Obama for his decisions in the war and insisting that Fiasco was misleading his impressionable fans. The two go on to debate the purpose of the war in Afghanistan, Fiasco quotes Richard Nixon for some reason, and O’Reilly gets permission to change his show...  read more

Found in: Music, News

Guess Who has a Letter From President Obama Hanging by His Office?

By Whitney Baker at 2:00 PM on July 23, 2010

This story is a part of our Mad Men Takeover. Season four of the series premieres on AMC this Sunday, July 25. — Mad Men creator, Matt Weiner, that’s who!...  read more

Found in: TV, News

Kristen Bell, Ryan Gosling, Pete Wentz, Many More Help Invisible Children Pass U.S. Legislation

By Jennifer Ross at 3:00 PM on July 6, 2010

The cause of documentary filmmakers Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole was first portrayed in 2004 with the release of their 52-minute film, Invisible Children: Rough Cut. Six years later, the trio (who have since established the non-profit Invisible Children Inc.) is now basking in the disbelief of having a bill directly related to that cause signed into law by President Obama....  read more

Found in: Blogs, Giving Back

Watch Barack Obama, Paul McCartney, Jack White, Jerry Seinfeld, Many More Sing "Hey Jude" at the White House

By Austin L. Ray at 2:30 PM on June 3, 2010

The headline pretty much says it all, but when we say “many more,” we really do mean just that. Like, Faith Hill, Herbie Hancock, Emmylou Harris, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, etc. Watch the video (via Pitchfork) below:...  read more

Found in: Culture, News