It’s Wednesday, and is it just me, or has work been especially hard as we head towards the calorific holiday season? Just be glad that you won’t be critiqued by millions on your pecan pie-induced weight gain, and when you get too drunk at the office party, you won’t have to read about it on the cover of a magazine the next day. Celebrities aren’t so lucky. But their pain is our gain because their (possibly fictional) dramas are usually more interesting than anything we could make up on our own. And because we love you so much, we’ve read every tabloid that came out today and hand-picked the juiciest stories. Enjoy!

In the sea of black skirts and gray overcoats at The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, where our prez participated in a Veterans Day memorial, the Mrs. popped in robin’s egg blue. While her hubby laid a wreath in honor of America’s fallen heroes, Michelle Obama stood aside in her Maria Pinto teal sheath dress, color-coordinated J. Crew trench, and a perforated black waist belt. While we winced at her decision to repeat the same ensemble she wore to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, some onlookers are pretending to be all outraged by the first lady’s not-quite-mournful color palette. What do you think: fashion hit, major miss or completely ridiculous faux scandal? [Examiner]

Michelle Fenty sounds a lot like Washington, D.C.‘s other first lady on paper. She’s an accomplished attorney, married to an influential politician, and is an involved mother. She met her husband, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, when she served as his mentor. And she’s also been noted for her stylish wardrobe. But this isn’t the life this dynamic woman always envisioned for herself.

Genealogists have been busy reconstructing the First Lady’s family tree and what they’ve discovered is shocking—but really only to Debbie Shields, who is apparently Michelle Obama’s cousin. And yes, she’s white as can be. But are we really surprised by this? As most of us know, there were many African and American couplings (both consensual and non-consensual) that took place during the times of slavery—and Michelle’s great, great grandmother Melvinia was no exception. As it turns out, Melvinia was impregnated at age 15 by plantation owner Charles Marion Shields who is also Debbie’s great, great grandfather. In case you got lost there in the twisted branches, that makes the two fourth cousins. While Debbie and her 17-year old son Brandon think it’s “awesome” to be related to the first lady, they couldn’t believe it at first. Believe it, folks! So what do you think? Awkward family reunion or positive step forward for race relations in this country? [Newser]

What does Michelle Obama smell like? Apparently, our first guesses of sunshine and warm apple pie were wrong. The First Lady’s signature scent has been revealed, and it’s “Love in White” by Creed.

“Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? That’s the advice I would give to women: Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul. Look at how the guy treats his mother and what he says about women. How he acts with children he doesn’t know. And, more important, how does he treat you? When you’re dating a man, you should always feel good. You should never feel less than. You should never doubt yourself. You shouldn’t be in a relationship with somebody who doesn’t make you completely happy and make you feel whole. And if you’re in that relationship and you’re dating, then my advice is, don’t get married.”

— Michelle Obama speaks with Katie Couric in an interview for Glamour magazine, which just named her Woman of the Year. Single women need to print this quote, stick it to their bathroom mirror and read it every morning.

Once again Michelle Obama has put design within reach for the masses by wearing this white wool sheath dress from mom-tastic store Talbots. (It retails for a moderate $200.) We have to say, Mobama certainly rocks the look better than the Talbots model. If we were browsing the site, we’d probably pass the item by. So, maybe Talbots is worth a try? These days, a lot of mom-friendly stores are trying to attract a hipper client—like New York & Co. and Eileen Fisher. The latter just revamped its flax-heavy line, and the results were pretty cute (yet too expensive).

After the jump, a few surprisingly cute Talbots items that could definitely earn the Obama seal of fashion approval.

The Food Network announced this week that it will air a two-hour “Super Chef Special” of “Iron Chef America,” which will feature First Lady Michelle Obama, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford, and the White House Kitchen Garden. On Jan. 3, celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse will be greeted by Obama and given their challenge: “create a meal for America using the White House Kitchen Garden’s produce as their secret ingredients,” the Food Network revealed in a statement. The teams will be Flay and Comerford against Lagasse and Batali. The four chefs will head to New York “Kitchen Stadium” with their produce for the battle, creating five dishes that show off their garden ingredients and “represent the ultimate American meal.” Chef Nigella Lawson, Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin, and actress Jane Seymour will judge the battle. [FoxNews.com]

If you’re anything like me, you’re jealous of Michelle Obama. Those clothes. Those cutie-pie kids. That husband. That Glamour cover. And that address! But in an eye-opening New York Times Magazine cover story on the Obama marriage, Michelle is candid about their relationship’s ups and (surprising number of) downs. All political marriages are, by definition, unconventional. But to hear Michelle tell it, she has often felt like a single mother with Barack traveling all the time as a Senator.

“This was sort of the eye-opener to me, that marriage is hard. But going into it, no one ever tells you that. They just tell you, ‘Do you love him? What’s the dress look like?’ It’s unfair to the institution of marriage, and it’s unfair for young people who are trying to build something, to project this perfection that doesn’t exist.”

Michelle Obama is doing her part to save the struggling magazine industry by appearing on the cover of Glamour for its December Women of the Year issue. Editor in chief Cindi Leive writes on Glamour‘s website that the magazine is honoring the first lady’s “commitment to mentoring young women.” On the inside pages, Michelle is pictured with seven interns from the East Wing, and she gives women advice for reaching our goals:

“I was blessed throughout my entire career. I had people rooting for me. It started with my parents, but it extended to almost every teacher that I had. When I was a young lawyer, there were other women and men in the firm who took me under their wing. Look for those mentors, because sometimes mentors don’t find you—sometimes you seek them out. Oftentimes, they’re flattered and glad to lend a hand.”

How cute is Michelle Obama? She hobnobs with the Queen and the Pope, but via satellite on “The Jay Leno Show” this past Friday night, she owned up to being nervous appearing on live TV. (We think she did fine!) The First Lady plugged a support-the-troops PSA she filmed with Jill Biden and stuck around to impress the nation with her expert “Brady Bunch” knowledge. After the jump, Michelle dishes about first puppy Bo‘s fancy-pants first birthday party

Ever since her husband began campaigning for the presidency, Michelle Obama has been in the spotlight—and so has her closet. Mrs. O documents the first lady’s wardrobe on the campaign trail and in the White House with more than 120 photographs. Close-ups of Jimmy Choo pumps, Erickson Beamon brooches, Maria Pinto dresses, and more show how the pieces come together to create Michelle’s signature style. [$17.15, Amazon.com]

WIN IT! We’re giving away five copies of Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, but you have to work if you want one. The five best commenters for this coming week—from today, Friday, Oct. 23 through Thursday, Oct. 29—will be awarded with one. So, be as clever, smart, and original as you can! Click HERE to read the official rules.

The official Obama family portrait was posted on the White House photostream and OMG the first family is so gorgeous. Annie Leibovitz did good. But where’s Bo?

Michelle Obama spoke to the Department of Health and Human Services yesterday afternoon. Relax, the clip above is not at all boring. It’s Michy talking about how she relied on fast food when she was working and raising Sasha and Malia, and comparing the drive-thru to heaven. She’s kind of hilarious. Also, how does she make a sweater set look so good?

What with those sculpted arms and supermom credentials, it was only a matter of time before someone would turn the First Lady into some type of cartoon-y character. Behold the new Michelle Obama action figure, a product of Jailbreak Toys (which also produces the similar Barack Obama action figure). While the doll’s huge head and teeny waist sure depict a weird version of Michelle, it stays true to her personal style, bringing back to life some of her more famous outfits—the black and red dress by Narciso Rodriguez that she wore on election night and the more affordable White House/Black Market dress she wore on “The View.”

MObama probably wouldn’t shut down the operation like she did with the Sasha and Malia dolls, but we do wonder how she feels about this. Thoughts? [Cool Hunting]

• Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made a stupid joke about Barack and Michelle Obama‘s dark skin, calling it a suntan. According to the AP, he told a crowd in Milan he was bringing well wishes from the United States from “what’s his name? Some, tanned guy. Ah, Barack Obama!” He then continued, “You won’t believe it, but the two of them went to the beach, because the wife is also tanned.” [Essence]

Last night the Obamas hosted a dinner for the G20 summit, and, naturally, Michelle was expertly styled. Reports The New York Times:

“Mrs. Obama [wore] a taupe, pink and green patterned cocktail dress with straps. Pink patent leather two-inch heels. Hair pulled back in a full, bouffant faux-ponytail. Long pearl necklace, pearl earrings. No stockings.”

Aside from the fact that Michelle Obama hasn’t fully transitioned to her fall wardrobe (no tights!), we were more struck by her shoes ...

The latest Japanese edition of Harper’s Bazaar presents an interesting take on first lady fashion by dressing up a blond-haired, blue-eyed Barbie-like doll in a number of outfits and plopping her into scenes with various presidents. The animal print-wearing Michelle Obama stand-in is especially curious (take a look at it after the jump). Is this story trying to make some sort of political statement, or is this just someone’s ingenious way to show off new clothes gone terribly wrong? And considering Mobama is already a style icon, is she offended?

Chris Andersen’s biography of the Obamas, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, comes out today, and in it he dishes on a lot more than the first couple’s date night. According to Andersen, women are constantly rubbing up against Barack, slipping him their digits, and whispering suggestive comments in his ear. “On more than one occasion, Barack tried not to look startled when some random woman in the crowd would grasp him firmly by the derriere—and sometimes try to hold on,” writes Andersen. After one rally on the campaign trail, Barack supposedly said, “Jesus, I wish they’d stop grabbing my ass.”