First lady Michelle Obama said she wasn’t surprised her Academy Award appearance set national tongues talking because even “my shoes can set off a national conversation,” she said.
“Shoot, my bangs set off a national conversation. My shoes can set off a national conversation. That’s just sort of where we are. We’ve got a lot of talking going on,” she said, The Associated Press reports. “It’s like everybody’s kitchen-table conversation is now accessible to everybody else so there’s a national conversation about anything.”
And yet, criticisms about her appearance abound — and not all from strictly conservative camps.
NBC contributor Donny Deutsch said during an appearance on “Today”: “You are putting politics, like it or not, in a space that people are not necessarily invited into their home for.”
Of course, conservative outcry was harsh, too.
Christian Toto, assistance editor at Breitbart’s Big Hollywood called her surprise appearance to present the award for Argo “jarring,” the New York Daily News reported.
SEE ALSO: Entertainment Weekly deems first lady Michelle Obama a ‘loser’ for Oscar appearance
“It seemed inappropriate,” said Mr. Toto, a former feature writer at The Washington Times. “It reinforces the perception that Hollywood leans toward the left. There’s no way that this would have happened with Laura Bush giving out the night’s biggest award.”
The New York Daily News reported that Ms. Bush did make an appearance at the 2002 Oscar ceremonies — but it was via a taped telecast that was played during a general homage to movies.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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