Four days after President Obama‘s inauguration ceremony, Beyonce is still under fire for her “pre-recorded” performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

The singer has yet to make an official statement about the controversy, but a number of other celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, LeAnn Rimes and Katy Perry, have expressed their support.

Aretha Franklin, who had difficulty singing in the cold weather during Obama’s 2009 inauguration, told ABC News, “she did a beautiful job with the pre-record … next time, I’ll probably do the same.”

HLN host Jane Velez-Mitchell had supportive words for the 31-year-old singer.

Velez-Mitchell noted that it hasn’t been confirmed that Beyonce was actually lip-syncing. “We all know Beyonce can sing, boy can she sing. The worst thing is for somebody to be off-key because it’s freezing and their throat is cold. I’ve seen that happen where you have major stars performing live and you can tell that they’re off their game and that’s not pretty.

“So, I think this was the best case scenario for everybody involved.”

As Beyonce puts this scandal behind her, critics will be closely watching whether she sings live at Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, where she’s set to perform during the halftime show.

Do you think Beyonce was in the right to lip-sync during her inauguration performance? Does she deserve the backlash that she’s receiving in the media? Weigh in with your comments below.

Jane Velez-Mitchell hosts the hit show Jane Velez-Mitchell – airing at 7PM EST on HLN — and tackles the most controversial events with a wide range of viewpoints. Check out HLNtv.com for more details.

The date is set. Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Kelly Clarkson are all booked to perform. DC shopkeepers are rolling out the commemorative buttons and the parade floats have been designed. That leaves just one critical detail to be resolved for the inauguration: What will Michelle Obama wear to the 2013 Inaugural Ball?

Back in 2009 a little-known designer named Jason Wu made Mrs. Obama’s first inauguration dress. He was just 26 and a Parsons alum. The First Lady didn’t decide what she’d wear until that morning, and the designer didn’t realize his white one-shoulder creation would get the inaugural treatment until he saw it on TV.

With President Obama’s second inauguration festivities kicking off on Sunday with his official swearing in, the fashion world is buzzing about who the next designer will be to dress the First Lady this year.

What made Mrs. Obama’s first inaugural gown such a big deal — and why are we so excited to see what she wears tomorrow?

To highlight what a game-changer Mrs. Obama’s first inaugural gown — and the Isabella Toledo ensemble she wore to the actual inauguration — we’re putting her inaugural ensemble into context, with a look at how the ethereal white Jason Wu dress stood out from the inaugural fashion worn by First Ladies in the past.

Both Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush were double-term first ladies. They both went bright for their first inauguration (Clinton in bedazzled blue and Bush in sparkly red), and then toned it down with white gowns the second time around.

Considering that Mrs. Obama went white first, will she do the opposite and go for color this time? Maybe pink like she wore to the Democratic National Convention? And what about all those other first ladies from years past?

We’ve rounded up the best inaugural styles dating all the way back to the 1700′s. They’ve done lavender and yellow, sequins, fur and velvet (lots and lots of velvet). One first lady even wore a recycled garb.

Bottom line: It looks like Mrs.Obama’s gown will safely make it to the top of the best-dressed inaugural gown list in just about anything she chooses.

Click through our gallery for a look back at inaugural gowns over the years.

What do you think Mrs. Obama will wear to this year’s Inaugural Ball? Share your predictions in the comments below.

Check out the new ‘do the First Lady debuted in time for the inaguration in the video below. 

By Amelia Mularz

Michelle Obama’s stylish race to the White House has finally come to end, culminating with her winning Election Night look.

Mrs. Obama donned an oxblood Michael Kors dress with a black shrug and pumps to join her family on stage to celebrate President Obama’s win on Tuesday night. A brooch — the First Lady’s go-to accessory — by House of Lavande added a touch of sparkle to her look.

While the chic burgundy frock and cropped cardi are all the rage right now, the First Lady’s Election Night ensemble is creating a buzz for another reason — she’s worn it before!

That’s right, for one of the most momentous — and photographed — occasions ever, Mrs. O repeated a dress she’s worn, not once — but twice — before.

If you’re thinking what we’re thinking — that Mrs. Obama’s Election Night dress is the perfect holiday party dress — well, you’re right. Michelle first wore the frock to a White House holiday party in 2009.

A year later, the down-to-earth First Lady dug the ladylike look out of her closet again for a military event.

While we applaud her practical approach to fashion — and who could blame Mrs. O for wanting to wear the stylish dress again, especially now that oxblood is so hot? — her choice to bring back the look for a third time on Election Night caught us by surprise.

After creating quite a commotion for the fiery red-and-black Narciso Rodriguez sheath she wore on Election Night in 2008, we expected the First Lady to rock a carefully chosen, never-seen-before style.

Was the First Lady sending a political message with her fashion repeat? Apparently the mom-in-chief was just facing the same fashion dilemma as any other busy mother: The First Lady was just too busy to think about what she would wear if her husband won, and fell back on the trusted Kors party dress at the last minute, an Obama source told People.

Check out the gallery for a look at the First Lady’s 2008 and 2012 Election Night looks — plus, see how much Sasha and Malia have grown up in the past four years.

What do you think of the First Lady’s repeat dress? Share your take below.

While we’re psyched to have four more years of the First Lady’s fab fashion, we’ll miss all the fab campaign fashion from the 2012 First Lady Fashion Faceoff.

Reminisce with us as we take a look back at Mrs. Obama vs. Mrs. Romney’s campaign style showdown in the video below.

The Daily Buzz speaks exclusively to Michael Lohan about his daughter Lindsay Lohan‘s latest legal drama.

Lindsay now faces even more criminal charges after allegedly fleeing the scene of an accident as the man who claims the Liz & Dick actress hit him with her Porsche outside a New York hotel has been identified as chef Jose Rodriguez.

Father Michael however, says his daughter is being unfairly targeted like screen icons of yesteryear.

Speaking of child stars, Amanda Bynes finally addresses her strange antics.

The actress has declared in a new interview she’s “doing amazing” despite her multiple brushes with the law.

“I am retired as an actor,” the actress — who hasn’t been in a movie since 2010′s Easy A — told People magazine.

“I am moving to New York to launch my career. I am going to do a fashion line.

“I am not talking about being arrested for DUI because I don’t drink, and I don’t drink and drive. It is all false.”

TDB also reports on Bynes’ latest bizarre appearance. The actress was reportedly kicked out of a Los Angeles gym class Tuesday after disrupting the classroom.

Also on Thursday’s episode pop-culture and politics collide.

Our political panel examines which of the presidential candidates have the edge when it comes to being pop-culture savvy. Does a knowledge of this world around them matter? And, why is it important for celebrities to get involved in politics?

Plus, Glee can’t get enough of Britney Spears. The Daily Buzz previews the all-new episode celebrating the pop princess in today’s jam packed episode

President Barack Obama sat down with David Letterman on the Late Show Tuesday night to discuss everything from economic policy to the crisis in Libya and even Hannah Montana.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Letterman to ask the president about his opponent’s recently unearthed “secret video” – in which Mitt Romney claims his job is “not to worry about” the 47 percent of Americans who are “dependent upon government.”

Obama then recalled Election Night back in 2008, when he told the 47 percent of voters who had pulled the lever for John McCain, “Even though you didn’t vote for me, I hear your voices, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to be your president.”

“When I meet Republicans as I’m traveling around the country,” he continued, “they are hard-working, family people who care deeply about this country. My expectation is, if you want to be president, you have to work for everybody, not just for some.”

The president then took on Romney’s claims head-on.

“I promise you, there are not a lot of people out there who think they’re victims. There are not a lot of people out there who think they’re entitled to something.”

When asked about his economic policy, the president reiterated a talking point in former president Bill Clinton’s Democratic National Convention speech: “Arithmetic.”

Obama explained how he hopes to reduce the national debt by cutting government programs that aren’t working and by asking the wealthy to give back a little more — and he thinks the American people will be onboard with the plan.

“The American people are a lot more thoughtful, decent, and full of common sense than we’ve seen out of Washington over the last several years,” said Obama.

The conversation then turned to the turmoil in Libya. In light of the recent tragedy — which claimed the lives of four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens – the president explained how the U.S. presence in Muslim nations like Libya is still needed.

“We can wind down our military activities in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but we have to remain engaged because whether we like it or not, America remains the one indispensable nation,” he said. And even countries that criticize us end up looking to us for leadership, because without our presence, without our involvement and our engagement, things would be an awful lot worse.”

Letterman managed to introduce some lighthearted topics during the interview, as he asked Obama about his girls, Sasha and Malia. 

The president recalled that his daughters took time before their dad’s anticipated Democratic National Convention speech to explain how his big moment was similar to the climactic scene from the Hannah Montana movie.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are reportedly trying to put cheating scandal behind them. And, President Obama makes an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. On The Daily Buzz, our panel dissects the interview. WATCH FULL SEGMENT BELOW. Watch The Daily Buzz each weekday at 4.30 pm ET.

President Obama has received overwhelming support from some of Hollywood’s biggest names, yet few are as politically active as George Clooney. In fact, in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the president admits that when it comes to his friendship with the A-lister, it’s all business.

“The truth is we got to know each other because of a substantive issue. He is a terrific advocate on behalf of the people of Darfur, and to the people of Sudan who’ve been brutalized for a long time. And so when I was a senator, this was well before I was president, that was an issue that I was working together on a bipartisan basis, and George who had traveled there, done documentaries there, and was very well-informed, came to testify in Congress.”

He added: “And so we got to know each other, and he is a good man, and a good friend.”

But what does first lady Michelle Obama have to say about Clooney?

Like most Americans, the first lady calls the actor “cute.” Unfortunately for her, she never seems to be around when Clooney visits the Oval Office. “It’s a conspiracy … All the meetings, I just happen to be busy,” Michelle joked to ET.

The president also weighed in on the joke. “Michelle is always frustrated because a lot of the events that George has been involved in, for some reason, she has something else going on.”

But the first lady isn’t the only one eager to meet the actor. ”I will say that the couple of times he’s come to the White House, I notice that the staff suddenly is circling around my office. They’ve got memos they need to make sure I see right away.”

No one escapes the Kiss Cam.

Cameras turned on the first couple Monday night, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who were seated courtside at Team USA men’s basketball warm-up for the London Olympics at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The Oval reports that Mrs. Obama, 48, got a bit shy as the Commander-In-Chief, 50, suavely put his arm around her. The crowed booed when there was no smooch.

During the second half, they got a second chance.

And that time they nailed it.

President Obama planted a firm kiss on his first lady, to the applause of the crowed.

Fans erupted in cheers and chanted, “Four more years.”

The Obamas aren’t the only famous faces to lock lips for the famous Kiss Cam. Click through the gallery to see 10 Celebs Caught on Kiss Cam!

For more Obama news, check out the video, below:

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, the Twitterverse blew up with reactions from the Hollywood star set.

In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Court ruled to back all part of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a sweeping new healthcare law informally referred to as Obamacare.

And the news became a trending topic on Twitter almost instantly.

The social-networking site’s millions of users — including many celebrities — spoke out about the 5-4 decision.

For example, frank filmmaker Michael Moore wrote, “Most impt part of Obama victory today is that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage because someone has a pre-existing condition.”

Cher also celebrated the Court’s judgement. “Set alarm 2hear Supreme court decision on pres Obama’s health plan!” she tweeted. “It WAS UP HELD! I literally jumped out of bed started doing snoopy dance.”

Check out the array of tweets from celebs to see where they stand on the matter.

Mariah Carey gave a very special performance at Sarah Jessica Parker‘s fundraiser for President Obama on June 14.

Carey, who sang for the President and Parker’s A-list guests after the dinner held in SJP’s New York City apartment, served up her famous ballad, “Hero.” But that’s not all: Mimi ended her set with a brand-new song entitled, “Bring It On Home,” which she wrote specifically for the star-studded affair.

“Just finished performing Hero, We Belong Together and BRING IT ON HOME — a song I wrote especially for the event,” the 42-year-old said via Twitter. She also posted a stunning photo of herself, above.

Who else made the elite 50-person guest list?

Beyonce‘s sis Solange Knowles was spotted leaving SJP’s pad with friend Chanel Iman, while Vogue Editor-in-Chief and party co-host Anna Wintour and actress Meryl Streep were also among the high-profile attendees.

Each guest paid  a whopping $40,00 to sit at the Sex and The City star’s dinner table, and Parker herself was clearly thrilled to welcome her Presidential guests. According to a Daily News report, “When the President and First Lady arrived at Parker’s Charles St. pad Thursday evening, she gave him a hug and a kiss, and called Michelle ‘our radiant and extraordinary First Lady.’ ”

Watch the clip from inside Carey’s presidential performance below.

Hollywood is a-Twitter about President Barack Obama‘s support of equal rights!

The Commander in Chief told ABC News on Wednesday, May 9, that he was in full support of gay and lesbian couples to marry. He said, “I’ve just concluded for me personally, it is important for me to affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

Well, celebs could not be more thrilled with this development, and many took to their Twitters to express their joy over the news.

From Bravo star Andy Cohen, to openly gay Glee star Jane Lynch, see what the stars had say about the news by clicking through the gallery!

See Obama talk gay marriage on ‘The View’:

It’s a monumental day for gay rights.

After a bit of back and forth, President Barack Obama has officially put his support behind the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry, he confirmed to ABC News.

The Commander in Chief said:

“I’ve just concluded for me personally, it is important for me to affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

This comes on the heels of North Carolina’s controversial passing Amendment One, which banned same sex marriage.

Obama is also following in the footsteps of his number two, Vice President Joe Biden, with this announcement, as Biden recently came forward in support of gay marriage as well.

USA Today has an evolution of Obama’s stance on gay marriage, which you can check out here. Are you glad Obama has given his support on this matter? Sound off in the comments!

See Obama talk gay marriage on ‘The View’:

Sure, President Barack Obama is the Most Powerful Man in the World and might have a few pressing issues of international importance to deal with, but as far as the ladies of The View are concerned, there’s only one thing that matters: His take on the pop-cluture issues of the day.

The Chief Executive faced off against Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and the gang on Wednesday, displaying his knowledge—or lack of knowledge—on the recent goings-on in Celebrity-Land. Asked if the thought that Mel Gibson—who’s had a few not-so-nice things to say about minorities in recent weeks—needs anger-management training, Obama remained diplomatic, hedging,

“I’d like to go back to the Afghanistan question…Look, I haven’t seen a Mel Gibson movie in a while.”

Behar also asked the President if Jersey Shore charmer Snooki should run for Mayor of Wasilla—a position once held by his former political opponent, Sarah Palin. Obama’s answer?

“I’ve got to admit, I don’t know who Snooki is.”

Guess we won’t see a Secretary of GTL position being added to the Cabinet anytime soon. Check out video of Obama’s appearance on The View below:

» Follow Celebuzz on Twitter | Facebook

BUZZINGS: More Celeb Goodness

• Adam Lambert Glams Up the O.C. — Idolator

• Ryan Phillippe Forgets to Zip Up (Again) — Socialite Life

• Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Green Lantern’ Oath — Wonderwall

Could Drake‘s next big role be playing the most powerful man in the world?

The “Best I Ever Had” rapper recently expressed a desire to play President Barack Obama to Paper magazine (via Starpulse):

I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him. That’s the goal Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice.

The Canadian star has the acting chops to portray Obama: He rose to fame playing wheelchair-bound jock Jimmy in the Canadian teen drama Degrassi:The Next Generation. However, Drake may have to shed a few pounds before he starts going after Obama roles — not because the rapper is overweight by any means, but because of Obama’s extra-slim figure.

What do you think: Would make a good Obama? Comment it up!

» Follow Celebuzz on Twitter | Facebook

BUZZINGS: More Celeb Goodness

• Win a Pair of Lollapalooza Passes! — BuzzNet

• Lindsay Lohan’s Famous Pals Lend Jail Advice — Wonderwall

• Taylor Swift Announces New Album Details — Idolator

You may have heard the news that Britney Spears has finally been crowned the Queen of Twitter after surpassing Ashton Kutcher in Twitter followers this weekend.

Sure, this important news is all well and good for Britney, but are there any other celebrities that she should be keeping her eye on who might be surpassing her Twitter following one day?

As it turns out, the top ten users with the biggest followings on Twitter are all celebrities, and some are more surprising than others. For example: should Britney be watching out for another pop diva who may surpass her Twitter following? And which daytime diva has a bigger following: Oprah or Ellen DeGeneres? And who is thisclose to beating President Obama?

Click through to see the list of the top ten celebrity Twitter users and start hitting those “follow” buttons.

Don’t worry, parents of the world; as if there were really anything to be concerned about, the Jonas Brothers would like you to know that  they have no less-than-virtuous intentions with your young children.

Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas served as the butt of one of President Obama‘s jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, when the Commander-in-Chief poked fun at the Lines, Vines & Trying Times band for being his daughters’ favorite musical act. Warning the lads that they’d best keep their distance from his 11 and 8 year old daughters, Obama quipped,

“The Jonas Brothers are here … Sasha and Malia are huge fans. But, boys, don’t get any ideas, I have two words for you—predator drones.”

Perhaps out of fear that they’d be taken out by the best weaponry that the U.S. military has to offer, the JoBros rushed to state that they had no untoward plans for Sasha and Malia at the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair after-party. As Joe quickly clarified,

“Seriously, we’re not pedophiles.”

Added brother Nick,

“We’re not that old.”

Hmm; not sure what that‘s supposed to imply, Nick, but point taken—you really, really don’t want to spend the upcoming Jonas Brothers tour dodging predator drones.

Do you think the President was right to mock the JoBros at the correspondents’ dinner? Share your opinions in the comments section.

Is Angelina Jolie too good for President Barack Obama?

One sources tells PopEater that Angie snubbed this weekend’s star-studded White House Correspondents Dinner because she would “rather spend her time helping those who really need it rather than sitting, drinking champagne and laughing at bad jokes in a fancy DC ballroom.” Yeah, that sounds rough.

Angelina is currently in Venice filming The Tourist with Johnny Depp, but the source says that the film wasn’t the reason she attended that that she “always refuses” attending the event.

The source continues, “Angie doesn’t judge other celebrities for wanting to rub shoulders with President Obama [...] It’s just she is just someone who thinks your actions are more important than words.”

While we can understand that Angie may not want to attend the event because she would rather be spending her time helping people, we don’t remember hearing anything about her, say, flying to the Gulf Coast this weekend to help clean up the oil spill or anything.

Then again, maybe Angie was just tired from filming and wanted to spend some time with her kids instead of flying to DC.

• Lindsay Lohan has moved on from being banned from nightclubs, and is now being banned from entire countries. Who says she’s not making progress? (Huffington Post)
• Sandra Bullock found out about her husband’s alleged affair the same way we all did: Through the media. See, celebrities are just like us! (PopEater)
• Fox News apparently consulted Kanye West before their interview with President Obama. (Bossip)
• Lady GaGa once asked Boy George to autograph her girly bits. We’ll just let that mental image sink in for a bit… (Starpulse)
• Kristen Stewart says that Robert Pattinson is “bold and different.”  We’re assuming that she’s talking about his aroma. (Parade)

Just another day in the life of Justin Bieber…ya know, singing at the White House Christmas special for President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama!!!!

Justin wrote to his fans,

These past 2 years have been amazing…I have gone from singing in my little town of Stratford to singing the same song, SOMEDAY AT CHRISTMAS by Stevie Wonder, to the President of the United States! It was an incredible honor and I was really nervous. You can tell by my hands, I didnt know what to do with them. I was like Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights. haha. But what I am getting at is that all this has happened thanks to youtube videos and fans like you. You have all changed my life forever and continue to change it with your support everyday. I am extremely grateful and I hope you enjoy this vid and know that I wish you all a merry christmas and a great holiday season. Thank you again and best wishes to you and your family.

Awww…congrats Biebs. Enjoy our favorite 15-year-old’s performance below:

So, how do you think he did?