Tyra Banks graces the cover of the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine but it is the photos inside the mag that has everybody talking. In the coverstory photoshoot, Tyra channels Michelle Obama (posing with a Barack Obama lookalike) in various First Lady-like situations, behold:

Tyra Banks is sitting on the huge corner sofa in her office in New York, impressing on her interviewer the fierceness of Abigail Adams. Resisting the obvious choice of Jackie Kennedy (”although she was a fox”), it’s the second first lady who has Banks in awe. “I watched the John Adams series on HBO, and I was so taken by her that I Googled everything I could,” she explains, straightening the folds of her businesslike-but-bodacious Zara sundress. “She stood up for women. She was able to speak her mind about women’s issues with her man, and he actually, truly listened to her.” Today, though, it’s a rather more modern potential first lady who has Banks compelled. When it came to paying homage to Michelle Obama for this story, Banks found the process “surreal.” “It’s kind of embarrassing,” she confesses, “but in my early 20s, I used to want to be a princess. But I didn’t want to have to marry somebody in order to do it! Of course, I don’t see the position of first lady as a princess, where it’s something you have to marry into. With Barack Obama, his becoming president is them becoming president because Michelle was there from the beginning. Without Michelle, he wouldn’t be there.” Or, as she pronounces to her Tyra Banks Show camera after her Oval Office portrait, “Michelle Obama, you’re one hot mama.” A number of presidential candidates have appeared on Banks’s talk show (Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards), and she’s after Michelle Obama to appear this fall. She has met her before, noting she was “so warm and so gracious. She’s got that direct-eye-contact, truly-connecting thing. She’s not a ‘ha, ha, ha’ type.” She smiles and continues, “And I love that she’s tall.”

Now this is a great photospread … it is a bit odd but it’s deffo gonna get people talking. I’m most interested in hearing what Michelle Obama thinks about this whole thing. To be honest, I would’ve been more intrigued had Tyra decided to portray First Lady Abigail Adams rather than Michelle Obama … and now you see why I am not a photo editor at a magazine. It’d be interesting to see if any fashion mags decide to do this same thing with the McCains … I think Paris Hilton would’ve made a great Cindy McCain … er, that is … if he hadn’t pissed off the entire Hilton clan by mocking her in his latest campaign ad. Since Paris is out, which celeb do you think would make a great Cindy McCain in a photoshoot like this?

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Well, well, well … and now we know why Lydia Hearst was so desperate to make a public spectacle of herself this week in NYC by making out with Aubrey O’Day in front of all the paparazzi … apparently, the heiress has been tapped as the new spokesperson for Myla lingerie and mebbe she was lookin’ to drum up a little publicity to sell more undies. Here are a few of Lydia’s promo pics for Myla:

Meh. I thought it was kinda cool when Lydia make her cameo on the season finale of Gossip Girl earlier this year but all this fake carrying on with Aubrey and now this lingerie thing … I’m not really that impressed. It looks like Miss Hearst in on the Paris Hilton train to famewhoredom and I think the world can really do without. Next.

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Here are a few pics of the very coupley Rihanna and Chris Brown relocated to SoCal doing a bit of shopping together on Melrose Ave. earlier this week. You will note that, ever the gentleman, Chris was happy to carry both Rihanna’s shopping bags and her tiny little pooch so that she wouldn’t have to be burdened with straining herself:

It’s the least he could do for Rihanna after all the things she’s done for him. Oh yeah, of course I’m referring to the gross zit popping that she did for him while the couple were chillin’ in the hot tub recently. Yeah man, it’s gonna be a long time before I let that thing die ;)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

The DEA has got a few questions for Mary-Kate Olsen and they aren’t really in the mood to be offering full immunity to her in order to hear her answers. A new report claims that MK is going to be brought before the grand jury looking at the investigation into the death of Heath Ledger whether she likes it or not. You may recall that MK was the first person called after Heath’s dead body was discovered in his NYC apartment earlier this year … methinks that the DEA and the grand jury want to know the reason why Mary-Kate was the first person called when his dead body was discovered, in her own words:

Despite her claim that she has no information that would help clear up the mystery of Heath Ledger’s overdose death, Mary-Kate Olsen has been issued a subpoena by the Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York, requiring her to testify in front of a grand jury. In a statement issued on Monday, Olsen’s lawyer said that the actress had nothing to do with the drugs that killed Ledger and that she has already cooperated with police in the investigation. Several media outlets also reported that Olsen had refused to speak to investigators unless she was granted immunity from prosecution. “Access Hollywood” broke the news about the subpoena on Tuesday night, but gave no timeline for when Olsen might be called to testify. Five different medications were found in Ledger’s body at the time of his death, three of which he’d gotten from doctors in Texas and Los Angeles. Officials are trying to determine how he got the OxyContin and Vicodin found in his apartment without a legal prescription. Olsen was the first person that Ledger’s housekeeper called after his masseuse found the actor dead from an accidental overdose in his New York apartment on January 22.

Veeeeeeeeery interesting. You know, I always thought it was a bit shady that Mary-Kate Olsen was the person who was first called once Heath’s body was discovered — she was called even before the paramedics were called. There is something not right there. I had a feeling this grand jury biz would be coming along sooner or later. That being said, I don’t really anticipate anything of substance coming from any of this grand jury stuff. Unless there is are hard evidence linking MK to the circumstances surrounding Heath’s untimely death, I highly doubt that anything will stick to her … tho, the investigation may have uncovered some evidence and they want to ask MK questions to see if she really is as innocent as she claims. Man, this grand jury shizz could be heavy … I guess we’ll have to wait and see what comes of it.

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The Aussie newspaper The Daily Telegraph scored the first photos and video of Sunday Rose, the first born child of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban as they tried to sneak her into Sydney under the cover of night. Here is a grainy screencap from video of the family’s arrival in OZ late last night:

A JOYOUS Nicole Kidman introduced her newborn daughter Sunday Rose to the baby’s Sydney family for the first time, after jetting home last night. The month-old bundle brought the Kidman clan together at the Aussie star’s Darling Point home, with her father Dr Antony Kidman rushing to meet his grandchild for the first time. In a carefully constructed and covert plan, Kidman and her singer husband Keith Urban slipped into Sydney under the cover of darkness – only to be greeted by a large media pack at the Kingsford Smith jet base. With daughter Sunday wrapped in white blankets and held tightly to her chest, a black-clad Kidman stepped from a private jet to the couple’s waiting silver Audi at around 7.30pm. Decoy cars helped to block the press in pursuit, while an aviation fuel tanker and luggage trailers were also strategically parked to limit vision to the jet and couple’s cars … It is believed Australia director Baz Luhrmann was among those to greet the Oscar-winner last night, before she begins final production on his epic outback feature film.

Click HERE to watch video of the family’s arrival. Not that you can really see anything but a grainy baby blanket (which could contain little Miss Sunday Rose, or a decoy made of squash) but I believe this is the first photographic evidence that the Kidman-Urban baby exists (if, in fact, she is wrapped in that blanket). The couple have yet to broker a deal to introduce their baby to the world in any magazines so they better get on that before someone manages to snap a pic and ruin their chances at the big bucks. Perhaps a plan is in the works already? In any event, releasing the photos themselves will go a long way in taking the bounty off the baby’s head. Looks like it’s game on in Oz.

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My recent travels overseas (and to NYC) are finally over and dunzo … yesterday afternoon I boarded another 5+ hour flight for home and managed to make it back to SoCal without a single delay, without a single piece of baggage gone missing, without a single incident. It was a very nice trip, I must say.

The first thing I did when I got home was to check in on my brand new sleeping VW … I was relieved to see that he did okay without me being home for the past 2 weeks. I have a few things to take care of in town, I’m looking forward to taking my car out for a spin … I’ve yet to drive it for more than 30 mins!

It’s good to be home, the weather is amazing (as usual) and I’m just happy to be done with traveling … at least for a short while.

• OY! Not only is Elvis Presley releasing an Xmas album this year but he’ll be dueting with young Country Music starlets, too.
• The celeb baby twins trend carries on with Lisa Marie Presley.
• Snoop Dogg goes Bollywood-izzle.
• Click HERE to see the leaked tour setlist for the Sticky & Sweet World Tour.
• Morrissey pushes back the release date for his new album ’til 2009.
• The alleged John Edwards love child makes her debut.
• OUCH! More bad news for Morgan Freeman.
• China seems to not play fair … and the Olympics haven’t even started yet.
• THIS man is the worst Democrat around right now, he should have his party affiliation revoked.
• Paris Hilton responds to John McCain.
• LC gives her Teen Choice Award surfboard to a more deserving person.
• Heidi Klum goes topless.
• Cindy Crawford goes topless.
• Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) is 32, M. Night Shyamalan is 38 and Randy DeBarge of DeBarge is 50 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
• Laurence Fishburne is rumored to become the lead guy on CSI:
• Neil Patrick Harris has a crush on “dreamy” Anderson Cooper.
• NOW, Wesley Snipes has to also pay the costs incurred by the government for prosecuting his tax case.