About a week ago, Dennis Quaid, Julianne Moore, and Michael Sheen signed on for an HBO film written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) called The Special Relationship, a de-facto sequel to The Queen about the partnership between Prime Minister Tony Blair (Sheen), President Bill Clinton (Quaid), and First Lady Hillary Clinton (Moore). Due respect to Morgan and Sheen, but why keep exploring politicians who are so 20th century when Her Majesty yet again finds herself at the center of a PR scandal connected to a much younger media darling, namely First Lady Michelle Obama?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the clip below, and prepare to have your minds blown!
Now add the feather ruffling caused by the Obamas’ royal gift of a showtune-filled iPod, and the fact that the monarch reportedly said to the first lady, "Now we’ve met, will you please keep in touch?" and I think we’ve got ourselves a ready-made plot for The Queen, Part II: The Special Relationship. I’m sure Helen Mirren would be happy to take on the role that won her an Oscar again, and I personally vote for Viola Davis to take on the part of our protocol-busting first lady. Tell me, P-Dubs, am I crazy? Or crazy like a fox hounded by a hunting party led by Prince Charles?
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The Queen requested the Ipod for a gift. The Obamas hit a home run with it, one of her advisers said.
“Prepare to have your minds blown”? You gotta be kidding. This is news? No wonder the media is gasping for air and revenue. The Queen placed her hand on Mrs. Obama’s back first and she graciously hugged her back. This is what gracious, friendly people do. Manners are not about rules, manners are about making other people comfortable and pleasant to be around.
Michelle should have studied up and known not to hug the queen. I voted for president Obama but in my opinion he really needs to start acting more presidential. I mean first the Tonight Show and now this.
This protocol is so ridiculous! It’s 2009 and we’re still treating human beings like dieties. If I met the Queen, I’d give her a bear hug and then force her to do a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ pose with me while someone photographed us. It’s the American way!
The Obamas followed the protocol perfectly (witness the initial meeting, where they were forced to have their backs to the cameras because you can never have your back to the queen). In this instance, the queen touched Mrs. Obama FIRST, and Mrs. Obama responded. Everyone in Europe is abuzz about how gracious, sincere, and classy the Obamas are. Can’t we please support our own at home, too?
I believe it is impossible to touch the Queen. Even she has touched you yet. It is absolutely impolite!
The Queen made the first move and Mrs. O simply returned the gesture. Get over it, haters.
Get the funny history of American missteps with the Royals @ http://www.thelintscreen.com
Anyone notice the queen grope Michelle Obama’s derriere?
Tortious & felonious conduct.
Let us stop for a moment to consider meetings held with other foreign heads of state in recent years and just be thankful that the First Lady didn’t start giving Her Majesty a back rub.
How is it breaking protocol when the queen made the first move? You folks need to get over it! SHe cleary likes Michelle Obama. As for the Ipod, I thought it was a very nice gesture seeing as how the queen is very tech-savie as its been said!
Can we get anymore uncouth? What an embarrassment for our country. Michelle Obama needs to RESPECT the customs of others not pretend she is in America. Other countries have other customs. What did she learn at Harvard???
omg, get over it! Michelle Obama was just trying to be nice…yeah she probably shouldn’t have done that but it’s not like she hit her or something.
It’s improper protocol for subjects to touch the monarch. If you’re not a British subject, those rules don’t apply. In fact, strictly speaking, sovereigns should be on equal terms; the queen is the British sovereign, but every American citizen is the sovereign of the United States (the President, Congress, etc. are their servants and serve at their pleasure), so why can’t a sovereign American citizen touch the British sovereign?
It’s the weekend, amuse yourself with a funny take on this @ http://www.thelintscreen.com
Ewww MObama really looks hideous, pas belle!
i have to agree with the previous post that she kind of looks like a gorilla….
I’m apalled she touches the Queen and not suprised magnifique Carla Bruni refuses to give her the bisoux
The Queen put her hand on Michelle’s back first and that was when Michelle put her hand on the Queen’s back. They were standing, posing for a picture when this happened. This whole matter has been blown out of proportion. The First Lady is very genuine and down to earth when engaging with others.
Doesn’t personal space matter? I am sure that the Queen is being gracious, but Obama clearly violated her “royal” personal space, reserved by tradition. The queen has every right to have that protected, and Mrs. Obama owes the Queen, England, and America a sincere apology for the gesture, however innocent.
If she does not do this then it says they consider the gesture to be acceptable. Next up: Who else in the Obama administration gets to touch the queen? What is their criteria? Mrs. Clinton? Mr. Geitner?
Royal Personal Space? Well the Queen has it and it was a reach around hug. The Obama are not like Bush and Kerry who are from a rich high class that know this snobby behavior. THey are from the middle class like us so nobody knows about this protocol in the state that well.
Check out the funny “backstory” of American mishaps with the Royals @ http://www.thelintscreen.com
you deserve a laugh, right?
ok i see nothing wrong because the “queen” has to die like any of us and we are not kings and queens to rule god’s kingdom. She is not a gorilla that’s just racists talk as usual there will be those ppl
she did nothing wrong
Protocol, Culture, traditions, class status- good sociological terms, that may have meant something if the Queen had indicated that she felt her personal space was violated. However she received her hug graciously I may say and she’s still smiling. Let’s follow suit and hug someone today. It may prevent another bombing or suicide attempt.