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Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres Dance to ‘Uptown Funk’

Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres Dance to 'Uptown Funk' #GimmeFive campaign
While the President read mean tweets on Jimmy Kimmel this week, the First Lady challenged Ellen DeGeneres to bust a move, in celebration of the 5-year anniversary of her “Let’s Move” campaign. “Let’s Move” is Michelle Obama’s tireless program of haranguing of sofa-bound Americans to get up and do something, while familiarizing themselves with the produce aisle. Hold on! One step at a time there, lady.

The First Lady explains her new program, called #GimmeFiveways:

“We’re asking folks all across the country to #GimmeFive ways their leading a healthy life. We’ve got a lot of celebrities involved. Beyonce gave me five, and Ryan Seacrest and Nick Jonas and even the astronauts on the space shuttle; the International Space Shuttle got involved. And we’re gonna take over the Easter Egg Roll this year with a #GimmeFive dance and actually the So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars are coming to the Easter Egg Roll to teach the whole south lawn this dance.”

In many ways, Michelle Obama has taken on a task every bit as daunting as those her husband faces. Former first ladies are known for pet causes.  You’ll remember “Just Say No” with Nancy Reagan. Thanks Nancy. Some of you will remember picking up trash and planting flowers for Ladybird Johnson’s “Beautify America” campaign. Michelle Obama has taken it upon herself to get sofa-sitting Americans up, moving, and eating fruits and vegetables – which I’m told come in fresher forms than those found in  potato chips and nachos.

The woman is out to show us it’s fun to move. To that end, celebs such as Beyonce, Ricky Gervais and Ryan Seacrest are seen accepting the health challenge, in which they show five ways they lead a healthy life.
Michelle Obama then challenged Ellen to join in the new Gimme Five dance. The choreography debuted here, will be used at the White House Easter Egg Party.

In keeping with the challenge, there was a bit of trash talk from Ellen, who implied that the First Lady had a jump on learning the dance steps, but that she, Ellen was in much better shape. Before any ‘hip-thrusting’ began, Ellen covered  for any impending gaffes, by joking,  “I’m not really good at choreography, I’m more street.”  She needn’t have worried, DeGeneres fit right in with the “So You Think You Can Dance” All-Stars,  moving to the infectious “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

I know I’m showing my age,but,is it me – or does this song sound a lot like – well,  virtually anything by ‘Morris Day and the Time’ – for instance “Jungle Love” . Somebody tell Morris, because the stars are in alignment for music copyright cases today!  I just did a quick search, and someone is way ahead of me. Several ‘artists’ are likely to see the inside of courtrooms after today’s precedent-setting case in favor of Marvin Gaye’s family.