My Life as Barack Obama

For an Actor, Impersonating the President Is an Exciting Gig, and an Unexpected Gift

Celebrity impersonators get a lot of strange press. They get blamed for crimes, sometimes falsely. In L.A., there have been recent stories about cop impersonators. Does this mean that the life of the ordinary impersonator is filled with drama and scandal?

I don’t think so. I suspect it’s more like mine. You’re an entertainer who stumbles into something for which you have an unexpected knack. Then you see where it takes you.

I first became Barack Obama in 2007.

I was taking a camera hosting class in L.A.—literally a class in which you …

by Aaron Norvell | August 13, 2013

What You’ve Been Given

by Myronn Hardy | May 10, 2013

They have given you the name Obama
even though it isn’t yours.
The woman slicing cake behind
the counter her son wheeling through
the market loud when he sees …

Would Abe Lincoln Be Into Drones?

Either Way, Yes or No, the Approach Would Not Be Like Obama’s

by Matthew Pinsker | May 6, 2013

Abraham Lincoln never ordered a drone strike. Nor was he ever forced to determine exactly when the government should Mirandize a terror suspect. Yet he confronted all kinds of dilemmas …

Arun Chaudhary

Careful, Mr. President, My Camera Is On

by Fuzz Hogan | April 30, 2013

Arun Chaudhary is already a few sips into his Rams Head IPA when I arrive at the Pug on H Street in Washington, D.C. H Street is what passes for …

The Day Obama Didn’t Bring It

The President Has Been Wonderful In Tragedies Past. But, Last Thursday, He Was Playing a Part.

by David Strasberg | April 22, 2013

“Everyone is an actor, at heart,” I say when I’m training neophytes. I believe it to be true even for those who think, “Not me—I am not the acting type.” …

Face It, People: Kamala Harris Is Hot

In California, Where We Dislike and Emasculate Politicians, Being Good-Looking Is Most of the Job

by Joe Mathews | April 11, 2013

I don’t care what our elites say.

No one is going to stop me from speaking the truth to power. And here’s a truth about power that a lot of people …

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