The Who2 Blog
Here Is the Very Strangest White House Photo of 2011
With four weeks left in the year, we hereby declare a winner in the competition for Weirdest White House Photo of 2011.
Most official White House photos involve boring Cabinet meetings, concerts in the East Room, etc, etc. This one, from October, involves First Lady Michelle Obama watching as a balloon artist does something very, very strange.
Here's the White House caption:
"Guinness Book of World Records holder John Cassidy performs a balloon act for First Lady Michelle Obama in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Oct. 11, 2011. Cassidy performed for kids on the South Lawn before the First Lady launched a challenge to break the Guinness World Records title for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period."
Cassidy's official motto captures his job perfectly: "Comedy, magic, and really weird things with balloons." His Guinness record is for creating 747 balloon sculptures in one hour.
The photo is by Chuck Kennedy. Good luck topping this one in 2012, Chuck.
2 comments
Terrific.
I can't stop looking at it! So I presume he blows up a giant (and very durable) balloon, then somehow steps on the outside of it so that it wraps up around himself? And then starts jumping around? On all fours?
There's a clip on his website of him on Conan O'Brien, and it looks like he kind of flops on that show -- making jokes about how sad it is that he's an adult who blows up balloons. But it looks like he's in his element here.