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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will not be attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December amid a sea of backlash from honorees.

In a statement released Saturday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the first family made the decision to skip the awards “to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.”

She went on to say that the Trumps “extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year’s award recipients for their many accomplishments.”

The announcement comes on the heels of news that television producer Norman Lear, one of the evening’s honorees,...

Mike Huckabee is walking back from his Beyonce comments, but just a little bit ... calling Bey a "mega-talent," but wishing out loud she'd be a little more conservative.In his new book, Huckabee called out President Barack Obama for letting his kids listen to Beyonce's music, saying her lyrics are "obnoxious and toxic mental poison." But Sunday night at Laguardia, Huckabee proclaimed his love for all things Bey ... but says she shouldn't feel the need...

Jimmy Carter slammed Mike Huckabee Tuesday for criticizing the Obamas' parenting skills.We got the ex-prez at Laguardia Airport and asked about Huckabee's barb that good parents don't let their kids listen to Beyonce.  Carter, who was flanked by Secret Service, didn't contain his disdain for the would-be presidential candidate. He's still got it. Read more...

Chicago – In our latest animated comedy/family edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 Blu-rays up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “Hop” starring Russell Brand and Chelsea Handler from the makers of “Despicable Me”! Universal Studios Home Entertainment is bringing “Hop” to Blu-ray and DVD on March 23, 2012.

“Hop” also stars James Marsden, Hugh Laurie, Hank Azaria, David Hasselhoff, Elizabeth Perkins, Kaley Cuoco, Gary Cole, Tiffany Espensen, Dustin Ybarra, Carlease Burke, Veronica Alicino and Jimmy Carter from director Tim Hill and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

To win your free “Hop” Blu-ray courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this Hookup and win are below.

“Hop” comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 23, 2012.

Image credit: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Here is the synopsis for “Hop”:

From the makers of “Despicable Me...

Newt Gingrich will add substance to the Republican field when he declares his candidacy for president, but we already have a professor as president-and the country is looking for something new, says Mark McKinnon.

Out with The Donald, in with The Newt.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Democrats' Negotiator in Chief

Newt Gingrich is unlikely to woo enough voters to win the Gop presidential nomination, but he is certain to make it more interesting. Gingrich is an idea factory, an organizational genius, and a prodigious fundraiser. His issues-oriented American Solutions "citizen action network" reports more than 2.4 million members. And according to The Wall Street Journal, Gingrich has "raised $32 million between 2009 and 2010-more than all his potential 2012 rivals combined."

But Gingrich also has the whiff of "been there, done that." And while he can produce an avalanche of substance and process and impress with his intellect, he rarely excites. Gingrich...

Obama just took out the world's top terrorist-providing a burst of momentum just as the 2012 race begins. Howard Kurtz on the Gop dilemma-and why the Dems' advantage may be short-lived.

When Republican candidates face off in their first presidential debate this week, the shadow of Osama bin Laden will hang over the event.

The president they have been attacking as a dithering commander-in-chief has, after all, just presided over a military operation that killed America's foremost enemy nearly a decade after he masterminded the 9/11 attacks.

"They've got to be careful how they handle the president," says former Gop congressman Vin Weber, who is backing fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty. "The country is feeling good about itself for the first time in years, and he is the embodiment of that. The Republicans cannot put that at risk. You don't want to be the one who pops the bubble."

"It could certainly have...

Why can't the Republicans find a 2012 frontrunner? In this week's Newsweek, Howard Kurtz writes on the sorry state of the Gop field-and why nobody's emerged as a credible threat to Obama.

Newt Gingrich moved slowly through the halls as excited onlookers kept stopping him for photos and thrusting paper at him for autographs, each trying to briefly bask in his celebrity.

Related story on The Daily Beast: The Gop's Race Backslide

He had spent the day whacking President Obama on everything from energy to Egypt, but when I asked about his real agenda at the popular Conservative Political Action Conference-floating an actual candidacy-he turned cautious. "You have to decide whether it's something you feel compelled to do," the former House speaker said, "and if it's absolutely your duty to do it." In short, he wants to be wanted by a party that isn't sure who or what it wants.

As all manner of pols,...

George W. Bush's memoir sold more than 700,000 copies in its first week on sale, but how does he compare to other political authors who have turned votes into books? The Daily Beast analyzes the sales figures.

According to Crown Publishing Group, the publisher of George W. Bush's memoir Decision Points, the former President's tome sold 775,000 copies across all formats during its first week on sale (the hardback version sold 434,000 according to Nielsen BookScan). The last nonfiction author on the house's roster to match that scale was Bill Clinton with his autobiography My Life, which sold 900,000 hardback copies during its first week.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Punching Back at WikiLeaks

But, like many former leaders, Bush did not rank among the country's bestselling titles; Clinton is one of just six former presidents who have landed atop on New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction since the list...