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Presidential perks include the blues

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, center, listen to B.B. King, left, and others at the White House on Tuesday. (Associated Press)
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, center, listen to B.B. King, left, and others at the White House on Tuesday. (Associated Press)
From Wire Reports

Sometimes there are downsides to being president: You can’t just go for a walk, says Barack Obama.

Then there are the times that more than make up for all those frustrations – like Tuesday night, when Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Jeff Beck and other musical giants came by the house to belt out the blues.

“I guess things even out a little bit,” Obama joked at the start of a rollicking East Room concert.

Legends and up-and-comers turned the East Room into an intimate blues club for a concert celebrating the rich history of the music and its lasting impact on American music. “This music speaks to something universal,” Obama declared. “The blues reminds us that we’ve been through tougher times before.”

Lambert to sing for Queen at show

Adam Lambert has nabbed his dream gig: Singing vocals for the iconic British band Queen as they headline the second day of the U.K. rock festival Sonisphere 2012.

The former “American Idol” singer-songwriter will step into the late Freddie Mercury’s shoes for the band’s July 7 set at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, north of London.

Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor confirmed the one-time collaboration Tuesday with Lambert, 30, a runner-up in season eight of the popular American TV song competition. The Sonisphere show marks the third time Lambert has sung with the landmark band. “It’s great, they are the coolest guys, they are so down-to-earth,” Lambert said in a recent interview.

The birthday bunch

Announcer Don Pardo is 94. Actor Paul Dooley is 84. Hollywood “ghost singer” Marni Nixon is 82. Movie director Jonathan Demme is 68. Actress Julie Walters is 62. Basketball hall of famer Julius Erving is 62. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 53. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 46. Actress-singer Lea Salonga is 41. Rock musician Scott Phillips is 39. Actress Drew Barrymore is 37. Singer James Blunt is 35.