President Obama says people may think of him as a "city boy" but that he enjoys listening to country music.

Obama made the remarks last night before musicians Alison Krauss and Union Station performed in the East Room of the White House. Brad Paisley and Charley Pride also entertained guests.

The president says country music "has captured our restlessness and resilience" through storytelling.

The performance was the second in a music series that first lady Michelle Obama launched last month to encourage arts and arts education. Earlier, both Paisley and Krauss took part in a workshop with middle school and high school music students.

US WEEKLY EDITOR LEAVING MAGAZINE

Janice Min, the editor in chief of Us Weekly for six years, is leaving the celebrity magazine to pursue "other opportunities."

Though Min, 39, is stepping down from the magazine at a difficult time for print media, Us Weekly has held up well. The second-largest celebrity and entertainment weekly behind People, Us Weekly had average circulation of 1.9 million in the last six months of 2008, the latest official figures available.

Michael Steele, now executive editor, will be acting editor in chief until a permanent replacement is found.

FARRAH CLUNG TO LIFE ON HER DEATHBED

Ryan O'Neal says that even as Farrah Fawcett lay dying, she clung to life.

O'Neal tells NBC's "Today" show that after doctors said Fawcett had a couple of hours left, she held on for a couple of days.

O'Neal says Fawcett "wouldn't pass," and "it was awful."

He says Fawcett's eyes were open for the last three weeks of her life. He thinks she was "holding on," since she had so much left to do.

Finally, he says, Fawcett closed her eyes and she was gone.

She died last month after a long battle with anal cancer.

O'Neal says he writes to Fawcett in his journal, fulfilling a promise he made to his longtime love. He said he'd "see her every day" after her death.

JACKSON TV SPECIAL FALLS THROUGH

Frenzied international interest in all things Michael Jackson notwithstanding, it appears there won't be a TV special this fall.

AEG Live, the promoter behind Jackson's 50 planned "This Is It" comeback concerts in London, has been negotiating for several days with movie studios for the film rights to the concert rehearsal footage and broadcast rights to a tie-in television special.

Although NBC was interested in the project as recently as Monday, and other networks showed interest last week, all the networks balked at AEG's $20 million asking price for a show that would not include any new or exclusive footage of Jackson performing, several network sources said.