Barack Obama turns 47 today! He'll celebrate with fundraising events in Michigan and Boston, although he's probably much more excited about the prospect of planning a party in the West Wing next year. Also celebrating: Robert A.F. Thurman, Columbia professor, former Buddhist monk, and father of Uma, is turning 67. New York's top judge, Judith Kaye, is 70. Scandal-plagued pitcher Roger Clemens is 46. Denim designer Scott Morrison turns 36. NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon is 37. Law & Order actor Richard Belzer turns 64. Model/actor Marcus Schenkenberg is 40. And Billy Bob Thornton is turning 53.

Press release of the day: "Marcus Schenkenberg inducted into Male Model Hall of Fame." (There's a "Male Model Hall of Fame"? *Snicker.* Note to self: create Gossip Columnist Hall of Fame. Induct self. Send out press releases.) Completely unironic quote by Vanity Fair's George Wayne that made it worth reading: "Maverick could easily have been his middle name, because that is precisely the effect this modern-day Michelangelo has had on the world of fashionSupermodeldom. He broke the mold. Marcus created the whole drama. He broke the barriers and single-handedly put the male model on the map. He sort of said: men can do this too."
Marcus Schenkenberg: fearless [ModelLaunch]