Stars flock to Michelle Obama's 50th after White House causes stir by asking guests to eat BEFORE they arrive

• Samuel L Jackson was pictured among guests arriving for Michelle Obama's 50th birthday party
• Guests were asked to eat BEFORE attending - an order which raised a few eyebrows
  
• It was billed as a 'Snacks & Sips & Dancing & Dessert' party
• Rumors suggest Beyonce performed
  

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Published: 13:48 EST, 18 January 2014 | Updated: 13:50 EST, 19 January 2014

There may have been a few aching feet and sore heads this morning after the stars flocked to wish Michelle Obama a Happy 50th birthday in a White House dance party last night.

The First Lady turned 50 on Friday, but the big celebration was put on hold until Saturday.

The White House revealed nothing about the guest list, but a few guests were caught on camera arriving at the event. 

President Barack Obama told guests to come prepared to dance and rumors buzzed that Beyonce was one of the performers taking part.

Actor Samuel L Jackson was all smiles as she arrived to help celebrate the First Lady's birthday

Gayle (pictured left), who serves as editor at large of Oprah's O Magazine arrives at the party

Magic Johnson arrives at the celebrations alongside fellow retired basketball player Grant Hill

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett would only say that 'people will move' at the party.

Beyonce's husband, rapper Jay Z, performed in Washington on Thursday night.

The party caused a stir when invitations went out earlier this month instructing guests to 'eat before you come,' a request that puzzled event experts such as Colin Cowie and André Wells.

'To ask people to ‘eat before you come’ is not the way I would have done it,' party planner Colin Cowie said.

'I always think of the food. When it comes to making people feel welcome we give them great music, a well-stocked bar, and excellent food—and you do it abundantly.'

New perks: The First Lady showed that she was happy to get her membership card for the AARP, a seniors advocacy group that includes all Americans over 50

'I have never felt more confident': Michelle Obama's big 50th White House bash is Friday and while she says she's never felt better, she's unwilling to rule out any future nips or tucks

The first lady spent her birthday largely out of sight, though there was a Twitter post in which she showed off her new AARP card.

Michelle Obama has proudly joined the AARP as her 50th birthday marks her automatic acceptance into the seniors advocacy group.

She said she was 'excited to join Barack in the 50+ club today'.

Sweet moment: The President greeted Mrs Obama during an event about the importance of college

She can count herself among the senior advocacy group's 37 million members and the $16 she paid to enroll in the group buys her a year-long subscription to their magazine as well as discounts on cruises, Denny's meals and Kindle readers.

'Not only is Mrs. Obama helping to change and reshape the way people look at aging in this country, but she’s also showing folks how great 50 looks today,' AARP CEO A. Barry Rand said in a statement.

'I have never felt more confident in myself, more clear on who I am as a woman,' she said of turning the big five-oh.

Though her confidence is high, the first lady and perennial fitness advocate says she just can't rule out any future nips and tucks.

'Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves,' the first lady told People magazine in an interview hitting on Friday.

While she's not intending to celebrate with her first Botox injection or eyelift, she says one or the other could very well happen one day.

'Right now, I don't imagine that I would go that route, but I've also learned to never say never.'

Her message to women is to be healthy. Mrs. Obama says she has never missed a health checkup, including mammograms and Pap smears. She's also had a colonoscopy.

By her own account, she feels more relaxed now that President Barack Obama's days as a candidate are over.

'That layer is gone now. It gives me a little more room to breathe,' she told an interviewer.

'Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves': Michelle smiles while President Obama speaks at an event a day before her birthday. The former Michelle Robinson did not take to politics quickly in the shadow of her high wattage husband and was even a liability early on in his 2008 campaign. But she has evolved into a polished performer

Freeing: Second presidential terms can be freeing for first ladies, just as they are for presidents, because there is no next election to fret over. But while Mrs. Obama is over the hump of her first lady tenure, with just three years remaining, it's unclear if she will take on new or different roles

Nearly five years after assuming the first lady's role following a bruising campaign in which she sometimes became a target, Mrs. Obama is showing increased comfort in what amounts to a volunteer position with a host of responsibilities and outsized expectations. Not to mention a sometimes-unforgiving spotlight.

'I have never felt more confident in myself, more clear on who I am as a woman,' the first lady told Parade magazine when asked about the birthday. She started the celebration last week by spending extra time with girlfriends in Hawaii after her family's holiday vacation there. It was an early birthday present from the president. On Saturday, she'll be toasted at a White House party where guests have been advised to come ready to dance, and to eat before they come.

Second presidential terms can be freeing for first ladies, just as they are for presidents, because there is no next election to fret over. But while Mrs. Obama is over the hump of her first lady tenure, with just three years remaining, it's unclear if she will take on new or different roles.

Asked whether she has peaked at 50, Mrs. Obama joked that being first lady is 'pretty high up.' She said she's always felt that her life is 'ever-evolving' and she doesn't have the right to 'just sit on my talents or blessings.'

'I've got to keep figuring out ways to have an impact, whether as a mother or as a professional or as a mentor to other kids,' the first lady said, noting that daughter Malia, now 15, will be in college when she and President Barack Obama leave the White House in January 2017. Daughter Sasha, 12, won't be far behind.

'At that point in life, whoa, the sky is the limit,' Mrs. Obama said.