Barack Obama’s election against daunting odds was a testament to many things, but not least his remarkable capacity to rock the mic. On Tuesday, he delivered the most-watched, most-anticipated, most historically significant speech of his life in front of a crowd so massive and so joyous that it took your breath away. Immediately beforehand came the swearing-in, which was a sublime thing, engendering even in his critics and partisan adversaries a feeling of national pride — and providing his fans with a rush of satisfaction and and jolt of pure exhilaration.
Yet the speech that followed was less than thrilling in itself, perhaps by design. Its structure was formal, classical, the substance largely abstract. There were no anecdotes or narratives, personal or otherwise. There were few rhetorical flourishes, no gratuitous bids for Barletts. The language was spare, at times even pedestrian — telling Americans that "we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," for example.
And though the speech was by no means pessimistic, its optimism was balanced by a cold-eyed realism — and plenty of hard talk about not taking short cuts, a crisis brought on by greed and irresponsibility, and a collective failure to make hard choices. The political purpose of all this is easy enough to see: Obama is preparing the country for tough trade-offs down the line. (And if he's serious about reforming entitlements, you can certainly see the logic of laying down that predicate.) But it's certainly not the kind of language that caused so many hearts to flutter during his campaign.
More familiar to them will have been Obama's focus on another set of choices: the false ones that have gripped our politics lo these many years. He listed three: between whether "government is too big or too small;" between whether "the market is a force for good or ill;" between "our safety and our ideals." Obama's contention that these "stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply" is not surprising. It's at the core of his attempt to define himself as an apostle of pragmatism, to transcend the hoary partisan and ideological divisions that he's long cited as central to the dysfunction of Washington.
But it's also clear in all three cases that his implicit critique is stronger of one side than the other; that the reflexive small-government crowd, the market fundamentalists, and those who believe that national security requires the trampling of the constitution are the ones more dangerously under the spell of idiotic dogma. Indeed, you could read this triad as a thinly veiled critique of the now-departed (whew, that feels good to write) Bush Administration. And that's precisely what many liberals did — along with thrilling, not unreasonably, at Obama's acknowledgement of "non-believers" as being a vital part of the American fabric.
There was also much in the speech, however, to please conservatives. The focus on responsibility, duty, service, and sacrifice. The invocations of Scripture (Obama mentioned the deity thrice). The absence of any kind of dreamy, bridge-to-the-21st-Century-style futurism, and instead a constant grounding in history. The invocation of firemen and servicemen as heroes. And, toward the end, a riff that could have easily been uttered by Ronald Reagan, or even Bush: "For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies... Those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true."
Some might argue that Obama's grand project involves reclaiming language like that from the right. Others might say that the fact that both liberals and conservatives could find things to cheer in his inaugural address demonstrates that he remains a cipher — or at least a mystery. My own view is that it's another sign that Obama enters the White House playing the game at a very high level strategically. He understands, as he has all along, that cohesion and compromise are what the country wants — and what he will need if he's going to tackle the multiplicity of crises that now officially belong to him. In the conduct of his transition and in how he and his team have been dealing with Capitol Hill, Obama is striving to position himself as the head of a kind of national-unity government.
Even in less dire circumstances, unification is what inaugurals are all about. And at a moment like this, the imperative is only that much greater. His speech yesterday may not have been his prettiest or most intoxicating. But it may wind up serving a higher, more noble purpose: contributing to a climate where it's possible to get shit done.
When it comes to the Academy Awards, Hollywood has some biases. Summer blockbusters get short shrift. Comedies aren't taken seriously. And animated features? They almost never get drawn.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were dancing their way through 10 official inaugural balls after a day of pomp and circumstance that saw his first presidential address and excitement about her inaugural dress.
Reuters - Jim Carrey outed his new movie "I Love You Phillip Morris" at the Sundance Film Festival this week, taking a risk in the gay romantic comedy by sharing passionate moments with co-star Ewan McGregor.
AP - Tabloid speculation has focused on the status of Marc Anthony's relationship with Jennifer Lopez, but there was no sign of trouble at the Western Ball.
AP - First lady Michelle Obama celebrated her husband's inauguration Tuesday night wearing a white chiffon, one-shoulder gown covered in fluffy appliques and beading that will now become part of fashion history.
First lady Michelle Obama celebrated her husband's inauguration Tuesday night wearing a white chiffon, one-shoulder gown covered in fluffy appliques and beading that will now become part of Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 11:51 am
AP - Hollywood unbuttoned Washington's collar at President Barack Obama's inauguration events on Tuesday, bringing a touch of levity and star power to a historic day.
Hollywood unbuttoned Washington's collar at President Barack Obama's inauguration events on Tuesday, bringing a touch of levity and star power to a historic day. Beyonce crooned a... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 11:50 am
Reuters - A new play set on the bond trading floor of a leading British investment bank examines how clashing egos, greed and vanity can push people to take huge risks with money that is not theirs.
Foods Across America Delivers Culinary Commentary for the Big Game CHICAGO, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Chips and dip from the pre-season snack game are history;... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 10:20 am
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In the heart of New Orleans, America's most haunted city, the PARAPLEX prepares for its grand opening Saturday, January 24, 2009 with... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 10:15 am
Abby Holland crashed the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball and came out with a presidential Best Night Ever!
It's more than just the title of the song that Beyoncé croons to President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama while they dance, it's also the feeling...
Reuters - The independent comedy "Humpday" has found a distributor in Magnolia Pictures, which sealed a deal for the Sundance Film Festival selection Monday night. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 21 Jan 2009 | 5:40 am
Either Paula Abdul is hugging this misguided contestant, or they're plotting against Simon Cowell.
Actually, it wasn't Paula who looked as if she wanted to blindside the Brit...
Reuters - "Lie to Me" teaches us how to detect lies from the lying liars who tell them. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Jan 2009 | 4:33 am
Reuters - Michelle Obama officially entered the world stage on Tuesday in outfits by U.S. designers paired with off-the-rack accessories, mixing glamour with practicality.
Yes he did...and E! Online was there, rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood's heaviest hitters, to witness history.
Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Leonardo...
Reuters - Seasonal jobs always are loaded with crazy characters, no matter where, no matter when. Here the setting is 1987 Pittsburgh, at a summer carnival. "Adventureland" is packed with atmospheric details, but its universal teen theme reaches beyond any specific generation or place.
Duffy (seen here in 2008) has been nominated in the best British album, British breakthrough act, best British female solo artist and best British single categories, topping off an incredible year that... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 2:46 am
Coldplay (seen here in 2008) goes head to head with Duffy in the best album category, alongside indie group Elbow, Radiohead and The Ting Tings, and is also nominated in the best British group, best British... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 21 Jan 2009 | 2:46 am
AP - A young American Everyman, fallen on hard times, wanders into a strange, drought-stricken, small Latin American town with no name, in a country with no name, and finds himself in a nightmarish situation with no apparent way out. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 21 Jan 2009 | 2:27 am
Been talking to everyone up here in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Fest. Kristen Stewart was thrilled to chat about something other than Twilight, so we talked the fest's buzz flick...
Can you tell me who in Hollywood actually has naturally long hair rather than extensions?
—Rosie, Ireland
Well, let's start with Hayden Panettiere. I would much...
Front Page: Few stars currently earning their quotes -- Last fall, studios were bullish with plans to put 40 or more films in production to fill 2010 and 2011 slates.
Front Page: Kelly Masterson adapting Marcus Sakey novel -- The Film Department has acquired screen rights to Marcus Sakey crime novel "Good People," with Tobey Maguire's Maguire Entertainment and Film 360, the production division of Management 360, to produce the feature adaptation.
Shia LaBeouf has been transformed into a passenger.
The Eagle Eye star had his driver's license suspended Saturday, a result of his refusal to take a Breathalyzer test when he was...
Fashion Wire Daily - The second day of Sao Paulo Fashion Week, Monday, Jan. 19, consisted of more than a few designers employing whimsical, or in some cases, flashy stagings for their runway shows. The fashion week in Sao Paulo is Brazil's largest, with an investment of close to $3 million this season in the event production, according to show organizers. This translates into 12,000 visitors per day who are all hoping to see the new collections and be entertained.
At last night's Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., boxing promoter Don King was weaving metaphorical magic. "America is pregnant with a new baby we call hope and freedom," he said. "She will give birth tomorrow at 12." View our Party Lines slideshow to see other Inauguration Eve craziness.
• So what are the moderately famous blogging about the inauguration? Mischa Barton: "I cried, I won't lie...I cried because I had a press day where I had to answer worthless...
Alexander McQueen's Target line hits stores on March 1, but the look book has leaked. We were promised mermaids, mesh, and studs, and though we don't see much mermaid, and only a little mesh, and just a few studs, McQueen delivered a covetable, affordable collection. Honestly, could his economic timing have been better for this? We want the jackets and dresses and bathing suit, and if we have to knock someone down in the store to get our size when it launches, so be it. But don't take our word for it — see the collection for yourself in the slideshow.
The best parties don't get started until way past Twilight.
Summit Entertainment announced Tuesday that the teen-vampire romance will be available for your home-swooning pleasure...
TOP MEDIC: Top Chef'sTom Colicchio saved a choking food author's life by giving him the Heimlich Maneuver. As soon as the man caught his breath and regained his color, Tom then ripped into his lamb shank for being underseasoned and repeatedly stressed that the quail egg on top was completely unnecessary. (Slashfood)
COVER (YOUR EARS): Here's fame-unrelenting human Brooke Hogan singing overtop Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." More like, "My Song Would Suck With You," am I right??? High five. (ONTD)
UPCOMING RAYMOND EPISODE: A new study suggests that women may have a more difficult time resisting their favorite foods than men do. Probably because the favorite food for most women is shopping, am I right people??? High five again. (Washington Post)
BEST INTERVIEW EVER: And finally, Paul F. Tompkins talks to Gothamist about moving to New York, the new BWE format, and some really refreshing thoughts on his recent career. They cut out the part where he says "also, sharing an office with Dan Hopper is THE BEST," but trust me, he yelled it to the interviewer multiple times. (Gothamist)
After months of speculating, the hour has finally almost arrived. In mere minutes, shadowy footage of Michelle Obama walking to her car in her inaugural ballgown will surface. Just the thought is giving us heart palpitations. Honestly, we might die when we see her, so we can't imagine how the designer she chooses will survive this historic night. So, who could it be? As of Friday, Michelle had not yet made a decision, her spokeswoman told WWD. She was busy moving her kids and life into the White House, so fashion took a backseat. Another source said that as of Friday Michelle had narrowed it down to three choices, but she might not even have decided until this morning. What if, as we type, she hasn't decided?! Sources say Michelle's choices all funnel through the Ikram boutique in Chicago, where she bought a Thakoon coat and dress that were thought to have been intended for the Inaugural ceremony today. They obviously weren't — are they for tonight? Tracy Reese and Kai Milla also submitted Inauguration Day options.
So we, along with the rest of the world, have no idea what she'll wear! It could be Thakoon, Maria Pinto, Narciso Rodriguez, Jason Wu — all we can say with any certainty is that it will probably be an American designer. Oh we are verklempt!
Everyone in Washington is smiling, but the markets are still depressed: In late trading, the Dow dropped 332.13 points to 7,949.09, the S&P 500 to 805.22. Citigroup fell 20 percent to freaking $2.90 a share; JPMorgan Chase fell 21 percent; and Bank of America took a wallop, falling 29 percent. Why? Was it all Roubini? [WSJ]
Actor and comedian Kevin James waits to race NASCAR stock cars with his Segway to promote the release of his new movie, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 14,... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 20 Jan 2009 | 11:07 pm
Before each screening at Sundance, one of several short promos, featuring various filmmakers being interviewed about the festival, runs. One of these has John Waters saying, “You could probably make a porno film and get it into Sundance!” This is ostensibly meant to be funny and sorta hyperbolic, but the fest has indeed shown some films in the past that came pretty damned close: 2006’s Destricted, for example, was an omnibus film with various auteurs taking a stab at erotica. And who can forget 2005’s fuck-fest, 9 Songs?
Luckily, this year’s festival is no slouch in the sex department. We can confirm that the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, The Informers, handled the downturn in the indie-financing arena by entirely excising Amber Heard’s wardrobe from its budget, and that the competition title Unmade Beds gives us exactly the kind of naked-young-polyglot bed-hopping that we had hoped to find when we backpacked to Europe back in [date deleted]. The Ashton Kutcher gigolo flick Spread was apparently no slouch in the T&A department, either. And, of course, there’s Humpday, the dudes-make-a-gay-porn-flick that’s been one of the big hits of the fest. We can’t confirm that there’s that much explicit sex in the gay-prison-love movie I Love You Philip Morris, but it does feature Ewan McGregor, whose schlong once had its own development deal, so who knows.
In addition, there are rumors flying fast and furiously that this evening's Secret Sneak Preview will in fact be a screening of Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, The Girlfriend Experience, starring mega-porn-star Sasha Grey. There are, however, some counter-rumors that it will not. We’ve got tickets, so we’ll know for sure in a few hours. In the meantime, stay away from the Sundance bathrooms …
Front Page: Dissent not dissuading guild president -- The SAG standoff over national exec director Doug Allen remains inflamed, with president Alan Rosenberg still defiant in the face of efforts by the board's majority to topple Allen.
On the day we inaugurate our first African American president, this is ironic: In Milan, not a single black, Asian, or Latino model walked the runways of Jil Sander, Missoni, Burberry, Trussardi, Bottega Veneta, Gianfranco Ferré, Roberto Cavalli, or Prada. The Emporio Armani and Versace shows notably included black models. Gucci designer Frida Giannini said she is "always looking for black models, or even Chinese or whatever, for the shows,” but agencies always send her the same crop of white guys. Her show featured an entirely white cast. But an owner of New York modeling agency Red said he sent over several black models he thought would do well (they didn't). The New York Times reports:
“Maybe they think it’s too obvious” to feature an ethnically inclusive runway casting in the week of Barack Obama’s inauguration, Franca Sozzani, the Vogue Italia editor, said of designers. “It has nothing to do with a racist attitude,” the editor insisted ...
Not only are the whitewashed runways ironic in light of the inauguration, but this is the same country that gave us the historic all-black Italian Vogue just months ago. Though we adore Franca, who's done some incredible work to call attention to this issue, we must question her here — why shouldn't designers be obvious? The all-black Vogue was not only "obvious," but a smash hit. People wouldn't cast off an all-black runway show because it signified the designer tried too hard to include blacks. They'd cheer and clap like the people at the inauguration this morning. Bloggers like us would reference it for months afterward. What designer wouldn't love that? On days like today, there is no such thing as overkill. Which is why our next post is probably going to be about Michelle's dress.
It's an odd day in the media; some people are getting good news, some bad, and a pair of Newsday top editors have been missing without explanation for five full days now. Check it out, after the jump!
• Newsday editors are mysteriously missing. Editor-in-Chief John Mancini and Managing Editor Deborah Henley have been out of the newsroom for five days straight, and their whereabouts are apparently unknown. [NYP]
• According to the oft-updated Media Is Dying Twitter, Eater LA's editor, Lesley Bella, has been laid off. [Media Is Dying/Twitter]
• After the Tribune Company went bankrupt, WPIX reporter Chris Glorioso was told he couldn't cover the inauguration. But he financed the coverage himself — by sleeping on his mom's couch — and WPIX made a website out of it. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• Popular political website Talking Points Memo is launching a new political blog, Talking Points Memo D.C. Matt Cooper, formerly of the New York Times and currently a contributing editor at Portfolio, will be covering the Obama presidency for the website. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• Another popular political website, Daily Kos, has reported its 2008 revenue at more than $1 million. [Daily Kos]
• The New York Times has issued guidelines about personal blogs, Facebook, Twitter and the like for Brian Stelter employees. [Silcon Alley Insider]
• The New Yorker's Jill Lepore writes, "'The newspaper is dead, long live the newspaper!' has lately become the incantation of advocates of e-journalism, who argue that the twenty-first-century death of the newspaper hardly merits a moment's mourning, since it is no death at all but, rather, a rebirth. Even if that turns out to be true — and you have to hope it is true — the digital newspaper could do with a better slogan." We're just the messengers? [NYer]
• Shortly after announcing to the staff of the Tucson Citizen that their paper (the oldest continuing daily in the state) might have to be shut down soon, Gannett honcho Bob Dickey went off to play in an expensive charity golf tournament in Palm Springs. [Gannett Blog]
Last week, Indiana-based financier Marcus Schrenker tried to fake his own death after bilking a group of investors out of their savings. On the face of it, his plan was not un-clever: He would radio in a distress call from the Piper plane he flew recreationally, and claim his windshield had shattered and that he was bleeding profusely. He would then parachute out, allowing the plane to crash, and run away to a campsite in Alabama or Florida. But he ended up making a lot of mistakes, including e-mailing a friend after the supposedly fatal crash occurred. We didn't think it could get much worse than that, but we were so wrong. As it turns out, there were several more flies in Schrenker's ointment. Reuters reports:
The Piper crashed in a swampy wooded area north of Milton, Florida. When rescuers reached the scene, they found evidence including a book of campsites in America missing its pages on Alabama and Florida, and a bullet-point list scribbled on the back of a book that read: "cracked windshield, window imploded, bleeding profusely," a court affidavit said.
Amazing. We can't wait until they break into his room and find the maps of Venezuela, the Spanish phrase books, and the address of the Caracas Marriott.
Not fixing what isn't broken meant Q-Tip’s supposed comeback album, The Renaissance, dropped with more of a ripple than a splash back in November (try not to bring it up, he’s kind of sensitive). But even if it is for an ever-smaller audience, we’re glad someone’s still making sublime nineties posi-rap — Tip’s latest single, “ManWomanBoogie,” a triumphant call to unity fueled by little more than a burbling stand-up bass line and an incessant hi-hat, is a perfectly jaunty little ditty. That the video, which premiered Friday, revolves around the greatest interactive, costumed, history-lesson-train-car-dance-party ever — Betsy Ross, an imperial British Army soldier, and the lovely Amanda Diva all get down — does not hurt. Spoiler alert! It is all a dream.
All Inauguration Day, we've witnessed ordinary, everyday people going absolutely bananas for Barack Obama, but what happens when Obama crosses paths with an already-bananas Al Roker?
He goes doubleplusbananas, of course:
HAIR
• Michelle Obama asked her hairstylist, Rahni Flowers of Van Cleef Hair Studio in Chicago, to move to Washington, D.C., to be her stylist, but Rahni declined. [Daily Beauty Reporter/Allure]
• Twice as many brunettes as blondes work in positions that pay between £45,000 and £55,000, according to a new British survey. They're also taken more seriously and thought to be more genuine. [Bella Sugar]
MAKEUP
• Michelle Obama's makeup artist, Ingrid Grimes-Myles, says she takes the blame for the overly arched eyebrows the First Lady sported during the campaign, which some thought made her look angry. Today, they're fuller and lighter. [Chicago Tribune]
SKIN
• Serena Williams is the newest face of Mission Skincare, a skin-care line for athletes. She'll help launch a pomegranate lip balm this spring. [WWD]
A Nigerian mattress company is wasting no time in getting in on all this history American goodness. Today, they released an ad in all the Nigerian papers featuring Barack Obama just takin' a snooze on one of their mattresses, with the slogan "great mattress, great dreams."
This should serve as a lesson to all celebrities: NEVER BLINK. You never know which Nigerian mattress company will use your visage to cash in.
In other news, did I mention I just bought a mattress online from a Nigerian mattress company? It's a pretty sweet deal -- if I send them 3 mattresses, they send me 10 in return. Can't wait to cash in! Source: Best Week Ever | 20 Jan 2009 | 10:00 pm
Why do you always have to serve Bill beans when it's my night for him to come over?
The great cable dramas — Mad Men, The Sopranos, The Wire — on some level all glorify male potency, but to say the same of Big Love almost seems ridiculous: Of course it does. It’s about man with three — going on four — wives. The swinging dick isn’t cloaked behind some intricately patterned loin cloth of brilliant dialogue or digs at patriarchy: It’s free ballin’. But it’s balanced, too, by time lavished on the women’s concerns at home. (It’s all those children, thankfully, whose perspectives we’re spared.) With this premiere, we dive deep into season three, and even deeper into this gender-polarized world, from Anna, whom “we want to formally date,” to matriarch Barb, secretly confronting cancer.
Naturally, though, the dicks keep swinging. There’s Alby, feeling the “potency in this room” as he contemplates taking over his father’s office — and narrowly avoiding an attempt on his life, apparently orchestrated by his mother as revenge for poisoning his father, after he’s lured into a bathroom for gay sex. Bill — who, we are reminded more than once, serves as the “hot-dog man” at the annual block party — is feeling his Oedipal oats, confronting his father over Frankie, the teen brother-from-another-mother who shows up in the back of Bill’s SUV after getting kicked off the compound by his pops. (Bill’s mother still thinks he’s a sissy.) Princess Nicki, meanwhile, goes so far as to take a position as a lowly temp at the county services office in order to collect information that might aid her father’s trial for, you know, violating young girls.
And the polarities are only starker with the next generation: College-bound Sarah looks to escape Utah entirely, never mind polygamy; Ben, bless his heart, seems oddly confident that he can handle more than one woman. The only thing they share is that look — the one where it seems like they might burst into tears at any moment. (You almost want to slap them just so they’ll let it out.) And through it all, the hot-dog man abides: Using Margene, pure Margene, to help close a deal on a casino; and slipping it to Anna after some big, unmanly talk about getting a ring on her finger — another deal that will go through thanks only to Margene. As always, Bill’s magic penis draws him deeper into the rabbit hole.
The estranged brother-in-law of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, charged with killing Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, goes before a Chicago judge again Tuesday, a spokesman for the judge said.
An eagle-eyed Gossip Girl viewer captured a screenshot of Blair's paper from last night's episode — the one that received a B grade from the nubile Ms. Carr and drove our raven-tressed heroine into a dangerous "Black Ops" mission and, perhaps, madness. Our old, cataract-ridden eyes can only make out the subject (James Joyce) and part of one line ("While most male characters..."), but we'll give the first reader who translates the entire thing to our satisfaction the copy of Schooled by Anisha Lakhani that's been sitting on our desk as well as oodles of poodles of glory. The large-size screenshot is after the jump.
Front Page: Comedy stars Rockwell as alcoholic coach -- Lionsgate has picked up North American and U.K. rights to James Strouse's comedy "The Winning Season."
Fashion Wire Daily - If anything summed up the end of the ecological obsession in fashion it was the Giorgio Armani fall 2009 menswear show in Milan Tuesday.
If you've spent the last few days prodding your DIY voodoo doll of Michael Cera with a frozen banana in hopes that it will convince him to sign on for the Arrested Development movie, you may be causing more harm than good. "There's no script or anything, so the movie is more hypothetical than people think," the indie hero told MTV News. "I'd possibly play the part, I'd possibly put the script in my shredder." [Movies Blog/MTV.com]
Clearly Barak Obama hasn't graduated from the Thom Browne school of pant lengths.
Sasha and Malia Obama looked adorable this morning at Barack's inauguration. Michelle wore a designer dress and coat by Isabel Toledo, but 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia were more modest in Crewcuts by J.Crew, the brand's kids' line (though Michelle's green gloves were also by J.Crew). A press release from J.Crew boasts:
Malia featured a deep periwinkle blue coat, while her equally chic sister wore a deep coral dress under her sweet guava coat, vivid orange scarf and glove set, each tied with a velvet ribbon belt around the waist.
Ah yes, the fashion vocabulary used to describe the grown-up set has trickled down to those of single-digit age. We can't wait for the self-congratulatory press release from whoever designed their Inaugural gowns. "The fabulous Sasha, 7, and elegant Malia, 10, STUN in elegant [Insert Designer Name Here]." Just feels off.
When the Obamas got out of their armored limo and walked down Pennsylvania Avenue for a few blocks, waving to onlookers, Chris got a little nervous. Such a big, symbolic day! And perfect sniper weather, to boot. But Jessica said it was racist to be nervous. And really, we can't get worried for Obama every time he's not in a bubble of armored glass. Thoughts?
There's no excuse for laughing at the handicapped. Unless that man is Dick Cheney. In which case, it's f**king hilarious. Source: Best Week Ever | 20 Jan 2009 | 9:20 pm
Front Page: Obama's swearing-in defined by superlatives -- President Barack Obama had finished taking the oath of office. The band started "Hail to the Chief." And the crowd -- if that's what you call a turnout of this size -- burst into cheers.
It’s been eight long months since we got our last Lost fix, and, if you’re anything like us, the itch for new intel has been pretty much unbearable for at least the past six. But while there’s been no shortage of ABC-sanctionedsneak peeks at the new season, we're always way more interested in what the mad, minutiae-analyzing geniuses on the internet have to say about what it all means. So, we scoured the web for some choice hypotheses (and couple of crackpot ones) relating to tomorrow night's season-five premiere. Happy theorizing!
• Now that we know John Locke is the one in the coffin, and that he goes by the name Jeremy Bentham in the future, we can begin to guess what that signifies. For one thing, you should know that the real Bentham denounced many of the real Locke’s philosophical views, so look out for Locke’s drastic character shift as he becomes the leader of the Others. Also, the wheel Ben pushed to move the island apparently has all sorts of religious and philosophical importance and may be a huge key to understanding the show. [PowellsBook.Blog]
• Remember how Daniel Faraday couldn’t remember meeting Desmond at the end of “The Constant”? That could be the case because his present consciousness had not been linked with his past consciousness, but perhaps a major event (like an island disappearing) will make his mind shift in time. Or something like that. [Magic Lamp]
• Doc Jensen weighs in with his first big theory of 2009, which concerns the “ghosts” of Charlie and Claire, who brought warnings that Jack should not raise Aaron, and that Kate shouldn’t bring him back to the island. But maybe they weren’t talking about Aaron at all. Rather, Jensen thinks these may have been warning not to resurrect a certain dead character. You know, like one who might have been spotted in a coffin. [EW]
• Has the island become unstuck in time? If so, then it might constantly shift time periods as though it has some sort of consciousness that can only be stabilized by a constant. (Is that why Jacob’s cabin moves around so much?) And maybe that constant is the Oceanic Six. [EYE M SICK]
• Forget the science; Lost is all about the supernatural. With a distinct consciousness, the island is — what else? — the mind of God. Yeah, we’re not going to read into this one too much. [Lost Blog/Film Fodder]
• And if you’re tired of theories and just want some good, solid spoilers, there’s plenty of info on who will and won’t be in this season, in addition to some minor plot developments. Or you could just suck it up and wait to watch the premiere tomorrow. [TV Squad]
Governor Paterson has told reporters that he came to a decision yesterday on who to appoint to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, but when asked the identity of that person, he quipped, "Why Michelle Obama, of course," a joke he'd used earlier in the day with Andrea Mitchell. Michael Scott delay tactics aside, Paterson assures that other people besides him will know who he picked by Saturday. [Daily Politics/NYDN]
AP - Consummate tailor that he is, Giorgio Armani knows a guy can't live without a suit. So what better way to combat the current global recession than to offer a man the best of what he needs.
It's not all ice cream and kittens today: In an interestingly timed press release, Warner Bros. just announced it's cutting 10 percent of its staff, citing "global economic situation and current business forecasts" (by which they likely mean that Christopher Nolan has not yet called them back about Batman 3). The studio will slash 200 open positions, lay off 300 workers, and outsource 300 I.T. and accounting jobs. [Variety]
Because the ads have hit the airwaves. One is just a shot of a ballerina running in the shadows. Another makes the contestants look like paper dolls. But our favorite is the one of Tyra Banks at a photo shoot, with Britney Spears's "Circus" playing. "All eyes on [Tyra] in the center of the ring, just like a circus. When she rack that whip everyone gon' trip," yadda yadda. Each season, only one can be on top, and each season it's Tyra. Cycle twelve starts March 4. [Jezebel]
President Obama (no longer President-elect Obama — so long, extra keystrokes!) faced some tough comparisons heading into his inaugural address, which he'd been working on for two months, apparently. It was to be measured not only against inaugural addresses like those of JFK, FDR, and Lincoln, but also against his own already-classic orations. In other words, unless his speech made the nearby statues weep, it just wouldn't impress some people. And, as it turns out, not everyone was impressed. But for most people, Obama's message, in addition to his usual poetic language, seems to have resonated especially well.
• Megan McArdle was "disappointed by the beginning of his speech" but thought the second half was "beautiful." [Atlantic]
• Michael Crowley calls it "strong, uplifting, appropriate for the moment, good if not wholly breathtaking," though it was kind of tough on Bush, who had to "sit and listen to Obama's account of a nation that needs to be reclaimed and restored." [Plank/New Republic]
• Jonathan Cohn was most struck by "the direct rebuke of former President Bush's foreign policy," in particular, the passage "about the need to live by the rule of law, even in matters of national security." [Plank/New Republic]
• Alan Wolfe says Obama's "emphasis on duty and responsibility" was "so loud" that they drowned out his "liberal themes of hope and purpose." [Plank/New Republic]
• Jay Nordlinger admires Obama's "brevity" but doesn't think the speech was either particularly bad or good. [Corner/National Review]
• Karen Tumulty calls it "the most somber inauguration address I can remember." As in Chicago on Election Day, "Obama was once again the pull of gravity on the giddiness around him." [Time]
• Steve Benen says it was "a dense and powerful speech, and a more forceful rejection of the status quo than I'd expected." [Political Animal/Washington Monthly]
• Ramesh Ponnuru writes that despite some "good passages," the speech was "pedestrian, and at times petty in its many shots at Bush." [Corner/National Review]
• Michael Knox Beran calls it "[a] home run, very different in its emphases from The Audacity of Hope; much graver, more sober, and (in a good way) backward-looking." [Corner/National Review]
• Jeff Shesol, a speechwriter for President Clinton, weighs in: "It may not be the most inspirational speech he has ever given, but it’s surely the most purposeful. It was a display of strength (his) and a summoning of strength (ours)." [Room for Debate/NYT]
• Abe Greenwald contends that Obama's "inaugural speech showed no evidence that he’s willing to abandon" his reliance "on the imprecise rhetoric of the professional campaigner." [Contentions/Commentary]
• Adam Serwer thinks the speech today "sought to provide a vision of our adulthood; an attitude that rejects the impulsiveness, painted as toughness, of the Bush years." [American Prospect]
• Taegan Goddard calls it "an extraordinary speech." [Political Wire]
• Ta-Nehisi Coates has "heard too many Obama speeches" and finds himself "unmoved." [Atlantic]
• Gabriel Winant found the speech "lofty in its language, but its subject was, in some sense, as earthy as it gets." The crux of the message was that "the story of American freedom is social history — the stuff of ordinary people's lives." [War Room/Salon]
Forrest Gump was a 1994 movie written by Eric Roth about a man child who falls in love, stays in love, and experiences the world inside and out.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is 2008 movie written by Eric Roth about a man child who falls in love, stays in love, and experiences the world inside and out.
But just how similar are these movies? Watch this unbelievable side-by-side comparison created by the folks over atTalk Show with Spike Feresten and prepare to have your old man child brains blown out of your waxless pink baby ear.
AP - First lady Michelle Obama wore a sparkling yellow sheath dress with matching coat by Cuban-born American designer Isabel Toledo for the inauguration of her husband, a choice many applauded as a cheerful message of hope and a vote for the American fashion industry.
As the National Broadcasting Company attempts to pull off its complex transition of Late Night power, one would expect that all parties involved would do their best to play fair in the sandbox (at least publicly). However, when future Late Night host Jimmy Fallon appeared as a guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night, things didn't go exactly as planned. You see, in an apparent homage to a little seen webisode shot by Fallon's team, Jimmy purposely took a drink of water from Jay Leno's coffee mug — instead of his own — during their interview. Jay then doused Fallon with the remaining water in the mug, at which point members of the audience audibly gasped, unsure if what they just saw was something spontaneous or staged. While we're 95 percent confident that this bit was arranged in advance, we're 100 percent sure that the two completely lack any sense of comedic chemistry together, which explains why the audience reacted like this was an adversarial incident instead of something that just happens when two wacky buddies like this get together. Judge for yourself, after the jump.
Here's the video from last night's Tonight Show.
And here's the video in which the seeds of the probable inside joke were first sown:
We're overdosing on denim campaigns right now. Three launched just last week, and the jean juggernaut doesn't look like it's slowing down. Audrina Patridge debuted her ads for Divine Rights of Denim at Arden B., which we've been waiting for since her collaboration was announced last September. Judging from the playful way she gropes the wall, she's following all the rules in the Lindsay Lohan for Fornarina playbook. Lucky Brand also launched its spring campaign with celebrity children Alexandra Richards (daughter of Keith Richards) and Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon). In contrast to Audrina, the pair provides a refreshingly normal perspective, especially Alexandra's natural, girl-next-door pose. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also landed a campaign for Energie (a division of Miss Sixty). In the ever-so-alluring ad, Meyers is awash in light while his penetrating baby blues say that, yes, he wants you. Okay, maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part.
We know that today's inauguration has largely been about the joy of swearing in our first African-American president, but it seems a lot of people get even warmer, fuzzier feelings about the downfall of George W. Bush. In DuPont Circle yesterday, we happened upon several hundred such Bush-haters gathered around a two-story-tall inflatable doll of a Pinocchio-nosed Bush with a sign reading “Give Bush the Boot.” The doll was under siege, the target of tossed shoes. “That felt so much better than I thought it would!” said one girl, who immediately reached for another shoe. “I could watch this all day,” said another.
There were various methods of attack: Some tied laces together and try to get the shoes to hook on the outgoing president's nose. Others threw the shoes too hard and sent passersby scattering, arms covering their heads. A group of effete French youths threw with all their might but couldn’t even get the shoes near the doll.
Every once in a while a man wearing a sweatshirt reading “Arrest Bush” would come over and encourage the crowd to toss in unison, which created a lovely arc of flying footwear. That man was Jose J. Rodriguez, coordinator of ArrestBush2009.com, a website that had been designed specifically for the inaugural events. The group had been using the inflatable Bush doll for years, but they recently realized they could turn the Iraqi shoe attack into a sort of game — and thus “shoe Bush” was born. Over 1,000 smelly pairs of shoes were donated to the "cause."
Billi Kid's latest stencil is on view in D.C. as part of "Manifest Hope," in which artists, a lot of them street legends, imagine the future that begins ... today. Whereas Shepard Fairey, in his already iconic rendering of Obama, captured the man in all his gentle concern, Billi Kid seems to have caught our new president laughing at Chief Justice Roberts's oath-giving ability.
That title isn't sarcastic -- my genuine initial reaction to these pics was "Mickey Rourke is looking pretty decent without his sunglasses and hair all effed up and... oh. Oh wow. I... that's... Never mind."
Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan just went on NBC to explain to fashion-clueless Brian Williams what Michelle Obama's inaugural endorsement means for Isabel Toledo. Givhan explained that Toledo's business is very small, and she doesn't advertise because it's beyond her budget. Before this morning, Toledo's name was known well within the design industry, but not much outside of it. Now she's as good as household.
"Barack really exceeds what David Palmer is, or was, on TV." —Dennis Haysbert confirms that Barack Obama is greater than a fictional TV president [Boston Herald]
"Not doing it. Everybody and their mama is doing a documentary on Obama." —Spike Lee wants no part of an Obama movie [MTV]
"Ten years ago when we did this show ABC did not know what they wanted to be. We were on Saturday at 10 and weekly had our ass handed to us by Chuck Norris. A show about being single and 30 on Saturday at 10? This is a better time for romantic comedy, a better time to be on ABC." —Rob Thomas on remaking Cupid [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
"My first ever sex scene in a movie was in Superbad. Because I was 17, for legal reasons my mother had to be on the set. It was real awkward but it worked out OK because when I watched the movie with her the sex scene wasn't awkward because she'd been right there when it happened. Afterwards we didn't talk about it; we still don't speak about that moment. Now, I'm 19 so my mom doesn't have to be in the room when I have sex, thank God." —Christopher Mintz-Plasse [Guardian]
"I'm up against George Carlin, so I think the most effective thing I did is to spread the rumor that I'm dead, too." —Harry Shearer on being nominated for the Best Comedy Album Grammy [Pop & Hiss/LAT]
"White teen angst is the most documented thing in the world. You got Jimmy Dean and Marlon Brando, and everybody is riding around on motorcycles and all angry, but you know what? Black folks have that too. Ask around." —Stew [NYT]
"I don't have anything against the lifestyle. But we as players were having a hard enough time dealing with and defending against the negative stigmas and stereotypes associated with the sport and playing attire before it was announced that we would be playing at a nudist resort." —quarterback Reby Sky fights for the legitimacy of the Lingerie Bowl [St. Petersburg Times]
Reuters - Milan's designers showed next winter will mainly be grey and slimmed down for men, with sober creations that seemed to look for comfort in a chilly economic climate but a spat between two top names heated up the week.
Remember these pants, because they don't come out often.
The September Issue, R. J. Cutler's documentary about putting together the September 2007 issue of Vogue, premiered at Sundance over the weekend. Anna Wintour attended a screening Saturday afternoon wearing a leather Michael Kors jacket with a fox collar, an Oscar de la Renta turtleneck, J Brand jeans, and Manolo Blahnik boots. This was her version of "mountain casual." "It is actually my first time wearing jeans to work,” she told WWD. But that's not all — the typically mum editrix chatted on:
“This is very much R.J.’s film. I want to make it very clear that he had complete freedom to put together the movie that he wanted and it’s not in any way Vogue behind him telling him what he can and cannot do,” she said. Asked if she placed any restrictions on filming or editing, Wintour replied, “He showed us the film a little while ago and we made a few suggestions, all of which he ignored.”
That's a lot of words for a red-carpet encounter with Anna. Could she be revealing a friendlier, chattier self? Because this interview is basically the opposite of the one in which she told us to go away and leave her alone. To think we felt lucky after that encounter, because often she doesn't even say two words to reporters. WWD notes that she's given an "admiring" portrayal in the film. Indeed, she seemed quite pleasant in the clip from the movie we shared with you last week. We wonder if this film — in the midst of such a difficult time for Vogue with such frenetic speculation about Anna's imminent departure — is part of Anna's attempt to revamp her image to help solidify her reigning editor-in-chief-dom.
If you're not airing out your mountain-casual threads in Sundance along with Anna, you can watch the film on A&E this year. The airdate hasn't been determined.
Britney Spears is set to sign a £10 million book deal.
The 'Womanizer' singer is expected to begin writing her tell-all tome when she finishes her sell-out world tour 'The Circus Starring: Britney Spears'.
It is believed she could pen up to five explosive books over the next 10 years.
A source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "There have been numerous unofficial biographies printed about Britney, but she's never agreed to pen her own tome - until now.
"And some of the stories she's got are absolute dynamite. She's kept diaries so there's nothing she'll leave out unless she wants to.
"If the deal goes ahead she will write between three and five books throughout the next decade - it's one of the most lucrative book deals in showbiz history.
"Britney will talk frankly about growing up and how she went off the rails. It'll be a gripping read."
Last year, Britney's mother Lynne left the star devastated when she released her revealing book 'Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World'.It revealed how Britney - now 27 - started drinking aged 13, lost her virginity to at the age of 14 and took drugs when she was 15.
The actor-and-rapper - who married Mariah Carey following a whirlwind romance last year - doesn't mind when people say his wife is more famous than him, claiming he just takes the teasing in his stride.
Asked how he feels when people say cruel things about his wife, Nick replied: "My heart goes out to my wife every time she has to hear something like that. I don't care about nothing, I'm just silly. I make fun of me all the time, I'm like, 'Call me Mr. Carey, who cares?' "
Nick added he feels "blessed" to be with Mariah.
He told US TV show 'Extra': "I'm blessed to have a partner that's truly one of those people that affect the world."
Mariah was equally as gushing about her husband, revealing the secret to the couple's happy relationship is that they are not afraid to tell each other exactly how they feel.
She said: "The secret to me is realising when you meet the right person and being brave enough to dive in and say this is the right person for me. We have fun like nobody's business."
Amy Winehouse has enjoyed several dates with a tennis instructor at her St. Lucia hotel.
The 'Rehab' singer - who reportedly romanced 21-year-old actor Josh Bowman while staying on the Caribbean island - has grown close to the handsome sports coach in recent days, despite declaring her love for jailed husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who has filed for divorce over Amy's holiday antics.
A source said: "Amy has met another man and they are getting on really well. She has had her eye on him for a while. He is another clean-cut, handsome, healthy bloke, much like Josh.
"He teaches tennis and other sports at the resort where Amy stayed before she moved to the villa. Amy's really into him".
Meanwhile, Amy reportedly blew £10,000 in one night after treating friends and other hotel guests to food, wine and champagne.
A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Amy blows thousands at a time on these people she barely knows.
"Some are friends but the majority are just outsiders who have latched on to her and taken advantage.
"They see her as an open cheque book. In one night, Amy's bill for this enormous group of at least 30 people came to £10,000."Amy, 25, recently said she "still loves" Blake - who has changed his status on social networking website Facebook to 'single' - but is determined to have fun while he serves his jail term for perverting the course of justice and grievous bodily harm.She said: "I still love my Blake. While he's locked away, I'm still going to have a good time. He can't do anything about it."
Camman admit it: How could you turn down a rom-com starring Bridget Jones' Renée Zellweger and the man best known for his cameo appearance in Copycat as a serial killer Harry Connick Jr.? And the website!! HOW QUAINT: It uses both high heels and snow boots... because she's a big city girl in the tundra, you guys! Mmmmmmlololol.
MmmmmbutseriouslyI'llprobablyseeit. Name the last good chick flick you've seen, because the only one I can think of is The Holiday. And I didn't love it.
Also this will be my last lady-related post of the day (see Cat Cafe). Let's cover this inauguration, shall we? Source: Best Week Ever | 20 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm
Two months ago, we looked out on the upcoming slate of film releases and boldly declared that 2009 would be the Year of the Werewolf, with hairy-faced Lycans finally putting an end to the box-office hegemony of vampires — but that was way before Paul Blart: Mall Cop made $39 million over four days this weekend.
Even though the coming weeks and months will bring wolf-starring movies like Underworld 3, The Wolf Man, and First Howl, we'll also see April's Observe and Report, in which Seth Rogen plays a racist mall security guard, and the new, just-announced-today Fox sitcomWalorsky, which follows "the exploits of an ex-cop who now patrols a shopping mall in Buffalo, NY" (Fox claims to have picked up the show prior to Blart's baffling MLK Day success). So who'll hop on this trend next? We bet Clint Eastwood is kicking himself for not thinking to play a racist mall cop before Seth Rogen. And you know the Coen brothers are already imagining all the silly haircuts they could give George Clooney for their mall-cop movie. Also, if Stephenie Meyer could somehow be persuaded to write a mall-cop-vampire-werewolf love quadrangle into the next Twilight novel, we're reasonably sure it would save the economy.
In the tradition of the past presidential power exchanges from Reagan to Bush Sr. and Bush Sr to Clinton and again to W., George W. Bushleft a confidential letter to Barack Obama in the desk of the Oval Office yesterday.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino explained the note in vague terms:
"...the theme is similar to what he's said since election night about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best."
Are we buying this? All it said was "good luck," with no Bush-y attempts at advice or passive aggressiveness?
Today's question -- what did Bush's private note to Obama say? Answers in the comments, people (and remember, this may be our last chance in a long while to whip that dead horse that is Bush-jokes) Source: Best Week Ever | 20 Jan 2009 | 6:45 pm
Reuters - They have both stripped down separately for the Emporio Armani underwear advertising campaign, but soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria are now posing together for the doyen of Italian fashion.
The Sundance Film Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary in Park City, Utah, is a magnet for film geeks, starry-eyed tourists, journalist suck-ups and celebrity stalkers -- including a CNN.com writer, who covered the festival for 15 years.
Reuters - "Don't Let Me Drown" is one of the best film portraits yet of New York in the aftermath of 9/11, where a city and its people cope with collective posttraumatic stress while military jets boom overhead and smoke from the Twin Towers hangs in the air. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 20 Jan 2009 | 5:25 pm
Front Page: Festival pauses for Obama inauguration -- The deal flow continued Tuesday at Sundance, led by Sony Pictures Classics' nearly $3 million pickup of "An Education," even as the fest took a dramatic pause during President Barack Obama's inauguration.
Front Page: International audiences have mixed views -- Barack Obama's inauguration drew a largely receptive audience of well-wishers across much of Europe and the U.K., from the corridors of power to the newsroom to the coffee shop. But Russia may prove a different story if the lukewarm reaction to the inauguration festivities is anything to go by.
Front Page: Action film moves from July 10 to Nov. 13 -- Sony is pushing back the release of Roland Emmerich's actioner "2012" from July 10 to Nov. 13, the same date the studio used to launch the previous two James Bond pics.
Front Page: New Monday night lineup looks strong -- Fox's new Monday lineup of "House" and "24" looked strong in the shows' first outing together this week.
D'Angelo is expected to collaborate with Prince on his long-awaited first new album since 2000, reportedly titled "James River" and due this summer from J Records.
AP - One of the most enduring plots throughout our culture has been the triumph of the little guy over seemingly unstoppable forces. From Moses versus the Pharaoh to Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader, the hero's journey from nobody to hero is related repeatedly. You can even see it in the new film "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," if you squint real hard. Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:23 pm
U2's new single, "Get on Your Boots," scored massive audience numbers throughout Europe and the United Kingdom on its debut day of radio airplay yesterday (Jan. 19), according to Nielsen Music Control. It's also off to a fast start at rock and triple-A stations in the United States.
Aubrey O'Day wasn't up to Diddy's standards (hence she was booted from his girl group "Danity Kane" last year) but it definitely sounds as though she's good enough for Hugh
Either Paula Abdul is hugging this misguided contestant, or they're plotting against Simon Cowell.
Actually, it wasn't Paula who looked as if she wanted to blindside the Brit...
Yes he did...and E! Online was there, rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood's heaviest hitters, to witness history.
Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Leonardo...
Been talking to everyone up here in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Fest. Kristen Stewart was thrilled to chat about something other than Twilight, so we talked the fest's buzz flick...
Can you tell me who in Hollywood actually has naturally long hair rather than extensions?
—Rosie, Ireland
Well, let's start with Hayden Panettiere. I would much...
Shia LaBeouf has been transformed into a passenger.
The Eagle Eye star had his driver's license suspended Saturday, a result of his refusal to take a Breathalyzer test when he was...
• So what are the moderately famous blogging about the inauguration? Mischa Barton: "I cried, I won't lie...I cried because I had a press day where I had to answer worthless...
The best parties don't get started until way past Twilight.
Summit Entertainment announced Tuesday that the teen-vampire romance will be available for your home-swooning pleasure...
Forrest Gump was a 1994 movie written by Eric Roth about a man child who falls in love, stays in love, and experiences the world inside and out.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is 2008 movie written by Eric Roth about a man child who falls in love, stays in love, and experiences the world inside and out.
But just how similar are these movies? Watch this unbelievable side-by-side comparison created by the folks over at
In the tradition of the past presidential power exchanges from Reagan to Bush Sr. and Bush Sr to Clinton and again to W., George W. Bush 
